ADHD &...Pathological Demand Avoidance: When Your Defiant Mind Won't Be Told What to Do

ADHD &...Pathological Demand Avoidance: When Your Defiant Mind Won't Be Told What to Do

From ADHD &...with Jorie Houlihan by Jorie Houlihan

April 21, 2026 · 19 min · Episode 29

About this episode

Jorie Houlihan discusses pathological demand avoidance in ADHD and offers strategies for managing it.

Ready to stop spinning and start making real progress? Apply for private ADHD coaching with Jorie: Apply Here! Interested in having Jorie speak at your event, summit, or podcast? Learn More! ───────── If you've ever built a schedule you were actually excited about — and then avoided it like it owed you money — this episode is for you. Jorie breaks down a very real, very documented pattern called pathological demand avoidance (PDA), or what she calls the defiant mind: when your ADHD brain experiences any demand as something to resist, even when that demand came from you. This one is a game-changer for women who have spent years wondering why they can't just make themselves do the things. In this episode: What the defiant mind (PDA) actually is — and why it's not a character flaw How it shows up in your relationship with yourself AND with the people in your life Four practical strategies for working with your defiant mind instead of fighting it ───────── ✅ Rate & Review: If this episode resonated, please follow the show & leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/adhdand ✅ Please share with a friend who may also need to see they aren't alone with their ADHD…

People in this episode

Host: Jorie Houlihan

Topics covered

  • Pathological Demand Avoidance
  • ADHD
  • defiant mind
  • self-improvement
  • coaching strategies

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • Pathological Demand Avoidance
  • defiant mind
  • self-help
  • coaching
  • mental health
  • women with ADHD

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