ADHD can mess with a person’s ability to remember responsibilities and deadlines, start and stop projects, and show up as the on-top-of-everything employee that a boss expects. For women, these symptoms are also in direct contrast to what society expects us to be: attentive, organized, self-controlled. If you have ADHD, getting practical support from colleagues and emotional support from others in the same boat is essential to reaching your potential at work.

Two women who have ADHD—one’s a psychologist and the other a life coach—explain the many different ways that this chronic, brain-based disorder manifests, and how hormonal fluctuations factor in. They point out coping mechanisms that might actually be making your life harder, and give advice for creating the structure and accountability you need in your job.

Guests:

Kathleen Nadeau is a psychologist, the clinical director of The Chesapeake Center, and author of many books about ADHD, including her latest, Still Distracted After All These Years.

Kristen Carder hosts the podcast I Have ADHD and runs a group coaching program called Focused.

Resources:

• “ADHD, Neurodiversity, and Bias,” from The Anxious Achiever


• “5 Ways to Focus at Work, from an Executive Who’s Struggled with ADHD,” by Jack Kosakowski


• “Feeling Disengaged at Work? Find Someone to Hold You Accountable,” by Deborah Grayson Riegel


• “Is Your Company Inclusive of Neurodivergent Employees?” by Michael Bernick


• “How Women with ADHD Can Transform the Challenges of a Late Diagnosis,” from ADDitude

Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org