Episode 597: Dr. Sasha Hamdani: ADHD, Rejection & Being Too Sensitive: Why You Feel Everything So Deeply

You can be incredibly successful at work and still struggle with everyday tasks, criticism, or rejection. For people with ADHD, these challenges can be especially frustrating, and the emotional side of ADHD often gets overlooked in conversations about focus and productivity.

We dive deeper into this in Habits & Hustle with Dr. Sasha Hamdani. We talk about why so many women go undiagnosed until adulthood, why some high achievers with ADHD struggle in their personal lives, and why rejection or criticism can trigger such intense emotional reactions. We also get into whether we've become too sensitive as a society and how to build better emotional resilience.

Dr. Sasha is a board-certified psychiatrist, ADHD expert, and New York Times bestselling author of Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply. She also has ADHD herself, giving her both a clinical and personal understanding of these challenges. She explains how ADHD affects much more than attention, why emotional regulation matters, and how understanding your own patterns can help you better manage your emotions, relationships, and daily life.

What's Discussed:

(09:13) Why so many women with ADHD go undiagnosed until adulthood.

(10:43) Why ADHD affects much more than your ability to focus.

(15:00) Why some of the most successful entrepreneurs have ADHD.

(17:35) Why ADHD medication alone may not be enough to manage symptoms.

(27:07) Why people with ADHD may experience rejection and criticism more intensely.

(34:22) Why rejection can feel physically overwhelming for emotionally sensitive people.

(43:28) How someone can be incredibly successful at work but struggle with basic tasks at home.

(45:29) Why being brutally honest can sometimes be a sign of poor emotional regulation.

(46:21) Whether we've become too emotionally sensitive as a society.

(49:42) How emotional sensitivity can affect confidence, relationships, and professional success.

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Find more from Jen Cohen:

Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen

Books: jennifercohen.com/books

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Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Find more from Dr. Sasha Hamdani:

Website: drhamdanimd.com

Instagram: @thepsychdoctormd

TikTok: @thepsychdoctormd

YouTube: @thepsychdoctormd

Book: Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply