Andrea Jones-Rooy — data scientist, comedian, and fire-eating acrobat — talks candidly about feeling like a failure even when all evidence points to the contrary. With sharp humor and vulnerability, she describes having “no self-esteem” (not low — none), limited willpower, and a reliance on fear and external pressure to get things done.

Andrea, who hosts the podcast Behind the Data, gives herself very little grace. She remains skeptical of her ADHD diagnosis. But one ADHD challenge feels impossible to dismiss: time blindness. Together, Andrea and Laura explore what it means to be present — and why that presence often comes more easily at work or on stage, where the stakes feel high, than with the people we love most.

For more on this topic

• Read: ADHD and time blindness
• Listen: Behind the Data podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brandon Hogstad — a scientist, musician, big thinker, and co-host of a dream interpretation podcast — talks about how ADHD showed up in his adult academic life. As challenges emerged, finishing projects became a persistent struggle.

A high school valedictorian, Brandon entered college with confidence and a strong academic track record. College didn’t derail him. But it brought him down to earth. For the first time, he realized he’d never really learned how to study — and that raw intelligence only goes so far. The experience reshaped his ego and deepened his understanding of his ADHD brain.

Brandon reflects on working with, not against, his ADHD. And the conversation turns when, right on the spot, he interprets a dream that host Laura Key shares.

For more on this topic:

• Read: ADHD and the brain
• Watch: ADHD and: Overachieving
• Listen: Brandon’s “Let’s Talk About Dreams” podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Psychotherapist, author, and ADHD pioneer Terry Matlen shares what led to her ADHD diagnosis. Terry’s path started with years of shame and the feeling that everyday life was inexplicably harder than it should be. She describes getting overwhelmed by ordinary moments: making dinner, figuring out what to wear, and freezing at the sink with a wooden spoon in her hand.

Terry is an expert on ADHD in women. She talks about mood regulation and self-esteem with empathy. And she offers hard-won guidance for women with ADHD, especially moms. The conversation is honest — and likely to feel familiar to anyone who’s ever felt like everyday life is too much to handle.

For more on this topic

• Listen: She broke the silence on ADHD shame in women (Sari Solden’s story)
• Listen: She wrote the book on women, shame, and ADHD
• Read: ADHD and mood swings

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Debbie Reber — author, podcast host, and founder of Tilt Parenting — shares her unexpected journey of discovering her ADHD as an adult. She talks about the imposter syndrome that came with it, especially after years of writing about executive function and advocating for neurodivergent kids.

Debbie explains how being extremely organized her whole life — hacking her ADHD without realizing it — kept her from seeing the signs sooner. She reflects on believing she “should” be someone who has natural balance, feels accomplished every day, and can simply unwind at night.

She also opens up about growing up as the class clown, being told she was too loud, and how therapy is helping her untangle those early messages and better understand herself.

For more on this topic:

• ADHD and imposter syndrome in women
• Personal story: What I do when imposter syndrome creeps in
• Check out Debbie’s books, including Differently Wired: The Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org

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ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, we’re sharing a powerful episode from our friends at Hyperfocus — a deeply personal story with its own “aha” moments. Inattentive ADHD is often missed, especially in boys who don’t fit the typical ADHD stereotype. Brandon Saiz shares his later-in-life diagnosis and what it meant to have been overlooked for so long.

If you’re not already listening to Hyperfocus, check it out here.

Content warning: Mentions of suicide

For more on this topic:

• Read: The 3 types of ADHD
• Listen: The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study
• Follow: Brandon Saiz on Substack

For a transcript and more resources, visit our friends at Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org

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ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Back by popular demand… it’s Ange Nolan! Ange returns to ADHD Aha! to share how her ADHD journey has evolved since we last spoke. That includes her decision to study disability theology and help make worship spaces more supportive for neurodivergent people.

Going back to school brought up old memories of past academic struggles. Ange talks openly about navigating those feelings with more clarity and self-understanding. She also gives an update on her personal life — this time, celebrating a calm, steady relationship that looks very different from the intense dynamics she experienced in the past.

For more on this topic:

• Ange’s first interview: ADHD, loving intensely, and impulsivity
• A guide to ADHD and emotions

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org

.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we’re revisiting one of our favorite ADHD Aha! episodes.

Ange Nolan once suspected she had ADHD but was dismissed by her doctor. Years later, an ADHD “iceberg” graphic that visualized how so many ADHD symptoms live beneath the surface finally made everything click.

After her diagnosis, Ange recognized how much ADHD had shaped her romantic relationships, her drive for intense connection, her “chameleon” behavior, and her impulsive career changes.

Be sure to tune in next time! Ange is coming back to tell us how life has changed in the three years since her episode aired. Spoiler: She’s doing great.

For more on this topic:

• Listen: ADHD and messiness (Jeannie’s story)
• Read: ADHD and emotions
• Read: Understanding impulsivity
• Listen: ADHD and marriage (Rachel and Jon’s story)

Timestamps:

(00:50) The ADHD iceberg moment that revealed hidden symptoms
(05:20) Early warning signs, misdiagnosis, and feeling dismissed
(09:40) Career pivots, masking, and finding work that finally fits
(15:30) Impulsivity, hyperfixation, and burnout in relationships

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Atira Roberson was in first grade, she was evaluated and diagnosed with ADHD, dyscalculia, and a specific learning disability. But she didn’t find out about those diagnoses until college — when she went through all of her old paperwork herself.

Growing up, Atira knew she was different and was bullied because of it. Her mother was her biggest advocate, but her parents chose not to tell her about her diagnoses at the time.

In this episode, Atira — now an English language arts teacher — shares how learning the truth changed the way she saw herself, and how it shaped her passion for teaching and education policy today.

For more on this topic:

• Why Black girls with learning disabilities need more visibility, from the Opportunity Gap podcast
• To be Black in America with a learning disability, by Atira Roberson
• What are learning disabilities?

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.