ADHD Case Files
ADHD Case Files is a podcast hosted by Chris Steindorf, also known as The ADHD Detective. Each episode investigates the hidden factors behind ADHD, brain fog, fatigue, and other symptoms that may be undermining your potential. The show explores the idea that ADHD might not be the full story, encouraging listeners to look deeper into their symptoms. Chris brings a detective-style approach to uncovering underlying causes and practical insights.
Episodes
You Can’t Pivot Until You Stop Spinning: ADHD, Resilience & Rewriting Your Story
The experience behind the 15-Minute Pity Party Pivot. Helen shares how her son’s devastating accident, nearly six months in a burn center, and 42 surgeries inspired a practice for acknowledging pain and finding a way forward.Allow the feelings, then redirect your attention. Their timer gave frustration a place to be expressed. Afterward, they identified something to be grateful for and focused on
The Labels That Follow Us: How to Build Forward Instead of Living Backward.
1- A struggle should not automatically become an identityOne of the clearest themes is the difference between recognizing where someone is struggling and defining the person by that struggle.Coach T talks about her son’s stuttering and her daughter’s difficulties in school. Her approach was essentially: investigate what’s happening, provide support, but don’t teach the child that the difficulty de
Structure, Not Shame: Helping ADHD Kids Learn
In this episode of ADHD Case Files, Chris Steindorf sits down with educator, entrepreneur, and learning mentor Richelle Caubang to talk about what ADHD can actually look like in a learning environment—and why the behavior adults see may only be the first clue.Richelle shares lessons from working directly with students who struggle with attention, starting assignments, completing work, remembering
What If It’s Not All ADHD?
Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeGet the Free ADHD Detective’s GuideWant to see the testing and nutritional approach Chris used as part of his own investigation?The free ADHD Detective’s Guide goes deeper into the process and helps you begin asking a different question:What have I been calling “just my ADHD” that might be worth investigating?Download the Free ADHD Detective's GuideBook an I
They Weren’t Bad Kids—Their Brains Worked Differently | Michelle Hoke
A mother watched her child get treated like a behavior problem, fought to understand what was actually happening, and eventually discovered that some of the very traits causing him problems were connected to remarkable abilities.When ADHD behavior is mistaken for bad behavior: Michelle describes her son’s experience beginning in kindergarten, including being disciplined and treated differently bec
The Four-Quadrant System: What Deserves Your Attention?
The hidden problem of too many possibilities — how an ADHD brain can see potential everywhere, and why every opportunity doesn’t deserve your attention.The Four-Quadrant System — filtering decisions through four questions: How do I feel about it? What do I think about it? Does it match what I believe? Does it move me toward my ultimate goal?Excitement versus evidence — why something feeling exciti
The Beliefs Beneath ADHD: Breaking Shame, Overwhelm, and Old Identity Patterns — with DaLynn Moore
How childhood ADHD experiences can become lifelong beliefs — DaLynn shares how an early school experience contributed to the belief that she was “dumb,” and how she eventually traced that identity back to its origin and began changing it. Why structure creates freedom for the ADHD brain — From raising seven children to managing her own ADHD, DaLynn explains how schedules and predictability helped
When Survival Becomes Your Superpower: Tami Forster’s Case File
Recognizing ADHD patterns without a formal diagnosis — Tami reflects on childhood activity, being known for talking too much, a mind that rarely shuts off, insomnia, hyper-focus, keeping countless computer tabs open, and recognizing similar patterns throughout her family.When adversity forces the brain into survival mode — Tami shares the deeply personal story of navigating more than 100 family-co
The Brother We Still Carry: The Myron Smith Case File
In Memory of Frederick Myron SmithAugust 31, 2019 — Seven Years Later“There is a point past the pain, gentlemen.”Those were the words of one of my best friends, Frederick Myron Smith, while we trained together.At the time, it sounded like something Myron would say to push us through another set in the gym. But looking back, I realize Myron wasn’t just teaching us how to lift weights. He was teachi
What If ADHD Wasn't The Whole Story? ~ Chris Stewart
In this episode of ADHD Case Files, Chris Steindorf sits down with Chris Stewart for a candid conversation about ADHD, identity, self-understanding, and what happens when the labels we carry for years don't tell the whole story.Chris Stewart brings his own experiences and perspective into the conversation, offering an honest look at how ADHD can affect far more than attention or productivity.
Who I'm Dedicating This Podcast To
A son’s lifelong struggle to understand his father — The episode begins with the emotional absence you experienced and the childhood conclusion that followed: “I will not become my father.” How your ADHD diagnosis changed the evidence — Being diagnosed at 46 caused you to investigate not only yourself, but your father’s history, trauma, behavior, and what you believe was his undiagnosed ADHD. The
Meeting Myself for the First Time
Rewriting 46 years of a false identity — How being diagnosed with ADHD forced you to question the belief that you were dumb, lazy, incapable, or somehow less than everyone else.Investigating the voice inside your own head — Recognizing that years of mistakes, forgotten appointments, unfinished projects, and struggles had become “evidence” for a verdict that was never actually true. Learning who yo
The Moment My Case Was Finally Opened
The Mental Health Crisis That Changed Everything — The emotional collapse that ultimately led to a three-day inpatient stay and the decision to seek help. How Lifelong Coping Patterns Affected My Relationships — How low self-worth, freezing under emotional pressure, and difficulty communicating followed from childhood into marriage and adulthood. The Nurse Who Helped Me Start Asking Different Ques
I just got diagnosed with ADHD... now what?
How childhood labels become lifelong beliefs — and how one person’s words can become a “verdict” we spend decades trying to prove. Living with undiagnosed ADHD and feelings of inadequacy — struggling with learning, confidence, imposter syndrome, and constantly wondering, “What’s wrong with me?”Being diagnosed with ADHD at 46 — the relief of finally having language, context, and understanding for s
ADHD Case Files Trailer
Welcome to ADHD Case Files.Hosted by Chris Steindorf, The ADHD Detective, this podcast investigates the patterns, questions, research, experiences, and stories surrounding ADHD—especially for adults trying to better understand themselves.Through conversations with experts, real-life experiences, and a willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads, ADHD Case Files is about asking better ques
