674: Invisible ADHD: The Real Reason So Many Smart Women Are Misdiagnosed And How to Finally Get Answers with Shanna Pearson

What if you’ve been misdiagnosed or mismedicated for your symptoms, and it took until reaching midlife to figure it out? That’s exactly what happened with today’s podcast guest, ADHD expert Shanna Pearson, so she’s here to shed light on the real reasons so many women are misdiagnosed for so much of their lives. We dive into how ADHD symptoms can mimic other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression , making it even harder for women to get the right diagnosis and support. Together, we explore why we as women don’t always “fit the mold” of ADHD and how cultural expectations have kept our symptoms invisible for too long. Plus, you’ll get top tips for managing symptoms of overwhelm and hyperactivity at any stage of life. Tune in to make the most of your midlife, and to ensure you’re getting the care and support you need to thrive ! Shanna Pearson Shanna Pearson is Founder and Director of Expert ADHD Coaching , the world’s largest one-on-one ADHD coaching company, which has administered successful coaching sessions for tens of thousands of clients. Shanna struggled with her own ADHD without realizing it for most of her life, so she now helps others navigate their ADHD diagnoses with ease and confidence. Her new book, Invisible ADHD, offers over 100 proven tools uniquely tailored for the ADHD brain that have transformed thousands of lives over 20+ years. IN THIS EPISODE Helping women prioritize taking care of their mental health Addressing the lack of research on women with ADHD Gaining agency over your symptoms and tips on advocating to your doctor to get what you deserve Telltale signs you may have ADHD and have been misdiagnosed Setting boundaries and staying in alignment with your values Why so many women realize they have ADHD in midlife Recommendations for navigating a new ADHD diagnosis Top tools that help make your life easier when dealing with overwhelm, hyperactivity, or other common symptoms of ADHD QUOTES “A lot of women with ADHD and other challenges, even if it's just major hormonal shifts, are being diagnosed or misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety, and then they're being mismedicated.” “They're doing different things for women–a lot of that is internal. So they could be sitting there staring right at you and thinking about something completely different than what you're talking about. It's more about an internal hyperactivity versus an external hyperactivity.” “Now we're going through a phase of our life where there's even less dopamine in an already dopamine-deficient brain. So whatever you've been able to manage is now basically feeling like it's falling apart. And it happens quickly.” RESOURCES MENTIONED PRE-ORDER Invisible ADHD HERE TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE BONUSES & Enter to win FREE COACHING! 👉 Click here: http://invisibleadhd.com OR Order Invisible ADHD through your favorite retailer 👉 Click here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250891624/invisibleadhd/ Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your first Troscriptions order 👉 Click here: http://troscriptions.com/ENERGIZED ADHD Coaching Website RELATED EPISODES 670: The Invisible Load: Reclaiming Your Energy, Emotional Resilience & Power in Midlife with Angela Foster #629: Unlocking Emotional Resilience with Awareness, Lifestyle and Tools to Regulate Your Stress Triggers with Dr. Drew Ramsey 594: What I Did This Past Year to Heal My Brain and Lower Systemic Inflammation #503: The Most Effective Rituals We Can Do to Reduce Anxiety and Perceived Stress with Dr. Tâmara Castelo