Episode 62

62: Interrupting the Silence: Gilly Kahn on Women, ADHD, and the Power of Her Story

Published on: 23rd February, 2026

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Gilly Kahn, Atlanta-based psychologist, mother, and debut author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women's' ADHD. Originally from Miami and now calling Atlanta home, Gilly opens up about her journey from curious child to clinical expert, and how parenting her own "baby bears" informs her approach to both writing and therapy.

Gilly's new book brings long-overdue attention to the emotional side of ADHD in girls and women, breaking down the myths and misunderstandings that surround adult ADHD—especially how it often flies under the radar. As a regular contributor to Psychology Today, Attitude Magazine, and beyond, Gilly shines a compassionate light on neurodiversity, anxiety, depression, OCD, and body-focused behaviors .

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  1. What finally motivated her to write Allow Me to Interrupt—and the impact she hopes it will have.
  2. Why emotional dysregulation is often at the heart of women's ADHD, and what that looks like in daily life.
  3. How Gilly blends her passion for writing with her role as a therapist in a bustling group practice.
  4. The unique clinical challenges that come with working with kids, adults, and parents on the full neurodiversity spectrum.
  5. Gilly's take on how having ADHD herself drives her passion for variety and creativity, both in and out of the therapy room.

Tune in if you want an eye-opening look at what women with ADHD truly experience—and why giving voice to these stories changes lives.

Gilly Kahn, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist based in Atlanta and specializing in neurodiversity and emotion regulation. When not seeing clients or mommying, you’ll usually find her writing, probably about something psychological. Gilly is the author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women’s ADHD.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://www.drgillykahn.com

https://www.instagram.com/drgillykahn/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilly-kahn-m-a-ph-d-1996892b4/

https://www.facebook.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.gillykahn

Transcript

00;00;02;11 - 00;00;33;21

Cherie Lindberg

Hi, I'm Cherie Lindberg and welcome to Elevated Life Academy, where we share real stories of healing, hope and transformation. Tune in to hear how everyday people are rising above and lighting the way for others. Hi everyone. This is Cherie Lindberg and this is another episode of Elevated Life Academy, and we have Gilly Kahn here with us today. And I'm going to let her introduce yourself in in just a second.

00;00;33;24 - 00;00;57;03

Cherie Lindberg

But we want to make sure that you're sharing this with whoever you think will will benefit. What we're trying to do here at Elevated Life is help folks learn how to have an elevated life. And so we search far and wide for folks that have their own healing journeys and what we can learn from them. And so with that, I'm going to invite Gilly to introduce herself.

00;00;57;03 - 00;01;03;27

Cherie Lindberg

And we're going to start with what is your story? What are you bringing out into the world to help people?

00;01;04;00 - 00;01;33;21

Gilly Kahn

Thank you, Cherie. Thank you so much for inviting me to be on your podcast. I'm so happy to be talking to anyone who's listening right now. So my name is Gilli Kahn, a psychologist, a mom and a writer, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm originally from Miami, and I have two little kids who are adorable. I called my baby bears and I see individual therapy clients as part of a group practice and Buckhead.

00;01;33;21 - 00;02;00;10

Gilly Kahn

But I also started writing the other half of my time, and I just published my first book. It was released in September, and the title is Allow Me To Interrupt. A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth behind Women's ADHD. And it's what it sounds like. It's about the emotional dysregulation aspect of ADHD and girls and women. And I'm really I'm really proud of that.

00;02;00;10 - 00;02;30;12

Gilly Kahn

That's something I've wanted to do since I was really young, publish a book, and hopefully I can publish more. I'm writing for Psychology Today and I've written for Attitude Magazine, and I also write for a few other magazines. So writing is my happy place. In addition to working with clients one on one. And my clinical work focuses on neurodiversity, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation more generally.

00;02;30;12 - 00;03;03;22

Gilly Kahn

But I also see clients who struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder, body focused, repetitive behaviors like skin picking or help hair pulling Tourette's. I also enjoy working with parents, so I like having variety in terms. Yeah, yeah. Different kinds of cases. And that works for me because I have ADHD too. And it's not that I get bored easily. I guess having a static 9 to 5 job is just not a good fit for me, as you and I know that's true for a lot of other adults with ADHD.

00;03;03;24 - 00;03;05;01

Gilly Kahn

So yeah, that's me.

00;03;05;04 - 00;03;32;25

Cherie Lindberg

All right. Well, thank you. And I also have ADHD, so I'm going to love hearing more about your book. So please, you know, congratulations and please share more about that, because I know that that has been a phenomena for many years that has not been really well-studied and researched and that the symptomology with women that have ADHD can look very different than with men.

00;03;32;25 - 00;03;37;28

Cherie Lindberg

So please, please share about your book and what you're learning as you've published it.

00;03;38;00 - 00;04;04;28

Gilly Kahn

Yeah. So I definitely feel like it's unfair that a lot of women are only now getting diagnosed. You know, on the one hand, I'm happy that like, better late than never, I guess, from a lot of the women I've spoken to. And this is true for me too. I think there's still a lot of misunderstanding in terms of how ADHD can and often does present in adults and in women in particular.

00;04;05;00 - 00;04;28;16

Gilly Kahn

And so a lot of women are going out and seeking out help and diagnoses and are advocating from them for themselves, and they're bringing resources with them or whatever knowledge they've accumulated through their reading to their doctors offices and presenting that and saying, this is something I've been struggling with since I was really young. No one has caught it and I'm ready to get help now.

00;04;28;18 - 00;04;50;13

Gilly Kahn

And so that's kind of the reason that I chose to write about that topic. I knew I wanted to write, but the question was, what would I write about? And this just came to me immediately. It wasn't even like I considered other topics to write about. And it was mostly because I'm a psychologist, so I'm in the field and so I often like recommend books to my clients.

00;04;50;13 - 00;05;11;09

Gilly Kahn

And I felt stuck any time I wanted to recommend a book on ADHD, especially ADHD in adults, it's not that those books don't exist, but a lot of the books that are available are written in a way that's very academic because they're probably written by people in academia. And I think there are a lot of things that are not so strong yet.

00;05;11;09 - 00;05;42;00

Gilly Kahn

But writing is something that I enjoy and I've always it has always kind of come naturally to me. So I wanted to write a book that was digestible, easy to understand and fun to read. So the person, you know, when they're done reading the book, they feel more confident and more informed about ADHD and women. They're given a few tips or skills they can use, but also it reads like a story, so it's not like hard to get through.

00;05;42;03 - 00;05;56;10

Cherie Lindberg

So. So tell me, you know, if you wanted to share one thing that's highlighted in the book that you think is really helpful for women that are discovering that they have ADHD, what what would that be going?

00;05;56;13 - 00;06;15;13

Gilly Kahn

Yeah, I think the most obvious one, at least for me and for anyone in that space, would probably agree with me. It's the hormonal because I think, you know, now there is slowly like more research, especially especially in the area, like, you know, menopause and perimenopause. There was nothing. And I saw maybe there was one study now that was published in an academic journal.

00;06;15;16 - 00;06;35;29

Gilly Kahn

There's some like research being conducted by Attitude magazine, but it's not published in an academic journal. But the people actually collecting the data have are the researchers, you know, and they're very well respected. So whatever data they do present and their blog post, I think it's valid and it's it's really helpful, I think, to to read what they've come up with.

00;06;35;29 - 00;07;03;07

Gilly Kahn

But basically, you know, the data basically confirm what we instinctively know. I think women are very intuitive. I don't just think I know they are because there's research also showing that that our gut hunches are often accurate and that we tend to be insightful and that when we report on our symptoms, they tend to be, I think, consistent with other people like clinicians or parents.

00;07;03;11 - 00;07;36;04

Gilly Kahn

And so, you know, the basically like anecdotally, it it came out as more of I feel like right before my period, I feel worse, right? My maybe experience more PMS premenstrual syndrome. And so your mood is lower, you're more irritable, more on edge, you struggle more with concentration and forgetfulness. You feel more like brain fog and fatigue. And the same is true for any part of your hormonal cycle because women go through a lot of them, right?

00;07;36;04 - 00;07;59;20

Gilly Kahn

I mean, you get your first period and then that continues every month and you get pregnant. And then that change in your hormones, you you know, you go through perimenopause and menopause. There are also hormonal conditions. I have PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and that has been shown to be associated with ADHD and autism. But neurodiversity, yeah.

00;07;59;23 - 00;08;04;21

Cherie Lindberg

I didn't know that part because I too have PCOS. This is quite ironic. Yeah.

00;08;04;22 - 00;08;31;22

Gilly Kahn

And let me give you another kicker. Migraines. That's another. Yeah. And all of it kind of if you were to look for a common link between estrogen and things, because estrogen like the sex hormone, you know, women for those who don't know, like women have more levels, higher levels of estrogen. Men typically have higher levels of disaster prone, and estrogen fluctuates throughout your cycle and different phases of your life.

00;08;31;24 - 00;08;49;04

Gilly Kahn

And so basically, your menstrual cycle can be divided into like two parts. The first two weeks are the follicular phase and all the follicular phase because basically your you're developing like more follicles, so that way you could potentially get pregnant.

00;08;49;07 - 00;08;50;00

Cherie Lindberg

Mm.

00;08;50;03 - 00;09;08;21

Gilly Kahn

And inhabit a baby. And during that period your estrogen levels increase. So that's why you know, typically during the first phase of your menstrual cycle, the first two weeks you feel more productive and happier, You feel like your best self. But then after that, it all goes downhill if you don't get pregnant.

00;09;08;23 - 00;09;37;13

Cherie Lindberg

Well, I can attest to the whole menopause thing because I was really good at masking until menopause, and then forgetfulness just really kicked in. And it's it's been challenging. Like thank goodness for an iWatch and an iPhone so that I can get alarms and reminders and things like that. So I've read the research and that if you have symptomology that you've been masking that in menopause for many women, it gets worse.

00;09;37;13 - 00;09;52;01

Cherie Lindberg

The ADHD and the brain fog, as you were saying, and that the dysregulation and disorganization, all that. So very, very interesting. I'm interested in your title. Can you tell me a little bit more about the title of the book? Why that title?

00;09;52;03 - 00;10;14;10

Gilly Kahn

Yeah. So I think it's a little bit like a bit sarcastic, I guess, which aligns my personality because, yes, it's a stereotype that women with ADHD or any with ADHD interrupts, but it's sort of like a passive interruption, but it's got a little bit of pizazz or, you know, personality and I feel like it's like, allow me to interrupt.

00;10;14;10 - 00;10;32;01

Gilly Kahn

And you're not really asking. You're going to interrupt anyway. And then also it's just an interruption to the status quo and the understanding of ADHD, or rather the misunderstanding. So you're basically, you know, you're like excusing yourself, but also nudging your way and to correct any misperception.

00;10;32;03 - 00;10;46;27

Cherie Lindberg

Mm hmm. Yeah, I thought it was I thought it was cover. So your journey to understanding your your own ADHD, anything you would like to share there, what it was like for you?

00;10;46;29 - 00;11;11;05

Gilly Kahn

I think for me it was a little bit unique because I started setting psychology at a young age and high school. It was in my A.P. psychology class, and then I just continued on that path. So I knew what ADHD was and I knew what the other disorders were. I knew what the criteria were. And so for me, it was just more confusing because I knew what the information was.

00;11;11;05 - 00;11;43;29

Gilly Kahn

And I knew it wasn't really consistent with the symptoms that I had. And what was challenging for me, like some of the symptoms did seem to fit. Like it was hard for me to concentrate, especially on reading. So I've learned a lot of work arounds and oh, I was also forgetful. I mean, we can go into that. But yeah, I do fall into some of the symptoms that a lot of them that are already present and the DSM five SR, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, that's the classification system that we use in the United States to diagnose mental disorders, if you want to call them that.

00;11;43;29 - 00;12;06;08

Gilly Kahn

And in most other countries. And so I, I kind of would flip flop between different options because I knew something was wrong or that some things were different about me compared to other people. And the closest type of diagnosis. I remember even having this conversation with a friend and saying to her, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me.

00;12;06;09 - 00;12;29;01

Gilly Kahn

I was like, I guess if I had to classify myself, it would be generalized anxiety disorder, because in the DSM, GAD is all about worry and just having busy brain struggling to fall asleep at night. For example, because your brain is on and you're you're worrying. But the problem and the disconnect was that I wasn't really worrying a lot.

00;12;29;04 - 00;12;50;05

Gilly Kahn

You know, it wasn't like I was it wasn't a catastrophe in my head. And I wasn't a particularly anxious person when it came to things in general. I think sometimes I felt anxious and social situations and we could talk more about why. I think in retrospect it was more ADHD than social anxiety. So that's where I was. I was confused.

00;12;50;05 - 00;13;16;10

Gilly Kahn

I knew something was off. I knew that my head was constantly working. I was constantly thinking about something, planning or ruminating a lot of times. And, you know, and so that's why I was thinking, well, maybe I'm anxious and depressed, but not really so anxious in terms of worry more generally. And so my depression diagnosis came first, just like it typically does for a lot of women.

00;13;16;13 - 00;13;45;28

Gilly Kahn

But I waited a while before going and seeking out therapy, and I finally broke and ended up going to a therapist after I had my daughter. It was my first child and that's because, one, I think my daughter was not an easy baby. I'll just say it. She was a difficult baby. And that was especially challenging for me because I also really struggled with postpartum depression, which is very common for women with ADHD because of the hormonal issues that I mentioned before.

00;13;46;06 - 00;14;14;10

Gilly Kahn

So it was already like a hormonal issues for me associated with low mood and helplessness and loss of interest in activities. And it just did not feel like myself. But then to make things even worse, like I said before, I have a history of migraine and I say migraine because now that's more of the accepted term or classification and the community, because people will say, I have migraine headaches, but they're not just headaches.

00;14;14;10 - 00;14;30;22

Gilly Kahn

Like when you have a migraine attack, if you've had one, you know what? It's not a headache. There's you know, some people have auras like I don't, but I would vomit regularly, like a lot. Well, and would be, you know, stuck in my bed all day. Sometimes they would last for days.

00;14;30;29 - 00;14;32;14

Cherie Lindberg

Three days off.

00;14;32;17 - 00;14;51;29

Gilly Kahn

And that's a big problem for someone who has especially undiagnosed and untreated ADHD, because that would fall behind. They started in college for me. I would fall behind on my classwork and then that would make me anxious. It would just accumulate, you know, like one thing on top of the other. And then I couldn't go out and enjoy myself.

00;14;51;29 - 00;15;09;24

Gilly Kahn

I couldn't relax. And that's really what I went and sought out therapy at that time because that having a kid on top of that and I was in graduate school, I was in my Ph.D. program. So I, I remember when I walked in, she said, Why are you here? I said, Because of my migraine. Migraine attacks. Yeah. And I don't think she really knew what to do with that.

00;15;09;26 - 00;15;40;19

Gilly Kahn

A lot of therapists, I don't want to say this, like they don't really have, I think enough training even when they do, or sometimes they say they they they specialize in something and they just don't. But it was better than nothing, you know? And I remember being taught early on in graduate school that like a lot of what determines like therapy outcomes in terms of improvement and symptoms, I think it was like 40% of the clients outcome has to do with the rapport that you have a therapist at a very basic level.

00;15;40;19 - 00;16;15;10

Gilly Kahn

So just having someone who listens to you be there have to be an expert can help you a little bit. Yeah, Yeah. And so I found that that was true for me. And so I just, I just continued seeing her because it was someone to talk to. It was a start. And yeah, it helped a little bit, but it was mostly working through like the Depression that I really, I didn't solely tie to the migraine attacks, but it was largely, I think because I was struggling with that and that was really interfering with a lot of other things that were related to undiagnosed ADHD.

00;16;15;12 - 00;16;21;24

Cherie Lindberg

MM So when, when did you find out or when did you like officially get diagnosed?

00;16;21;26 - 00;16;40;24

Gilly Kahn

Yeah. So when my daughter started getting older and as I kind of went through my program, I remember I would kind of fit in like, I'm like, you know, I keep there was this thing I did where when I write about shopping addiction in my book, where I would order packages or I would like get into these states where I was, it wasn't mania.

00;16;40;28 - 00;16;57;17

Gilly Kahn

It wasn't because I know what bipolar disorder is, but it was just like sometimes if I would feel empty or, you know, it was a dopamine kick where I'm a star. But then what I would do to follow up on that is I would consistently check for the package because that was a little bit of a dopamine kick.

00;16;57;20 - 00;17;19;25

Gilly Kahn

And I was like, this OCD is this checking behavior like because it's not mentioned anywhere in the DSM under ADHD. But I had the whole chapter on behavioral addictions in my book, and it could so easily be explained under the umbrella and that impulsivity and that need to feel some kind of fulfillment or, you know, excitement or joy.

00;17;19;27 - 00;17;45;11

Gilly Kahn

Otherwise, everything just feels static. Right? And so that was one thing I, I thought about. So but, you know, as I started reading and speaking to actually, I had I write about her in my book also, I have a call. I had a colleague who has ADHD, and so I had this talk to her about her symptoms. So then I learned about what is not really taught in grad school and what's not in the DSM.

00;17;45;13 - 00;18;08;04

Gilly Kahn

And then the pieces started to fit. And so I would start to make comments to my husband. I'm like, Well, I think I have ADHD. And he kind of like didn't really take it seriously. Like and that's usually the case for a lot of people because they just don't really understand what ADHD is. And so when my daughter was about two and then three, you know, we used to look at each other and say like, this is not normal.

00;18;08;06 - 00;18;29;20

Gilly Kahn

She was always, you know, a lot like she didn't sleep well and her emotional, emotional regulation was just intense. I would take a long time to move past. And I understand at that age it's young, right? And so kids are still learning these skills and their brain is not developed to the point where they can even regulate them.

00;18;29;22 - 00;18;52;03

Gilly Kahn

But because I was working with kids and because I did when I was an intern, my graduate program, I was working at actually like a it was like a primary care location. It was a pediatrician's office. So I saw babies all the time and toddlers. And and so I would see how they behaved in the room. And I was just like, this is how a kid behaves.

00;18;52;03 - 00;19;18;06

Gilly Kahn

It's just confirmation that something's very different with her and that it really was legitimately difficult for us. And so we agreed from an early age when she was young, we're like, This girl has ADHD. But then, you know, my husband would ask, like, or say, I wonder where she gets it from. Like, and he would go back in his family and I'll be like, for me, because I didn't have my diagnosis yet.

00;19;18;09 - 00;19;42;22

Gilly Kahn

And so it was something I was reading more about. You know? And then I just decided one day I was done, like I already had my confirmation. This is genetic. My daughter's struggling with it. This is something I thought about for a long time. I've kind of put it off because people, they put things off. They're not prior to the important things often, and because I just didn't put myself first and I still don't really do that and it's a problem.

00;19;42;22 - 00;20;12;05

Gilly Kahn

But I just my health was kind of to the side and everything was going to, you know, my education and my clients and now my child. And it was just new for me. And no, I just kind of reached a point where I was like, I'm I'm going to go seek out medication. Like I need help today because if I'm going to be taking my daughter down this path eventually, like first of all, I think I need to get myself managed.

00;20;12;07 - 00;20;24;25

Gilly Kahn

So that's when yeah, I went and I saw a psychiatrist for virtually and that was an interesting experience, but I don't want to get into it. But then I settled on myself. Iris is my current psychiatrist, and now I'm here.

00;20;24;28 - 00;20;39;14

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah. Wow. Well, and I remember too, when I went to go get medication and they tried to put me on Ill and I was one of those rare docs that had allergy to the medication to try to.

00;20;39;17 - 00;20;40;13

Gilly Kahn

Put you on what.

00;20;40;20 - 00;20;41;17

Cherie Lindberg

Modifier.

00;20;41;24 - 00;20;42;26

Gilly Kahn

What's manifested?

00;20;42;29 - 00;21;07;26

Cherie Lindberg

It's a genetic or generic. I can't remember which one it is, but it's a generic of one of the one of the big ones. But muscle constriction, like really bad muscle constrictions can be one of the side effects. Have you done any research on the empty F gene at all that's connected to ADHD? Just wondering if that's.

00;21;07;28 - 00;21;08;27

Gilly Kahn

No, I haven't.

00;21;09;01 - 00;21;34;14

Cherie Lindberg

Okay. Okay. So, you know, maybe that might be that the next thing to kind of take a look at because it impacts how you metabolize and detoxify in your body. And when people are neurodivergent, they usually have this gene, but just, you know, thank you for for sharing, you know, listening to your story. It's just like you went through a lot.

00;21;34;16 - 00;21;58;05

Cherie Lindberg

And your story is not uncommon with women that this is how they end up getting diagnosed, that they end up self diagnosing and then having to go and tell their doctor, this is what I think I have versus it, you know, coming the other way where, you know, a teacher or an educator or something like that early on.

00;21;58;08 - 00;22;09;14

Cherie Lindberg

It's amazing that you were able to get through high school and you were in grad school and, you know, you were in your PhD program before you had your own diagnosis. So you had to have learned a lot of adaptable skills.

00;22;09;18 - 00;22;15;15

Gilly Kahn

Yes. Yeah. So I just I'm reading about is it more data modality.

00;22;15;17 - 00;22;17;11

Cherie Lindberg

More. TAFEL Yeah. Or whatever. Yeah.

00;22;17;15 - 00;22;30;26

Gilly Kahn

I final and it says it's been on amphetamines central nervous system stimulant used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness including narcolepsy, sleep work shift disorder. It's interesting I haven't heard of that one being how.

00;22;30;26 - 00;22;36;20

Cherie Lindberg

They use it to treat ADHD. Okay, I'll look it up. Yeah.

00;22;36;22 - 00;22;58;11

Gilly Kahn

Yeah. So? So the medications that I'm familiar with, there's like two classes, methylphenidate in terms of the stimulants, there is methyl and then there's amphetamine. I'm just saying more for our listeners. So there's methylphenidate and then there's the amphetamines. And so the, for example, like one type of medication that would fall under the category of methylphenidate that you probably heard of is Ritalin.

00;22;58;13 - 00;22;59;05

Cherie Lindberg

Yes.

00;22;59;07 - 00;23;22;14

Gilly Kahn

And amphetamines would be something like Adderall, Vyvanse. And they're also are options to either prescribe them as immediate release or extended release. An immediate release is basically I explained it to my clients. It's like taking an Advil because it basically stays in your system for like about 4 hours. You take it and 4 hours later, you know, the medication has worn off.

00;23;22;16 - 00;23;42;03

Gilly Kahn

But the problem with immediate release is that the peak is really high and then it's very steep in terms of effectiveness. And that can influence your mood and introduce like irritability. The other thing is that a common side effect of stimulant medications is appetite suppression, though, like you might lose your appetite and suddenly feel starving once that has worn off.

00;23;42;03 - 00;24;05;01

Gilly Kahn

So psychiatrists might start out by prescribing a stimulant that's immediate release and then see whether you have any side effects or how you react to that. And then they might move on to the extended release ones which release the medication more gradually, and those can last about 8 hours or more. So yeah, those are kind of the two classes of stimulant medications.

00;24;05;01 - 00;24;40;12

Gilly Kahn

The recommendation by people who specialize in ADHD and experts is to start with a stimulant because it tends to be more effective and to help more people. And then if that doesn't work, to move on to other like not stimulants, other types of medications that could help people with ADHD, but because of misinformation and fear mongering, a lot of psychiatrists will start with the non stimulant because they think it would be a better place to start because they think stimulants are harmful and no medication is on harmful.

00;24;40;12 - 00;25;08;04

Gilly Kahn

There's always risks associated with medications, but it's a risk benefit ratio. And so because of that, they'll start with a non stimulant. And so examples of non stimulants include Strattera and alpha agonists, including go on to scene and quantity. And and one thing that a psychiatrist who actually talks a lot about rejection sensitivity dysphoria and that's a concept I cover deeply in my book.

00;25;08;10 - 00;25;26;16

Gilly Kahn

He has spoken and written about how one physician can help that aspect of ADHD and people want to see an awful entity trying one of the alpha agonists because they can also calm you down because they were initially developed as blood pressure medications.

00;25;26;18 - 00;25;35;11

Cherie Lindberg

Did you find that once you got the diagnosis that you were able to get effective treatment for you? That was helpful.

00;25;35;13 - 00;25;59;29

Gilly Kahn

Yeah. So I actually started with the surgery with the first psychiatrist, you know, totally open to try anything. In the beginning, I just wanted help. But the Strattera people react differently to it. Some people really benefit from using it. It's an essential right, which is which is selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. And I don't know if you've heard of SSRI is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

00;26;00;03 - 00;26;29;18

Gilly Kahn

That's the type of medication you would probably take if you're struggling with depression and or anxiety. And what those medications do is they block the re uptake of serotonin. So they basically make sure that you have like more little serotonin critters. It's a neurotransmitter, right? Little chemicals in in your brain or between synapses at any given time because they block kind of like the serotonin from being in a simplified version like metabolized.

00;26;29;24 - 00;26;50;25

Gilly Kahn

And so that's what the same idea for an or I only it's doing that for norepinephrine and for some people you know they just they don't need more norepinephrine And that was totally me because it made me feel very anxious. It gave me like chest tightness. I didn't sleep. I already was not sleeping while I was really not sleeping well.

00;26;50;27 - 00;27;11;05

Gilly Kahn

I had like dry mouth and I really just tried to push through it and continue. And I did a few months actually. And when I went to my psychiatrist and told him that and I was like, I'm ready to start a stimulant, he was very resistant to putting me on the stimulant. And I was just like, Yeah, this is not going to work.

00;27;11;07 - 00;27;13;15

Gilly Kahn

So I switched to my correctly.

00;27;13;17 - 00;27;34;21

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah, good for you. I mean, so many people go to their doctor looking for that, you know, treatment and then they have to fight, you know, to get it. So I'm glad that you really advocated for yourself and was able to say, no, this isn't going to work. I'm gonna go to somebody else that is listening to me and is going to help me, you know, get the treatment that I need.

00;27;34;23 - 00;27;44;21

Gilly Kahn

Right? Exactly. Yeah. It's not like I didn't try either. I definitely good, you know, to listen to your doctor and to try and the beginning. And if it doesn't work, then.

00;27;44;23 - 00;27;56;09

Cherie Lindberg

Right. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Is there anything that I haven't asked you that you would want our listeners to know about your book or about women with ADHD?

00;27;56;11 - 00;28;29;14

Gilly Kahn

I guess, you know, I really lean into like loving your brain. Not to sound like cheesy, but I think that once you learn about yourself and the correct labels like the right labels can really help, you know, like the parents I work with, they're often concerned that putting a label on their kid will make things worse. But people don't even realize, like, we're being labeled all the time and we're probably being labeled with unhelpful labels if we don't include a helpful one.

00;28;29;17 - 00;28;51;01

Gilly Kahn

Like, for example, kids and even adults with ADHD could be labeled as rude, inconsiderate, dumb, slow. And it's like you could have one of those labels or you could have ADHD because, you know, at the end of the day, it's like there's no secret. And if you think that if you're going out and seeking help, you know that something is wrong or that you need help something.

00;28;51;01 - 00;29;16;20

Gilly Kahn

And so for someone to tell you like, no, you're fine, that's a problem no more. Because, you know, I think at a certain level you need to trust your gut. Maybe it isn't, maybe it isn't ADHD, right. But I think understanding yourself and feeling confident in whatever information you have and then being able to use that information to help your self grow and thrive, that's probably the most helpful part.

00;29;16;20 - 00;29;26;25

Gilly Kahn

And I think I make that message very clear in my book, like leaning into Your Strengths, The things you're really passionate about and working with your brain instead of against it.

00;29;26;28 - 00;29;52;21

Cherie Lindberg

Beautiful. Well, thank you so much for for coming today and talking about this very important topic. I think more and more women are going to find that this is an issue for them, especially, like you said, as they're going into perimenopause and menopause. I know I found that true to be myself. I had that. And it really didn't hit and cause major problems until I went into menopause.

00;29;52;24 - 00;30;08;27

Cherie Lindberg

And then I had to have, you know, looked at. So just thank you for writing your book and getting that information out there and sharing with parents and and and young women so that maybe, like you said, they can love their brain and they can do it. They can do it differently and they can get the help that they need.

00;30;09;01 - 00;30;11;05

Cherie Lindberg

Thank you so much for being here today.

00;30;11;08 - 00;30;18;16

Gilly Kahn

Of course. Thank you again for inviting me. And I hope you guys found this helpful. Yeah.

00;30;18;19 - 00;30;43;09

Cherie Lindberg

All right. Y'all calling all women that you are suspecting you might have ADHD or maybe you're in perimenopause and you're in menopause cause and the brain fog is more extreme than you think it's supposed to be. I know. That's what happened for me. What Gilly had to say is very important. How many of us have to diagnose ourselves, right?

00;30;43;13 - 00;31;18;06

Cherie Lindberg

It's so important to understand these possibilities for women. It is not the same for women as it is for men. And we are of an age, I think, where more and more women are educating themselves, they're advocating for themselves, and they're going and asking for assistance and help. So don't let the medical profession pooh pooh you if you don't find the right professional that's really going to listen and attune to you and help you discover what's going on with you.

00;31;18;06 - 00;31;55;17

Cherie Lindberg

Go to the next practitioner. So please share this with anyone that you think that this will be helpful for. I know I will. And a really interesting fact that Gilly said that I did not know was that PCOS and Neurodivergent have correlations. Very interesting factoid about that. So anyway, please share, as we've said, anyone that you think is beneficial because what we're really trying to do is spread information far and wide so that everyone gets to learn how to live an elevated life.

00;31;55;19 - 00;32;21;06

Cherie Lindberg

So thank you until we meet again. Thank you for listening. Thank you for joining us today on Elevated Life Academy Stories of hope and healing as you move back into your world, I invite you to take a breath and hold on to what ever stirred something in you from our podcast today, Healing isn't always loud, but it is always sacred.

00;32;21;08 - 00;32;44;18

Cherie Lindberg

Whether today's story Open Your Heart gave you a new perspective or just reminded you that you are not alone, it matters. And so do you. Keep choosing alignment, keep trusting your becoming. And remember, the elevated life is imperfect. It's present. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs a little more light. And if you're ready to go deeper in your own journey, you know where to find me.

00;32;44;19 - 00;32;48;10

Cherie Lindberg

Until next time, stay rooted, stay rising and stay. You.

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About the Podcast

Elevated Life Academy
Stories of Hope and Healing
Welcome to Elevated Life: Stories of Hope and Healing with your host, Cherie Lindberg. Join us on a transformative journey, as Cherie engages in provoking conversations with leaders of the diverse realms of therapy and mental healing.

Embark on a quest to understand the intricate tapestry of the human mind as we uncover the power of therapeutic modalities, new healing methods, and the intersection of psychology and spirituality. "Elevated Life: Stories of Hope and Healing" is not just a podcast; it's your compass on a journey to well-being, self-discovery, and societal harmony.

Subscribe now to join Cherie Lindberg and her esteemed guests as they share insights, stories, and practical tips that illuminate the path to mental and emotional wellness. Whether you're a seasoned therapist, someone curious about mental health, or simply seeking inspiration for your own healing journey, this podcast is your guide to unlocking the potential within and fostering a more compassionate world. Tune in on Spotify, Audible, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms – because healing begins with understanding.