Hypercast: An ADHD Podcast
Hypercast is your companion through the world of ADHD, offering an authentic and engaging look at life with ADHD. Join ADHD coaches Melissa and Brianna as they navigate the complexities of ADHD with heart, humor, and expert insights. From discussions on the latest research to personal stories of triumphs and struggles, Hypercast delves deep into every facet of ADHD.
Whether you're newly diagnosed, a long-time ADHDer, or someone who loves and supports an ADHDer, this podcast is for you. We explore a variety of topics, from ADHD relationships, late diagnosis, and co-occurring conditions to practical advice on everyday challenges.
Hypercast provides a supportive space for open, honest, and well-informed conversations about ADHD, including the cultural misconceptions and stigmas surrounding it. Melissa and Brianna share strategies, tools, and encouragement to help listeners thrive and navigate a world not built for their neurodivergent minds.
Tune in for insightful discussions, real-life experiences, and resources to help you along the ADHD journey, and know you're not alone. Hypercast is your auditory haven, bringing community and understanding to every episode.
Hypercast: An ADHD Podcast
Welcome to Hypercast : Embracing the ADHD Journey Together
Unravel the complexities of ADHD with us, Melissa, an ADHD Coach, and Brianna, an ADHD Coach and soon-to-be therapist, as we share insights from our personal and professional experiences. We join forces to shed light on this often misunderstood disorder and extend our empathy and understanding to those navigating its challenges. Tune in to Hypercast to hear us dissect all things ADHD. We're here to correct the misconceptions and offer a judgment-free zone for individuals navigating the waters of ADHD.
Life with ADHD is far from a straight path—it's a journey with twists, turns, and roadblocks that many can't see. In this episode, Melissa and Brianna get vulnerable about the emotional roller coaster that accompanies ADHD. We share stories that exemplify the internal battles of fitting into a society that doesn't always understand the nuances of neurodivergence. We also emphasize the importance of fostering self-awareness and resilience in the face of such challenges.
Embarking on this journey, we invite you to join our ongoing conversation, a space where shared stories and support thrive. Whether you're seeking a sense of community or a friendly voice that "gets it," we're here to walk this path with you. We're not just a podcast, we're a community of individuals who understand and support each other. Remember to subscribe for a series filled with heartfelt discussions, practical tips, and the occasional laugh as we explore the multifaceted world of ADHD together.
Melissa's Contact:
Email: melissa@likemindcoaching.com
www.likemindcoaching.com
Brianna's Contact:
Email: info@understandingadhd.ca
www.understandingADHD.ca
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This is the part that is stressful for me. I can talk about ADHD all day long, but, like hi, welcome to the we have to keep remembering.
Melissa:It doesn't need to be perfect and it can change and get better over time.
Brianna:It's not perfect the first time, why do we even bother doing it?
Melissa:I know I will just close my computer right now.
Brianna:Okay, we'll just quit.
Melissa:That sounds good If it's not perfect, we're just going to leave. Oh, friend, quit, that sounds good. If it's not perfect, we're just going to leave. Hello and welcome to Hypercast, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of ADHD with heart, humor and a heap of expert insights.
Brianna:I'm Melissa, an ADHD coach, passionate about helping individuals navigate the complexities of ADHD, and I'm Brianna I too, am an ADHD coach, and I am also a psychologist and soon-to-be therapist, focusing on how ADHD impacts every aspect of our lives. Together, we're here to unpack everything ADHD from the latest research to living and thriving with ADHD. So, whether you're newly diagnosed, a long-time ADHD-er or someone who loves an ADHDer, this podcast is for you. Welcome to Hypercast.
Melissa:Welcome to the podcast. This is going to be very messy. This is our first podcast. To get things rolling, Brianna, can you give us a breakdown of what ADHD is and a little bit about its history?
Brianna:I would love to Alyssa what is ADHD? Attention Deficit, hyperactivity Disorder Is that the best name for it? No, it was named by some people who basically decided that it was can't sit still disorder. It was causing problems, and so now it's a diagnosis. A bit about the history that I find super interesting. It used to be called a defect of moral control, not fun and joyous. Defective moral control Not fun and joyous. Yeah, there used to be three subtypes that have now been renamed as presentations. So there's predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive, a children's disease. For a really long time it was thought that you couldn't have it into adulthood. I have been told as recently as last year, that women and adults couldn't possibly have ADHD, and I don't think they've ever seen anyone with ADHD, because it's very evident that I have it, anyone with ADHD, because it's very evident that I have it.
Melissa:One of the first times I noticed you is when you raised your hand in class when I said I feel like a unicorn because I am a woman with ADHD with a capital H and you're like me too. There's not a lot of us, but yeah, but there is a bit of stigma with that capital H, the hyperactivity, yeah.
Brianna:I mean predominantly women tend to have the inattentive type. They tend to be daydreamers, chatterboxes like internal hyperactivity, which is why there's no ADD anymore. Everyone has the H part, just in women it tends to be more internalized. That's partly genetic, partly due to societal pressure. Is there a gender-specific piece to that? Maybe?
Melissa:Well, let's change course a little bit here. We have seen an increase in the diagnosis of ADHD recently. Social media has definitely had a great impact on getting information out there. I think some of the information is great, some of it's not. On getting information out there, I think some of the information is great, some of it's not. Some of it, I think, is further fueling the misconceptions that we have about ADHD as a society.
Brianna:Yeah, absolutely yeah, the internet is a huge help and hindrance. It's both the fact that I didn't really have to explain what ADHD was at the beginning of the show. Everyone knows now, and that is due to the internet. It's due to awareness campaigns, it's due to people trying to get more awareness, more funding, more understanding, and it's working. On the flip side of that, there is now a lot of unregulated information about what ADHD is and isn't, and how it looks and how it presents, and you have to take your information with a grain of salt.
Brianna:We do, you and I try and present information that is accurate, to the best of our knowledge, but not everyone on the internet is as ethical as we are. There are some people who may be presenting false information or have some kind of ulterior motive, especially surrounding medication. Stimulant medication is a very stigmatized topic on the internet, and people are often promoting alternative treatments that have less regulation, not to say that alternative treatments are not an option. You just have to be careful and consult with your doctor before taking the word of someone on the internet.
Melissa:If I remember correctly, the current gold standard in treating ADHD is a combination of three things medication, exercise and therapy, and or ADHD coaching.
Brianna:Not everyone has to be on stimulant medication. Full disclosure I am I am a supporter of stimulant medication. I think it is, like you said, the gold standard for treatment. It's definitely helped me in my life function better. But if that's not for you, if there's some reason you can't take it, there is non-stimulant options. But yeah, you're absolutely right, a big piece of ADHD is, or managing with ADHD, is learning those coping strategies, is going to therapy to manage the emotion dysregulation, is doing coaching to help achieve your goals, because ADHD impacts every single aspect of your life communication, relationship with partners, your employment, your schooling, like everything, is impacted by ADHD and you have to be able to develop skills and tools to manage that in a world that's not built for you. Absolutely a combination. And you mentioned exercise. That is huge. Exercise creates dopamine. Dopamine is the thing we're lacking. It is such a huge tool in regulating our ADHD.
Melissa:Going back a bit, we were discussing ADHD in social media and pop culture this week. I was listening to a podcast of a studio recorded show. The host, a person who I really, really love and admire, made a joke and mentioned the recent shortages of Adderall. The entire audience reacted by giggling and jeering. I was so sad hearing this reaction and I was reminded of the stigma around ADHD medication.
Brianna:Yeah, it's really upsetting. Still, to this day, there are people who believe that vaccines cause autism and, in the same vein, there are people who believe that stimulant medication is meth. It's not, it is absolutely not, and there's this one person who said it. And now groups of people have latched onto this concept that it's unsafe, that we're drugging our kids, that it's overdiagnosed, that people are just going to doctors to get prescriptions for addictive drugs.
Melissa:If it was addictive, I wouldn't forget to take it or pick up the prescription or get the prescription.
Brianna:The stigma persists everywhere. It is a huge problem and it prevents people from getting the help and treatment that they need.
Melissa:The misconceptions and misinformation about ADHD medications are not the only misconceptions about ADHD out there. Social media is flooded with ADHD memes and self-proclaimed ADHD experts. What have your experiences been with the misconceptions about ADHD? They can be harmful.
Brianna:They can absolutely be harmful. Yeah, misconceptions lead to misunderstandings, lead to discrimination, lead to potentially ableism. Misconceptions that I've seen would be things like oh you're just lazy, you can't sit, still can't focus that squirrel meme, which I think is deeply amusing, because sometimes it's true, but that's when you believe that is all that ADHD is. That's when it becomes harmful. There have definitely been moments where I've just looked over there and there's been a dog and lost track of the conversation.
Melissa:A few months ago, when I was ice skating, there was the most adorable golden retriever at the side of the and time and then progressing to the harm piece of that is it can actually build up and cause little t trauma.
Brianna:If you're being told that you are lazy, you're not meeting your potential, why can't you do this? Everyone else is doing this and it's so easy for everyone else. Why is it so hard for you? Why are you struggling with this? Why can't you do this? Why can't you do that? It becomes internalized and you start to believe that you are a failure, that you cannot do these things, that you're different or you're broken.
Melissa:And of course, that becomes the predominant thought that sticks in your mind and it cycles and sometimes becomes the only thing that you can think about, and it may become the way you identify yourself.
Brianna:Yeah, and that leads to the depression, leads to the anxiety, leads to people pleasing behaviors. And let me say that being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, in a world that is not built for you, it's not built by you, it's not built to support you, is inherently traumatizing.
Melissa:You are in an abusive relationship with the world, because the world is not there with its arms wide open waiting to welcome you. No, it is actively trying to keep you down. You were saying that ADHD is not necessarily the squirrel meme that we see on social media, but what does it look like in everyday life? It?
Brianna:can look different in different people. It looks different in different people, which is why there's been lack of diagnosis. It is not simply what the DSM has told you it is. It is not just like careless schoolwork, trouble holding attention, doesn't listen to when spoken to, easily distracted, forgetful, fidgeting, squirming, talks, excessively. It is that. That's the diagnostic criteria. That's how you see the symptoms and you get diagnosed. But it is so much deeper than that. The executive function piece and the emotion dysregulation piece, I believe, are two of the biggest things that are often overlooked.
Melissa:ADHD is so incredibly variable it's not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. Every single person with ADHD has their own struggles and definitely their own strengths.
Brianna:Yeah, that's a key thing to point out. It is definitely not a one-size-fits-all. Everyone has different presentations, different symptoms and, like we mentioned earlier, it changes for individuals. Even in the individual it doesn't look the same day to day.
Melissa:Yeah, and even from childhood to adulthood as we grew older, we gain coping mechanisms, our brain matures. So the way we present at 10 years old, 12 years old, is not how we're going to present at 20, 30, 40, etc. Yeah, yeah.
Brianna:I should also mention it doesn't get better. Adhd does not get better. It actually gets worse as we age. But we just develop more coping mechanisms and we have more ability to navigate ourselves in the world. The emotion regulation piece does get easier to handle, but the rest of it gets harder because you now have real adult decisions with real consequences.
Melissa:Oh, you mean responsibility.
Brianna:Yeah. Responsibility, yeah, whereas in childhood your executive dysfunction was not being taxed as much, and in adulthood it absolutely is. That's why a lot of women get diagnosed later in life, like after they've had a child, because they've been coping up until a certain point and now they can't cope anymore because everything got harder.
Melissa:I feel like my own diagnosis is mixed because I got tested early, probably when I was around 10 or 12. In elementary school my teachers were like she has attention problems. I think we need to discuss this. And it's not like my mother didn't know. My mother was really apprehensive about giving me any kind of medication. This may require some background. So I was born in the early 80s and I was very evidently hyperactive from the time I came out of the womb. I was three years old and I was bouncing off the walls daily. My mom took me to my pediatrician and the pediatrician said let's try tranquilizers and I had an adverse response to the tranquilizers and actually became more hyper. So in my mom's mind, trying to medicate my hyperactivity meant that I would just become more hyper. So my mother refused to give me any medication for ADHD. And when I was 15, I had an accident while playing basketball which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. I had pretty much no short-term memory for about almost two years.
Melissa:This really complicated any possibility of me getting treatment for my ADHD in my adolescent years. I actually did not end up starting ADHD medication until I was in my late 20s. I was at a point in my life when I was really struggling and my neurologist and I had a long discussion and he convinced me to give medications a try. I had been on various medications to help with the possibility of seizures and had had really bad side effects, so I was nervous about starting any kind of new medication. My doctor prescribed me a stimulant medication and about 50 minutes after I took the first pill it was like the world went quiet. It was the quietest my mind had ever been. I didn't really understand until that moment how loud my mind is. All of the time I was so overwhelmed by the experience I could only express my emotions by breaking down in tears.
Brianna:So even though you were diagnosed really early on, you still didn't get the treatment or care you needed until your late 20s, yeah.
Melissa:Wow, what about you? What was your journey like until your late 20s? Yeah, wow, what about you?
Brianna:What was your journey like? Oh, like you, I was a problem child. Yeah, I was causing a ruckus in school. I was like, understimulated, the stuff was too easy. I was bored. I was understimulated, underchallenged, acting out, running around class, playing games, being loud, being disruptive. My parents got me tested. I was eight years old. I have very severe ADHD. I don't like the high and low functioning terms. The terms I prefer are high and low support needs. So I would say that I have high support needs and it was limited to 14 kids in the class and I was two or three points I forget the grading system, but points of ADHD, away from being in the separate school, which was capped at six kids in a class Anywho, yeah, so I was diagnosed at eight. I was on medication from the age of 12. It's worked really well for me and I can't really function without it.
Melissa:What are days like for you without medication?
Brianna:Awful, they're literally the worst I can't do anything fun. I also have anxiety Little comorbid fun buddy. But my ADHD is so bad that I can't even do fun things. If I wanted to start playing a video game, I couldn't start. I can't find the motivation to start a task, even though it gives me dopamine, even though it's super fun. It's not like I'm trying to do taxes or homework or anything boring. And there are days where if I'm going to be doing a sporty thing and it's the weekend and I don't have to use my brain at all and I know that I'm going to be like, then I don't have to take my meds and I'm good because I know I'm doing an activity and I can be crazy and I can go hyper and be wild and it's not going to affect me or anyone else. But if I'm even trying to do even a lick of anything productive other than a sport, I take my meds.
Melissa:My mother-in-law recently asked me what is it like to take ADHD medication? She grew up playing the cello, so I tried to explain it to her from that perspective. I said imagine that you are part of an orchestra that is playing for a ballet performance. Before the ballet begins, the crowd is bustling, the orchestra is tuning up and all these sounds are going off, and when it's time for the performance, the house lights dim, everyone quiets, the orchestra plays in concert together and the ballerina starts to dance with the spotlight on her. That is what it's like to take medication. By comparison, what would that performance be like if I had not taken medication? The performance would likely begin, maybe not on time. The orchestra would be playing, but half of the orchestra would still be trying to tune up and the other half would be playing the piece they're supposed to be playing. And the house lights may never dim.
Brianna:A good metaphor because actually the the din of the tuning and the crowd and everything that is my brain, yeah, like 24, 7, yeah, and sometimes when I'm on medication, the lights dim and it gets quiet, and sometimes when I'm on medication, the lights only dim halfway and it's manageable. But I'm still struggling because medication doesn't cure no adhd. Some is it's you're having a harder time than others and it just like barely functional, and other days you're like I'm great, like the music was already low and now it's just lower and I can. That's a great metaphor, oh, but yeah, no, that's the thing about ADHD is that it is normal, but worse.
Brianna:The executive function. Everyone is late, sometimes forgetful, sometimes has trouble making decisions, sometimes is like emotionally unstable, sometimes the reason ADHD exists is because it then becomes all the time and it has that clinical impact of it impacts my daily functioning. I can no longer do the things I want to do because of these normal things that are just now in excess. It's also another one of those microaggressions that like, oh, everyone's a little ADHD, everyone is a little forgetful sometimes. Okay, great, so you should get it and be more sympathetic and empathetic and not criticize me for this.
Melissa:ADHD is hard. It's also variable. We can be very successful at certain things and not successful at all with other things. People like to point to the things that you're really good at and they are like see, you can be successful right there. And then they wonder why you can't load the dishwasher or take out the trash. I'm horrible at taking out trash.
Brianna:Oh, the dishwasher. For me, I cannot unload that dishwasher. It is the biggest barrier to keeping my kitchen clean.
Brianna:But yeah, the thing I wanted to say about that is that piece that pointing at you were successful at this one thing why can't you do this is some of the most harmful stigma or commenting around adhd, in that that pointing can actually cause people to be fearful, avoidant of being successful, of actually achieving tasks, of believing in themselves, like they will actively avoid tasks that they know that they can do or that they are good at, or they know they they can achieve and excel in, because it will point to other things that they are bad at.
Brianna:And then there's that rejection sensitivity piece or then there'll be heightened expectations of oh, you did this so well, why can't you do this, why can't you do this, why can't you do this? And that they are so do this, why can't you do this? And that they are so afraid of that and there's so much trauma related to that piece that they will avoid being successful because of how much fear and trauma is surrounding that they'll convince themselves that it's not a strength, it's not important, it doesn't make them stand out, it's not a good thing, it's just something.
Melissa:It's a thing I do, yeah.
Brianna:And everyone can do all of these easy tasks, like the household, dishwasher, whatever, and so if you're outstanding at something, that something no one else can do, you're like, oh, it's fine.
Brianna:Everyone else can do you're like, oh, it's fine, everyone else can do this, so it wasn't a big deal. Like they will dim their own lights yeah, their own sparkle, because they have all this, these trauma responses, their own sparkle. Adhd the superpower side of it. Not that I believe that adhd is a superpower, it is a disability. It does impact your daily life and make it really hard. But we do have assets. We do have that hyper-focus ability. We have that calm in a crisis. We are so creative, excellent problem solvers, out-of-the-box thinkers. We have so much going for us because our brains are different and they think differently and they function differently. We have different abilities that are not valued as much in society because we lack certain basic, fundamental things that everyone else in society seems to be able to do. So our achievements and our light is not valued because of other things.
Melissa:Right, this is not an uncommon thing. This is the most common thing with people with ADHD. I think that's why it's really important to have these conversations, because I don't think the world always understands how we're impacted by something others may see as a small comment, or even the way they're approaching their loved ones with ADHD. They may not see how it's affecting them because we'd like to swallow it down and not show the outside world yeah, absolutely yeah.
Brianna:yeah, the microaggressions are insane. There was a comment recently where someone was like oh, like a zoom meeting, can you turn on your cameras to show respect for your fellow classmates and whatever? And equating that being on camera, that masking, which is when you're on a zoom call, when you're in front of someone, you put on a mask, it's an automatic safety response, it's a coping mechanism. You can't turn it off. It takes spoons, it takes energy, it's very draining.
Brianna:So when you're forced to be on camera, when you're forced to be making eye contact with someone and that is equated to respect, that is ableist, that is a microaggression that is harmful and culturally like neurotypical culture versus neurodivergent culture. Culturally, for neurotypicals eye contact equals respect, it equals confidence, it equals ability, and not all cultures. That's very western culture. There are some cultures where eye contact is seen as disrespectful but for neurodivergent culture it is not expected, it is not something that is equated to respect or competence or ability, because eye contact for us is uncomfortable, because that mask is uncomfortable. It is not our true, authentic selves. So equating turning on your cameras to respect is harmful.
Melissa:Yeah, a lot of people who have ADHD learn even better when they're moving around, when they're on their feet, when they get to fidget, and it can be really uncomfortable when you know all eyes are on you, watching you, staring at you when you're moving around and you have to move in a certain way. It can make you feel very insecure and you have to move in a certain way. It can make you feel very insecure.
Brianna:Yeah, and it takes energy to sit still. It does so if you want to move around and that's how you focus better. But now it's actually more disrespectful to have your camera on, because now you're distracting other people because you're moving, you're vibing around.
Melissa:you're doing whatever. I want to vibe around. Oh my gosh, I am looking at my watch and we have been talking for a while. Maybe we should wrap things up here. So closing thoughts any closing thoughts? Brianna, I don't even know what we've talked about. So our closing thoughts are that we both have ADHD and we're ADHD coaches. However, even we are affected by the fact that we've been talking for the last a lot of time and we do not remember what we just said. I do want to express that we are starting this podcast because we are both passionate about having and providing a space for open, honest and well-informed conversations about ADHD.
Brianna:Yeah, like you said, melissa, we want there to be a conversation, we want there to be a space to share experiences, because that community aspect is so big. Having a community for me, not feeling alone, not feeling broken, is so important for me. So we wanted to create something that is real, is our experiences, is a little bit of information.
Melissa:Moving forward. We have some really exciting plans for the future of this podcast and some really fun and exciting topics that we will be covering that we will be covering, like ADHD relationships, adhd and menstruation, adhd and chronic pain or late diagnosis, or just dealing with everyday life, like how do I get out the door today, how to deal when you have no clean underwear and tactics that we can use to navigate our everyday struggles?
Brianna:Yeah, it's everything. It's everything from the big ethical conversations around culture and intersectionality all the way down to just the little nitty gritty of how can I be my best self.
Melissa:We're excited to be here. We're hoping that you can come along in this journey with us and we look forward to creating content. We're actually really excited about all these things. One of the first things Brianna ever said to me is I love talking about ADHD, and I was like so do I? We both like to speak in general, but if we both get excited about talking about ADHD, I hope that you guys will come along and have some conversations with us, yep.
Brianna:So subscribe to our podcast, check out our websites if you are interested in ADHD coaching. And yeah, just join us on our journey. Thank you for tuning in.
Melissa:You can find resources and contact information in the show notes. Please tune in for our next episode.
Brianna:Bye, Thanks bye.
