The Rethinking ADHD Podcast

Former England rugby international James Haskell joins renowned broadcaster Simon Mundie on new podcast Rethinking ADHD to share his personal journey living with ADHD and the impactful role it played in his success, on and off the pitch. He played 77 times for his country and has since forged a successful career as a podcaster, DJ, author and reality TV star.

Haskell features on the second episode of Rethinking ADHD released on Wednesday 8^th November. He shares how he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, while still at school, and the impact that had on him and his rugby career. He was prescribed medication, but eventually had to stop taking it ahead of playing a match for England when he was a teenager:

"I was probably quite private about it at the time. They didn't announce anything, and then everyone thought that I've been taking steroids, and that's why I've been pulled out of the game." .... "Two weeks later, I then played against Wales in my first game and captained the side."

Speaking about his senior international career, Haskell said some England coaches understood him better than others:

"I think with some of the England coaches, because they weren't au fait with mental health or they weren't open minded or weren't prepared, they saw it as me having a deficiency, as an issue... instead of going ?okay, this is the only player in the squad has asked us to help."

Since retiring from rugby, and developing his career as a podcaster, DJ, and author, Haskell says his interest in the sport has waned significantly.

"It was a vehicle for success for me. Now I look back at it, because I don't give a sh*t about it now, being brutally honest with you. I don't really watch it because, again, the selfish mentality is, I could spend an hour watching a DJ set of a DJ I want to learn from or I could watch rugby, I've squeezed all the juice out of rugby. Rugby is just a hobby, I'd rather watch an action movie than watch rugby."

Relating this all back to ADHD, he urged people to "be very wary of Google diagnosis, go find somebody that is reputable. Go and see them get a proper diagnosis and get a plan in place, and understand that this is just the start..."

Notes to editors: If using quotes you must reference Rethinking ADHD Podcast by Qbtech, now on Apple podcasts, Spotify and ACAST.

If you would like to listen to this episode with James Haskell ahead of release on Wednesday 8^th November, please email [email protected].

The Rethinking ADHD podcast

It is clear that ADHD is being talked about much more than ever before. We are hearing about increasing numbers of celebrities and high-profile people being diagnosed ? often well into adulthood. But, despite the increase in awareness of ADHD, there are still significant misconceptions about what it is, as well as the impact it can have on people's lives ? and what you can do about it.

This series aims to explore what ADHD is and how it presents itself, challenge some myths and misconceptions about it and outline ways to manage the condition and thrive with it. We are speaking to athletes, entrepreneurs, authors, doctors and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist to hear about their experiences and find out how they learned to flourish while living with ADHD.

Notes to Editors: If using quotes you must reference Rethinking ADHD Podcast by Qbtech, now on Apple podcasts, Spotify and ACAST.

About Qbtech

Founded in 2002, Qbtech is a Swedish company that delivers FDA approve objective ADHD testing and has operations in 13 countries and has offices in Stockholm, Houston, and London. Qbtech is an award-winning company recognized for its innovation, most recently winning the 2022 HSJ Partnership Award for the ?Best Mental Health Partnership with the NHS'.