Episode 192 with Charlotte Hastings. “I used to pray as a girl: ‘Please, let me sit in my seat. Please, don’t let me shoot my mouth off. Please, just let me be a good girl. I just want to be like everybody else.’” Charlotte is a trained psychodynamic counselor, a nutrition and cookery instructor, and a former head of drama at a boarding school for dyslexic, autistic spectrum, and ADHD students in the UK.  Her recipe of personal and professional experience, skills and passions have all fed...

Episode 191 with Christal Wang. “Everyone shimmers differently. It’s all about figuring out what is the unabashed, unapologetic, sparkling version of you.” Christal is the co-founder and CEO of Shimmer, the first-ever comprehensive behavioral tech platform for adults with ADHD. Chris started Shimmer after she was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and she is now on a mission to create a more neuro-inclusive world for all neurodivergent individuals. Chris is a recognized Forbes 30 Under 30...

Episode 190 with Ella Fielding. “My thoughts are like sneezes.” Ella is a distinguished sculptor based in Surrey and London, with over 15 years of expertise in chainsaw carving. She has created monumental installations at events like Glastonbury Festival, and she is one of the featured master-crafters on “The Woodland Workshop,” which airs on Discovery Plus.  Ella and I talk about her diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 38, which came 20 years after her diagnosis of dyslexia in university. We...

Episode 189 with Jackie Schuld. “We need more time for things to work through our brains. Art helps with that and gives an outlet for all the intense emotions and thoughts we have.” Jackie is an expressive arts therapist who runs a private practice specializing in late-identified Autism & ADHD. As a late-identified autistic and ADHDer herself, she loves to connect with her clients through writing, art, and conversation. She also writes and illustrates visual books, including “What is...

Episode 188 with Jes Hagan. “The first study on women and ADHD was done in 1979, but there wasn’t a study on the menstrual cycle and ADHD until 2017.” Jes is a nutritional therapist and board-certified integrative menstrual health educator and coach. She is the founder of Her Mood Mentor, a virtual premenstrual clinic. Her own experience of living with misdiagnosed and undiagnosed Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and ADHD has fueled her determination to help others reclaim their lives...

Episode 187 with Sarah Collins. “I’ve probably spent more money on therapy than anything else in my life, and yet nobody ever said anything about ADHD or neurodivergence.” Sarah is an activist and entrepreneur. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Sarah has spent much of her life passionate about social justice and improving the welfare of others, especially when it comes to gender equality and environmental sustainability. In 2008, Sarah founded Wonderbag, a portable, non-electric...

Episode 186 with Holly D’Arcy. “Sometimes I cringe at the word ‘resilience,’ but I am grateful for my resilience because I often have to work harder than anybody else in the room to do the same thing.” Holly is a military spouse, mother, health coach, and competitive athlete who brings a unique perspective to the challenges and triumphs of navigating life with ADHD. Diagnosed at the age of 33, Holly has become passionate about learning all that she can about how ADHD impacts women young and...

Episode 185 with Clara Harris. “I told my therapist how there were so many thoughts swirling in my head — it was just so noisy that my ears were ringing. She paused and said, Um, maybe we should test you for ADHD.” Clara lives in Louisville, KY, and she is an actor, writer, and producer with over two decades of experience. In 2022, she produced and performed her solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest performing arts festival. The show is called This Moment in...

Episode 184 with Melody Hubert. “My dad always said, ‘You're brilliant, but you have no stick-to-itiveness.’ I did so many different things but I couldn’t stick with anything for long.” Melody is a 45-year-old radiologic technologist from Central Florida. When her son was little, he was diagnosed with ADHD, but like many parents, it never occurred to her that she could also possibly have ADHD. Many years later, it was a chance conversation with a patient about Melody’s “hobby hopping” that...

Episode 183 with Laura Mears-Reynolds. “This isn’t just a new chapter; it really does feel like a new life. My diagnosis not only changed but actually saved my life.” Laura is an ADHD activist and the host of the popular ADHD AF podcast. Laura's life was not only transformed but saved by her ADHD diagnosis at the age of 38. She wants all people with ADHD to be treated both medically and with the respect they deserve. We talk about Laura’s journey from lying on the couch to her unstoppable...

Episode 182 with Alex Gilbert & Katy Weber. “My ‘To Do’ list feels like a table covered in those buzzers they give you at chain restaurants. Everything feels urgent and everything is competing for my attention.” You may remember that I have another podcast called The ADHD Lounge, which I co-host with fellow ADHD coach Alex Gilbert. This week I’m sharing one of my favorite episodes from that podcast, in which Alex & I talk about managing ADHD overwhelm. We identify some of the main...

Episode 181 with Erin & Stephen Mitchell. “I want to start a support group for partners of people diagnosed in adulthood because they have to listen to us go on and on and on about our ADHD.” This episode is an interview I did with Erin & Stephen Mitchell for their podcast, Couples Counseling for Parents. I’m a huge fan of this couple and their work and I just loved this conversation so much, and I’m grateful that they’ve allowed me to publish it here. We talk about how ADHD affects...

Episode 180 with Robin Tate. “It’s given such context to my life. There was such relief in knowing this is just my brain, this is just how it works!” Robin is an experienced teacher and professional coach. She has a Master’s of Science Degree in Reading and a Master’s of Arts Degree in Counseling. She is trained through the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE) as an AsperCoach as well as a Neurodiverse Couples Coach.  As a leader in the neurodiversity arena, Robin is setting a new standard for how...

Episode 179 with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau. “One of the best ways to help women with ADHD is in groups. We heal each other by understanding each other, laughing together, and not expecting the same perfection we feel the outside world expects of us.” Dr. Nadeau is a clinical psychologist and founder of The Chesapeake Center, as well as an internationally recognized authority on ADHD. She is the author or co-author of over a dozen books related to ADHD across the lifespan, from her best-selling book...

Episode 178 with Anette Jacobsen. “A lot of women don’t pass the autism tests the first time because the questions are designed with young boys in mind. ‘Do you collect trains, planes, or information about birds?’ No, I don't. But right now my special interest is autism and ADHD, and you should see how many Trello boards I have.” Anette lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anette never suspected she had ADHD until she lost her flexible job as the administrative manager of the largest language school...

Episode 177 with Ali Barton. “When I have gut feelings about things, you can't change my mind. It drives other people bonkers, but I trust my gut deeply.” Ali is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice just outside of Boston. She works primarily with women in their 20s through 50s, with ADHD, anxiety, disordered eating/eating disorders, parenting stressors, and relational conflicts. She is also a mom of two children with ADHD, and is passionate about advocating for more...

Episode 176 with Dr. Amy Marschall. “We tend to frame neurodivergence not as ‘How are you doing?” but ‘What problems are you causing for the adults around you?’ If you’re not causing problems, then you must be fine.” Dr. Marschall has been a licensed psychologist since 2016. She’s a clinical advisor for ADHD Online, and currently owns a private practice, RMH-Therapy. Her clinical specializations include trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming care, rural mental health, and telemental...

Episode 175 with Connie Tu. “In many ways I miss my old mask because it worked for so many years. This new mask is taking a lot of work to build.” Connie lives in Bradford in Northern England and has spent the last 10 years as a skilled body artist in the medium of natural henna and ethically-sourced jagua. She received a dual diagnosis of Autism and ADHD about a year ago.  Connie was one of my Instagram followers who answered my call for “regular” guests because she definitely didn’t see...

Episode 174 with Yasemin Bahar. “One of the great things about being neurodivergent is thinking outside the box and questioning things. When you're told ’2 + 2 = 4,’ you ask why. Why is it not 5?” Yasemin is a female-assigned intersex person living in Turkey. They have their BA & MA in psychology, and they co-founded the İnter Dayanışma Türkiye (Inter Solidarity Turkey) initiative, which focuses on personal empowerment and professional development for intersex individuals in Turkey. We...

Episode 173 with Cynthia Hammer. “Why are we being diagnosed at 50 with a condition we’ve had since birth? We need better ways to diagnose it sooner.” Cynthia was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in 1992 when she was 49. At the time, she thought she was the only adult in the U.S. who had this disorder, but quickly learned she was not alone. She founded ADD Resources, a non-profit organization that focused on helping adults recognize their ADHD and learn how to improve their lives, which she...

Episode 172 with Heather Jean Ransom. “It feels so detached when I say ‘I have ADHD’ because it is part of me. I can't discern it from myself. I am ADHD.” Heather Jean was born in England and now lives in Germany with her husband and two daughters. She was diagnosed last year with ADHD at the age of 47.  We talk about her journey to diagnosis after a leave of absence due to chronic pain and fibromyalgia, and we discuss the frustrations many of us have felt describing our lived experience and...

Episode 171 with Gilly Kahn. “In school, my arms were constantly tattooed with pen marks and reminders. Post-it notes have been my friend since Day One.” Gilly is a licensed clinical psychologist working in a private group practice in the Atlanta area. She specializes in individual and group therapy focusing on neurodiversity, anxiety, and depression in youth.  Gilly gravitated toward working with children and teens with ADHD and Autism because, in her opinion, there is no better or wiser...

Episode 170 with Lotta Borg Skoglund. “We miss the girls. Then they grow up and struggle and scream until they finally get a diagnosis, only to get a prescription and get abandoned again.” Lotta is a senior physician and associate professor of psychiatry at Uppsala University in Sweden. Lotta’s work centers on ADHD and women as well as how hormones impact the mental health of girls and women. She has authored several books, including “ADHD Girls to Women: Getting on the Radar,” which was...

Episode 169 with Tracy Otsuka. “I have this thing, I call them ‘word holes,’ where all of a sudden I'll be talking and I’ll forget a simple word. It's like there's a hole in my brain and the word just kind of goes in there and I can't access it.” Tracy is a certified ADHD coach and the host of the popular ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast. Over the past decade, she has empowered millions of listeners to see their neurodivergence as a strength, not a weakness. We talk about her inspiration for...