This is Gold Stars & Doom Piles - the podcast for high-functioning ADHD women.

We talk about executive dysfunction, task initiation, emotional regulation, burnout, perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, energy management and the real skills nobody taught us. If you've been diagnosed with ADHD (or you're pretty sure you have it) and you're exhausted from white-knuckling your way through life, you're in the right place.

In this episode Jen addresses real feedback she's gotten about the term "high functioning ADHD," and doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable parts.

She unpacks why the term is genuinely problematic, the way it implies "functioning at a neurotypical level" is the goal, and how that mirrors the same trap as diet culture language. And then she explains why she still uses it in her branding anyway... because it's the exact language her clients use to describe themselves when they find her.

Jen talks through what high functioning ADHD actually costs behind the scenes: the masking, the burnout, the perfectionism, the rejection sensitive dysphoria, the quiet exhaustion that never shows up on a calendar. She explains that her coaching work isn't about helping women perform neurotypical standards better. It's about building systems that honor neurodivergence instead of fighting it.

She also gets personal about her own RSD and what it's like to put herself out there as her platform grows quickly, plus a fun teaser for an upcoming spinoff podcast (working title: "Fuck the Patriarchy Hour" 😄).

In this episode:

Why "high functioning" is an imperfect, even ableist term... and why Jen still uses it intentionally

The real cost of masking: burnout, exhaustion, and the invisible labor nobody counts

How 11+ years coaching 300+ women shaped this specific niche

Jen's own experience with RSD while growing a platform in real time

A first look at a future podcast project

🔥 Ready for more support?

📖 Grab The ADHD Operating Manual guide - $25: https://pensight.com/x/coachjentjohnson/skillsguide

Learn about 1:1 coaching: https://pensight.com/x/coachjentjohnson/yousupported

📱 Instagram + TikTok: @coachjentjohnson

🌐 pensight.com/x/coachjentjohnson

*Find this podcast streaming here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/coachjentjohnson/

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