About this episode

Rebecca Gonzalez-Ojeda shares her experiences with ADHD, including struggles in school and the impact of medication on her life.

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” while struggling with school and self-esteem. It felt like giving 110% still wasn’t enough. Rebecca reflects on painful IEP meetings, discouraging comments from teachers, and the emotional drain of being misunderstood for years. She also shares what it was like “raw-dogging” life after losing access to treatment, then getting re-diagnosed with ADHD after college — and how ADHD medication changed her life.

People in this episode

Host: Laura Key

Guest: Rebecca Gonzalez-Ojeda

Topics covered

• ADHD
• mental health
• self-esteem
• education
• therapy

Keywords

• ADHD
• college
• self-esteem
• IEP meetings
• therapy
• medication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Understood.org

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