Women & ADHD

Episode 199 with Shannan Palma.

“Sometimes I know exactly what to do — but I just can’t make my body do it. And then comes the shame spiral, the anger, the anxiety.”

Shannan is the founder and CEO of ITI Assistive Technologies and co-leader of the Autistic Self-Reliance Support Network (ASR). Shannan is autistic and has ADHD, and she’s building the kinds of tools she wished had existed when she was struggling most. Prior to h...

Episode 198 with Raquel Devillé.

“The idea of just sitting still to meditate was always terrifying. I need movement — something active — otherwise I can’t calm down.”

Raquel is a therapist, yoga teacher, and the author of It’s Not Your Period! Beyond Moods and Myths: Understanding Unexplainable Emotions and the Hidden Roots of Pain, Stress, and Anxiety. Originally from Portugal and now based in Belgium, Raquel was diagnosed w...

Episode 197 with Danielle Elliot.

“I would love to see the conversation move towards less questioning of women when they talk about having ADHD.”

Danielle is a health and science journalist, documentarian, and creator and host of Climbing the Walls, a new 6-part podcast series produced by Understood.org that releases April 9 (in 2 days!). 

Danielle was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 36 amid a surge of ADHD diagnoses in ...

Hey friends! I'm excited to share something different with you - an episode from another podcast called ADHD Aha! It’s produced by the people at Understood.org, and it’s hosted by Laura Key. 

(In fact, you might remember Laura as my guest in Episode 90 of Women & ADHD.)

This episode features Jessica McCabe, the brilliant woman behind the popular YouTube channel and New York Times best-selling book, How to ADHD. Jessic...

Episode 196 with Lisa Dee.

“ADHD girls deserve to be healthy and happy. I refuse to subscribe to the doom-and-gloom narrative. I wanted something better, and I knew others did, too.”

Lisa is an Irish health and fitness coach based in London, and the founder of “Healthy Happy ADHD.” After building a successful fitness enterprise, Lisa's ADHD diagnosis at 31 sparked a personal health and nutrition transformation. She soon b...

Episode 195 with Natalie Baker.

“Neurofeedback is really about identifying maladaptive brain waves, then training the brain to correct them.”

Natalie is a licensed psychotherapist, a certified brain health coach, and a dedicated Buddhist practitioner and teacher based in New York City. Given her Western training in psychology and psychotherapy and her Eastern training in meditation, Natalie brings a broader, holistic perspect...

Episode 194 with Unami Magwenzi.

“I always felt like something didn’t quite click for me. I was capable and doing all these things professionally, but I never felt on top of anything.”

Unami is a clinical psychologist, a pastor, a wife, and the mother of 4 children — 3 teenagers and a 5 year old. She is originally from Botswana in Southern Africa and now lives with her family in Perth, Western Australia. 

Unami shares how ...

Episode 193 with Drew Turner.

“I was doing everything to make others happy, and then I wasn’t happy. A lot of that comes from ADHD and being empathetic, but ultimately it does a real disservice.”

Drew Turner lives near Austin, Texas, and was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 29. Drew’s diagnosis completely changed her understanding of herself and gave her an opportunity to rewrite her personal narrative from one of self-doubt, exhaus...

Episode 192 with Charlotte Hastings.

“I used to pray as a girl: ‘Please, let me sit in my seat. Please, don’t let me shoot my mouth off. Please, just let me be a good girl. I just want to be like everybody else.’”

Charlotte is a trained psychodynamic counselor, a nutrition and cookery instructor, and a former head of drama at a boarding school for dyslexic, autistic spectrum, and ADHD students in the UK. 

Her recipe of per...

Episode 191 with Christal Wang.

“Everyone shimmers differently. It’s all about figuring out what is the unabashed, unapologetic, sparkling version of you.”

Christal is the co-founder and CEO of Shimmer, the first-ever comprehensive behavioral tech platform for adults with ADHD. Chris started Shimmer after she was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and she is now on a mission to create a more neuro-inclusive world for all neurodivergent...

Episode 190 with Ella Fielding.

“My thoughts are like sneezes.”

Ella is a distinguished sculptor based in Surrey and London, with over 15 years of expertise in chainsaw carving. She has created monumental installations at events like Glastonbury Festival, and she is one of the featured master-crafters on “The Woodland Workshop,” which airs on Discovery Plus. 

Ella and I talk about her diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 38, wh...

Episode 189 with Jackie Schuld.

“We need more time for things to work through our brains. Art helps with that and gives an outlet for all the intense emotions and thoughts we have.”

Jackie is an expressive arts therapist who runs a private practice specializing in late-identified Autism & ADHD. As a late-identified autistic and ADHDer herself, she loves to connect with her clients through writing, art, and conversation. S...

Episode 188 with Jes Hagan.

“The first study on women and ADHD was done in 1979, but there wasn’t a study on the menstrual cycle and ADHD until 2017.”

Jes is a nutritional therapist and board-certified integrative menstrual health educator and coach. She is the founder of Her Mood Mentor, a virtual premenstrual clinic. Her own experience of living with misdiagnosed and undiagnosed Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and AD...

Episode 187 with Sarah Collins.

“I’ve probably spent more money on therapy than anything else in my life, and yet nobody ever said anything about ADHD or neurodivergence.”

Sarah is an activist and entrepreneur. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Sarah has spent much of her life passionate about social justice and improving the welfare of others, especially when it comes to gender equality and environmental sustainabil...

Episode 186 with Holly D’Arcy.

“Sometimes I cringe at the word ‘resilience,’ but I am grateful for my resilience because I often have to work harder than anybody else in the room to do the same thing.”

Holly is a military spouse, mother, health coach, and competitive athlete who brings a unique perspective to the challenges and triumphs of navigating life with ADHD. Diagnosed at the age of 33, Holly has become passionate abou...

Episode 185 with Clara Harris.

“I told my therapist how there were so many thoughts swirling in my head — it was just so noisy that my ears were ringing. She paused and said, Um, maybe we should test you for ADHD.”

Clara lives in Louisville, KY, and she is an actor, writer, and producer with over two decades of experience. In 2022, she produced and performed her solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest ...

Episode 184 with Melody Hubert.

“My dad always said, ‘You're brilliant, but you have no stick-to-itiveness.’ I did so many different things but I couldn’t stick with anything for long.”

Melody is a 45-year-old radiologic technologist from Central Florida. When her son was little, he was diagnosed with ADHD, but like many parents, it never occurred to her that she could also possibly have ADHD. Many years later, it was a c...

Episode 183 with Laura Mears-Reynolds.

“This isn’t just a new chapter; it really does feel like a new life. My diagnosis not only changed but actually saved my life.”

Laura is an ADHD activist and the host of the popular ADHD AF podcast. Laura's life was not only transformed but saved by her ADHD diagnosis at the age of 38. She wants all people with ADHD to be treated both medically and with the respect they deserve.

We talk about...

Episode 182 with Alex Gilbert & Katy Weber.

“My ‘To Do’ list feels like a table covered in those buzzers they give you at chain restaurants. Everything feels urgent and everything is competing for my attention.”

You may remember that I have another podcast called The ADHD Lounge, which I co-host with fellow ADHD coach Alex Gilbert. This week I’m sharing one of my favorite episodes from that podcast, in which Alex & I talk abo...