Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson

Hyperfocus is a show that zeroes in on what fascinates us about ADHD, mental health, and learning. Big questions like, “Does ADHD make you more likely to have postpartum depression?” Little nitpicks (TikTok was wrong about something?!), and personal conversations with everyone from old bosses and hilarious comedians, to leading researchers.Because on this show, hyperfocus isn’t the distraction — it’s the assignment.

Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson is a health podcast hosted by Rae Jacobson, Understood.org, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Rae Jacobson, Understood.org hosts Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson, a health show with 57 episodes published.

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  Episode #56

  Introducing “Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education”

  Sep 30, 202631 min

  We’re dropping into your feed a week early to announce a new investigative podcast from Understood.org . It’s called Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education . This is episode 1. If you like it, follow Zero Reject wherever you get your podcasts. Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self.  Then her entire office was eliminated. Reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journey from an unfair fourth-grade classroom to the front lines of a sweeping overhaul at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — and what it means for the 25,000 families still waiting for a response to their complaints. With fewer people to enforce the law, what happens to the students the system was built to protect? For more on this topic Listen: Zero Reject Read: What is HHS, and what does it have to do with special education?   Read: What is the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and what’s its role in special education?   For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org . You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org . Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #55

  PJ Vogt’s decades-long quest to understand his own brain

  Sep 23, 202626 min

  Podcaster PJ Vogt has talked about his ADHD for years. Casually. Almost cheerfully. Then things changed. He decided to go off his ADHD medication, and he found the neuropsych report from when he was 13. It didn’t say what he thought. On this episode of Hyperfocus , PJ, who’s spent his entire career making some of the most popular podcasts around – like Reply All and Search Engine — talks about his journey to understand his own brain. And how when he reread that old assessment, he found something messier than the story he’d been telling himself.  Host Rae Jacobson follows him through that reckoning and the big question: What happens when the label that shaped your identity turns out to be blurrier than you imagined? They talk through the trade-offs he’s still sorting out now that he’s stopped taking medication, and the advice he’d give younger people with a brain like his. For more on this topic Search Engine: Why’d I take speed for twenty years? - Part 1 Search Engine:  Why’d I take speed for twenty years? (Part 2) Watch: The brain is the last frontier of privacy. And you’re the target | Hyperfocus For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org . You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org .   As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes , a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here . Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #54

  I’ve never felt like a good woman: ADHD and femininity

  Sep 9, 202628 min

  How does ADHD collide with femininity and gender expression? This has been a big question on Rae’s mind. So recently, she sat down with her friend and colleague Cate Osborn for a chat on her podcast, Sorry I Missed This . We’re sharing that episode with you today. Cate and Rae dig into what it felt like to watch other girls “get it.” The tidiness. The calm. The effortlessness. All things that executive dysfunction made feel out of reach.  They talk about the pressure to be nurturing, organized, and endlessly available — and what happens when your brain doesn’t cooperate with any of it. And they look at the research on outcomes for women and girls with ADHD. For more on this topic Watch: The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study Watch: Head, heart, hormones: Why women’s ADHD care should treat the whole person For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org . You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org .   As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes , a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here . Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #51

  “Hope is not a plan:” How to manage ADHD at work (classic)

  Jul 29, 202624 min

  ADHD can create all kinds of challenges in the workplace. Like a list of infinite things to do and to remember. A busy, ever-changing schedule. And co-workers who don’t always know what’s going on in your mind. There’s a lot to figure out. But recently, Rae Jacobson found herself wondering what it's like on the other side — to manage someone who’s neurodivergent and still figuring it out. So, Rae called her former boss, Caroline Miller, the editorial director of the Child Mind Institute. On this episode of Hyperfocus , Rae and Caroline go over this question and Caroline shares some advice on ADHD at work — for employees and managers alike. To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the Hyperfocus podcast page at Understood.org We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at hyperfocus@understood.org . Note: This episode originally aired on November 7, 2024. Related resources “Masking my ADHD at work was exhausting, so I stopped” Workplace supports: A guide for employees 3 big myths (and truths) about workplace accommodations How to ask for a workplace accommodation Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #50

  What the rise of fidget toys means for neurodivergence

  Jul 15, 202618 min

  Fidget toys, like NeeDohs, are sold out and banned in classrooms. Journalist Anna North joins us to unpack how fidget toys went from gag gifts to a generational obsession, and what that shift reveals about neurodivergence, attention, and play. Plus, fidget toys are not just for kids. We look at how they are destigmatizing fidgeting for neurodivergent adults. And we dig into the science behind fidgeting, the history of the fidget spinner, and whether this wave of acceptance for sensory needs will survive. For more on this topic: Read: Why your kid is obsessed with squishy toys Watch: Can I get rid of my adult sensory issues? For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org . You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org . Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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