Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Margaux Joffe’s “aha” moment came during a shopping trip to IKEA with her mom. She had an intense sensory overload experience, which her mom later suggested could be ADHD-related. Margaux, who’d been diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teenager, had never considered ADHD.

She was diagnosed with ADHD at age 29. In the years since, she’s become a global advocate for neurodiversity and accessibility. Check out her conversation with host Laura Key about justice sensitivity, workplace accommodations, and self-harm in undiagnosed women. 

Related resources

• ADHD and sensory overload
• ADHD and depression
• Understood.org’s 2024 Neurodiversity at Work Survey Fact Sheet
• Margaux’s website, margauxjoffe.com

Timestamps

(01:55 ) Margaux’s IKEA story, and “aha” moment

(07:34 ) Sensory sensitivity and ADHD

(09:03 ) Undiagnosed ADHD leading to anxiety and depression

(12:38 ) Breaking down during transitional periods

(14:16 ) Being told she was just “too much” as a child

(18:44 ) What has she learned in the 10 years since being diagnosed?

(21:12 ) What has she learned through working with other women with ADHD?

(23:29 ) Self-advocacy and disclosure at work

(26:35 ) What’s Margaux up to now?

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

Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Explore Through My Eyes today. Step into the world of three kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia — helping you see differently so you can act differently.

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