Podcast Summary: "365 BITESIZE | Career Change with ADHD"

Podcast: I Have ADHD Podcast
Host: Kristen Carder
Date: January 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This bite-sized episode of the I Have ADHD Podcast revolves around the perennial question faced by adults with ADHD: navigating career changes. Host Kristen Carder responds to a thoughtful listener question about how to know when a new career path is right, how to maintain momentum after the dopamine rush fades, and how to handle persistent self-doubt. With her characteristic candor and humor, Kristen provides insight into her own experiences with career transitions, challenges the myth of constant fulfillment, and reassures listeners that discomfort is a natural part of meaningful work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Struggle with Career Changes & ADHD (01:12 - 02:50)

Listener Question (Aubry): Aubry shares her struggles with picking up and abandoning career projects, asking how Kristen knew her podcast/ADHD coaching was "the thing" and how to stick with something when the initial dopamine fades or success is slow.
- Quote:
  
  “I’m just struggling in this like Groundhog Day loop of picking something up and then throwing it away.”
  — Aubry (02:36)

2. Knowing If It’s “The Thing” — There’s No Certainty (02:50 - 05:38)

Kristen admits there’s no magic answer or certainty when making big decisions, even ones that lead to success.
- Quote:
  
  “I didn’t know. I was scared. I didn’t. I didn’t know.”
  — Kristen (03:09)
She describes her transition from running a tutoring company to podcasting and coaching, balancing both jobs for over a year.
Support from her husband, Greg, was critical, but ultimately, the leap involved risk:
- Quote:
  
  “To leave something that you love, that you’re good at, that is paying the bills to go to something else, was such a hard decision.”
  — Kristen (03:57)
There is no sign or guarantee of success beforehand; waiting for "a sign" often leads to postponement.

3. The Dopamine Myth: Work Isn’t Always Exciting (05:38 - 09:45)

Kristen challenges the notion that the right job always feels good or exciting:
- Quote:
  
  “Do you think that I wanted to come into the podcast studio today and record this podcast?...No, I did not.”
  — Kristen (07:27)
She shares personal anecdotes: some days, she just wants to “bum around and wear pajamas and putter in my garden.”
Even doing “aligned work,” she routinely experiences days of dread and burnout, but sustains motivation through a strong "why":
- Her motivation includes helping as many ADHD-ers as possible and providing for her family.
She normalizes the feeling of wanting to quit or not wanting to work, emphasizing this does not mean you’re on the wrong path:
- Quote:
  
  “I think being human is hard. I think being obligated to, like, put on a bra and go to work is hard...It’s just not ever easy.”
  — Kristen (09:03)

4. Normalizing Crash, Burn, Panic, and Doubt (09:45 - 13:56)

Crashing and burning is not a sign of being on the wrong path; it’s just part of work, especially with ADHD.
- Quote:
  
  “We don’t get to have a job and do meaningful work without crashing and burning almost constantly. It’s just...my experience, just the way it is.”
  — Kristen (11:22)
On panic and doubt: Kristen feels them regularly, especially when putting new, vulnerable content into the world.
- Quote:
  
  “Panic and doubt...don’t mean that you’re on the wrong course. They mean that you’re just a human doing human things. And panic and doubt are just along for the ride.”
  — Kristen (12:49)
Her approach is to observe panic and doubt without making them mean she should quit. Self-regulation and self-soothing are key tools.

5. Permission to Decide: Action Over Perfection (13:56 - 15:23)

Kristen encourages listeners to just choose a path and commit, rather than waiting for absolute assurance or the perfect fit.
- Quote:
  
  “Just choose something and give it your all and decide that it’s the right thing. Because who’s gonna make that decision for you if not you?”
  — Kristen (14:24)
She notes that the dopamine high will ebb, “but it will mostly ebb,” so expecting to feel great all the time is unrealistic.
She closes with reassurance that feeling out of alignment or uncomfortable is simply being human, not proof that something’s wrong.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Uncertainty:

“I didn’t know. I was scared. I didn’t. I didn’t know.”
— Kristen (03:09)
On Making Sacrifices:

“I worked two jobs for over a year, like, building up the podcast in the coaching business...I had three kids. It was not easy.”
— Kristen (05:15)
On Dopamine & Motivation:

“Do you think that I wanted to come into the podcast studio today and record this podcast?...No, I did not.”
— Kristen (07:27)
On Burnout:

“Every day I come in here, I tell Dan, I don’t want to do it. It’s too hard. I’m already sweating...”
— Kristen (09:38)
On Doubt:

"Panic and doubt...don't mean that you're on the wrong course. They mean that you’re just a human doing human things."
— Kristen (12:49)
On Decision-Making:

“Just choose something and give it your all and decide that it’s the right thing. Because who’s gonna make that decision for you if not you?”
— Kristen (14:24)

Timestamps for Important Segments

01:12 – Aubry’s voicemail: the struggle with career changes, chasing dopamine, managing doubt
02:50 – Kristen’s story: from tutoring business to the podcast, fear of the “shiny object” trap
05:38 – Myth-busting: “Dream” jobs still feel like work, and motivation fluctuates
09:45 – Embracing burnout, normalizing hard days, and why that’s not failure
11:22 – “Crashing and burning is just the way it is”—validation for listeners
12:49 – Handling panic and doubt: observe, self-soothe, keep moving
13:56 – Permission to choose: action over perfect certainty; feeling “meh” is normal

Episode Tone

Kristen’s tone is direct, warm, humorous, and validating. She speaks candidly about the messy realities of career change and managing ADHD, making this episode particularly resonant for anyone feeling stuck or discouraged by the gap between enthusiasm and sustained motivation.

Conclusion:
This episode offers heartfelt validation for anyone with ADHD feeling stuck in indecision, plagued by “shiny object” syndrome, or simply frustrated that even fulfilling paths still feel hard. Kristen emphasizes that discomfort, doubt, and waning motivation are normal—not signals of failure—and encourages listeners to choose, commit, and accept the ebb and flow of real-life energy and emotion.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (0:17)

Hey what's up? This is Kristin Carter and you are listening to a bite sized episode of the I have ADHD podcast. I am medicated, caffeinated, regulated and ready to roll. This little episode is one of my favorite clips from the podcast. It's perfect if you're not in the mood for a full hour long listen because let's be real, some of us ADHDers just don't have the patience for all of that. But if you are a die hard listener, think of this as your midweek Pick me up. It's Thursday y'. All. Friday is right around the corner. If you love this clip, check out the show notes for a link to the full episode. And remember my friend, drink your water, take your meds, grab a snack. Now let's get rolling. Aubry, she has a complicated question. I think it's something that a lot of you will relate to. So let's hear from Aubry.

C (1:12)

Hi Kristin, it's Aubrey. I know that you've had several other careers in the past before the podcast, and I'm just wondering if you can touch on like, how did you know that this was the thing for you rather than just like a shiny new ADHD obsession? The podcast has obviously been very successful, which is awesome for you and for us, but I guess I'm just wondering like, if it hadn't been successful, how long would you have given it before trying something else? I feel like the dopamine of success and money definitely is a huge motivator and being able to stick with something even when it's super hard. But like, for someone who isn't getting any success or money from their endeavors, I'm just curious. Number one, how do you pick something when you could imagine yourself being happy and fulfilled doing lots of things? Like what are the exact questions one might ask themselves to figure out their why and gain purpose and clarity? Number two, how do you not crash and burn after a few months or years of doing it? And number three, how do you ignore all the little voices of doubt and panic when the thing isn't working or when you've lost interest in it? I'm sorry if this question is a lot. I'm just struggling in this like Groundhog Day loop of picking something up and then throwing it away. So thank you so much for your podcast. I have genuinely learned so much about myself over the years, and nobody does it like you, so thank you.

B (2:50)

Oh, my gosh. That was so nice. Thank you, Aubrey. That was such a compliment. I didn't expect that at the end there. Thank you. Okay, what I want to know from Aubry and anyone who is resonating with what she's saying is, why do you keep throwing things away? You said, I keep picking things up and then throwing them away. And I just want to know, like, why. Why are we throwing them away? You asked me, how do you. How did you know that this was the thing for you? I didn't know. I didn't know. I was scared. I didn't. I didn't know. So for those of you who don't know my story, I started podcasting at the very end of 2018. I was, at the time, running a tutoring company. So I owned a tutoring company. It was like a learning center in my hometown, and I was working with students who struggled in school. I was overseeing seven employees. It was great. I loved it. I was good at it. I enjoyed. Took me a while, but I built it up to where I was making enough money to pay our bills, and we were living a comfortable, ish life, and I was really happy with that. And then I started the podcast, and I was doing two things at one time. I was podcasting, and I was running the tutoring business. And then I started coach. And so I was podcasting and coaching and still running my tutoring business. I didn't know that this would be a really good, successful move, but I did know that people had started listening to the podcast, and a lot of people were requesting coaching from me more than I had time to serve. Like, more people were reaching out than I had time to fulfill. And so that was great. But to leave something that you love, that you're good at, that is paying the bills to go to something else, was such a hard decision. And I remember sitting in our family room, Greg and I sitting there, and me being like, I feel like I should make this change, but I'm scared, and I don't. Just like you said, Aubrey, I don't want it to be shiny object syndrome. Am I just, like, ditching the one thing for something that I think, like, the grass is greener? And that decision was really difficult. Ultimately, there was no magic pill. There was no magic way to figure it out. And I think for those of you who are struggling to start, that might Be a reason why that you're waiting around for the magic you're waiting around for. Like, I just need a sign from the heavens or I just need to, like, be sure that this is going to work. And unfortunately, as humans, we, we're not afforded that assurance. We don't get to know in advance if something is going to be successful. That's just like the cold, hard facts. It sucks. I wish that wasn't the case, but that is just what it is. So I will say, and I already said this, there were people listening to the podcast. There were people reaching out for coaching. It's not like I wasn't seeing success in those areas, but was it enough to make a career transition? I don't know. But Greg was so encouraging. He was like, just do it. Just go for it. You are feeling this pull toward it. And so I had his support in order to make that change. That was huge. But I did. I worked two jobs for over a year, like, building up the podcast in the coaching business and working two jobs is not fun. That was not fun. I had two jobs. I had three kids. It was not easy. So when I made that transition, it did. It felt heavy, it felt scary. It was like embarking on something with very little assurance. So I don't think that's going to be helpful to you because I think what you want me to say is, like, there are some clear cut ways that you can know exactly when to make a switch that I just. There's just not. And I'm sorry. I'm really sorry about that. Let me go to your next question, which is like, how do you not crash and burn when the dopamine wears off? And I will tell you that I do crash and burn. I do. Do you think that I wanted to come into the podcast studio today and record this podcast? I'm sorry. I love you. I love you, Aubry, and all of you listening. But no, I did not. It is a gorgeous day. And I was out, like, in my garden, puttering around, weeding deadheading flowers. I was picking hydrangeas and I did not want to come to work. Like, who wants to go to work? Do you know what I'm saying? So, like, I think again that we have this idea that if I'm doing what I'm meant to do, that I'm going to feel good about it all the time and that, like, the dopamine will never wear off. And that is just not true. Like, I know that this is the job for me. I know that, like, driving Into Philly and coming here and recording the pot. I know this is what I meant to do, but did I want to do it today? No. Was I dreading it even last night as I was, like, preparing? Yeah, I was dreading it. Like, I'm sorry. I hope that's not offensive to you. Like, do you think. Do you maybe you think that I'm just, like, on a dopamine high all day, every day with my job?