Danielle Elliott

I read so many journals and articles that year and never came across anything that would suggest such an idea. Obviously, something had changed in the last few years. Women with ADHD were now being found everywhere, from my apartment building to Fox News. I talked to dozens of women who, like me, went undiagnosed until recently. Women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s. One woman in her mid-70s.

All the invisible labor, as we now call it. In the 90s, when Sari was initially making these observations, it apparently wasn't even a question that women would manage their households. They could pursue careers if they wanted to, as long as they wanted to do that in addition to all the things they were already expected to do

All the invisible labor, as we now call it. In the 90s, when Sari was initially making these observations, it apparently wasn't even a question that women would manage their households. They could pursue careers if they wanted to, as long as they wanted to do that in addition to all the things they were already expected to do

And this was hard, especially for women whose brains did not handle executive function and organization all that well.

And this was hard, especially for women whose brains did not handle executive function and organization all that well.

So, yeah, that's my shiny ball. My podcast-worthy question. Why women? Why now? One day, I was at a friend's birthday party, and someone said something I've never heard before. He said his mom was diagnosed with ADHD early. back in 1963. I couldn't resist. A week later, I was in Michigan, meeting his mom.

So, yeah, that's my shiny ball. My podcast-worthy question. Why women? Why now? One day, I was at a friend's birthday party, and someone said something I've never heard before. He said his mom was diagnosed with ADHD early. back in 1963. I couldn't resist. A week later, I was in Michigan, meeting his mom.

If I wanted to figure out how we missed this in an entire generation of women, I felt like talking to someone who hadn't missed it was a pretty good place to start.

If I wanted to figure out how we missed this in an entire generation of women, I felt like talking to someone who hadn't missed it was a pretty good place to start.

Women feeling bad that they can't keep up or make themselves understood or seen by other people. I get that. I bounced around a lot in my 20s. And by my 30s, it wasn't amounting to anything. I felt like everyone was moving forward in life, and I was just moving around. When I saw my friends start doing everything as couples, I started dating more intentionally.

Women feeling bad that they can't keep up or make themselves understood or seen by other people. I get that. I bounced around a lot in my 20s. And by my 30s, it wasn't amounting to anything. I felt like everyone was moving forward in life, and I was just moving around. When I saw my friends start doing everything as couples, I started dating more intentionally.

The word then was hyperactive. This is Emily Mitchell. She's a graphic designer in Traverse City, Michigan. We met at her house and sat in a basement office.

The word then was hyperactive. This is Emily Mitchell. She's a graphic designer in Traverse City, Michigan. We met at her house and sat in a basement office.

And I thought I was doing things right. Then, on a second date, my date started telling me about his cats. He kept them when his ex moved out. He asked if I'd ever lived with a partner. No. Oh, he said. how long was your longest relationship? I answered honestly, it was about four months. He put down his martini glass and said, wait, how old are you?

And I thought I was doing things right. Then, on a second date, my date started telling me about his cats. He kept them when his ex moved out. He asked if I'd ever lived with a partner. No. Oh, he said. how long was your longest relationship? I answered honestly, it was about four months. He put down his martini glass and said, wait, how old are you?

It was like something to play with.

It was like something to play with.

The look on his face told me there was something wrong with me, that I'd reached a point in life where it was not acceptable to have not been in a relationship. It didn't matter that I'd focused on work and grad school and friends, that I'd traveled, that I just never met anyone who made sense for me.

The look on his face told me there was something wrong with me, that I'd reached a point in life where it was not acceptable to have not been in a relationship. It didn't matter that I'd focused on work and grad school and friends, that I'd traveled, that I just never met anyone who made sense for me.

The look on this man's face told me that a woman in her mid-30s who has not been in a serious relationship is a woman who might never be in a serious relationship. The next few years were weird. I was happy when I was alone or with people who truly knew me. I retreated a bit in a way I never would have expected. Other people didn't seem to understand me, and I didn't understand them.