At the end of my conversation with Dr. Michelle Frank we started talking about what to call this podcast episode. And she said, “It’s not just about ADHD, it’s about your life.”
YOUR life. The reader or the listener. So I stole her idea.
Because Dr. Frank is a smart girl, and smart girls with ADHD need to stick together.
In the new book, A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD, Dr. Frank and Sari Solden provide a path to untangling your identity from the diagnosis of ADHD.
The book is not about,”fixing” ADHD, it’s about your life and finding a way to live the most authentic, empowered version of that life.
Neurodiversity in Women
We have come a loooong way. But there is still a ton of confusion around ADHD and neurodiversity in women.
We need more research into hormones, and gender roles, and all the things. And we will get there with the help of pioneers like Sari, Dr. Frank, and my friend Terry Matlen.
In the meantime, many of us are left feeling alone and overwhelmed trying to put into words what the struggle feels like.
This book and the important conversations that come from it are going to be the driving force for change.
Therapy and Doing the Work
You cannot deal with the practical stuff, and apply strategies to your day-to-day life, if you haven’t dealt with the emotional stuff that is always there under the surface. I’ve said this 1,000,000 times and I’ll say it again.
Real healing requires us to take what Dr. frank calls a, “deep dive” into all of the negative self-talk and the complex interplay between our life experiences, gender roles, and our own behavior.
My experience of recording and prepping this podcast is the perfect example of limiting beliefs in action.
Immediately after we recorded I started hearing that familiar voice in my head telling me that the entire conversation made me sound like a moron. So I emailed Dr. Frank and apologized for my lack of interview skills.
She graciously responded that she would do whatever was necessary to make it work.
While editing I realized that that voice in my head was there because I still have mind drama around the diagnosis, my ability to create valuable content, and most of all…my fear of being SEEN.
This fear of being seen is at the heart of so many of my own (and other ADHD women’s) limiting beliefs.
In this thoughtful conversation about life for ADHD women you will hear:
-
Dr. Frank’s feelings about ADHD as a gift or a curse
-
The importance of acknowledging ADHD and other invisible conditions
-
The concept of realistic hope
-
The belief that we are not enough, or we are too much
-
My meltdown after giving birth
-
The role of gender in our expectations for ourselves
-
Realizing you are not a burden, and it’s ok to take up space in the world
-
Misunderstandings about therapy and other support
-
Common relationship issues in, “mixed” couples
Here is an affiliate link to the book. (See my full disclosure)
Link to Dr. Frank and Sari Solden’s website
