The Belonging Paradox: Finding Your Place Without Losing Yourself with Dr. Otito Iwuchukwu
Release Date: 07/21/2025
Hacking Your ADHD
Welcome to Hacking your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. Today I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our Research Recap series. In this series, we take a look at a single research paper, dive into what the paper says, how it was conducted, and try to find any key practical takeaways—stuff that you can actually use. In this episode, we're going to be discussing a paper called Do Executive Dysfunction, Delay Aversion and Time Perception Deficits Predict ADHD Symptoms and...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Hey Team! This week I’m chatting with Beverly Atkins, founder of Pauseture, an audio-based mindful movement platform grounded in the Feldenkrais Method. It’s actually kind of funny, despite Feldenkrais not being particularly well known, this isn’t the first time I’ve discussed it on a podcast, although the last time was on my old ultimate frisbee podcast nearly a decade ago. Anyway, in our conversation today, we discuss how Beverly spent decades unknowingly managing her ADHD by overachieving at work and ignoring her body. But we all know this story and how we all eventually hit a...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Hey Team! This week, I’m talking with Rita Ramakrishnan, a seasoned strategic executive and leadership coach with over 15 years of experience. Diagnosed with both ADHD and Autism Spectrum during her undergrad years, Rita reframed what could have been limitations into strengths and now looks to uplift other neurodivergent women in leadership roles. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree in neurodivergent leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, intensifying her expertise in coaching and organizational strategy tailored to neurodivergent individuals. In our conversation, we cover...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD Brain. Today I'm joined by Sky Waterson for our research recap series. In this series, we take a look at a single research paper and dive into what the paper says, how it was conducted, and try and find any practical takeaways. In this episode, we're going to be discussing a paper called Effects of Physical Exercise on Anxiety, depression and Emotion Regulation in Children with ADHD, a systematic Review and meta...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Today I’m talking with Danielle Elliot, a health and science journalist, documentarian, and host of Climbing the Walls, an investigative podcast from digging into the surge in ADHD diagnoses among women—especially since the pandemic. If that sounds familiar, it’s cause I did a number of ads for her show a few months back, and I just wanted to make sure that I mention that, since while I’m not getting paid for this episode, I have done work with Understood before and probably will be promoting more of their stuff in the future. Anyway, in our conversation today, we cover a lot of...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Hey team! My guest this week is Dr. Ute Liersch, a Chartered Counselling and Coaching Psychologist with over a decade of clinical experience and author of A Minimalist’s Guide to Becoming Resilient. Dr. Ute specializes in helping adults navigate anxiety, ADHD, and burnout. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, drawing from modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness-based therapies. Beyond her clinical practice, Dr. Ute is an associate lecturer at Birkbeck, University...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host William Curb and I have ADHD. On this podcast I dig into the tools, tactics and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. And today I’m joined by Skye Waterson for our Research Recap series. In these episodes, we take a look at a single research paper and dive into what the paper says, how it was conducted, and try and find any practical takeaways. Today we’re going to be discussing a paper called Time after time: Failure to identify and support females with ADHD – a Swedish population register study As...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Hey Team! My guest today is Dr. Jennifer Dall, a grief-informed neurodivergence specialist, ADHD coach, and educator with more than 25 years of experience. She’s the founder of ADHD Holistically, and blends her expertise in education, yoga, and grief work to build a focus on the whole person to create personalized, sustainable approaches for neurodivergent brains. In our conversation today, we dig into how societal expectations and outdated research have kept so many women from being recognized as having ADHD. We explore the ways ADHD symptoms often present differently in women, the impact...
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
This week, we’ve got the return of my friend Saman Kesh, an award-winning music video director and all-around creative force of nature, to talk about the wild and untamed internal landscape of ADHD productivity. Saman is known for his work with bands such as Kygo, Basement Jaxx, and Placebo. And most recently, his work directing Ed Sheeran’s Azizam music video - if you haven’t seen it, check it out, it’s real cool. We get into the weeds of what makes a tool “sticky,” how to lower both the hurdle and the stakes when you’re stuck, and the role of friction in derailing our systems....
info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host William Curb and I have ADHD. On this podcast I dig into the tools, tactics and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. In this episode we’re going to be continuing our Research Recap series with Skye Waterson. In this series, we take a look at a single research paper and dive into what the paper says, how it was conducted, and try and find any practical takeaways. In this episode, we’re going to be discussing a paper called Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) improves hot and cold executive...
info_outlineHey team!
Our guest today is Dr. Otito Iwuchukwu, who is here to talk about the emotional and psychological aspects of belonging and how it impacts our day-to-day lives. Dr. Iwuchukwu has a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from the College of Psychology and Counseling, a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, with a specialization in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, from Temple University, and is currently an Associate Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her scholarly contributions appear in a range of peer-reviewed and indexed publications and have been presented at numerous research meetings and symposia across the world.
Additionally, Dr. Iwuchukwu has recently written The Belonging Paradox, a book that presents a new way to understand belonging as an adaptive journey rather than a static destination.
In this episode, we talk about why belonging is a dynamic, ongoing process, not a fixed state, and how we can create more inclusive environments for ourselves and others. We’ll also discuss how masking impacts our sense of belonging, the role boundaries play in maintaining our authenticity, and the importance of giving ourselves and others grace. If you’ve ever struggled with finding your place, especially in social settings or work environments, you’ll find practical tools in this conversation for navigating those tough moments.
The Belonging Paradox - https://www.otitoiwuchukwu.com/new-book/
Dr. Otito Iwuchukwu on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/otitoiwuchukwu/
If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/232
https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube
https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon
This Episode's Top Tips
1. Belonging isn’t a fixed state, but an ongoing process that changes with both your internal state and the external environment. Recognizing this can help you manage expectations and frustrations when your sense of belonging fluctuates.
2. Recognize that you don’t have to belong to every group, and not all groups are meant for a deep, personal connection. Don’t force yourself to belong in every situation; if a group or environment doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to step back.
3. You don’t have to be liked by everyone. Instead, it’s important for us to focus on finding spaces where we can truly belong. It’s about finding authentic connections, not chasing superficial acceptance.