Derek Miller wears many hats: money coach, musician, athlete, performer, cider guide, and more. His ADHD story is just as full of twists. Derek didn’t find out he had ADHD until college. The jump from high school left him struggling to focus — especially while also caring for his wife during her cancer treatment. To get through the stress, he often used caffeine, while also working on managing his emotions and finding ways to improve himself.

Derek’s view of life and money also changed during his time in Mozambique, where he served as a Mormon missionary. That experience shaped how he thinks about community and resilience. In this episode of “ADHD Aha!,” host Laura Key talks with Derek about majoring in math even though he had math anxiety, how he learned to handle his emotions and focus, and why he now helps others build a healthier relationship with money.

For more on this topic

• ADHD and managing money
• ADHD and caffeine
• Derek's financial education instagram

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:07) Derek’s college ADHD diagnosis story

(05:53) Math anxiety

(09:04) Self awareness and introspection

(12:32) How emotional money can be

(15:49) Derek’s time living in Mozambique, and what he learned about rejection sensitivity

(21:40) What’s next for Derek

(22:53) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

Explore Through My Eyes today. Step into the world of three kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia — helping you see differently so you can act differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sari Solden is a psychotherapist, author, and a true trailblazer for women with ADHD. In this episode, she talks about discovering her own ADHD while helping shape the growing field of adult ADHD in the 1990s. She shares openly about her struggles with shame, working memory, and the pressure of trying to meet society’s expectations of what a woman “should” be. She also reflects on lessons learned from the many women she has worked with over the years.

Sari takes us behind the scenes of her early meetings with other ADHD experts at a time when adult ADHD was just starting to be recognized. She’s the author of several books, including “Women with Attention Deficit Disorder,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Through her pioneering work, Sari gave voice to countless women whose struggles were long misunderstood or overlooked.

Related resources

• Hear Sari on “Climbing the Walls,” our podcast about the rise of ADHD diagnoses in women
• A deeper dive on ADHD and shame
• What is working memory?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

Explore Through My Eyes today. Step into the world of three kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia — helping you see differently so you can act differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Erica Shoemate gave birth to her daughter Nia, she was told Nia wouldn’t survive. But today, Nia is 7 years old — and that traumatic birth became a turning point in Erica’s life.

Erica shares how her postpartum experience led to diagnoses of anxiety and PTSD, and eventually ADHD. A former national security analyst turned maternal health strategist and policy advocate, Erica reflects on the layered stigma of mental health in the Black community. She also talks with Laura about ADHD and hormones. And she shares the comment her husband made that sparked her ADHD evaluation.

Related resources

• Erica’s website, www.ericalshoemate.com
• A guide to ADHD and hormones
• From the Hyperfocus podcast: Did my ADHD make me more likely to have postpartum depression?
• ADHD and pregnancy

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(02:09) How Erica’s pregnancy journey led to her ADHD diagnosis

(10:07) What Erica’s diagnosis has taught her about herself

(16:10) Why Erica speaks openly about her ADHD diagnosis

(21:26) Erica’s maternal health advocacy work

For a transcript and more resources, visit the “ADHD Aha!” show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

Explore Through My Eyes today. Step into the world of three kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia — helping you see differently so you can act differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.