Marc Almodovar was diagnosed with ADHD at 16, after he took it upon himself to ask for help. But it wasn’t until a painful breakup in his early 20s that he began to confront the emotional toll of hiding his struggles.

In this episode, Marc talks with host Laura Key about the toxic messages men receive around emotions and strength, the myths he’s had to unlearn, and the power of unmasking. He also shares how those realizations led him to found the Men’s ADHD Support Group — a space for men to talk openly about mental health, identity, and ADHD without shame.

Related resources

• The Men’s ADHD Support Group
• What is self-advocacy?

Timestamps

(01:42) Masculinity and ADHD

(08:37) Marc’s ADHD diagnosis at 16

(13:03) Fully understanding his ADHD in his early 20s

(15:43) How did Marc “marry” his ADHD?

(17:03) What are some of the signs of ADHD that men overlook the most?

(17:52) Creating the ADHD Men’s support group, and what’s next

(19:53) How to reframe a negative self talk cycle

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

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

Laura Mears-Reynolds had reached a breaking point with anxiety and depression—until she realized something deeper was going on. She didn’t feel safe in her own hands, and she knew she needed help. What she didn’t know? ADHD was at the root of it all.

The UK-based host of the ADHD AF podcast joins ADHD Aha! to share how understanding her brain finally helped her shed shame, find self-acceptance, and build a thriving community. Her message is clear: You’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone.

Related resources

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Laura’s podcast and community website, adhdasfemales.com
• ADHD and depression
• ADHD and anxiety

Timestamps

(02:37) The most ADHD thing that’s happened this week

(03:29) Laura’s ADHD diagnosis story, and crisis point

(07:20) Identifying as naive and overly trusting

(10:18) Laura’s ADHD “aha” moments

(13:02) A constant level of chaos, and assuming (what ended up being) ADHD symptoms were from partying a lot

(15:18) The “little” ADHD things that add up and cause shame

(17:27) Struggling with the “ADHD superpower” narrative

(19:50) How would life have been different with an earlier diagnosis?

(21:21) How Laura’s life has changed since her diagnosis, and creating the ADHD AF podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

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

Nikki Daye, a school psychologist and ADHD advocate, grew up in the foster care system. She was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but her medical records were eventually lost. As she got older, her ADHD diagnosis wasn’t considered. Instead, her symptoms were misdiagnosed as anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder.

While her ADHD diagnosis was “lost in translation,” Nikki spent a lot of time feeling misunderstood and unsupported. It wasn’t until adulthood that she finally got the clarity she needed. Now, she’s using her experience to advocate for kids with ADHD, including her own daughter.

Related resources

• 6 ways ADHD and PTSD can look alike
• ADHD and trauma

Timestamps

(01:18) Nikki’s first ADHD diagnosis as a teenager

(03:30) Nikki’s experience with echolalia

(05:27) ADHD treatment, speculating other diagnoses, and medical records being lost while in foster care

(09:11) “Aging out” of her ADHD diagnosis, and coming back to it

(15:08) Nikki’s intersectional “aha” moments

(20:33) Nikki’s work helping kids like her, and her daughter

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

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

Shane Thrapp always felt different. As an adult, he found out he has both ADHD and autism — two parts of his brain that sometimes work against each other.

In this episode, Shane shares the weight of masking his symptoms, and how society’s ideas about “real men” can make it even harder to speak up. Today, Shane is helping other men with ADHD as the Operations Director of the Men’s ADHD Support Group. He’s on a mission to show that being yourself shows more strength than pretending to be someone you’re not.

Related resources

• What is AuDHD?
• The Men’s ADHD Support Group

Timestamps

(01:19) Shane’s ADHD and autism diagnoses story

(05:48) The three-way battle between ADHD and autism

(09:12) How is Shane as a boss?

(10:21) Learning social cues, trying on identities, and societal expectations

(15:04) The Men’s ADHD Support Group, and building a community that supports each other in healthy ways

(18:34) The biggest misconceptions about men with ADHD

(21:38) Building a world that’s better for his children

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! Show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

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

Danielle Elliot was considering breaking up with her partner...and then he broke up with her first. Danielle had a “big, out of character” reaction: By 4am that night she was packed and ready to leave. The whole experience left her feeling unsettled. Why had she reacted that way? That sparked a deep dive into rejection sensitivity and ADHD.

Danielle is a health and science journalist who’s now asking a bigger question: Why are so many women being diagnosed with ADHD — and why now?

She explores this in Understood.org’s new limited-series podcast, Climbing the Walls. Listen to Danielle’s personal story here — then check out Climbing the Walls on your podcast platform of choice.

Related resources

• Listen to the Climbing the Walls podcast
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• ADHD breakups: Impulsive texts and overthinking regrets, from Sorry, I Missed This

Timestamps

(01:26) Danielle’s pandemic diagnosis after a strong reaction to a break up

(08:26) Danielle’s need to travel

(12:15) Danielle’s relationship with relationships, and rejection

(16:02) Hosting Understood.org’s Climbing the Walls podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org, or record a message for us here.

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

In this bonus episode, we’re sharing the first episode of a new Understood.org podcast, Climbing the Walls.

Climbing the Walls is an investigative limited-series podcast that explores why women were historically underdiagnosed with ADHD — and how the recent surge in diagnoses is reshaping our understanding of ADHD.

In this episode, host Danielle Elliot finds herself among the many women diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic, and she gets curious. Why women? And why now?

This question takes her to northern Michigan, to meet a friend’s mom.

For more on this topic:

• Listen to Climbing the Walls
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• Older women with ADHD: How the lost generation got found

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Emilia McGuckin was surprised when a teacher suggested her son might have ADHD. As a teacher herself, she thought she would have spotted the signs. But after diving into the research, an even bigger surprise hit her: Could she have ADHD too?

Emilia, a high school and college teacher, was hesitant to pursue an ADHD evaluation. She’d felt dismissed by medical providers in the past, an experience all too common for many women. But when she finally got diagnosed, everything started to make sense. What she once saw as “character flaws” or “personal failings” turned out to be overlooked symptoms of ADHD.

Related resources

• Is ADHD hereditary?
• ADHD iceberg

Timestamps

(01:10) Emilia’s son’s ADHD diagnosis

(04:42) Hyperfocusing on ADHD to help her son, and realizing she has symptoms too

(06:49) Apprehension about seeking an ADHD evaluation, after not being believed by doctors in the past

(09:20) Feelings and coping after diagnosis

(11:56) An “avalanche of ADHD” in the family

(17:02) How Emilia and her son’s diagnoses changed how she teaches

(20:29) Busting ADHD myths

For a transcript and more resources, visit the episode page on Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

On this 100th episode of ADHD Aha!, host Laura Key looks back on the powerful conversations she’s had with guests from all walks of life about their unique ADHD experiences. She also opens up about a deeply personal new chapter: her 9-year-old daughter’s recent ADHD diagnosis. Laura reflects on what this milestone means for her both as a mom and a person with ADHD.

Joining Laura is her friend, co-worker, and Hyperfocus podcast host, Rae Jacobson. Together, they explore how Laura’s understanding of ADHD has evolved over the course of the show — and how she’s navigating the emotions of raising a child who shares her diagnosis.

Related resources

• ADHD, anxiety, and perfectionism (Laura’s story)
• ADHD in girls
• My child with ADHD can’t fall asleep. But I’m so tired. What can I do?

Timestamps

(00:50) What has it been like making 100 episodes of ADHD Aha!?

(03:03) Laura’s daughter’s diagnoses, and being a mom with ADHD

(08:21) Laura’s daughter’s ADHD and anxiety evaluation

(10:51) Sleep and ADHD parenting challenges

(12:19) Feeling the pressure to be a “perfect ADHD mom”

(14:14) How hard it can be to be a kid with ADHD

(16:40) Keeping ADHD mom perfectionism in check

(20:58) Has Laura’s outlook on ADHD changed throughout making this show?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.

Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

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