Female Friendships and ADHD: How to Find Your Tribe and Build Meaningful Neurodivergent Connections

Nov 20, 2025

Dr. Gilly Khan, a clinical psychologist and author of *Allow Me to Interrupt*, dives into the complexities of female friendships influenced by ADHD. She discusses emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity, revealing how these factors can lead to misunderstandings and feelings of exclusion. The conversation covers the preference for meaningful communication over small talk, the challenge of navigating social norms, and the importance of finding your tribe through authenticity. Together, they explore practical steps to nurture genuine connections and honor one's emotional well-being.

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INSIGHT

Female Friendships Are Dyadic And Nuanced

Female friendships tend to be dyadic and language-driven, creating more nuance and emotional labour than male group-based friendships.
ADHD-related emotional dysregulation interacts with these gendered norms to make female social dynamics especially challenging.

INSIGHT

Emotional Dysregulation Clashes With Gender Norms

Emotional dysregulation in ADHD can make people say things that violate female social norms, which expect politeness and indirectness.
This mismatch can lead to misunderstandings or punishment for being 'too direct' or 'unladylike.'

ANECDOTE

Feeling Safer With Boys In Childhood

Kate describes feeling safer with boys growing up because their social dynamics felt simpler and more direct.
She says ADHD women together can be chaotic but deeply authentic and connected.

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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.