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.