The Dr. Brighten Show

ADHD in women symptoms can hide behind straight As, a successful career, a packed calendar, and the exhausting work of appearing “fine.” In Episode 1 of the ADHD in Women series, Dr. Jolene Brighten joins psychiatrist Dr. Agnes Kwon Simone, pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, and clinical s/xologist Dr. Leann Borneman to unpack the signs women mask, the assessment gaps that lead to missed diagnoses, and how to advocate for a thorough evaluation. View the full show notes at https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/adhd-in-women-symptoms/ .

📘 Preorder ADHD and Women by Dr. Jolene Brighten: https://drbrighten.com/adhd-and-women/

👍 Like this video, share it with the woman who has been told she is “too successful” to have ADHD, and subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show so you do not miss the rest of this eight-part series.

Many women with ADHD were never disruptive in class. They may have been the student who got straight As, the employee who pulled off impossible deadlines, or the partner who carried the entire mental load while quietly falling apart. This conversation explains why achievement does not rule out ADHD, why attention can look inconsistent, and why a 15-minute screener cannot replace a complete clinical assessment.

🎓 Meet the expert panel

🩺 Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist, nutrition scientist, and author of ADHD and Women.

🧠 Dr. Agnes Kwon Simone is a board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and psychiatric evaluation.

👩‍⚕️ Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart is a pediatric psychologist and board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist.

💬 Dr. Leann Borneman is a clinical s/xologist (PhD), licensed psychotherapist, and ADHD relationship expert.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn

🧩 Why straight As, organization, hyperfocus, career success, or marriage do not rule out ADHD.

⏰ How time blindness, procrastination, internal restlessness, and emotional dysregulation can show up in adult women.

📝 How to build an ADHD evidence map before you book an evaluation.

🧠 Why you can manage a crisis, run a business, or write a book, yet still struggle to answer an email or make a dentist appointment.

🔥 Why urgency can temporarily help an ADHD brain engage, and why relying on stress eventually stops working.

🤝 How body doubling can support task initiation, persistence, and completion.

🧬 What we know about ADHD’s genetic contribution and why trauma alone does not explain every case.

🎭 How masking can look like perfectionism, over-preparing, people-pleasing, hypervigilance, and exhaustion.

🏫 How parents can advocate for accommodations without reducing ADHD support to medication alone.

🚩 What a thorough ADHD assessment includes, plus the red flags to watch for in an evaluator.

🔎 Why anxiety, depression, OCD, learning differences, iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, and psychosocial stressors deserve consideration in an assessment.

⚖️ How bias affects who gets diagnosed, treated, accommodated, or labeled as “difficult.”

🧠 A practical note before an ADHD evaluation

📱 Open your Notes app and write down what happens, where it happens, how often it happens, what it costs you, how you compensate, and what you remember from childhood.

🗂️ Add examples such as missed deadlines, chronic lateness, unpaid fees, relationship conflict, all-night overwork, or the systems you use to avoid forgetting something important.

🩺 Bring that note to a qualified clinician. A diagnosis requires a full assessment, but your history helps the right provider ask better questions.

📚 This episode offers education and does not replace individual medical or mental health care. Work with a qualified clinician for diagnosis, treatment, and medication decisions.

✨ Connect with the panel

🌿 Dr. Jolene Brighten Website: https://drbrighten.com

📸 Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten/

▶️ Subscribe to Dr. Jolene Brighten on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoleneBrighten

🩺 Dr. Agnes Kwon Simone: https://www.simonepsych.com/

📸 Follow Dr. Agnes Kwon Simone: https://www.instagram.com/dr.agnesksimone/

🧠 Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart: https://drannlouiselockhart.com/

📸 Follow Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.annlouise.lockhart/

💬 Dr. Leann Borneman: https://www.bornemancoaching.com/

📸 Follow Dr. Leann Borneman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drb_unfiltered/

💌 Subscribe, like, and share this episode with someone who has spent years wondering why life feels harder than it looks from the outside.
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Did you know women with endometriosis are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD? In my new book, ADHD and Women, I connect the dots between hormones, pain, mood, focus, and the symptoms women are too often told to simply push through—so you can finally understand what is happening in your body and brain. Get your copy: https://drbrighten.com/adhd-and-women/

Endometriosis in perimenopause can become more painful, more inflammatory, and far more confusing, but it is not “all in your head,” and it is not simply a matter of estrogen being too high. In this AMA, Dr. Jolene Brighten and Angela, who works with her behind the scenes, answer your biggest questions about endometriosis, adenomyosis, progesterone, HRT, surgery, fibroids, and what changes as hormones shift; view the show notes at https://drbrighten.com.

💬 If this conversation helps you feel more informed, please like, share, comment, and subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show so more women can access evidence-informed conversations about their health.
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ADHD rejection sensitivity can make one comment, one text, or one change in someone’s tone feel like proof that everything is falling apart. In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Alex Partridge joins me to unpack rejection sensitivity, masking, identity, self-trust, and the hidden emotional cost of ADHD; view the full show notes at
https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/adhd-rejection-sensitivity/

📚 My new book, ADHD and Women, explores the relationship between ADHD, hormones, the nervous system, nutrition, and the experiences women are so often never taught to connect.

🎁 Preorder the book and see the current limited-time bonuses here:https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen

In This Episode

Why ADHD can make rejection and criticism feel disproportionately intense

How childhood comments like “you’re too much,” “stop being so emotional,” or “why are you so weird?” can shape the way you see yourself as an adult

How masking can slowly shift the question from “Who am I?” to “Who do I need to be so people will accept me?”

Why Alex believes rejection sensitivity can become one of the most debilitating and overlooked parts of ADHD

How an unanswered text, unusual tone of voice, meeting request, or single negative comment can trigger catastrophic thinking

How people-pleasing and fear of disappointing others can undermine your ability to trust your own instincts

Why an emotional trigger can lead to quitting, relationship conflict, impulsive decisions, or behaviors you regret once you’re regulated again

What it can feel like to receive an ADHD diagnosis and suddenly realize you don’t know who you are underneath years of masking

Why your brain may seek out criticism—even when you’re already feeling terrible—and how to interrupt that pattern

How creating a bank of real evidence can help challenge the story rejection sensitivity is telling you

How to repair after an intense emotional reaction without using ADHD as an excuse for harmful behavior

Why someone who appears “high functioning” at work may actually be high masking and completely depleted by the time they get home

Why “you just need to try harder” may be one of the most damaging messages people with ADHD hear

How curiosity, pattern recognition, creativity, entrepreneurship, and intense interests can become powerful ADHD strengths

About Alex Partridge

🎙️ Alex Partridge is the founder of UNILAD and LADbible, host of the award-winning ADHD Chatter podcast, a Sunday Times bestselling author, and a leading voice in conversations about ADHD and neurodiversity.

In this conversation, Alex shares not only what he has learned through interviewing hundreds of experts, but his own experiences with masking, alcoholism, entrepreneurship, rejection sensitivity, identity, and rebuilding self-trust.

This Episode Is Brought to You By

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Follow Alex Partridge

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_partridge_100/?hl=en

🌐 Website: https://www.alex-partridge.com/

🎙️ ADHD Chatter:https://www.instagram.com/adhd_chatter_podcast

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ADHD_Chatter_Podcast

Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten

🌐 Website: https://drbrighten.com

🎙️ The Dr. Brighten Show: https://drbrighten.com/podcast

📚 Books: https://drbrighten.com/books

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/drjolenebrighten

🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten

📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/drjolenebrighten

Join the Conversation

💬 Have you ever interpreted a tiny change in someone’s tone, a delayed text, or a request to “talk later” as proof you had done something wrong?

👇 Tell me in the comments what rejection sensitivity or masking has looked like for you.

👍 Like this episode if it helped you put words to something you’ve experienced.

📤 Share it with someone who has spent years believing they were “too sensitive” or “too much.”

🔔 Subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show for more evidence-informed conversations about ADHD, hormones, women’s health, relationships, and the brain.
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Cellular aging may be happening faster than your chronological age suggests—and in this episode, Dr. Will Cole explains what can accelerate it, what mitochondrial dysfunction can actually feel like, and what may help protect your healthspan; view the full show notes at https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/cellular-aging/. We break down the science of biological age, organ aging, inflammation, metabolic health, circadian rhythms, nutrition, movement, and practical longevity strategies you can actually use.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s may be experiencing accelerated cellular aging

How your heart, brain, kidneys, and other organs can age at different rates

Why brain fog, fatigue, feeling wired-but-tired, and anxiety with exhaustion may be clues worth paying attention to

How inflammation and “cellular confusion” may affect mitochondrial function and aging

Which metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory markers Dr. Cole considers clinically meaningful

How environmental toxins, microplastics, PFAS, stress, trauma, food, and artificial light may influence cellular health

The surprising conversation around nature, bird song, spirituality, community, and longevity

Why light exposure can disrupt more than sleep—your organs have their own cellular clocks

Why fatigue in women, including women with endometriosis, deserves to be taken seriously

How fasting, green tea, polyphenols, and meal timing fit into the longevity conversation

How to build a longevity-supportive plate without following a rigid wellness diet

Why a 10–15 minute walk after dinner may be one of the simplest metabolic tools available

Zone 2, REHIT, strength training, sauna, cold exposure, and mobility—what may actually be worth your time

And how to support healthier aging without turning wellness into a full-time job

ABOUT DR. WILL COLE

Dr. Will Cole is a functional medicine expert, New York Times bestselling author, and an early pioneer in functional medicine telehealth. In this conversation, he shares concepts from his newest book, Heal Your Cells, and explains the clinical lens he uses to think about inflammation, mitochondrial health, metabolic health, and longevity.

🌐 Dr. Will Cole: https://drwillcole.com

📘 Heal Your Cells: https://healyourcells.com

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwillcole

CONNECT WITH DR. JOLENE BRIGHTEN💛

🌐 Dr. Brighten: https://drbrighten.com

🎙️ The Dr. Brighten Show: https://drbrighten.com/podcasts

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrBrighten

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjolenebrighten

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drjolenebrighten

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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🏷️ Use code POD15 where applicable.

📚 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

📘 Heal Your Cells by Dr. Will Cole: https://healyourcells.com

🌐 Dr. Will Cole’s website + resources: https://drwillcole.com

🎙️ More episodes of The Dr. Brighten Show: https://drbrighten.com/podcasts

❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW

👍 LIKE this episode if it gave you a new way to think about aging and cellular health.

💬 COMMENT below: What is one longevity habit you’re actually willing to start this week?

📤 SHARE this episode with someone who is constantly tired, dealing with brain fog, or wants to protect their health for the long term.

🔔 SUBSCRIBE to The Dr. Brighten Show for evidence-informed conversations about women’s health, hormones, brain health, metabolism, longevity, and the science that helps you better understand your body.

⚕️ This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical care. Always discuss changes to your medications, supplements, fasting practices, or treatment plan with your healthcare professional.
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Perimenopause hormones can make you feel like your body changed overnight—even when your labs look “normal,” and in this AMA Dr. Jolene Brighten answers your biggest questions about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, HRT, birth control, Mirena, ovulation, POI, and postmenopause.

View the complete show notes, references, and resources at
https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/perimenopause-hormones/

📖 PREORDER ADHD AND WOMEN: https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

🧪 Why “normal” hormone labs don’t necessarily explain how you feel during perimenopause

😤 What symptoms like rage, anxiety, poor sleep, and irritability may tell you about progesterone

🥚 How to tell whether you’re still ovulating in perimenopause using cycle patterns, cervical mucus, temperature, LH, and progesterone

🩸 Why a shortening luteal phase may be an early clue that progesterone production is changing

🔬 Which hormone tests Dr. Brighten finds useful—and why testosterone, thyroid, insulin, and other markers deserve attention too

🧠 What we know—and still don’t know—about progestins, progesterone, GABA, BDNF, and women’s brain health

🌀 Where the Mirena IUD may fit during perimenopause, heavy bleeding, adenomyosis, and hormone therapy

🌙 When cyclic versus continuous progesterone may make sense

🧴 Dr. Brighten’s approach to estradiol, estriol, Biest, testosterone, and compounded hormone therapy

🏋️ How declining estrogen can affect muscle, connective tissue, mitochondria, exercise tolerance, and recovery

❤️ Why menopause doesn’t have to be a story of decline—including the part nobody talks about enough: sex can get better

🩺 When symptoms like varicose veins deserve further evaluation rather than being dismissed as “just hormones”

Resources

📖 ADHD and Women — Preorder + Bonuses: https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen

🌐 Dr. Brighten Website: https://drbrighten.com

🎙️ The Dr. Brighten Show: https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/

🌟 Free Hormone-Friendly Recipes: https://drbrighten.com/hormonekit/

Sponsorship & Resources

🧠 Dr. Brighten Essentials — Radiant Mind: https://drbrightenessentials.com/products/radiant-mind
Podcast listeners can use POD15 for 15% off.

👩🏻‍⚕️ About Dr. Jolene Brighten

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist, nutrition scientist, women’s health educator, and author of ADHD and Women. Her work focuses on translating complex hormone science into practical information women can use to better understand their bodies and have more informed conversations with their healthcare providers.

👩🏻‍⚕️ Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten

💻 Website: https://drbrighten.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten

🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten

🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@drjolenebrighten

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoleneBrighten

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjolenebrighten

👍 If this episode helped you, like the video, subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show, and share it with a woman who has been told her labs are “normal” even though she knows something has changed. And tell me in the comments: what perimenopause or hormone question should we answer in the next AMA?

⚠️ Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or replace individualized medical care. Always discuss symptoms, medications, supplements, testing, and hormone therapy with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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