It’s one thing to wonder if you have ADHD. It’s another to read how your loved ones see it in you.

Host Laura Key talks with writer, director, and performer Kate Hammer, who was born in Canada and now lives in Scotland. Kate shares her experience navigating the U.K.’s ADHD evaluation process, which includes personal letters from family and friends, and the complex emotions it brought up.

She also discusses her short film, Bear, a surreal, funny, and poignant look at how ADHD can shadow your every move. In the film, a woman on her way to a job interview is followed by a bumbling bear — clumsy, loud, and impossible to ignore. The Bear represents ADHD in all its disruptive, intrusive glory. Kate talks about why she chose to visualize ADHD this way, how humor helps her process, and what it means to turn something invisible into something you can’t ignore.

Related resources

• Kate’s short film Bear trailer
• Kate’s full short film Bear (Password: BossJude)

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:03) The UK ADHD evaluation process

(07:26) What ADHD traits cause Kate shame and guilt?

(08:44) Kate’s short film Bear

(16:58) Validating the challenges of ADHD through her short film

(21:27) Kate’s ADHD aha! moment(s)

(23:05) Outro and credits

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

Magician and speaker John Michael Hinton grew up full of energy. As a kid, he lived abroad and stood out for his high energy. His parents noticed early on that caffeine seemed to calm him down, a clue that something deeper might be going on.

John Michael — who performs a few magic tricks in the episode! — talks with host Laura Key about how things fell apart academically in his freshman year of high school, leading to a 1.7 GPA. An ADHD diagnosis helped him get the support he needed. The biggest turning point came thanks to a mentor who encouraged him to stop living in “Ready, FIRE, Aim” mode and start thinking “Ready, AIM, Fire.”

Now a husband and father of three (all with ADHD, too), John Michael explains how ADHD fuels his creativity, curiosity, and performance style.

Related resources

• John Michael’s website, www.johnmichaelhinton.com
• ADHD and creativity
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:01) Growing up undiagnosed while moving around internationally, and being diagnosed in the states as a teenager

(06:19) College, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and creativity

(09:01) Magic trick break #1

(11:15) ADHD and performing magic on stage

(13:15) Being remembered as the “weird kid” and using mentors to mature

(16:12) “Ready, aim, fire” instead of “Ready, fire, aim”

(17:50) Magic trick break #2

(19:15) Incorporating ADHD into his magic acts

(21:13) Home life with an entire ADHD family

(22:42) A message to all the other “spazzes” out there

(25:19) Outro and credits

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

For most of her life, Jiyoung An believed her struggles came down to laziness or lack of effort. Even after her ADHD diagnosis less than a year ago, she questioned whether she was just making excuses and using ADHD “as a crutch.”

In this week’s episode, Jiyoung shares how her perspective has changed. She’s unlearning internalized shame and now sees her brain for what it truly is: different, not broken.

Related resources

• What is growth mindset?
• What does thriving with ADHD actually look like?

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(00:46) What was happening before Jiyoung sought out an ADHD evaluation this year?

(03:00) Jiyoung’s 3 different psychiatrists’ opinions

(04:24) Falling into hustle culture before diagnosis, and being hard on herself

(07:24) Jiyoung’s journey to accepting her ADHD label

(11:07) How frustrating it can be to not have solutions to all of her ADHD challenges

(13:08) Perfectionism and comparing yourself to others

(16:50) Jiyoung’s experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD

(19:25) Noticing ADHD in her little sister

(21:22) What ADHD traits Jiyoung struggles with the most

(25:08) Credits

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