A personal story of neurodivergence, school struggles, and how effort was misunderstood at 17.
For years, I believed my struggles with focus, energy, and motivation were simply part of my depression — or evidence that I wasn’t trying hard enough. At 17, when I couldn’t read a book for a class assignment, that belief led to an adolescent psychiatric hospitalization and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
In this episode, I slow that story way down and look underneath the depression.
I share how undiagnosed ADHD — including challenges with task initiation, sustained attention, abstract sequencing, and delayed reward — was misunderstood as pathology rather than recognized as neurodivergence. Through a nervous system–informed lens, we explore how avoidance and shutdown can be protective responses, not personal failures.
This episode invites a rethinking of depression, effort, and self-blame — and offers a more compassionate, body-based way of understanding ourselves and our symptoms.
In this episode, we explore:
Gentle note for listeners
This episode includes discussion of adolescent psychiatric hospitalization and psychiatric diagnosis. Please listen with care and reach out for support if anything feels activating.
If you’re in the U.S. and need immediate support, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you’re outside the U.S., local crisis resources are available in many countries.
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