At 14, Zoe Plotnick told her mom, “My brain’s broken.” Zoe wanted an ADHD evaluation, but her mom discouraged it, pointing to Zoe’s good grades. Zoe was eventually diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. She also learned that her mom was hiding her own ADHD all along.

Now Zoe, who’s a teacher, is unpacking the ADHD stigma that her family has carried for generations. And she’s advocating for her daughter who, in a twist of fate, was diagnosed with ADHD at age 14 — the same age Zoe was when she tried to get evaluated the first time.

Related resources

• Is ADHD hereditary?
• Masking my ADHD at work was exhausting, so I stopped
• How do I emotionally prepare for ADHD diagnosis?

Timestamps

((01:10) Zoe’s pandemic “aha” moment

(03:23) Pushing for an ADHD diagnosis as an adult

(05:22) Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD

(09:17) Asking for help when Zoe was 14

(12:32) Generational ADHD shame and masking

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

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

Understood 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

If you like this show, consider making a donation this holiday season. 100% of your donation will go towards helping us create more podcasts (like this one!). Click here to make a gift today.

For years, Julianna Broadwater’s therapist suggested looking into ADHD. But Julianna resisted. She had a past diagnosis of OCD, so she attributed her challenges to that. Plus she was the primary breadwinner in the family, so how could she have ADHD?

Then Julianna tried ADHD medication, and her thinking completely changed. The impulsive, intrusive thoughts that would pop into her head started to lessen. It was easy to swat them away like flies, instead of dropping everything to focus on them.

Julianna was diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic. Hear about her OCD misdiagnosis, and how the symptoms she thought were her OCD actually stemmed from ADHD.

Related resources

• I have ADHD and OCD. Here’s what a weekend getaway looks like for me
• What is perseveration?
• ADHD and anxiety

Timestamps

(01:17) Julianna’s ADHD diagnosis story

(06:49) Julianna’s experience growing up

(11:42) Julianna’s OCD misdiagnosis

(13:59) Getting stuck on thoughts

(15:26) Never going back to how things were before the pandemic

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

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

Understood 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

If you like this show, consider making a donation this holiday season. 100% of your donation will go towards helping us create more podcasts (like this one!). Click here to make a gift today.

Growing up, Jared Robson got so sick of failing that he decided, “trying isn’t for me.” Jared got into trouble all the time and bounced around different high schools. He eventually graduated high school but admits that that might not have happened if his family weren’t so well-off.

Now, Jared’s a stay-at-home dad and thriving as a college student taking courses online (He has a 4.0 GPA!). Jared and Laura talk about the “hyperactive little boy” stereotype. Listen as he describes his quest to find stillness and how he thinks of the ADHD failure cycle today.

Related resources

• Understanding hyperactivity
• What is the school-to-prison pipeline? From Opportunity Gap
• ADHD in boys

Timestamps

(01:01) Jared’s school life growing up

(07:08) “Trying isn’t for me”

(10:54) Changing around high schools

(12:53) Trying out different colleges

(13:56) Managing expectations

(17:31) Jared’s “aha” moments

(20:14) Jared’s pandemic lifestyle change

(23:36) Jared’s mindset shift in the present day

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

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

Understood 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