JoJo Abdi: Poetry, trauma & our sensitive wiring

Episode 116 with JoJo Abdi.

“The beautiful thing about this diagnosis is that my mask has come off and now I get to be me.”

Khadijo (Jojo) Abdi is a Somali-born writer, poet, and educator living in Minneapolis, MN. Her poetry and essays have been published in Lyricality, Minnesota Women’s Press, and in the anthology by Freedom Voices, Muslim American Writers At Home: Stories, Essays, and Poems of Diversity and Belonging.

JoJo was diagnosed with ADHD in the fall of 2021 and, like many of us, she’s been coming to terms with what she calls “this brain that’s so good at complex, exciting things that are hard for most people and so terrible at small routines of everyday life.”

We talk all about her poetry, sensitive wiring, and how we tend to get swept up in the “too muchness” of life. We also talk about some of the childhood trauma she experienced when her family fled Somalia, her survivor’s guilt, and how her ADHD affected her self-esteem and self-worth growing up.

And we also talk about how certain cultures are more ADHD-friendly than others, and what JoJo does to foster an inclusive classroom environment for her students.

After you listen to this episode, make sure to check out some of JoJo’s beautiful poetry at the link below.

Website: https://linktr.ee/khadijo.abdi

Instagram: @mzjojoab

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

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