ADHD Untangled

Is It Love Or Just Dopamine? ADHD, Hyperfocus And Real Connection With Dr Miguel

ADHD Untangled

Show Notes

You know that electricity at the start of something new… When you cannot stop thinking about them, texting them, replaying every message in your head, planning weekends away in your mind, and refreshing WhatsApp every three seconds?! Is that love, or just your ADHD brain chasing dopamine on loud? This week I am back with everyone’s favourite go-go dancing neuroscientist and mental health expert, Dr Miguel, to untangle ADHD, hyperfocus, love bombing, gut health and long-term love. Dr Miguel brings the science and eighteen years of lived experience in a relationship with a neurodivergent nervous system, and I bring the tangled ADHD heart. Together we untangle: 🧠 What hyperfocus actually is in the brain, how it feels in the body, and how to tell the difference between genuine connection and a dopamine high that will burn out fast. 💌 Why ADHDers often come on strong, what really sits behind it, and how intent, safety and reciprocity separate enthusiasm from love bombing. 💔 Why a small comment about a door left open can feel like a punch in the stomach, why divorce rates are higher in ADHD, and how shame and old stories pour petrol on small disagreements. 🍽 Food, gut health and RSD - how your gut bacteria, blood sugar and nervous system can make the difference between taking feedback in your stride or spiralling for hours. 💸 ADHD tax and looking selfish when you are not - and what has helped Miguel and his husband create more safety around money. Why listen? Because ADHD does not mean you are doomed in love. It means your nervous system needs different tools. This episode will help you understand what is biology, what is trauma, what is attachment, and what is actually your values. This is perfect if you are… 🧡 An ADHDer who feels “too much”, “too intense” or “too chaotic” in love 🙄 In a relationship with someone who has ADHD and you are tired of feeling like the responsible one 😞 Someone who keeps burning it all down when things get hard and wondering if you are the problem I want this episode to feel like a deep breath for your nervous system. You are not bad at love. You just have a brain and body that need a different rulebook, and there is real hope for connection that feels safe, grounded and still full of fire. Let’s get untangled and show the world what we are made of. 💡 Want to dive deeper? 🧡 Join the free Untangled Community → click here 🎓 Rosie & Dr Miguel's ADHD Coach Training → click here 🧘 Retreats → click here ✨ Follow us → @adhd_untangled 🧠 Follow Dr Miguel → @drmiguelmateas 📚 Book on Attachment Styles → “Attached” 🌿 Essential oils & scents for calming the nervous system and the amygdala → vetiver, neroli (orange blossom), chamomile and earthy, grounding smells like soil and grass. Lots of love and strength, Rosie 🧡🖤

More from ADHD Untangled

Sep 15, 2026

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.

Sep 1, 2026

Do you think you're too chaotic to meditate? Attempted it and failed, time and time again

Mar 10, 2026

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.

See all episodes →