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A diagnosis doesn't give you a new brain. But it does turn the lights on, offer validation, and create a gateway to support and that changes everything.
Welcome to this week's More Yourself Monday episode. This week I'm sharing a conversation I had as a guest on The Hairy Chin Podcast, hosted by Spencer Moore, a patient advocate with over 30 years of experience navigating complex healthcare systems in the US and Spain.
Spencer's podcast is all about practical self-advocacy skills for women, and I loved being interviewed by her because she asked me things I don't always get to explore when I'm in the host seat. We ended up having a really open conversation about what it actually takes to get heard as a woman seeking an ADHD diagnosis, what that diagnosis does and doesn't change, and why so many of us have been quietly shrinking our ambitions when what we actually needed was flexibility, understanding and someone in our corner.
In this episode, we cover:
How I came to my own ADHD diagnosis at 40 while advocating for my daughter during lockdown
Why so many women experience pushback, dismissal or misdiagnosis before reaching an ADHD assessment
Practical tools for chronicling your symptoms and preparing for a doctor's appointment when your working memory is under pressure
Why a diagnosis is a gateway, not just a label, and how it opens the door to support you didn't know you could ask for
What diagnosis changes and what it doesn't, and why awareness is the most powerful tool of all
Why so many ADHD women have quietly shrunk their careers and ambitions, and what needs to change in workplaces
The nervous system as the foundation of everything: burnout, sustainability and how to start noticing your own triggers
Why perfectionism is often a mask, and how understanding ADHD can finally help us let it go
The importance of finding trusted resources and building a community when you feel alone with all of this
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome and introduction to this week's More Yourself episode
01:00 - Introducing The Hairy Chin Podcast and Spencer Moore
03:20 - How Kate's daughter's struggles during lockdown led to both of their diagnoses
08:00 - Advocating for yourself when the healthcare system doesn't lead the way
12:00 - How to prepare for a doctor's appointment when ADHD makes it hard to articulate your history
17:00 - Why a diagnosis matters, and what it actually unlocks
21:00 - What a diagnosis changes and what it doesn't: building scaffolding, not a new brain
27:00 - The expectations women bring to diagnosis, and how to manage them compassionately
32:00 - ADHD women in the workplace: burnout, downsizing and what needs to change
39:00 - The nervous system: capability vs sustainability
47:00 - Walking without your phone and other small nervous system resets
51:00 - Perfectionism, done is better than perfect, and the 2.0 version of yourself
56:00 - Trusted resources, the book and the More Yourself membership
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website here.
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Get my book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit (also available in ebook and audiobook) here
Join the More Yourself membership community here
Listen to The Hairy Chin Podcast here
Connect with Spencer Moore and The Hairy Chin on Instagram
Visit The Hairy Chin website: thehairychin.com
Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed women with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
