Episode 39: Adult ADHD — What You Need to Know

You wrote the plan down. You even put it on your phone. By 10 a.m. you’d started four things and finished none — and that same old voice was asking what’s wrong with you. If that’s familiar, this one’s for you.In Episode 39, Greg and Rich have an honest, personal conversation about adult ADHD: what it actually is, why it’s so easily missed, and what real support looks like. ADHD isn’t the kid who can’t sit still, and it doesn’t disappear at eighteen. It’s a difference in how the brain manages attention, impulse, and follow-through — and for many adults it’s been there all along, just unrecognized. Both hosts share their own late-diagnosis stories and land where the show always does with hope.What we cover:Why adult ADHD looks like internal restlessness and exhaustion, not hyperactivityWhy more than half of adults with ADHD aren’t diagnosed until adulthood — and why women are so often missedWhy “lazy” is almost always the wrong word (Rich’s duck-on-the-water metaphor)Treatment that actually helps — medication, therapy, lifestyle, structure, communityThe reframe: your brain isn’t working against you on purposeChapters:(00:00) Introduction & what adult ADHD really is(03:00) By the numbers: who’s been missed(04:18) Ferrari engine, bicycle brakes(05:24) Why “lazy” gets it wrong: the duck on the water(07:04) Childhood vs. adult ADHD & late diagnosis(11:10) Symptoms: hyperfocus and 500 browser tabs(14:11) Getting diagnosed as an adult(15:54) Is ADHD real? Treatment options(18:41) Rich & Greg’s stories + what’s on your heart(24:04) Summary, challenge & closingThis episode featured Greg Shaw and Rich.RESOURCES MENTIONEDBooks:Driven to Distraction — Edward Hallowell & John RateyADHD 2.0 — Edward Hallowell & John RateyTaking Charge of Adult ADHD — Russell BarkleyOrganizations:CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD)ADDitude MagazineTalks:“Failing at Normal” — Jessica McCabe (How to ADHD)“Recognizing ADHD in Adults” — Dr. Heather Brannon💜 Free weekly peer support groups: Brain Injury (Mon 1 PM ET)Chronic Pain (Tue 12 PM ET)Mental Health (Wed 7:30 PM ET).Details: https://kindnessrx.orgKeep the groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx | Website: https://kindnessrx.org | Newsletter: https://kindnessrx.beehiiv.com/