Welcome to the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm Kate Moore Youssef and I'm a wellbeing and lifestyle coach, EFT practitioner, mum to four kids and passionate about helping more women to understand and accept their amazing ADHD brains.
Kate Moore YoussefAfter speaking to many women just like me and probably you, I know there is a need for more health and lifestyle support for women newly diagnosed with adhd.
Kate Moore YoussefIn these conversations, you'll learn from insightful guests, hear new findings, and discover powerful perspectives and lifestyle tools to enable you to live your most fulfilled, calm and purposeful life wherever you are on your ADHD journey.
Kate Moore YoussefHere's today's episode.
Kate Moore YoussefToday we're talking about something very cool, very exciting.
Kate Moore YoussefWe're talking about ADHD and dating and I have with me Mo Arie Brown here from the States.
Kate Moore YoussefBut what we're going to be talking about specifically is using the apps and understanding the challenges and how we can make this whole field a little bit more neurodivergent friendly.
Kate Moore YoussefSo let me introduce Mo now.
Kate Moore YoussefMo is Hinges, love and connection expert and a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Kate Moore YoussefThey also serve as a diversity and equity consultant and on the board of directors for It Gets Better Project, a non profit organization dedicated to uplifting and connecting LGBTQIA + youth around the globe.
Kate Moore YoussefI was going to say the world, but the globe.
Kate Moore YoussefWe can, we can deal with both.
Kate Moore YoussefVery welcome to the podcast.
Mo Arie BrownThank you so much for having me.
Mo Arie BrownI'm excited to be here.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, me too.
Kate Moore YoussefI am.
Kate Moore YoussefLike I said, this is like a conversation that we've not really properly had on the podcast before.
Kate Moore YoussefSo when I got an email from Hinge asking, would you like to talk about, you know, neurodivergent dating?
Kate Moore YoussefI was like, yes, absolutely.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd the funniest thing is I said to your, to your colleague in the email is that my nickname in our family is Auntie Hinge because I have all these gorgeous, amazing older nieces and they're all in their, like 20s and I'm always trying to help them, you know, find love and matchmake and all of this.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd so they have kind of just got a bit sick of me and I'm now just anti Hinge because I'm always sending them, do you know this guy?
Kate Moore YoussefDo you know this person?
Kate Moore YoussefSo it's just funny.
Kate Moore YoussefSo as soon as I got the email from Hinge, I was like, I have to do it, I have to talk about it.
Kate Moore YoussefSo, yeah, and like I said, I've been married for over 21 years.
Kate Moore YoussefSo me and online dating I.
Kate Moore YoussefThis is, like, new territory.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm really excited to dive in.
Kate Moore YoussefI've spoken to my community, I speak to my clients.
Kate Moore YoussefI understand what's going on.
Kate Moore YoussefBut from a personal perspective, I've not.
Kate Moore YoussefI've not lived, you know, this.
Kate Moore YoussefThis new era of online dating.
Kate Moore YoussefSo perhaps we can just dive in and maybe tell me a little bit about, I guess, what the challenges are for people.
Kate Moore YoussefNeurodivergent people are finding themselves in this new kind of era where finding love is all online and through the apps.
Mo Arie BrownSo right off the top of my head, what's coming to mind is that we have.
Mo Arie BrownWe have the honor of having a research team at Hinge.
Mo Arie BrownThey are our Hinge Labs team.
Mo Arie BrownThey conducted a survey, a study that we just put out, called the Love and ADHD Date Report, and that stands for data, advice, trends and expertise.
Mo Arie BrownIn this report, we found that daters with ADHD are 22% more likely than daters without ADHD to find, you know, social communication overwhelming and.
Mo Arie BrownAnd dating online overwhelming.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so that says a lot that they're daters with adhd, that there are significant challenges happening around communication, making matches.
Mo Arie BrownAnd I think as we go deeper into the report, and I encourage anybody to look at it, we really are looking at two main challenges.
Mo Arie BrownThere are some commonalities, some common threads.
Mo Arie BrownThose two main challenges end up being navigating small talk and replying or responding to our matches.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so for daters with adhd, these become the two areas that we really wanted to focus in the most.
Mo Arie BrownIf I were to lay out what's happening, those are the two things, the two biggest things that we found out from daters with ADHD that's, like, really impacting their ability to connect with people.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, totally.
Kate Moore YoussefI mean, I hear that from a friendship perspective, where people find it hard to keep up with friendships, where, you know, like, people are communicating on WhatsApp groups and it's too overwhelming.
Kate Moore YoussefBut also, like, that small talk for us, it's really exhausting.
Kate Moore YoussefYou know, I would prefer to have a big, long, deep, and meaningful, and I find that energizing and uplifting.
Kate Moore YoussefBut if I have to talk about what I've done at the weekend and where I get my nails done and where I'm going on holiday, I'm just like, you know, I just can't deal with it, and I come back and I'm drained, and I need to kind of, like, lie down in a dark room.
Kate Moore YoussefSo it just shows, doesn't it, that I think that's why many neurodivergent people are attracted to each other because we kind of cut the bullshit.
Kate Moore YoussefWe go straight in.
Kate Moore YoussefWe want to have the deep conversations, we want to go there.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd these potentially what may be deemed as socially awkward conversations to us, we just.
Kate Moore YoussefWe just say it as it is, where, you know, in neurotypical environments, it can feel a little bit kind of like abrupt or abrasive or however you want to, you know, deem it.
Kate Moore YoussefSo I guess, what.
Kate Moore YoussefWhat does Hinge do?
Kate Moore YoussefIs there a specific way that Hinge works and helps neurodivergent data?
Mo Arie BrownOh, that's a good question.
Mo Arie BrownI have a personal and profess connection to adhd because as a therapist, I've worked with a lot of people over the years, but then in my personal life, I have an.
Mo Arie BrownA diagnosis of adhd.
Mo Arie BrownSo this is like all of what you said.
Mo Arie BrownI'm like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Mo Arie BrownAt Hinge, we are really committed to people finding quality connections, creating love.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so we want people to ultimately meet on Hinge and then get off of the app.
Mo Arie BrownI think that the connection being our premise and being, like, at the center of what we do, really is a part of the environment that I think all daters experience and definitely daters with adhd.
Mo Arie BrownSo we released this report because we really care about what's happening for daters with adhd.
Mo Arie BrownSo if you.
Mo Arie BrownIf you're on Hinge, you're.
Mo Arie BrownYou're not familiar with Hinge, I'll just, like, say, like, for anybody on Hinge, I would suggest utilizing a number of features that can help your connection process a bit better.
Mo Arie BrownSo starting with using prompts or other features that allow you to really highlight your interest on your profile.
Mo Arie BrownSo whether you're putting that in your bio or you're using prompts or you're using voice prompts to, like, share your own voice and display what you're interested in, I think that can.
Mo Arie BrownThose often end up being ways in which your matches can start conversations with you already about the things that you're interested in.
Mo Arie BrownSo you can kind of skip the small talk, but it still can be small talk adjacent where you're not going too deep too, too quickly.
Mo Arie BrownI think for daters with adhd, this is, like, really important because they're not just getting a.
Mo Arie BrownLike, they're also usually getting a conversation starter.
Mo Arie BrownAnd those conversation starters are much more likely to.
Mo Arie BrownTo lead to dates.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I like that.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I think after we've had a diagnosis or an awareness, and the many people who have gone for decades and decades of their life of not knowing that they were neurodivergent but struggled in relationships.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I've seen that generational pattern as well in their family where they kind of just see divorce and chaos and different partners, and that's just kind of been like the norm.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then when they get the diagnosis, they can kind of go, oh, so that's, that's kind of why, like, there's certain things with my ADHD or autism that I struggle with.
Kate Moore YoussefI struggle with the social connection or being too honest or masking or not being able to kind of communicate my needs, all things like that.
Kate Moore YoussefSo I think it's really important.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd when we get that awareness, we can almost commit to dating, like more authentically and unmasking and saying, you know, like, I want to be, feel safe and show people who I am and be okay with this is what helps me.
Kate Moore YoussefThese are accommodations or these are, this is the way I like to have my first date.
Kate Moore YoussefLike, I can't.
Kate Moore YoussefInteresting.
Kate Moore YoussefI had a friend who, she's been on lots of different dates.
Kate Moore YoussefShe's been single and all things like that.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd she just, I can't sit and table eye contact and having to talk to somebody.
Kate Moore YoussefSo I said to her, like, why don't you just go on a dog walk?
Kate Moore YoussefGo on a dog walk, go during the day, go and have a coffee.
Kate Moore YoussefYou don't have to commit.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd she just said the dog walk.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd the walking is actually a much easier way because they have to make eye contact, they're moving.
Kate Moore YoussefIt feels productive.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd so it's just interesting, isn't it, that when you have that awareness, you can navigate your relationships and your dating life accordingly?
Kate Moore YoussefI guess from, like, from your perspective as like a therapist, do you think that having that awareness can really revolutionize the way you take your dating life?
Mo Arie BrownOh, absolutely.
Mo Arie BrownI love what you just said.
Mo Arie BrownI think it's a prime example of, you know, that awareness increasing authenticity and I think even adding to awareness, I encourage daters to even be accountable for then their dating process.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so accountability looks like what you described is like kind of offering what works best for you and not just kind of leaving it to the other person to decide.
Mo Arie BrownAnd I think this often happens when we center daters with who don't have adhd.
Mo Arie BrownThey're pretty typical in the dating population.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so when they expect responses in 24 hours, like 70, 70 plus percent of hinge daters who desire their responses in 24 hours, then they're kind of setting the tone.
Mo Arie BrownBut there's an opportunity for daters once you Know you.
Mo Arie BrownYou are experie ADHD symptoms to go ahead and say what works for you.
Mo Arie BrownSo I love that example of kind of taking the reins and saying and being vocal about what you need in the dating space.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I guess it might be perceived as rude if, like, there's kind of like a standard to what the.
Kate Moore YoussefIf you've been on the apps before and someone messages you and then they don't respond for.
Kate Moore YoussefYou know, so is that.
Kate Moore YoussefI guess it's.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's a.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's a social hierarchy or a system that if you're.
Kate Moore YoussefIf you find it hard to read what the different systems are and what is perceived as rude or we don't feel the need to respond within 24 hours.
Kate Moore YoussefAre we 24 hours or we forget we get distracted.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then it would be so lovely to have a compassionate person who kind of says, oh, okay, they've got adhd.
Kate Moore YoussefSo even though I don't have it, I can kind of get why they may.
Kate Moore YoussefThey may have got distracted and that's why they didn't respond.
Kate Moore YoussefWhat is interesting is if more people understood things like RSD rejection, sense of dysphoria, and how much that impacts dating, I presume.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd also that feeling.
Kate Moore YoussefI mean, I can't even imagine.
Kate Moore YoussefBut if you.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd again, forgive me if I don't quite know the literacy with Hinge, but if you're.
Kate Moore YoussefI don't if it's swiping or not swiping, but if you kind of see someone that you like and then they don't reciprocate, that can feel like a bit of a dagger in the heart.
Kate Moore YoussefHow do you navigate that with rsd?
Mo Arie BrownYeah, no, it's a really great question.
Mo Arie BrownI think at Hinge, we really are prioritizing quality over quantity and really encouraging daters to really focus in on.
Mo Arie BrownI would say especially daters experiencing any kind of ADHD symptoms like to focus in on quality matches, quality connections, people that share your interest instead of focusing on a lot of people at once.
Mo Arie BrownI think that that's overwhelming when you have too many messages on any.
Mo Arie BrownAny app, your email, whatever, is just too much.
Mo Arie BrownIt can be overwhelming.
Mo Arie BrownI think for daters with adhd, we're more likely to turn off our phones to stop getting that incoming contact, and then we might not end up responding to our messages and things.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so for daters experiencing any kind of rejection sensitivity, I think it's important to take your time, be compassionate with yourself.
Mo Arie BrownThis rejection is.
Mo Arie BrownIt's.
Mo Arie BrownI would, I would say if you're experiencing rejection Sensitivity, I as a therapist want to normalize it like that's going to happen as you're putting yourself out there.
Mo Arie BrownThe dating process is so vulnerable.
Mo Arie BrownIt is like you showing your best self and putting your best foot forward.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so I think that some of that is a lot of this process is necessary.
Mo Arie BrownAnd though the rejection sensitivity is also a real painful experience that can kind of hijack this, the beauty of that process as well.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so it's important to kind of check in with yourself regularly as you make connections and notice for yourself it when those check ins need to happen.
Mo Arie BrownFor some people they need to happen after dates.
Mo Arie BrownSo after you go on a date with someone, checking in with yourself about how you're feeling or checking in after if the date doesn't go well or if you don't want to continue matching, checking in after that.
Mo Arie BrownBut for other people, the check ins might need to happen.
Mo Arie BrownIf you've tried to match with several people and you haven't gotten any matches, that can be the moment to check in.
Mo Arie BrownSo I'd say knowing yourself is really important in that process.
Mo Arie BrownAnd then I am a big supporter of like affirmations and having like a toolkit, like a little backpack if you will.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so in my backpack it's like a lot of affirmations and reminders to myself that I am love, that I am worthy of love, that love easily comes to me, that I easily attract love, that I easily put out love.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so those are what my affirmations look like.
Mo Arie BrownAnd I just encourage daters to have their own toolkit of like self love and self encouragement in that process.
Mo Arie BrownBut RSD is a real thing.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so if you're also experiencing those symptoms, talk to a therapist about those symptoms as well as you navigate through the dating process because there is a lot of rejection inherent with that process.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I love that.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I'm also a big fan of, of having the affirmations and also recognizing the triggers of when we're looking for that external validation.
Kate Moore YoussefWhat I wanted to also ask is again we have with ADHD and I don't want to generalize too much but this sort of novelty seeking, we can get bored easily and without using the dreaded word the ick.
Kate Moore YoussefBut I, I always, I, I also see this happen where if I using this term correctly because again I'm like in my 40s but when people love bomb and they, they have this sort of novelty and everything's amazing and all of a sudden just something happens and it could just be they, they said something in the wrong way.
Kate Moore YoussefOr they, they saw a picture and all of a sudden they got this ick and then the novelty's gone.
Kate Moore YoussefThey want to shut the whole thing down.
Kate Moore YoussefIt can be related to this kind of like all or nothing thinking.
Kate Moore YoussefWhere I see it happen with, with business and career and friendships that we get totally all involved, all consumed.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then we could just wake up that next day and go, not feeling it anymore.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm done.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd it's, there's a lot of.
Kate Moore YoussefSometimes it can be self sabotage and sometimes it can be like, what is wrong with me?
Kate Moore YoussefWhy can't I just be on this more even keel?
Kate Moore YoussefAnd we, we kind of live life a bit more of it in a roller coaster until, and I feel from a personal perspective this is what happens until we just find that sweet spot that really works for us.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I'll use say, a career as an example that we could work in the corporate, in like in a corporate field for years and years and years and we feel burnt out, exhausted and drained.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's kind of a bit like a toxic relationship.
Kate Moore YoussefWe kind of get rewards from it, but actually the benefits are just not, not there anymore.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then we say we become an entrepreneur, we work for ourselves.
Kate Moore YoussefWe work for more like holistic smaller boutique agency, whatever that might be.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd all of a sudden we kind of blossom again and we kind of get our environment.
Kate Moore YoussefWe, we're working within what, all the modalities, I guess, that are helping us thrive.
Kate Moore YoussefDo you see this happening a lot with the neurodivergent dating world where it is a bit kind of up and down and, you know, this sort of contrast of we're all in and then that's actually, I'm done, I'm out.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah.
Mo Arie BrownMany daters with ADHD desire like diversity, excitement, novelty excitement for certain.
Mo Arie BrownIt's like once things become a little bit more routine or boring, it can be harder to keep engaging.
Mo Arie BrownAnd for some people, this happens quicker than others.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so I guess my advice would be to, and I love the example of your friend from earlier because I think this is something you can do throughout the dating process is to infuse excitement back into the process.
Mo Arie BrownSo even if you're with the same person or you've been seeing them maybe like four to five dates, and you wake up one morning and you're like, this is just, this is boring.
Mo Arie BrownI don't want this anymore.
Mo Arie BrownReally check in with yourself around your boundaries.
Mo Arie BrownHave you asserted all the necessary boundaries?
Mo Arie BrownIs there some part of your communication that does not work for you?
Mo Arie BrownSo I encourage daters to switch from texting to talking or something that's a little bit more animated.
Mo Arie BrownInteresting.
Mo Arie BrownSo if there might be things that you need to switch up that are causing that feeling that you're having, so continuing to check in with that, I think will help figure out if you're just done with the relationship or if there is some monotony happening.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I think it's so powerful, isn't it, when you have that.
Kate Moore YoussefUnderstand that self understanding of, like, is it a novelty thing?
Kate Moore YoussefAnd do we need to switch things up if, like, we've done three dates with the same person as each one has been going for a drink or, you know, going for a meal and actually going to do something fun or active or creative or go.
Kate Moore YoussefGo to a concert or, I don't know, do something that's just totally different.
Kate Moore YoussefBecause even when you've been in a relationship for as long as I have, sometimes it can be like, oh, I don't want to go out for another meal, let's go and go for a swim.
Kate Moore YoussefYou have to.
Kate Moore YoussefYou have to constantly seek that novelty when you do have adhd because you kind of know what happens on the flip side, where we can just, maybe just throw a match and want to burn it all down when we know even though that person could be really good for us.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd also recognizing that that person who potentially you might be getting a little bit bored with or the novelty is going because the mundanity of life's coming in with adhd.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd again, I'm generalizing, perhaps speaking from my perspective, we kind of need a bit of a solid foundation.
Kate Moore YoussefSo we might need a partner that might not be exactly the same as us, because if we're prone to kind of spontaneity and flightiness and impulsivity, to have two people like that is a bit chaotic.
Kate Moore YoussefBut if we kind of seek someone who compliments that side and doesn't criticize it or denounce it or ridicule or invalidate all those different things, but kind of like, hold that space for us so we can be the.
Kate Moore YoussefThe one that is like, oh, let's go and do something fun today, and, you know, forget all our chores.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then he would be like, that's really fine.
Kate Moore YoussefWell, they would be like that.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd they could just be.
Kate Moore YoussefBut we need to get home because there is stuff that needs sorting in the house as well.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd that I think sometimes we need to understand that we.
Kate Moore YoussefEven though it might not be the most exciting option to have a little bit of difference where we complement each other and then that other person who might be more kind of routine led or structure led might need someone like us who can kind of, you know, be like, let's do something different.
Kate Moore YoussefLet's try something new.
Kate Moore YoussefLet's break away from the routine.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I actually spoke to a journalist about this a few weeks ago.
Kate Moore YoussefThey were writing an article, article about neurodivergent dating and how ADHD and autistic partners tend to find each other.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's not uncommon for one to be adhd, want to be autistic or the neurodivergence sort of spectrum to be kind of slightly different on each side.
Mo Arie BrownWow.
Mo Arie BrownVery interesting.
Kate Moore YoussefIt was so interesting.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd what we worked out was that we do complement each other and as long as we have awareness there, it's when neither one of the partners understand their neurodivergence and they, they, there's shame there and there's guilt and there's blame and there's self criticism.
Kate Moore YoussefBut when we understand it, I mean we give it space and compassion and tenderness and all of that, we can hold space for each one.
Kate Moore YoussefSo we know when there's anxiety or when there's worry or overwhelm.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd my overwhelm might, might show up differently to my husband's overwhelm.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd it's, it's like complimenting.
Kate Moore YoussefSo I guess it's, I comes, it comes back to awareness and getting to know yourselves.
Kate Moore YoussefMaybe before you go on the dating apps, kind of, maybe a bit of self love and, and working on that, doing the inner work before we go on the apps to do the kind of, the external validation.
Kate Moore YoussefI'd love to hear your therapist.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm.
Mo Arie BrownYeah, no, I love what you just said.
Mo Arie BrownI, I think you who gave a beautiful case for where I center a lot of my therapy work, which is a strength based approach.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so when I think about strengths, I think about what you described, which is like knowing yourself, knowing your partner or the person you're dating.
Mo Arie BrownEverybody kind of bringing their own things to the table, putting them out in the open, having conversations about them and what you do well, you just keep doing and what they do well, they keep doing and we compliment each other.
Mo Arie BrownI think like you said, if we come to the table and we're not aware of our strengths, oftentimes we just focus in on the challenges.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so what strength based approaches do to relationships, to therapy, to anywhere in the world, to work environments, they help us to collaborate better because everybody's bringing their best to the table and we're, we're taking the best of each person and we're putting it together to make something amazing.
Mo Arie BrownSo I really offer that to daters with adhd.
Mo Arie BrownNot seeing how you show up as a deficit, not seeing your challenges always as weaknesses or growing edges.
Mo Arie BrownCertainly the parts that maybe make it harder for you to listen may feel challenging in the dating space, but then there are parts for.
Mo Arie BrownFor many people with adhd, we have this ability to focus on things that we're really interested in for a long time.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so that might make dates feel very seen and heard if we are just so into their conversation that we're.
Mo Arie BrownWe are not breaking eye contact for a long time.
Mo Arie BrownYeah.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so whatever your strength is, really amplify that in the dating space.
Mo Arie BrownBe encouraged because you don't only have challenges, you do have strengths.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so identifying them and really amplifying them can help you to know what you bring to the table.
Mo Arie BrownThat's also good.
Mo Arie BrownI am definitely a supporter of coming to the dating space, really knowing yourself, being self compassionate, being self loving, and not only seeking that externally, really having that internally before you come to the dating space.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, for sure.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I think, you know, this generation, and I say this generation because it's maybe my generation.
Kate Moore YoussefYour generation, younger generation, is that we're.
Kate Moore YoussefWe're the.
Kate Moore YoussefProbably the first.
Kate Moore YoussefI would say maybe my generation, like 40s, 50s, who are understanding the neurodivergent patterns in their family, they're understanding this awareness.
Kate Moore YoussefSo if they're getting a diagnosis later on in life, they can then look back and kind of go, I can kind of understand why my parents split up.
Kate Moore YoussefI can understand where there was dysfunction, there's chaos.
Kate Moore YoussefThere was several, you know, different relationships, different partners in and out the house, all of that.
Kate Moore YoussefThey can start connecting those generational, connecting those dots and recognizing what.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd using that, unfortunately, the pain, but also is for like productive power and to kind of say, I don't want to do that.
Kate Moore YoussefI don't want my relationship to be like my parents relationship, or I don't want my kids to be brought up in a house the way I was brought up.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd so we do have this responsibility to do the work because we have this awareness, which is amazing, but we have to do that work and kind of say, right, well, this is an amazing strength that I have with my adhd.
Kate Moore YoussefBut I also have these challenges where I can go from 0 to 100 in like emotional dysregulation or I can misconstrue a situation because of rsd or I, you know, I'M going to speak from a female perspective, like from a hormonal perspective.
Kate Moore YoussefWe can suffer from pmdd.
Kate Moore YoussefWe can suffer from, you know, really difficult hormonal imbalances.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd that can sabotage relationships.
Kate Moore YoussefYou know, early perimenopause.
Kate Moore YoussefWe know this is much more common now in neurodivergent women.
Kate Moore YoussefSo we are understanding the role that hormones play and maybe how that can derail relationships.
Kate Moore YoussefYou know, not.
Kate Moore YoussefNot from, like, blaming a woman's hormones, but also having this understanding that, yes, for a week of the month or maybe longer, I am going to be more sensitive, I am going to be more depleted, my mood is going to be much lower.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd to be able to have that open and honest conversation with a partner and say, we need to work together on this.
Kate Moore YoussefLike how Instead of maybe 30 or 40 years ago, you know, women were deemed kind of hysterical or neurotic or out of control or, you know, she's having a nervous breakdown.
Kate Moore YoussefLike all these terrible, stereotypical ways that women would be deemed.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd then obviously, you know, again, I'm talking about kind of very traditional relationships here.
Kate Moore YoussefBut, you know, this is why you can see certain breakdowns of partnerships.
Kate Moore YoussefSo, yeah, I think it's fascinating to be able to dissect this because we are in this moment in history where there's more understanding societal conditioning is kind of dismantling a little bit.
Kate Moore YoussefWe're able to recognize this patriarchal system that we've been part of and we can make choices, like informed choices, where I guess maybe our parents and our grandparents weren't able to make these informed choices.
Mo Arie BrownSo, yeah, what you just said is powerful because it does speak to self empowerment, the ability to know what's happening for yourself and your relationship, and then that giving you the power to change something.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so I love that you highlighted the.
Mo Arie BrownThe strengths, but also the challenges that we have to be accountable for so that we can change our history essentially, so that the same patterns that we saw growing up or in relationships around us growing up don't have to wreak havoc on our own relationships.
Mo Arie BrownSo this really gets back to this, you know, coming to the dating space, knowing what you're working with.
Mo Arie BrownAnd it's like, you might not know everything.
Mo Arie BrownYou might.
Mo Arie BrownBecause I think so much of dating is really understand understanding yourself better.
Mo Arie BrownIt's definitely a space for exploration.
Mo Arie BrownBut some part of this is really coming to the table with that self compassion, that self awareness, the self accountability to really kind of roll up your sleeves and do the work of relationships.
Mo Arie BrownYou have really talked plenty, I think, in this episode about what it means to be in a long term relationship.
Mo Arie BrownYou said 20 something years and every thing you've said has been a testament to the work that has to happen in order for you to stay in that relations or the shifts that have to occur.
Mo Arie BrownIt's the evolutions, the growth, the change.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so when we think about dating, it's just kind of like the beginning of all of that.
Mo Arie BrownAnd you know, everybody has a different outcome that they're looking for when it comes to dating, but connection really is at the core of it.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so our diagnoses don't have to prevent us from having quality connections.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so I want anybody who walks away from this episode to really understand that your diagnosis of ADHD is like one part of who you are.
Mo Arie BrownWe've talked so many, so much in this episode already about intersectional identities and how they add to the tapestry of your identity and so really see ADHD as like one aspect of your identity.
Mo Arie BrownI don't want you to walk away thinking, oh, I'm never going to be able to find love because it's not true.
Mo Arie BrownYou can totally create the love that you're seeking and ADHD actually does not have to get in the way of that.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, absolutely.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd my last question is, do you have like a drop down or whatever you call it on, on Hinge where you can say you're neurodivergent, it's just there.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd you can, and you want to be, you know, connected to other neurodivergent people.
Mo Arie BrownSo I would encourage people, if you want to put this on your profile, to definitely put this in your, your bio or to fill out a prompt that feels like relevant.
Mo Arie BrownSo maybe the prompt might be, I can't think of one off the top of my head, but something that allows you to be able to share with them information that you really want them to know.
Mo Arie BrownYou can use a voice prompt to do this however, feels comfortable.
Mo Arie BrownBut I would say if you want to display that on your profile, to just go ahead and put it in your bio or use a prompt.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I think, I mean, again, because I'm not doing this, but I would think that it would feel like a, an easy place to just disclose it because you're not then having to two or three dates down the line say, oh, you know, I've got adhd.
Kate Moore YoussefI was speaking to someone the other day and she was in her early 30s and she said that her boyfriend had ADHD and she didn't know that he had ADHD until like six months later, when she found his medication and he was embarrassed and he was ashamed.
Kate Moore YoussefI know.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I just felt so sad for him that he kind of had to keep it a secret because of the stigma.
Kate Moore YoussefThat's still.
Kate Moore YoussefThat's still there with ADHD that, you know, there's still so much ignorance and miseducation and lack of knowledge and just such outdated responses to ADHD or I have it all the time.
Kate Moore YoussefOh, you don't look like you've got adhd or how can you have ADHD and all of that.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm like, you know, nothing.
Kate Moore YoussefBecause they just think it only looks specifically in, like, one thing.
Kate Moore YoussefBut I wonder if it would feel just easier just to disclose it.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd it's there.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd if someone doesn't want to die, you know, date someone neurodivergent, that's fine, but at least it's there and it's.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's open.
Kate Moore YoussefI don't know what I would do.
Kate Moore YoussefI mean, what would you suggest to people?
Mo Arie BrownI suggest as long as you feel comfortable, definitely sharing that up front.
Mo Arie BrownSo whether it's in the first conversations or on your profile, I say give context.
Mo Arie BrownThe context is really important because I imagine that you're sharing it with a purpose.
Mo Arie BrownIt's like you want people to know that your responses may take longer, or you want people to know that if you don't reply right away that, you know, you're not ignoring them.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so maybe in those first couple of messages and say, hey, you know, I'm only on, you know, hinge once a day.
Mo Arie BrownAnd it's because I'm really trying to free.
Mo Arie BrownFree my life of a lot of distractions because I have adhd and I'm really trying to manage the day dating space in a way that really supports me.
Mo Arie BrownSo don't take this as a lack of interest.
Mo Arie BrownThat's like how I would share this with someone early on.
Mo Arie BrownBut I definitely think that it's better from my perspective to support your matches in supporting you.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so they.
Mo Arie BrownIt.
Mo Arie BrownIt leads to less misunderstanding, less miscommunication.
Mo Arie BrownWe actually found out in our report that three out of four hinge daters with ADHD feel misunderstood by their matches because of these kinds of expectations that daters will respond within 24 hours and things like that.
Mo Arie BrownSo there's this misunderstanding that's happening to avoid that.
Mo Arie BrownI think we having having these conversations up front will help a lot.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, I love that.
Kate Moore YoussefIs there a way that people can access the research that you've done?
Mo Arie BrownYeah, absolutely.
Mo Arie BrownIt's the best way, is probably to check out Hinge co.
Mo Arie BrownWe have a page on the site where you can look at our most recent press releases blog posts.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so the report would be one of those most recent press releases.
Mo Arie BrownI think that's the easiest way.
Mo Arie BrownOr you could do a quick Google search for Hinge.
Kate Moore YoussefI'll put it on the show.
Kate Moore YoussefNotes.
Mo Arie BrownOkay, perfect.
Mo Arie BrownYeah, the song would be great.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah.
Kate Moore YoussefBecause I think people would be really interested to have a look at that research and really see what's.
Kate Moore YoussefWhat's going on and on the ground.
Kate Moore YoussefBecause everyone's experience is different, but it's also quite validating to be able to kind of get.
Kate Moore YoussefOkay, so it's not just me or it's not just me experiencing this or feeling this.
Kate Moore YoussefRight.
Mo Arie BrownI think there are also daters featured in that report too.
Mo Arie BrownAnd so it could.
Mo Arie BrownIt would definitely be very validating to hear other people's experience.
Mo Arie BrownExperiences.
Kate Moore YoussefYeah, for sure.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd it just, you know, creates that sense of community that we're not all alone and we're here together.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd hopefully the more we talk, we have these conversations that we are just normalizing, just normalizing this conversation so people don't feel like it's only them experiencing this type of thing in the dating world.
Kate Moore YoussefI've really loved this conversation, Mo, thank you so much.
Kate Moore YoussefIt's been really interesting.
Kate Moore YoussefA little insight into.
Kate Moore YoussefInto a bit of a world that I'm not really part of.
Kate Moore YoussefBut it's fascinating and I think everyone deserves love and everyone deserves connection and ADHD or not.
Kate Moore YoussefWe all deserve the, you know, love and compassion and understanding and care and all of that.
Kate Moore YoussefSo thank you so much.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd I will make sure tell people if they.
Kate Moore YoussefIf they're interested in.
Kate Moore YoussefDo you see people online?
Kate Moore YoussefAre you doing.
Kate Moore YoussefDo private consultations?
Mo Arie BrownYeah, so I mostly, I do have a private practice here in the States.
Mo Arie BrownIt's called Transcendent Therapy.
Mo Arie BrownBut if you want to connect with me on social media, connect with me at Love Out Proud.
Mo Arie BrownI'm Love Out Proud on Instagram and Tick Tock and listen to my podcast, be your own love Ghost podcast.
Mo Arie BrownIt's a podcast I do with my wife weekly.
Kate Moore YoussefAmazing.
Kate Moore YoussefOkay, I will.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm going to check that out.
Kate Moore YoussefSo that sounds awesome.
Kate Moore YoussefSounds great.
Kate Moore YoussefThank you so much.
Mo Arie BrownMo, thank you so much for having me.
Kate Moore YoussefI really hope you enjoyed this week's episode.
Kate Moore YoussefIf you did and it resonated with you, I would absolutely love it if you could share on your platforms or maybe leave a review and a rating wherever you listen to your podcasts and.
Kate Moore YoussefAnd please do check out my website ADHD womenswellbeing.co.uk for lots of free resources and paid for workshops.
Kate Moore YoussefI'm uploading new things all the time and I would absolutely love to see you there.
Kate Moore YoussefTake care and see you for the next episode.