“Just be consistent.” Okay—but with what capacity?

In Part 2 of our conversation about capacity, I’m explaining my IKEA box theory: how email, your schedule, and everyday responsibilities can each hold more than you have available to deal with that day.

Because “check your email” sounds like a five-minute task. It doesn’t account for the client message you’re still thinking about while you’re doing somebody else’s hair.

I’m Jen Kenny—a former hairstylist, salon suite owner, beauty-business coach, and late-diagnosed AuDHD woman. In this episode, we’re talking about:

• My IKEA boxes analogy and how it connects to spoon theory.
• Why agreeing to a favor when you feel great can look very different by Saturday.
• The invisible effort of anticipating a difficult message, handling it, and getting back to your day.
• How my email-filtering system changed what that particular task asks of me.
• ADHD, perimenopause, and the research that’s beginning to catch up with women’s experiences.
• Making realistic commitments without calling yourself lazy, flaky, or a bad friend.

You don’t need to reorganize your entire life this afternoon. Start with one box you keep avoiding—and ask what’s making it so hard to open.

This continues the capacity conversation from Part 1 , Episode 1 the the of the Independent Stylist Podcast.

RESEARCH & RESOURCES

The Spoon Theory — Christine Miserandino
The original essay explaining her experience of living with lupus through the metaphor of a limited daily supply of spoons.
https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

Perimenopausal symptoms in women with and without ADHD: A population-based cohort study (2025)
The Icelandic study discussed in this episode. It found an association between self-reported ADHD diagnosis and greater perimenopausal symptom burden; it does not establish that ADHD causes those symptoms.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12538516/

ADHD and Sex Hormones in Females: A Systematic Review (2025)
This review searched research through January 2025 and highlights gaps in the evidence, including research on menopause. Its findings describe what was available within that search—not everything published since.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12145478/

“Hormones rule me”: A qualitative exploration of the impact of perimenopause on women with ADHD (2026)
Interviews with 19 women exploring their experiences of ADHD and perimenopause. A small interview study can offer insight into lived experiences, but cannot tell us how common those experiences are.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13379672/

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