A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD - by Sari Solden & Michelle Frank (Paperback)

About the Book

Women with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often feel misunderstood and experience a sense of alienation because of their differences. This radical guide empowers readers to challenge the cultural stigma and deeply internalized shame of being a woman living with an invisible disorder. With this groundbreaking book, readers will discover their individual strengths as they build self-esteem, celebrate their neurodiversity, learn to communicate with boldness and clarity, form sustainable relationships, identify their core values, and move toward a more meaningful life.

Book Synopsis

Live boldly as a woman with ADHD. Embrace your neurodiversity, quiet shame-based narratives, and build a confident, authentic sense of self.

If you're a woman with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you've likely felt different for as long as you can remember. Over time, those messages can turn into negative self-talk, self-doubt, and the painful belief that your brain differences are personal flaws.

It's time for a new story.

A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD is the first workbook created specifically for women with adult ADHD who are ready to replace shame with self-acceptance. With this empowering guide, you'll learn to untangle from internalized criticism, challenge limiting beliefs, and honor the strengths that come with your unique brain.

In this workbook, you'll learn how to:

• Break free from negative self-talk and chronic self-criticism
• Cultivate self-compassion and lasting self-acceptance
• Recognize and honor your natural strengths and creativity
• Communicate your needs with clarity and confidence
• Build relationships rooted in authenticity rather than masking
• Embrace your neurodivergent identity without apology

This is not a workbook about "fixing" yourself. It's about understanding yourself--so you can move from shame to empowerment, from self-doubt to confidence, and from surviving to truly thriving as a woman with ADHD.

If you're ready to stop measuring yourself against impossible standards and start living boldly as your full, authentic self, this guide will show you the way.

Review Quotes

"A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD is more than a workbook only for women with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is a beautifully written, inspiring resource and tool that every human being living with shame, blame, and misperceived negative emotions of being 'less than' needs to refer to daily. Sari Solden and Michelle Frank have created a transformational guide with exercises, questions, and inspiring stories that will immediately encourage readers to explore and discover their inner greatness. I highly recommend this workbook for coaches, therapists, physicians, and every human being who truly wants to discover the true essence of who they are and want to be in the world."
--David Giwerc, MCC, MCAC, founder and president, ADD Coach Academy; master certified ADHD coach, PAAC; master certified coach, ICF; and author of Permission to Proceed--David Giwerc, MCC, MCAC

"Finally! An ADHD-friendly guidebook that skirts the dizzying array of superficial strategies to address the powerful inner lives of ADHD women. Its write-in-the-book format creates a journal that is deeply personal and potentially life-changing. Poignant, yet practical, A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD is a beacon call for authenticity--a bedrock for every ADHD woman. Destined to be a classic must-read: Five++ stars!"
--Linda Roggli, PCC, ADDiva Network for ADHD Women 40-and-better, author of Confessions of an ADDiva, and cofounder of ADHD Women's Palooza--Linda Roggli, PCC

"I was in tears when I began reading this book. Even though I'm many years into my own ADHD journey, and, I thought (wrongly), past the feelings of anger, sadness, and loss; the memories of that early pain of hiding, shame, and negative self-talk returned in a flash as I read vignettes of the authors' clients as well as their own personal stories. This is a book about courage. Solden and Frank embrace you--the reader--and travel along with you, sharing new ways to see yourself, not just as a woman with ADHD, but as a woman with so much to offer. ADHD may be an invisible condition, but it doesn't mean you have to be invisible in order to feel safe from criticism--internal or external. You don't need to hide anymore. And that is such a relief. This book is now on the top of my must-read list that I share with all of my clients."
--Terry Matlen, LMSW, ACSW, psychotherapist, author of The Queen of Distraction, and founder of www.addconsults.com--Terry Matlen, LMSW, ACSW

"In this easy-to-read workbook, Sari Solden and Michelle Frank invite women with ADHD to recognize and challenge a variety of assumptions about themselves and others that may needlessly prevent them from experiencing their own full potential. The authors use brief examples from women of various ages to show that constructive, positive change is quite possible with ADHD. Many women with ADHD will find this book interesting, challenging, and helpful."
--Thomas E. Brown, PhD, director, Brown Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, Manhattan Beach, CA; adjunct clinical associate professor in the department of psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine of USC; and author of Smart But Stuck and Outside the Box--Thomas E. Brown, PhD

"In this marvelous workbook, Sari Solden and Michelle Frank sensitively guide women with ADHD to increase their understanding and self-acceptance; stop feeling shame, hiding, and listening to negative messages; identify and pursue their special talents and dreams; restore wholeness and authenticity; connect meaningfully with others; use professional help wisely; and create an effective action plan for living fully as women with ADHD in an empowered way. Above all, from the first to the last word, the authors show a level of understanding and empathy for women with ADHD, along with an ability to help them, that goes light years beyond all similar books."
--Arthur L. Robin, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, and coauthor of Adult ADHD-Focused Couple Therapy--Arthur L. Robin, PhD

"Instead of offering the usual fixes or treatments for ADHD, this truly radical book shows women with ADHD how to live an authentic life, one free from stigma and shame. With helpful worksheets and practical, inspirational prose, this is a must-read for women with ADHD and the clinicians who work with them."
--Susan Caughman, editor-in-chief, ADDitude magazine--Susan Caughman

"Sari and Michelle are your super-smart, empathic friends who have been there before you and want to save you a lot of unnecessary suffering. They won't tell you what to do, but, like any good friends, they will help you figure out what you want to do. Your ADHD symptoms may or may not be better after reading this wise, insightful book, but your life definitely will be."
--Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST, author of ADHD After Dark--Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CST

"Sari Solden, for years the great pioneer in working with women and ADHD, has now teamed up with Michelle Frank to create this dynamic, valuable workbook that will help women embolden themselves to break out of whatever self-imposed exiles they may have lived in and soar to the heights they deserve and will love."
--Edward Hallowell, MD, coauthor of Driven to Distraction--Edward Hallowell, MD

"To say this is the book about and for women with ADHD is only part of the story. This is a book that warmly promotes self-compassion and the true soul work that is essential for living a valued, successful life with ADHD. Be prepared to see yourself in these pages. You will engage in hearty laughter and cry tears of validation and forgiveness. Most of all, you won't feel alone as you will feel completely understood by the authors."
--Roberto Olivardia, PhD, clinical psychologist, and lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School--Roberto Olivardia, PhD

"You can only begin to believe in yourself when someone believes in you. Sari and Michelle offer that belief. Their faith in the potential and power of women with ADHD is refreshing. It takes bravery to stop hiding. Buying this book is an act of bravery. It's the first step to believing in yourself. To believing you are capable of much more than camouflaging yourself as normal. This is not a book of strategies to help you appear normal.

This is a guide to help you do the important work that comes before ADHD strategies can be effective. Don't misunderstand--strategies are essential when you live with ADHD. But are you looking for strategies that will allow you to reach your goals? Or are you looking for strategies that will help you blend in with the neurotypicals? Without understanding, you cannot accept. Without acceptance, there is no path to living out loud with ADHD.

As I read, I found myself enjoying the interactivity. Sari and Michelle have a warm, conversational tone. They share ideas in an always caring and sometimes humorous way. They include stories from other women with ADHD, reaffirming you are not alone. And throughout, they ask you questions that encourage you to get to know yourself better. No one has all the answers. They sure don't have YOUR answers! Sari and Michelle never pretend they have all the answers. I love that they help you ask the right questions. I wish I had this book twenty years ago. Save yourself twenty years; get it today."
--Duane Gordon, president of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)--Duane Gordon

About the Author

Psychotherapist Sari Solden, MS, has counseled adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for thirty years. She is author of the pioneering books, Women with Attention Deficit Disorder and Journeys Through ADDulthood, as well as a prominent keynote speaker at national and international conferences. She serves on the professional advisory board of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), and is a past recipient of their award for outstanding service by a helping professional. Solden's areas of specialization include women's issues, inattentive ADHD, and the emotional consequences and healing process for adults who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD.

Michelle Frank, PsyD, is a well-regarded clinical psychologist who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, education, and empowerment of individuals with ADHD. She draws from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based practices, and psychoeducational approaches based in the latest research to help individuals with ADHD live fulfilling, empowered lives. Frank serves on the board of ADDA, the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to helping adults with ADHD. She speaks nationally on issues related to ADHD, neurodiversity, and women's empowerment.

Foreword writer Ellen Littman, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has devoted herself to the field of attentional issues for almost thirty years. In her private practice just north of New York City, NY, she focuses on a high-IQ adult and adolescent population, with expertise in identifying complex presentations of ADHD that may be overlooked. She is coauthor of Understanding Girls with ADHD.