Women & ADHD – Details, episodes & analysis

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. She also writes and illustrates visual books, including “What is Autism,” “Grief is a Mess” and many more.

Jackie and I talk about the road to identifying as an autistic and ADHD adult, and some of the limitations to the diagnosis process. We also discuss the difficulties that many neurodivergent adults, especially women, have had with therapy in the past and some of the unique needs that neurodivergent clients bring to a therapeutic relationship.

We also talk about how and why art therapy — including writing, drawing, music, and more — can be such a valuable tool for expression and self-exploration, especially for neurodivergent clients. 

Website: jackieschuld.com

Medium: @jackieschuld

Links & Resources:

Jackie's Adult Autism Resources

What is Autism by Jackie Schuld

Grief is a Mess by Jackie Schuld

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon 

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

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 ADHD has fueled her determination to help others reclaim their lives from hormonal mood symptoms. 

PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that can come with significant emotional and physical symptoms that typically occur during the luteal phase. Anywhere from 3-8% of menstruating adults have PMDD, while roughly 46% of women with ADHD also experience PMDD.

Jes and I talk about her personal diagnosis journey, starting with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at the age of 17. She shares about her later diagnoses of PMDD and ADHD, and how medical research has been slowly connecting the dots when it comes to how our hormones and menstrual cycles affect our ADHD.

We also get all fired up over the lack of education on a lot of these topics that relate to women with ADHD, as well as the challenges we face navigating the medical system with ADHD.

Finally, Jes discusses some of the amazing holistic treatment options available for anyone who struggles with hormonal mood symptoms.

TRIGGER WARNING: Throughout the episode, Jes mentions her experiences with suicidal thoughts during PMDD, so if that subject is a difficult one for you, you might want to sit this episode out. 

Website: hermoodmentor.com

Instagram: @hermoodmentor

Additional links:

Save 10% off any of the following courses with code KATY:

• Symptom Mapper
• Supplement Directory
• Meet Your Menstrual Cycle
• PMDD Rehab

FREE Premenstrual Supplement Directory

A father's perspective on PMDD (Youtube video with Jes’ dad)

Additional references:

Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD (2021)

Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome in Autism: A Prospective Observer-rated Study (2008)

Female-specific pharmacotherapy in ADHD: premenstrual adjustment of psychostimulant dosage (2023)

Sex differences in childhood psychopathology: A review. (1979)

Annual Research Review: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls and women: underrepresentation, longitudinal processes, and key directions (2022)

Reproductive steroids and ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle (2018)

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 179 with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau.

“One of the best ways to help women with ADHD is in groups. We heal each other by understanding each other, laughing together, and not expecting the same perfection we feel the outside world expects of us.”

Dr. Nadeau is a clinical psychologist and founder of The Chesapeake Center, as well as an internationally recognized authority on ADHD.

She is the author or co-author of over a dozen books related to ADHD across the lifespan, from her best-selling book for children, “Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention”, to her latest book “Still Distracted After All These Years,” which addresses the many factors of growing older with ADHD (because as we all know, you do not outgrow ADHD).

We discuss some of the strategies laid out in Dr. Nadeau’s latest book, such as the importance of maintaining structure, connection, and support as we age. We also address some of the myths and misconceptions about stimulant medications for the over-60 population, and the need for better understanding and treatment of ADHD in older adults, as many healthcare professionals dismiss or minimize the struggles faced by this population.

And we talk about “failure to launch” in younger adults and how difficulties with early adulting skills might lead to a lot of anxiety around aging with ADHD.

Finally, we discuss her upcoming book, “A Clinician's Guide to Women with ADHD: Diagnosis and Treatment” which she is co-writing with Dr. Patricia Quinn, MD, and Dr. Michael Morse, MD. Although there are many books for and about women with ADHD, there is a great need for a clinician's guide to diagnosis and treatment. Women continue to have great difficulty finding knowledgeable physicians and therapists to treat them. This long-overdue book due to be published in 2025 will provide a very straightforward treatment guide for medical and mental health providers. 

Website: thechesapeakecenter.com

Instagram: @thechesapeakecenter

Links & Resources:

Still Distracted After All These Years: Help and Support for Older Adults with ADHD by Dr. Kathleen Nadeau

The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth about Men and Women in the 21st Century by Stephen Marche

https://www.tiktok.com/@retirementhouse

- - - - - 

Episode Sponsor:

Llama Life now has an iOS app! Llama Life is a simple and flexible way to keep you focused throughout your day. Download the new iOS app for a free trial and start enjoying that llama life for yourself!

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 89 with Layla Touchet.

“I was actually a hyperactive child, but the school told my mom that I’m just gifted and bored. I mean, y’all were right. But y’all were wrong, too. It was more than that.”

Layla is a 29 year old neurodivergent female who works as a school counselor in Louisiana, working with tiny humans in grades pre-k through 2nd grade, most of whom are neurodivergent as well. 

She’s also a licensed mental health counselor with certifications in Autism and ADHD and she’s working on her PhD in Counseling. 

Layla was first diagnosed with ADHD about a year-and-a-half ago. After she started medication for her ADHD, she realized there were still some things not adding up, and that’s when she received her Autism diagnosis.

We talk about her dual diagnosis and what it’s been like to look back over the course of her life, especially childhood, and see the traits of ADHD and Autism throughout.

We also talk about how her discovery of her own neurodivergence has helped shape her as a mental health counselor and how she’s now educating the teachers and staff at her school and in her entire district on how to recognize some of the more overlooked neurodivergent traits in children, especially in girls.

And we talk about her love of karate and kickboxing, as well as our shared love of office supplies. 

Instagram: @theneurodivergentcounselor

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 88 with Candin Phillips.

“I’m one of those people who keeps chugging along, and it takes something really big to knock me off course before I step down and take care of myself.”

Candin is a licensed clinician and supervisor in South Carolina. She specializes in diagnosing ADHD and educating others — especially other therapists — to recognize traits of ADHD. 

She is the founder of Humanity Hive, an online platform and business focused on providing information to support those with ADHD. In addition to her fabulous Instagram account, she also now offers self-guided online classes on ADHD, including an overview and one that specializes in feelings.

We also spoke all about her own diagnosis journey and the pressures of perfectionism and pushing ourselves to the point of burnout. We also spoke about the power of music for the neurodivergent brain.

🛑 TRIGGER WARNING 🛑 We talk about the recent death of Candin’s mother via suicide as well as how she has been publicly processing it, so if that is a difficult topic for you, you might want to skip this interview.

Website: HumanityHive.info

Instagram: @humanity_hive

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 87 with Amy Marie Hann.

“We try so hard to do all these things, and we end up feeling like failures. In reality, we’re just supposed to be doing life in a different way.”

Amy Marie is an ADHD advocate, entrepreneur and mom of 3 young kids. She was diagnosed with ADD in kindergarten but found motherhood and especially being a stay-at-home mom to be the most challenging season for her brain. 

Amy Marie now teaches moms with ADHD to manage their home life with ease in order to have more time and energy. In addition to her Activated ADHD Mamas Facebook group, Amy also runs a Master the Mundane course and training system for moms so they can better understand their brain wiring and develop the best home management systems for themselves and their families.

She also wrote a 16-page e-book called Thrive in Motherhood with ADHD, which comes with practical tips, mindset shifts and resources for personal growth. You can get that for free at her website.

Amy Marie and I talk all about domestic life and the unique pressures on women to be able to “do it all” as a mom and entrepreneur — and to somehow also be satisfied and sane.

And we also talk about the Christian community and the church and some of the expectations on Christian moms that simply don’t work when you have neurodivergent kids.

**Register for Amy's Master the Mundane course**

Website: AmyMarieHann.com

Instagram: @activatedadhdmama

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 86 with Dr. Tamara Rosier.

“We have a toggle like a light switch — we’re either on or off. We don’t have a dimmer switch.”

Dr. Rosier is the founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan, where she and her staff work with individuals with ADHD (and their families) to learn strategies and develop new skills to live effectively with ADHD. 

Dr. Rosier is also the president of the ADHD Coaches Organization and author of Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD.

We talk about her mission to de-stigmatize ADHD and teach her clients and their families to reframe how they view ADHD and their brains. 

We also talk about the many misconceptions about ADHD in the medical field, and we discuss the “all or nothing” approach we can have to task management and some of the healthy and not-so-healthy ways in which we tend to motivate ourselves.

Dr. Rosier’s Solve-It Grid

Websites: TamaraRosier.com , miadhd.com

Instagram: @brain_not_broken

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 85 with Tennille Boyer.

“After I googled rejection sensitive dysphoria, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this explains every fight we’ve ever had.’”

Tennille is a full-time working mom of 3 who was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago in her early 40s. 

After a brief stint as a TV reporter in the late 90s, she fell into the perfect career for her: sales for early-stage companies (which she discovered is an ideal environment for her ADHD brain). 

Tennille and I talk all about what it’s like to have ADHD and be married to a Type A, neurotypical spouse.

We also talk about careers that feel well-suited to ADHDers, and she recounts her traumatic experience with a doctor when she was first seeking a diagnosis.

Website: Go Happy Hub

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 84 with Jenna Wolfe.

“The anxiety was crippling. I couldn’t tell anyone I was struggling because I had to be perfect and look like I had it all together.”

Jenna Wolfe is a lactation counselor, parenting coach, and mom of two from Amherstburg, Ontario. She is passionate about giving moms and their littles the tools and confidence to have the relationship they deserve; one full of security, joy and connection. 

Jenna is the founder of Own Your Parenting Story, where she supports moms all over North America to discover and achieve their breastfeeding and parenting goals. She also runs the Moms & Milk Village group on Facebook.

Jenna and I talk all about some of the unique struggles of neurodivergent mothers during the newborn years, and how difficult it can be to ask for help and get support. We talk about the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, sensory overload, and the myriad issues that can feel insurmountable to a new mom with ADHD — as well as the importance of the right support system.

Website: Own Your Parenting Story

Instagram: @own.your.parenting.story

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 83 with Catherine Avery.

“With neurodivergent folks, we need to recognize that if it’s already working, don’t try to fix it.”

Catherine is an ADHD & productivity coach and the CEO of Productivity by Design. She believes that in order to be truly productive, you need to learn how to be intentionally unproductive. 

Catherine coaches her clients through proven strategies that help them master their time, space, and information so they can be more productive, more profitable, and have more time to spend doing the things they love. 

Catherine is a former “queen of clutter,” a recovering Type-A Wall Streeter, and a cancer survivor/thriver who was officially diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s. 

We talk about her own deep dive into her “chemo brain” and brain fog, and how that ultimately led to her ADHD diagnosis. We also talk about the grief that occurs to many of us diagnosed later in life when looking back over our lives with this new lens.

And we talk about burnout, how to lean into our natural biological rhythms of productivity, and knowing when to hit pause.

And finally, we compare our crazy TMJ stories — and I rehash my own story about teeth grinding and vertigo! If you grind your teeth at night, you definitely want to stick around and hear more about our experiences.

Website: Productivity by Design

Instagram: @catherine_j_avery

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Finally ... you've found your people! Now come join us in the Women & ADHD online community: www.womenandadhd.com

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and you’d like to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to Katy via email womenandADHDpodcast (at) gmail.com.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd