S1 E12 Bonus From Surviving to Seen: What ADHD Awareness Really Means for Women

October isn’t quiet for anyone living with ADHD. In Part 2 of “October Is Loud,” Jess and Jeannine continue their deep dive through the month’s overlapping awareness causes. From domestic-violence and bullying prevention to dyslexia, LGBTQ+ visibility, disability employment, and cyber-safety. They connect every theme back to empathy, inclusion, and how visibility changes lives. Thoughtful, grounded, and real. This bonus episode closes the series with compassion and community.

00:00 – Intro & Content Warning 00:24 – Domestic Violence Awareness & Resources 01:35 – Bullying Prevention Month & Long-Term Impact 03:11 – Healing and Boundaries for ADHD Adults 03:36 – Learning Disabilities & Dyslexia Awareness 04:14 – LGBTQ+ History & Intersex Awareness Day 05:42 – Filipino American History Month & Representation 06:17 – Disability Employment & Cyber Safety Awareness 07:29 – Digital Safety Tips for ADHD Brains 08:13 – Other October Awareness Causes 08:42 – Final Reflection & Outro

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to Angry on the Inside.

(00:01):
This is part two of October is Loud, from survival to visibility.
Before we dive in, a quick content note.
This episode includes conversations about bullying, emotional abuse, and domesticviolence.
they are real topics.
Please listen in a way that feels safe for you.
And remember, we're not doctors or therapists.

(00:24):
We are certified ADHD coaches, but this podcast isn't coaching.
We are two late diagnosed women.
talking honestly about what it's like to live with these things.
yeah.
take what resonates, leave the rest, and remember, you're not alone.
there will be mentions of abuse and emotional manipulation throughout this episode.

(00:47):
women with ADHD or autism are two or three times more likely to experience intimatepartner violence than neurotypical women.
Emotional abuse is even more common.
This trigger is brought to you because we will be discussing in this chapter, domesticviolence awareness month.
Emotional control, love bombing and subtle manipulation, they hit differently when you'vespent your life doubting yourself.

(01:12):
And...
People with ADHD second guess their instincts because we were taught not to trust them.
That conditioning makes it easier to miss danger when it's directed at us.
You can even come from a home that never showed physical abuse and still an up and anabusive relationship.
It's not about background.

(01:32):
It's about tactics that target empathy.
If you're recognizing yourself in situations like this, call 1-800-799-SAFE.
That's 1-800-799-7233.
Or you can text the word START to 88788.

(01:54):
Compassion helps find safety, not shame.
With that heavy topic covered, we'll go into another one, October is bullying preventionmonth and the stats are brutal.
Kids with ADHD are two to three times more likely to be bullied.
like many of us, you may remember being too much before anyone called ADHD.

(02:17):
That combination makes for an easy target and it doesn't always stop in adulthood, it justshifts.
in childhood we sit and we believe that it is going to come to a stop.
And we realize that.
feeling of unease of being overwhelmed or overtaken, it pulls into this.
And bullying leaves long shadows.

(02:37):
It shows up later as perfectionism, people pleasing, or fear of conflict.
And many, many, many of us experience these.
Whether it's linked directly to bullying, I can't say.
But I can say that I do know I myself have experienced these things.
both because of bullying and because of different things that have occurred in my lifeoutside of bullying.

(03:00):
So it can be twofold.
But if you're unpacking that now as an adult, you're not being dramatic.
You're finally giving language to what happened to you.
And I think that's such an important note of even if the bullying happened years ago, it'sstill around.
As you said, it casts a long shadow.
It's something that we're still dealing with.

(03:22):
if any of this hits home, Therapy, support groups, or ADHD community spaces can help youpractice boundaries without fear.
Safety doesn't need to mean silence.
Another part of our awareness in October is learning disabilities and dyslexia awareness.
About 25 to 40 % of people with ADHD also have a learning difference like dyslexia ordyspraxia.

(03:51):
But fortunately, there are accessibility tools like bionic reading or fonts like Lexand,which make reading easier for ADHD and dyslexic readers.
It's a design that meets your brain where it's at.
accessibility isn't about ability, it's about options.
options are inclusion in practice and real life.

(04:11):
m Next up is LGBTQ plus history month and intersex awareness day.
October celebrates LGBTQ history month and intersex awareness day on October 26th.
Both connect deeply with ADHD and neurodiversity because they're about visibility,autonomy, and unmasking.

(04:33):
Neurodivergent people, especially autistic and ADHD adults are far more likely to identifysomewhere on the LGBTQ plus spectrum.
uh When you've spent a lifetime feeling different, you start questioning every box societyhands you.
And many people feel that the reason why these two groups intersect so much and overlap isthat our brains are far more open to seeing

(05:02):
different connections, different parallels and different understandings.
this also links into our ability for hyper-empathy to actually understand what it's liketo stand in someone else's position,
we're all asking for the same thing, to be seen, respected, and allowed to defineourselves.
As we head into Transgender Awareness Week, is November 13th through the 19th, andTransgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th, we honor those whose courage to live

(05:31):
authentically came at a cost.
and those still fighting to be recognized.
I'm gonna cry.
Next up is Filipino American History Month.
Filipino American History Month isn't usually tied.
to ADHD, but it matters.

(05:52):
In many Asian and Pacific Islander families, mental health differences still carry a veryreal stigma.
ADHD gets reframed as laziness or lack of effort.
representation changes that.
When Filipino American voices show up in ADHD conversations, it opens doors for others toask questions without shame.

(06:17):
and that same theme will run through National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
On paper, we have rights, ADA, accommodations, anti-discrimination laws, but disclosurestill feels risky.
equity isn't just hiring us, it's keeping us.

(06:38):
Accessibility isn't charity, it's ethics.
we know in this current climate, there are many, many changes going on with uh disabilityemployment and accommodations and things like that.
It is still something to stay aware of and still something to be open to as it continuesto change.
It will continue to shape our lives and our experiences.

(07:00):
Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Now this one might seem random until you realize
How much of online safety depends on executive function.
Updates, passwords, remembering which site sent what weird link.
we all know, ADHD brains juggle so much digital clutter that security can slip fast.

(07:21):
We click before thinking, we skip our updates, or forget which two-factor code goes where,which is so true.
And we have passwords like 12345678 because it's easy to remember.
Or we have the same password for every single thing and that's not good either.
the goal isn't paranoia when talking about cybersecurity awareness, but it is aboutprevention.

(07:45):
There's a few options.
You really can use a password manager.
You can turn on automatic updates.
You can turn on automatic backups, To back things up in your computer or
If you have the money and the ability, pay a trusted IT person to automate it so that youdon't have to think about it or deal with it again.

(08:06):
protecting your digital world shouldn't depend on perfect habits.
It should just depend on systems that run even when your brain doesn't want to.
Before we wrap up, we want to name a few other October awarenesses that deserve space.
pregnancy and infant loss awareness, spina bifida awareness, SIDS awareness, and dwarfismawareness month.

(08:33):
us that compassion doesn't require direct connections.
You don't have to live it to care about it.
October is loud.
It's full of causes, ribbons, and reminders, but underneath all of it is the same message.
They are all trying to be seen, believed, and treated with respect.

(08:55):
October shows us how connected everything really is, our health, our safety, and ourstories.
You don't have to be able to don every ribbon to matter.
You're already part of the fabric.
So until next time, remember, you're not alone.
Thanks for listening.