Jun 9
This week Tracy welcomes Adrienne Smith to Episode #133 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Adrienne is a beekeeper who was accepted into the Oregon State Master Beekeeper program. She will take her final journeyperson exam at the end of this month and has been studying honeybee beekeeping since 2014. She lives in Central Oregon with her husband on a small farm with her bees, chickens, donkeys, a cat and some koi fish.
Adrienne shares the circumstances surrounding her own ADHD diagnosis, her struggle with Auditory Processing Disorder, how she got into beekeeping after years of “hobby hopping”, why ADHD women are often drawn to careers that go against the status quo, the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field, why beekeeping is so appealing to the ADHD brain, her knowledge on native bees and which species need the most protection, and why hyperfocus is her ultimate ADHD strength.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"Beekeeping became my sanctuary, where ADHD tendencies turned into focused care for my buzzing companions."
- Adrienne Smith
"In the hive's hum, I find solace, a refuge from both ADHD's chaos and societal judgment."
- Adrienne Smith
"Amidst the buzz of criticism, my husband's unwavering support is the honey that sweetens my pursuit of beekeeping and understanding native bee species."
- Adrienne Smith
- Adrienne recalls having sensory issues as a child, which may be related to her ADHD diagnosis, and her earliest memory is of feeling uncomfortable with the steam in her sock.
- Adrienne discusses her struggles with ADHD and auditory processing disorder, which affect her ability to hear and understand speech in noisy environments.
- Adrienne shares her experience accidentally spending two hours in a beehive without getting angry, despite the bees' usual reaction to longer periods of time.
[22:01 - 28:36] Bees, Their Species, and Their Importance
- Adrienne shares her experiences as a woman entering the male-dominated beekeeping community, where she has faced both acceptance and uncomfortable situations.
- Adrienne explains the difference between honey bees and other bee species, highlighting their unique characteristics and the importance of saving native bees.
- Adrienne shares her gardening group's confusion over leaf cutter bees, clarifying they're not harmful to plants.
- Adrienne credits her husband's support for pursuing interests despite ADHD challenges.
- Adrienne discusses her creative pursuits and how her husband supports her, despite her ADHD.
- Adrienne hares her experience with ADHD and beekeeping on her YouTube channel, farmstead Smith.
