For most of my life, I thought ADHD was something that showed up in fidgety boys who couldn’t sit still in school. You know—the stereotype. What I didn’t know was that ADHD can also look like a mother who can’t decide what to do first in the morning because her brain is screaming out thirty urgent tasks all at once. Or a woman who starts five brilliant projects but struggles to complete any of them because the dopamine ran out somewhere along the way.

Over the past year and a half, it has become painfully clear that I have pretty significant ADHD. I say painfully because once I saw it—really saw it—it was like the veil dropped and my entire life started to make a whole lot more sense. Becoming a mother pulled back the first layer. Starting my own business peeled back the next. And what I saw underneath was... me. The real me. A woman trying to carry a brain that feels like a crowded preschool classroom with no teacher in charge—just a bunch of whiny toddlers (tasks, thoughts, obligations) yelling for attention at the same time.

It’s no wonder I often find myself in a state of paralysis.

The dishes need to be done. The vitamins given. The client forms filled. The meals prepped. The text replied to. The creative idea pursued. The children loved and held. The me... the me? She gets forgotten in the crossfire.

For years I struggled with fatigue that felt like it was in my bones. Now I know—it’s not just physical. It's a mental and emotional exhaustion from carrying so many competing demands in a brain that doesn’t naturally sort or filter them. My nervous system has been running a marathon with no water breaks.

Looking back, I can see the trail of clues. As a child, I was so sensitive. Not in a delicate-flower way, but in a "my cup is constantly overflowing and there’s no room for anything else" kind of way. I didn’t have the capacity to hold more, and every new emotion felt like it would break me. I held tightly to my badge of honor: I never read the required books in school. And now I get it—reading, retaining, and engaging with something I wasn’t deeply interested in? It felt like trying to lift a mountain. So I didn’t. I protected myself from failure by not even trying.

And because I did “fine” in school, no one questioned it.

It wasn’t until I went to undergrad at the University of Maryland and found myself drowning—unable to coast by without reading—that I finally got diagnosed. 

What I now understand is that there’s a powerful, tangled relationship between ADHD, anxiety, and depression—especially in women. The overwhelm of trying to keep up, the fear of missing something vital, the shame of being “lazy” or “inconsistent,” and the dopamine-seeking cycles of food, jobs, and exciting new ventures... they’re all part of the same story.

I used to think ADHD only affected learning. I never realized how deeply it could affect your entire well-being—your relationships, your sense of self, your ability to feel safe in your own body and life.

And so here I am. A woman in her mid-thirties, running a business, raising children, guiding others through their healing—and finally beginning to face her own scattered mind with curiosity instead of judgment.

How Functional & Integrative Medicine Can Support ADHD in Women

One of the greatest gifts of understanding my ADHD through an integrative lens is realizing that it’s not just in my brain. It lives in my gut. It lives in my hormones. It lives in my nervous system. And this opens up a beautiful path for healing—not fixing, but supporting my system with deep reverence for how it’s wired.

Here’s what that support can look like:

Nervous system regulation as the foundation

Many of us with ADHD live in near-constant sympathetic dominance—fight, flight, or freeze mode. Supporting the nervous system with somatic practices, magnesium glycinate, adaptogens like tulsi or ashwagandha, and gentle breathwork can help soften the edges of overwhelm.

Dopamine and neurotransmitter support

Before jumping into medication, we can explore natural support through protein-rich meals, targeted amino acids like tyrosine, B-vitamins, and gentle adrenal support to build sustainable focus and mood regulation.

Gut healing and inflammation reduction

The gut-brain connection is real. An imbalanced microbiome or chronic inflammation can worsen ADHD symptoms. We explore food-as-medicine, probiotics, and if needed, gentle detox and gut repair protocols.

Systems designed for your brain

Visual cues, checklists, task chunking, and rhythm-based planning (instead of rigid scheduling) allow for productivity that feels nourishing, not suffocating. It's not about doing more—it's about doing what works for you.

Hormonal & HPA axis support

Women’s ADHD symptoms often intensify during hormone fluctuations. Balancing estrogen, cortisol, and progesterone through herbs, nutrients, and lifestyle shifts can make a huge difference in clarity, mood, and resilience.

I’m fumbling my way through this season with compassion, curiosity, and a whole lot of humility. I’m learning how to put down some of the weight I’ve carried for decades. And while the whiny children in my head may never go completely silent, I’m beginning to mother them differently now.

If this resonated, you are not alone. And you are not broken. You may simply need to meet yourself with new tools and deeper support. That’s what I’m doing. And I’d be honored to walk with you as you explore what healing might look like for your beautifully wired brain.

Ready to Support Your ADHD Holistically?

If you're ready to explore ADHD support through a functional and integrative lens, I offer personalized consults and programs that honor your whole self—body, mind, and spirit.

➡️ Schedule your consult here
Or reach out to learn more about how we can work together.

And If You’re a Mother—This Part’s for You

One of the greatest revelations on this journey has been how vital rhythm is—not just for my children, but for me.

With ADHD, chaos feels like the default. But rhythm—true, nourishing rhythm—has become my sanctuary. It’s the difference between drowning in unpredictability and finding spaciousness amidst the noise. Implementing rhythms into our family life, and especially my own self-care, has been the most powerful medicine. From morning grounding practices to simple meal rhythms, from predictable anchor points in our day to sacred solo space just for me... rhythm has been the nervous system balm I didn’t know I needed.

That’s why I created Reclamation Motherhood—a transformational program for mothers who feel like they’re losing themselves in the noise of parenting, performance, and pressure. It’s for the women who are craving a return to center. A return to themselves.

Inside, we’ll explore how rhythm, nervous system healing, body-based self-care, and spiritual connection can help you mother not only your children—but yourself.

Because the truth is: the more I care for the way my brain and body are wired, the more present, connected, and whole I feel in my motherhood.

Reclamation Motherhood opens soon. If this speaks to you, I’d love to walk with you.

➡️ Join the waitlist here
Or send me a message to learn more.

You don’t have to do this alone. You were never meant to.