Overcoming Distractions

Happiness is a big topic, right?

But so many of us have to navigate the ups and downs of ADHD. Demanding careers, habits we wish we could adjust, understanding our own ADHD and for some having to go through burnout.

One thing is clear: there is no template for overcoming burnout. Everyone’s experience with burnout or major stress requires different strategies.

Our goal? we just want to be happy. And we want fulfillment in our lives so we can thrive as an adult with ADHD.

Today’s guest is Cat Duvall.

Cat Duval is the founder of Nine Lives Yoga and Morning Ritual Club, where she’s guided over 25,000 clients across 11 countries. Through her 4 Pillars of Happiness framework—Peace, Purpose, Power, and Play—Cat helps people transform burnout into balanced, joyful living. Her own journey with burnout inspired her mission to create accessible, ADHD-friendly routines that prioritize well-being and personal growth.

Cat discusses her four pillars of happiness with Dave. They include.

Peace

Power

Purpose

Play

Cat also gives actionable advice for adults with ADHD that are struggling to navigate the ups and downs of burnout.

Find Cat’s resources here.

https://yes.catduval.co.uk/ to download free Future You meditation

https://www.catduval.co.uk/burnout/ to read action steps to overcome the 12 stages of burnout.

If you are currently surrounded by Post-Its or sticky notes, you’re going to want to hang out through this whole episode because this one is for you.

We are talking about some of the best practices for planning, especially in the workplace and how to select a planner that works with you and for you.

There are many working parts to productivity and one of them is planning.

Some of us are good at planning but do not execute.

Some of us execute without planning.

If we slow down and plan out several aspects of our career and home life, it will make our lives much easier.

As is common in the ADHD world, what works for you may not work for others, such as the type of planner you use.

Grace Koelma is the author of ADHD Focus Friend, the future ADHD digital planner, and the host of the podcast Your ADHD Besties.

Grace and Dave start with one of the biggest challenges for adults with ADHD and that is our struggle with planning. That is planning simple tasks or planning more long term projects.

***Other questions that Grace and Dave discuss during the podcast:

When it comes to effective planners, journals and even task management systems, is there some resistance to structure?

Does the interesting thing… take control over the important thing?

Why do we abandon planners and journals? Are we impatient, get frustrated easily? Do many just not work with our brain?

How do we get ourselves to slow down to plan appropriately?

Learn more about Grace’s planners, podcast and more at her website. https://futureadhd.com/

On this episode of Overcoming Distractions, we discuss burnout and its effects on the body.

When people are truly burned out, in most cases that causes trauma within the body. And that trauma can come in all types of forms. When burnout is not addressed, it can take a person years to recover.

Burnout is also becoming far more complex. For example, not all burnout is rooted in the workplace. You may have caregiving responsibilities which are adding to your chronic stress.

So let’s get into what burnout does to you as a human.

The guest on this episode is Clinical Psychologist Dr. Claire Plumbly …author of….THE TRAUMA OF BURNOUT: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You.

First, Dr. Plumbly talks with Dave to clarify the differences between stress and burnout. The term burnout seems to be thrown around a little too loosely lately. Burnout is chronic stress unaddressed.

Chronic stress leads to burnout. Dr. Plumbly discusses what chronic stress does to our bodies and nervous systems.

Dr. Plumbly also discusses with Dave the various modes of burnout including the red mode and the green mode. Why most of us shut down when we are burned out and how to soothe the nervous system into green mode as she explains.

She also explains the polyvagal theory of the nervous system. Understanding this can help us recover from burnout more effectively.

Learn more about Dr. Clair Plumbly here as well as finding her book: https://www.drclaireplumbly.com/

If you are an adult with ADHD, and you are either feeling burned out or have decided that your career is no longer serving you, this is the podcast episode for you. Grab a notebook and a pen because we have one of the most well-known experts in the field of ADHD careers today.

Shell Mendelson is the Author of Unlock Your Career Path. This book is specifically crafted for neurodivergent adults and even teens who need to explore new careers or make a change. Shell also hosts programs to guide those with ADHD to their next career or job.

Shell and Dave discuss some of the major factors that finally cause adults with ADHD to decide they need a new job or even a completely new career.

They also discuss that when a job or career becomes not a good fit, it’s not always our fault and we need to understand this. There are many external factors that make a career unmanageable for adults with ADHD.

Some adults may also let a career decision go far too long, for example when someone is feeling burned out and they put off making a tough decision.

Shell talks about strategies to make our existing job and/or career manageable while we do the necessary work to identify and secure a new role. Some of us may not be able to leave our job in the short term and we’ll need to make our current situation work.

Shell runs one of the only ADHD specific career workshops and she walks us through what people will take away from joining her workshop.

Find Shell and her book at her websites:

www.careercoachingwithshell.com

www.unlockyourcareerpath.com

We are talking about mindsets in this episode of Overcoming Distractions. Some mindsets that are useful and some are serving you well anymore.

One mindset that might ring a bell to you is that “I work better on deadline.” And we know most of us have ADHD in this community can say this…. However that’s a mindset that may not be totally true for most of us.

Dave sits down with Dr. Charryse Johnson, LCMHC, NCC a veteran psychotherapist and mindfulness practitioner whose work focuses on the intersection of trauma, somatic integration, spirituality, and social justice. She is the founder of Jade Integrative Counseling and Wellness, an integrative therapy practice where personal values, the search for meaning, and the power of choice are the central focus.

Her new book is called- Expired Mindsets: Releasing Patterns That No Longer Serve You Well

Dr. Johnson explains that an expired mindset is something that may have been useful to you at one time but presently does not serve you. Maybe we continue to tell ourselves something that just doesn’t help us move forward any longer.

She also discusses with Dave how a proper mindset allows us to thrive and be fulfilled in life and in our work. And how throughout our life we may be telling ourselves certain things that may not be true to us.

Dr. Johnson also explains the concept of shift versus change when it comes to moving away from expired mindsets.

Dave and Dr. Johnson discuss why self-awareness is so crucial for adults with ADHD and why this is important for us to understand ourselves and how we can thrive using proper mindsets.

Dr. Johnson talks about her role as a psychotherapist and what’s involved when she’s trying to key in on somebody’s mindsets and how that helps them move forward.

She also discusses why it is important to release certain patterns and how to begin that process. And Dave and Dr. Johnson wrapped up by discussing how we can make progress fun moving forward from expired mindsets and negative self-talk.

Learn more about Dr. Charryse Johnson on her website here. https://drcharryse.com/

There is never a one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating an environment where those of us with ADHD can thrive. Our environments range from workplace, home and a place to have a little peace and quiet for many of us.

For many, having an optimal environment, or even a place where we can reflect is mission critical for those of us with ADHD.

In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, we will discuss how art can be part of your journey to thriving with adult ADHD.

Dave speaks with Eleanor Trier, the founder of Eleanor Trier Studios, where she mostly works with art but many other types of creative endeavors, all to help those of us who are neurodivergent.

Eli gives us an overview of her art studio and the types of projects she works on, but she also discusses when she discovered that art was her passion and how she knew it.

She discusses why for many of us with ADHD, creating the right environment to create focus is something many of us strive for and need and that can include surrounding yourself with art.

Eli says that art can help us be mindful and tame that chaotic brain and she talks about how this can happen and why art is a major driver of feeling calm.

Is there a science of how art can boost focus and create calm? Eli answers this as well.

If you want some inspiration, please check out her website below!

https://www.elinortrierstudio.com/

Whether you have ADHD or not, you’ll want to take some time and listen to this conversation about finding your voice.

Today, Dave speaks with Dr. Eileen Forrestal, author of “The Courage to Shine: Find Your Voice and Discover the Healing Power of Your Words.”

As a former anesthesiologist, she transitioned from a career of ‘putting people to sleep’ to one of ‘waking people up’ through her words and actions.

The book is not specifically about ADHD, but it has a theme that many of us need to consider.

Many of us struggle to find our voice in many situations, and there are many of us out there struggling to find fulfillment and navigate some tough situations. That’s where her theme of the healing power of words can help us all.

Dr. Forrestal starts her book with a rather life-changing incident that sets the tone for much of her life, and she discusses the impact this had.

She discusses with Dave what finding one’s voice really means to us and what she wants readers to take away from her book.

Dr. Forrestal speaks with Dave about some necessary components of self-discovery in different aspects of our life such as career and personal goals.

They also talk about that inner dialogue that many adults with ADHD have, especially if you have been diagnosed with ADHD later in life and how to manage those internal conversations.

Many people with ADHD can focus on negative thoughts and we can talk down to ourselves, Dr. Forrestal discusses how we can turn these negative thoughts around and be kinder to ourselves.

Learn more on her website and find her book there as well https://eileenforrestal.com/

Here at Overcoming Distractions we like to say we work on the mechanics of being a busy professional with ADHD.

However there is an understanding that there are other treatments and considerations as an adult with ADHD.

Today in this episode we are talking about neurofeedback and how that helps adults with ADHD thrive.

Sean Brock is the owner of Neuro Colorado, a practice that helps a wide range of individuals focusing on mental health challenges. That includes ADHD.

Sean tells us a little bit about Neuro Colorado and how he supports those with ADHD of all ages including adults.

He discusses what neurofeedback is including the benefits and what he hopes to achieve through neurofeedback treatments.

Neuro Colorado also works with veterans with ADHD and sometimes PTSD and he discusses his work in this area.

Sean also discusses what treatment looks like that may coincide with neurofeedback.

If you’re interested in neuro feedback, Sean gives us some tips on how to identify the right practitioner for you.

Coaching and mentorship are very valuable for busy adults with ADHD but there are also other avenues that many people with ADHD should consider to get a deeper understanding.

Learn more about Neuro Colorado on their website.

https://www.neurocolorado.com/

You know we love a good entrepreneurship and ADHD story here at Overcoming Distractions. We can learn a lot from successful people who have built businesses that also have ADHD.

Joe Carlucci owns Valentina’s Pizzeria in Alabama, which is ranked as one of the top pizzerias in the United States.

Not only that, he’s a nine time world pizza champion and a two time Guinness World Record holder among other accomplishments.

And Joe is an adult with ADHD who has built a thriving business.

Joe starts out by discussing his business, how he runs it and how he’s grown to be one of the most successful pizzerias in the country.

He gives us his number one strategy for managing and thriving as an adult with ADHD. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear this.

He discusses the ups and downs of having ADHD as an entrepreneur and he also talks about the concept of ADHD and superpower. Does Joe feel that ADHD is his superpower?

He also discusses some of the challenges as a busy adult with ADHD that other busy professionals can relate to.

He discusses how he manages and mitigates certain challenges.

And Joe gives you what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur with ADHD.

If you’re in Alabama, go visit Joe! https://valentinaspizzeria.com/

Today, Dave sits down with Nikki Kinzer and Pete Wright, the co-authors of the new book Unapologetically ADHD.

Nikki Kinzer is an ADHD coach, podcaster, writer, teacher, and business owner, and she has dedicated her life’s work to supporting adults with ADHD.

Pete Wright is a podcaster and co-founder of the TruStory FM Podcast Network. He has spent the last several decades on a personal journey, learning about his relationship with adult ADHD.

They co-host Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast.

Dave discusses with Nikki and Pete why they named the book Unapologetically ADHD and, more importantly, why they incorporated a step-by-step flexible framework as its core.

They discuss some of the key parts of the book. Those include.

• ADHD and all-or-nothing mode.
• Practical tips that everyone with ADHD can apply to gain more control.
• Why controlling what you can as an adult with ADHD is mission critical.
• The perception of time and how that affects planning in other areas of our life.
• Why busy adults with ADHD can burn out faster than others.

You can find Unapologetically ADHD here: https://takecontroladhd.com/adhdbook