For most of her life, Jiyoung An believed her struggles came down to laziness or lack of effort. Even after her ADHD diagnosis less than a year ago, she questioned whether she was just making excuses and using ADHD “as a crutch.” In this week’s episode, Jiyoung shares how her perspective has changed. She’s unlearning internalized shame and now sees her brain for what it truly is: different, not broken. Related resources What is growth mindset? What does thriving with ADHD actually look like? Tim...
Jul 08, 2025•27 min•Ep. 108
Marc Almodovar was diagnosed with ADHD at 16, after he took it upon himself to ask for help. But it wasn’t until a painful breakup in his early 20s that he began to confront the emotional toll of hiding his struggles. In this episode, Marc talks with host Laura Key about the toxic messages men receive around emotions and strength, the myths he’s had to unlearn, and the power of unmasking. He also shares how those realizations led him to found the Men’s ADHD Support Group — a space for men to tal...
Jun 24, 2025•24 min•Ep. 107
Laura Mears-Reynolds had reached a breaking point with anxiety and depression—until she realized something deeper was going on. She didn’t feel safe in her own hands, and she knew she needed help. What she didn’t know? ADHD was at the root of it all. The UK-based host of the ADHD AF podcast joins ADHD Aha! to share how understanding her brain finally helped her shed shame, find self-acceptance, and build a thriving community. Her message is clear: You’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alon...
Jun 10, 2025•31 min•Ep. 106
Nikki Daye, a school psychologist and ADHD advocate, grew up in the foster care system. She was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but her medical records were eventually lost. As she got older, her ADHD diagnosis wasn’t considered. Instead, her symptoms were misdiagnosed as anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. While her ADHD diagnosis was “lost in translation,” Nikki spent a lot of time feeling misunderstood and unsupported. It wasn’t until adulthood that she finally got the clarity she needed. No...
May 27, 2025•28 min•Ep. 105
Shane Thrapp always felt different. As an adult, he found out he has both ADHD and autism — two parts of his brain that sometimes work against each other. In this episode, Shane shares the weight of masking his symptoms, and how society’s ideas about “real men” can make it even harder to speak up. Today, Shane is helping other men with ADHD as the Operations Director of the Men’s ADHD Support Group . He’s on a mission to show that being yourself shows more strength than pretending to be someone ...
May 13, 2025•26 min•Ep. 104
Danielle Elliot was considering breaking up with her partner...and then he broke up with her first. Danielle had a “big, out of character” reaction: By 4am that night she was packed and ready to leave. The whole experience left her feeling unsettled. Why had she reacted that way? That sparked a deep dive into rejection sensitivity and ADHD. Danielle is a health and science journalist who’s now asking a bigger question: Why are so many women being diagnosed with ADHD — and why now? She explores t...
Apr 29, 2025•31 min•Ep. 103
In this bonus episode, we’re sharing the first episode of a new Understood.org podcast, Climbing the Walls . Climbing the Walls is an investigative limited-series podcast that explores why women were historically underdiagnosed with ADHD — and how the recent surge in diagnoses is reshaping our understanding of ADHD. In this episode, host Danielle Elliot finds herself among the many women diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic, and she gets curious. Why women? And why now? This question takes he...
Apr 22, 2025•31 min•Ep. 102
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. Emilia McGuckin was surprised when a teacher suggested her son might have ADHD. As a teacher herself, she thought she would have spotted the signs. But after diving into the research, an even bigger surprise hit her: Could she have ADHD too? Emilia, a high school and college teacher, was hesitant to pursue an ADHD evaluation. She’d felt dismisse...
Apr 15, 2025•25 min•Ep. 101
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. On this 100th episode of ADHD Aha! , host Laura Key looks back on the powerful conversations she’s had with guests from all walks of life about their unique ADHD experiences. She also opens up about a deeply personal new chapter: her 9-year-old daughter’s recent ADHD diagnosis. Laura reflects on what this milestone means for her both as a mom an...
Apr 01, 2025•28 min•Ep. 100
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. Steve Wesley makes videos about ADHD to create a legacy for his family. As a single dad with ADHD, he worries he’s not doing enough to support his two sons, who also have ADHD. He hopes the videos will serve as proof one day that he really was trying. Steve’s late wife was “the calendar” of the family. She kept everything on track. When she pass...
Mar 18, 2025•28 min•Ep. 99
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. Romance author Sela Carsen saw herself in her daughter’s ADHD evaluation 20 years ago. But she didn’t request an evaluation for herself until just 4 years ago. She was afraid that having ADHD would have a negative effect on her husband’s military career — that she’d be the “crazy wife.” Once Sela was finally diagnosed with ADHD, she had a big se...
Mar 04, 2025•23 min•Ep. 98
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. Margaux Joffe’s “aha” moment came during a shopping trip to IKEA with her mom. She had an intense sensory overload experience, which her mom later suggested could be ADHD-related. Margaux, who’d been diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teenager, had never considered ADHD. She was diagnosed with ADHD at age 29. In the years since, she’s be...
Feb 18, 2025•30 min•Ep. 97
We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today . Dan McCoy understood better his mood swings, fear of rejection, and hyperfocus when he was diagnosed with ADHD last year. He got an ADHD evaluation after reading an article his brother wrote about being on the autism spectrum. Dan is a comedy writer who’s won two Emmy awards for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . He also co-hosts the movie ...
Feb 04, 2025•26 min•Ep. 96
We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today . ADHD affects our whole life — even our sex life. Our friend Cate Osborn, who has a background in sex education, is back to chat with host Laura Key about executive function challenges that may pop up in the bedroom. Cate and Laura dive into topics like ADHD and consent, working memory, and rejection sensitivity. Cate hosts another Understood.org podca...
Jan 21, 2025•37 min•Ep. 95
At 14, Zoe Plotnick told her mom, “My brain’s broken.” Zoe wanted an ADHD evaluation, but her mom discouraged it, pointing to Zoe’s good grades. Zoe was eventually diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. She also learned that her mom was hiding her own ADHD all along. Now Zoe, who’s a teacher, is unpacking the ADHD stigma that her family has carried for generations. And she’s advocating for her daughter who, in a twist of fate, was diagnosed with ADHD at age 14 — the same age Zoe was when she tried to ...
Jan 07, 2025•17 min•Ep. 94
For years, Julianna Broadwater’s therapist suggested looking into ADHD. But Julianna resisted. She had a past diagnosis of OCD, so she attributed her challenges to that. Plus she was the primary breadwinner in the family, so how could she have ADHD? Then Julianna tried ADHD medication, and her thinking completely changed. The impulsive, intrusive thoughts that would pop into her head started to lessen. It was easy to swat them away like flies, instead of dropping everything to focus on them. Jul...
Dec 24, 2024•19 min•Ep. 93
Growing up, Jared Robson got so sick of failing that he decided, “trying isn’t for me.” Jared got into trouble all the time and bounced around different high schools. He eventually graduated high school but admits that that might not have happened if his family weren’t so well-off. Now, Jared’s a stay-at-home dad and thriving as a college student taking courses online (He has a 4.0 GPA!). Jared and Laura talk about the “hyperactive little boy” stereotype. Listen as he describes his quest to find...
Dec 10, 2024•29 min•Ep. 92
After Samantha Hiew had her second child at age 40, hormonal changes shed light on her ADHD symptoms. She was diagnosed with ADHD and, later, autism. Sam talks about her experience with AuDHD, including regulating emotions and sensory meltdowns. Sam also talks about her multicultural experience and the importance of community when you have ADHD. Sam is a social entrepreneur, scientist, and advocate. She’s also the founder and director of ADHD Girls, an award-winning social impact organization th...
Nov 26, 2024•29 min•Ep. 91
In school, a teacher made Rakia Reynolds push her desk all the way to the principal’s office for getting in trouble. Rakia had undiagnosed ADHD. She was energetic, creative, and the class clown. Rakia is now a businesswoman and creative leader with diagnosed ADHD — a diagnosis that she never shared publicly… until now. Hear from Rakia, the founder and executive director of Skai Blue Media, on why she shied away from talking about her ADHD until now. Did a level of success make it feel safer to t...
Nov 12, 2024•26 min•Ep. 90
Em Schulz thought they were just lazy growing up. Years later, after discovering that not everyone’s TikTok was full of ADHD tips that “weirdly work,” they realized they might have ADHD. Em is a paranormal investigator (aka ghost hunter) and co-host of the And That’s Why We Drink podcast. Em and Laura chat about ghosts and ghosting, as in ghosting relationships — a not uncommon ADHD behavior. And Em shares their take on whether people believe less in ghosts or ADHD. Related resources Em’s podcas...
Oct 29, 2024•26 min•Ep. 89
If you like this show, consider making a donation this holiday season. 100% of your donation will go towards helping us create more podcasts (like this one!). Click here to make a gift today. Growing up as a Black girl with undiagnosed ADHD, Kayla Sanders learned very early that getting into trouble was not an option. Kayla was imaginative, playful, and extremely bright. She was also hyperactive, which was occasionally mistaken for disobedience. One incident in particular in the first grade left...
Oct 15, 2024•25 min•Ep. 88
Patricia Sung was diagnosed with ADHD in her first year of college. It wasn’t until she became a mother, and other people relied on her, that she realized just how much ADHD affected her. Patricia now hosts the Motherhood in ADHD podcast. Join Patricia and host Laura Key as they talk about managing emotions with ADHD. Patricia explains the concept of “raging” — that moment when you go from 99 to 100 and emotions boil over. She also shares strategies that can help. Related resources Building self...
Oct 01, 2024•30 min•Ep. 87
Matthew Raghunauth always felt like he was a little lazy and sluggish — that’s just how he was. Then the time came to return to office after the pandemic, and he really started struggling at work. He questioned why he would put things off so much. He was scared to mess up, and afraid that his colleagues would think he’s a bad employee. Matthew is an artist and UX designer who was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago. Join Laura and Matthew as they talk about this ADHD fear of being “f...
Sep 17, 2024•24 min•Ep. 86
Farah Jamil had to stand up for herself when two health care providers told her she couldn’t have ADHD. The reasons cited? One thought she was too smart, charming, and cared for to have ADHD. The other seemed to question whether ADHD was even real. Fortunately, Farah has strong self-advocacy skills that allowed her to debunk these myths in real time. Farah is an executive coach, ADHD life coach, and the founder of the community groups Muslim ADHDers and Interfaith ADHDers . Listen as host Laura ...
Sep 03, 2024•32 min•Ep. 85
How to ADHD creator Jessica McCabe has been the source of many ADHD “aha” moments — so what were her ADHD “aha” moments? Jessica was diagnosed when she was 12 years old but didn’t start to look into what ADHD meant for her until she was 32. Taking ADHD medication felt like putting on glasses — experiencing the world as everyone else did. But she didn’t have the skills and strategies to cope with ADHD. So, she started making YouTube videos...and the rest is history. Listen in as Jessica answers L...
Aug 20, 2024•35 min•Ep. 84
Dr. Monica Johnson joins Laura to talk about a topic that comes up a lot on ADHD Aha!: ADHD and trauma. She explains how trauma and ADHD can look alike and whether ADHD can lead to trauma. Dr. J, as she’s known, also talks about misdiagnosis, treatment, and how to support someone who’s struggling. This episode contains discussion about trauma, PTSD, and examples of traumatic events. It’s intended for educational purposes, but may not be for everyone. You can visit mentalhealthhotline.org , or ra...
Aug 06, 2024•32 min•Ep. 83
Breon and Dan Gummel are a mixed-neurodiversity married couple. After about 5 years of marriage, Breon was diagnosed with ADHD. The conflicts they’d been having as a couple took on a new shape. The more they learned about ADHD, the better they understood each other. Now, they’ve founded an ADHD community called ADHDinner. This is where people with ADHD, and their close ones, can come together for a meal and share their experiences. You can create your own wherever you live with their free ADHDin...
Jul 23, 2024•27 min•Ep. 82
Leadership and career coach Phoebe Gavin was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Phoebe’s mom was her number one advocate. She never made Phoebe feel like there was something wrong with her, and that’s followed her to this day. Now, she works with clients to empower them in the same way. Phoebe takes us through serving in the military, to fashion school, to starting a business with ADHD. She shares career tips when you have ADHD and her journey navigating ADHD and PTSD. Related resources Phoebe’...
Jul 09, 2024•32 min•Ep. 81
As women, it can feel like we have to do it all, yet not be “too much.” Add ADHD stigma and shame on top, and it can feel impossible. Good thing we have Tracy Otsuka to remind us that no one has ever made a difference by being “too little.” Tracy is an ADHD coach, the host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast, and author of the book with the same name! In this episode, host Laura Key and Tracy talk about how her son’s diagnosis led to her own, the need for an ADHD cookbook, and challenging th...
Jun 25, 2024•28 min•Ep. 80
Jesse Anderson wishes he’d had an ADHD manual when he was first diagnosed as an adult, so he wrote one. Before he was diagnosed, he never considered having ADHD himself. After his wife encouraged him to look into it more, his trouble with remembering to do things, time management, and anger started to take a different shape in his mind. Today, Jesse is an ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and author of the book Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD . Join host Laura Key and Jesse as the...
Jun 11, 2024•29 min•Ep. 79
