Hacking Your ADHD

• Navigating ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria with Jessica Summers

  Hey Team! Today I’m talking with Jessica Summers, a seasoned hypno-psychotherapist and the mind behind Hypnogenics. Jessica brings a unique blend of hypnotherapy and intuitive coaching, specifically tailored for individuals grappling with ADHD, autism, and high sensitivity. With her dual expertise in hypno-psychotherapy and energy coaching, Jessica has become a beacon for those seeking alternative therapeutic approaches. Now, I know the idea of hypnotherapy is not for everyone, and while traditional use of hypnotherapy is not specifically targeted for ADHD, it has been used to manage symptoms associated with ADHD, such as anxiety and stress management. So there's less direct research on hypnotherapy solely for ADHD symptom management, but it may help improve focus, reduce impulsivity, and enhance executive function through relaxation and stress reduction techniques - all stuff we’ll get into during the conversation. I just wanted to make sure I was up front about everything and didn’t want anyone to feel like I was being misleading with where there science currently stands. But really, the episode has a lot of focus on rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and while I know there are a lot of people who really resonate with this topic, it is again something that does not have a ton of research behind it yet. In the conversation, we explore this through the lens of the limbic system and how managing this brain region can profoundly impact ADHD symptoms and how we can work on helping deal with those RSD symptoms as well. I got a lot out of this conversation and felt Jessica’s perspective was enlightening, offering actionable advice and novel therapeutic options that could lead to a bit more balance to your ADHD treatment. Start Feedom today! Use code ADHD40 to get them 40% off a Freedom Yearly premium subscription! If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/220 YouTube Channel My Patreon This Episode's Top Tips Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is an intense emotional reaction to perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure, often experienced as sudden and overwhelming shame, panic, or sadness. It’s not just discomfort with rejection—it’s a limbic-driven response that can feel physically painful and can lead to avoidance, emotional outbursts, or withdrawal. We can think of the limbic system as the emotional and threat-processing part of the brain — it’s responsible for detecting danger and activating the fight, flight, or freeze response. But for people with ADHD (and especially those experiencing RSD), that system often gets stuck on high alert. When thinking about working on retraining your limbic system understand that it isn’t a quick fix and that it can take dedicated, intense work that isn’t always ADHD friendly. Focus on working using gentle, daily practices to create safety in your body, working on understanding your nervous system, and offering yourself neutral truths instead of judgment (such as “New things can feel uncomfortable sometimes”). The goal isn’t to override the response with willpower — it’s to help your brain feel safe enough to listen.

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• The Optimization Trap with Jaye Lin

  This week I’m talking with Jaye Lin — ADHD podcaster and community builder — who brings a uniquely grounded perspective on what it actually takes to work with our brains instead of constantly trying to outsmart them. I got to know Jaye at the 2024 ADHD Conference in Anaheim, where we met at a party hosted by the Attention Different crew (that’s an upcoming podcast with them as well). It was great because I had already been introduced to Jaye through her excellent podcast on Understood.org Tips From an ADHD Coach on the MissUnderstood: ADHD in Women channel. And it turns out she’s been a long-time listener of this show, so some great serendipity with us running into each other. Jaye is a former Google Administrative Business Partner, where she co-founded the ADHD-Women@Google employee resource group and became their first ADHD-trained peer coach. She has recently returned to corporate life but is still coaching, advocating and podcasting on the side. In our conversation, Jaye walks us through the concept of the Optimization Trap — a sneaky little loop that many ADHDers fall into where we spend so much time planning and perfecting an idea that we burn out before we ever start. We get into why finishing often matters more than perfecting, the cognitive cost of creative over-planning. We also talk about how optimization shows up in everyday life: at work, in relationships, when packing for a trip, or even when choosing a podcast mic. Start Feedom today! Use code ADHD40 to get them 40% off a Freedom Yearly premium subscription! If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/219 YouTube Channel My Patreon This Episode's Top Tips Optimize for completion, not perfection. Focus on what will get the task done, not the flashiest or most complex version of it. Try setting a timer for the planning phase. If you are having trouble with optimization, try giving yourself a set amount of time, maybe an hour, so you don’t get stuck endlessly researching or brainstorming. Be sure to schedule regular reevaluations of your planning. We don’t want to get stuck with an outdated plan that we’re not really using. Make time by putting it in your calendar to reassess whether your current path is still the one you want to be on.

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• You Might Also Like: Climbing the Walls from Understood.org

  In this episode, we’re doing something a little different. I want to play you an episode of another show that I think you will like. It’s called Climbing the Walls. This 6-part series investigates why women with ADHD have gone undiagnosed for so long… and how that changed dramatically during the pandemic, when the diagnosis of ADHD in women skyrocketed. The show asks: why women? Why now? How has underdiagnosis impacted women’s mental health? I checked out the first episode, and I know I’m supposed to say something professional here, but honestly, my first thoughts were, “Oh my god, this is so good.” Understood sent me the first two episodes to listen to and… now I’m just going to have the wait for the rest of the series to come out, because this is definitely something worth listening to and I just can’t wait to get to the next episode. If you’re a woman with ADHD, this is a series you’re going to want to catch, and even if you’re not, it’s still worth it.   Be sure to subscribe to Climbing The Walls wherever you get your podcasts!

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• Late Diagnosis & Self-Compassion, Rethinking your ADHD with Kate Moryoussef

  Hey Team! Today's episode is all about navigating ADHD as a late-diagnosed adult—especially for women who have spent years pushing through life without realizing why things felt so much harder. I’m talking with Kate Moryoussef, a UK-based ADHD coach who was diagnosed at 40 and has since made it her mission to help women work with their brains, not against them. She hosts The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast and her upcoming book is The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, where she dives deep into strategies for managing ADHD beyond just productivity hacks. In this conversation, we get into the realities of late diagnosis, why ADHD in women is often overlooked, and how hormones can throw an extra curveball into the mix. Kate shares her personal journey of discovering ADHD through her daughter’s assessment, and we talk about how self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and finding the right support can make a huge difference. There’s a lot here about understanding ADHD as a whole-body experience—not just something that affects focus or productivity. This is another one where I had the wrong mic set up, so apologizes for that. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/218 YouTube Channel My Patreon Suscribe to the newsletter here! This Episode's Top Tips Especially for women, work on understanding the role of hormones. ADHD symptoms can intensify during certain phases of the menstrual cycle or perimenopause, and awareness of these fluctuations can help with better self-regulation. And, hey, ADHD men, you also have hormones that can fluctuate. Instead of constantly pushing yourself to meet neurotypical expectations, recognizing that ADHD comes with different needs can be a game-changer. Avoid forcing yourself into rigid productivity schedules, and try to recognize your natural rhythms to make work and life feel easier. Finding ADHD-friendly ways to approach tasks (instead of just trying to "be more disciplined") leads to better long-term success. You don’t have to overhaul your entire life—focusing on little shifts, like setting boundaries or adjusting your expectations, can create lasting improvements.

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• Meditation Misconceptions and ADHD Realities with Kelly Smith

  Hey Team! In this episode, I'm sitting down with Kelly Smith, a yoga and meditation teacher who has ADHD herself and has guided over 23 million meditations through her incredibly popular podcast, Mindful In Minutes. Kelly walks us through why meditation is especially beneficial for the ADHD brain, what to realistically expect from starting a meditation practice, and how even just a few minutes a day can sharpen your focus, reduce impulsivity, and make executive functioning a bit less exhausting. We explore practical advice on how to start meditating, even when you’re convinced it’s not your thing, and break down the misconceptions that keep a lot of us with ADHD from ever even giving meditation a try. Kelly shares her insights on the best meditation styles for ADHD brains and introduces us to practices like yoga nidra that go beyond the mat and offer deep restorative rest—something I’m pretty sure we all could use more of. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/217 YouTube Channel My Patreon This Episode's Top Tips Start small and aim for just 5-8 minutes of meditation daily. Research shows even short practices can significantly benefit the ADHD brain. Choose a simple focus, like your breath or a body scan, to help redirect your wandering mind. Remember, meditation isn't about silencing thoughts. Accept that distractions will happen, and when you notice them, just gently try to bring your attention back to the practice itself. Try performing regular mindful check-ins by simply pausing, taking a breath, and asking yourself honestly, "How am I doing right now?”

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