ADHD with Confidence | Overcome Anxiety & Self-Doubt, Life & ADHD Coach, ADHD in Women

Do you ever find yourself apologizing for simply being who you are?

I don't know about you, but I find this so disheartening! Being authentic to who we are as women with ADHD is incredibly important - for feeling content, for finding belonging and for building the meaningful life we desire.

In today's episode, I explore the topic of whether we should feel the need to apologize for having ADHD and for how that makes us uniquely who we are.

Resources:

✋ Want to build a meaningful life? Let me show you how! Go to https://adhdwithconfidence.com/ and book a Free, 15-minute coaching intake call to get started.

Free Daily ADHD Planner: https://adhdwithconfidence.com/free-daily-adhd-planner

📧 Comment or Question? Email me at: kelsey@adhdwithconfidence.com

Related Episodes:

154 // How Much is Your ADHD Masking Tax

101 // ADHD Masking | The Negative Effects of Living Inauthentically

89 // Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD | How to Stop Spiraling

Today we are joined by author, mom, and social coach Caroline McGuire. She shares her personal journey with late ADHD diagnosis and how that shaped her work supporting neurodivergent adults.

Caroline discusses her book, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults, and why direct, specific guidance matters.

Topics include the impact of late ADHD diagnosis for women, practical strategies for making and keeping friends (including “communi-splation” to explain needs), the power of interest‑based connections, troubleshooting friendship pitfalls, and the value of virtual communities. Caroline also addresses stigma, mismatched expectations, and self‑advocacy tips listeners can use right away.

Enjoy!

Resources:

Caroline Maguire: https://carolinemaguireauthor.com/

Book: Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults 

✋ Tired of feeling unsure of yourself? Let's change that! Go to https://adhdwithconfidence.com/ and book a Free, 15-minute coaching intake call to get started.

Free Daily ADHD Planner: https://adhdwithconfidence.com/free-daily-adhd-planner

📧 Comment or Question? Email me at: kelsey@adhdwithconfidence.com

Related Episodes:

123 // What to Do When Your Friendships Aren't Working

For those of us with ADHD, what's realistic to expect from our lives?

It can be hard to know what realistic expectations are when you have ADHD, so in today's episode I want to share what I believe some of our expectations should be.

I hope you enjoy today's episode!

Resources:

✋ Want to build a meaningful life? Let me show you how! Go to https://adhdwithconfidence.com/ and book a Free, 15-minute coaching intake call to get started.

Free Daily ADHD Planner: https://adhdwithconfidence.com/free-daily-adhd-planner

📧 Comment or Question? Email me at: kelsey@adhdwithconfidence.com

Related Episodes:

155 // This ADHD Habit is Destroying Your Happiness

146 // 7 ADHD Confidence Boosters to Start Your Day

140 // What I Wish People Understood About Having ADHD

130 // Letting Go of the ADHD Shame When We Fail

When you feel rejected, how do you respond? Do you remove yourself from the situation? Do you pretend that you don't care?

According to the National Library of Medicine, there are three main responses to Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD:

Withdrawal

Masking

Bodily sensations

In today's episode, I will go over these responses to Rejection Sensitivity & RSD in ADHD and give you 7 practical tips for handling rejection.

An encouragement to get us started... according to the book, You're Not the Problem, "99% of the time when a person rejects us, it's more about them than it is about us."

Resources:

✋ Want to feel better about your life? Let me show you how! Go to https://adhdwithconfidence.com/ and book a Free, 15-minute coaching intake call to get started.

Free Daily ADHD Planner: https://adhdwithconfidence.com/free-daily-adhd-planner

📧 Comment or Question? Email me at: kelsey@adhdwithconfidence.com

Sources:

Online: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12822938/ 

Book, You're Not the Problem: The Impact of Narcissism and Emotional Abuse and How to Heal 

 

Related Episodes:

153 // When Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD Shows up Most

129 // Is Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD Making You Lonely

89 // Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD | How to Stop Spiraling

In today's episode, I am joined by accredited psychotherapist Katie McKenna—co-author of You’re Not the Problem, creator of the C.A.L.M. Parenting Method, and host of the Beyond Survival podcast.

We talk about narcissistic and emotionally abusive parenting, how it shows up as overt and covert behaviors, and the long-term effects on children (golden child, invisible child, scapegoat, enmeshment and parentification).

The conversation also explores the intersection with ADHD, Katie’s own diagnosis and medication journey, and how trauma shapes survival responses like fight/flight/fawn and hyper-dependence or hyper-independence.

Katie and Kelsey walk listeners through practical healing steps: recognizing denial and FOG (fear, obligation, guilt), setting small boundaries, reestablishing self-trust, and parenting differently using the Calm Method to de-escalate fusion and build healthy autonomy in kids. The episode offers concrete tips for immediate self-care, where to start with recovery, and resources to learn more about narcissism, trauma, and reparative parenting.

Hope you enjoy today's episode!

Resources:

📙 Katie McKenna: https://katiecmckenna.com/ , Beyond Survival Podcast, @katiemckennapsychotherapist

✋ Tired of feeling unsure of yourself? Let's change that! Go to https://adhdwithconfidence.com/ and book a Free, 15-minute coaching intake call to get started.

Free Daily ADHD Planner: https://adhdwithconfidence.com/free-daily-adhd-planner

📧 Comment or Question? Email me at: kelsey@adhdwithconfidence.com