Coaching vs. therapy is one of the most common questions I hear from women with ADHD, especially those diagnosed later in life.

In this episode of PRIMED for ADHD, I slow the conversation down and explain, in practical terms, what therapy does well, what ADHD coaching actually looks like, where the two overlap, and how to think about what kind of support makes sense for you right now.

If you’ve ever wondered whether therapy is enough, whether coaching is legitimate, or whether you should be doing both, this episode is for you.

I talk about why coaching and therapy are often confused, how each supports the ADHD brain differently, and why insight alone doesn’t always translate into day-to-day change. I also share how coaching and therapy can work together, especially in midlife, when old coping strategies stop working and life transitions create new challenges.

This episode isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about clarity, realistic expectations, and understanding what kind of support will actually help you move forward.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why coaching and therapy are often confused, especially for adults with ADHD
• What therapy does best and when it’s the right place to start
• How ADHD coaching works and what it focuses on in real life
• The role of insight vs. application when managing ADHD
• When coaching and therapy together can be most effective
• How midlife transitions can change the kind of support you need

If you’re listening and thinking, "I understand myself better, but I’m still struggling to function the way I want to," coaching may be the missing piece.

You can learn more about my ADHD coaching work, including private coaching and my group coaching space for professional women in midlife, at andreatoolecoach.com.

If this episode was helpful, follow or subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. Sharing it with someone who’s been asking the same questions helps more than you think.

Contact for questions or comments:
https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/contact

If you’re a woman with ADHD in midlife and your brain suddenly feels harder to manage, this episode is for you. (Men: Share this with the women in your life.)

In this episode of PRIMED for ADHD, I explore what happens when ADHD intersects with perimenopause and why long-standing strategies stop working. You’ll hear how hormonal and brain chemistry shifts affect focus, motivation, memory, and emotional regulation for women with ADHD in midlife.

I unpack what’s happening beneath the surface, why common advice often misses the mark, and how to let go of the belief that these changes are a personal failing. This is especially relevant for high-functioning women who have spent years compensating and holding everything together, only to find the same workload now feels much heavier and that life feels harder overall.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How perimenopause affects women with ADHD—beyond basic hormone explanations
• Why estrogen fluctuations matter for focus, motivation, memory, and emotional regulation
• How identity, competence, and self-trust are affected
• Why this stage is a transition, not a regression
• What support works better now than the strategies you’ve relied on for decades
• Key questions to ask yourself now to find relief
• Too much about my skin

This episode offers clarity and context for women with ADHD in midlife and perimenopause, so you can recognize what’s changing and respond with steadiness instead of self-criticism.

If you have any questions about what I discussed, there's a resource below and you can reach out with questions.

Coming up next:

The next episode will discuss coaching versus therapy and how each can support you in different ways

Resources:

Read Navigating ADHD during perimenopause: https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/blog/navigating-adhd-during-perimenopause

Read When the house gets quiet: ADHD, midlife, and sending kids off to college:
https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/blog/adhd-in-the-empty-nest

Learn about my coaching framework:
https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/the-primed-difference

1:1 Support: https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/services

If you want to practice this kind of support in real time, that’s what WILD Minds is for. Be a part of a community of professional women managing ADHD in midlife.: https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/wildminds

Episode transcript:
https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/s/PRIMED-season-2-episode-3-Transcript-ADHD-and-Perimenopause-b832.pdf

Contact for questions or comments:
https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/contact

**

Did you enjoy the podcast?

• Subscribe on Apple and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/primed-for-adhd-podcast-with-andrea-toole/id1581663470
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4622OZsOjng75IBYV658GV
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgLlYfAhmxuaiiFSrlpQpQUZeWq-crvg1

When life feels unsettled, many people with ADHD try to reset everything at once. New routines, new systems, new plans. That approach often creates more pressure than stability.

In this episode, I introduce the 30-day anchor plan, a simple way to build steadiness without forcing yourself into rigid routines. Anchors are small, repeatable moments in the day that give ADHD brains something reliable to orient around.

This episode explores why anchors work when traditional routines don’t, how to choose morning and evening anchors, and why consistency doesn’t require perfection.

Whether you’re listening in January or at any point when things feel fragile or harder than they used to, this episode offers a gentler way forward.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why ADHD brains struggle with both chaos and rigidity
• What anchors are and how they differ from routines
• Why two anchors are often enough
• How a 30-day container helps reduce all-or-nothing thinking
• What “consistency” really means for ADHD brains

Resources mentioned:

• Download the 30-day anchor plan: https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/s/30-day-anchor-plan.pdf
• Episode transcript: https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/s/primed-adhd-2-2-transcript.pdf

Coming up next:
What happens when ADHD meets perimenopause, and why coping strategies that once worked can suddenly stop feeling effective.

If you want to practice this kind of support in real time, with other women navigating ADHD in midlife, that’s what WILD Minds is for. Be a part of a community of professional women managing ADHD in midlife. https://www.andreatoolecoach.com/wildminds

**

Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/primed-for-adhd-podcast-with-andrea-toole/id1581663470).

• Subscribe on Apple
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4622OZsOjng75IBYV658GV
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgLlYfAhmxuaiiFSrlpQpQUZeWq-crvg1

After a long hiatus, PRIMED for ADHD is back, with a clearer focus on what it means to live well with ADHD in midlife.

In this short welcome episode, host Andrea Toole, ADHD coach and educator, shares why she’s returning to the podcast, what’s changed, and what this season will focus on. She introduces the PRIMED™ framework, a six-part system designed to help high-functioning women create structure without rigidity and take control of their ADHD, instead of being controlled by it.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or decades in, this season is about reconnecting with your focus, energy, and sense of calm, without forcing yourself into systems that don’t fit.

Key takeaways

• Why ADHD support needs to go beyond productivity advice
• The six pillars of the PRIMED™ framework: Physical health, Routine, Intake, Mental state, Environment, and Downtime
• Who this podcast is for, and how the episodes are structured
• What to expect this season: ten weekly episodes with practical, realistic strategies

Connect with Andrea
Website: andreatoolecoach.com
Instagram: @andreatoolecoach
LinkedIn: Andrea Toole
YouTube: @AndreaToole

Follow PRIMED for ADHD wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone.

Remember: ADHD isn’t about doing more. It’s about creating a life that works for your fast brain.

Andrea Toole is an ADHD coach and educator, currently completing her coaching certification through an International Coaching Federation-accredited program.

Season 1 was released in 2021. Links may no longer work.

Do you have anxiety with your ADHD? Do you engage in high-risk activities or enjoy frightening things? As someone diagnosed with both ADHD and generalized anxiety, one with an aversion to risk, an empath, I don't understand. I understand the neurochemical process involved, but I also don't understand it from a practical perspective.

In this episode, I discuss ADHD in the context of anxiety and high-risk activities and the enjoyment of being spooked.

• Book referenced: Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain by Peter Shankman.

Other recommendations (...brought to you by...)

• The Morning Brew newsletter- The daily Morning Brew email newsletter covers the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. Informative, witty, brief, and everything you need to start your day.
  Its umbrella of newsletters includes Emerging Tech Brew, Retail Brew and Sidekick, among others. I read them almost daily, which is saying a lot.

www.andreatoolecoach.com (2024 onward)

Season 1 was released in 2021.

This episode of the Primed for ADHD podcast is unscripted. I called it "shooting the sh*t" but now wish I'd referred to it as a "fireside chat". I wrote down a few bullet points and that was it. I recorded this on October 14, then edited it a week later.

This episode isn't linear. It rambles here and there. Thoughts are shared. One of those thoughts is that it's a good thing that this is a freeform episode because I can go back to a topic that I'd already discussed because I have another point to make.

The snort you might hear at 15:41 isn't me, it's my dog who was lying next to me.

Topics included:

• Is it ADHD or just your nature?
• "It's not rocket science".
• Go easy on yourself when you're learning something new.
• ADHD and suicide

Season 1 was released in 2021. Links have been unlinked because that website no longer exists.

I recorded this to both promote the Digital Detox that I'm hosting from September 20-26 and to point out that we could all use a break from the online noise. The world is full of sadness and horror right now.

Please-

1. Join me for a Digital Detox from September 20-26.
2. Visit the podcast page on my website to see some of the companies I promote. You'll get discounts when you order from some of them, and any commissions I make can go toward podcast hosting and editing. This episode could have used a sound editor because the first file I recorded was loud. My editing skillset is currently limited to combining files into one, deleting chunks of audio and replacing audio.

Thank you, and be well!

Season 1 was released in 2021. Links may no longer work.

The title says it all.

1. Book mentioned: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

2. Youtube clips, because I neither do a good Frank Costanza nor George Costanza.

3. In the moment, I slightly misquoted Princess Bride even though I've seen it many times.

Help support my podcasting and purchase something from one of these links:

• iHerb – I get a lot of my supplements from iHerb. With this link, enjoy a $5 discount on your first order or 5% off if you’ve bought from them before.
• Living Libations - Living Libations uses botanically-powered ingredients to formulate aromatic and nourishing personal care products that are as effective as they are harmonizing for mind, body, and soul. I've been using their products in my mouth and on my face for years.
• Four Sigmatic – I’m a big fan of their mushroom coffee products. They help me focus without caffeine-induced anxiety.
• Todoist – Todoist is how I keep track of my tasks and track my “back burner” projects and ideas. I appreciate that it integrates with Google Calendar, so I see tasks on the calendar on their due date.