EPISODE · Aug 5, 2025 · 24 MIN
How do you make invisible struggles visible? (Kate Hammer’s story)
from ADHD Aha! · host Understood.org
It’s one thing to wonder if you have ADHD. It’s another to read how your loved ones see it in you. Host Laura Key talks with writer, director, and performer Kate Hammer, who was born in Canada and now lives in Scotland. Kate shares her experience navigating the U.K.’s ADHD evaluation process, which includes personal letters from family and friends, and the complex emotions it brought up. She also discusses her short film, Bear, a surreal, funny, and poignant look at how ADHD can shadow your every move. In the film, a woman on her way to a job interview is followed by a bumbling bear — clumsy, loud, and impossible to ignore. The Bear represents ADHD in all its disruptive, intrusive glory. Kate talks about why she chose to visualize ADHD this way, how humor helps her process, and what it means to turn something invisible into something you can’t ignore. Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:03) The UK ADHD evaluation process (07:26) What ADHD traits cause Kate shame and guilt? (08:44) Kate’s short film Bear (16:58) Validating the challenges of ADHD through her short film (21:27) Kate’s ADHD aha! moment(s) (23:05) Outro and credits We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes, a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here.Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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It’s one thing to wonder if you have ADHD. It’s another to read how your loved ones see it in you. Host Laura Key talks with writer, director, and performer Kate Hammer, who was born in Canada and now lives in Scotland. Kate shares her experience navigating the U.K.’s ADHD evaluation process, which includes personal letters from family and friends, and the complex emotions it brought up. She also discusses her short film, Bear, a surreal, funny, and poignant look at how ADHD can shadow your every move. In the film, a woman on her way to a job interview is followed by a bumbling bear — clumsy, loud, and impossible to ignore. The Bear represents ADHD in all its disruptive, intrusive glory. Kate talks about why she chose to visualize ADHD this way, how humor helps her process, and what it means to turn something invisible into something you can’t ignore.
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How do you make invisible struggles visible? (Kate Hammer’s story)
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