79- ADHD in Midlife Women: Symptoms, Perimenopause Connection, and What to Do Next

In this episode of 'MilesFromHerView,' host Kat welcomes licensed trauma-informed therapist Avery Wasmanski. Specializing in supporting women and moms with ADHD, anxiety, and trauma, Avery dives deep into how ADHD manifests in midlife, particularly during perimenopause. The conversation covers the importance of understanding one's brain function, the impact of hormonal shifts, and practical steps for managing symptoms while being self-compassionate. With a focus on mindfulness and barrier-breaking, Avery offers valuable insights for women navigating midlife challenges effectively.

Past Episode: 

27- Taming the Overwhelm: ADHD, Parenting, and the Power of Self-Care

Resources Discussed in Episode: 

• Website: https://www.additudemag.com/category/adhd-add/adhd-in-adults/add-women/
• Books (it was hard to pick just one, so here are 2):
  • How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) by Jessica McCabe
  • Allow Me To Interrupt by Gilly Kahn, Ph.D

00:00 Introduction to Today's Episode

01:03 Meet Your Host, Kat

01:51 Welcoming Back Avery

02:14 Understanding ADHD in Midlife Women

04:08 ADHD and Motherhood

06:58 The Trap of Discipline and Willpower

11:07 Perimenopause and ADHD

11:47 Navigating Hormonal Shifts

20:36 Balancing High-Intensity Roles

25:25 From Functioning to Thriving

32:46 Seeking ADHD Diagnosis and Support

38:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

Kat: 0:00

Today's episode I'm joined by Avery, Wasmanski, a licensed trauma-informed therapist who specializes in working with women and moms navigating chronic overwhelm, self-doubt in parenting and relationship challenges. Avery supports clients experiencing symptoms of A DHD, anxiety and trauma, incorporating mindfulness and somatic techniques. A focus on therapeutic relationship as a foundation for healing and change. We are diving into what A DHD really is, how it uniquely presents in midlife and practical steps you can take starting today to better understand and support yourself. Before we begin, please note that the information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose. Treat or replace professional medical or mental health advice. If you're experiencing symptoms that concern you, please consult a qualified health care provider. Now, let's get into the conversation. Welcome to MilesFromHerView, the podcast powered by KatFit Strength, where busy women like you find practical solutions to fuel your fitness journey with authenticity and resilience. I'm Kat, your host, a mom of two active boys, a business owner, and an ultra marathon runner and a strength trainer in her forties with nearly two decades of experience. I'm here to help you cut through the noise of fads, hacks, and quick fixes. This is a space where we celebrate womanhood and motherhood. All while building strength and resilience and reconnecting with you from a place of self-compassion and worthiness. Whether you're lacing up your running shoes to go out for a run, driving your kids to practice or squeezing in a moment for yourself, I'm right here in the trenches with you. Let's dive in. Welcome back to MilesFromHerView. I am joined with Avery again. She was on the podcast about a year ago, and we are gonna be diving into the topic of A DHD in midlife women. Welcome to the show, Avery, or welcome back. Thanks for having me back. You're welcome. So I. I'm super curious about this topic. This is something that we're hearing about it more and more, and I think for all good reasons, and especially this correlation where it is not solely being tied to midlife, but there's this emergence of A DHD around midlife. So looking at midlife over 35 plus or 40 plus in that perimenopause area. Mm-hmm. Let's start off with defining a DHD.

Avery: 2:41

Sure. So of course this is, you know, trying to, to summarize a little bit. Mm-hmm. But, a DHD one is not always looking the same in everyone. It can kind of present in a variety of ways. But typically we have some combination of, challenges with attention and focus. Then we have,, challenges related to hyperactivity, impulsivity or we have a combination of kind of all of those things happening at the same time. And so this can look like, having trouble focusing on a task or completing tasks to, completion getting easily distracted, always being on the move and never. Slowing down either physically or in our brain. And so kind of always having that,, busy brain is something that a lot of people tend to experience. And it can really generally impact our executive functions, which is like all of the things that we need in order to plan, prioritize tasks, manage our time organize. Activities and our space around us. And so those are kind of the main things that we see along with, of course, emotional regulation which is not technically a criteria, but is something we see in most people who have a DHD.

Kat: 3:57

I like how you put that. It's a multitude and it looks different for every person. Yeah.'cause I do find that sometimes we want a very clean, black and white where it is. Different for each person. And last time we talked a a bit about the pressure and perfectionism, especially in the role of motherhood and how that shows up. Can you speak a little bit to recap what we talked about, I'll put that in the show notes, how that relates to A DHD in the context of motherhood of that perfectionism pressure and A DHD. Sure. I know that's a big topic.

Avery: 4:31

That's okay. So I guess in, in summary, kind of what we sometimes see is, when we have this expectation maybe from society or maybe, we've learned this through our past relationships or we've seen what social media tells us in terms of what makes a good parent. We have this experience of, wanting to, of course, kind of fit into that mold. Mm-hmm. And when we have a brain that functions maybe a little bit differently than someone else who maybe we struggle with, organizing all of the, appointments and school activities and extracurriculars with our kids or our own home, there's a lot of shame that we experience. And so. When that happens. And then when we also are struggling at times to regulate our emotions and we might, have these experiences with our children where we become angry or have, really big. Maybe explosive feelings because that happens sometimes. A lot of shame comes up there too. And so when all of that's happening around us, but we have these experiences or kind of these models for how a good quote unquote good mother or good parent should be responding or acting. That shame kind of leads us to this experience where we put a lot of pressure on ourself. We feel terrible for maybe acting in a way that we feel is not the correct way to act, or maybe society tells us it's not correct, and so it can cause a lot of anxiety and therefore can lead to this sense that like, we need to do better and we need to do it perfectly, or we need need to, we're, we're never good enough. Right, right. And so perfectionism doesn't necessarily mean that we are perfect all the time. It's this idea that we're striving to be better than we are now because we're not doing it good enough, and then we just feel terrible about ourselves. Yeah.

Kat: 6:29

And

Avery: 6:29

so,

Kat: 6:30

yeah. Oh, I love that. And there's, as we know, social media is so great at putting up these like. Perfect little models in this perfect little container, which is not true.

Avery: 6:41

And I are gonna use these perfect scripts when our kids lose their minds and, and that we're gonna keep our cool. And that's just not always the case. Exactly. Exactly. And it's,

Kat: 6:52

Yeah, we're, we're human too. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So with A-D-H-D-I, I hear from some of my clients who have been diagnosed with it, where especially in the context of working out and I, I battle this too with individuals who are not, who do not have the diagnosis of A DHD is this whole idea of. That trap thinking like it's just a lack of discipline and a lack of will or willpower, when from my standpoint, it's like, no, willpower is great. It helps, but discipline is good, but sometimes. It's just the brain. Mm-hmm. So if you, if you could speak to that trap of thinking of like, oh, if I was just more disciplined or if I had more willpower, et cetera. Right.

Avery: 7:40

Yeah. So I think when we. When we have a good understanding of how our brain actually functions. If we know that what's happening for us is that, our brain is an A DHD brain and we have these experiences that make certain things difficult, like going back to that term executive functioning mm-hmm. If we know that, Planning, prioritizing, organizing, managing time are all really difficult. Which can impact every area of our lives, right? Whether, whether it's feeding ourselves or our kids or our partner, whether it is, finding time to exercise, whether it is keeping your home organized or having clean laundry that allow you to maybe go exercise. Like there's so many factors that, that are, that make an impact there. And so if we know how our brain functions, we can speak a little bit more compassionately to ourselves when we can identify that it's not a lack of discipline or willpower, it's that there are these barriers that are presenting that are. Inhibiting me from getting to that point. And so if we can identify what the barriers are, we can also work towards breaking them down and making it a little bit more accessible. I know this comes up, you know, in my sessions too, and people want to exercise more. They want to eat, Healthier. We're, we have to identify like, what are the barriers? Is it like that we don't actually have clothes that fit us, then we can't go exercise? Or is it too difficult to access, like going to the gym? And so how can we make it easier for ourselves rather than shaming ourselves when we don't make it to the gym five days a week?

Kat: 9:25

There's a few things I wanna point out that you said there. One of the things is like knowing your brain and how it functions, I think that is just so, so vital. I find myself talking to my 14-year-old about how to overcome his brain. We kind have to create our own, I'm gonna say cheat codes because there's always gonna be this resistance. And if we get better at. Knowing the resistance is going to be there, then we can overcome it. I know this is a little bit different than, someone with the executive functioning with A DHD because that is a different type of barrier, but also that idea of be compassionate with yourself, be compassionately to yourself is so huge. And the idea of setting yourself up for success is so vital in so many ways. And I, I see it. When I'm working with my clients, when I bring that notion to that point of like, how do we set ourselves up for success? So it's easy, easy doesn't mean that it takes the growth out of it. It to your point, removes those barriers. And we as women who are doing it all and is shifting their titles throughout the day to serve each title. And then when it comes to us, we are so decision fatigued that it's like. Yeah, we don't wanna have to think about where are my workout clothes, where is my workout equipment? Taking the three steps to wherever your workout stuff may be, or if it's more than three steps. Mm-hmm. It's like, that is cumbersome. So how can we give back to ourselves when we are outward giving all day? So I love that. I love that you incorporate that in with clients that Yeah, it's remove the barriers, make it easier for yourself.

Avery: 11:06

Yeah.

Kat: 11:07

We're gonna kind of dip into perimenopause here. That whole, it's having its time in the limelight, which is really, really great. Mm-hmm. And I love it. And then with that, it comes some stuff that is, a little bit predatory Right. But there. Our hormonal shifts and chronic stress and how they overlap with attention and focus for individuals that may not have known that they have a DHD and I'm gonna say struggled. It's, it's a struggle if you don't know you. Have this way of, of the way the brain functions. Mm-hmm. You're gonna struggle a lot more. And so how do you see that shift in that time period or in that period?

Avery: 11:47

Sure. Well, so maybe before we talk about perimenopause specifically, I think acknowledging that. Hormones play a big part in a DHD symptoms just generally. Mm-hmm. So it is really common to have the experience of maybe coming, to the, the idea that we have a diagnosis of A DHD during big hormonal shift points in our lifetime. So when we have these major points of hormonal shifts throughout our lifetime, like when we're experiencing puberty or when we are you know, pregnant or postpartum or when we are going through perimenopause or menopause, we have these major shifts. And so it's a really common time where someone might actually come to get a diagnosis because their symptoms. Shift have shifted to a degree and it's kind of amplifying some of the experiences or symptoms that we're having. And so what's sig so significant about getting into the perimenopause timeframe is that there's such a drastic drop in our hormones during that time that, it greatly impacts our symptoms because symptoms are affected by our estrogen production, along with some other hormones that we have. When we have you know, this significant drop, like I, I believe from when perimenopause starts till when menopause is officially what you're experiencing, there's like a 65% drop. In estrogen and pro progesterone. When we have that shift, it greatly impacts our focus and attention. It impacts our, moodiness. We might feel more tired, we might also not be sleeping that great. We might have some increased memory symptoms memory issues and some other physical symptoms, of course, hot flashes and, and all of that stuff. And so when we have that. Huge shift that's happening also very inconsistently because it might not be this like lovely, consistent cycle. It might be very randomly that we have these major shifts in our hormones. It can really, really have a serious impact on our ability to function day to day.

Kat: 14:07

Perimenopause it can expand up to a decade. Mm-hmm. And you're gonna be on this rollercoaster. It's not all doom and gloom. Right. But I really feel in this time it's be curious about what's going on. Know that you are the authority in your body and find practitioners, therapists, coaches that allow you to continue having that author authority and. Can support you through that process, which can be tough to find. But it is'cause there at least, you know, to your point, there is a lot of fluctuation before you get to postmenopausal. And again, postmenopausal isn't doom and gloom, but if we can sort out what's going on in perimenopause, you're gonna, I don't wanna be like super generalized here, but mm-hmm. Feel better post menopause. Yeah. So, and oftentimes, you know, in your forties typically is when perimenopause it rears its head. Your kids are coming of age, they're going through their own shifts at that time. Mm-hmm. There are some women who have young babies during that time. So that's another hormonal shift at that point. Mm-hmm. So between that like 36 to 43 time period, you know, you can still have children at that time. Absolutely. Or even in your mid forties. Absolutely. You can still have children. So yeah, there's, there's a lot and I'm glad you, you backed it up of like Yep. The hormonal shifts there. That's when you see some of these symptoms become amplified.

Avery: 15:37

Yeah.

Kat: 15:38

Because it can feel that lost locus of control can feel really scary in your own body, in your mind as to like what's going on. Absolutely. I know. I find I'm like, I forget what I'm saying. Or I, I'll switch in words and my kids are like, mom, you did it again. I'm like, you know what guys? I understand. Like you knew what I was saying, so just bear with me. Yeah,

Avery: 15:59

yeah. And it's, I think it's so, so hard because some of the. Kind of like typical symptoms that we might see with perimenopause are also similar to things that we see with A DHD, right? And so when we have like the forgetfulness and brain fog, like that stuff can happen with A DHD, but it might be really amplified in perimenopause. And so it's this question of like. Is it a DH ADHD or is it perimenopause? And so that comes up a lot, or we might just be told that that's normal, right? Mm-hmm. That's normal perimenopausal symptoms, whereas actually it's not really normal, especially if we don't have a provider who who really knows what they're talking about.

Kat: 16:47

Yeah. I'm so glad you brought that up.'cause I was gonna kind of segue into there is like, how do you distinguish between the,'cause the symptoms overlap and, and that's, that's the tricky part is when symptoms overlap. I don't wanna say it can lead to a misdiagnosis, but if you are, if you have had this throughout your whole life, and because as we know now A DHD presents differently in girls through women than it does from boys through men. So women who are now. 35 plus, or even I have clients who are 55 plus and they're like, I was just diagnosed with A DHD and now my whole life makes sense. I feel like I have gotten a whole new lease on life. And I'm like, that's amazing. Like mm-hmm. That you now feel like you're in control, which it sucks. It took that long. Yeah. Is there key points, and this may be very, very gray area here, but are there key points to kind of articulate. A direct diagnosis or perimenopausal symptoms.

Avery: 19:04

Well, I think when when, when symptoms are so intense that they're impacting our, you know, quality life on a consistent basis and the symptoms are similar to A DHD, what we wanna look at is have these symptoms been present throughout the lifetime. So just because they're more significant in perimenopause. Does not mean that they weren't always there because what we know is A DHD is not something that just develops. It's not something that just springs up out of nowhere. It doesn't perimenopause or hormonal shifts don't cause a DHD, but what we know is that symptoms get more intensified. And so if we can look at symptoms across the lifespan and have some understanding of, were these things present in some degree. When you were a child, when you were an adolescent and teenager, were these things actually happening or is it truly just perimenopause has kind of led to some of these things occurring and. Most of the time you're going to see Oh, right. We actually had these systems in place that we developed throughout our lifetime, and we're working up until my hormones got completely thrown outta whack. Mm-hmm. And that's why I'm kind of floundering or feeling like I'm drowning right now. And so. The symptoms were always there, but we might have had these things in place that we even unconsciously have kind of developed, or maybe our parents helped us develop as kids. And so we learn these strategies to kind of deal with challenges with forgetting things or with struggles with executive function or with, all of the kind of symptoms that we talk about. And it seemed kind of normal to just navigate life this way. When things become so intensified with the hormonal shifts, it becomes this kind of like, out of control sensation or like, there's something really wrong here. Because we don't have the understanding of how our brain might work.

Kat: 21:09

It's the way the brain works. It's not, you're not at fault. It's not trying to create elaborate systems or pushing harder. It's. The brain is wired in a certain way. Mm-hmm. And I think that is something that is lost when we talk about executive functioning challenges. Mm-hmm. The brain and how do we set ourself up for success? I don't have a, a great knowledge of this, but there's, you know, rewire the brain and I'm like, well, I think there's some of that, but I don't know if you're gonna be able to rewire the brain completely because the brain is kind of a steadfast organ there. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So but I would love to hear, a lot of women that I work with, they hold intense jobs and parenting is also an intense job or title, however you wanna classify it as a job and title. Yeah. And so sometimes I find they just wanna push and push harder to override said system. The brain where it's becomes really fatiguing and so they'll white knuckle it and push, push, push fatigue, and it puts them into a cycle of paralysis where. You might span for a couple weeks or a couple months, and that has that downward negative spiral. I would love to hear your thoughts around that.

Avery: 22:31

Sure. I think that, you know, I also work with a lot of women who kind of are, what we might consider, and I don't love this term, but like our high functioning or you know, our, very maybe qualified and, and in a. Perhaps like high power type position, right? And so when we have this, this experience of kind of having always been on top of everything and a high achiever and always kind of being the person who's kind of kept together which is a very common experience for individuals with a DH, ADHD for a number of reasons. And so. And we have that experience. But we are also having these biological shifts that are happening within us when we continue to kind of fight. Fight that over and over and over again. I mean, that's what leads us to burnout, right? Right. It's what leads us to feeling when we don't understand the way our brain works, it's what leads us to feeling kind of like paralyzed in shame when we can't just get up and fold the three loads of laundry that have been sitting on the chair for three days. Right. So. It can oftentimes lead us feeling paralyzed or, when we want to start a new exercise routine or eat in a different way. All those things require so much energy and effort that we just might not have the capacity for because our capacity may have also decreased as our hormones have shifted. And so if we can acknowledge that. There are either some days or weeks or months when we don't have the capacity that maybe we previously did we're then again able to be more compassionate with ourselves and acknowledge that this is what's happening for me right now and I don't have the ability to maybe do what I was doing a couple years ago.

Kat: 24:29

I love that. It's the capacity, you know, energy is finite. The you know, I. Kind of equating it to my clients. I say, you know, we may wanna change a lot, but too much change is overwhelming in an already overwhelming schedule. What can we change? Or what do we have the capacity for? Even how you took it on in a more expanded like, you know. Every year, if we wanna look at a 12 month calendar, there's gonna be times where your energy's gonna be higher, energy's gonna be lower work, maybe more demanding in one month. Kids schedules may be demanding in, you know, in a certain month. And if we can. Plan for this. It doesn't have to be an arduous plan of down to the minute, but just really forecasting, forecasting. Like what is our year gonna be like? I know it's something that I do intensely with my training. Because it helps me. I'm not, I hate classifying like, everyone's like, oh, you're so type A, and I'm like, I really don't feel like it because I'm very comfortable about leaving a whole sink full of dishes overnight because I'm just done, like mm-hmm. I mean, I, I am organized, but I'm also comfortable with messes. So maybe I'm still Type A, but it is one of those where it helps. Me keep my, my fitness, which is important to me, not just because I'm a trainer and I'm in the business, but it's part of me. I enjoy it. It is a core value for me. But also it's really important that it's as much as it can be in relationship with my other roles, parenthood business and. When I'm working with a client, if I can help them expand and look at like this is part of our life. Yes, we have these upfront goals that need addressing and things that we need to adapt to, but we also can't ignore. Everything else because you only have so much energy and we wanna make sure we're setting ourself up for success and not this defeat or burnout. Burnout. Mm-hmm. Sucks. I've been there so many times. Kind of with this is that notion of functioning versus thriving. Mm-hmm. I think sometimes that gets a little lost of people just functioning every day versus how are we really thriving? Mm-hmm. So if you can talk about that, like with A DHD and kind of distinguishing the differences.

Avery: 26:58

Yeah. I think this can be maybe happening for a number of reasons, but I, when we have the experience of just. Surviving our day to day, right? And. Pushing past what our body is telling us. Ignoring any, signs or symptoms of our body saying, please rest, please feed me. Please get more sleep. Or let's move our body right. We become so accustomed to just pushing through, we prioritize everyone else over ourselves. Mm-hmm. And we end up in that place where we're not actually feeling that great. We just feel like we have to continue in order to,, keep the kids fed or the house clean or whatever. And it puts us in a place where. We're just chronically not being mindful about how we're living our day to day. And so I think the alternative there, and this is something that comes up in a lot of the work that I do with my clients, is how can we, even in these very small doses, how can we be more mindful about how we're navigating our day to day? So whether that looks like, you know, can we notice how we're feeling maybe after we work out or before we work out? Or can we pay more attention to what happens to our ability to navigate our A DHD symptoms on a daily basis when we have more consistent sleep throughout the night? Or how can we,, be more mindful about, what happens for us when we get a little bit of movement and how does that then impact our ability to, be present with our kids or regulate our emotions better when we're with our children, rather than feeling like I just have to do one activity after the next, after the next, after the next. And we don't actually have anything left either for ourselves or for our kids or partner. And so doing some reflecting too of like. What does my schedule actually look like and how can I make it work better for me, rather than doing 25 different activities throughout the week and not having any downtime at home.

Kat: 29:11

I, I love what you said there how can I make the schedule work for me and what does my schedule look like? But like how we just get into that and we get stuck in that, just not feeling good. So it's like a cyclic system that just feeds into each other and kind of spanning out in perimenopause. One thing I find is. Is true is our body is so resilient, and I wanna start with that. Our body is so resilient, so adaptable, but because of the hormone shifts, the big buzzword out there is cortisol and like, oh, cortisol, ret. I'm like, okay, let's really dig into that. It's our body takes longer to recover. Mm-hmm. And what I find is if you, especially moms, we stay in this fight or flight. Where that's our sympathetic nervous system. Mm-hmm. And we don't ever come down off of that so that we get that adequate, adequate rest by going into that parasympathetic. So I love what you're saying there is with your, the work that you do with your clients is getting them step back and looking at. Okay. How are we feeling because mm-hmm. Mindfulness is in the, I'm gonna say the social media sphere is like, let's go meditate for 15 hours before the kids wake up and do your cold plunge. No, it, mindfulness is seeing, Hey, how am I feeling with these interactions? Mm-hmm. What does my schedule really look like? And when we develop that, we can see what's serving us, what's not serving us, where we need to put more of us to pour more into us. Yeah. Which in return is going to help fuel our nervous system so that you know, naturally our cortisol is higher in the morning. Decreases in the afternoon so we can get that restfulness so that we are continuing to set ourselves up. And I find it, it's letting go of that superwoman mode. Yeah. Which we all fall into in some way.

Avery: 31:04

Absolutely. I think whether we're talking about somebody who's navigating, potentially a late diagnosis of a DH ADHD during perimenopause, or even a late diagnosis prior to going into the perimenopause stage, I think if we can. Have more of an increased awareness of how our body is responding to whether it's just too much on our plate or you know, how we treat our body in terms of how much we're sleeping and what we're eating and how we're moving our body. We are better set up for success to navigate, you know, this experience of having this really intensified A DHD symptoms and perimenopause because. Our body, again, biologically is changing, right? And so we need to be able to notice what's happening to the best of our ability. Notice that maybe our energy is different that day. Or notice that we slept really poorly the night before because. That happens, right? And so how can we then have some sort of like flexible routine for ourself or flexible schedule for ourself to make sure that we actually can shift some stuff around, right, if we need to, or how can we take some of the load off of ourself whether it's in your, work life, home life, whatever, when we know that we're not gonna have the capacity to. To do what we would kind of normally be doing and acknowledge that there's going to be shifts. Like there's going to be days or times of day where things you feel like you have more energy. How can we capitalize on those periods of time where we do feel energized and that we can, you know, do what we want to do? And then how can we also capitalize on those times where we know we need to rest in order to better function?

Kat: 32:55

I wanna pull out a couple key points that I heard there that I think is, is amazing is flexible. It's, it's, we're so flexible with our kids. Mm-hmm. It's so easy, but we're not flexible with ourselves. And then, understanding energy and like, like you said, it's it's really hard. It's very easy to kind of pull a stick through water than it is to pull a stick through cement and mm-hmm. That's like your energy. Mm-hmm. With my clients, I'm like, if you don't have the energy to work out because you've had a very intense day, but you wanna move your body, do mobility. Mm-hmm. It's not an all or nothing. Yeah. If you need to go sit on the couch because that's the best thing that serves you. We can always shift a workout. Mm-hmm. Like you're human and you're not on this earth, like the way in the context with my clients to solely work out, yeah. We can still obtain our goals, but if we work with our body, you're going to get a lot more out of it. Mm-hmm. Then you will, if you're constantly fighting it. So what I, I always hate this question, but I also love it. So if someone's listening to this, what is, if they're in this point where they're I kind of think I might be struggling with a DHD. What would be kind of that first step? I don't have the capacity right now to reach out to a provider. Kind of that, like one thing that little like takeaway that they could do on their own.

Avery: 34:17

Hmm. Okay. So if we're talking about not having capacity to reach out a pro, out to a provider, I would definitely say educate yourself about what a DHD looks like in women. If that's what you feel is happening for you for whatever reason. Whether,, we saw it on social media or whether we have a family member who's been diagnosed or, you know, we're just kind of getting the sense that might be true for us. Or maybe we've kind of always thought that and now we're especially thinking that could be true. Educate yourself about what that looks like. And I can maybe share some, some good reading materials for sure. Yeah. But a good kind of quality resource website to go to is Attitude Mag, which I, we can also link yeah, can do that in

Kat: 35:00

the

Avery: 35:00

show notes. That has some really great solid information about A DHD and hormones. And so it talks, it gives some insight into maybe why this might be true for you or if this is true for you. And so I think that educating yourself is definitely a good place to start. If that, you know, is something that continues to resonate, you know, maybe we go to our primary care provider and say, Hey, I think this might be true for me. What do you think? And if they say, yeah, let's explore this. Great. And they might be a great resource. And if they say, no, that can't be it, that's just perimenopause. You might wanna find a new provider. Because there's plenty of providers who are not, specialized in that area and don't have the information. And so. You know, might wanna find somebody who, who does.

Kat: 35:48

Yeah. And I think it's very important, you do have the freedom to kind of look around to different providers and Absolutely. You know, you are the authority on your body. And I have found, and this is just sharing a personal experience where providers have put some of the symptoms that I've been. Having in the way of like, whether they be I'm gonna say mental or physical mm-hmm. As to, oh, you're a mom and you're in the thick of life, you get a second opinion, a third opinion. Mm-hmm. And to that point, with providers, is there a specific place to find if one is trained in understanding A DHD? Is there a location to find that or no? I mean, hmm.

Avery: 36:29

I don't have a good answer for that one.

Kat: 36:32

That's totally fine. Is there something to look for? So let's say obviously we know we're trained, you're trained in a DH adhd. Mm-hmm. But if someone were to go to a site if they're not local to you, which you're in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Mm-hmm. Is there key words or is there a certification to look for

Avery: 36:48

well, I. It's hard to say. There are definitely certifications for individuals who, you know, are specialized in A DHD. I think that finding someone who does say that they are specialized in A DHD is key because they are going to be more likely to be able to support you. There are, like I said, there are some certifications, but there are also plenty of providers who are not certified, who have lots of really great experience and have lots of lived experience. And so, I mean, truly, I, I do find, and this is not just because I experience this as well, I'm a provider who has A DHD and also works with women with A DHD. But I do find that individuals who with A DHD are. Usually better able to help those who want to explore A DHD because they just have a better understanding of what it is like to live with A DHD. And so I think that can be really helpful to have someone who also has some lived experience. I think that it's also really supportive to have a provider if you're, you know, seeking to better understand whether or not you have a DH. D you can ask upfront, if you're getting started with someone, are you willing to explore a DHD with me? And if they say no, because I just, learned about it on social media and everyone thinks they have a DHD, that's a big red flag to, to go elsewhere. Yeah.

Kat: 38:10

That's very helpful because it's. There's a lot out there and like, to your point, you know, there's a lot of people that claim things. I hear it in my industry. Mm-hmm. That they are knowledgeable in that. I have had clients that are like, I worked with X, Y, Z person. They said they were, but they had no idea. Which can be very annoying as someone who is like, like yourself. You're upfront, you're forward, you have the backing. So yeah. Advocate for yourself and stick with that. And I do like how you added because it does make a, a difference if someone has lived experience and understanding. Yeah. A DHD also I always joke like the Psych 1 0 1 joke is you go into psych 1 0 1, feeling like you're totally grounded and you go out diag diagnosing yourself with 8 million different things, right? Because you think you have it all. Right? Right. So it's not invalidating. If you read something on social media, that's great, but no, it's supposed to hook you in. Mm-hmm. Get the, like, do the research and mm-hmm. We will include, places where you can educate yourself to learn a little bit more. Always work with a licensed, accredited provider in this area. I think it does help, but also arming yourself and educating yourself through accredited books is going to help as well. This has been awesome. We're gonna wrap it up. I know I'll have you back on, but we will have all of your links and resources in the show notes. Mm-hmm. Also a link to the previous episode that you were on, I think it was almost a year ago, which is I think so too. It was a while ago. But is there anything you wanna add before we wrap up?

Avery: 39:48

I, I mean, I think the, the biggest point is,, if. If you feel like this might be happening for you, believe yourself, go seek a provider who is willing to explore that with you. And there is support out there and it can be really, really impactful to understand how your brain works if you have a DHD. And so go seek it out. It's never too late to, to seek out a diagnosis.

Kat: 40:14

I love that. Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on. This was amazing. Thanks for having me. You're welcome. Thank you for tuning in to MilesFromherView, powered by KatFit Strength. If this podcast inspires you, don't keep it for yourself. Hit follow or subscribe to stay updated on the new episodes, and leave us a review to help more women and moms discover this space. Your feedback fuels this podcast and I'd love to hear what's working for you or what topics you want to dive into Next. You can connect with me on Instagram at KatFit or share this episode. Road with a friend who is ready to embrace her strength. Remember, fitness isn't about perfection. It's about showing up for yourself and finding strength in every step of your journey. Until next time, keep moving forward one mile at a time.