Hello Menopause!

Is It ADHD or Perimenopause? | Coach Debbie White on why symptoms surface at midlife

Hello Menopause!

Show Notes

Is it perimenopause, or ADHD that's been there all along? Executive function coach Debbie White — diagnosed with ADHD at midlife herself — joins Stacy London to explain why the two look so similar and how to tell them apart.

Debbie's core insight: perimenopause doesn't cause ADHD, it reveals it. ADHD is a lifelong neurobiological condition, but inconsistent estrogen can break the systems that kept it manageable for decades — and because it's lifelong, postmenopausal women navigate it too. She shares the strategies that work: the one-notepad rule, "eat the frog," planning ahead, and the power of the pause.

This is a Summer Short. Season 4 is taking a quick summer breather, but we're dropping bite-sized episodes every other week all summer long — our most-loved conversations plus brand-new voices. Real talk. Real experts. Under ten minutes. All-new episodes return in September.

Connect with Debbie White: LifeStormer.com

Hello Menopause is a podcast from Let’s Talk Menopause. Produced in partnership with Studio Kairos. Supervising Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Artwork by Stacey Geller.

Subscribe to Hello Menopause on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you loved this conversation, leave us a review and share it with your community.

Visit LetsTalkMenopause.org for menopause resources, expert Q&As, and a symptom checklist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Hello Menopause!

Oct 21, 2026

If you've had breast cancer, carry a BRCA mutation, or have a family history, the menopause conversation can feel like it isn't for you. Dr. Corinne Menn, a board-certified OB-GYN, 24-year breast cancer survivor, and BRCA carrier who has been through menopause three times, tells Stacy it is. She explains the real options for survivors and high-risk women, from hot flash relief during treatment to vaginal estrogen to hormone therapy after surgical menopause, and how to walk out of a short appointment with a plan.

Oct 14, 2026

Dr. Joanne Armstrong, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Women’s Health and Genomics at CVS Health, joins Stacy to discuss why menopause has long been overlooked in the workplace and in medicine. They cover what it takes to improve care at a national scale and the steps women can take when they feel dismissed by their doctors.A board-certified OB-GYN with more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice and health policy, Dr. Armstrong leads women’s health and genomics strategy across CVS Health. She is also an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she continues to see patients and train medical students and residents. She holds degrees from Cornell University, the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She completed her residency at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island/Brown University and a health policy fellowship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Hello Menopause is a podcast from Let’s Talk Menopause. Produced in partnership with Studio Kairos. Supervising Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Artwork by Stacey Geller. Subscribe to Hello Menopause on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you loved this conversation, leave us a review and share it with your community.This episode is sponsored by CVS Health. CVS Health is committed to closing gaps in women's health at every life stage – because every woman deserves care that is accessible, affordable and personalized. Learn more at CVSHealth.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 7, 2026

Bobbi Brown built two beauty brands, reinvented herself at 59, and at 69 is strength training three days a week and refusing to apologize for any of it. The makeup artist and founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Jones Road Beauty joins Stacy London to talk about midlife beauty, starting over, and the simple daily habits that actually make a difference.

Sep 30, 2026

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in this episode, Stacy is joined by three women who've lived where breast cancer and menopause collide: journalist and survivor Gaby Natale, Alloy co-founder/co-CEO and survivor Monica Molenaar, and breast oncologist and survivor Dr. Marisa Weiss of Breastcancer.org.

Sep 23, 2026

Penn Holderness is the first husband to join Hello Menopause — and he and Kim (married 21 years, and the comedic duo behind the Holderness Family's viral songs and videos) sit down with Stacy to talk about what happens when perimenopause shows up in a marriage. They cover the physical-touch code words that saved their intimacy, the hormone "character" they invented to separate Kim from her symptoms, Kim's own panic-attack-to-diagnosis story, and why they think there needs to be a book about menopause written for men.

See all episodes →