ADHD in women is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or missed entirely.
In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Dall, a Grief-Informed Neurodivergence Specialist, educator, and founder of ADHD Holistically, joins us to explore what it really means to live with ADHD as a woman, especially when it shows up in ways that don’t match the stereotypes we’ve been taught to expect.
Dr. Dall shares how her work centers on what she calls “ADHD +1”, the reality that ADHD often exists alongside grief, stress, trauma, or other life experiences that shape how we move through the world.
Together, we talk about why so many women were overlooked in research, how internalized narratives like “lazy” or “too emotional” have shaped our self-perception, and what becomes possible when we begin to understand ourselves differently.
This conversation is for any woman who has ever wondered why things feel harder than they should or who is ready to replace self-criticism with clarity and compassion.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- Why ADHD in women has historically gone unrecognized
- How ADHD shows up differently in women (and why it’s often internal)
- The connection between ADHD, emotional sensitivity, and rejection
- What “ADHD plus one” means and why it matters
- The role of grief and life transitions in shaping our capacity
- Why diagnosis can be helpful—but not always necessary
- How to begin understanding your patterns with more self-trust
Whether or not you ever get a formal diagnosis, this episode offers something just as valuable:
✨ Ease in knowing that the exhaustion of masking isn't a personal failing, it's the cost of surviving in systems that were never built to notice you. Jen's story is permission to stop performing and start understanding yourself instead.
✨ Joy in watching a woman reclaim the very trait she was once criticized for. Jen calls her flexible thinking a superpower now, the same thing that used to be called a distraction. Chances are, you're carrying something similar: a trait that got labeled a flaw long before anyone considered it might be a strength.
✨ Impact in a truth that ripples well past one conversation: success doesn't require reaching everyone, just one person. Every woman in this community who names her own ADHD out loud makes it a little easier for the next woman to recognize hers.
✨ Self-trust in the years it can take to gather your own evidence before you trust it enough to act on it. Jen collected hers slowly: research, patterns, a student who reminded her of herself. Many of us are doing the same thing right now, in our own quieter ways. That slow, careful kind of self-trust counts just as much as the instant kind, and it deserves the same credit.
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✨ Join other smart, high-achieving women to rewrite the rules for how to love, lead, and succeed so you can live with more joy, ease, and abundance, even when life is tough.
🔗 Click here to join The Well Woman Academy™ group coaching program now! https://wellwomanlife.com/academy
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Resources Mentioned
Connect with Dr. Jennifer Dall
Connect with Giovanna
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