Masking, Compromise, and Cultural Fit

In this week’s episode of The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast, we’re exploring the emotional complexities of female friendship through the lens of ADHD!

I'm joined by Dr. Gilly Kahn, a clinical psychologist and author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women's ADHD, to explore how emotional dysregulation, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), and masking impact our ability to form and maintain healthy social connections, but also help us develop the deepest and most supportive friendships.

We discuss why friendships can feel overwhelming, how the fear of being left out (or left behind) can trigger deep emotional responses, and how self-awareness and communication can help us nurture more authentic relationships.

My new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, is now available, grab your copy here!

Key Takeaways:

• How emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity (RSD) can impact female friendships, often leading to misunderstandings and emotional overwhelm.
• Why ADHD women often prefer direct, meaningful communication.
• How small talk or indirect social norms can feel confusing or exhausting.
• The common experience of feeling excluded or disconnected in group friendships, especially during times of emotional sensitivity.
• The pressure to mask or people-please in social settings, and the toll that takes on mental wellbeing.
• The power of gently “filtering” through friendships to focus on quality over quantity.
• Why FOMO, birthday anxiety, and fear of people not showing up are amplified for women with ADHD.
• How to honour your social battery by setting boundaries and creating space to recharge.
• Building self-awareness around your social patterns can help reduce RSD triggers and protect your emotional energy.
• The impact of finding your “tribe” in friendships where you can be fully yourself, without masking or performing.

Timestamps:

• 00:01: Introduction to ADHD Women's Wellbeing
• 12:12: Navigating Female Friendships and ADHD
• 22:44: Understanding Social Dynamics in Women's Friendships
• 25:45: Navigating Social Expectations and Personal Reflections
• 40:00: Understanding Neurodivergence and Authenticity

Join the More Yourself Community - the doors are now open!

More Yourself is a compassionate space for late-diagnosed ADHD women to connect, reflect, and come home to who they really are. Sign up here!

Inside the More Yourself Membership, you’ll be able to:

• Connect with like-minded women who understand you
• Learn from guest experts and practical tools
• Receive compassionate prompts & gentle reminders
• Enjoy voice-note encouragement from Kate
• Join flexible meet-ups and mentoring sessions
• Access on-demand workshops and quarterly guest expert sessions

To join for £26 a month, click here. To join for £286 for a year (a whole month free!), click here.

We’ll also be walking through The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Toolkit together, exploring nervous system regulation, burnout recovery, RSD, joy, hormones, and self-trust, so the book comes alive in a supportive community setting.

Links and Resources:

• Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
• Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
• Visit Gilly's website or connect with her on Instagram @drgillykahn
• Buy Gilly's book Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women's ADHD

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.