Sarah West I Certified ADHD Coach, Exeter (2026)

16/02/2026

Why I do what I do

When I received my late ADHD diagnosis in my early 50s, I started reflecting on my life. The years of antidepressants and anti anxiety medication that hadn’t really helped and the therapy, CBT, and counselling that was never really effective or helpful long term.

And then I thought about the ADHD coaching I had just completed, which helped me more than anything else ever had.

For the first time in my life, I felt genuinely understood. I was able to find strategies that actually worked for me, and I discovered a voice within myself that was kind and compassionate rather than critical, which was something entirely new.

For years, long before I knew I had ADHD, I used to say that I didn’t want to spend my life looking back. I wanted practical ways to cope day to day, to move forward, and to live my life now and into the future, and ADHD coaching gave me exactly that.

As I learnt more and more about the role ADHD had played in my life, alongside the impact of perimenopause, it became clear that I wasn’t the only one this had happened to.

That realisation is why I changed my career, to support women who have spent their lives misunderstood and believing they were the problem.

Because they never were, and it is never too late to change that story.

13/02/2026

I received a really lovely testimonial after a recent talk I delivered for an ADHD support group, and it genuinely meant a great deal to read.

We talked honestly about what it is like to live with ADHD during perimenopause, the long waits and barriers around assessment, the grief that can come with late recognition, and the ongoing invalidation many women still experience.

What stood out most was the openness and kindness in the room, women recognising themselves in one another’s stories, feeling understood, and finding relief in spaces where their experiences are not dismissed.

And this is exactly why I do this work.

Alongside my work as an ADHD coach, I spend a lot of time speaking, teaching, and sharing clear, evidence based information about ADHD and perimenopause, particularly for women who are late diagnosed or neurodivergent.

If you are looking for a speaker for a community group, workplace, or event, and want something that is informative, compassionate, and genuinely useful, I would love to hear from you.

Details to contact me are on my website, link in the comments.

12/02/2026

What job have you found that works best for your ADHD?

10/02/2026

Alcohol can be particularly unkind to an ADHD brain, and even more so during perimenopause.

Many women notice that drinking affects them far more than it used to, and this is not a coincidence. Alcohol disrupts dopamine, which ADHD brains already struggle to regulate. This can lead to increased impulsivity, emotional reactivity, anxiety, and low mood the following day. What can feel like short term relief often ends up worsening ADHD symptoms.

During perimenopause, fluctuating and declining oestrogen also affects dopamine, sleep quality, and stress regulation. Alcohol adds another layer of disruption, increasing cortisol, worsening sleep, triggering hot flushes, and draining already limited energy. Poor sleep then feeds straight back into focus, memory, emotional regulation, and overwhelm.

For many women with ADHD, alcohol can amplify fatigue, brain fog, irritability, low motivation, and that sense of constantly running on empty.

This is not about judgement or restriction, but about understanding why alcohol can have such a disproportionate knock on effect on ADHD, hormones, energy, and wellbeing at this stage of our lives.
Have you noticed alcohol affecting you differently during perimenopause?

09/02/2026

I attended the amazing Caroline Green’s book launch in Reading at the weekend, and it was a real joy to meet such an inspiring and supportive group of women who were there.

I was so chuffed last year to be asked by Caroline to contribute to her book, The Career Confidence Toolkit for Women, where I wrote about ADHD in women, how it often goes unrecognised, the impact this can have on confidence and wellbeing at work, and the support that is available for neurodivergent women in the workplace.

In my work, I meet many women who have built successful careers, often without realising they had ADHD until later in life. During perimenopause, confidence at work can start to change dramatically as masking takes more effort, tolerance reduces, and the strategies and frameworks that worked for years no longer work. This can significantly affect self belief and confidence, leaving women questioning their abilities despite a long history of career success. The issue is not a loss of skill, but a changing neurobiological landscape, where ADHD and hormonal changes collide, requiring new and more sustainable ways of working.

Written by Caroline, this book reflects the shared wisdom of women who have contributed perspectives from across working life, and is written by women, for women. One of the reasons this book is so important is that it reminds us we are not failing, and that there is understanding and practical support available. It is a well written and validating book, offering thoughtful, affirming, and genuinely helpful information, grounded in women sharing their knowledge to support and strengthen other women in their working lives.

I genuinely recommend this book to any woman navigating her career.

05/02/2026

What was it that made you realise you might have ADHD?

For many of us, it wasn’t obvious when we were younger. It was only recognised in hyperactive boys and certainly not girls or adults, so we just grew up assuming our disorganisation, overthinking and emotional dysregulation were character flaws and something we simply needed to work harder at to overcome and fit in.

For me, it was actually a friend who mentioned that they thought I had ADHD. I dismissed it for several months at first, then the rabbit hole of hyperfocus opened up and I started recognising so much about myself in everything I was reading.

Sometimes it is your child’s assessment.
Sometimes it is something you hear on a podcast or read in a book.
Sometimes it is just that moment when you realise how much of what you are learning about resonates with you and your life.

I’d love to know, what was it that made you realise that you had ADHD?

04/02/2026

Women with ADHD are frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked, especially during perimenopause when hormonal changes can mask, mimic, or magnify ADHD symptoms.

Join me today at 12 noon for my monthly live webinar for ADHD UK where I’ll be exploring:

-Why more women are only now discovering they may have ADHD
-How to tell the difference between perimenopause and ADHD – and where they overlap
-The impact on our work, family, friendships, and relationships
-The role of hormones like oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and why ADHD symptoms often get worse during perimenopause
-Why supporting our hormones matters
-Strategies to help manage symptoms during what can be a challenging stage of life

This is a supportive, informative space for any woman navigating ADHD, perimenopause, or both.

I hope to see you there!

Wednesday 4th February 2026
12–1pm GMT
Where: Online
Tickets can be booked via the ADHD UK website.

Link to book tickets in comments

03/02/2026

Does your brain sometimes lie to you?

A few years ago, a friend told me about something called Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD, and it perfectly described something I have struggled with all my life.

Of course, no one likes rejection or criticism, yet this is on another level. RSD is now recognised as one of the hardest aspects of ADHD for many people. It is an overwhelming, all consuming feeling that you have been criticised, judged, or rejected, whether it actually happened or not.

It can show up in so many ways. People pleasing and saying yes when you want to say no, avoiding situations or people where rejection might happen, reacting too quickly when you feel criticised, pulling away from relationships to protect yourself, or making impulsive decisions in the heat of the moment that you later regret.

It is also that horrible spiral where you replay conversations, analyse every email or text, or assume you have upset someone because they have not replied. You start looking for evidence that you have done something wrong, and before you know it everything snowballs and feels catastrophic. It feels visceral and painful, like your world is falling down around you.

You start telling yourself stories that simply are not true. You convince yourself that people are annoyed with you, that they do not like you, or that you have failed in some way. The brain fills in the gaps, and none of the explanations are kind ones.

Hormones can make this even worse. During the luteal phase of your cycle or during perimenopause, when oestrogen is fluctuating and dopamine regulation is inconsistent, the intensity can increase dramatically. Things you might normally manage suddenly feel completely overwhelming, and this emotional pain can feel unbearable.

The hardest part is that most of the time, the only person we are really hurting is ourselves. That mix of emotional pain and ADHD impulsivity can lead to decisions we would never usually make, walking away from jobs, damaging relationships, or shutting doors simply because in that moment everything feels too much.

RSD is not something we can just get over. It is intense, painful, and incredibly isolating. There are ways to manage it, and ways to talk back to those thoughts, but if I am honest, it is hard. Sometimes the most helpful first step is simply recognising what is happening and thinking, this is my RSD, this is not the full truth. That awareness allows you to pause, delay decisions, and put small supports in place to help you ride it out.

What I have learned, both personally and through my work as an ADHD coach, is that we can learn tools to navigate these moments differently. We can pause before reacting, question our thoughts, build self awareness, and practise self compassion, so we are not ruled by the fear of rejection.

Does this resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

02/02/2026

If you are in perimenopause and trying to tackle your ADHD, it is essential to look at your hormones first.

Our oestrogen is instrumental in how we produce and use dopamine.

And dopamine is central to attention, focus, motivation and emotional regulation, which are the very things we struggle with in ADHD.

So when oestrogen levels are fluctuating, dopamine is fluctuating too and this will always have a knock on effect.

When everything starts to feel inconsistent, from medication to the strategies you rely on, it is often because hormones and ADHD are intrinsically linked.

Getting your oestrogen levels as stable as possible, in a way that is right for you, gives your brain a much steadier foundation.

Then we can actually start working on your ADHD symptoms properly, the overwhelm, emotional dysregulation, motivation, boundaries, routines, and all those executive functioning skills that make everyday life feel more manageable.

And I'm here to help you with that.

30/01/2026

Do you know the different signs and symptoms of ADHD, perimenopause, and how they overlap?

Many women find themselves trying to explain a wide range of challenges without the clarity or language they need. When symptoms are clearly defined it can make these conversations easier and help you feel more understood and better supported.

Understanding how hormones influence ADHD can also help you make sense of your own experiences, especially when things feel unpredictable or difficult to pin down.

I have TWO FREE RESOURCES which you can download from my website that offer clear, accessible information.

Free downloads:
• ADHD, perimenopause and menopause, symptoms checklist and diagnosis guide
• ADHD, perimenopause and menopause, understanding your hormones

These guides can help you recognise patterns, organise symptoms in a clear way, and prepare for appointments so you can access the right support. They can also help you explain what you are experiencing in a more straightforward way to give you confidence and clarity.

Link to find them in comments:

29/01/2026

For many women and girls, ADHD was never even considered.

Instead, they were diagnosed with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or borderline personality disorder, sometimes collecting several diagnoses over the years. With each label came another treatment plan, another medication, and another round of hoping this one might finally be the thing that helped.

Many spent years in a cycle of trial and error, taking medications that did not really work, or that helped a little but never touched the real problem, because in reality something important was being missed.

What we now understand much better is that for many of these women, the missing piece was ADHD, not the stereotypical version we were taught to look for in young boys, but the masked, internalised presentation that is far more common in girls and women.

When ADHD is not recognised, its effects are easily mislabelled. Low mood can become depression. Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria can be mistaken for depression or anxiety. PMDD, with its severe cyclical mood changes, can be misdiagnosed as depression or even borderline personality disorder. Emotional dysregulation can be labelled as a personality disorder. Exhaustion and overload can be called anxiety. Fluctuating energy and emotional intensity can be called bipolar disorder.

Sometimes these diagnoses are part of the picture, but often they are not the root cause.

For many women, a later ADHD diagnosis is not about discovering something new, but about finally understanding what has been there all along, and why so many treatments never quite worked.

Better awareness means fewer women spending decades believing they are broken, or feeling that they are failing at life, when in reality how their brain is wired was simply never properly understood or supported.

28/01/2026

Did you know that ADHD is highly hereditary?

One of the parts of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life is what happens next.

You start to see it everywhere.

Not in a social media trend kind of way, but in a deeply personal, family history kind of way, you start to look at your parents and family members and suddenly so much begins to make sense.

The hyperfocus that could last for hours, the chronic disorganisation and time blindness, the big ideas that never quite became finished projects, the emotional intensity, the patterns that have always been there, but were never named or understood.

Which means for many of us, it has been within our families for generations, unnamed and misunderstood.

And when you finally recognise it in yourself, you often start to see it in the people who raised you too, sometimes with compassion and understanding, sometimes with grief or frustration, and often with both.

Nothing about this is about blame.

It is about understanding, and finally being able to see your own story, and your family’s story, more clearly.

Sarah West I Certified ADHD Coach

16/02/2026

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