Skip to content

The Unreliable Narrator: Self-Observation for ADHD

October 1, 2026 · 39 min

Show notes

You'd swear you sent that email. You can picture yourself writing it. And then you find it, unsent, still marked unread.

This week, Pete and Nikki borrow the literary idea of the unreliable narrator to explore why ADHD makes us shaky witnesses to our own lives. They look at how working memory, time blindness, and mood bend the story we tell ourselves, and at research showing how far self-assessment can drift from the record. Then they turn to practical ways to get a clearer picture: asking the people around you what they see (RSD and all), capturing moments while they're fresh, and letting the data you already generate tell you what you actually accomplished. Along the way, Nikki shares how coaching helps clients notice their own patterns, and why a log should help you see instead of grading you.

Links & Notes

  • (00:00) - Welcome to Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast
  • (01:43) - Patreon!
  • (03:14) - The Unreliable Narrator
  • (11:21) - Moods
  • (21:33) - "Just Notice"
  • (27:11) - Feedback and RSD
  • (36:23) - Feedback and Grading
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

All episodes of Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.