MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel

Why New Year’s resolutions often collapse for people with ADHD and how traditional goal culture clashes with executive function. The conversation explores motivation, dopamine, and how vague goals become overwhelming. It highlights tiny, concrete actions, short time horizons, immediate feedback, and planning for failure to make goals flexible and sustainable.

The ADHD internet is crowded — and not all content is created equal. From unlicensed coaches to miracle cures and viral “hacks,” misinformation spreads fast and wide.The problem is that many prominent voices have little to no formal training. And algorithmic incentives encourage creators to bait their audience.Cate Osborn, known online as @catieosaurus, joins Hyperfocus to explain how the ADHD content economy works. She looks at why grifting thrives and how power, profit, and trust in online mental health spaces affect our understanding of ADHD.For more on this topic:  Read: What is an ADHD coach?Read: 50% of mental health TikToks contain misinformation (The Guardian)More on Cate: Cate’s book, tour dates, and podcastFor a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.

Ever catch yourself spiraling over a decision and feeling like your brain won’t stop replaying every possible “what if”? Dr. J is joining us to talk about rumination, overthinking, and getting caught in a mood spiral as a woman with ADHD. We’re breaking down why we get stuck and practical ways to interrupt those thought loops. For more on this topic: Try: ADHD Unstuck (a free self-guided activity)Listen: How to climb out of mental rabbit holes (from Hyperfocus)Read: ADHD and mood swingsFor a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at sorryimissedthis@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.

They explore why traditional routines often fail for ADHD brains and what stability really looks like. Learn about tiny, flexible habits and attaching new actions to things you already do. Hear about common traps like all-or-nothing thinking and shame. Celebration, rest, and joy are framed as essential parts of sustainable routines.

U.S. kids are more depressed, stressed, and anxious than ever. ADHD and autism diagnosis rates are steadily rising. What’s going on? In this episode of Hyperfocus, journalist Jia Lynn Yang joins Rae to examine how major school policy shifts in the U.S. have changed what’s expected of kids, often with unintended — and serious — consequences. Drawing from her New York Times reporting and her personal experience as a parent, Jia Lynn explores whether school itself may be contributing to the crisis — and what kids actually need to thrive.For more on this topic:Read: Jia Lynn’s piece: America’s children are unwell. Are schools part of the problem?Read: CDC youth mental health snapshotRead: The evolution of common core standardsFor a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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 ADHD overwhelm hits, it’s usually not because of one big event. It’s the work project and your kid’s school play and the relationship thing and everyone is out of clean socks... and now you’re caught in a spiral of OMG. Today, Cate and our fabulous producer, Jessamine, dig into Reddit stories about work screw-ups, panic lying, and how pattern recognition can quietly turn everyday moments into emotional flashpoints in relationships. What actually can stop that spiral? For more on this topic: Listen: ADHD and workplace stressListen: Managing expectations in relationships (feat. KC Davis)Read: How to Keep House While Drowning, by KC DavisRead: Fair Play, by Eve RodskyFor a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at sorryimissedthis@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.

Exploring accountability can be a weighty issue for women with ADHD. The impact of late diagnoses and masking often amplifies feelings of guilt. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone can cause symptom fluctuations, complicating accountability further. The distinction between excuses and explanations is crucial for understanding ADHD challenges. With strategies like micro-goals and compassionate support systems, listeners learn to reframe accountability without shame and cultivate self-compassion.

If you have ADHD or autism, research shows you’re at a much higher risk for developing chronic pain — a connection many doctors and patients still don’t know about. In this episode of Hyperfocus, we talk with a doctor who’s trying to change that.Dr. Michael Lenz, a Wisconsin-based pain specialist, explains what the medical community is discovering about the connection between ADHD, autism, and chronic pain, including conditions like fibromyalgia and migraines. He also shares stories from his practice, including times when treating a patient’s ADHD unexpectedly improved their chronic pain symptoms.For more on this topic:  Dr. Lenz’s podcast and bookThe Weak Link: Hypotonia in Infancy and Autism Early Identification - PMCADHD-pain: Characteristics of chronic pain and association with muscular dysregulation in adults with ADHDOrder friend of the show Craig Thomas’ book NIH study on joint hypermobility For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.

In this listener Q&A, Cate tackles two wildly relatable ADHD questions: sudden sensory discomfort during intimacy, and the maddening cycle of not being able to start a task… then not being able to stop. From sensory overload and burnout to hyperfocus, momentum anxiety, and emotional regulation, Cate breaks down what’s going on and how to navigate it without losing it. Thanks to our listeners for these deeply ADHD-coded questions! Keep ’em coming.For more on this topic: Listen: ADHD and sensory overwhelmListen: ADHD sensory challenges and sexRead: ADHD and hyperfocusFor a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at sorryimissedthis@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.

In this final episode of Climbing the Walls, Danielle explores the frustration women with ADHD feel toward a medical community that can’t answer their questions about how hormones impact ADHD. Searching for answers, they turn to online communities for information and support.Danielle talks to experts about the latest research on ADHD in women and what the future of treatment could look like.More on this story:A guide to hormones and ADHDADHD and periodsADHD and menopauseFor a transcript and more resources, visit Climbing the Walls on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org. Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.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.