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ADHD Aha!

Listen to people share candid stories about the moment it clicked that they, or someone they know, has ADHD. Host Laura Key, who’s had her own ADHD “aha” moment, chats with guests about common topics like ADHD and shame, mental health challenges, and more. Through heartfelt interviews, listeners learn about the unexpected, emotional, and even funny ways ADHD symptoms surface for kids and adults.

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Latest episodes

April 30, 2024

Author Ellyce Fulmore struggled with impulsive spending and doing basic daily tasks during the pandemic. The pain of coping with that led to her ADHD diagnosis.

April 16, 2024

ADHD coach Jaye Lin was a gifted kid with undiagnosed ADHD. Now, she’s building communities and helping others cope with ADHD burnout.

April 2, 2024

Writer Paulette Perhach had money coming in but struggled to keep it in her bank account. An ADHD diagnosis brought her struggles into perspective.

March 19, 2024

Eye to Eye founder David Flink is fighting the “just try harder” myth surrounding ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning and thinking differences.

March 5, 2024

Peter Jones used to feel better saying he had a hearing problem rather than considering ADHD. Now, he knows he has ADHD and isn't afraid to say it.

February 20, 2024

Before her ADHD diagnosis, ADHD coach Emily Weinberg thought she was just lazy. But in reality she was stuck in “analysis paralysis.”

Carol Blumenstein was called an unteachable student. Now, she knows she has ADHD and dyslexia, and supports her five kids who learn differently, too.

January 23, 2024

Executive coach, actor, and former criminal defense attorney Ernest Anemone shares his ADHD story — and why he questions the term attention deficit.

January 9, 2024

ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can look similar. And they can morph into what Hannah calls “a trauma ball of blame.”

December 26, 2023

Livingston Steele was diagnosed with ADHD about a year into working at Understood.org. His experience and work have given him immense empathy for people with ADHD.

December 12, 2023

Wendy Zanders is a decluttering coach with ADHD. Find out how she got into organizing, and get a few tips for yourself.

November 28, 2023

After treating her depression, Sam Salmons felt “fixed, but still broken.” Then her therapist saw her pattern of impulsivity and suggested an ADHD test.

November 14, 2023

Mananya Komorowski thought she was just a quirky leader. Then her grief counselor recommended she get tested for ADHD.

October 31, 2023

Dr. Johnathan Flowers was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. As an adult, he thought it had just “gone away.” But then he hit a wall.

October 17, 2023

Before getting treated for ADHD, actor Oliver Vaquer had a hard time paying attention to just about everything — and he’d lie to cover it up.

October 3, 2023

The creator of "The Anti-Planner" activity book shares her take on ADHD and laziness, procrastination, friendship, and more.

September 19, 2023

Let’s talk about executive function and ADHD. Expert Dr. Karen Wilson unpacks the types of skills under the executive function umbrella.

September 5, 2023

Getting diagnosed with ADHD (along with anxiety and panic disorder) helped Weston be kinder to himself and accept his ADHD brain for how it works. 

August 22, 2023

Max Willey’s ADHD diagnosis has led him to a more stable life — and to seeing ADHD as a “glorious curse,” with downsides and upsides.

August 8, 2023

Allison O’Keefe worried she annoyed her friends — only for one friend to confirm that feeling. But has her recent ADHD diagnosis changed how she sees herself?

July 25, 2023

Adam Sosnik was diagnosed with ADHD after 15 years of therapy and wrong diagnoses. It clarified a lot about his life, but it didn’t solve everything.

July 11, 2023

Josh Maxwell is a pediatrician with ADHD. An experience with a patient, and his own experience with depression, paved the way for his ADHD diagnosis.

June 27, 2023

We break down five common negative terms ADHD Aha! guests use to describe themselves, and what we can learn from them.

June 13, 2023

Max Siegel talks about ADHD fears and myths and how they’re similar to what he encountered when he came out as transgender.

May 30, 2023

ADHD coach Cathy Rashidian climbed the corporate ladder for 20 years. Then two major life events brought her ADHD symptoms into focus.

May 16, 2023

Henry Lang was diagnosed with ADHD in high school. Now, Henry is a teacher dedicating his career to teaching and lifting up kids with ADHD.

May 2, 2023

Mallory Band was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety at age 8. Now she’s an executive function coach who helps people with ADHD cope with imposter syndrome and more.

April 27, 2023

In this bonus episode, Dr. Roberto Olivardia talks about the link between ADHD and eating disorders, and where people can turn for support.

April 18, 2023

ADHD advocate and Black Girl Lost Keys creator René Brooks shares her multiple ADHD diagnosis stories and unpacks the idea of ADHD as a superpower.

April 4, 2023

Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist with ADHD. While he was learning about ADHD for his career, the symptoms felt a little too familiar.

March 28, 2023

Laura talks with film writer and editor Ariel Fisher about Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once and its many connections to ADHD.

March 21, 2023

Didn’t organize; only moved: Shaun’s doom bags tipped him off to his trouble with organization and other ADHD symptoms.

March 7, 2023

Tony Tran could focus on his job, but not schoolwork. It turns out he had ADHD all along. Now, he’s grieving “lost time” and considering the ADHD tax.

February 21, 2023

John Hazelwood, who has ADHD, co-founded the Men’s ADHD Support Group, an organization aimed at helping men with ADHD find community and acceptance.

February 7, 2023

From a very young age, Emily’s son would have meltdowns and get intensely angry. He was also really bright.

January 24, 2023

Nabil Abdulrashid was diagnosed with ADHD in Nigeria when he was 6 years old. Now, his ADHD brain gives him an advantage in his comedy career.

January 10, 2023

How might ADHD affect your sex life? Find out from sex therapist Catie Osborn on this bonus episode.

January 10, 2023

Catie Osborn’s ADHD flew under the radar until her late 20s, when she experienced a hormone shift that made her ADHD symptoms much more noticeable.

December 20, 2022

Women & ADHD podcast host Katy Weber felt like she was in suspended animation during the pandemic. Then she learned about executive function.

December 6, 2022

Jenny Lorenzo was diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic. Now she knows how her brain works, and she fends off ADHD erasure daily. 

November 22, 2022

Voice actor and theme park performer Yinan Shentu nails what ADHD sounds like. Hear how he re-read a sentence so many times that he knew he had ADHD.

November 8, 2022

An ADHD diagnosis helped Ange Nolan understand her intense romantic relationships and career hopping. Find out what led to her ADHD evaluation.

October 25, 2022

Eric Tivers, host of ADHD reWired, struggled with grades as a kid and young adult. Then came his ADHD “aha” moment while on a dinner date in college.

October 11, 2022

People with ADHD are more likely to be bullied than others. Laura and Dr. Andy Kahn discuss why, and they hear a few stories from former guests.

September 27, 2022

Miya Kofo is a high school student with ADHD and star of our “Be the Reason” campaign. Her dad taught her she can accomplish anything with ADHD.

September 13, 2022

Erin Lazoen is a listener who wrote in about her “aha!” moment. Diagnosed as a child, she realized ADHD was still with her during the pandemic.

August 30, 2022

Kenny Friedman is a creative director with ADHD. ADHD-related boredom is his superpower.

August 16, 2022

Rebecca is a high achiever who’s always pushed herself to work around and compensate for her ADHD challenges. And yet she still thought she was lazy.

August 2, 2022

Dr. Sasha Hamdani didn’t know about her ADHD diagnosis for about a decade. She now specializes in ADHD, and battles the stigma that comes with it.

July 19, 2022

Jon Gardea has ADHD, and his wife Rachel doesn’t. Hear how ADHD impacts their marriage, and how leaving the Mormon church prompted Jon’s ADHD discovery.

July 5, 2022

Host Laura Key and the team share ADHD stories from listeners who have written in.

June 21, 2022

Jake always wondered why he had trouble managing emotions and why he struggled to keep friends. Then his mom got diagnosed with ADHD.

June 7, 2022

Kai thought she was doing a good job masking her ADHD symptoms, like distractibility. Then her friend called her out.

May 24, 2022

Host Laura Key shares a recording of the best explanation of ADHD she’s ever heard.

May 10, 2022

Marc-André Leclerc was a skilled rock climber and alpinist. He’s the subject of a Netflix documentary, The Alpinist. Listen to an interview with his mother.

April 26, 2022

Justen Scott has had trouble focusing since high school. When others in the military started to notice, he knew it was time to get evaluated for ADHD.

April 12, 2022

Nurse Practitioner Dr. Kojo Sarfo's “aha” moment was unexpected. Now, he connects with millions of followers on social media about mental health.

March 29, 2022

Both Lacey and her daughter have ADHD, but their ADHD symptoms show up in different ways.

March 15, 2022

Pablo’s wife noticed his ADHD-related struggles. And he shares a unique bond with his daughter, who has autism.

March 1, 2022

Jeannie talks through the executive function challenges she faces when she tries to tidy and clean up.

February 15, 2022

Peach continued to struggle at work after getting sober. That’s when they decided to get evaluated for ADHD.

February 1, 2022

Yasmeen would always wait until the last minute to do homework and assignments. Then came college, and Yasmeen couldn’t skate by anymore.

January 18, 2022

Emily would hide the ADHD symptoms that made them feel like a failure to their traditional Asian family. Getting an ADHD diagnosis changed that.

January 4, 2022

Kevin’s ADHD diagnosis was hidden from him as a child. Hear how he finally found out he has ADHD.

December 21, 2021

Writer and mom of four Jen Barton was looking under every rock for an answer to her disorganization and chaos. What she found was ADHD.

December 7, 2021

Chris seems calm on the outside. But on the inside, he feels “like a volcano.” Often his only relief is going to the gym — to the point of obsession.

November 23, 2021

Michelle started to notice her own ADHD symptoms when her son got evaluated. And they’re bonded by their shared challenges and strengths. 

November 9, 2021

Ever since James Tai’s son was diagnosed with ADHD in preschool, he’s faced an internal struggle: Where to draw the line between discipline and letting go.

October 26, 2021

Olivia’s hyperactivity often got her in trouble at school. She was called “disruptive” and a “troublemaker.” Hear from Olivia, who also has depression, in this episode.

October 12, 2021

Getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult during the pandemic helped Scott make sense of his childhood. Hear about his “light bulb” moment.

September 28, 2021

Single mom Andrea was confused by daughter Tatiana’s intense, hyperactive behavior as a child. Hear about her “OMG” moment.

September 28, 2021

Host Laura Key shares her own “aha” moment in this first-ever episode of ADHD Aha! Amanda Morin interviews.

Host

  • Laura Key

    is executive director of editorial at Understood and host of the “ADHD Aha!” podcast.

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