Overcoming Distractions

There are many ways that professional adults with ADHD can get the support they need to thrive in business and in life. In this episode of overcoming distractions, we go through some of the more popular methods for busy adults juggling life, family and business.

Back on the podcast is Jeff Copper from Dig Coaching.

Jeff and Dave discuss many ways adults can receive support through coaching and mentorship depending on their challenges and goals. They talk about some of the more effective ways of supporting busy adults with ADHD.

Jeff discusses some of the more effective methods that adults with ADHD can take advantage of and how utilizing those techniques can support various breakthroughs. That includes various types of ADHD coaching and mentorship provided by professionals.

Jeff Copper talks about a new methodology he is rolling out to help busy adults with ADHD obtain those desired outcomes and he walks us through how that works. He talks about how this might be different than more popular support systems for adults with ADHD and gives us a little bit of insight into how this helps people through their ADHD journey.

And as always, Jeff and Dave give a few quick tips for busy professionals with ADHD to implement in our daily lives and begin to work on ourselves.

You can find Jeff Copper and Dig Coaching here. www.digcoaching.com

If you are a professional adult with ADHD, have you ever considered the services of an occupational therapist?

In this episode, we discuss why adults with ADHD may want to consider occupational therapy.

Jamie Cutino is an Occupational Therapist / 2x TEDx Speaker and an ADHD Advocate and she joins Dave to discuss various aspects of benefiting from occupational therapy.

Jamie gives a general overview of occupational therapy and how occupational therapists generally work with clients.

She talks about how we can recognize the need for occupational services.

Jamie discusses that many times adults with ADHD working with occupational therapist to manage sensory needs including overstimulation.

She also gives us an overview of the vestibular system of our body and gives us an understanding of why ADHD can affect this.

She talks about everything from a foot hammock under your desk to understanding that an occupational therapist can also help you set up your working environment for success.

Here are some ways to find Jamie including her Ted Talks.

Website

Outsmartadhd.coOutsmart ADHD Podcast
https://outsmartadhd.transistor.fm/

TEDx Talk #1
ADHD: The Unsuspected Underdog | Jamie Cutino | TEDxCWRU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcx4Tdn7ZhM&t=378sTEDx Talk #2
Success Is Not Fitting Into Your Skinny Jeans | Jamie Cutino | TEDxManitouSprings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mLBglrbZ8k&t=319s

Most of us have heard of or purchased a weighted blanket but have you ever heard of a weighted pillow? Mikey Goldman is the founder of Quiet Mind and he’s the inventor of the first of its kind weighted pillow.

And he is a successful entrepreneur with ADHD.

Dave talks to Mikey about a number of things that relate to adults with ADHD and feeling calm.

First, Mikey talks about growing up with ADHD including the successes and challenges he encountered. And he talks about some of the challenges as he entered adulthood.

As an entrepreneur with ADHD, he first started out in other careers and he talks about how he navigated those careers with ADHD.

Mikey talks about the quiet mind weighted pillow, why he invented it and why he believes that it can be beneficial for anyone with ADHD.

He talks about the science behind the weighted pillow and the calming effect that not only the pillow has but in hugging.

And Mikey discusses the must haves that he needs to have in place as a busy adult with ADHD. The most important thing he discusses is the power of having routines in his life.

Check out this great discussion not only with an entrepreneur with ADHD but an inventor of a very beneficial product for anyone with ADHD.

Find the weighted pillow here: https://www.onequietmind.com/

If you haven’t figured it out yet, executive functions pretty much rule our life. From remembering to brush our teeth, working memory, planning our day, switching from one thing to the next, understanding time etc.

If those of us with ADHD do not understand and get a handle on improving our executive functions, it makes it challenging to get through work, home environment and everything in between.

This episode is dedicated to understanding Executive Functions 101.

Dave’s guest has been here before- Lara Honos-Webb….Clinical psychologist and author as well as Cofounder of Bonding Health which is an app that helps children with ADHD. She is the author of Brain Hacks: Life-changing Strategies to Improve Executive Functioning and her new book 6 Super Skills for Executive Functioning.

Dr, Lara gives listeners an overview of what our executive functions are. Attention and focus, planning and organization, emotional regulations, controlling impulses…

She talks about why those of us especially with ADHD rely so heavily on executive functions to get through the day.

Dave and Dr. Lara also discuss some examples many can relate to of how poor executive functions can hinder us as busy adults with ADHD.

And Dr. Lara gives everyone some advice on some of the most effective ways to improve our executive functions.

If you’re really challenged with executive functions and getting projects and tasks completed, she recommends finding ways to make it more interesting, implement fun and of course ask for help.

Find Dr. Lara Honos-Webb here. https://www.addisagift.com/

If you are an adult with ADHD looking for career advice, this is a great episode of Overcoming Distractions. Whether you need to change careers or jobs or just need some adjustments in your current workplace, Shell Mendelson will give you some advice.

Shell Mendelson is a career coach for adults with ADHD and the author of the new book Unlock Your Career Path: A Course for ADHD Adults and Teens.

Shell and Dave discuss her recent book and start out by talking about how ADHD can impact our careers including some examples listeners can relate to. One area some adults with ADHD can relate to is when placed on a performance improvement plan at work, which, as Shell puts it, can be a soul-crushing situation.

When forging a new career, Shell talks about how many childhood experiences, including things we like and hobbies, could be an indicator as to our career direction.

Shell also discusses why she’s often used the word preferred in her book. She says it is important to understand preferences and must-haves when analyzing your career. Those include:

• Working conditions
• Knowledge
• Geography
• Accommodations
• money

And Shell and Dave wrap up by talking about some of those must haves that adults with ADHD need to consider in their career path. They include clarity, learning more about yourself, owning your career path, building confidence and being ready.

Find Shell and her new book here: www.careercoachingwithshell.com

In this episode, we are talking about confidence for adults with ADHD or for that matter confidence building for anyone.

Back on the podcast is Alyssa Dver, founder of the American Confidence Institute. Alyssa is one of the leading authorities on the subject of confidence out there today.

Confidence is something that allows adults with ADHD to thrive. Many of us struggle with self-doubt which sometimes gets in the way of being our best selves, especially in our career or the workplace.

When we have confidence, then we can earn the trust of others in the workplace, leadership, clients, and others. And it’s just an awesome feeling when we can walk into work and be confident.

Alyssa starts out by defining confidence in the simplest terms we can all understand.

She talks about how lacking confidence can affect us in the workplace and our personal lives.

Alyssa discusses with Dave about people who have come up with a breakthrough in building confidence and some of the things they say in how it affected their lives.

Dave and Alyssa discussed the barriers to confidence not only in the workplace but in our home environments and some of the challenges we face daily that are disguised as a lack of confidence including some red flags.

And Alyssa gives a listeners a simple blueprint for starting your journey of building more confidence.

Learn more about the American Confidence Institute and Alyssa Dver here.

https://www.americanconfidenceinstitute.com/

In this episode we are talking about managing distractions with the help of willpower.

While many adults with ADHD may be put off by the concept of willpower, building that willpower muscle can be an effective strategy for thriving with adult ADHD.

Back on the podcast is Giovanni Dienstmann, a sought-after meditation teacher and author of the books Practical Meditation, Mindful Self-Discipline, and ..Wise Confidence.

Giovanni and Dave discuss the following on this episode of Overcoming Distractions.

• Giovanni provides a well thought out definition of willpower and how it affects our lives.
• He discusses why willpower must be a daily habit in how we build upon it much like building muscle.
• Dave and Giovanni discuss why distractions are another form of seeking energy.
• How decision fatigue and willpower are connected and how increasing willpower can reduce decision fatigue.

Giovanni goes through a simple framework for improving willpower in our ADHD lives. That includes working on our environment and working on ourselves. That includes both mental and physical environment. Working environment adjustments can include minimizing any electronic notifications such as your phone. Use website blockers if necessary and declutter your environment.

And Giovanni discusses a process for slowing down and building effective intentions to help build thou willpower.

You can find Giovanni’s books and his app here. https://www.mindfulselfdiscipline.com/

If you are an adult with ADHD, this conversation is built just for you. Whether you are a CEO, busy executive, business owner with ADHD or are juggling life and professional responsibilities, you’ll learn a lot about being an adult with ADHD in this conversation.

Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, is the Founder of the Chesapeake Center and the author of Still Distracted After All These Years: Help and Support for Older Adults with ADHD.

In this conversation, you’ll get a snapshot of what it’s like to be a busy adult with ADHD and get some great tips for thriving in both business and home life.

First, Dr. Nadeau discusses why she wrote this book.

While we see a lot out there in the world about children with ADHD, as you well know, ADHD impacts adults as well. Dr. Nadeau discusses how ADHD impacts almost every aspect of our lives, including sleep, work, distractions, overcommitting, and much more.

Dave and Dr. Nadeau discuss why one of the most impactful and basic ways you can thrive with adult ADHD is have the proper support and structure in place. Having a mindset of taking control while having the proper support can go a long way in reducing the chaos of ADHD.

Dr. Nadeau discusses the importance of having brain-healthy habits, including research into diets, and she talks about some of the basics of building an ADHD-friendly environment.

How do adults with ADHD develop a mindset of taking control?

Learn more about the Chesapeake Center and find Dr. Nadeau’s book here.

https://thechesapeakecenter.com/

This is Part 2 of Dave’s conversation with coach Diann Wingert about how adults with ADHD can understand the Four Tendencies, authored by Gretchen Rubin.

Diann makes it clear, as she did in part one of this discussion, that understanding the four tendencies, whether in ourselves or others, is all about expectations.

She also discusses with Dave the importance of understanding “it depends.” Every adult with ADHD has different wants and needs and their particular life and career circumstances. That’s why when understanding someone’s tendency, we also need to preface it by “it depends.”

Dave and Diann also discussed understanding your tendency and possibly the tendency of others you may be working with including direct supervision, that this can guide you to the right career or job.

And in the case of adults with ADHD who have gone on to work for themselves and explored entrepreneurship, many understand these tendencies and it has enabled them to choose who they work with including the type of clients they serve.

Diann tells listeners that if you want to understand how to work with different tendencies and personalities, you need to understand that it’s not about you in their behaviors. People may behave a certain way but it’s a result of their tendencies.

Check out Diann Wingert’s Four Tendencies guide here. https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/the-four-tendencies-guide