After living undiagnosed with ADHD for 39yrs, Martha explores the reasons girls and women are underdiagnosed and her lived experiences before and after her 2021 diagnosis. Martha Barnard-Rae writes clear, convincing words for exacting humans. As a copywriter and owner of Word Candy, she specialises in personality and values-driven SEO copywriting for outside-the-box brands. Martha’s words live on the websites, blogs, videos, and emails of businesses all over Australia. As a card-carrying Millennial, her career has evolved. But English teaching, corporate training, and copywriting are rooted in clear, engaging communication. Martha is a communicator through and through — and has always had a deep respect for the power of words. This Canadian transplant is a life-long sun chaser. A voracious reader. An extroverted-extrovert with a penchant for social justice chats. She’s wife to a darling husband, mum to two lovely boys — and a sore loser of board games. When Martha’s not crafting delicious words, you’ll find her walking two giant pooches, obsessing over her latest hobby, or wrapped around a cup of tea, planning her next Instagram reel. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
Hide player controls
Hide resume playing