Podcasts about adhd awareness month

How can your organization provide support and resources to a vast community of members in many different situations? How do you build connections between members of different ages, genders, ethnicities, experiences, and backgrounds?In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Laurie Kulikosky, CEO of Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD). Laurie discusses:How CHADD is the largest U.S. organization for ADHD support, with a mission to empower individuals with ADHD by providing evidence-based resources and advocating for inclusivity and rights.How CHADD's resources support millions of Americans with ADHD, including individuals, families, healthcare professionals, and educators.How CHADD stands out by focusing on scientifically validated ADHD information. Unlike many online resources, CHADD provides credible, medically reviewed resources, partly funded by a CDC grant.How she went from working with an SAT tutoring company to taking roles at the Consumer Technology Association and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons before becoming CHADD's CEO.How her executive coaching helped clarify her career path to CEO and how not everyone needs to aspire to be a CEO, and the importance of other roles in associations.How CHADD's membership spans both the general public and professionals. It functions partly as a nonprofit providing resources on ADHD to people who may not be formal members.The impact of her predecessor, a professional interim CEO, who helped stabilize CHADD and set up a foundational roadmap for her role.How the current leadership at CHADD has focused on identifying and implementing strategies for growth, especially following the rapid changes brought by the pandemic.CHADD's new program that offers training and resources for companies interested in supporting neurodivergent employees.The International Conference on ADHD that CHADD is co-hosting, which brings together professionals, healthcare providers, individuals with ADHD, and their supporters.How during ADHD Awareness Month, Chad collaborates with other organizations to amplify ADHD awareness and provide up-to-date resources.How CHADD is working with a coalition to create the first adult ADHD diagnosis and treatment guidelines in the U.S.How CHADD is preparing for another significant year of growth, aiming to expand support to more adults and offer continuous resources and advocacy.References:ADHD Awareness Month, October 2024International Conference on ADHD, In-person November 14-16, 2024 in Anaheim, CA, Virtual March 7-8, 2025Free Resources and Support through CHADD's National Resource Center on ADHD Become a member of CHADDDonate to support CHADD's work

  In this episode, Tara McGillicuddy and Lynne Edris dive into the importance of ADHD awareness, not only in advocating for public understanding but in fostering individual awareness. They discuss the unique ways ADHD affects each person, strategies for self-advocacy, and the role of the ADHD Awareness Expo in building a supportive community. Tara has been known and celebrated in the ADHD community for decades of practical and long-lasting shifts in tens of thousands in her communities. The creator of ADDClasses.com, The ADHD Awareness Expo and ADHD Support Talk Radio Tara is one of the longest-standing leaders in the field. Over the years she has also honed her natural skills as an empath. She now also combines the rare gift of sight and energetic knowing and her latest project is Empath Now a resource to help Empower Empaths. Podcast Co-Host Lynne Edris is a Productivity & ADHD Coach who helps distracted professionals from all over the world learn to accomplish what they intend and take control of their days with ease so that they can perform at the level of their abilities and have more time, more energy and more bandwidth for what matters most to them.  Lynne is a woman, wife, and mom with ADHD herself, so she understands the struggles and challenges of living with ADHD. She has gone from living in the constant state of chaos, overwhelm, and under-performance that adults with ADHD know far too well, to living a life of more success and fulfillment than she once dreamed possible. Her passion is to help others fulfill their own potential and start “firing on all cylinders” in all areas of your life. You can learn more about Lynne at , and text keyword “MYQUIZ” to 33777 to get complimentary access to her Online Productivity Breakthrough Quiz to identify your personal productivity type and get to the root of what gets in the way of your productivity and follow through with customized recommendations to help you stop struggling, take control of your time and your life, and show up like the incredible person you really are more easily and more consistently! ADHD Support Talk Radio is an award-winning Podcast for Adults with ADD / ADHD. Co-hosts Tara McGillicuddy and Lynne Edris are joined by Adult ADHD experts, and they cover important topics related to Adult ADD / ADHD. Podcast guests include Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Dr. Ari Tuckman, Laurie Dupar, Terry Matlen and many more. Tara McGillicuddy is the Producer, Owner and Co-host of the ADHD Support Talk Radio Podcast. You may contact Tara with general questions or feedback about the podcast, Lynne Edris is the Co-host of the ADHD Support Talk Radio Podcast. You may contact Lynne with feedback about her episodes or if you are interested in having her interview you as a guest. We may be affiliates for products we mention or recommend. If you purchase those items through our links, we will earn a commission.

Bobby Flay got rejected by one of Kendall's favorite people. Travis puts Hugh Grant to shame when it comes to drinking. Plus the latest on DWTS, including a shocking elimination.We are also joined by Lindsay Guentzel, Chronic Illness & Mental Health Advocate joins to talk ADHD Awareness Month.And Martha yells at Kendall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bobby Flay got rejected by one of Kendall's favorite people. Travis puts Hugh Grant to shame when it comes to drinking. Plus the latest on DWTS, including a shocking elimination. We are also joined by Lindsay Guentzel, Chronic Illness & Mental Health Advocate joins to talk ADHD Awareness Month. And Martha yells at Kendall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the finale of Season 3 I've swapped roles with Dr James Brown of the ADHD Adults Podcast and ADHDadultUK Charity - the 1st ever ADHDAF guest - to answer the questions I've been asking for 2.5 years to conclude the season which almost didn't get released & ADHD Awareness Month 2024. Whilst we explore the themes of Internalised misogyny, ableism and RSD, this lengthy, side-questy and VERY sweary (sorry Mum) chinwag is a celebration of launching stage one of ADHDAF+ Charity and  ADHDAF Emporium and all that's been overcome to continue ADHDAF solo for a whole year. And it is an ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all who have supported this podcast, the socials, the online peer support community, the live events, the retreat and ADHDAF Day.  I can't say thank you enough to you all!- As explained in the episode(!!!) this cover photo is by the incredible @summonfirehotography- Editing and jingle by @sessionzservices - The playlist for all season 3 guests 'ADHD Song', including my ADHDAF Anthem is available to listen to HEREI must admit I was cringing at the amount of times I swear in this episode - likely because it turned into a relaxed conversation between two friends. HOWEVER, I realised that if I edited the swearing out, I would only be doing so to appease my own internalised misogyny! So I've kept the swears in for that reason, and because it is symbolic of all that I've put into ADHDAF since April '22 - every single 'eff' I have to give! :)THANKS SO MUCH to James for interviewing me and for all of his support from day dot - a man who has done DOUBLE the ammont of live shows I have at  70 in the same period!! Trigger warning: Alongside swearing we discuss some heavy topics such as: bullying, ableism, trolling, sexism, internalised misogyny, addiction, accidental injury, premature death, suicidal ideation, suicide, self harm, divorce, family and relationship struggles, bereavement, abusive relationships, self loathing, depression and anxiety. If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT Please remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Laura xSupport the show

High-Achieving & Neurodivergent: Thriving Beyond the Diagnosis with Johanna BadenhorstIn honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I'm thrilled to bring you an incredibly special episode that's close to my heart. Today, I'm joined by Johanna Badenhorst, a psychologist and ADHD coach who was diagnosed with ADHD later in life, just like me. We dive deep into the unique challenges - and strengths - of high-achieving women with ADHD, exploring how neurodivergent individuals can thrive both personally and professionally.Johanna shares her personal story of navigating a late diagnosis and how it has shaped her approach to empowering women with ADHD to build self-trust, find clarity, and prevent burnout. As a fellow neurodivergent entrepreneur, this episode is particularly meaningful to me, and I know it will resonate deeply with many of you.In this episode, we cover:Johanna's journey to her ADHD diagnosis and how it transformed her career path.Common misconceptions about ADHD in high-achieving women and how to challenge them.Why ADHD women often struggle with burnout and how to create more flow.Practical strategies for pacing energy, setting boundaries, and embracing authenticity.Johanna's insights on showing up authentically on social media and breaking the mold as a neurodivergent psychologist.If you're ready to learn how to harness your ADHD as a strength rather than a setback, this episode is for you. Tune in for practical advice, real-life stories, and a big dose of inspiration for embracing your neurodivergent identity.Click here to listen!Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you found this episode helpful, please consider rating and reviewing the show! Your feedback helps me reach more therapists and neurodivergent individuals looking to grow and thrive. Just click here, scroll down, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let me know what resonated most with you!If you haven't already, be sure to follow the podcast. By following, you won't miss out on bonus episodes or exclusive content—so hit that 'Follow' button now!Links Mentioned in This Episode:Johanna Badenhorst's Instagram:Download the free ADHD Burnout Guide

In honor of ADHD Awareness Month, we're talking about how mindfulness can reduce symptoms of ADHD with Dr. Lidia Zylowska.   In this episode we explore:   - Does having ADHD make it harder to engage in mindfulness and meditation practices? (Spoiler: Yes, but there are things we can do about that!)   - What the research reveals about mindfulness in teens and adults with ADHD and the science of how a mindfulness practice strengthens neurological deficits in the brain.   - Parenthood requires so much executive functioning, sensory stimulation, and stress, so often this is when the strategies we've been using to manage symptoms of ADHD fall apart.   - Concrete strategies, like the best time of day, introducing aspects of physicality, and logistical considerations for how to incorporate mindfulness practice into your life when sitting still feels too difficult or daunting.   - Tips for identifying what helps you personally feel less flooded that can serve as your go-to's when things start to feel scattered, stuck, or overwhelming.   - The importance of self-compassion in mindfulness and how this is an often overlooked, yet key piece of mindfulness practices.   If you're curious about how mindfulness can make a real difference for those with ADHD, this episode is a must-listen!     LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. LIDIA: https://lidiazylowska.com/   READ LIDIA'S BOOKS:

Janine Allen Hertel talks with Four Ravens Occupational Therapist Maggie Hotch. October is Disability and ADHD Awareness Month.

Run don't walk people!!In honour of ADHD Awareness Month and my Birthday Month (Hey Libra's, hey ❤️) for the first time EVER I am having a flash sale over on the ADHDFest.com website

It's ADHD Awareness Month, so Fearne's reflecting on some of the conversations she's had about neurodiversity on the show that'll hopefully help you understand either yourself, or someone you love, even better... First, what are the signs and symptoms of ADHD? Do you recognise more of the hyperactive & impulsive symptoms like rashly spending money and substance addiction, or the inattentive ones like problems with working memory and organisation? Then there's chat about how having undiagnosed ADHD can lead to mental health problems, why there's so much shame in the neurodivergent community, and how to advocate for your needs in the workplace. Can ADHD be managed with lifestyle factors like nutrition and movement, or might you or a loved one benefit from medication? Plus, why it's so important to differentiate between neurodivergence and the emotional dysregulation everyone can experience. Watch Dr Shy Mashru on What Is How To Listen to Gemma Style's episode Listen to Alex Partridge's episode Listen to Jordan Stephen's episode Listen to Lucinda Miller's episode Listen to Kate Silverton's episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This mini episode is the finale of a mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know and amplifying the voices of those that have gone unheard for far too long.  NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!Enormous thanks to Micky, Kirsty & Sahra for volunteering their voices and for all of their support!IT'S ADHDAF DAY TOMORROW! We invite you to join us online THIS FRIDAY: 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and hashtag: #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at this desperately needed time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, divorce, childhood struggles, ableism, bullying, misdiagnosis, medical negligence, low self esteem, mental health crisis, suicideIf you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREFIND OUT about ADHDAF+ Charity HERE- Alongside ADHD Awareness month it is also Menopause Awareness Month. Find out more about Menopause HERE and listen to Dr Nighat Arif explain Multi Hormone Sensitivity Theory and how hormones impact ADHD HERE- It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HERE- AND it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Resources for support curated by @feminist HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long!Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness monthTOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you so much for your support and hope to see you on socials in Leopard Print this Friday!Laura xSupport the show

It's time to have fun whilst raising ADHD awareness! I'm joined by my husband 'Big' to read @adhdafpodcast follower's 'Most ADHD Thing' entries of last month. Each Saturday I ask on socials 'What is the most ADHD thing you've done this week?' to encourage listeners to connect for Peer Support, to laugh at the things that would usually make us cry, to raise ADHD awareness, break the stigma and to eradicate the shame so many of carry after a lifetime of unidentified ADHD. Please note that ADHD presents differently in every individual and SELF DIAGNOSIS IS VALID, and in a system so broken you could be waiting the best part of a decade for life changing - and in many cases - life saving diagnosis and treatment, it bloody well has to be!  Lean into the community and drop that shame!It's ALMOST ADHDAF DAY! We invite you to join us online THIS FRIDAY: 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages.TW:  mentions of toilet mishaps memory issues, self worth issues, harsh critiques, accidental injury, menty b's, loud laughter and too-muchness.If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTIf you are struggling to access your ADHD medication, use this: Pharmacy Stock CheckerCHECK OUT THE CHAZZA! ADHDAF+ is a charity inspired and fundraised for by ADHDAF Podcast, but it is a separate entity entirely. Our aim is to connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders. FIND OUT MOREPlease listen to and share the mini ADHD Awareness Month episodes HEAR US ROAR!You can support the continuation of this podcast and connect with literally like-minded legends in the Patreon Peer Support CommunityThank you to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!You can apply to be part of ADHDAF Emporium: an online marketplace championing neurodivergent makers and small creative businesses HEREBrowse the first few handmade items by neurodivergent creatives HERE To be notified of future ADHDAF re(TREATS) like The Holistic(ish) Weekender SIGN UP HEREJingle by SessionzIf you've enjoyed this episode, please share it to help other ADHDers drop the shame, have a giggle and support each other. You can also help massively by hitting those stars or leaving a review. All help raise ADHD Awareness and unite the ADHD Community. BIG LOVE & GRATITUDE  Hope to see you online in Leopard Print on Friday!LEOPARD PRINT ARMY! LauraxSupport the show

Hey, ADHD-ish fam!

It's not only ADHD Awareness Month, it is also Dyslexia Awareness Month! So today, let's revisit a conversation with Dr. Sally Shaywitz about overcoming dyslexia and addressing the reading crisis, which is still relevant and a huge concern. We are in the midst of a reading crisis in the United States. This problem has existed for a long time, but it was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been said that the pandemic has caused the loss of 2 decades worth of progress made in reading. We have the knowledge, research, and science to address this issue, but we are lacking action. Today's guest is Dr. Sally Shaywitz, one of the world's preeminent experts on reading and dyslexia and author of Overcoming Dyslexia. Dyslexia is the most common learning disorder on the planet, affecting about one in five individuals, regardless of age or gender. In today's episode, Dr. Shaywitz shares what is known about dyslexia, the 40 years of data to show what works in overcoming dyslexia, and the sad reality that there is little action being taken to improve screening students and providing the appropriate interventions. There is so much we can do and it all starts with understanding.  Show Notes: [3:31] - Regardless of decades of research, there are still a lot of misconceptions. [4:44] - Dyslexia is a very specific learning disability, but the term “learning disability” is very vague. [6:21] - Through brain imaging, Dr. Shaywitz was able to determine the neuro signature of dyslexia. [8:21] - Educators, parents, and the individual with dyslexia need to know that they are intelligent and have the intelligence to read, but dyslexia makes it a struggle. [9:58] - Dyslexia is common in all areas of the world. The consequences are similar in all cultures. [11:06] - Those with dyslexia can be good readers while still reading slowly. [12:02] - The most important step is for the student to be identified as dyslexic. [13:34] - Through her studies, Dr. Shaywitz has nearly 40 years worth of data for both typical readers and dyslexic readers from childhood to adulthood. [14:50] - Indicators of dyslexia can be seen as early as first grade. Identifying those at risk for developing dyslexia and intervening early can accelerate reading growth. [16:06] - Screening can take place later, but by then, the window of time for the most reading growth has passed. [18:03] - Currently, we are scoring worse in previous years in identifying dyslexia in young students. [19:09] - Dr. Shaywitz describes the screener used to determine the risk of dyslexia. [21:08] - A universal screener is a solution to this reading crisis. [22:13] - Given that we know a great deal about dyslexia, it is disgraceful that more isn't being done to support students. [23:14] - ADHD and anxiety often co-occur with dyslexia. [24:36] - We often hyperfocus on the struggles, but what are the common strengths for those with dyslexia? [25:42] - School policies and teacher training surrounding dyslexia need to be changed. [26:46] - There is also research on individuals incarcerated who are also dyslexic. [28:06] - Dr. Shaywitz offers a course on Coursera that can be found here. [30:36] - We need screening, intervention, and education for parents, teachers, and students. About Our Guest: Sally E. Shaywitz, M.D. is the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development at Yale University and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. She is a world renowned scientist and dedicated, compassionate physician who is devoted to bringing ground-breaking scientific advances to benefit dyslexic children and adults. Connect with Dr. Shaywitz: Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, MD Overcoming Dyslexia Online Course with Sally Shaywitz, MD Links and Related Resources: What is Dyslexia? 6 Quick Questions for Parents Concerned About Dyslexia ChildNEXUS Dyslexia Mini Course for Parents Join our email list so that you can receive information about upcoming webinars - ChildNEXUS.com The Diverse Thinking Different Learning podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are not considered treatment and do not necessarily reflect those of ChildNEXUS, Inc or the host, Dr. Karen Wilson.  

How do you keep a house tidy with ADHD?If you're dealing with constant clutter, overwhelm, and the struggle to keep your home in check, I get it. It's a challenge for anyone—but add ADHD into the mix, and things can feel downright impossible.But here's the thing: It's NOT. You can have a tidy, organized home—without losing your sanity. And this week, I'm breaking down 5 simple strategies that actually work, plus some amazing insights from the incredible Katie Sue, ADHD Advocate.Ever wondered why tidying with ADHD feels so hard? Or how to stop feeling like you're always swimming against the current when it comes to keeping your home organized? We're diving into all of it.In this episode, we talk about real, actionable steps you can take to tackle the chaos—from decluttering to creating systems that stick. Plus, we bring in the magic of the KonMari Method for a completely different approach to your home and your stuff.It's ADHD Awareness Month, and this is the perfect time to get the tools you need to reclaim your space and your peace of mind. Whether it's you or a family member managing ADHD, these strategies will help you build a system that works for everyone in the house.Stop feeling overwhelmed by the mess. Get organized, find your flow, and make it happen.

This mini episode is the penultimate of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know and amplifying the voices of those that have gone unheard for far too long.  NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!Enormous thanks to Toni, Louise & Kirsty for volunteering their voices and for all of their support!It's ALMOST ADHDAF DAY! We invite you to join us online THIS FRIDAY: 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and hashtag: #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at this desperately needed time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, divorce, childhood struggles, ableism, bullying, misdiagnosis, medical negligence, low self esteem, mental health crisis, suicideIf you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREFIND OUT about ADHDAF+ Charity HERE- Alongside ADHD Awareness month it is also Menopause Awareness Month. Find out more about Menopause HERE and listen to Dr Nighat Arif explain Multi Hormone Sensitivity Theory and how hormones impact ADHD HERE- It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HERE- AND it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Resources for support curated by @feminist HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long!Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness monthTOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you so much for your support and hope to see you on socials in Leopard Print this Friday!Laura xSupport the show

Hey, ADHD-ish fam!

This mini episode is part 7 of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know and amplifying the voices of those that have gone unheard for far too long.  NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!Enormous thanks to Maria, Rachel & Tracy for volunteering their voices and for all of their support!It's ALMOST ADHDAF DAY! We invite you to join us online THIS FRIDAY: 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, divorce, childhood struggles, ableism, bullying, school struggles, misdiagnosis, medical negligence, low self esteem, mental health crisis, suicide If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREFIND OUT about ADHDAF+ Charity HERE- Alongside ADHD Awareness month it is also Menopause Awareness Month. Find out more about Menopause HERE and listen to Dr Nighat Arif explain Multi Hormone Sensitivity Theory and how hormones impact ADHD HERE - It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HERE- AND it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Resources for support curated by @feminist HEREAs mentioned in this episode, If you are Coming Out later in life, you can join the Late Bloomer's Community HERE You can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long!Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness monthTOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you so much for your support and hope to see you on socials in Leopard Print this Friday! Laura xSupport the show

Hi everyone! We're right in the middle of ADHD Awareness Month, and to celebrate, we're bringing back one of our all-time favorite episodes with a twist. Today, we look at what makes ADHD brains tick, explore both medication and non-medication strategies, and talk about how pairing these with executive function tools can build confidence in people with ADHD. We also give tips for those of you who are exploring a potential ADHD diagnosis for yourself or your child. This episode also includes voices from a number of people with ADHD who graciously recorded their thoughts to share with us. Trust me, you'll want to stick around until the end, because we have the most adorable voice you've ever heard, sharing their experience with ADHD—I can't wait for you to hear it! Show notes: Episode 51 - Re-release of ADHD episodeADHD FundamentalsADHD Success Kit by Beyond BookSmarthttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/adhd-success-kit-2022Fact Sheet: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Topicshttp://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/adhd-facts.pdfBeyond BookSmart's ADHD Webinarhttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/on-demand-webinar-registration-adhd-fundamentalsADHD BrainsHow Does ADHD Affect The Brain?https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/the-brains-structure-and-functionADHD & the Brainhttps://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/ADHD_and_the_Brain-121.aspx2-Minute Neuroscience: ADHDhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8JnDhp83gAThe Default Mode Network, Motivation, and Attentionhttps://www.labschool.org/news/stories/default-mode-network-motivation-and-attentionADHD Neuroscience 101https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-neuroscience-101ADHD and GenderADHD in girls and boys – gender differences in co-existing symptoms and executive function measureshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827008/The Intersection of ADHD and Gender Diversity - Mental Health Therapy, Psychotherapy, Counseling, Coaching, Psychiatry Blog Post By Holly Mileshttps://www.inclusivetherapists.com/blog/the-intersection-of-adhd-and-gender-diversityA Review of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Women and Girls: Uncovering This Hidden Diagnosis - PMChttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4195638/ADHD and Gender Identity: How They're Linked and Tips for Parentshttps://psychcentral.com/adhd/people-with-adhd-more-likely-to-question-gender-identityADHD Diagnosis SupportHow to Get an ADHD Diagnosis - Child Mind Institutehttps://childmind.org/article/how-to-get-an-adhd-diagnosis/Diagnosis of ADHD | CDChttps://www.cdc.gov/adhd/diagnosis/ADHD Symptom ManagementThe Exercise Prescription for ADHD https://chadd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ATTN_06_12_Exercise.pdfWhat Should You Treat First: ADHD or Mental Health Challenges?https://www.beyondbooksmart.com/executive-functioning-strategies-blog/what-should-you-treat-first-adhd-or-mental-health-challengesCognitive-Behavioral Therapy - CHADDhttps://chadd.org/for-adults/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD: Techniques and Optionshttps://psychcentral.com/adhd/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-adhdNon-drug treatments for adult ADHD - Harvard Healthhttps://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/non-drug-treatments-for-adult-adhd

For the penultimate interview of Season 3, I'm ecstatic to be joined by Meghann Birks. I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Meghann on her amazing Podcast: Sisters in Stoke & she previously featured on 2 mini episodes: ADHD Unmasking Hack & People Pleasing Hack; in this episode there are many sidequests;hence the length but Meghann's pearls are too precious to cut!'Meghann Birks is a personal and executive coach supporting people with ADHD, autism and AuDHD.She is also a movement coach and embodiment educator who uses a variety of modalities to help people make the hard stuff easier and the good stuff 'f*cking rad'.She works from a trauma informed and neuro-affirming perspective with clients all over the world to give them quick and nasty tools to deal with the challenges of being 'neurospicy' & leverage their unique skillset, especially in the area of leadership development and workplace management.She is way too much for some people (and doesn't give a toss),loves lifting heavy things,punk music hiking,the ocean and whatever her current hyperfixation is.TW: Contains swearing and triggering topics including: an ableist remark made to highlight her previous ignorance and how damaging stereotypes are! Also mentions of eating disorders, alcohol & substance misuse, relationship struggles, family struggles, work problems, mental health crisis, self loathing, depression, anxiety, suicide If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTPlease listen to the mini ADHD Awareness Month episodes with the Leopard Print Army and join us for the 3rd annual ADHDAF Day on Friday 25th October, when we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness and HEAR US ROAR! You can connect with literally like-minded legends in the ADHDAF Online Peer Support Group. ENORMOUS thanks to the members for keeping this podcast going for over two years! You can support the work of neurordivergent makers and small businesses at ADHDAF Emporium, you can apply to join us HEREADHDAF+ Charity is dedicated to Jodi Walsham, to all of our absent friends and to our 'absent minded' friends, the Leopard Print Army.Charity number: 1208650 - though inspired by this podcast, and whilst all things ADHDAF will fundraise for the charity, ADHDAF+ is an entirely separate entity. Connecting & empowering ADHD adults of marginalised genders in England and Wales, with plans to extend into Scotland once we are up and running. FIND OUT MOREIn a system so broken that people in mental health crisis could be waiting the best part of a decade for life changing/life saving ADHD assesment,diagnosis and treatment;what we do have is each other. We are all in this together!Laura xSupport the show

John Stanley spoke with ADHD Foundation Australia Ambassador Emily Fellows as she runs 21 km every day for 21 days, a total of 441km, in solidarity with Australia's ADHD community.   Listen to John Stanley live on air from 8pm-12am Monday to Thursday and Friday's 7pm-11pm on 2GB/4BC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penn and Kim Holderness join forces with ADDitude to explore core ADHD strengths such as creativity, curiosity, problem-solving skills, and resilience as we celebrate ADHD Empowerment Month. ADHD Empowerment: More Resources Read: Holderness Family Values: 9 ADHD Truths (with a Side of Laughter) Free Download: All the Best Parts of ADHD Replay: ADHD is Awesome — The Holderness Family Guide to Thriving with ADHD Read: “How My ADHD Makes Me a More Dynamic, Resourceful, Passionate Leader” eBook: Inattentive ADHD in Adults — An Essential Guide to the Underdiagnosed, Undertreated Subtype Access the video and slides for podcast episode #523 here: https://www.additudemag.com/webinar/holderness-family-we-define-adhd/ Thank you for listening to ADDitude's ADHD Experts podcast. Please consider subscribing to the magazine (additu.de/subscribe) to support our mission of providing ADHD education and support.

It is ADHD Awareness Month, and we are revisiting an excellent conversation with Dr. Stephen Hinshaw about ADHD in girls. We've discussed ADHD on the podcast before and it continues to be an important topic. Dr. Stephen Hinshaw has conducted years of research including a longitudinal study on girls with ADHD and his findings are not only fascinating but important to consider especially if you are the parent of a daughter with ADHD. Dr. Hinshaw wrote a book called Straight Talk About ADHD in Girls: How to Help Your Daughter Thrive. Parenting a daughter with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is no easy path, especially because of the myth that the disorder is rare or nonexistent in girls. In his book, Dr. Hinshaw provides vital information and advice to help you understand and meet your daughter's needs. And in this episode, he does the same. He delivers up-to-date facts on what ADHD is, why symptoms often appear differently in girls than in boys, why girls with ADHD behave the way they do, how to get an accurate diagnosis, and what treatments are most effective. There is so much pressure on girls to be perfect and for those with ADHD, it feels especially hard to measure up. The social stigmas and academic challenges ADHD presents to girls are often isolating and painful. So listen to Dr. Hinshaw explain the science behind it all and what we can do as parents and educators to help our girls with ADHD. Show Notes: [2:42] - ADHD is more prevalent in boys than girls, but why? [3:43] - Because of the difference in development, symptoms of ADHD in girls are often overlooked. [4:47] - Girls with ADHD tend to show their symptoms differently. Many don't get diagnosed until they are teenagers or even young adults. [5:48] - ADHD causes problems with the self-regulation of attention. [7:36] - Some girls may show their hyperactivity verbally instead of physically. [9:03] - Dr. Hinshaw conducted the largest longitudinal study on girls with ADHD. [9:57] - In childhood, girls with ADHD are just as impaired as boys. Socially, they tend to get rejected by their peers more so than boys. [11:46] - Dr. Hinshaw shares the differences in the larger consequences like delinquency, substance use, and mental health. [13:54] - ADHD increases the risk of self-harm and suicide. [15:28] - Low self-esteem, difficult peer relationships, and increasing academic struggles, make things challenging in young adulthood too. [17:21] - Across many studies and types of research, both males and females and the differences between them are not taken into consideration. [23:20] - Milder conditions or conditions that don't have as many outward indicators, result in more stigma. [26:53] - Motivation, regulation, and even medication are things to be considered. [27:48] - What are your daughter's strengths? [28:51] - One valued and strong friendship can offset the social complications they experience. [30:05] - Research has shown that parents of girls with ADHD tend to have much more parental stress. Parent management training is beneficial. About Our Guest: Stephen P. Hinshaw is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC San Francisco. His work focuses on developmental psychopathology, child and adolescent mental health (particularly ADHD), and the use of clinical trials to understand underlying mechanisms. He also actively investigates mental illness stigma and interventions to reduce it. Hinshaw has authored over 400 articles, chapters, and commentaries plus 13 books. He has won numerous national and international research awards, including the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science, the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the National Academy of Medicine. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. His extensive media coverage includes the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Today Show, CBS Evening News, ABC World News Tonight, and many more.  Connect with Dr. Stephen Hinshaw: Email: hinshaw@berkeley.edu Hinshaw Lab at The Institution of Human Development at Berkeley Dr. Stephen Hinshaw's Website Links and Related Resources: Getting Ahead of ADHD: What Next-Generation Science Says about Treatments that Work and How you can Make them Work for Your Child by Dr. Joel Nigg Is ADHD Overdiagnosed? What are the signs of ADHD? Understanding ADHD Assessments Join our email list so that you can receive information about upcoming webinars - ChildNEXUS.com The Diverse Thinking Different Learning podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are not considered treatment and do not necessarily reflect those of ChildNEXUS, Inc or the host, Dr. Karen Wilson.  

This mini episode is part 6 of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know.Enormous thanks to Chloe, Yas & Rachael for volunteering their voices and for all of their support!Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, ableism, bullying,  misdiagnosis, medical negligence, mental health crisis,self harm, low self esteem, suicide, domestic violence, intimate partner violence and horrifying statistics, If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREAlongside ADHD Awareness month it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HEREAND it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Resources for support curated by @feminist HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness month TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your supportLaura xSupport the show

This mini episode is part 5 of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know.Enormous thanks to Kirsten & Jill for volunteering their voices and for all of their support.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, ableism, bullying, family struggles, low self esteem, suicideIf you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREIt is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness month TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your supportLaura xSupport the show

Imagine being told that what you thought were personal failings are actually symptoms of a misunderstood condition. Join me, Jeanette Graham, as I navigate the intricate world of ADHD and uncover the soaring diagnosis rates in the U.S., where adult diagnoses have skyrocketed to 15.5%. With expert insights from Dr. Patel, we probe into why these numbers are higher in the U.S., citing reduced stigma and advanced diagnostic tools as driving forces. We also discuss the hurdle many face—71% of Americans with prescriptions struggle to obtain their ADHD medication—and the pivotal role of cultural beliefs and historical stigma in the landscape of global diagnosis and treatment.Unmasking the hidden challenges of ADHD, this episode explores the nuanced experiences of those living with the condition, especially in environments where symptoms are often concealed. Using the metaphor of an iceberg, we unravel the layers of struggles such as sleep issues and emotional turbulence that go unnoticed. I share my personal reflections on the shame and comorbidities tied to late diagnoses, and how understanding the complex nature of executive functions can lead to a life filled with contradictions—an insight that's particularly inspired by popular TikTok trends. The conversation shifts to managing these challenges, and the emotional rollercoaster of coming to terms with an adult ADHD diagnosis, capturing the grief and relief it brings.The journey doesn't end at diagnosis—it's a continuous rollercoaster of emotion and adaptation. Life with ADHD requires finding the right balance amid societal misconceptions, and is particularly challenging for women who navigate additional hurdles like hormonal fluctuations. Words from Russell Barkley resonate as I talk about bridging the gap between knowledge and action, a common struggle for those with ADHD. By fostering self-compassion, I have found peace in accepting my diagnosis, and I encourage listeners to do the same. As part of ADHD Awareness Month, I invite you to embrace your unique journey and share your stories. Support the show

October is ADHD Awareness Month, let's celebrate neurodiversity in the birding community! 5 Tips for birding with ADHD. ADDA and Birdability. Attention Deficit Disorder Association Birdability

This mini episode is part 4 of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know.Enormous thanks to Marianne, Jenny & Kim for volunteering their voices and for all of their support.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, ableism, risky behaviour, ableism, bullying, family struggles, low self esteemIf you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREIt's also Dyspraxia Awareness Week; find out more about the commonly co-occurring condition HERE & HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness month TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your supportLaura xSupport the show

In this episode of the Soaring Child podcast, Dana Kay, a board-certified holistic health and nutrition practitioner, tackles some of the most common myths about ADHD. In honor of ADHD Awareness Month, Dana debunks misconceptions about diet, exercise, parenting, gender, and treatment options, providing parents with responses they can use when someone voices one of the common ADHD myths. Whether you're new to ADHD or a seasoned advocate, this episode offers valuable tools to navigate conversations and better support children with ADHD. Link Mentioned in the Show: Additional Episodes on Diet Changes for Kids with ADHD - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/podcast/soaring-child-episode-5/ https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/podcast/soaring-child-episode-6/ Free Breakfast Guide - http://adhdthriveinstitute.com/breakfastguide Key Takeaways: [02:40] Myth 1: Diet Changes Don't Affect ADHD [06:29] Myth 2: Exercise Is Just a Distraction [08:40] Myth 3: ADHD Is a Result of Bad Parenting [11:23] Myth 4: Children with ADHD Are Just Lazy [14:17] Myth 5: ADHD Only Affects Boys [18:06] Myth 6: ADHD Will Be Outgrown [19:59] Myth 7: Medication Is the Only Treatment [22:07] Myth 8: ADHD Isn't a Real Medical Condition [23:57] Myth 9: People with ADHD Can't Focus on Anything [26:09] Myth 10: ADHD Is Only a Problem in the Classroom Memorable Moments: "ADHD isn't the result of bad parenting—it's a neurological condition influenced by genetics and environment." "Diet alone isn't a magical cure for ADHD, but it's an incredibly potent tool in managing symptoms." "Exercise is not just a distraction; it's a powerful natural way to support brain health in kids with ADHD." "Girls with ADHD often go undiagnosed because their symptoms are less overt than boys'." "You don't 'outgrow' ADHD—it's a lifelong condition that requires ongoing management." "Medication is one option for ADHD, but it's not the only one. There are effective natural alternatives." "ADHD is a real, medically recognized condition, not a reflection of parenting skills." "Hyperfocus in ADHD can lead to intense concentration on activities of interest, but it comes with its challenges." "ADHD affects all aspects of life, not just academics—from social interactions to long-term career prospects." "Understanding the realities of ADHD is key to supporting our kids in the best way possible." Dana Kay Resources:

This episode is dedicated to Jodi Walsham and to all ADHD adults tragically no longer with us. Jodi's Mother Jayne shares Jodi's story on World Mental Health Day in ADHD Awareness Month to raise awareness about the serious danger to the lives of what is underestimated at 196,000 vulnerable people currently on waiting lists for ADHD assessment in the UK. It is a common misconception that ADHD is a mental health condition. It is in fact a Neurodevelopmental condition. But in many cases the impact of battling through life with unidentified and unmanaged ADHD, and the trauma this can bring to life circumstances can lead to commonly co-occurring mental health conditions and severe mental health crisis;  and as in Jodi's case - who was also awaiting assessment for Autism - the lack of support available resulted in tragedy. TRIGGER WARNING: There are very triggering topics covered from the very start of this episode, including: suicide, suicidal ideation, self harm, drug addiction, premature loss of life, bullying, relationship struggles, depression, anxiety, self harm, divorce, traffic accidents. If you are struggling, please do not suffer in silence. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There is free and immediate support out there so please REACH OUT FOR HELP. Jayne is heavily involved with the suicide prevention charity Baton of Hope. I am so grateful to Jayne for all of her support and for allowing us to hear about and from her wonderful daughter Jodi. Love and Scars, written and performed by Jodi WalshamADHDAF+ Charity is dedicated to Jodi Walsham, to all of our absent friends and to our 'absent minded' friends, the Leopard Print Army. Though in its infancy, ADHDAF+ Charity number: 1208650,  aims to connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders in England and Wales, with plans to extend into Scotland once we are properly up and running. The website and domain are currently connecting, but if its not there yet, you will be able to find out more at www.adhdafplus.org.uk and social media will be coming very soon: @adhdafplusThe cover artwork for this episode was selected by Jayne as a fitting tribute to her daughter and to convey the message of this crucial conversation. It was taken on ADHDAF Day '23 by Gem Clack PhotographyIn a system so broken that people in mental health crisis could be waiting the best part of a decade for life changing and in many cases life saving ADHD assesment, diagnosis and treatment; what we do have is each other. Support the show

This mini episode is part of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know.Enormous thanks to ADHD Coaching with Olivia, ADHD Let's Talk's Roxanne & Lorie for volunteering their voices and for all of their support.Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, ableism, cancer, long term health conditions, suicide and premature death.If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREIt's also Dyspraxia Awareness Week; find out more about the commonly co-occurring condition HERE & HERE You can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/hit those stars, because doing so means that these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness month. LIVES DEPEND ON IT. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your supportLaura xSupport the show

Have you ever felt like the traditional DSM criteria overlook some of the most impactful ADHD traits? You're not alone! In this solo episode, in honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I will be sharing five common ADHD characteristics that aren't included in the DSM, yet affect our daily lives, including some cringe moments from mine!

It is ADHD Awareness Month, and we are committed to providing resources and information that increase understanding about ADHD. Today, let's revisit an episode with Dr. Joel Nigg about lifestyle activities that can improve ADHD symptoms. Dr. Joel Nigg, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University, is the author of the book Getting Ahead of ADHD. In this episode, he offers great insight, describes some ADHD research studies, and gives actionable steps to take now to help children thrive at school and in life.  We discuss things to look for regarding ADHD symptoms and some simple changes in our daily routines as families that can make a huge impact. Dr. Nigg is doing fantastic work with the OHSU Center for ADHD Research and I am thrilled to revisit this podcast episode. Show Notes: [2:55] - There has been an increase in parents seeking evaluations for ADHD after seeing children learn from home. [3:47] - Dr. Nigg shares some data that shows the impact of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic across the world. [5:01] - For those already diagnosed with ADHD, services were challenging during the pandemic and school closures. [6:25] - You lose the advantage of a teacher's perspective when learning from home. Demands at home from a parent are much different than those in the classroom. [7:42] - Dr. Nigg recommends seeking services for the difficulties the child is experiencing  [10:39] - A valuable goal is to think hard about structuring your day to fit self care in. [12:23] - Another factor that impacts mental health is sleep and the quality of rest. [15:00] - The key is to shift the thinking around sleep to be positive. Counselors can help with this transition. [19:52] - Family rules for a screen-free bedtime are hard to follow, but they are important. [20:54] - Dr. Nigg addresses the claim that high levels of screen time causes ADHD. [22:25] - Media content needs to be monitored for children and teens even though it is a part of their social experience. [25:16] - Children with ADHD are more inclined to experience depression and anxiety. [29:33] - Children need to be prepared for possible changes again as they go back to school. [32:27] - Medical centers around the world have websites with tons of resources. They will also have current and updated recommendations and guidelines. [33:36] - Dr. Nigg's book is a great resource for parents of children with ADHD. About Our Guest: Joel Nigg, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Vice Chair for Psychology, and Director of the Center for ADHD Research at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his AB at Harvard College, MSW at The University of Michigan, and PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with clinical experience in multiple settings. He is a leading researcher in the area of developmental psychopathology with a focus on ADHD. He is the author of 2 books on ADHD including a recent book written for parents: Getting Ahead of ADHD: What Next-Generation Science Says about Treatments that Work and How you can Make them Work for Your Child. His work has been funded continuously by NIMH for over 20 years. The recipient of several awards, Dr. Nigg has served on the editorial boards of several leading scientific journals. Connect with Dr. Joel Nigg: Joel Nigg, Ph.D Home Page Twitter  |  Facebook Links and Related Resources: Getting Ahead of ADHD: What Next-Generation Science Says about Treatments that Work and How you can Make them Work for Your Child by Dr. Joel Nigg Is ADHD Overdiagnosed? What are the signs of ADHD? Understanding ADHD Assessments Join our email list so that you can receive information about upcoming webinars - ChildNEXUS.com The Diverse Thinking Different Learning podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed by the host and guests are not considered treatment and do not necessarily reflect those of ChildNEXUS, Inc or the host, Dr. Karen Wilson.  

Have you ever felt like the traditional DSM criteria overlook some of the most impactful ADHD traits? You're not alone! In this solo episode, in honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I will be sharing five common ADHD characteristics that aren't included in the DSM, yet affect our daily lives, including some cringe moments from mine!

In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, host Sarah Cottrell shares a conversation with Annie Little about disclosing ADHD and other neurodivergent or mental health conditions in the workplace, specifically within Biglaw. As October is ADHD Awareness Month, Sarah highlights the challenges lawyers face when considering disclosure and the systemic issues in law firms that often fail to provide adequate support. Tune in for an insightful discussion about the complexities of navigating legal careers with ADHD and the importance of creating supportive work environments.See show notes at formerlawyer.com/207

As we recognize ADHD Awareness Month, LifeStance provider Lisa Dejarnette shares her insights into the challenges faced by those with ADHD, clarifying common myths and misconceptions. With over 30 years of experience and a personal connection to the disorder, Lisa explains the different types of ADHD and emphasizes the importance of proper diagnosis and community support. She highlights how ADHD affects daily life and self-esteem, encouraging understanding and acceptance from loved ones. We explore the necessity for accurate resources and tailored treatments while celebrating the strengths of individuals with ADHD. Learn more about ADHD Learn more about LifeStance Health: https://lifestance.com Follow LifeStance Health:  Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok

Episode 171 coincides with the first Monday in ADHD Awareness Month so to change things up, Alex, James and Mrs AuDHD talk about the past year, and answer questions sent in. Mrs AuDHD shits herself, Alex gets told by a client about balloon heads and James misreads a question that he wrote himself... Written by Alex Conner, Samantha Brown and James Brown. Produced by James Brown and JBHD Ltd. Social media contacts: @theadhdadults Music by James Brown and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sessionz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you would like to support the podcast you can subscribe to extra content here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can submit a message, question or future topic to the podcast here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can support and get help from the charity that the show raises money for here ⁠⁠

This mini episode is the 2nd installment of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know. The Leopard is the symbol of Aberdeen, Scotland - where ADHDAF began, it also symbolises bravery, the reclaiming of power, plus I'm a total hun! :) So leopard print has become our uniform of unity. We are the Leopard Print Army HEAR US ROAR! Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, alcoholism, addiction, drug abuse, relationship struggles, ableism, cancer, long term health conditions, suicide and premature death.If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREIt is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm in awe of the INCREDIBLE work of the late Kris Hallenga. Sign up for self examination reminders from her charity Coppafeel HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityALL THE GRATITUDE to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/ hit those stars, because doing so means these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! ENORMOUS THANKS to ADHDAF Community LEGENDS Ruth, Sarah and Jen from the ADHDAF Retreat for sharing their crucial ADHD messages in this episode! xLet's join forces this ADHD Awareness month. LIVES DEPEND ON IT. Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your support! Laura xSupport the show

In honor of ADHD Awareness Month, TALRadio highlights five key organizations providing essential resources, education, and support for individuals and families affected by ADHD. From social support to cutting-edge research, discover how these nonprofits are making a difference in the ADHD community. Host : Pavithra #TALRadioEnglish #ADHDAwarenessMonth #ADHDResources #TALRadio #MentalHealth #Support #TouchALife

This very special episode was recorded just two days before a team of twelve ADHD LEGENDS including my guest: Rosie Turner cycled from London to Amsterdam, raising over £14K for ADHD Liberty & ADHDadultUK charities. Arriving in Amsterdam on my wonderful friend and very special guest's birthday! CONGRATULATIONS to you all and a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Rosie! Rosie is the host of ADHD Untangled Podcast, an accredited ADHD Coach, and an ADHD Yoga & Pilates trainer. Rosie is a late discovered ADHDer, who has recently discovered Autistic traits she is currently awaiting Autism assesment. In this interview (interspersed with chaotic chinwag interludes) she shares her experience on the late AuDHD discovery rollercoaster... strap yourselves in! This episode also contains some incredible advice and big announcements... enjoy the ride! Despite already completing their monumental mission, you can still sponsor Rosie, Darren and all the other LEGENDS who cycled from London to Amsterdam for these incredible ADHD charities HEREYou can listen to the CEO and founder of ADHD Liberty: Sarah Templeton on ADHDAF HERE and the first ADHD Awareness Month Community special mini episode HERETrigger Warning: mentions of triggering topics including: depression, anxiety, ED, alcoholism, addiction, mental health struggles, suicide, suicidal ideation, criminality, incarcaration, medical negligence, exercise addiction, abuse, relationship struggles. Also contains swearing and gallows humour. If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREApply to be part of ADHDAF Emporium: an online marketplace championing neurodivergent makers and small creative businesses HERECheck out the handmade ADHD Awareness Fundraiser Ribbon HEREYou can support the continuation of this podcast and connect with literally like-minded legends in the Patreon Peer Support CommunityThank you to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!Please help me raise essential awareness this ADHD Awareness Month by hitting those stars/writing a review. All help others gain the information and validation shared amidst a global ADHD diagnosis crisis and ADHD medication shortage.Thank you so much for supporting ADHDAF!We are all in this togetherLaura xSupport the show

This mini episode is part of a mid-series-mini-series created for ADHD Awareness Month 2024. This October's theme is 'Awareness is Key', so I'm sharing the 'key' pieces of ADHD awareness the ADHDAF Community need the world to know. Enormous thanks to Jill and Gill for volunteering their voices, for all of their support and for being compassionate to how ADHD presents in me - double booking what should have been one to ones with each of them! :) Trigger warning: Contains swearing and mentions of sensitive subject matter some may find triggering; mental health struggles, ableism, cancer, long term health conditions, suicide and premature death. If you are in need of support YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There is immediate help out there so please REACH OUTSearch the ADHD Medication Directory if you are struggling to access medication during the national medication shortage HEREListen to Riyadh Khalaf's self support stratergies for ADHDers HEREYou can connect with literally likeminded legends like our J/Gill's and support the continuation of this podcast by joining the Patreon Peer Support CommunityEnormous thanks to the Members for keeping this podcast going for over 2 years!We invite you to join us online Friday 25th Oct for the THIRD ANNUAL ADHDAF DAY! In which we paint the world leopard print to raise ADHD Awareness. Simply wear at least one leopard print item on 25/10/24 to stand in solidarity with the leopard print army and post a selfie or video on your socials sharing the special message you want the world to know about ADHD, then tag @adhdafpodcast and #ADHDAFDay and I will reshare your messages for the world to see and hear us at a time of ADHD diagnosis crisis and medication shortages. PLEASE SHARE this episode and write a review/ hit those stars, because doing so means these episodes will spread far and wide. Each one contains important information that society NEEDS to know about ADHD and from the very people whose voices have gone unheard for too long! Let's join forces this ADHD Awareness month. LIVES DEPEND ON IT. Myself and the Leopard Print Army thank you for your support! Laura xSupport the show

Meet Ceri Sandford, the ADHD Compassion Coach Get ready for a ranty rant filled episode. If you have a lot of late-diagnosed feelings and keep hearing everyone say that 'everyone is a little ADHD' - this is for you!!!!!! Let's celebrate ADHD Awareness Month by acknowledging the unseen cost and reality of our severe/chronic life experience. Oh, and you're welcome to listen to this one in 2x speed. Don't worry, I do it too xx Tune in, subscribe, share with a friend to hear all about: The grief process (denial, relief, sadness, anger) Rant response to "I think I'm a little ADHD too." Get your frustration out on paper (JANET!!) 25.30 to skip rants and get into rediscovery Q's Rediscovering your identity after diagnosis Join the waitlist HERE for my new course dropping in October.

In this episode: Jen checks in to recommend “You Are A Lot” podcast episodes to start with if you're new to the show and how coming up - October is ADHD Awareness Month. For exclusive podcast bonus episodes, transcripts, and more, join the You Are A Lot podcast at patreon.com/ALOTADHDPOD for just $6.99 a month and 15% off if you pay annually. You can sign up for a 7 Day Free Trial today! Click here to write a 5-star review of the podcast Visit the “You Are A Lot” (an adhd podcast) webpage Send an email to the podcast at alotadhdpod at gmail dot com Follow Jen on Instagram Follow Jen on Tik Tok For More Info on Jen  

In the midst of our little rest-n-relaxation break we've been taking the last couple of month, we somehow found ourselves diving into another project that we can't wait to share with you soon! While we iron out those details, enjoy another incredible conversation we had back in 2022 during ADHD Awareness Month. Today's guest is a name we know you'll recognize. Dani Donovan is one of the OGs of ADHD content creation, sharing her journey and perspective on how the disorder shows up in her life so generously with the world. Hear her share why she's chosen this path and what its meant for her. Hint: Little Dani is screaming at the irony! Dani and Lindsay also talk breaking down ADHD stereotypes, being a woman with ADHD and managing friendships, and the importance of workplace accommodations for neurodivergent people. To learn more about Dani and the work she is doing for the ADHD community, check out her website here. And if you haven't already, make sure to pick up Dani's book, The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh*t Done When You Don't Feel Like It, available now! Follow Refocused on Social Media: Instagram: @lindsayguentzel @refocusedpod  Twitter: @lindsayguentzel @refocusedpod    Connect with the show: hello@refocusedpod.com

As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves on the go, constantly striving for success, and juggling multiple responsibilities. But amidst all the hustle and bustle, it's crucial to prioritize our mental health and well-being. October is Mental Health Awareness Month and ADHD Awareness Month, so in this episode, we'll explore the importance of self-care, the impact of stress on our mental health, and practical tips for maintaining and boosting our mood, energy, and motivation. Get ready to discover strategies that will help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Here are three key takeaways from this episode that you won't want to miss:

In this week's episode, I invited Eric Tivers, host of the popular ADHD ReWired Podcast, to join me on Focus Forward and we talked about the common feelings of shame experienced by individuals with ADHD. We explored the benefits of finding connection and support within the ADHD community and discussed some aspects of living a strategy-based life and take a little detour to talk about tennis and pickle ball scoring, classic ADHD tangent. Stick around to the end of our conversation to learn more about how to get in touch with Eric and about the high-quality services he and his team provide. Because of some timing and our Focus Forward hiatus, this episode was actually recorded back in May of this year, coinciding with my official ADHD diagnosis, and despite the time that has passed, the insights remain relevant. I'm delighted it's now October and ADHD awareness month so we can share this conversation with you all! Here are the show notes from today's episode:Hannah's guest appearance on ADHD ReWiredADHD ReWired Podcast2023 Annual International Conference on ADHDADHD Support Group SearchMy podcast episode with Dr. Jan WillerBeyond BookSmartHow to Keep Score in Pickle BallHow to Keep Score in TennisADHD ResourcesAdult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)CHADDBeyond BookSmart's ADHD Success KitHow to Thrive with ADHD After a DiagnosisEp 13: How to Unlock the Superpowers of ADHDWomen's ADHD Wellbeing PodcastContact us!Reach out to us at podcast@beyondbooksmart.comIG/FB/TikTok @beyondbooksmartcoachingTranscriptHannah Choi 00:04Hi everyone and welcome to Focus Forward, an executive function podcast where we explore the challenges and celebrate the wins you'll experience as you change your life through working on improving your executive function skills. I'm your host, Hannah Choi. Hannah Choi 00:18Before I dive into this episode, I wanted to share a correction from our last episode, I mistakenly said that I had an appointment with a psychiatrist. Jan, who I interviewed caught this when she listened to the episode and helped me realize that I actually have an appointment with a licensed professional clinician, who in Connecticut anyway is qualified to evaluate people for ADHD. I don't know about you, but I find all of these titles quite confusing. But I am so glad I get to learn all about this and share it with you. Anyway, I wanted to share again what Jan taught me that psychiatrists are great for testing people with more complex brain issues. And people with master's levels degrees, who are qualified can diagnose ADHD even without a full neuro Psych Exam. I'm still going to pursue the test. Because you know me brain nerd. I'm super curious to learn more about how my own brain works. But please know that you absolutely don't have to do the same to get the help you need. Hannah Choi 01:22Okay, so it is still ADHD Awareness Month and I've got some exciting news to share. I will be attending the upcoming 2023 annual International Conference on ADHD in Baltimore at the end of November. I am headed there with three of my wise colleagues, Sean Potts, Justice Abbott, and Wendy Craven. We will have a Beyond Booksmart table in the exhibit hall. And we'll also be learning from some of the presenters who will be sharing their knowledge and experience with attendees. If you want to find out more about the conference, check out the show notes. There's a link down there. Hannah Choi 02:00And besides being all about ADHD, this conference has a special connection to today's guest. We are back with another ADHD themed episode for this month of ADHD awareness. At the end of the summer, I had the absolute pleasure of being a guest on the ADHD rewired podcast. It is hosted by the very funny and very smart Eric Tivers. We talked about finding success in college when you struggle with executive functioning skills. And when we spoke not only did Eric convince me that I had to go to the ADHD conference, okay, wait a second, convinced his way too strong of a verb. He just kind of mentioned it with enthusiasm. And of course, I was totally sold. So let's try that again. Not only did Eric inspire me to go to the conference, but he also shared that he'll be presenting at it on the topic of technology. Bonus. Okay, so, back to the meat of this episode, I invited Eric to join me on Focus Forward, and we talked about the common feelings of shame experienced by individuals with ADHD. We also explored the benefits of finding connection and support within the ADHD community. So keep listening to hear Eric share about the coaching groups and the adult study halls he offers to provide that essential support and community we discuss some aspects of living a strategy based life and take a little detour to talk about tennis and pickleball scoring, you know, classic ADHD tangent, and stick around to the end of our conversation to learn more about how to get in touch with Eric, and about the high quality services that he and his coaches provide. I really encourage you to check out the good work that he and his team are doing. You can also find links to his website in the show notes. Because of some timing and our Focus Forward hiatus, this episode was actually recorded back in May of this year, coinciding with my official ADHD diagnosis. And despite the time that has passed, the insights do remain relevant. I am delighted that it is now October so we can share this conversation with you all. Okay, on to the show. Hannah Choi 04:12So, hi, everyone. I'm here today with Eric Tivers, who is the host of the ADHD ReWired podcast and you do a lot of other stuff. So could you introduce yourself and maybe share what you do and short a brief explanation of how you even got to where you are today?Eric Tivers 04:36Sure, so I'll thank you for having me on. My name is Eric Tivers. I host the ADHD ReWired podcast. And, you know, we, I am a licensed clinical social worker. And I started ADHD ReWired back in 2014. When it was, you know, I didn't even know what I was really going to be dealing with it. It was sort of like I I know I have thoughts and ideas that I want to share. I don't really like to write, it's a struggle for me. So like podcast, and like when I was in grad school, I was really actually struggling with my ADHD. And I discovered podcasts around that. And I discovered this old, like, not even good quality podcast, but it was like raw and authentic. And I wanted you that one day, like that kind of stuck with me for a long time. Yeah. And, and then I mentioned, we launched the podcast, it first started as just a solo show. And then I sort of stumbled into an interview. And I was like, Oh, I like this way better. Because, you know, it's as trained as a therapist, like, I'm just a curious conversationalist, I guess. And it was, I just really enjoyed helping other people tell their story. And then sort of through that, I launched my first online coaching group and, and that wasn't even like a grand plan, either. That was sort of a, I had this idea. And it was, the idea came out of actually, like I was in therapy at the time. And I would like go to try to get to my therapist office, like about 20 minutes early, just so I can do the homework that I supposed to be working on. This is silly. You know, it's like I'm my clients, this whole working man, wish there something working just to have like, regular like check ins kind of touch points, just to kind of keep me on track throughout my week. And so I started looking online for stuff and like, there was nothing. There was no one doing anything like that. So I created that. That's awesome. Yeah, I mean, it was like, where it is now to where it was when I first heard the very first version of it. I don't know if you ever heard the idea that a few are not kind of you don't cringe at your like earliest stuff you put out there, like you waited too long to start. I definitely cringe at some of the first stuff like we did, like, we didn't even have like a concrete schedule for the first season of coaching group that we did. Like it was like every week, like alright, what's good for me, I Oh, my God, that's an awful idea.Hannah Choi 06:55But you know what I love I love that, that you cannot wait for perfection to start, just just start and then it will evolve into what it's supposed to be. Eric Tivers 07:06Yeah, so you know, now here I am. You know, we're recording this on May 5, I'll happy Cinco Demayo. And, you know, we're, I think I, we just released episode 480 something. And you know, and I have experimented, and I've done different iterations of stuff on the podcast, and it's been super fun. You know, and there's no way I would have been doing a podcast from 10 years. Now, if I didn't love what I'm doing, right. It's amazing. So these coaching groups, they just kind of they almost kind of life of themselves, like they know, they were feeling really fast. And then I started doing two coaching groups at a time the manager didn't three coaching groups at a time. And then I was burning out a little bit. So I scaled back at two. I closed my clinical practice to focus exclusively on the coaching groups. So we've had over 1000 people go through the program. We're on our, we just started at registration for our summer season will be our 33rd season.Hannah Choi 08:04Oh my goodness, congratulations. Eric Tivers 08:07Thank you. Thanks. Hannah Choi 08:07That is awesome.Eric Tivers 08:08Yeah. And so we've been we've been growing, I got a couple of coaches that work with me, and, you know, learning all the kind of the leadership stuff there, which is, it's way harder than I ever imagined it would be like, I gotta figure it out, then I'm like, no, no, no more to learn. So it's it is like, I'm going back for seconds and thirds of humble pie on a regular basis.Hannah Choi 08:33I have a colleague who always says, always learning and growing and I love that. That's so true.Eric Tivers 08:39Yeah. I mean, as soon as you think you, you know everything, then that's where you get into trouble.Hannah Choi 08:43Yes, that's right. So I love thinking about all the people in your that that you have encountered that are now probably so much more confident, and so much more sure of their own abilities, despite their executive function challenges, despite their ADHD, so congrats to you and everyone that works for you for creating that space for people.Eric Tivers 09:10Well, I definitely didn't do it. I'm I mean, I've had lots of lots of help lots of other people who do a lot of stuff sort of on the back end. And, you know, we have we have a very active alumni community too. And a lot of our a lot we have. And when I open up the alumni community, it's because people will kept like re signing up for the group to do it again. And and so people were asking, was there anything else we could do after this? And like, maybe, and so maybe three or four years ago, we started this, the alumni community, and it's been wonderful. We have a bunch of different of our alumni who are leading peer based sessions each week. And so it's really cool because it's like, I tell people, one of the best things I do for my own ADHD is this work because it kind of makes me think about it all the time after like, I can't go into autopilot. I think a lot of other people feel that same way. It's like when they and sort of give back and be in some kind of leadership role in the community, it helps them stay on top of their own stuff.Hannah Choi 10:06Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I find that as a coach, you know, just talking about it all the time with my clients, and, you know, trying to think of news, like help them come up with new solutions for whatever challenge that they're dealing with it, that kind of thinking becomes a habit, and then you just kind of do it for yourself or, yeah.Eric Tivers 10:27So yeah, so that's kind of when we have our we have an adult study hall, it's a co-working community, which, so that's, that's another thing we have been working on. So yeah, lots of lots of things in the fire and, you know, experimenting with different things. And you know, one thing that is that is constant is that things are always changing.Hannah Choi 10:47So something that you and I had talked about before we recorded was the idea of community. And I really think that, that you are creating that community with the work that you're doing. And I just, we just dropped an episode the other day, I interviewed two social workers and their coach. And we talked a lot about how important validation is, and how important finding your flock is. And so I'm sure through that experience, you are creating that in a way for people.Eric Tivers 11:28Yeah, you know, one of the things because people always ask me, like, Well, how do I know if I should do group? Or if I should do one on one? And, you know, I would I, I tell them, I have a strong bias towards group. Because there's, you know, I and I've done intensive one on one coaching with people. And, you know, I tell them that I'm kind of a sucker for, like, positive reinforcement. And when I see people doing like, like, profoundly better. To me, that's like, my big shiny gold star. Right. And with group there's, there's just something that's, you know, it's funny, I'm very science based person, but like, it's, I think it's just magic, what happens in group, I, because it is, you know, we see ourselves in each other, and we are so much more generous and compassionate towards others, others are having the same struggles. And then, you know, when we see that kind of what they're doing and where they're coming out, they're they're doing all these great things. And yet, they're being so hard on themselves. And then there's that recognition of like, oh, wait a minute. Like you have these these mirrors that are reflecting you, back to you. Right, except now there's no judgment being Hannah Choi 12:35Yeah. That's awesome. That's powerful. Eric Tivers 12:39that that me too, is super, super powerful. Yeah, and I always tell people to I'm like, I just want to be really clear before we, there's any, like, ideas, that I have all my stuff together, because I don't, I am working on all the same stuff, too. I mean, being consistent, you know, it's like, I get the planning and then I stop looking at the planning, right, I gotta come back to it. And so really, what I think what community has really done one of the strengths of, of community is resilience. It is a sort of a resilience incubator. Yeah, because we're kind of be inconsistent with ADHD, it's just, you know, it's and I'm not saying that, like, it's just is what it is, you know, but it's part of it's part of ADHD, the consistency. So what we can do is skip the part, when we've fallen off what we want to be doing, we can skip the part of beating ourselves up, and we can reach out for help as a ham struggling here. Yeah, well, we get when we can say it, when we can speak the thing that we're instead of like being silenced in silent and shame. I mean, that because that that shame piece it is it's significant, it is really significant. And when you're in a community of people who get it because they also live it and your non judgmental support. It's, it's really profound, you know, it's, it's kind of like a rabid onion pillar, right? If people come in for white, like, I just want to get my planning and time management stuff figured out. It's like, work on that. But keep keep an open mind, because there's a way like, you can't not deal with the shame stuff when you're dealing planning. And anything that at the planning of time management when you have ADHD. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And it's not just the planning. It's not just the time now.Hannah Choi 14:24Yeah, yeah. And that's something that we talked about in that conversation was how tightly wrapped our executive function skills are with our emotions, and how and how the context in which we are talking about is how coaching sessions can can often sometimes feel like therapy, and it's because you cannot, you just can't separate that. And so being able to, like you said, you have that mirror to reflect yourself back to yourself without that judgment is such a nice way of of dealing with those emotions. I'm not sure how to explain what I'm saying. And I'm sure you know what I mean. I just I love that. I love that. Eric Tivers 15:07Well, your executive, its executive functions are self. It's about self regulation. Yeah.Hannah Choi 15:13Right. Yeah. And it comes down to it, you know,Eric Tivers 15:16I mean, it's, it's the self regulatory stuff that we have intentions of doing. And that impacts, like the things we're trying to do. I think like, like Russell Barkley talks about an executive functions, any goal oriented behavior that you sort of put out to the world, and it comes back to you in some way. So it's like, even if it's like, it's as simple as getting dressed, right? Like, your intention is, you gotta get up before you get dressed. Right. And, yeah, if you are successful with it, you got clothes on your body, right? Hannah Choi 15:42That's so funny. That's the example I always use. Like, you have some executive function skills, because you're wearing clothes. Eric Tivers 15:49Yeah, you know, are looking at like emotional self regulation, if you are employed. And you think that your boss is a jerk, and you let them know that and your goal is to get a promotion. And instead, you're actually shutting the door, because you can get yourself fired because you mouthed off to your boss, right? That ability to take a deep breath when you're in that that space. Like, you know, it's, it's hard. It's hard to do. Yeah.Hannah Choi 16:15Well, I, I haven't shared this yet on the podcast, but by the time people listen to this episode, they will know, I just got diagnosed with ADHD, which I am so happy about, because it has answered everything. And I'm sure this is the story that you've heard from so many people. And all of that has, over the past few weeks when I've been thinking about it, and I feel like I am calming my, I'm like giving my self a hug my past self. And like, you know, just and so and, and that whole shame piece. And the whole inner narrative really comes up a lot for people with ADHD or for people just who are struggling with anything, really, because there's this sort of this message that we receive from society that we're supposed to be just like, amazingly successful at everything all the time. And you have to like, especially as a mom, like you're supposed to do all these things plus, like have a really beautiful Instagram feed and be like selling cookies on the side or whatever.Eric Tivers 17:24And make it all look easy, right? Hannah Choi 17:26Yeah, yeah. And it's just not easy for anybody. And if you're additionally, you know, dealing with executive function challenges, if, because of any diagnosis, and it just makes everything a lot harder. So, yeah, so being able to being able to talk about it and to, and to address it in a really safe and encouraging and warm way is is really wonderful. So I'm really glad you're able to provide that for to your, to your coaching groups.Eric Tivers 18:02 It's so it's so interesting. First of all, congratulations on this.Hannah Choi 18:05Thanks. Thank you.Eric Tivers 18:07And you're in it's so interesting, too, because so many people who have such a wide variety of responses to Yeah, that diagnosis. And it's, it's really kind of striking, like how many people I've spoken with throughout the years who who've been professionals in the ADHD space, didn't think they had ADHD going. And then like, years and years later realize, I actually do, and it's so funny, because I have always like, was like, just thought that was a really like, Ha, what what would that be like to experience that? And I see it, because right now, and I have not gotten an official diagnosis. But I did recently take an online evaluation for autism. And I had a highly what I didn't mention is that part of my clinical practice, before I closed my clinical practice was specializing in autism. Okay, and so, you know, my, I have a 11 year old son who has has autism and ADHD. So it's like, you know, I used to speak and present on this stuff. And yeah, you know, in part of, and I was, I was mentioning at the top of the show, about, like, how, you know, leadership has been serving me some humble pie. And it because part of it's like some of the social stuff that I think I've been Miss reading and I'm like, right, and so like, I'm always someone who's always trying to do better. And it's like, if, and so what I'm sort of seeing a certain pattern, I'm like, okay, like, this is something other than like this than ADHD, like, I really tried to cultivate a culture of feedback in my community, with my team and yeah, I've gotten some little some hearts of your feedback, but like, thank goodness that some of my team has felt safe to Yeah, sure that I know. You know, it's sort of that that the only way I can sort of think about it as being like the the realization that maybe sometime Sam's coming off as an accidental a hole. And I'm just like, Oh my God. Yeah. And so it's been very humbling, recently something I'm still kind of working through. But you know, it's like, yeah, when we gain that self awareness, that that like, entry into a new space of awareness, that hurts like it. It is it is, you know, but I, you know, from the time I got diagnosed when I was 20 years old, I've been like, I'm this this sort of mission to keep uncovering blind spots. Because it's like, and I'm just understanding the concept that we all have blind spots. Yeah, right. Yeah. And knowing that, you know, that sort of like idea like, so if someone is not self aware, how do they know? Hannah Choi 20:49Yeah, I felt, and I don't know, maybe you feel this? It's almost freeing. I, as soon as she told me, you know, the results, I just felt this like, huge. Ah, okay. Now, I get it. And like you said, you're discovering things over the time, I have also been discovering things. And it's like, oh, that's why that happened. That's why I did that. And then I'm able to release myself of that burden of shame that I have been carrying for feeling so bad about that thing, whatever it was. It's kind of been like Christmas the past few weeks, I've just like opening up all these things. I hope you experienced the same thing with the air or maybe you already are with that. Eric Tivers 21:40Oh, I think I'll get I'll yeah, it's definitely a, it's like, hot, it's definitely been a little bit of a, it's like, I don't know, it's not like shocking, but it's, it's, I don't know, it's like, it's just humbling, it's what it's telling me where I can describe to describe her. And I was like, this feels very, very humbling. And just interesting. You know, it's, it's, if we are on, if we have that growth mindset, and we are open to feedback, you know, it's, I always tell people helping you to think that, like, the growth journey is a fun one. No, no, no, this is hard. This is our critical timeout for a little while. I tell you, you know, when anytime I have had big discoveries about myself, it has led to huge growth. And so I've always been open to trying to find those blind spots, even though I know it's gonna suck emotionally for a while. It has never, I've never not been grateful, in hindsight, for those discoveries. Hannah Choi 22:47And I see that a lot in my clients too. And I work with a lot of college kids and a lot, and what I've noticed is that a lot of them are still learning to be self aware. And they're still discovering aspects of themselves that they didn't know. And, and, and executive function coaching is such a great place to explore that it's such like a nice, safe, safe place, and so many different things that we can kind of test out and figure out and, and so much of my coaching comes back to asking why and so much of answering the question, why is becoming is by, you have to become self aware to answer that, why. And it can be really hard, like you said, it can be really hard to to admit, whatever the Y is, and, but that is the key to open the door to allow for that growth. And to, to be able to let go of whatever that shame is that you've been carrying around because of that challenge or limitation.Eric Tivers 23:45Yeah, it's I always tell my group members, like if you're not uncomfortable, like, lean in more. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's, you know, you're not, you don't have to be sort of in that state forever. And it doesn't last forever. It's, it's sort of it's episodic, you know, it's, you go through periods, and then you, you know, at least for me, it's like, figuring these things out. And then spending years on on like, honing in the skills and the pieces around that, that I need to and then it's like, as you develop mastery around different things, then you kind of the process repeats like, oh, new discoveries. Oh, again,Hannah Choi 24:21Yep. Or, Oh, I just got I found mastery, but I'm sliding because of whatever and now let's discover a new way to get myself back back in the game and and to be okay with that.Eric Tivers 24:32You know, it's funny too, because, like, one of the things that that I'm that I'm actually trying to work on now is being treated less sarcastic in different interactions. I guess it's funny, I was I was talking to my partner yesterday about this cuz she's been kind of helping me through through some of this. And like, when she kind of gave me this feedback about my sarcasm, and I found myself wanting to hold on to like, like gripping. But start I love beings. It's funny. Yeah, but not it's not always received as well as I think you think it is like, yeah. All right. I'm gonna sit with that for a while. And you know, it's it's having that courage to ask others like, hey, like, is this been your experience that like in our conversations? Yeah, so it's having those those courageous conversations. I mean, that's really what it's, it's about. Yep.Hannah Choi 25:21And I don't know if you've experienced this as hosting a podcast, but I feel like I experienced that every time I listened to a new episode or listened to anything that I've ever recorded. Like I, I go through that, like, Oh, God, why did I say that? Or why didn't I say it this other way? And then But then I always go back and say no, okay, now you have a chance to, to learn from that and to grow from that and to step even more outside your comfort zone and to challenge maybe challenge what you how you did something before and yeah,Eric Tivers 25:55Yeah, you know, to me, like, I love absurdity. Like, that's just like, absurdity is my sense of humor. Or it was probably where I like sarcasm, but I just, you know, I'm learning to be more careful about that. But like, when I think about just like, brains are funny, glitchy and they are, like, you know, if we can, instead of being so hard on ourselves, like, why can't I do this, like, drive, we were talking before I hit record, like, I love playing pickleball I cannot remember the score during the game. For me, it is like to be in like one of those like baseball pitch counters and just like holding my other hand, butHannah Choi 26:35then you'd have to remember to use it.Eric Tivers 26:40And I always feel really at home when everybody else I'm playing with also can't remember the score. I'm just like, I think it'll be like, Well, what's your excuse? Because, you know, one of the younger ones there? And it's like, yeah, it's called ADHD.Hannah Choi 26:55It's not my age. Yeah. Oh, man.Eric Tivers 26:58It's it's funny. I'll, I'll say the score my head over and over again. And then one for one moment, I'm thinking about something else. And I forgot score. Hannah Choi 27:05Oh, my God, I feel you I just like relate to that so much. I just started, I started playing tennis and this a year ago, with my sister who's actually quite good at keeping track of the score, and I'm always like, I think I just need to play with her all the time. I'm the same way. I'm like, Alright, I got it. And I don't I actually and I don't even know which side of the court I'm supposed to be on right now.Eric Tivers 27:31With tennis is like the funny scoring it like, right?Hannah Choi 27:34Yeah, it's so weird. Yeah. And then if you play doubles in pickleball, it's even weirder, because then you have to say, like, if you're serving first or second, right?Eric Tivers 27:44Well, I typically only played doubles have, like, I don't, I don't want singles. I mean, it's a it's an amazing workout to play singles, because it's like, oh, my god, she has to be everywhere. I like doubles. So I don't know. It's but you're right. Because you have to say which, which, which serve it is.Hannah Choi 28:01It's too confusing for me. And we just play we just hit the ball around and be like, Yeah, we both won. Or we all win. Yeah, Everyone's a winner. Yes. What were we talking about? Speaking of forgetting things.Eric Tivers 28:22Brains are funny.Hannah Choi 28:23Brains. Brains. Yes, I love the brain. And I love helping people understand why they do what they do, because of their brains. And helping people learn strategies that can help them use their brains to their advantage instead of being sort of taken over by their brain. So like a lot of that emotional regulation is a huge part of my coaching. And, and I love just learning about it and teaching people about it.Eric Tivers 28:54You know, within that frame. There's this idea that I that I talk about my groups that, you know, if you're wanting to be successful, and you have ADHD, you have to learn how to bend the world to you. Because like, the world is not bending the other way. Like the world's not reaching out to say, Hey, how can I accommodate you? Right? Like, yeah, we get all this paperwork is really hard. Like, it's like planning this, you get it with paper, and it's, you know, your teacher tells you about it, you know, in the first day class never mentioned it again, like, right, we have to develop these strategies to really scaffold the things that we need around us. And be you being okay with that too. And that's such an important and I think for a lot of people a really hard thing because, you know, I always said who I am, we are not trying to get you to learn how to be normal. Like that is not our goal. Right? Like that is like that is our goal to make sure that that like you don't want that to be your goal, because that is like that will be a goal that you'll you're not going to achieveHannah Choi 29:57And we want to preserve your uniqueness, right. Yes. See?Eric Tivers 30:00Yes, yeah, you know, so whatever, like, whatever you need, like, just kind of figure out how to, you know how to advocate for it, how to ask for it, you know, when something that kind of informs a lot of the work that I do, and even my personal life was based on some work that I did when I was in grad school. And so it was around my dissertation, and it was looking at, what does it take for students with invisible disabilities and ADHD, learning disabilities, dyslexia, etc, to be successful in adulthood. And what they found is that it is not the diagnosis that is preventing people from having the same sort of measures of success compared to their peers, it's if they have high levels of self awareness, if they have self determination, and good self advocacy skills, like, if you look just at the sort of the outcome measures, whether it's income, educational attainment, just overall life satisfaction, you got those three things, when you have ADHD or something like it, right, you're going to do just as well, like, that doesn't mean that things aren't going to be sometimes harder, like they will be. But like, You got to be willing to do the stuff and make sure that you love what you're doing. Because that's another thing our ADHD, it's like, we don't really have that, that, you know, the luxury of doing work that we don't loveHannah Choi 31:22Right. Yes, yes. It's very hard to keep that going. Eric Tivers 31:27Right, right. I know for a little while, but youHannah Choi 31:31Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So much of that, that those those aspects that you named are part of figuring out, or you it's, you can find those when you have that opportunity to learn about yourself and ask those questions and discover the different aspects of you that yeah, they don't fit into this system of the world that is out there. And that, but then, like you said, That's okay. So let's figure out how we can just just embrace that and use it as a as a benefit and use it as a, you know, something that can take you to places that you might not go if you're more of a linear thinker, or if you are more of like a round peg in a round hole?Eric Tivers 32:19For sure, for sure. Yeah. Cuz it's, you know, managing life and you have ADHD requires coming up with 1001 Little strategies, like it really is. It's, and it's this idea of living a strategy based life. Right? It's like, when we were kids, okay, I'm struggling with that, right? What can I do? That didn't work? What else could I do? Alright, that worked for like two weeks, that's not working anymore. What else can I try? Right? It's, and if we can stay open to, you know, just being curious of what works, what's getting in the way, we'll get there. Maybe it's, I think one of the things that I think is helpful for us to remember with ADHD is that, you know, we want progress yesterday. You know, stick with it, like, you look back and serious of yours, and you'll see the growth. But if you're just like in the moment, like week to week, it can be really hard to see the growth. And if you're really doing the work, it can actually sometimes feel like you're doing worse, when you're actually doing better. And that's called a self awareness that is growing self awareness makes us feel like we're doing worse, even though we're not Hannah Choi 33:21Yeah, you know, something, how you mentioned this strategy based life. I remember when I told my colleague who is also the, the editor and producer of our podcast, Sean, who also has ADHD was diagnosed when he was 12. He said to me, I'm so surprised to hear that you have ADHD and I and he said, You have such good executive function skills. And that and I said, I think it's because I am exhausted from using strategies all the time. Like, all the time, I keep my shit together, for the most part, because I am constantly using strategies, which is, frankly, completely exhausting. And, and, and so often I find myself or have found myself saying, why can't I just do this without fill in the blank? And, and now I can say it's okay. At least you're doing it with that thing. You're not just like not doing it?Eric Tivers 34:21Yeah, and you know, and one of the things too, is is like, find me strategies, but then you got to adopt them are destined for to make them work for you. Yeah, you know, like, in our in our groups, we you know, we have a lot of these frameworks, but we really try to explain this as they think about everything we're sharing as sort of this is the sandbox for you, right? Like play with it and make it your own like you have this this worksheet for planning like you don't like the way that it's laid out, like, recreate it for yourself. So it like resonates with your brain, like break what we're doing. If we're telling you something that is different than what you do You want to do what's currently working? Ignore what we're telling you. Don't try to fix what's not broken. Yes, right.Hannah Choi 35:07Yes. Well, this has been so great talking to you. And, and thank you so much. You're actually the first person that I've told outside of my family, that I have ADHD but and it's not because of a shame place. It's just because I haven't. I haven't really said ADHD episode yet. And so I just kind of saving it for that. But it it's talking about community and, and, and hearing yourself in someone else's voice. I experienced the benefit of that today in our conversations. So I just like I said before, I'll say it again, I'm so glad that you're creating those spaces for people because I know that it's highly needed.Eric Tivers 35:54Well, congratulations. And it's it's it's super exciting. You know, it's it's just knowing that we have like, a hole that just opens up so many, like opportunities and things to explore that we can learn about when we have like, Oh, this is why we're, we're struggling, you know, yeah, great. Thanks. Because it really, you know, out of all out of all the disorders, really, I mean, it's, I think ADHD is one of the most manageable, but it could also be one of the biggest, you know, pains in the butt if you're not managing it, right, because it will remind you on a regular basis, you have ADHD, if you're not like paying attention to it. I tell people that we don't have the luxury to do left on autopilot. Like we will crash and burn. And if we think yeah, do like autopilot.Hannah Choi 36:40Yeah, I'm so glad there's that the stigma around being neurodivergent is really starting to break down and that more people are having these really important conversations. And I'm so glad that you have so many listeners, and I hope I start to have more listeners, because these conversations people need to hear them, they need to get that validation that it's okay to struggle. And there are there are options, there are questions that you can ask and answers that you can find.Eric Tivers 37:12You don't need to struggle alone, you know, yeah, yeah. Yeah.Hannah Choi 37:15So could you share your contact information and where people can find you, because I'm sure people are going to be really curious about learning more.Eric Tivers 37:24Yeah, best best place to reach me would be at my website, which is ADHDrewired.com. Since you are listening to this, you listen to podcasts. So you can also use whatever podcast app you're listening to and search for ADHD ReWired. And, you know, when we have our coaching groups, you know, our, I don't know, when this episode's gonna come out, but we we do them a couple times a year. In the end, they're intense, if you're looking for, like, if you're someone who does, well look almost like that boot camp style of like, Alright, I'm going to full immersion. Like, it's, you know, it's like a six to sometimes up to 10 hours a week, we do three sessions a week, you have a four person accountability team that you meet with twice a week where you do masterminds with, and then all the other stuff that we have available in our alumni community. So it's really designed to not just help you learn some skills, but to really, it's about, you know, the shame, resilience is about getting self awareness, and then, you know, having a safe space to practice learning skills.Hannah Choi 38:23I love that. And I have to put a plug in for your podcast. It's great. It's I love, I listened to a bunch of episodes and, and they're long, but the conversations are so interesting, and so relatable. And I love how many wide variety of topics you have. There's kind of something for everybody in there. Eric Tivers 38:43Well, thank you for doing the work that you're doing. This is wonderful. And thanks for letting me be on the other side of the mic. It's fun.Hannah Choi 38:49Yeah. Great. And I look forward to being on the other side of the mic with you as well, later on in the year.Eric Tivers 38:57Whenever that's on the calendar, whatever. Right now, so we have no idea when.Hannah Choi 39:03We have no idea. But it's happening. We know that yes, yes. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you, Eric. Take care. You too. Hannah Choi 39:12And that is our show for today. I hope you enjoyed our conversation. And if you know anyone who might relate to any of it, please share this episode with them. I hope we get to see you at the ADHD Conference in Baltimore. If you go stop by our booth number 112 in the exhibit hall and say hi. Until then you can reach out to me at podcast@beyondbooksmart.com. Please subscribe to focus forward on Apple and Google podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts. If you listen on Apple podcasts or Spotify, you can give us a boost by giving us a five star rating will love you for it. Sign up for our newsletter at beyond booksmart.com/podcast and we'll let you know when new episodes drop and we will share information related to the topic. Thanks for listening

Pregnancy loss is traumatic and the grief process that follows is complex. And when you are Autistic, the way you express grief and loss might not meet the expectations of society, which can result in feeling ashamed and isolated.  In this episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, speak with Dr. Kiley Hanish, a neurodivergent occupational therapist specializing in mental health during the perinatal period, about autistic grief and loss while focusing on pregnancy loss. Both Dr. Neff and Kiley, who are both Autistic, experienced pregnancy loss and they talk about their experiences personally, within the medical system, going through pregnancy again after experiencing loss, having to parent their children after pregnancy loss, then sensory overwhelm that comes with pregnancy and parenting, and the ongoing process of grieving. Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode: Hear about the profound grief associated not only with losing a child but also with the loss of one's identity when becoming a parent. Understand some of the many ways that grief can manifest, and learn how to incorporate rituals and practices into the grieving process to honor your loss that is tailored toward the needs of autistic individuals. Identify the ways that the healthcare system can improve the responses to individuals experiencing pregnancy loss to help create safety and reduce trauma in difficult times. When experiencing loss, it's not realistic to just “get over” the grief and move on. There are many complex emotions and often misunderstandings about what is the right way to deal with grief, especially when autism is brought into the equation. If you are experiencing this loss, you're not alone and your experience is valid regardless of whether other people say you are “doing it right.” More about Dr. Kiley Hanish: Dr. Kiley Hanish is a neurodivergent occupational therapist specializing in mental health during the perinatal period, which includes pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal loss. After suffering the stillbirth and loss of her first child Norbert, Kiley co-created the Emmy-nominated film Return To Zero to break the silence and stigma around pregnancy and infant loss for parents around the world. The film's success and critical acclaim led to her non-profit organization Return to Zero: HOPE. This organization provides inclusive and compassionate education and support for bereaved families after pregnancy and infant loss. In addition, they provide training and support for health providers in order to foster more confidence when working with these families. Return to Zero: HOPE Website: https://rtzhope.org Kiley's Instagram and Facebook: @rtzhope Additional Resources Mentioned Worden's Four Tasks Of Grieving: https://whatsyourgrief.com/wordens-four-tasks-of-mourning    Transcript DR. MEGAN NEFF: So, Patrick, I don't know if you know this, but October is a busy Awareness Month, especially, for the topics we talk about here on this podcast. It is ADHD Awareness Month, it's OCD Awareness Month, it's Depression Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, and it's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, which is what we're going to be diving into today. So, I do want to just offer kind of a gentle disclaimer, if you are in the process of trying to get pregnant or recently experienced a pregnancy loss, do take care of yourself while listening to this episode because we will be talking about pregnancy loss. So, first, I just streamlined through the intro. Patrick, anything to add to the intro before I introduce our guest? PATRICK CASALE: I have nothing to add. I appreciate you laying the groundwork, so that's where [CROSSTALK 00:01:00]- DR. MEGAN NEFF: …role reversal, there's a role reversal happening here. PATRICK CASALE: [INDISCERNIBLE 00:01:05]. I told Megan and Kiley before we got started, been up since 3:00 AM. So, I'll be here in existence, but maybe also not… DR. MEGAN NEFF: Appreciate how you name how you can come into this space however you are. Yes, so we have Kiley on today, who is, do you go by doctor? Because you're a occupational therapist, right? KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: How do you introduce yourself? KILEY HANISH: Well, my students call me Dr. Hanish, but Kiley is perfectly fine. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Okay. So, Dr. Hanish or Kiley is an occupational therapist, autistic ADHDer, newly diagnosed, you mentioned. And you started a nonprofit around pregnancy loss I think to help families, but also to help educate the medical field around how they can be walking through families and people, walking through that process better. Do I have that right? KILEY HANISH: Yes, yeah. So, we're supporting families who have experienced different types of losses. And then there's a lot of trauma that can be done, like with health care providers, and especially, in the hospital, and so they don't receive training in their formal education. And so how can we kind of share information to help them be more confident working with bereaved families, and then therefore reducing trauma and other negative mental health outcomes. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that so much. I think I've mentioned it on here a few times, but I used to work as a therapist in an OB-GYN clinic. And this was an area where it was evident there was just so much growth for the medical community in how this process is handled. And yeah, I love your lens of reducing trauma. So, yeah, I'm backing up bird eye view a little bit, we connected because you emailed me. We were asking folks for like topic ideas and you emailed me with four or five wonderful ideas, but one that caught my eye was autistic grief. And we've heard other followers ask for us to cover autistic grief as well. I think it is a really important and complex topic. So, we're going to be looking at that today, we're going to anchor in the experience of pregnancy loss. Oh, partly you reached out because you heard me mention that I had had two pregnancy losses on the podcast, which you have a good ear because I think it was a really passing comment. But I also think once you've lived through pregnancy loss, you hear it when people talk about it. Okay, that was a long-winded intro. To anchor our conversation today, we do have a broad framework we're going to follow. I'm going make it explicit because I think structure can be helpful. We're going to talk through different phases of the pregnancy loss experience. And I think this is really important to think through it in phases in the sense that this is actually something we know helps people walk through the grief process is when they can story tell and narrate their experiences. So, we'll be talking about the acute phase of coming to know the processing around that, the postpartum experience, and then grieving itself. And when we get to that fourth part, we're going to globalize it to talk more broadly about autistic grief. Does that sound like I have that right Kiley of what we talked earlier? KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Okay. KILEY HANISH: And I think just so for other people who are listening that have not experienced pregnancy loss or maybe have but other types of loss, like loss, isn't only death, and that you can take what we're talking about and apply it to your own situation because it will be in some way relatable. It just may not be the exact same story. But I think there's a lot of lessons that can be just like, well, lessons learned, and then just like, exploring for yourself. Like, "Well, how did I react? And what, you know, my interactions with…?" I don't know, it's complicated for sure. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. So, Kiley, can we go back to starting kind of at the beginning for you of your experience around pregnancy loss, but then also how you got interested in this topic of autistic grief, and then supporting families, and people through this process? KILEY HANISH: Yeah, so yeah, I'll first start just by sharing, like setting the stage of like, my situation. So, 2005 I was pregnant with my first child. You know, everything was fine, you know, up until when I was 35 weeks pregnant, which is like five weeks before due date. And I started bleeding. And because it's my first child, like, you don't know what's normal, and what's not normal. And so my midwife was like, "Oh, you probably just lost your mucus plug." And so I didn't think anything about it. I had no awareness of baby movement because no one told me to pay attention to it. And there's this, like, myth that babies slow down when they're, you know, getting bigger because there's less room, which is not true. But you know, there was no talk about paying attention to baby moving or anything. So, I wasn't even aware of baby movement. But thinking back I'm like, "Yeah, I didn't really feel him move." So, when I went to the doctor the next day, they couldn't find a heartbeat, they did an ultrasound. And at that point, told me that he had passed away. And I went into immediate shock. I was by myself. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what that meant. And it was just like, I feel like I really left my body. And so, like, I said to the provider, I said, "Well, what am I supposed to do?" Like, I wanted to understand, like, okay, my baby is there but then what happens, you know? And I know, I've mentioned this to you before, but then, you know, she says, "Well, maybe you could cry." And I was just like, "No, that's not what I'm asking." I'm like, "I'm asking for you to tell me what is going to happen?" Because when you're that pregnant, you have to deliver your baby. Unless there's, like, a threat to your life, they're not going to do a C-section. But I'm like, "How does the baby come out?" Like, I don't know. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. KILEY HANISH: So, there was… go ahead. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Maybe pause there just to, like, that feels really powerful of in that moment you needed to know what to expect to get back into your body, to get back to safety. And that probably really threw the medical provider off of like, where's the emotion? We should process the emotion and then talk about logistics, which I think would be a very allistic way of moving through grief. But for you, I almost wonder if you needed to know what to expect to have enough safety to experience your emotions. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, I mean, it's like the [INDISCERNIBLE 00:10:06] right? Like, I'm just learning about myself. Like, with the autistic piece, the uncertainty brings so much more fear and anxiety in a situation that's already horrible. And from her, I got nothing. And I'm not going to go into details, but just like her obsessing about other things that were really not important, and then she sent me home. And I was already in labor, actually, which is really odd. DR. MEGAN NEFF: It is odd. KILEY HANISH: You know, and then even at the hospital the following day, very little telling me what was going to happen, what to expect, and then, also, like, once your baby is born, there are lots of things… this is going to sound creepy to some people, or strange, or whatever, but like, there's a lot of things you can do to make memories to parent your child that it seems strange to talk about, but it's like your only time with your baby. DR. MEGAN NEFF: It's really important, yeah. I actually went to a training on this about how important it is to touch your baby, be with your baby, take pictures with your baby. And from an attachment lens, just how important that is. I literally have shivers talking about it and how rarely, parents are given that opportunity unless the medical system really understands how important that is. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, and so it's just like, what I really needed was a guide. I mean, I needed the doctor, or the nurses, or social someone to be a guide. It's like, you haven't been through this, but here's what's going to happen, and here are things that you can choose to do if you want to do that could be helpful to you. And I didn't get any of that. And so, like, the trauma in the hospital was so horrible. And then just, also, like, when you're in that state of shock, and I think this is anyone, it's like, then they took my baby out of the room, they put him in a box in front of me, like to take to the morgue. But then also you're just like, I can't even talk. Like, I don't even know what to say. And it's just like trauma upon trauma, was really, really hard for me. So, I think that, like, there was just too much without any guidance, and I shut down for like six months. I don't remember very much from that six months following. So, that was kind of, I would say the, like, acute phase but it lingered. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Well, it lingered… I mean, going back to those post-birthing rituals, it lingered partly because you didn't get, I mean, I'm sure it lingered for many reasons, but you didn't get to say goodbye and like I feel so much heaviness hearing you talk through that of it was such an ambiguous grief in the sense that there wasn't a goodbye and there wasn't clarity around what was happening and I think for any human that's incredibly difficult and then through being autistic on top of that, it's just so much. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. So, do you want to share any of your experiences in terms of like finding out, like, that part? DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I do. Yeah because I think there's some similar patterns. I think I also, and this is probably for my own self that I'm saying this. You know, I know that whenever we're comparing grief, that's not like a helpful thought experiment. I think it also, for me, I do want to name that it feels like we're comparing apples and oranges in the sense that from my own experience and walking with a lot of people through this first-trimester miscarriage,e 35-week stillbirth are very different experiences. So, I want to name that. I did share some of that medical confusion. I've had two complicated first-trimester miscarriages, one in which, like my HCG kept going up, which is the hormone that says you're pregnant. So, there's about a three-week window where it's like, well, actually, maybe you're still pregnant. And I kept getting conflicting messages from nurses when I would call of like, "Well, your HCG is rising, but it's not doubling. Maybe they were twins, and you lost one, and another one's in there." So, there's like a three or four week, I was getting a lot of mixed information. And that was really hard for me of like, "Am I supposed to be grieving right now? Am I still pregnant?" So, just that. And that's actually more common than I think people realize there can sometimes be this roller coaster, especially, in early pregnancy of maybe I'm losing the pregnancy, maybe I'm not. And then my second pregnancy was a missed miscarriage, which means that a heartbeat never developed, but the miscarriage didn't organically happen. So, it wasn't identified till nine weeks. And then, similarly, I didn't know what to ask and I didn't know what to look for. And I was reading a lot of things from like, kind of natural childbirth and midwives, and I love the work of midwives. And at the same time, I think it's very much set on typical pregnancies, a lot of the advice. And as an autistic person, I got really attached to the right way of being pregnant and the right way of walking through a pregnancy loss. And this was my second pregnancy loss and we very much wanted to have another child. So, I was convinced I shouldn't do a DNC because it might cause scarring, which could impact future pregnancies. That lead to what I think at the end of it, I, essentially, was like in my first trimester hormones for 20 weeks because I started miscarrying at 12 weeks and then miscarried for eight weeks and should have sought medical advice, should have known what to ask for, but I didn't and I'm kind of has medical avoidance. So, I didn't actually get help until I started developing an infection. So, there was a lot of uncertainty around those times. I wasn't advocating for myself very well and I think, partly, because I was also very shut down. I responded by shutting down, similarly. I was confused by kind of the absence of emotions during that period. So, yeah, that was my experience. What happened when you went home from the hospital and when you made it through after those six months? You talked about six months of shutdown, what happened after that? KILEY HANISH: Well, like I felt somewhere a shift inside of me of, like, the wanting to engage in life again. And that was like a month of that maybe, or maybe even less, and then I found out I was pregnant with my daughter which I hadn't had a chance to grieve. And then, like, grief process… whatever, and then pregnancy after loss is just like anxiety- DR. MEGAN NEFF: So, anxiety. Oh, my gosh! KILEY HANISH: …on steroids. KILEY HANISH: It is anxiety on steroids, yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: It's crazy. KILEY HANISH: And so that was a whole nother thing. DR. MEGAN NEFF: And did that, again, I'm thinking about potential education, like, when I was in the medical setting, I did a lot of education of like, after pregnancy loss there can be a lot of anxiety, you might find yourself resistant to attach to the baby growing. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Like, did anyone walk you through that? KILEY HANISH: Yeah, which is why I created everything I created. I created the guide for the hospital. I mean, all because it's like, when I learned things like, well, people knew this, why didn't they tell me? You know, and it's like I feel like the OBs are dealing with the waist down. They don't want to touch the emotion piece. And if there's a problem, they don't know what to do. Nobody, like, unless you get fortunate to have a therapist who knows about this, really, it's like luck. No, there's nothing, you're just like going blindly into everything. And you feel like you're going crazy, you can't talk about how you're going crazy because other people are going to think you're crazy. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Well, and especially, when you start showing, and people start coming up to you. I mean, like outside of pregnancy loss, right? Like, I hated being pregnant. When people would come up to me and touch me, and like, be like, "Are you so excited." And then I'm expected to have this positive emotion, right? That was just hard for me, even with my first pregnancy before any pregnancy losses. But throw in there, like, I am so anxious that this baby will survive, and then strangers are coming up and like expecting you to be all teary. Did you have some of that experience? KILEY HANISH: Yeah. Well, I mean, for me, it was my first, also. So, like, when I was pregnant again, like, "Oh, is this your first?" And then the whole question was like, "Well, do I tell them about, well, I had a baby that died or do I not?" And most of the time, personally, I feel like my business is my business. And I don't need to tell other people my business, you know? But you feel like you're like, kind of, disrespecting your child. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely. KILEY HANISH: You know? DR. MEGAN NEFF: And it's that small talk, right? It's small talk that is so painful. Like, there's so many questions we ask pregnant people I've since learned not to ask like, "Are you planning to have more? Is this your first?" Like, things that we think are small talk is not small talk. And that's for non-autistic people, too. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Let alone throw in the, like, we hate small talk component. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. I had a thought, but it went. Oh, no, I know what I was going to say, in the pregnancy after last piece, like, there was like, what you were starting to say is like, denial of the pregnancy, non-attachment, which is called emotional cushioning. So, you're like- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, I like that term. KILEY HANISH: I found that word somewhere recently and I'm like, "Oh, I like the term." You know? And so, it's like, oh, there's an explanation of, like, fear of getting attached because maybe the baby will die. And like the thought is, well, if I'm not as attached, and the baby dies, it won't hurt as bad. Which is a joke, but it's your brain trying to protect itself. Yeah, and just like not, like, I didn't buy anything. I didn't want a shower. I just I was like, "No, we're no, we're not doing anything to prepare." Like, so I did nothing. DR. MEGAN NEFF: So, even setting like setting up a nursery or a lot of the things, you did none of that. KILEY HANISH: The second time no because I did it the first time. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. KILEY HANISH: And then I had to take it all down. So, then I was like, "No way." DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, it's actually really logical. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. And then I will just throw in here, like, looking at our agenda because agenda is postpartum. So, I will say after you lose a baby, even though your baby's not living, you are still in postpartum. But I was in such shock and like, disorientation. It didn't really matter. But after my daughter was born, my second pregnancy, I went into, I don't even know what it was, undiagnosed for 10 years, whatever. I just suffered a lot. But it was like this total hypervigilance, anxiety. I mean, so I first diagnosed myself with like postpartum PTSD, like, a few years ago, but now I'm wondering is like how much is it like sensory overload of being a parent? Like, I mean, or both? DR. MEGAN NEFF: I would argue both- KILEY HANISH: Yeah, and so- DR. MEGAN NEFF: [INDISCERNIBLE 00:24:29] on top of each other in really brutal ways. KILEY HANISH: I feel like… and this has nothing to like, say bad things about my children, but becoming a parent broke me. Like, it turned me crazy, into like, my mental health it just was never the same and I think part of it's like, with things I used to do to self-regulate that I didn't know where self-regulation strategies were no longer possible once I have children. And just the feeling of like being claustrophobic, and constantly on, and all of that, so… DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, Kylie, first of all, just thank you for saying that. Thank you for saying becoming a parent broke me. I think, again, like we've got to hold space for so many complex emotions. And I think this gets really tricky to talk about as a parent. Of course, we love our children, I'm so thankful for my children, I wouldn't have life any other way. But I feel similarly. Like, so my children are now 13 and 10. So, I'm through the thick of it, I would say. Those 10 years, especially, those five years, when they were like two neurodivergent children, I didn't know were neurodivergent, no one was sleeping. They're sensory seekers. Like, I was so, first of, all tired and I think partly because of the pregnancies and complications my body felt very broken. I wasn't sleeping, being touched, and sounds all of the time, having a hyperverbal toddler talking all the time. Like, for someone with a sensitive sensory system, that's a lot to absorb. And I think there can be a lot of shame, especially, for mothers around, like, why is it so hard? And I did the hyper-vigilant thing, especially, with my second. Like, it's true. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, and you're worried they're going to die. Like, constantly, like, are they breathing? DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah, all that. KILEY HANISH: So, it's just so complex, all of it. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. PATRICK CASALE: I imagine that there's this, like, really confusing simultaneously, like, held grief experience. Obviously, I cannot relate, but where it's not only postpartum, and grief, and grief around loss, but then there's also grief around loss of identity because as a parent your identity has completely shifted and changing. And then, you have to hold space for, I'm grieving the loss of who I was, or what my role was, or how I moved through the world. Now, I'm also grieving this newfound role in my life and I'm kind of, it sounds like there's a lot of shame-inducing experience too, of like, I'm not getting it right? Why do I feel this way? That's so complicated and that's so heavy to have to carry. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that, Patrick, that inclusion of identity, I don't know about your experience, Kiley, but like that was huge for me. I was kind of coming out of academia, I had just finished my first graduate degree, and I thought I was going to love being a stay-at-home mom. I now understand like, how much of my identity comes through my interests and my values. And my husband will talk about this, it felt like I was like trying to find something to orbit in those years. Like, I remember, I got really into sewing, and I got really into like, kombucha making, and all the DIY stuff, but none of it, like, felt robust enough. And then the shame of like, why am I not content as a stay-at-home parent? Yeah, yeah. KILEY HANISH: Yes, I agree. And looking at other people, well, number one, like I couldn't leave the house very often because I was like, obsessed with nap schedules. And it just overwhelmed me and all that. But then all the other people were like, "Oh, I'm taking my baby everywhere." And all that. And then being a bereaved parent on top of that, you can't go into normal spaces with parents and children because you're like, "I have just been through, like, a trauma and you don't understand and so it's way different." Yeah, I mean, I feel like there's a whole nother parenting episode here. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, there's a lot. KILEY HANISH: There's a lot. Yeah, I mean, yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. Did you find community like… KILEY HANISH: No, I didn't. I was very isolated. It was super isolating. It was hard. And I also feel like my interests are not… yeah, I cannot be a stay-at-home mom. Like, I am a disaster. And, I mean, I'm good at all the things and all that, but it's just like, there isn't enough, like, intellectual meaning and purpose. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yes, I literally had, like, I feel like my brain is atrophying. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. KILEY HANISH: And then not being able to connect to other parents, even like as kids go through school. Like, I'm so intense and I'm like wanting to talk about like, things that I care about, and being able to talk to men more than women because men talk about things rather just women it's just small talk. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yep. KILEY HANISH: So, it's interesting. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I think mom culture has been the hardest place for me to integrate. And I didn't understand it for so long, that that brought on a lot of shame. But yeah, I have like a visceral response to mom culture. I actually hosted last year an autistic moms group. And it was the first time that I felt connected in a group with other moms. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, well, there's this woman [PH 00:30:37] Moinia Taslon who wrote an article, a qualitative study of sensory experiences of autistic mothers, which I recently read, and was like, "Oh, this explains everything." And then with my students, we kind of took that and one other article, and did a survey with autistic mothers to just understand their experiences, and right? Like, they're all diagnosed post-children. And just all the things that are hard for them, that are different than, I mean, parenting in itself is really hard anyways, but you add the autistic piece, and the sensory challenges, and all that. It's fascinating, so… DR. MEGAN NEFF: I would love to see your research from that. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I think, you know, I've shared this before, maybe it's changed by now. But if you Google like, you know, autism and pregnancy or anything related, yeah, to kind of birthing, you'll find a lot of it like how to avoid having autistic children, but the experience of the person birthing who's autistic, like, we're only now beginning to get curious about that experience. And yeah- KILEY HANISH: Yeah. And, like- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Go ahead. KILEY HANISH: So, I was going to say, like, there's like the pregnancy itself, so the interaction with medical providers, the sensory pieces in the hospital, all that. And then there's the after… It's fascinating. But I even remember, like with my last child, so I have two living children now, but I went in, and it was like a very quick, like, one hour, I got to the hospital, and he was born. But like, I hired a doula for that one because I wanted to, like, reclaim my birth experience. And she and my husband were talking the whole time. And I was like, "Just shut up." Because like, when I was there, like, I don't know, for me, I mean, labor for everyone's different, but I was very much in a meditative state. And I just like, "Why are you talking…" And then I heard the nurses like, "Oh, well, we need to do this." And like all these questions, I was like, "I'm in labor. Like, just nobody talk to me right now." And even, like, the doula did not understand pregnancy after loss. And was like telling me at eight months, "Well, you should really talk to your baby. You know, you're having a baby." And I was like, "You have no idea." So, I mean, that's the other thing is just like, my nonprofit, which I don't think we said the name of is Return to Zero Hope. And my husband made a film about our experience called Return to Zero Hope that like, is a feature film, has mini driver in it. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, wow. KILEY HANISH: But then she did an incredible job. So, it's like, emotionally, our story, but with the nonprofit we have all of these free webinars on there, some for health care providers, some for parents, right? Just like educating and empowering people, which I think is so important. And so, that's just my little shout-out there. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Well, please talk about your resources. I mean, these are the resources and I love this. Like, you built what you would have wanted and needed. Actually, I feel like I see that a lot with autistic people. Like, when we have an experience it's like, okay, how can I build the thing I didn't get? And I love that you've done that. So, yeah, please [CROSSTALK 00:34:11] for like pregnant and birthing people? KILEY HANISH: I mean, so first of all, I'll just say to, like, normalize this, the film didn't come out until nine years after our loss, a long time. And the first, like women's healing retreat I held, which is the first thing I did was nine years after the loss. So, it was a long time. And so I tell people, like, you know, I think people want to do something. Like, there's sometimes there's that urge. And for me, it took a lot of time until I feel it's a very spiritual journey for me. Like, I heard a voice in the shower that said, "You should do a retreat." I'd never been to a retreat, I never hosted, I didn't know anything. But it came from this email I received about there was a lack of resources and a lack of connection of other grief parents. And I hadn't had any support. It was like this isolated me and my husband for nine years. We understood, but no one wanted to bring it up to us because they thought that it would bother us. And I mean, well, that's a whole nother thing. So, with that, I just started doing that. And that's been an evolution and now has evolved. We do in-person retreats, we're doing a provider retreat in 2024, which I'm so excited about because I mean, first of all providers after COVID it's so hard, but also providers working in perinatal health, perinatal mental health it's hard, and there's nowhere for them to go so… DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, it's one of the highest burnout professions among physicians is OB-GYN, which, like I think makes so much sense. People often think about, like, working in OB-GYN is like, oh, it's all happy. But no, I mean, it can also be traumatizing for providers in a different way. But I love that you're thinking also through [INDISCERNIBLE 00:36:35] plans and community among providers. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. And then with the pandemic, I think there's been a lot of gifts with being able to do virtual support groups, reaching people who are anywhere in the world, really, because a lot of people even if there was a in-person group before the pandemic, a lot of people don't live in places where they can attend. And so we do a really unique structure. And I think everything, my partner, Betsy, in the nonprofit, like we have really pulled our life experiences and sort of unknowingly created resources that are neurodivergent affirming, and trauma-sensitive, and resilience-focused. And I think that what we offer is really unique. And so like with our support groups, they're six weeks closed support groups, so it's the same people. So, you can build community, but there's trying to create safety as much as possible. We have a curriculum that we follow, we walk people through things that you don't even know that you need to know about grieving and navigating life after loss. And then the group itself is very structured. And like, we did this because I would never go to a support… I went once, like, right when the movie was coming out. And I was like, "Maybe I should go and process." And I went to this group, it was in a hospital, which, first, hospitals freaking scare me. Secondly, it was in the cafeteria, so it was like uncomfortable. And it was zero structure. And it was like people just telling their traumatizing stories. And I left. And I was just, like, at a certain point, and I also, like, get tired early in the night, like, because my brains been on all day. And I just got up and left at a certain point. Like, I'm not sitting through this. But being like in our groups, it's like very structured. Like, we have a topic, we have a psycho-education piece, we have a discussion question, people answer one by one, so there's no like crosstalk. Then there's like weaving it in, and then there's self-reflection, but it's very tightly structured. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that, I love that. KILEY HANISH: So, like, and I love it, too. I would never do any like… and I tell people even at the retreat, I was like, "I would never go to a retreat, but don't worry, like we got you here." Like, it's all super tightly held and I feel like really holding space is what we are doing. And so there's all sorts of different support groups. You know, we started out with pregnancy and infant loss and now there's early pregnancy loss, recurrent loss and infertility, termination for medical reasons, people of color. We do like an LGBTQ drop-in group, pregnancy after loss, parenting after loss. So, there's like- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, my goodness, you do so much. And because these are all such different experiences I love how it attuned you all are. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, well, like, for example, before I would say people who had a TFMR termination for medical reason, that they could just come to the pregnancy and infant loss. So, I was like, "Yeah, of course, you're welcome, you lost your baby." And some would come. But like, no, they have a very unique experience and that group sells out all the time. And we're the only, like, pregnancy and infant loss organization who sees that as a loss. I think there's a lot of groups out there who feel like it's abortion, and they're not going to be supportive of that. And I'm like, "But these people… you don't understand. Yes, they made a choice, but you know, it's for their health, sometimes, or their baby is going to die, or live a very disabled life." And you don't even know, you cannot get the information that you need. I mean, that's… So, it is a very specific space that needs their own space. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. KILEY HANISH: Okay, what other things do we… We offer, just the website itself is a wealth of education information. We have downloadable PDFs, that is all free, we have beautiful printed brochures for provider offices. Like, for example, partners grieve too, grandparents, siblings, loss of multiples, like early pregnancy loss, and even wanted, like, all these different things, so there's so many different topics. And then the webinars I mentioned, so like we have a YouTube channel with different playlists, which is amazing. And then providers, we offer monthly provider consultation groups. One is for, like, more of the hospital medical providers, one is more for mental health providers. And I don't know, I mean, that's kind of the main. We have a pregnancy and infant loss directory, also, I forgot about that. So, like, that has- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Really helpful. KILEY HANISH: Local and virtual resources, depending on whether you need, like, counseling therapy, or like a support organization, psychiatry. Like, I'm really tied into Postpartum Support International, which offers like the perinatal mental health certification. So, reproductive psychiatrists. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I like that. You have [CROSSTALK 00:42:44]- KILEY HANISH: So, like, I send everyone. I'm like, "You need to see a reproductive psychiatrist, regular psychiatrist do not know about, like, they give you the wrong information." And I'd be like, I had someone working for me who became pregnant, and they were on an antidepressant, and the psychiatrist says, "No, get off of it." And I said, even the OB, and I was like, she was not able to get out of it. I was like, "Oh, no, we need to get you to someone who knows what they're doing." DR. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, yeah, that's scary. KILEY HANISH: [CROSSTALK 00:43:17]- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, and I think you've built neurodivergent, like, accessible resources without even realizing that's what you're doing just by being you and by caring. Like, you built this, and like, because right, only in the last year you discovered you're- KILEY HANISH: Well, I did like a self-diagnosis in December, which was like, nine-ish months ago, and then a formal diagnosis because I wanted to see what was going on with like trauma, like [CROSSTALK 00:43:46]- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. KILEY HANISH: …because there was a significant amount of trauma from all of this, stillbirth and stuff like that. But I got a formal diagnosis of, you know, autism, ADHD, plus some other mood disorder stuff, but I knew it all. So, now, I'm like, very much an advocate of self-diagnosis. I was like, "You know what, this didn't really do anything." I mean, it validates me and there's not something else hidden in there, but I was like, "Whatever." I'm like… DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that because I think sometimes it can be put on this pedestal like medical diagnosis all of a sudden huge things will change. But I love they're like, "You know." KILEY HANISH: Well, and then it's like, they're like, "Oh, here's your diagnosis. Okay, good luck." Nothing, nothing. And I was like, if I was that person, obviously, they're not neurodivergent, if I was the person doing the assessment, I would be like, "Hey, here's the whole website I built, here's the all the blog." Blah, blah, blah, blah, you know? Kind of like what you did. That would be something that I would do, but they just like, "Okay, here you go." So, I don't know. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Which was your experience around pregnancy loss. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. KILEY HANISH: And so I also feel like, I cannot take this on right now, but the gap in, like autistic adults, like giving information, and just like, but how many people I talk to now who share, I mean, they share the same, "Oh, my kid has autism." And then I self-disclose. And then they're like, "I think I might, too." And then I'd like, "Here's my Google Drive with a bunch of stuff." Which is totally informal. But I'm like, "There's so much stuff I put together go read it." DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that. You're so good at like systematizing and building systems, and I love that. KILEY HANISH: It's like a superpower that I didn't even know that I had, but it's so, I mean, I think going back to kind of that initial experience of coming to know so many of us who by getting access to information, and that psych-ed piece, I mean, that's something you are so good at is building like, here's the things that are helpful for you to know about your experience, about your body, about what to expect. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I'm cognizant of time and I think the part on our agenda we maybe didn't hit was around the grieving process. And I know that you mentioned like, I think there were some collective rituals or practices that you felt were helpful or that were distinct as an autistic person. Do you want to share a little bit about the grieving process? KILEY HANISH: Well, okay, I think actually, for me, up until I started doing the retreats there was not a lot, you know? There was, basically, like, I didn't have any guidance. I mean, I don't know. And at that point, the Internet was, like, not really a thing. It was so long ago. And so I feel like my connection was very private and I connected, or my son appeared to me as a white butterfly. Like, I feel like the deceased of any kind can send us messages through animals, insects, things like that, or signs, different, you know. There's a great couple of books out there by a medium named Laura Lynn Jackson, The Light Between Us and Signs, and I just love it, just, basically, the veil between this world and the other world is very thin. And I think I've had a lot of like psychic abilities in terms of like being able to, like, because I'll hear… Everything with Return to Zero has been inspired by other. I'm a very, very left-brain person. So, this is not how I operate. However, it is very much nothing I ever would have thought I would do is like, I was being chosen to do this. And I know that sounds woo woo, but it's just the way it is. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I actually love it because I'm so similar to you. I'm so science-based, except when it comes to, like, collective energy, spirituality, and like I sometimes say I feel like a lot of autistic people would have been Shamans in a past life, like, in historic times, of like, I've definitely had moments of knowing when something is about to happen, or like, these spiritual experiences. I'm like, this does not fit within my scientific frame, but yes. So, I actually love that. And I know it sounds really woo woo too, so I often don't talk about it. And these are very real experiences I've had and I know a lot of autistic people have. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, and so I think, you know, I didn't really do a lot. It was through the retreats, through other people who were even more connected to the spirit, I would say, that the importance of bringing in ritual and collective ritual. And I think the biggest things we do are, we like light a candle, like, we have like a group circle, and we have like this, I'll say altar, but it's not just on the floor. And we have candles with every baby's name tied around the candle, and we light it every morning when we sit down, and we [CROSSTALK 00:49:36] candle, they say their baby's name. So, I like I'd say, "Norbert." And everyone else would say, "Norbert." And just like you don't ever get, if you named your baby, not all people do, but you don't ever get to hear their names spoken. And so it is really powerful. So, like that's something that we do as a group. We also allow people… we set up like a memorial table that people can bring things or pictures, whatever because that's also something that people don't always put out in their home, or they put it out, but it's in this, like, a more private space. I don't do a lot and I sometimes feel bad about it, right? But I know that that's just me. You know, I think like, green- DR. MEGAN NEFF: [CROSSTALK 00:50:29] oh, sorry. KILEY HANISH: No, like, right, there are societal expectations- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yes, yes. KILEY HANISH: …of grief and also gender expectations. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yes, yes. And especially, I think, for autistic women, those conflate because, especially, if we have alexithymia. Like, I definitely experienced that through my grief, specifically, around my pregnancy loss is I'm not doing this right, there's a right way to grieve this and I'm not doing it right. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, like, I never cry. Like, I mean, occasionally, but it is rare. And so like, after my loss, I didn't cry. My husband was way more emotional than I was. And I was just like, super stoic, and I go to these retreats. And the last retreat, I actually knew I was autistic. And so I said to everyone, I was really excited. I was like, "Hey, just to let you know, I'm autistic and I don't show a lot of emotion. So, it might look like I'm really stoic, but I do have a ton of emotion inside of me, it just doesn't show. And when I'm there, also, it takes a tremendous amount of concentration and energy to hold space." And like when Patrick talks about his retreats, I'm like, preaching to the choir. Like, I do this. Now I know when I have to go like, take a little sensory cocoon nap in the middle of like, in the afternoon, but the draining, like I am drained at least a week after. Like, I cannot schedule anything and then you're like, at what cost? But it is such a powerful experience. And it is such an honor to be with these women. It's so powerful. You can't even put words to it. And it drains the life out of me. So, it's very interesting, but it- DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. Well, and there's some interesting research that, like, we are more impacted by kind of the affect of people around us. We don't always know how to identify it, which actually makes it kind of more of a sensory load, but that we pick up energy tone a lot of us very sensitively. And again, that disconnect of like, maybe looking really flat, but being so deeply impacted by the emotional tone, I would think, especially, in grief spaces that's a complex autistic experience. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, I mean, I am hyper-empathic and hypersensitive to other people's energy. And that's also, like, I know, auditory is one of my big sensitivity areas, but energy, like literally, someone walks in the room, I can sense what's going on, even if I drive outside, and there's like, we had, like, a hurricane warning here a few weeks ago. And like, I wouldn't be here to put it together. But I went to the grocery store, and everyone was like, and I was like, "What the heck is going on?" Like, just superpowers, but it's hard to say what it is. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, okay, more about grieving. Like, I mean, I think that one big one is like not grieving as other people think you should be grieving. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I think that's a great global. Like, whether it's a death of a loved one, whether it is an identity shift. I think that's a really global, like, autistic experience of the way we grieve, especially, what people observe from the outside doesn't always match kind of the cultural expectations. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. And then I think there's also the false belief in, like, old grief culture, that like, oh, like, you get over your grief, you move on from your grief. And I feel like for me, and I think this is similar, like people are really great for about three weeks after something bad happens. And then they all continue to go on their life and your life it's like there's a before and an after, your life will never be the same. And you're just, like, standing there in shock, and you're like, "What the heck?" You're like, "My life, I can't go on." And so, it's this long, long process of integration and processing, and other people, like, "You look better or you seem better?" You know, things like that. And maybe even not to me, I don't know. But I hear this all the time. And you're like, well, this is complicated. And this just doesn't happen over a week or a month, like grieving is a lifetime, and it changes. And like, it's not linear at all. There's no stages. And it's like, back and forth, and up and down. And you and your partner are grieving on different timelines, and different, like phases. And it's messy. DR. MEGAN NEFF: It's so messy, it's so messy, especially, with yeah, the kind of co-grief, if someone has partnered, and then the timelines don't always, like, sync up. And that can create confusion and kind of disconnect. Yeah, yeah. I love how you were talking about grief of, I'll often talk about like, yeah, learning how to carry the grief well, but I love your language of integration. And that, yeah, this myth that it's like something we get over, and then move on from versus like, it becomes part of us and we live with that in an integrated way. That's like, yeah… KILEY HANISH: And I think for, like, anyone that dies, so in my case of my stillbirth, like, I still celebrate my son's birthday, he would have been 18 this past July, but people do that, that will be forever. But even with loved ones who die who are not babies, like you're going to remember their birthday. You might remember their death day. Like, those are days to like, whether you do something or not, it is a touch point, I think. But other people around you don't see that necessarily. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. They forget the touchpoints. And yeah, yeah, yeah. KILEY HANISH: You were going to say something but you probably forgot. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Well, it's like, it was in response to something you said like two comments ago. So, [CROSSTALK 00:57:44] connect now. I was just going to share I appreciate the wave metaphor of grief. That was, I was 18 when I first had my significant loss. My best friend in high school died of a brain tumor. And learning, like, I remember the first week or two it was just constant. And then I remember the very first time I forgot that David had died I was in a movie theater. And maybe I forgot for five minutes. And then it hit me like a wave. And that idea of, at first, like the wave, that it's like a tidal wave, it's constant. And then there might be some spacing out of the waves, but like, it can catch you off guard. Like, maybe it's been a stretch since there's been a wave, but there'll be some remembrance. And a wave can just kind of be like a sneaker wave and catch you off guard. But that imagery of waves was really helpful in my initial grief of, like, just understanding that this is a process. It ebbs and it flows, and there's some really heavy grief days and there's, like, lower impact days. KILEY HANISH: And I think, also, like one thing I experienced myself, but also hear a lot is, you know, you will over time have moments of respite from that intense grief. And hopefully, those moments get more often and longer. But there is this connection… like there is an attachment with you to your loss or your baby through the pain. And so you start feeling guilty if you don't feel the pain or you begin to feel moments of joy. And so teaching people that okay, we don't only have to connect through pain, we can also connect through joy or through other ways. Like, there's lots of ways to connect and so, you can let go of the pain and still remain connected. So, I thought that was like something else that I learned. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I love that because you're absolutely right, that can lead to complex grief. In the DSM, there's a diagnosis of complex grief, especially, when people kind of get stalled in the grief process. And I think it's part of that, of I don't want to release my pain because this is my attachment to that person. But I love your expansion of it, of there's so many ways that we can continue that attachment beyond pain. KILEY HANISH: Yeah. And so, like the term or a term or is continuing bonds. You can go out there and Google that. And the idea that, yes, there is a physical relationship that is not there, but there's other relationships that can continue. So, it's interesting. DR. MEGAN NEFF: I'm going to put a plug, I don't know what you think of this theory. But since you said continuing bonds, I'm going to put a plug out for Wordens for tasks of grieving, and much appreciate that to the stages of grieving. They're, like, active steps that a person takes in the process of grieving and they're nonlinear. So, there's four tasks, and the thought is like, you will be in one of these tasks, like, and you'll go back and forth. And it's a process, but one of them has to do with the continuing bonds. And I'll put a link in there, but that's another great... if someone is experiencing, especially, the loss of a loved one, I think Worden's tasks of grieving can provide a framework, which again, is helpful for autistic people to learn how to integrate that loss and live with it. KILEY HANISH: Well, I'll look it up. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I'll send you a link. KILEY HANISH: I know we're sort of running short of time, I just have one other thing that I didn't really think about before that I think is important. So, right, as autistic people our friend circle can be small, very, very small. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yes. KILEY HANISH: And so I know that, like, we talk about, like in our relationships module, like with your partner, that your partner is also grieving, and you can't be the only support for each other. However, when you're autistic and you don't have a lot of other people to talk to that's really hard. And like, for years, the amount of therapists I tried to find that didn't understand my experience at all, you know, and so being really lonely. And it wasn't until I met other people who had been through this, that I was like, "Oh my gosh. Like, you get what I've been through." And it's the same as being autistic, but just like being with other people who've been through this type of loss and not having to explain yourself. Like, those are my closest relationships now, but it's lonely. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I think after this episode record if you start an autistic pregnancy loss group, I think that would fill up really fast. KILEY HANISH: But the question is, do people know they're autistic? DR. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, probably not. Like, I definitely didn't when I was going through it. And I would imagine a lot of people even five, 10 years later, would still benefit actually, from- KILEY HANISH: Yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Because I do think that we perhaps are more prone to getting stalled in our grief process because of alexithymia, because of interoception, because of lack of community. So, I actually think people who have now since discovered they're autistic, even if this was 10 or 12 years ago, like would still benefit. KILEY HANISH: Interesting, yeah. DR. MEGAN NEFF: That's my hypothesis. KILEY HANISH: I don't know. I think like, if you suspect you're autistic, if you have a autistic child, or you're highly sensitive. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Because I think if you're highly sensitive person. KILEY HANISH: Because I'm attached to the highly sensitive person thing about like, five years ago, like that was my language. DR. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, like, that's the pathway for a lot of, especially, women, I notice, yeah. KILEY HANISH: Yeah, so, okay. That's all. I mean, we could keep on talking forever, but there's a lot of things in here. DR. MEGAN NEFF: There are so many interweaving themes, which is kind of what we do here. We try to create space for how complex these topics are. And I think we definitely did that today. There's a lot of interweaving pieces here between identity, autism, loss, grief, advocating the medical systems. There's a lot here, yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for the generosity of your time. Like, I know you're wildly busy, but also just the generosity of sharing of yourself, and your experience, and of the community that you've built. It's interesting, this episode might be listened to less, because people will see the title and be like, "I don't relate to that." But I think the people that listen to this will be so deeply impacted because of what you said, of, there are so few spaces for autistic people to talk about this. And our worlds tend to be small. So, I think the impact of this episode for those who relate to this subject, I think, will be really incredible. So, thank you. KILEY HANISH: Thank you. Thank you for having me on. Like, I feel like I've been devouring your podcast. I've been like, I haven't done this so deep dive into your website because there's so much but just like I joined your membership just because I want to learn about myself. And it's just so amazing to find language, to feel validated. And that you both are so vulnerable and that it's hard to do that, I think. But like, what is most personal and intimate is really most universal and people identify. And I know that they're grateful. So, thank you. PATRICK CASALE: Thank you so much for coming on. Okay, well, awkward goodbye time. So, new episodes are out every single Friday on all major platforms and we will see you next week.

Hey, we're back! I'm so excited to bring you the first of many new episodes in our 3rd season of Focus Forward. Considering it's ADHD awareness month, I wanted to explore something relating ADHD that we hadn't done before. In this week's episode, we're tackling adult ADHD and the life-changing journey of getting a late diagnosis. This episode is particularly special for me as it documents my own personal journey in discovering that I have ADHD (in real time!) This journey of revelation began with a conversation I had last year with Dr. Jan Willer - a clinical psychologist who specializes in supporting those with ADHD. After our conversation, I began to seriously suspect that I, too, might have ADHD. In this episode, we'll explore the difficult question of "do I have ADHD or not?" and the impact that getting a diagnosis can have on our life and sense of self. I hope you enjoy this one! Resources Related to this EpisodeDr. Jan Willer's ResourcesJan's books on AmazonADHD ResourcesAdult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)CHADDAdult ADHD ToolkitBeyond BookSmart's ADHD Success KitHow to Thrive with ADHD After a DiagnosisEp 13: How to Unlock the Superpowers of ADHDWomen's ADHD Wellbeing PodcastContact us!Reach out to us at podcast@beyondbooksmart.comIG/FB/TikTok @beyondbooksmartcoachingTranscriptHannah Choi 00:04Hi everyone and welcome to Focus Forward: An Executive Function Podcast where we explore the challenges and celebrate the wins you'll experience as you change your life through working on improving your executive function skills. I'm your host, Hannah Choi. Hannah Choi 00:18We are back after our summer break. Yay. Today's episode is super special. Not only is it our first episode of season three, but it is also our 30th episode. I know there are podcasts out there with hundreds and hundreds of episodes. But I just have to say I'm super proud of this achievement, and I'm so glad you're here with me today to celebrate. On top of all that fun stuff is also ADHD Awareness Month. In today's episode, I'm going to share some of my own ADHD story which all started when someone very close to me was diagnosed a couple of years ago. hearing their story got me thinking about my own life experience through an ADHD lens. I recorded the ADHD episode and have an excuse me had a couple of clients whose challenges I could relate to more than just a little bit of a coincidence. Dr. Sherrie All, the star of the Focus Forward episode 16 all about memory connected me with Dr. Jan Willer, a licensed clinical psychologist who lives in Chicago, and she has written two books for practitioners - Could It Be Adult ADHD?, and The Beginning Psychotherapist's Companion, I thought Jan would be a great person to talk with. Jan and I recorded twice, once back in January and the second time just last month in September. The first time we talked about ADHD and what it is, and then spent a while talking about my own experience and symptoms. In September, we met again to reconnect and talk about the post diagnosis experience, and how people can both support themselves or the people they love who have ADHD. So today's episode is all about ADHD. And because it's ADHD Awareness Month, I hope my story helps someone out there find the confidence to go get tested. As you'll hear it has been a positive and life changing experience for me. So first up is our conversation from January. Hannah Choi 02:20Hi, Jan, thank you so much for joining me on focus forward.Jan Willer, PhD 02:25I am really excited to be here. Thank you for inviting me.Hannah Choi 02:29This is take two right? We tried last week but my, I'm a migraine person and my migraines got in the way. So I'm glad we're able to do this today. Glad I migraine free today. Yeah, so we are going to talk about ADHD in adults and what that experience is like for people and how they got there. And so can you share a little bit with our listeners about why about why I'm talking to you about ADHD?Jan Willer, PhD 03:03Sure, yeah, I'm happy to talk about that. Well, I've been interested in ADHD for a good while. And actually a number of years ago, a psychiatrist that I would refer to would start referring adult ADHD clients, to me just kind of out of nowhere. And at that point in time, I didn't know very much about ADHD in adults. And just as a little sidebar, graduate schools usually don't teach very much about adult ADHD. And so every mental health professional out there who knows much about it has taught themselves and gone to seminars and that type of thing. But anyway, so I started teaching myself about it. And the more I learned, the more interested I became, and, you know, it's just a population of folks who really are undertreated a lot of the time and a little education and a little help with executive functioning issues can go and maybe a little bit of medication can really go a very long way in terms of helping people feel better and feel like they're functioning better as well.Hannah Choi 04:16I see that in the clients, the adult clients that I've worked with, where they have experienced exactly that with a little bit of medication, a little bit executive function, coaching, and just like a lot of knowledge, it's really made some big differences. What are what brings someone what are the questions that people have when they come to say, like, I think I might have ADHD?Jan Willer, PhD 04:41Well, a lot of the time, people will come to me and they've already been wondering about whether they have ADHD for a long time. And many people who've had ADHD their entire lives, were not diagnosed as children. And it used you know, back in the old days, it used to be thought that if it wasn't really obvious as a child, and the child wasn't pretty impaired from ADHD, then a person who is an adult couldn't possibly have ADHD. Now we know now that that's not true, because there's a lot of folks who don't get diagnosed for various reasons. Maybe because they just had inattentive type ADHD, and they were well behaved kids. And so, and they were, you know, pretty smart, and they just kind of flew under the radar and their grades weren't amazing, but they weren't disrupting the class, and they were just kind of daydreaming. And, you know, nobody really noticed that they were having some learning issues. So a lot of the time, those are the folks that kind of end up coming to us. But also, sometimes people may have had some hyperactivity as a kid, but their parents, and their schools really recognize that they need a lot of exercise. And so they would get put into sports and all kinds of camps that gave him plenty of exercise and this, so they coped, okay. And they didn't have behavior issues. So, you know, in the past, most of the folks with ADHD who are identified as children were people who had behavior issues, and usually white boys as well. But now we realize that anybody could have ADHD. And, and I think that is that information has gotten out into the popular consciousness. And so people are soaking that up and going, Oh, wow, maybe I have that. That sounds kind of like me. I just thought it was a flaw I had, but maybe I have ADHD.Hannah Choi 06:46So something that I've noticed, just in my observations of people talking about, if they have ADHD, or if they wonder if they do, I have noticed. And I think that there is a stigma around around it around being diagnosed with it and around having those challenges. Do you see that in the people that come to you do, do they express those hesitations?Jan Willer, PhD 07:16You know, I think it varies a lot by the age of the person. Because it seems like, you know, young adults have are much more knowledgeable about people who are neurodivergent, and often seem to have a lot less stigma about that, you know, they understand that people is some people have ADHD, some people are autistic, it's, you know, it's not necessarily such a big deal to them. It's just more a recognition of individual differences. But for people who are, you know, middle aged and older, for sure, and possibly also younger than that, it kind of depends on you know, the environment the person grew up in, they're often did grow up at a time where there was a lot of stigma about having ADHD. And there were a lot of stereotypes about people who had ADHD, which were often wrong. And there may not have even been an understanding that ADHD lasted to adulthood. And so they've often just internalized a lot of shame about some of their life challenges that are very, like completely related to ADHD.Hannah Choi 08:30Can you just talk a little bit about what ADHD is for any listeners who might just kind of have like a surface knowledge of it? And maybe we can help any listeners who might be questioning whether they they might and then maybe some, maybe you could share like some symptoms or some characteristics that aren't necessarily fully known? I mean, that the name of it ADHD, like is Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder, but like you said before, many people can have ADHD but be the inattentive type. So maybe just share a little bit about what it is.Jan Willer, PhD 09:09Sure, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, the first type of symptom of ADHD that was really recognized was the hyperactivity. And you know, if you've ever seen a hyperactive kid, that's pretty obvious. I mean, that's a kid that's just bouncing off the walls full of energies, maybe really talkative. And so, and then over time, it became clear that a lot of those kids also had some challenges with paying attention, despite, you know, in addition to their high energy level and tendency to bounce off the walls, and then it became clear that there are kids who had the inattentiveness alone. They didn't have the hyperactivity, but they still had a hard time paying attention consistently, especially in school and that was kind of where it was the most obvious but, you know, sometimes that home to their parents would say do this or that and they just kind of lose track of it didn't really absorb that information, or procrastinated, which can be a symptom of ADHD too. And then, you know, as things went along, people started to recognize that for most people, they do not grow out of ADHD. Most ADHD does last to adulthood, not every single one. But most, for sure. And as they recognize that ADHD, lastly to adulthood, they would see that adults with ADHD had a lot of executive functioning problems. And I'm sure that your listeners have a good understanding by now of what executive functioning. So I'm not gonna go into detail about that, because I'm sure you've covered that in a lot of different podcasts. Yeah. And the they actually, many experts actually consider the executive functioning problems to be more disabling for people who have ADHD as adults than either inattention or hyperactivity. Yeah. And we'll see that too. Sure. And when you look back at people who have ADHD as adults, it turns out that the executive functioning problems are a lifelong problem. They're just less obvious in kids, because with kids, the adults in their lives, be it their teachers and parents, you know, other other adults will structure their lives for them. And so they don't have to do as much executive functioning as an adult. That's right. And often, when people who have ADHD go off to college or leave home for the first time, they may, they often do have a lot of struggles initially, because they're not used to doing their own structuring for themselves.Hannah Choi 12:02Yeah, absolutely. I see. And most of my clients are college kids. And that's exactly what I see. Every pretty much in every every client, like, Wow, a lot of things were structured for me in high school. And I thought that I could, you know, just keep up doing the same thing once I got to college and wait a second. Not exactly working out as I thought it would. Jan Willer, PhD 12:24Yeah, and things can really fall apart pretty fast. Because nobody's telling them to get up. And people who have ADHD have a tendency to be night owls. And so, and especially, and sometimes it's so extreme that they could even get a diagnosis of delayed sleep phase disorder, which is a sleep disorder. And so that difficulty getting up to go to things, stay up till three in the morning, hanging out with friends playing video games, whatever, you know, and then they don't want to get up until 11. And class was it 9:30? Yeah, yeah. So there's can be a lot of different pieces to the difficulties that college students can have.Hannah Choi 13:07I know a big part of ADHD for kids and adults. But maybe we can talk about adults here is the self regulation and emotional regulation. How, how does that show up? What do you see in your practice?Jan Willer, PhD 13:23Yeah, I mean, that is indeed a common problem. And about half of people who have ADHD as adults do have this emotional dysregulation problem. And what it consists of is, when people have something stressful, occur, they tend to be especially reacted to that. And it could be just kind of ordinary stuff, like somebody cutting you off in traffic, or it could be something bigger, like, you know, some family crisis or something, or, you know, just a minor change, like, you know, they were looking for peppers in the refrigerator, and they didn't have any, and they were going to, that was going to be a key part of what they're going to make for dinner. And so these stressors, whether they're big or even little, can lead to some pretty intense emotional reactions for the person and the person can feel irritated and frustrated and aggravated. And, you know, depending on the individual, some people have kind of learned to hold all that in because they've realized that other people don't react well, when they're next to somebody who's really, you know, having an outburst about a minor stressor, but other people don't have the, you know, ability, at least in that moment to hold that in and may have, you know, a verbal outburst or a temper outburst or something in response. And that can be, you know, really challenging for the person because they look around at everybody else and they're like, wait a minute, these other people are having stressors to, but I'm reacting somewhat differently from them. And again, this is sometimes where there's shame or embarrassment. Because the person then feels bad about themselves for having a strong emotional reaction when other people might not. Yeah. But unfortunately, it can be a part of their ADHD struggle.Hannah Choi 15:22That's so interesting. I didn't ever know that, that that how closely connected that was to ADHD?Jan Willer, PhD 15:29Yeah, it really should be a symptom that is in the official diagnostic manual, but it's not.Hannah Choi 15:36What are some other symptoms that people might not know about?Jan Willer, PhD 15:40You know, that's a really good question. One symptom that I actually see all the time, is that often people who have ADHD have a really hard time getting to sleep. And they lie down in bed, and they're ready to go to sleep. And their brain just starts going and going and going. And it's very active. You know, folks who don't have ADHD, when they lie down and go to sleep, their brain is kind of like slowing down and not very full of stuff. As long as they're not stressed or anxious about something, yeah. But a person who has ADHD, their brain just tends to be at very active all the time. And that's not true for everybody. But it's true for a very large proportion of people who have ADHD and, and their brains activity will keep them awake. And they may stay awake for an hour when they're trying to go to sleep with their brain just churning over all kinds of different stuff. The default mode network is a network that so the brain has many different networks of connectivity. And the default mode network is one of those. And they call it that because they people used to think that if you weren't doing something, then your brain wasn't thinking about anything. Now, anyone who has tried to meditate knows that that's ridiculous. Yes. Because of you not doing anything, which is what meditation is, to some extent about your brain is full of ideas. And yeah. So so that's the default mode network kind of churning up ideas and thoughts about your life and how we what's just going on with you what you plan on doing just any old random thoughts about your life. And that area does tend to be extra active and people who have ADHD, which is I like you're pointing out the connection to the sleep onset problem. Yeah, right. Also, that area is supposed to be kind of quieted down, when you're working on a task, that since that area tends to be extra active, and people who have ADHD, often one piece of their challenges with distractibility is that they are distracted by their own thoughts when they're trying to work on things. Right. And so they're really trying to focus that their own thoughts are interrupting their thought process. And a final thing that is probably related to the default mode network in ADHD is that people who, there's a little bit of research, unfortunately, there is really isn't enough research on the positive aspects of ADHD. But there is a little bit of research indicating that people who have ADHD tend to be more creative than the average person, and tend to be really great at brainstorming and thinking up lots of ideas. Hannah Choi 18:41I was reading about that. And, and the article was saying that it may be because they're able to not gonna remember the whole brain part of it, but they're able to make connections that might not necessarily be able to be made by someone as easily if they don't have ADHD. Jan Willer, PhD 19:03Yeah, absolutely. Sort of. Yeah, that thinks ability in that part of the creativity of the ADHD brain for sure. Yeah.Hannah Choi 19:10Yeah. Huh. It's interesting that if there's one thing that you said was like, not everybody experiences that not being able to fall asleep bit. So what do you think? When when, like, not everyone with ADHD has all the same symptoms? And like, why do you know why that is? And no, it's just probably because we're just all different. But it's so interesting that some people can quiet their default mode network and then others can't. Jan Willer, PhD 19:41Yeah, it is kind of fascinating, isn't it? Yeah. I mean, I think that part of that has to do with the fact that ADHD, there's no one gene that ADHD is carried on right there. There's a lot of research about genetics and ADHD and a lot of it on us Sleep is way too technical for me. But yeah, I can read enough of it understand that there are dozens of genes at least that affect whether a person has ADHD. Okay, and if so to help what degree? Yeah, because some people have a lot of ADHD, some people have a little bit and some people have none. So, right. Right. And that, you know, plus everybody has a different life that they've been through was raised a different way. And so, you know, sometimes I see people with, you know, pretty significant ADHD symptoms, but they have no problem keeping track of their calendar, because they've had folks working with them their whole life about how important that is. And they've really got the skills down.Hannah Choi 20:43Right. Yeah, I imagine, like so much of your about of how your ADHD affects you, as an adult, is decided by just the strategies and the skills that you've learned and the awareness that you have of yourself and the impact that your behaviors have on your life and on others. And with kids. It's harder for them because they they haven't learned to that. Yeah, they just haven't been around long enough to, to kind of know that sort of stuff.Jan Willer, PhD 21:19Yeah, exactly. And, you know, with my client, adult clients, I don't work with kids. I tell them that one advantage that they're bringing to working with their ADHD is maturity. Yeah. Right. Because having that insight into how some of these challenges of ADHD have affected their life negatively, provides a lot of motivation to work on.Hannah Choi 21:45I interviewed Nancy Armstrong, who was the executive producer on a documentary called "The Disruptor"s and, and that her documentary, really highlights, it definitely explores the challenges. And it also highlights the positive side of ADHD. And that's and their work. Yeah, it's, it's a great, it's a great watch. They're working really hard to dispel a lot of the myths around ADHD and, and help people find the positives. So in your opinion, what are some of the positives? Jan Willer, PhD 22:19Well, we've already mentioned a lot of them, right? The artistic creativity can be one of them, out of the box, thinking of being more of a divergent thinker who's able to connect a lot of different things. I think that because of people having that out of the box thinking, they're often really valuable team members. And, you know, I personally have, of course, I have no proof of this. But my personal belief is that the reason that the genes for ADHD survive in the population is because it's so helpful in any group of people to have somebody who is really creative and full of all kinds of ideas and thinks about things in a really different way. And, you know, to some extent, that might be true of autism as well.Hannah Choi 23:12So it's really interesting talking with you. And I know, it was a conversation that we had the other day before we came on, and in all the research that I've been doing, and all the clients that I've worked with, I'm realizing the more and more I read and the more and more I talk with people that I really think that I probably have our head like had as a child and still have the inattentive type. So much of, of what I've read, and just things that people have said, I'm like, Oh, my God, that just, I feel validated when I hear that and so it makes me wonder, you know, maybe that was something that I could have gotten help with as a child and, and, and can still now like as an adult, find things that helped me. I'm sure that you've heard a lot of people come into your practice and say something similar. Jan Willer, PhD 24:12Absolutely.Hannah Choi 24:17Okay, so in the interest of time, and potentially embarrassing myself more than I'm comfortable with. I'm going to stop the recording of a conversation here. Right after this. I asked Jan, if she'd be open to talking with me about my own challenges. We talked for a while about my life and what I struggle with and why I think I might have ADHD. It was pretty eye opening and extremely validating. She encouraged me to get a formal diagnosis from someone in my state. After chatting with Jan, I set up an appointment with my primary care physician who is an internal medicine doctor. I was really optimistic on the appointment day but things didn't go as planned. I was reminded of something that Dr. Theresa Cerulli said about how internists will not usually entertain a conversation about ADHD, and will generally refer you to a psychiatrist, which is exactly what mine did. Feeling deflated because I knew a psychiatrists fee would be greater than what I could afford. I remembered my own advice to clients. What would this look like if it were easy? So I reached out to Jan again, for more guidance. Do I need to see a psychiatrist is a full neuro Psych Exam necessary? And who else can I consult besides my doctor? Jan assured me that a full neuropsych exam wasn't required. She explained that due to the shortage of psychiatrists available for ADHD support, other providers can diagnose it without a formal neuropsych exam. And this boosted my confidence to search further. And then I found a local psychiatric nurse practitioner online through psychologytoday.com, which is a great resource for that kind of stuff. We met for over an hour, she asked me all about my health history and my childhood, my college years and my coloring challenges. And we went through the adult ADHD Self-Report scale together, which was hilarious. I kept bursting out laughing at many of the questions because it was me but on paper, and I kept wondering "Was the person who created the scale living in my brain?" Initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to use medication. But after learning about the ADHD brain and how it works, I was more open to it. I remembered something else that Dr. Cerulli said, at least have the conversation about medication options. Whether you use them or not, is up to you but have that conversation. I also felt confident trying medication because I already did all the things you're supposed to do, right? I eat well, I get a lot of exercise, my sleep habits are good. I had created systems that work really well to support myself in EF areas that I struggle with. But honestly, I was exhausted, forcing myself to use them all the time and not being as successful as I probably should have. And honestly, I was being pretty mean to myself inside when I struggled. So something had to change. So I decided to try using ADHD medication. I knew I wasn't interested in stimulants because I wasn't sure how they'd work with the anxiety that I already dealt with. And considering my history, Sophia prescribed the non stimulant Wellbutrin initially, it actually worked really well. But unfortunately, it increased the number of migraines I was having. And interestingly, there is a connection between migraines and people with ADHD. And I'm actually having an appointment with a with a neurologist coming up. And I want to ask more about that and learn more about that connection. So anyway, I switched to another non stimulant called Strattera. And that's actually been working great. It's made a huge difference in reducing the constant chatter in my head until it quieted down in there, I seriously had no idea how much noise I had in my brain all the time. I've also noticed that it's so much easier for me to get started on my work and get back to it if I get interrupted. And I can also stay focused on my work for longer periods of time. And following through on stuff that I don't want to do is not so painfully difficult anymore. And I remember Bob Shae telling me that his meds make it easier to use all the tools he had already implemented. I agree, Bob, I completely agree. I have spent a lot of time reflecting you know, me, I love that self reflection and thinking back to choices that I made and things that I did that were likely because of ADHD. I've been reading and listening to podcasts and talking with people about their ADHD. And I am learning so much. I decided to reach out to Jan again to talk with her about what comes up for people once they've been diagnosed, and what supports will help. We met just recently to record and realize it had been almost nine months since we first talked. Let's check in to hear what we talked about. Hannah Choi 29:17So when we last talked, I asked you about my own experience with ADHD and I really am grateful to you for taking that time with me to walk me through that a little bit uncomfortable, and a little scary conversation and and it's just such a great example of this idea that when we step outside of our comfort zone we end up finding magic and and discovering things that we never knew or we knew about ourselves but we didn't like have words for it. And it's just been who I got chills it's really actually been life changing and I'm I am so grateful for it. So thank you.Jan Willer, PhD 30:03Oh, you're welcome. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, you know, I do find that a lot of people really appreciate knowing that they have ADHD. Because it has so much explanatory power for what people have been struggling with. And like you said, sometimes people don't even have the words, yeah, for all of their struggles. So being able to talk about it with a professional and have that person say, Oh, well, people who have ADHD often struggle with this, and this and this and kind of give, give the person the words and the ways to conceptualize it. And then they'll be like, Yes, I do that. And yes, I have that problem, too. And yes, that's so hard for me, really can kind of make a difference in terms of the person understanding themselves, and being able to communicate with their loved ones. And people they work with even the whether they come out about having ADHD or not, they can still say things like, it really doesn't work very well, for me to have a lot of interruptions when I'm trying to work on a project.Hannah Choi 31:13Yes, yeah. Yeah, that's a that's a great point that you brought up. And something I wanted to talk about is that whole, you know, disclosing at work type of thing, because so I, you know, I'm very lucky, I work in a job where, you know, I wasn't even an issue for me to disclose, they were just like, okay, yeah, that's great. What's next, you know, and then, and, in fact, it, it probably really helps me as a coach to know and to relate with my clients even more. And, and so I'm very lucky that I work in an environment that is not only extremely accepting of neurodivergence, but also we are in like, the literal business of supporting people who are neurodivergent. And then you know, there's there's other people who may or may not feel safe disclosing that at work. And so I really love that, that that suggestion that you gave just then of how you can disclose your needs without necessarily disclosing your diagnosis. How do you support client, your clients who come to with that struggle?Jan Willer, PhD 32:26Yeah, well, you know, everybody who has ADHD is a little bit different. And so you know, depends on some people work better at home, some people work better in the office, it kind of each person has different situations where they concentrate better. Sometimes that people do better in the office that also certain areas of office are too noisy or distracting. And so they need some help with that. On occasion, I have written accommodation letters for people. And it doesn't always work 100%. But usually, they are able to do something that's helpful to the person. Like I had someone I was talking to once whose cube was right by the coffee machine. And you can imagine how distracting that would be for anybody, much less a person who has ADHD, and they were able to get moved to an area that was a lot quieter. And that made all the difference in terms of being able to be efficient at work. Hannah Choi 33:29Yeah, and I imagine a big part of it is self efficacy and being brave enough to speak up about it. So having someone like you to maybe work through a script, or just kind of talk out what an accommodation might be helpful. I'm, I'm sure that is a big, a big part of people's experience.Jan Willer, PhD 33:50Right. And, you know, people can kind of take two different approaches to that. I mean, one is kind of the official HR approach, you know, going in, I want reasonable accommodations for my ADHD, which legally is considered a disability even though you know, people can discuss whether they could consider it that way or not. And so that's one approach. And the other approach is to say, okay, to think about, well, how is my ADHD interacting negatively with the work environment? And how can I verbalize what my needs are? If I don't feel comfortable or the HR situation isn't optimal in a way that people can hear it and might be willing to work with me on it? Tomorrow, kind of informal approach.Hannah Choi 34:42And I bet when you have an like, I imagined maybe like before someone gets a diagnosis, they still are aware of what their challenges are. Maybe after they get the formal diagnosis. They're like, okay, that might give them some confidence to to ask for what they need there. There's an actual reason why they need that. It's not just that they're bad. They're, you know, there's a real reason. Jan Willer, PhD 35:08Right, and I think you're bringing up a really important point is that a lot of people, you know, like yourself managed to kind of fly under the radar their whole life. And they knew something was going on, they knew they were somewhat different from everybody else. But it often tends to be very internalized. And the person tends to feel like, well, I'm struggling, and all these other people aren't struggling, therefore, there's something wrong with me. And so that, you know, that, then they just kind of end up what caught doing what many people call masking, which is trying to pretend that there isn't an issue, even if they are struggling, and a lot of people can be very successful at pretending. But even though even though inside they're really feeling kind of miserable about Hannah Choi 35:59Yeah, there's a there's a, an internal cost. That is it's maybe not visible, but they are feeling it. Exactly, yeah. Yeah. That That reminds me of, we recently did a webinar about ADHD, and about for people who were newly diagnosed and are curious. And a parent asked about their child who was, I can't remember, I think he was like, older teen young adult kind of college age. So the parents said, he had just been diagnosed, and was feeling like it was a negative thing. And, and, and she was wondering how we could or how she could support him to learn about about it, and maybe see it in a more positive light. And it just made me think like, he's probably spent a lot of his life internalizing all of those things, then you find out, Oh, there's a reason for it. Oh, then this must be a bad thing. So how do you support people who are how can we even our listeners, if we have people, you know, loved ones in our lives? who have been diagnosed? How can we support them? In seeing that it's not all bad?Jan Willer, PhD 37:21Yeah, I think there's a couple of ways to look at this. I mean, one way to look at it is to say, well, you know, if you if you think about it from a disability perspective, which is, you know, one angle to look at things is to say, Okay, well, it's a disability that makes it difficult for this person to learn, in certain situations difficult for the person to work in certain situations take information in and at times, you know, all kinds of other challenges that can come up with that. But does that, does that have to be viewed in a negative and judgmental way? Right, you know, the brain is an organ to the brain, you know, can have issues just like any other organ can have issues. And so, in a way, that's one way of conceptualizing ADHD and thinking about it in terms of not having stigma towards a person who has an illness or a disability or something like that, because nobody deserves that, that's, you know, that's ableism. And that's wrong. So, another way of thinking about it, which I think is is equally valid, is thinking about it in terms of being neurotypical versus neurodivergent. And so, you know, when we think of people who are neurotypical, we're typically talking about a person who doesn't have ADHD, and a person who doesn't have autism. And so, those folks at you know, the world is built around people who are neurotypical is not built to accommodate people who are neurodivergent. And so that's part of the difficulty that people who are neurodivergent have is that it's just not, it's not built for how their brain operates, nothing is built for how their brain offers and the things that are valued, don't tend to be the things that the people who are neurodivergent have to offer. So for example, some of the things that a person who's neurodivergent have to offer our, the, their incredible ability to be really interested and passionate about things and just really dig in and get into something and understand all the incredible connections between they're taught that topic that they're into and everything around it, they're great at understanding things in a network kind of interconnected way. Whereas kind of in this is obviously a little over-simplified, but a person who's neurotypical tends to be more of a linear thinker, whereas a person who has ADHD tends to be more of a, you know, kind of a divergent, tangential type thinker. And also people who have ADHD are often very creative in some way or another, you know, they can be creative in terms of problem solving, coming up with ideas, brainstorming, they also can be very creative in terms of the arts. So, and they're just great at coming up with ideas that no one else ever thought of, you know, and those are not things that the school system was really searching for. Hannah Choi 40:45So help, helping somebody with ADHD who maybe has recently been diagnosed recognize that ability that they have, and recognize how they can use that in a work situation or school situation. Yeah, while simultaneously advocating for themselves to somehow fit successfully into that neurotypical system.Jan Willer, PhD 41:11Right, the neurotypical world. Yeah,Hannah Choi 41:14Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that broke my heart that he that that boy felt that way. Because, and maybe it's just age, right. So I, I found out that I was, you know, I got the answer to all of my questions when I was 46. And so I, I might, you know, I'm just like, just have more life experience, and I'm more mature, I guess. Right. So I was able to, like, kind of go back and, and hug the 20 year old version of me that, you know, didn't understand. And he is that 20 year old version of himself. And so he doesn't, he just has what other people are telling him. So I guess that's not really sure where I'm going with this, but I like, but it just makes me think of when you've been diagnosed, finding people who really support you recognizing your strengths. And, you know, and following your strengths, following your talents, finding a work environment, or a school environment that is willing and open to supporting you as an neurodivergent thinker. With an ADHD brain or an ASD brain, then, you know, that that would I imagine just lead to a better experience, like I'm having, you know, the fact that the work that I do is very well suited for me.Jan Willer, PhD 42:37Yeah, and I think people who have ADHD are especially well suited to professions where there's always something new to learn, there's always a problem to solve. There's always a new person to talk to, you know, and that, and they're really great at engaging in all of those new things that are coming at them and love, usually love learning new things. Yeah. Which I think is really cool.Hannah Choi 43:05It is. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. And so I was just listening to Ned Hallowell he was on, on a podcast that I really enjoyed listening to with a woman called Kate, I can't remember her last name, but she's a British woman who has a podcast called the ADHD, women's well being podcast, and she interviewed him on there, and he was talking about, and I'm sure he's talked about this and other things, I just happen to hear it on there. But he was talking about how important it is for people with ADHD to, to, to do things that, that they're really interested in and find a job that they are good at, because it's something that they're good at, or because it's something that they're interested in. And to break free from these, like, preconceived notions that society has, like, oh, you need to become this or that or maybe your parents expectation or, or your social circle or whatever. And, and this just another chance, another op op, another situation where a person has to say like, Hey, I might not do things the same as everybody else. Jan Willer, PhD 44:12Absolutely. Right. And doing things different in a different way. Doesn't mean you're doing things in a worse way. Hmm, I like that. Right? Different isn't?Hannah Choi 44:21It's just yeah, it's just different. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. Jan Willer, PhD 44:27And, you know, often I'll tell my clients who have ADHD that it's important to work with it rather than against. Yeah, don't fight it and feel like I have to do everything the way exactly the way that a neurotypical person does it or I'm not successful. Yeah, do it in a way that works for you and your own particular brain. And that's great.Hannah Choi 44:52Yeah, just I have a friend who has ADHD and so we've just been talking a lot lately and, and we were talking about how Oh, how it's so fun talking with another person who has ADHD because you can get really tangental and tangential and come right back and other person just follow right along. I had a client this morning, she's like, sorry, I'm all over the place. I'm like, Don't worry, I, I gotcha. Gotta take a lot of notes as you're going, because otherwise I'll forget what you say. But, uh, mowing you? Yeah. And I guess that deer? Do do you see in your clients desire to connect with other people who have ADHD or to find a social support that way?Jan Willer, PhD 45:39You know, I think it's interesting that you're bringing that up, because I have certainly have noticed that a lot of my clients who have ADHD do tend to have friends who have ADHD, and sometimes even spouses, but the spouses can go either way, sometimes they have ADHD, and sometimes they want to be with somebody who's very organized. Like, they want to be with a really neurotypical person, balance them out. Yeah, exactly. But they do tend to really, you know, kind of enjoy that bouncing around. Yeah, seasonally, that happens when two people have ADHD. It's an interesting phenomena. Hannah Choi 46:18It's fun! We're fun people. Jan Willer, PhD 46:20Yeah, I mean, people who have ADHD tend to be full of life. And, you know, it's really and spontaneous and have lots of interesting things to say. And you know, that's cool. That's a good friend.Hannah Choi 46:35Something that, that I've been thinking about lately is the anxiety that comes along with ADHD and how, for me, realizing how connected they were was so freeing, and it's truly incredible how much less anxiety I am experiencing now. And I remember you said that you said to, you often encourage people to explore the ADHD diagnosis when they have it, where they have anxiety. And at night, I really can speak to that it made a really big difference for me. And then I think back to my childhood. And I remember I went to the summer camp, and they gave away awards at the end of the summer. And the award that I got, which I was 12. And now looking back on it, oh god that my poor 12 year old self, the worst they gave me was the "What If Award". And because I always used to say, well, what if what if this happens? What if that happens? I was really anxious. And it nobody said like, "Wait a second? Why is she wondering all the time What if?" And now I realize it's because my brain was thinking of all the things, all the things. And I just so when I realized that I was in the car today while I was driving. Oh, so I went back to my 12 year old self. It's okay. We get it now. Yeah, so that's been that's been like a really nice experience that I've had is being able to go back and just kind of forgive myself a little bit.Jan Willer, PhD 48:09Yeah, yeah, it really it does take a while to kind of turn over all the things that happened that were related to the ADHD, and put it all in context, isn't it?Hannah Choi 48:20Yeah. And it's, yeah, it's and you know, so it's been, like, nine months since we talked, so nine months of me, like really exploring that. And, and it's, I think, out of the whole experience, I think that is probably the most impactful is being able to explain a lot of things and, and really forgive myself, because I held on for so long, that, that I was just bad at all those things, and, and internalized so much of it, and I and I, but I was really good at masking it even to myself. And so it's just been, like incredible, but for sure need a therapist. Like, I don't think I would have been able to do that all on my own. I wouldn't, I would have been more afraid to go there without the support of a therapist, you know, like, walking me through it is it's been. It's been hard. And it's been amazing. Yeah.Jan Willer, PhD 49:27Yeah. So there's there's a lot of advantages that can come to having a therapist who is knowledgeable about ADHD, right? Yeah. Because they can help you sort through those issues from the past and get their perspective on it. Right. And they can provide you with a lot of information about ADHD and you know how the brain works when a person has ADHD. Yeah, what their common struggles are or what their differences are. So, so that's, that's really useful too, and it can help you work on and coping skills if there's things that you're struggling with. Hannah Choi 50:03Yeah. So you know what, before we go, what kind of it? Like, what's your top advice that you give to people? Right? You know, when they, when they come to this realization like, oh, okay, this is why?Jan Willer, PhD 50:19Well, I think it's the case with any, you know, cognitive or emotional difference that a person may have in that get, you know, knowledge is power, right? Yeah. And so the more a person understands themselves, the more they understand how their brain is working, the more they've understand how ADHD has affected their life, and affected how they feel about themselves and their emotions, you know, then that really helps them figure out how to move forward. Yeah,Hannah Choi 50:53Yeah. And that might take a while and might take a lot of hard work. Probably some tears. Yeah. All right. Well, thanks again, Jan. I will be forever, eternally grateful to you for taking the time and for being so supportive. And I really hope that anyone listening can can find a Jan Willer in their lives, to you know, to kind of walk them through this whole, like, exploration of possible ADHD diagnosis. Hannah Choi 51:33I just like I like you heard me just say, I am just so grateful for this diagnosis now at age 46. And I'm sad that there was not as much education and understanding about ADHD back when I was a kid so that me and other people like me, could have gotten help earlier. And mom, I know you're listening, I just want you to know that I placed absolutely no blame at all on you, or dad, or on my teachers or the other adults in my childhood, there just wasn't the knowledge, the awareness and understanding that we have today. And I know there are people out there many of them women like me, who were masking their symptoms with coping skills, they were not so that were not so outwardly noticeable to others and didn't have any catastrophic consequences. But they were slowly turning them us inside into people who struggle to find confidence, and believe in themselves. So I am really hopeful for myself and everyone else out there who can relate to any of what I've shared today. If you can relate, please reach out, ask for help ask the questions. It's scary, but you got to do it. I made an appointment, like I said before with a neurologist to learn about my migraines and the connection with ADHD. And I also made an appointment with a more affordable psychiatrist who does full neuro psych reports for less than the typical cost. I'm very excited about that. And you know, as Jan said, knowledge is power. So I'm taking my brain health into my own hands and learning as much as I can. And I really hope that you're able to do that for yourself as well. Hannah Choi 53:11If you've been listening for a while, you'll know that one of our main goals is to hopefully help someone somewhere who is struggling with an aspect or maybe many aspects of their executive function skills. Well, this episode is here to maybe help that person find freedom from their frustrating past. By finding the courage to get tested, ask questions, learn about medication and strategies that truly can make a huge difference. It was hard and kind of weird to put myself out there for this episode. My colleagues and Jan both asked me if I was okay with being in that vulnerable position. But I thought about all the people who might be able to relate who might not know where to start and who might find some inspiration and maybe some bravery in my story. I also figured if Katie Couric, Jimmy Kimmel, and Ryan Reynolds can all share their colonoscopy experiences on TV, I can share my ADHD story with you on Focus Forward. Hannah Choi 54:10And that is our show for today. If you know anyone who might want to hear all this or maybe needs to hear all this, please share this episode with them. You can reach out to me at podcast at beyond booksmart.com I would love love, love to hear from you. Please subscribe to focus forward on Apple and Google podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts and if you listen on Apple podcasts or on Spotify, please give us a boost by giving us a five star rating will love you for it. Sign up for our newsletter at beyond booksmart.com/podcast. We'll let you know when new episodes drop, and we'll share information related to the topic. Thanks for listening everyone.

How about we have some fun this year for ADHD Awareness Month! So I thought, why not start a BOOK CLUB?! I'll be hosting the first ever Organize 365® Book Club that will feature my book, How ADHD Affects Home Organization. I'm not a psychologist or a doctor, I'm just a former teacher turned stay-at-home-mom that has taught and parented children with ADHD - and I was diagnosed with ADHD in October of last year. I want to use my teaching and organization skills to support any executive function deficits and how they show up in home organization. There are 8 executive functions, and I cover 6 of them in the book. I think about how these executive functions play out in American homes, and what I would put into place in your home to mitigate any deficiencies. Don't ever think anyone has a perfect executive function profile - no one does! Figuring out which of the executive functions that need the most support is half the battle! Book Club Event details: The Book Club is Friday, October 20th from 11am - 12:30pm ET. If you'd like to submit a question before October 20th, click HERE There will be a replay available for 25 days after the event. Register for the Book Club even if you can't join us October 20th. You can listen to the audio version of the book at organize365.com/adhdbook Do you want to join the Book Club, but don't own the book yet? No problem! There's no requirement to own the book before you join the club. You can buy the book + club package - or you can get it later on. You don't wanna miss book club! EPISODE RESOURCES: ADHD Book link Audio Book link Book Club Ticket Book + Club combo Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

October is ADHD Awareness Month and for quite some time, our listeners have requested an episode on ADHD from us. To be totally honest we have felt totally ill-equipped to do this important subject justice. Neither Vic nor Hame have ADHD - so in order to fully describe the link between ADHD and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) - we had to call in an expert - and his name is Dr Alex Conner. Not only does Dr Alex live with ADHD, but he co-founded the UK's Leading Adult ADHD charity, published papers and has been awarded for his knowledge of the subject and he hosts the ADHD Adults Podcast. ...oh and he is also doesn't take himself too seriously...and he's sober! Not a bad guy to talk to right?! In this fascinating interview, Dr Alex opens up about his struggles with alcohol and drug use, explains his term 'domestic anxiety' and shares his story on how he found his way to sobriety. Hame and Alex covered everything from from bullying, to labels, depression, anxiety and medication. Whether you live with ADHD or not - there is plenty for you learn and unpack from this conversation. We could not be more grateful for Dr Alex sharing his wisdom with us! SHOW NOTES ADHD Adult Charity: https://www.adhdadult.uk/ Twitter: Alex-the_Psychoed_Monkey on Threads Instagram: @alexconnerbham ...and if you were wondering Alex's wife is doing great! A few antibiotics and she is watching for scarring but all seems fine! ADHD and Grey Area Drinking Coach: Faye Lawrence www.fayelawrence.com.au @fayelawrence RESOURCES JOIN PATREON! and buy us a Cuppa so we can keep being awkward! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=81897291 www.cuppa.community – The Free Social Network for the Sober and Sober Curious - Sober Events – Therapy – Sobriety Courses – Sober Groups, Tea and loads more. Buy Sober Awkward T-Shirts and Tea at: www.cuppashop.com @soberawkward @drunkmummysobermummy @cuppa.community @hamishadamscairns @patreon @spotify If you are struggling with your relationship with alcohol please reach out to your local doctor, a therapist, AA Group or just chat to a close friend. Don't feel shame, just get the help you deserve. Contact us! If you have a topic you'd like us to cover then please email us - vicandhamish@soberawkward.com Check out our website at: https://www.soberawkward.com #soberawkward #soberawkwardpodcast #drunkmummysobermummy #cuppa.community #sober #sobermom #sobermummy #sobriety #soberaf #sobermovement #sobercurious #alcoholfree #mummybloggers #writersofinsta #soberfamily #greyareadrinking #addiction #soberissexy #soberwomen #sobermomtribe #sobrietyrocks #soberlifestyle #alcoholfreelife #wedorecover #sobernation #mumblog #mentalhealth #motherhood #wineoclock #sobermums #selfcare #womeninrecovery #sobercommunity #soberdads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices