Show Notes
For decades, women with ADHD have been told they're "just anxious," "just depressed," or "just stressed." Meanwhile, their physical symptoms - heavy periods, migraines, gut issues, dizziness when standing - have been dismissed as separate problems.
They're not. They're all connected.
Dr. Asad Raffi has assessed thousands of ADHD women and discovered something revolutionary: ADHD is a brain-body condition. The female presentation doesn't even resemble what's in the diagnostic manuals. So how is a clinician using a checklist going to diagnose any woman? They can't. And they haven't.
In this raw and honest conversation, Dr. Asad explains why 50%+ of women sitting in GP waiting rooms could actually have undiagnosed ADHD, why the medical system has failed women for so long, and what actually needs to change.
We explore the micro-fractures of accumulated trauma, why ADHD can look like complex PTSD, the "whole heap of shit" happening beneath the surface that single-lens diagnosis misses, and the critical importance of understanding hormones, inflammation, and the brain-body connection.
And in the most moving moment of the interview, when asked what he said to his teenage daughter when she got diagnosed with ADHD, his answer was simple:
"Welcome to the club."
This conversation will change how you see ADHD, your body, and yourself.
IN THIS EPISODE: ✨ Why physical symptoms are the primary indicator of ADHD in women ✨ The connection between hormones, inflammation, and brain health ✨ Why women have been chronically misdiagnosed for decades ✨ ADHD vs complex PTSD - understanding micro-fractures and accumulated trauma ✨ Why looking at ADHD from a singular lens will always get it wrong ✨ The importance of community, connection, and reaching out ✨ What he told his daughter when she was diagnosed
Dr. Asad Raffi is a leading consultant psychiatrist, founder of Sanctum Healthcare, and father of three girls. His mission was born from his daughter's ADHD diagnosis - and he's determined that no woman is left misunderstood.
More from ADHD Untangled
Mother, Listen to This | Angela Heap
Do you have a dream you keep talking yourself out of?
Do you ever wonder how your ADHD impacts your sex life?You are not alone. ADHD doesn't magically switch off when the clothes come off.
Do you think you're too chaotic to meditate? Attempted it and failed, time and time again
How many times have you thought about closing down your business this month? This week? Today?Every single hand went up when I asked four female ADHD founders that question. Because here's what nobody posts on Instagram: running a business with ADHD is the quickest way to figure out how your ADHD shows up as both a struggle AND a strength.In this raw, honest, and hilarious live panel, I sat down with Jess (Sacred and Wild), Cat (Yogi Bare), Katie France (Love Bomb Bags), and Natt (Waking Dreams) to talk about the reality of being a female founder with ADHD.We talk about people-pleasing that nearly cost Cat her entire business, Katie's struggle with posting out the right bags to the right people (executive function is REAL), why having two ADHD brains in business together means you might "accidentally commit fraud," and how Jess's perfectionism has kept years of work hidden from the world.But we also talk about why none of us go back. Why the 9-5 isn't an option for brains wired like ours. Why freedom matters more than money. And why, despite everything, we keep showing up.Natt drops the mic with: "Your ADHD would not even be a talking point without capitalism."And Jess reminds us all: "I see the work people put out into the world and I just think, bloody well done. I don't judge it. I just really respect people trying and just being out there doing it."This one's for every woman who's ever felt like giving up but keeps showing up anyway.IN THIS EPISODE:✨ Why we all threaten to quit (regularly)✨ How people-pleasing can cost you everything✨ Executive function struggles are not stupidity✨ The reality of working with other ADHDers✨ How perfectionism keeps you stuck✨ Why we can't go back to corporate burnout✨ The real reason we keep going (it's not money)✨ Why capitalism makes ADHD "problematic"✨ Taking a day off is productive, actually✨ Giving yourself the same grace you give other womenFour incredible women. Four thriving businesses. Four ADHD brains refusing to dim down.Generator. Alive. Colourful. Chaotic.Not broken. Not struggling. Not failing.Bloody well done for just doing it.