When William Curb learned he had ADHD (and wasn’t just lazy), he felt empowered to build coping skills. Now, he hosts the Hacking Your ADHD podcast where he talks about ADHD supports, workarounds, and more. In this bonus episode, host Laura Key and William talk about ADHD and emotions and his favorite ADHD hacks. Related resources William’s podcast, Hacking Your ADHD ADHD and emotions ADHD and the myth of laziness To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! ...
Jun 04, 2024•17 min•Ep. 78
ADHD coach and creator Caren Magill was diagnosed with ADHD in 2020, during the pandemic. Caren gets real about her experience as a teen girl with undiagnosed ADHD: dropping out of high school, smoking, having poor self-care, and being a “messy kid.” She also shares how she manages her ADHD through fitness, sleep, and meditation. Caren is also the host of It’s The ADHD-Friendly Show podcast. Listen as she shares what she’s hearing from women with ADHD about overwhelm, and approaching ADHD challe...
May 28, 2024•29 min•Ep. 77
Casey McQuiston, best-selling author of Red, White and Royal Blue , grew up in a neurodivergent family and was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Still, they had trouble coping, and in high school, English teachers gave them an intervention for “not trying hard enough.” Casey is the author of multiple books in the queer romance genre. Casey chats with Laura about how ADHD influences their writing. They also share a sneak peek of their upcoming book The Pairing , coming out August 2024. Related ...
May 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 76
What makes being a mom with ADHD so hard? Navigating executive functions and emotional labor, for one. And feeling burned out when burnout isn’t an option — because there’s always something else that needs your very limited attention! Talking about it with someone who just “gets it” is such a relief. In this episode, Laura talks to her friend and colleague Rae Jacobson, also a mom with ADHD. Listen to their conversation and insights on this bonus Mother’s Day episode. Related resources Rolling w...
May 07, 2024•36 min•Ep. 75
Ellyce Fulmore had structures in place her whole life that kept her ADHD hidden. When the pandemic hit, those structures disappeared. Doing basic daily tasks — things like cooking and running errands — got really hard. Then she went down a research rabbit hole on ADHD in women and asked for an ADHD evaluation. Before the pandemic, Ellyce had been struggling with impulsive spending. It made her feel like she was in control when really the spending was controlling her. Now, she’s the author of the...
Apr 30, 2024•28 min•Ep. 74
ADHD coach Jaye Lin is no stranger to ADHD burnout. As an Asian American former gifted kid with undiagnosed ADHD, her parents thought she was just being lazy and not applying herself. This pressure and shame followed until her 30s, when her anxiety peaked while she was working at a high-pressure job. Jaye’s therapist thought she was drug-seeking when she wanted to be screened for ADHD. Now, Jaye builds communities and helps others prioritize what’s important when tunnel vision takes over our liv...
Apr 16, 2024•35 min•Ep. 73
In 2016, Paulette Perhach wrote a piece proclaiming that all women need an emergency fund — what she calls an “f-off fund.” But when she struggled to secure an emergency fund for herself, she suspected she might have ADHD. Paulette, a successful author and writing coach, put off the evaluation because she couldn’t afford the $260 price tag. In this episode of ADHD Aha! , Paulette talks about her trouble with impulse buying and online shopping. She shares her family’s history with money issues, i...
Apr 02, 2024•22 min•Ep. 72
As a child, David Flink was told to “just try harder.” But David wasn’t lazy. He was trying as hard as he could. After being diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in the 5th grade, David went to a school that taught him to “try smarter” instead. There he learned to pick paths that work better for his brain. Today, David is an author, advocate, and speaker. He’s also the founder and chief empowerment officer of Eye to Eye, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving experiences for students with ...
Mar 19, 2024•28 min•Ep. 71
Peter Jones used to feel better about saying he had a hearing problem rather than considering ADHD. When he was a child in the 90s, adults thought his “listening problem” was because he couldn’t hear. Turns out, Peter does have some trouble hearing lower frequencies, but that didn’t explain his other symptoms. Now, Peter knows he has ADHD and is not afraid to say it. On this episode, Host Laura Key and Peter discuss what it means when a child is “listening,” and how auditory processing comes int...
Mar 05, 2024•22 min•Ep. 70
ADHD coach Emily Weinberg is no stranger to analysis paralysis. Before she was diagnosed, she thought she was just lazy, and that she couldn’t have ADHD since she wasn’t hyperactive. But whenever she was being “unproductive,” she was actually just frozen. She was stuck thinking about the list of things to do mounting in her head. When she first spoke to a psychiatrist about ADHD, Emily was told that “she just seemed like an anxious mom with young kids.” So her ADHD was missed, which happens for ...
Feb 20, 2024•24 min•Ep. 69
Growing up, Carol Blumenstein was labeled an unteachable student. She was terrified to read during class, and school only brought huge anxiety. Luckily, her mom believed in her in a way teachers didn’t. She put Carol in community college courses and pushed her to turn her frustration into motivation. Carol didn’t know she had ADHD and dyslexia until she saw her own children — all five of them — struggle with the same things she did when she was little. But this time the issues were addressed and...
Feb 06, 2024•19 min•Ep. 68
Back when he was a criminal defense lawyer, Ernest Anemone related to one of his clients: An impulsive, irritable teenage boy who burned down the penalty box of a hockey rink. But what Ernie related to wasn’t just the ADHD behaviors. It was the teen’s feeling of having no control over his own life. Now, Ernie is an actor, filmmaker, and executive coach for Fortune 500 companies. Growing up, Ernie felt like he had no agency. He knew he didn’t have the type of focus society favored. But he was (an...
Jan 23, 2024•28 min•Ep. 67
ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can look similar in many ways. And together, they can morph into what guest Hannah Harris Green calls “a trauma ball of blame that’s hard to untangle.” Hannah is a podcast producer, journalist, and writer who works in public radio. She talked about ADHD and PTSD on KCRW’s Bodies podcast, which she produced. (It’s an incredible episode. Link below.) She shares her ADHD diagnosis story here and talks about her Venn diagram of ADHD and PTSD be...
Jan 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 66
Everyone with ADHD has trouble with executive function in some way — and these challenges can make the transition to adulthood especially hard. Today, we’re sharing an episode of the In It podcast called “Adulting and executive function skills.” Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson shares common executive function challenges young adults face in the real world. Get her expert advice on how to help young adults with ADHD cope with the demands of college or that first job. To get a transcri...
Jan 02, 2024•25 min•Ep. 65
It’s the hair twirling that always gives it away. After silently coping for years, Livingston Steele can spot the signs of ADHD, and the anxiety it can cause. He’d been working here at Understood.org for about a year when he was officially diagnosed. Livingston talks about his perfectionism and what led him to get evaluated for ADHD. He also shares how ADHD helped him build empathy for his brothers (who also have ADHD), and for himself. To get a transcript of this show and check out more episode...
Dec 26, 2023•22 min•Ep. 64
Need organization and decluttering tips? Wendy Zanders has tips for days. She also has ADHD. We don’t usually associate strong organization skills with ADHD. And yet, Wendy is a decluttering coach with ADHD. She moved to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago at 14. At first, she struggled to keep up with her classes. But then she discovered her secret weapon: hyperfocusing on cleaning to de-stress and bring focus to her school life. Today, Wendy is a United States veteran, business owner, a...
Dec 12, 2023•31 min•Ep. 63
Before her ADHD diagnosis, accountant Sam Salmons felt “fixed, but still broken.” As a young adult, she spent years in therapy, treated her depression, and had a laundry list of coping skills. So, why couldn’t she stop her body from doing things — like interrupting — that her mind didn’t want to do? Sam saw herself as an “extroverted extrovert.” She was constantly talking and impulsively saying yes to everything. Then her therapist recommended an ADHD evaluation. To find a transcript for this ep...
Nov 28, 2023•21 min•Ep. 62
Parents and caregivers: if you have a child with ADHD, you’ve probably dealt with your share of behavior challenges at home. Just in time for the holidays, here we share an episode of Understood’s newest podcast, What Now? A Parent’s Guide to Tantrums and Meltdowns . Listen to psychologist (and dad) Dr. Andrew Kahn explain how to tell the difference between tantrums and meltdowns and what to do next. In each episode, he shares practical strategies to help you respond more effectively to your chi...
Nov 21, 2023•9 min•Ep. 61
Executive Mananya Komorowski has been described as “brilliant but chaotic” and “unlike any other executive.” Mananya thought she was just quirky, until she found out she has ADHD. Over the last few years, Mananya has experienced a lot of loss. A number of her loved ones have died. To cope, she’d set her emotions aside and hyperfocus on work. Then her grief counselor recommended an ADHD test. Now, she’s making space to process her feelings. And she’s thinking a lot about ADHD accommodations at wo...
Nov 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 60
ADHD doesn’t go away. Dr. Johnathan Flowers, who specializes in the philosophy of disability, got that message loud and clear when he hit a wall in grad school. Johnathan had been diagnosed with ADHD in grade school. As a child, he had a complex journey with ADHD medication and teachers who didn’t understand his behavior or how to support him. As a young adult, Johnathan thought maybe he’d “gotten over ADHD,” but then he hit that wall. So he got re-evaluated for ADHD. Also in this episode: How J...
Oct 31, 2023•21 min•Ep. 59
Actor Oliver Vaquer has a “noisy” ADHD brain. Growing up, he had a hard time paying attention to just about everything — and he’d lie to cover it up. His thoughts would all shout at him at once, and he felt pressured to blurt them out before he forgot them. As an adult, Oliver’s rushed, “staccato” speech spurred his doctor to give him an ADHD questionnaire. His responses to the questionnaire surprised them both. Also in this episode: How Oliver uses ADHD medication as a tool to build better habi...
Oct 17, 2023•27 min•Ep. 58
People with ADHD know what it’s like to be called lazy. Is that because they don’t seem “productive”? Who better to talk about this with than the creator of The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh*t When You Don’t Feel Like It , Dani Donovan. Dani shares her ADHD “aha” moments and what drove her to create an activity book designed for procrastinators. Dani and host Laura Key chat about what it means to be productive with ADHD. Dani shares how she would criticize herself intensely so that others wouldn’t...
Oct 03, 2023•30 min•Ep. 57
Executive function comes up all the time in our interviews with people with ADHD. Why is that? Expert Dr. Karen Wilson joins Laura in this episode to explain. She defines executive function and talks about the types of skills under the executive function umbrella. Dr. Wilson also answers questions like: Does everyone with ADHD have executive function challenges? And what’s the link between executive function and mental health challenges like anxiety? Dr. Wilson is a clinical neuropsychologist an...
Sep 19, 2023•38 min•Ep. 56
“The cup that is draining.” That’s how musician and content creator Weston Gardner describes ADHD’s effect on him. He’d spent his whole life feeling like he couldn’t do things that came so easily to everyone else. Weston was at his wit’s end. Getting diagnosed with ADHD (along with anxiety and panic disorder) has helped him be kinder to himself and accept his ADHD brain for how it works. Weston is a musician and content creator who goes by Arcane Anthems (@arcaneanthems). His music sets the scen...
Sep 05, 2023•27 min•Ep. 55
Max Willey, an expat living in Norway, often found himself overwhelmed by complex tasks as a kid. There were too many moving parts, and his brain was always racing too fast. A teacher thought he might have ADHD. But it wasn’t until adulthood that Max was diagnosed “by accident.” He was feeling depressed and was struggling with some relationships. When he sought treatment, he was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression all at once. Max felt relieved. And he’s come to see ADHD as a “glorious ...
Aug 22, 2023•26 min•Ep. 54
Allison O’Keefe, a UX designer in Detroit, always felt she rubbed people the wrong way. Then, in her early teen years, one of her friends confirmed it when she called Allison “the annoying friend” behind her back. This made Allison more cautious in social situations, which often overwhelmed her. Worse, she also found herself accidentally “ghosting” people, forgetting to respond to their messages. Eventually, a therapist asked her if she’d ever been diagnosed with ADHD, and the diagnosis started ...
Aug 08, 2023•24 min•Ep. 53
Lawyer Adam Sosnik was miserable in his job. Miserable when he couldn’t concentrate, which was often. Miserable because it was physically uncomfortable to focus on even a small thing, like writing a single sentence. The trouble was, he was being treated for anxiety and depression, but not ADHD. When he began working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, his wife noticed his frustration. And with her encouragement, he booked an appointment with a new psychiatrist. That led to an ADHD diagnosis, ...
Jul 25, 2023•23 min•Ep. 52
Pediatrician Josh Maxwell had two “aha” moments that led to his ADHD diagnosis. One came from talking with a teenage patient whose ADHD symptoms were different from what he’d seen in other patients. It wasn’t that the teen couldn’t pay attention, but rather that they were paying attention to everything all at once. Josh related to that feeling. Josh’s other ADHD “aha” came from his experience with depression. After starting antidepressants, he could more clearly see his own ADHD symptoms. Now, t...
Jul 11, 2023•28 min•Ep. 51
Have you ever noticed that people with ADHD say some pretty negative things about themselves? After recording 50 episodes of the ADHD Aha! podcast, we certainly had noticed this. In this special episode, host Laura Key and producer Jessamine Molli count down the five most common labels and adjectives guests use to describe their ADHD symptoms and behaviors. They listen to clips and dive deep into ADHD myths and stereotypes. Laura also shares her take on what the ADHD Aha! podcast is really about...
Jun 27, 2023•41 min•Ep. 50
Max Siegel (he/they) was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Throughout that process, Max encountered some of the same fears and myths around ADHD as he does around transness: “You just want an excuse.” “You just want to be lazy.” Max, an LGBTQ+ transgender and neurodiversity inclusion speaker and consultant, found that coming out gave him resilience. And that same resilience helped him cope with his ADHD diagnosis. Max and host Laura Key also talk about ADHD symptoms and gender identity. Max, who ...
Jun 13, 2023•25 min•Ep. 50
