Loving Someone WIth ADHD: How to Support Your Partner
Update: 2025-08-04
Description
🧠💛 Loving Someone with ADHD isn’t about fixing them — it’s about understanding them.
In this episode of Love, Unboxed, Dr. Colleen breaks down what it looks like to love and support a partner with ADHD. She shares her own late diagnosis and how treatment helped her reframe shame into strategy — a powerful reminder that ADHD doesn’t mean broken. It just means different. All of a sudden, there was a reason for the clumsiness, always running late, taking things too personally, or never really hitting the mark of her goals. She realized life could be different. She tells how the symptoms can present through the story of Ellen and Justin, and shares how you can support your partner with ADHD. In this episode, we explore the misunderstood symptoms, emotional toll, and what it means to show up with empathy without losing yourself in the process.
🎧 If you’ve ever felt unseen in your relationship — or wondered why your partner’s attention, follow-through, or emotional regulation seems unpredictable — this episode is for you.
👉 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode, and leave your relationship dilemma or drama as a voicemail at loveunboxedpodcast.com. Your story might inspire the next episode. More Resources from Dr. ColleenÂ
- My Mindful Reflections: A Daily Journal for Better Mental Health
(get it on Amazon) - Â This is a journal designed by Dr. Colleen.
 You can use it to track your emotions, highlight  special moments,
learn from difficult ones , let go of daily steam through daily
narrative pages , and even learn to give yourself permission to take
a break.
- Do you want to hire Dr. Colleen to help you? Please check out her
work at DrColleenMullen.com.Â
Upcoming WorkshopsÂ
"Date Differently" Â - for singles who want to break free from past
relationship obstacles.Â
"Love Them More " - for those in committed relationships who  want to
 protect their relationship from future obstacles.Â
Â
SUPPORT THE SHOW!Â
1. AMAZON.COM Use code LoveUnboxed-20 at checkout when you make your
regular purchases on Amazon or visit Dr. Colleen's Amazon
storefront. Â You won't pay anything extra, but Dr. Colleen will make
a small commission on what you purchase.
2. TBD: Â Patreon- FInd out the perks of joining the Hopeful Romantic
community!
Disclaimer
This show exists only for educational and/or entertainment purposes.
 Although Dr. Mullen is a licensed therapist, in the capacity of  her
show-hosting duties, she is not your therapist. This show is not meant
as a replacement for therapy. Â
- Dr. Colleen creates stories of people who are not meant to mimic,
copy, or otherwise represent any specific person. These are
characters she creates using various  data points from multiple
people. Any likeness to any person, living or dead, is purely
coincidence.Â
- Â
Resources for Finding a Mental Health Professional in the U.S.Â
1. Therapy Den
2. Psychology Today
3. Mental Health Matters
4. Therapy for Black Girls
5. Dial 211 to be connected to a Social Services Helpline in your area
that can provide you with information on mental health resources in
your area.
6. The National Suicide Prevention Helpline. Â or call 988 Â Â If you or
someone you care about is thinking about suicide, they are there to
help.
Â
Dr. Colleen's online voicemail line is powered by SpeakPipe
In this episode of Love, Unboxed, Dr. Colleen breaks down what it looks like to love and support a partner with ADHD. She shares her own late diagnosis and how treatment helped her reframe shame into strategy — a powerful reminder that ADHD doesn’t mean broken. It just means different. All of a sudden, there was a reason for the clumsiness, always running late, taking things too personally, or never really hitting the mark of her goals. She realized life could be different. She tells how the symptoms can present through the story of Ellen and Justin, and shares how you can support your partner with ADHD. In this episode, we explore the misunderstood symptoms, emotional toll, and what it means to show up with empathy without losing yourself in the process.
🎧 If you’ve ever felt unseen in your relationship — or wondered why your partner’s attention, follow-through, or emotional regulation seems unpredictable — this episode is for you.
👉 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode, and leave your relationship dilemma or drama as a voicemail at loveunboxedpodcast.com. Your story might inspire the next episode. More Resources from Dr. ColleenÂ
- My Mindful Reflections: A Daily Journal for Better Mental Health
(get it on Amazon) - Â This is a journal designed by Dr. Colleen.
 You can use it to track your emotions, highlight  special moments,
learn from difficult ones , let go of daily steam through daily
narrative pages , and even learn to give yourself permission to take
a break.
- Do you want to hire Dr. Colleen to help you? Please check out her
work at DrColleenMullen.com.Â
Upcoming WorkshopsÂ
"Date Differently" Â - for singles who want to break free from past
relationship obstacles.Â
"Love Them More " - for those in committed relationships who  want to
 protect their relationship from future obstacles.Â
Â
SUPPORT THE SHOW!Â
1. AMAZON.COM Use code LoveUnboxed-20 at checkout when you make your
regular purchases on Amazon or visit Dr. Colleen's Amazon
storefront. Â You won't pay anything extra, but Dr. Colleen will make
a small commission on what you purchase.
2. TBD: Â Patreon- FInd out the perks of joining the Hopeful Romantic
community!
Disclaimer
This show exists only for educational and/or entertainment purposes.
 Although Dr. Mullen is a licensed therapist, in the capacity of  her
show-hosting duties, she is not your therapist. This show is not meant
as a replacement for therapy. Â
- Dr. Colleen creates stories of people who are not meant to mimic,
copy, or otherwise represent any specific person. These are
characters she creates using various  data points from multiple
people. Any likeness to any person, living or dead, is purely
coincidence.Â
- Â
Resources for Finding a Mental Health Professional in the U.S.Â
1. Therapy Den
2. Psychology Today
3. Mental Health Matters
4. Therapy for Black Girls
5. Dial 211 to be connected to a Social Services Helpline in your area
that can provide you with information on mental health resources in
your area.
6. The National Suicide Prevention Helpline. Â or call 988 Â Â If you or
someone you care about is thinking about suicide, they are there to
help.
Â
Dr. Colleen's online voicemail line is powered by SpeakPipe
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