Authentically ADHD with Carmen

Content note: discussion of depression, burnout, loss of function, and suicidal thoughts. This episode is educational, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. When motivation disappears, it’s easy to call yourself lazy and start the shame spiral. But what if getting started is only part of the story? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , we unpack how ADHD-related task initiation struggles, anhedonia...

In this episode of Authentically ADHD with Carmen , we explore what it means to build an AuDHD-friendly life instead of constantly trying to “fix” yourself. We look at how executive-function differences, sensory needs, masking, and the demands of daily life can make routines, relationships, and workspaces feel harder than they seem for other people—and why that isn’t a character flaw. Carmen share...

RESEARCH NOTES / SHOW-NOTES SOURCES In this episode of Authentically ADHD with Carmen, we’re talking about what happens when people don’t just misunderstand you—they confidently decide what your behavior means, assign motives you never had, and then treat that interpretation like fact. For AuDHD adults, especially those diagnosed later in life, this can feel painfully familiar. A clarifying questi...

What happens when you genuinely mean to follow through—but your capacity, memory, emotions, and nervous system keep changing the terms and conditions? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores the tangled relationship between AuDHD and self-trust. From inconsistent executive functioning and time blindness to autistic inertia, masking, emotional intensity, and difficulty recognizing i...

Why switching tasks can feel physically impossible for the AuDHD brain—and how to make transitions less expensive One tiny transition can somehow derail an entire AuDHD day. In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores why stopping, starting, switching tasks and unexpectedly changing plans can feel disproportionately exhausting when ADHD and autism share a nervous system. We unpack the...

Have you ever promised yourself, “I’ll do it when I have more energy”—only to discover that Future You is just as exhausted and now has an even longer to-do list? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores the reality of inconsistent AuDHD capacity and why being able to do something one day does not guarantee access to the same abilities the next. We unpack how ADHD executive-function...

ADHD and autism can share features - executive-function struggles, intense focus, sensory differences, social friction, emotional dysregulation - without being interchangeable. This episode explores how the same outward behavior can have different internal causes, why AuDHD often feels like living with competing access needs, and how to respond with curiosity instead of shame. This episode is educ...

Have you ever forgotten to text someone you deeply love, missed an appointment that genuinely mattered, or lost the important object you deliberately placed somewhere “safe”? It is often described online as an ADHD or AuDHD “object permanence” problem—but that is not quite what is happening. In this episode of Authentically ADHD with Carmen , Carmen breaks down the real neuroscience behind why AuD...

Why can an AuDHD brain write an entire podcast episode, reorganize a whole room, or research a random topic for three hours—but still feel physically unable to answer one email or move the laundry? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen breaks down the neuroscience of dopamine, reward anticipation, effort, executive function, and motivation variability in ADHD and AuDHD. We explore why dop...

Back-to-school season is often presented as an exciting fresh start—but for neurodivergent children, AuDHD families, parents, and educators, the first bell can feel more like a full-body nervous-system event. In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores how the transition back to school can affect autistic and ADHD children through sensory overload, executive dysfunction, anxiety, disru...

Why can an AuDHD brain create an elaborate plan, color-code the entire week, and still have absolutely no idea what to do first? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores the complicated relationship between AuDHD, executive dysfunction, planning, and prioritizing . For adults with both autism and ADHD, planning is rarely as simple as “make a list” or “choose what is most important.”...

Neurodivergent students can know the answer, understand the lesson, and still be unable to access learning in a classroom that feels loud, unpredictable, overwhelming, or emotionally unsafe In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores what autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD students may need before their brains can fully engage with instruction. We break down the neuroscience behind sensory over...

Why can you care deeply about a task, fully understand what needs to be done, and still feel physically unable to begin? In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores the AuDHD freeze response—the frustrating gap between intention and action shaped by task-initiation struggles, autistic inertia, cognitive disengagement, transition friction, overwhelm, and nervous-system protection. We br...

In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores why AuDHD brains can feel like they have 47 tabs open and none of them are loading. We break down the overlap between ADHD executive dysfunction and autistic overload, including sensory processing, decision fatigue, transitions, emotional regulation, and nervous system shutdown. This episode explains why overload is not laziness or drama — it...

In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen breaks down why AuDHD recovery is so much deeper than simply lying down, sleeping, or taking a “lazy day.” For autistic ADHD brains, exhaustion is often not just physical — it can be sensory, cognitive, emotional, social, demand-based, transition-based, or masking-related. Still Exhausted After Rest: Why AuDHD Recovery Is Not Just Lying Down explores...

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. Tom Owens I did answer the question you left on my post! In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen turns a Substack Live AuDHD Ask Me Anything into a clear, compassionate, and deeply relatable conversation about what it actually means to be both autistic and ADHD. This episode breaks down the bigges...

In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen gets into the nervous-system chaos of being AuDHD around unpredictable people, last-minute plan changes, emotional demands, masking, and the soul-deep exhaustion that comes from confusing love with constant availability. “Dear AuDHDer, Your Nervous System Is Not a Group Project” breaks down why boundaries are not selfish, cold, dramatic, or rude — the...

Your AuDHD brain does not need more discipline. It needs better ramps . In this episode of Authentically ADHD , we’re breaking down why willpower is the crusty old motivational poster of nervous system support — and why accommodations, scaffolding, visual supports, sensory tools, body doubling, timers, scripts, and low-capacity plans are not cheating. They’re access. For AuDHD adults, tasks are no...

Medication is not a morality test. It is a tool — and for AuDHD brains, that tool needs nuance. In this episode, we’re unpacking stimulants, non-stimulants, off-label meds, comorbid medication combos, misdiagnosis, and why treating anxiety or depression without recognizing ADHD/autism can leave people stuck in the same nervous system fire drill. Disclaimer: Educational only. Not medical advice. Ta...

In this episode of Authentically ADHD , we unpack the “right way” curse: that very AuDHD experience of needing the perfect plan, perfect instructions, perfect timing, perfect method, and maybe a tiny sacrifice to the executive function gods before starting literally anything. This episode reframes perfectionism as more than just being “too hard on yourself.” For many AuDHD brains, perfectionism is...

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app, to be scheduled soon! Drop questions/Topics in the comments! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carmenauthenticallyadhd.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Authentically ADHD , Carmen explores why so many late-diagnosed ADHD, autistic, and AuDHD adults struggle to trust themselves. This isn’t about being indecisive, dramatic, or “bad at life.” It’s about years of being misunderstood, corrected, dismissed, and trained to doubt your own nervous system. Carmen breaks down how self-trust is built through validation — and how many neuro...

Show Notes: Hello and welcome to Authentically ADHD – I’m Carmen, and I’m so glad you’re tuning in. Today we’re exploring a topic I know many of us grapple with: why you’re still exhausted even after resting, especially when you’re both autistic and ADHD (often called AuDHD). If you’ve ever wondered, “I took a break, so why do I still feel drained?” this episode is for you. We often hear about the...

If you’re AuDHD (autism + ADHD), life can feel like a constant contradiction: craving routine but rebelling against it, needing stimulation but getting overwhelmed, wanting connection but burning out socially. In this episode, Carmen breaks down what neurodivergence actually means (not a personality test), explains ADHD vs autism vs AuDHD, and gives practical, nervous-system-friendly strategies to...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Authentically ADHD . I’m Carmen, and today we’re diving into how the holiday season feels through the eyes (and brain) of someone with AuDHD – that is, co-occurring autism and ADHD. For many of us, the holidays can feel less “holly jolly” and more like a perfect storm of stress. In this episode we’ll explore why the season can be extra hard, what it looks an...