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Sarah welcomes ADHD coach Lisa Alecci back to discuss new insights on ADHD and hormones, including research linking estrogen to dopamine regulation and executive function changes during perimenopause and menopause. They explore how women with ADHD experience greater symptom severity (not more symptoms) during hormonal transitions, and how clinicians are increasingly adjusting treatment during pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. Lisa shares her "sandwich generation" reality—caring for a 92-year-old mother in assisted living while supporting adult children, grandchildren, and running a coaching practice—and explains how constant role-switching, decision fatigue, stress, and depleted emotional reserves can lead to overwhelm. She offers strategies like planning decisions ahead, building transition time, pausing to reflect and choose, recognizing cognitive/emotional/body warning signs, and prioritizing sustainable self-care through saying no, asking for help, simplifying, lowering standards temporarily, consistent medication, and scheduling recovery time.
00:00 Welcome Back Lisa
01:05 Hormones And Dopamine
02:25 Symptoms Get More Severe
03:22 Clinicians Finally Adapt
05:08 Sandwich Generation Life
06:49 Guilt And Overwhelm
09:09 Decide Ahead Of Time
10:56 Context Switching Burnout
13:51 Emotional Regulation Tax
16:10 Stress And Resilience
18:04 Starting Over Again
19:35 Self Compassion Shift
20:05 Decision Fatigue Costs
22:21 Pause Reflect Choose
23:40 Overwhelm Warning Signs
27:06 Irrational Anger Clues
28:47 Real Self Care Tools
33:02 No Done Only Stop
34:46 Acceptance In Phases
35:50 Liminal Space Mindset
36:54 Wrap Up And Connect
