Episode 9

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Published on:

9th Oct 2025

This is Your Brain on Long Covid - ADHD, TBI, Anger, and Self-Compassion with Lissy Donovan

Hey, friends! Welcome to season 3, episode 9 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid podcast. This is a conversation I needed to have, and I'm so glad Lissy Donovan (my friend and a coach for people with busy brains) was here for it. I dive into my recent discovery of a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) I’d been pretending wasn't a thing for years, as well as our later-in-life ADHD diagnoses. Lissy was diagnosed in her mid-30s, and I got diagnosed post-COVID. If you've been listening for a while, you know I don't know how to be angry. We talk about how I'm learning to process and even healthily express anger which is a truly revolutionary and scary idea for me. We also get into activism, self-care, and self-compassion. Lissy shares how she navigates Long COVID and ADHD.

Topics we gab about include:

  • ADHD diagnoses and hormonal changes
  • Anger expression and conflict's role in making relationships stronger
  • Music, dance, and well-being
  • Body image, societal pressures, white supremacy, and the broader systems of oppression
  • Engaging in activism while managing chronic illness, disability, and trauma
  • Reflections on personal growth
  • Social media habits
  • Lissy's experience with Long Covid and running her own business

Join us as we explore the intersection of ADHD, trauma, and chronic illness. 

You can find Lissy at https://lissydonovan.com/ as well as Instagram and TikTok. Her YouTube channel is full of longer-form gems that are soooo helpful.

If you'd like to support me in my one disabled woman podcasting endeavors, I have an Amazon gift list that is completely unhinged. I also have an Amazon storefront you can use to purchase goods. I also sell long covid tshirts and other products on my Bonfire shop.

Over the last 1.5 years, I've built a playlist of my guests long covid theme songs. You can find it here.

Please like, subscribe, and share A Friend for the Long Haul! Reviews go a long way to help, too. Thank you!

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Show artwork for A Friend for the Long Haul: A Long Covid Podcast

About the Podcast

A Friend for the Long Haul: A Long Covid Podcast
A podcast for people who got Covid-19 and were left with Long COVID.
Are you struggling with Long COVID-19, ME/CFS, chronic illness, or disability? "A Friend for the Long Haul" is a Long COVID podcast that aims to be a supportive companion. This podcast offers insights, humor, and shared stories within a community that understands. Each episode features a Long COVID patient or ally to help you feel less isolated, because you are not alone.