How do you make invisible struggles visible? (Kate Hammer’s story)

It’s one thing to wonder if you have ADHD. It’s another to read
how your loved ones see it in you. 


Host Laura Key talks with writer, director, and performer Kate
Hammer, who was born in Canada and now lives in Scotland. Kate
shares her experience navigating the U.K.’s ADHD evaluation
process, which includes personal letters from family and friends,
and the complex emotions it brought up. 


She also discusses her short film, Bear, a surreal, funny,
and poignant look at how ADHD can shadow your every move. In the
film, a woman on her way to a job interview is followed by a
bumbling bear — clumsy, loud, and impossible to ignore. The
Bear represents ADHD in all its disruptive, intrusive glory. Kate
talks about why she chose to visualize ADHD this way, how humor
helps her process, and what it means to turn something invisible
into something you can’t ignore.


Related resources


Kate’s short film Bear trailer

Kate’s full short film Bear (Password: BossJude)



Timestamps


(00:00) Intro


(01:03) The UK ADHD evaluation process


(07:26) What ADHD traits cause Kate shame and guilt? 


(08:44) Kate’s short film Bear


(16:58) Validating the challenges of ADHD through her short film


(21:27) Kate’s ADHD aha! moment(s)


(23:05) Outro and credits


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empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like
ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work,
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