🧠💛 Loving Someone with ADHD isn’t about fixing them — it’s about understanding them. In this episode of Love, Unboxed, Dr. Colleen breaks down what it looks like to love and support a partner with ADHD. She shares her own late diagnosis and how treatment helped her reframe shame into strategy — a powerful reminder that ADHD doesn’t mean broken. It just means different. All of a sudden, there was a reason for the clumsiness, always running late, taking things too personally, or never really hitting the mark of her goals. She realized life could be different. She tells how the symptoms can present through the story of Ellen and Justin, and shares how you can support your partner with ADHD. In this episode, we explore the misunderstood symptoms, emotional toll, and what it means to show up with empathy without losing yourself in the process. 🎧 If you’ve ever felt unseen in your relationship — or wondered why your partner’s attention, follow-through, or emotional regulation seems unpredictable — this episode is for you. 👉 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode, and leave your relationship dilemma or drama as a voicemail at loveunboxedpodcast.com. Your story might inspire the next episode.
Loving Someone with ADHD: How to Be a Supportive Partner Without Losing Yourself
Podcast: Love, Unboxed – The Podcast for the Hopeful Romantic
Hosted by: Dr. Colleen Mullen, Psy.D., LMFT
What happens when the person you love seems forgetful, disorganized, or overwhelmed… but still deeply cares about you?
In this episode, Dr. Colleen Mullen unboxes what it means to love — and be loved by — someone with ADHD. Through the relatable story of Justin and Ellen, a couple navigating mismatched rhythms in their relationship, Colleen walks you through how ADHD symptoms show up in adult partnerships (even when everything “looks fine” on the outside). She also shares her own story of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life — and how medication and self-compassion helped her transform shame into strength.
If you’ve ever been confused, frustrated, or hurt by a partner’s forgetfulness, emotional reactivity, or cluttered chaos — this is the episode that will make you feel seen, and offer tools to support both of you.
Why ADHD is often misunderstood in adult relationships
What ADHD actually looks like (it’s not just distraction)
How to avoid taking your partner’s symptoms personally
How emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and procrastination play out in love
Dr. Mullen’s personal journey with ADHD — and how it changed her life
5 research-informed strategies to support your ADHD partner with empathy and healthy boundaries
[00:00] Welcome and intro to the “How to Support Your Partner With…” series
[02:50] Justin & Ellen: A couple with mismatched styles (and hidden ADHD)
[08:45] ADHD symptoms explained — and why they’re often invisible in high-functioning adults
[15:20] Colleen shares her own ADHD diagnosis and what finally made the pieces fit
[20:00] What it feels like to love someone with ADHD — and how to stop taking it personally
[28:40] The emotional toll of misunderstanding ADHD in relationships
[32:00] 5 ways to support your partner without enabling or burning out
[38:30] A loving reminder: ADHD isn’t a lack of effort — it’s a different brain
[39:45] Closing thoughts and next steps
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🎙️ Got a relationship dilemma or emotional drama you’d like Colleen to unpack?
Leave your voicemail now at loveunboxedpodcast.com — your story might inspire the next episode.
✨ And if this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or partner who needs to hear it.
** Dr. Colleen uses AI to aid in the production of this show. This show is meant to be educational, not advice from a therapist. Any names and/or circumstances and experiences of characters in Dr. Collen's stories are fictional. The character stories told are fictional depictions. Any person, circumstance, or situation that is recognizable is truly coincidental. Dr. Colleen provides a safe, confidential, and ethical service to her clients, so there should be no recignition of any one person's experience in the stories she tells.