Season 2 | Ep 3: ADHD, Motherhood, and the Sensitive Nervous System
Tue Feb 03 2026
✨ Free Nervous System Quiz: https://learn.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/Quiz_Podcast
In this episode, Melissa explores a truth many women quietly carry but rarely have language for: why ADHD often feels more challenging later in life, especially during motherhood or when adult responsibilities increase.
Rather than framing ADHD as a childhood issue or a problem to fix, this conversation gently reframes it as a nervous system experience that evolves over time. Melissa walks listeners through how a highly sensitive nervous system, combined with increasing emotional and mental demands, can lead to overwhelm, shutdown, emotional reactivity, and self‑judgment in adulthood.
Through both personal reflection and professional insight, she connects the dots between ADHD, high sensitivity, nervous system overload, and the early survival patterns many women learned long before they understood themselves. This episode invites you to move away from self‑blame and toward understanding, compassion, and real support at the root.
If you have ever wondered why life suddenly feels harder, why coping tools that once worked no longer do, or why motherhood seemed to intensify everything you already struggled with, this episode offers clarity, validation, and a new way forward.
🧭 This Episode Is Especially For You If…
You feel more overwhelmed, reactive, or shut down than you did earlier in lifeYou suspect ADHD or high sensitivity plays a role in your emotional experienceMotherhood or increased responsibility has pushed you into burnoutYou struggle with self‑regulation, emotional overstimulation, or chronic exhaustionYou feel guilt or shame about not being able to handle what others seem to manageYou want to understand yourself instead of criticizing yourselfYou are ready to support your nervous system rather than force yourself to cope
🔔 SUBSCRIBE & RATE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If this episode supported you, please subscribe on Apple or Spotify, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need to hear it. Your support helps this conversation reach more women who are learning they are not broken. 💛
🤝 Let’s Stay Connected: Resources + Links
✨ Free Nervous System Quiz: https://learn.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/Quiz_Podcast
📞 Work With Melissa 1:1: https://www.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/contact
📬 Join the Substack Community: Neurodiversity Advocate
🌐 Website: a href="https://www.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
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✨ Free Nervous System Quiz: https://learn.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/Quiz_Podcast In this episode, Melissa explores a truth many women quietly carry but rarely have language for: why ADHD often feels more challenging later in life, especially during motherhood or when adult responsibilities increase. Rather than framing ADHD as a childhood issue or a problem to fix, this conversation gently reframes it as a nervous system experience that evolves over time. Melissa walks listeners through how a highly sensitive nervous system, combined with increasing emotional and mental demands, can lead to overwhelm, shutdown, emotional reactivity, and self‑judgment in adulthood. Through both personal reflection and professional insight, she connects the dots between ADHD, high sensitivity, nervous system overload, and the early survival patterns many women learned long before they understood themselves. This episode invites you to move away from self‑blame and toward understanding, compassion, and real support at the root. If you have ever wondered why life suddenly feels harder, why coping tools that once worked no longer do, or why motherhood seemed to intensify everything you already struggled with, this episode offers clarity, validation, and a new way forward. 🧭 This Episode Is Especially For You If… You feel more overwhelmed, reactive, or shut down than you did earlier in lifeYou suspect ADHD or high sensitivity plays a role in your emotional experienceMotherhood or increased responsibility has pushed you into burnoutYou struggle with self‑regulation, emotional overstimulation, or chronic exhaustionYou feel guilt or shame about not being able to handle what others seem to manageYou want to understand yourself instead of criticizing yourselfYou are ready to support your nervous system rather than force yourself to cope 🔔 SUBSCRIBE & RATE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If this episode supported you, please subscribe on Apple or Spotify, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need to hear it. Your support helps this conversation reach more women who are learning they are not broken. 💛 🤝 Let’s Stay Connected: Resources + Links ✨ Free Nervous System Quiz: https://learn.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/Quiz_Podcast 📞 Work With Melissa 1:1: https://www.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/contact 📬 Join the Substack Community: Neurodiversity Advocate 🌐 Website: a href="https://www.theneurodiversityadvocate.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...