Being a Dad, ADHD, and Finding Your Own Happiness with Archie Chimanayi | Ep. 8
In this episode, Hannah and Amy sit down with Archie Chiminayi, a neurodevelopmental specialist clinician based in the UK and founder of ADHD Care. Hannah met Archie at the CHADD ADHD conference in Baltimore in 2023, where he walked up to her with a microphone and interviewed her on the spot for his podcast. He brings nearly two decades of professional expertise alongside deeply personal lived experience as the father of an 11-year-old with autism and ADHD, and that combination, as he puts it, taught him things that no clinical training ever could. Knowing what to say to a struggling parent is one thing, but being that struggling parent is something else entirely.
The conversation weaves through some of the most honest territory the show has explored yet: what it means to ask for help when you've been raised to believe that strength means coping quietly, how cultural stigma around mental health and neurodiversity shows up even within families who love you, and how vulnerability on a public platform can break down walls that private conversations cannot reach. They also dig into what actually helps: exercise, music, quiet time, getting outside, recognizing overwhelm early, and having a small handful of trusted people you can speak to honestly.
Archie closes with his personal definition of happiness: peace of mind, emotional presence, contentment, connecting with the people he loves, having a purpose, and watching his children feel at ease in the world.
In this episode: neurodiversity and happiness, the power of lived experience, vulnerability as connection, cultural stigma around mental health, supporting a neurodivergent child, self-care for parents and caregivers, asking for help, ADHD diagnosis and what comes after, comparison culture online, and what happiness actually looks like when you stop chasing it.
Find Archie
ADHD Care is Archie's UK-based private practice offering diagnostic assessments and treatment for ADHD and autism, as well as resources for individuals and families. The website has a wide range of resources worth exploring.
The ADHD Care Podcast covers all things ADHD and neurodiversity, with a focus on raising awareness and sharing honest conversations from the field and from lived experience.
Follow Archie and ADHD Care on social media: @ADHDCareLtd on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Focus Forward Podcast: Hannah's previous podcast, hosted during her time at Beyond BookSmart. Archie was a guest on Focus Forward before joining I Think I Can Be Happier. Focus Forward: An Executive Function Podcast
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ADHD Foundation (UK) — A neurodiversity charity with a strengths-based approach to ADHD and related conditions.
ADDitude Magazine — One of the most trusted and comprehensive resources for individuals and families living with ADHD and learning differences.
CHADD — US-based education and advocacy organization for children and adults with ADHD, with a national directory of support groups.
The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene — A widely respected resource for parents of children with challenging behaviors, including ADHD. Takes a collaborative rather than punitive approach.
Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey — One of the most accessible and compassionate books ever written about ADHD, from two psychiatrists who have it themselves.
How to ADHD on YouTube — A practical and warm channel run by Jessica McCabe, widely loved by the ADHD community for making the science accessible and human.
Reach out to us! Email us at icanbehappier@gmail.com or visit icanbehappier.com. This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. Please reach out to a qualified licensed provider if you need help.
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