This week, Mindful Choices Executive Director, Jakara Eason, and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Shanta Whitaker, joined Jessica Lewis on the Quick Wins for ADHD Moms podcast for a conversation about the importance of bringing lived experience into national ADHD conversations. Jessica serves on the Mindful Choices Steering Committee and brings valuable insights as both an individual living with ADHD and a parent navigating ADHD within her family.
This conversation reinforced something we hear often across the ADHD community: the realities of living with and caring for someone with ADHD are not always reflected in the national conversations, policies, and systems that shape ADHD care. Decisions are often made without fully considering the day-to-day experiences of the individuals and families most directly affected by them.
However, at Mindful Choices, we believe lived experience is essential to building better policy and improving care. Conversations like this one provide an important opportunity to elevate the perspectives of individuals and families who navigate ADHD every day and whose experiences are not always reflected in broader policy discussions. By bringing together real-world experiences, clinical expertise, and research, we hope to encourage more informed dialogue and ensure that decisions affecting individuals with ADHD are grounded in both evidence and the realities of everyday life.