ADHD Aha!16 Syys 2025

Math anxiety, caffeine, and learning to manage emotions with ADHD (Derek Miller’s story)

Derek Miller wears many hats: money coach, musician, athlete, performer, cider guide, and more. His ADHD story is just as full of twists. Derek didn’t find out he had ADHD until college. The jump from high school left him struggling to focus — especially while also caring for his wife during her cancer treatment. To get through the stress, he often used caffeine, while also working on managing his emotions and finding ways to improve himself.

Derek’s view of life and money also changed during his time in Mozambique, where he served as a Mormon missionary. That experience shaped how he thinks about community and resilience. In this episode of “ADHD Aha!,” host Laura Key talks with Derek about majoring in math even though he had math anxiety, how he learned to handle his emotions and focus, and why he now helps others build a healthier relationship with money.

For more on this topic

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:07) Derek’s college ADHD diagnosis story

(05:53) Math anxiety

(09:04) Self awareness and introspection

(12:32) How emotional money can be

(15:49) Derek’s time living in Mozambique, and what he learned about rejection sensitivity

(21:40) What’s next for Derek

(22:53) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(139)

Comedian Taryn Delanie Smith’s wild ADHD ride

Cold-calling strangers about Brazilian butt lifts wasn’t exactly the plan. But for Taryn Delanie Smith — comedian, actor, former Miss New York, and creator of the viral TikTok character “Denise, Heave...

4 Elo 33min

When ADHD feels like your insides are crawling (Kate Moryoussef’s story)

Why does sitting still feel like a physical emergency? Kate Moryoussef, ADHD lifestyle and wellness coach and host of the “ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast,” spent years convinced she was the problem. I...

21 Heinä 26min

Rage quitting, constant tiny mistakes, and emotional regulation with ADHD (John Garden’s story)

What if the clue to an ADHD diagnosis was making a different tiny mistake every night on stage? John Garden is a therapist and professional musician. He shares how years of strong emotional reactions,...

7 Heinä 25min

Painful everyday realities of ADHD and executive dysfunction (KC Davis’ story)

KC Davis, counselor, author, and host of Struggle Care, talks about the everyday realities of ADHD and executive dysfunction: messiness, boredom, and keeping up with household tasks like laundry. She ...

23 Kesä 32min

I gave 110% with ADHD. They still told me I’d never go to college. (Rebecca Gonzalez-Ojeda’s story)

A tangled ball of spaghetti. That’s how aspiring therapist Rebecca Gonzalez-Ojeda describes her ADHD brain. Diagnosed with ADHD in fifth grade, Rebecca grew up hearing messages to “just try harder” wh...

9 Kesä 19min

Two adult ADHD diagnoses, opposite reactions (Sam Pittis and Katie Breathwick’s story)

Sam Pittis and Katie Breathwick — best friends and co-hosts of You’re Wrong About ADHD — compare their very different reactions to being diagnosed with ADHD. Katie came to her ADHD diagnosis through h...

26 Touko 29min

Isn’t that every busy mom? Emotional dysregulation and ADHD (Kim Holderness’ story)

ADHD symptoms can be easy to miss — even when you’re someone who knows a lot about ADHD. Kim Holderness shares her adult ADHD diagnosis and the complicated feelings that came with it. Kim felt embarr...

12 Touko 22min

The voice in my head said “You’re stupid”: ADHD and negative self-talk (Carla Ciccone’s story)

Carla Ciccone, author of Nowhere Girl: Life as a Member of ADHD’s Lost Generation, shares what it’s like to grow up thinking you’re the problem. She talks about learning to mask when she was just 6 ye...

28 Huhti 23min