Behind the research: What our team discovered about the power of podcasts for women with ADHD

“I spent a life not knowing that I was either ADHD or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) ... Went to some psychiatrists, went to some doctors, and then they said, ‘Oh no, you cannot be ADHD. This is, uh, kid stuff. Oh no, you’re a woman. You cannot have ADHD.’”

That’s how one woman, diagnosed at 47, described her experience with ADHD. It’s not a rare story. 

For decades, ADHD research has centered young boys. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD about twice as often as girls are. As girls with ADHD grow up, they’re often left navigating a complicated health care system. That can add to stigma, misunderstanding, and misdiagnoses. So Understood.org’s Applied Research and Evaluation team set out to understand where women with ADHD turn instead. The answer included podcasts. 

We sat down with Dr. Ann Bennett, Understood’s associate director of applied research and evaluation, and her co-researcher Dr. Kate Ames, researcher at Torrens University Australia, to talk about how this first-of-its-kind study came together, what surprised them along the way, and what we can learn from it.

Ann: Before Understood, I studied afterschool programs and how marginalized communities responded when their children’s schools left gaps in their education. When I joined Understood and learned about our podcasts, I saw a similar pattern. Afterschool programs fill gaps left by school systems. Podcasts fill gaps left by health care, especially for women. 

I thought podcasts could offer support for women with ADHD when traditional systems didn’t. And I wanted to understand what that support really meant for them. 

Kate: I started in radio, studying how hosts build community through storytelling for my PhD. That led me to podcasts — how they create personal learning and a sense of connection. I listen for hours a day, on commutes and walks. I kept noticing how moved I felt, and how often that feeling pushed me to act. That felt worth exploring.

Kate: We know people listen to podcasts. We wanted to know why. That called for an “explanatory” research approach: surveys first, to establish who was listening and why, especially among the audience we were interested in: women with ADHD. 

From there, we wanted to understand where podcasts fit into their lives, so we offered interviews or journal submissions, whichever felt comfortable. That put the power of engagement in their hands.

Ann: And we were overwhelmed by the response: 

• 424 surveys completed by women with ADHD who listened to Understood’s podcasts ADHD Aha! and/or The ADHD Channel for Women (formerly MissUnderstood)

• 29 interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes

• 7 video or written journal entries

The goal was to explore the role of podcasts in health literacy, self-perception, and thriving.

Ann: I knew late diagnosis is common for women with ADHD. Our research already showed that. But hearing it firsthand still surprised me. My own diagnosis came in my late 20s. Some of the women we spoke with were diagnosed in their 50s and 60s, even though they’d sensed something was different since childhood. I can’t imagine living undiagnosed for 50 years before getting any support or even an acknowledgment of my ADHD.

Kate: While they did exist, I expected more stories about women not being taken seriously by doctors. Instead, I heard about real, positive conversations, where something a woman learned from a podcast became a starting point for talking with her provider. That challenged my assumptions but was a really interesting finding in how podcasts served as an opener to better professional care for these women.

Ann: There wasn’t a single moment. All of the women I spoke to told powerful stories about womanhood and ADHD. What has stayed with me is how very emotional the interview experience was for so many of the women involved, myself included. We laughed about ADHD misunderstandings, cried over rejection, and felt angry about navigating a world and systems that weren’t built for us. 

There was one interview, in particular, where I just sat in silence after, thinking about all the ways people had let that woman down over her lifetime. I’m grateful that every one of these women trusted me with her story. Kate: One participant’s journal entry was a 40-minute video of her talking through her ADHD journey. It was such a strong signal of how important it is to give people space to talk about their experiences. She was so grateful someone was listening. I felt genuinely moved listening to her.

Kate: That well-produced and credible podcasts can help them support and inform women with ADHD, and can be a legitimate partner in ADHD management. 

Ann: To build on Kate’s answer, when we say “well-produced and credible,” we mean podcasts produced by and for women with ADHD that combine expert-backed guidance with human storytelling. Each of those pieces really matters.

Kate: That stigma and stereotypes around ADHD are challenged, and that women’s experiences with ADHD are taken seriously. 

Ann: I agree. Clinical research matters, but we shouldn’t discount women’s own stories. They deserve to be heard, and I hope more researchers start listening to them. 

Thank you to the women who participated in this study. If you’re interested in learning more about the study’s findings, how podcasts help women understand themselves, find connection, and move from coping to thriving, read more here.