Becoming Understood: What’s Really Happening Beneath ADHD Behaviors

In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, Tera sits down with clinical psychologist and behavior analyst Dr. Katrina Ostmeyer for a powerful conversation about what’s really happening underneath ADHD behaviors.

Together, they explore emotional regulation, the nervous system, perfectionism, masking, and the difference between defiance and dysregulation—especially in children who don’t yet have the words to explain what they’re feeling.

Tera also shares personal parenting moments with Grayson, including a recent experience on the baseball field that left her questioning how parents are supposed to respond when behavior looks intentional on the outside, but feels like something deeper underneath.

Dr. Katrina brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a parent of two neurodivergent children, creating a conversation that feels grounded, validating, and deeply human.

This episode is for:

Parents trying to understand what’s underneath big reactions
Women navigating ADHD and emotional overwhelm later in life
Anyone who has ever felt misunderstood in their struggles

Because sometimes behavior isn’t about defiance.

Sometimes it’s a nervous system asking for support.

To learn more about Dr. Katrina Ostmeyer and Beyond the Individual, including virtual services, visit: www.beyondtheindividual.com

Song of the Episode: “Human” – Christina Perri

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, review, and share Backpacking Through ADHD with someone who might need this conversation too.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(58)

Becoming a Friend: Repair after the Impulse

In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, we’re talking about something that happens fast, often, and sometimes leaves a mark we don’t know how to fix: what happens after the impulse. This conversa...

11 Mai 10min

Becoming Regulated: When Your Nervous System Runs the Meeting

In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, Tera explores what happens when the body is carrying more than anyone can see. Becoming Regulated: When Your Nervous System Runs the Meeting is a conversat...

26 Apr 20min

Becoming a Weather Reporter: Naming Feelings Without Shame

In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, we’re talking about what it means to help kids name their feelings without shame. So many ADHD kids feel things deeply and quickly, but when the words don’...

11 Apr 17min

Becoming Lighter: The Energy Reset Zone

If your home feels like a constant restart, you’re not failing—you’re carrying too much. In this quarter’s Becoming Lighter collaboration, I’m joined by Treenah Kight for a simple, permission-based co...

28 Mar 12min

Becoming Unmasked: Belonging Without Performing

What if the version of you everyone praises is also the version that’s wearing you out? In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, Tera talks about unmasking from a very real place—not as someone wh...

24 Mar 15min

Becoming Brave at School

Becoming Brave at School is about the kind of courage ADHD kids practice every day, even when no one calls it brave. In this episode, Grayson joins me as we talk about what school bravery really looks...

12 Mar 22min

Becoming

After almost two months of space, reflection, and quiet intention, a new season begins. In this first episode of 2026, Tera introduces Becoming — a year-long exploration of identity across generations...

23 Feb 7min