ADHD &... The Hidden Cost of Masking

ADHD &... The Hidden Cost of Masking

Have you ever caught yourself acting one way at work, another way with friends, and something closer to yourself only when you're completely alone? That split is exhausting. And if you have ADHD, there's a good chance it has a name: masking. In this episode, we unpack what ADHD masking actually is, why so many women with ADHD do it without even realizing it, and what it quietly costs you over time. This isn't about dropping every filter overnight or suddenly oversharing with your coworkers. It's about starting to notice when you're masking, asking yourself whether it's serving you, and slowly building spaces in your life where your real self feels welcome. There's also a distinction in this episode that tends to land hard: the difference between fitting in and belonging. They sound similar. They are not. And understanding the difference might be exactly what you need to hear today. In this episode: ➜ What ADHD masking is and why it develops ➜ Why women with ADHD are especially affected ➜ The difference between fitting in and belonging * This episode originally aired October 28, 2025. ───────────────────────────────────────── CONNECT WITH JORIE: 🔗 Ready to work on this with someone who gets it? Apply for Private ADHD Coaching [https://tinyurl.com/yan594da] 📩 Get weekly ADHD insights delivered to your inbox: Jorie's Substack and Newsletters [https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5] ───────────────────────────────────────── RATE & REVIEW: If this episode resonated, please follow the show and leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand [https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand] ───────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT THE PODCAST ADHD & ... with Jorie Houlihan is a podcast for women with ADHD who are tired of trying harder and ready to understand how their brain works. New episodes drop every week. You can also watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts] ───────────────────────────────────────── Other ways to connect with Jorie: Instagram: @joriehoulihan [https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/] My Favorite Things!: joriehoulihan.com/favorite-things [https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc] ───────────────────────────────────────── Disclaimer: Jorie Houlihan and the "ADHD &..." podcast are not medical professionals. The information shared in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your specific health needs. Theme music: Jorie Houlihan + GarageBand

ADHD, Dyslexia & the Brain You Were Born With | Bryan Mark Rigg, PhD

What if the brain you've spent your life fighting was never broken to begin with? In this episode, Jorie sits down with historian, researcher, and Yale graduate Bryan Mark Rigg, PhD - someone who has spent 25 years studying ADHD and dyslexia, not just in the lab, but in his own life, in his children's lives, and across thousands of years of human history. What he shares reframes the conversation entirely. This is not a "you're special" pep talk. It's grounded in evolutionary science, anthropological research, and the kind of historical evidence Bryan has built his career on. And it just might be the episode that changes how you see yourself. ─────────── CONNECT WITH BRYAN MARK RIGG, PhD: Website: https://www.bryanmarkrigg.com [https://www.bryanmarkrigg.com] RESOURCES Conquering Learning Disabilities at Any Age — Bryan Mark Rigg: https://amzn.to/4xNYGoc [https://amzn.to/4xNYGocDriven] Driven to Distraction — Ned Hallowell: https://amzn.to/4eooAaj [https://amzn.to/4eooAajMan's] Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl: https://amzn.to/43PtdnK [https://amzn.to/43PtdnK] Affiliate links above. Jorie may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases. ─────────── 🔗 Ready to work on this with someone who gets it? Apply for Private ADHD Coaching (https://tinyurl.com/yan594da [https://tinyurl.com/yan594da]) 🎤 Interested in having Jorie speak at your event, summit, or podcast? Learn More! (https://tinyurl.com/4sv4afpw [https://tinyurl.com/4sv4afpw]) 📩 Get weekly ADHD insights delivered to your inbox: Jorie's Substack and Newsletters (https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5 [https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5]) ─────────── RATE & REVIEW: If this episode resonated, please follow the show & leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand [https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand] ABOUT THE PODCAST ADHD &... with Jorie Houlihan is a podcast for women with ADHD who are tired of trying harder - and ready to understand how their brain works. New episodes drop every week. You can also 👀 watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts] ──────── Other ways to connect with Jorie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan [https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/] My Favorite Things!: https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc [https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc] ──────── Disclaimer: Jorie Houlihan and the "ADHD &..." podcast are not medical professionals. The information shared in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your specific health needs. Theme music: Jorie Houlihan + GarageBand

ADHD & Motivation: The Brain Chemistry Behind Why You Can't Just Try Harder

If you've spent years wondering why starting tasks feels impossible — even when you want to do them — this episode is for you. Jorie breaks down the neuroscience of ADHD in plain language: specifically what dopamine and norepinephrine are, how they work differently in the ADHD brain, and why that explains so much of what you've been blaming yourself for. This isn't about effort or motivation. It's about biology — and once you understand it, a lot of things start to make a lot more sense. In this episode: * Why ADHD isn't a character flaw — and what's really happening in your brain with dopamine and norepinephrine * How a poorly filtered frontal lobe explains distraction, emotional overreaction, and task avoidance * Practical, ADHD-friendly tools to work with your brain chemistry — including body doubling, interest-based activation, small rewards, and environment control ──────── 🔗 Ready to work on this with someone who gets it? Apply for Private ADHD Coaching [https://tinyurl.com/yan594da] 📩 Get weekly ADHD insights delivered to your inbox: Jorie's Substack and Newsletters [https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5] ──────── RATE & REVIEW: If this episode resonated, please follow the show & leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand [https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand] ──────── ABOUT THE PODCAST ADHD &... with Jorie Houlihan is a podcast for women with ADHD who are tired of trying harder - and ready to understand how their brain works. New episodes drop every week. You can also 👀 watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts] ──────── Other ways to connect with Jorie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan [https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/] My Favorite Things!: https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc [https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc] ──────── This episode originally aired October 14, 2026 Disclaimer: Jorie Houlihan and the "ADHD &..." podcast are not medical professionals. The information shared in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your specific health needs. Theme music: Jorie Houlihan + GarageBand

ADHD, Hormones and Burnout | Dr. Amy Loden Tiffany

If your focus has crashed and your usual systems have stopped working, this episode is going to give you some real answers. Jorie sits down with Dr. Amy Loden Tiffany, concierge physician and certified menopause practitioner, to talk about the collision between ADHD, perimenopause, and burnout that so many women in midlife are experiencing but not getting answers about. ──────── CONNECT WITH DR. AMY LODEN TIFFANY: Website: https://vitalitymwc.org/ [https://vitalitymwc.org/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramytiffany/ [https://www.instagram.com/dramytiffany/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dramytiffany [https://www.tiktok.com/@dramytiffany] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrAmyTiffany [https://www.youtube.com/@DrAmyTiffany] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-loden/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-loden/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitalitymwc [https://www.facebook.com/vitalitymwc] Get her book, The Postpartum Pivot: https://amzn.to/4wUHKvv [https://amzn.to/4wUHKvv] ──────── 🔗 Ready to work on this with someone who gets it? Apply for Private ADHD Coaching [https://tinyurl.com/yan594da] 📩 Get weekly ADHD insights delivered to your inbox: Jorie's Substack and Newsletters [https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5] ──────── RATE & REVIEW: If this episode resonated, please follow the show & leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand [https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand] ──────── ABOUT THE PODCAST ADHD &... with Jorie Houlihan is a podcast for women with ADHD who are tired of trying harder - and ready to understand how their brain works. New episodes drop every week. You can also 👀 watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts] ──────── Other ways to connect with Jorie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan [https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/] My Favorite Things!: https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc [https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc] ──────── Disclaimer: Jorie Houlihan and the "ADHD &..." podcast are not medical professionals. The information shared in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your specific health needs. Theme music: Jorie Houlihan + GarageBand

ADHD &... Parenting: When You and Your Kid Both Have ADHD | Kelly Kustusch

If you have ADHD and your child does too, you already know how fast things can go sideways. Two big feelings, two dysregulated nervous systems, and about a thousand things that need to get done. In this episode I sit down with Kelly Kustusch, founder of Guided Growth Consulting, to talk about what it looks like to build a calmer, more connected home when ADHD runs in the family. Kelly is a former elementary school teacher, a parent of a child with ADHD, and an advocate who has spent years going into schools to build awareness around neurodivergent and hidden disabilities. Her approach is practical, simple, and rooted in real-life experience. If you have been white-knuckling it through homework battles, school meetings, or moments where you and your kid are just setting each other off — this one is for you. CONNECT WITH KELLY: Website: https://ggconsultme.com/ [https://ggconsultme.com/] Instagram: @guidedgrowthconsulting_ [https://www.instagram.com/guidedgrowthconsulting_/] Facebook: Guided Growth Consulting [https://www.facebook.com/guidedgrowthconsulting] LinkedIn: Guided Growth Consulting [https://www.linkedin.com/company/guidedgrowthconsulting/] 🔗 Ready to work on this with someone who gets it? Apply for Private ADHD Coaching [https://tinyurl.com/yan594da] 🎤 Interested in having Jorie speak at your event, summit, or podcast? Learn More! [https://tinyurl.com/4sv4afpw] 📩 Get weekly ADHD insights delivered to your inbox: Jorie's Substack and Newsletters [https://tinyurl.com/33z4a5j5] RATE & REVIEW: If this episode resonated, please follow the show and leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand [https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand] ABOUT THE PODCAST ADHD &... with Jorie Houlihan is a podcast for women with ADHD who are tired of trying harder — and ready to understand how their brain works. New episodes drop every week. You can also 👀 watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@joriehoulihan/podcasts] Other ways to connect with Jorie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan [https://www.instagram.com/joriehoulihan] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joriehoulihan1/] My Favorite Things!: https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc [https://tinyurl.com/4ykszepc] Disclaimer: Jorie Houlihan and the "ADHD &..." podcast are not medical professionals. The information shared in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your specific health needs. Theme music: Jorie Houlihan + GarageBand