Overcoming Distractions

Back on Overcoming Distractions is ADHD coach Jeff Copper. Dave and Jeff tackle the subject of ADHD and self-regulation. One of our core executive functions as humans is self-regulation. It is important to understand this in ourselves and how to be more self-aware about our emotions in various situations.

Jeff says that self-regulation is the ability to direct an act back on yourself to change your behavior to change the future. Jeff also states that it’s the ability to pause and ponder before you proceed. In other words, those of us with ADHD need to think before we act or react.

Jeff walks us through why the ADHD brain has challenges with self-regulation as well as some of the more difficult aspects of self-regulation including some of the more common ways we struggle with this.

Jeff discusses with Dave some of the ways we can do a better job with self-regulation and some of the systems he works with his coaching clients. That includes limiting temptations, learning how to downregulate, limiting choices, how to override certain situations and more importantly, how to become much more self-aware of our emotions.

Jeff also lists several examples of how dopamine plays into self-regulation including instant gratification and delays in gratification.  He talks about many strategies for self-regulation including exercise, pausing and more.

Jeff talks about his approach when he’s working with coaching clients as well.

Find ADHD Coach Jeff Copper here: www.digcoaching.com

This week we discuss how you can serve as the creator of your own life with the goal of living big. As our guest says, when we actively create each day, we live big!

Rochelle Seltzer is our guest. She is the author of Live Big, A Manifesto for a Creative Life. She’s also a coach that works with women, but her advice rings true for both men and women.

Rochelle wants you to live big and she is going to discuss how in this engaging conversation.

Rochelle talks about how she feels we are all creators and that we do have the ability to create our own path. She talks about the importance of building a proper mindset so we can create our own path and vision for a big life.

Dave and Rochelle also discuss how many of us miss opportunities that could be staring us right in the face. How does this happen and what can we do about it?

Rochelle then walks us through the process of setting up a vision so we can live big. That includes understanding what you want to be, how you want to do it and what is worth having in your life. She talks about the power of clarity and understanding your whole life, how to set intentions and even the power of creating a vision board.

She talks about how to reframe questions in your head so you can create the life you want and live big. She lays out the small steps we need to take to create the life we want.

Get in touch with Rochelle below.

www.LiveBigcall.com

https://www.rochelleseltzer.com/

This week we are talking about how to celebrate small wins when you have adult ADHD and how to learn from those little slices of success.

Daniel Warren is the guest. He is an entrepreneur and a law school graduate. Dan like many of us with ADHD had some challenges navigating the school system when he was younger. He talks about growing up and go into school with ADHD and includes the bad and the good experiences. He even talks about the stigma associated with ADHD growing up.

Dan talks about how he eventually attended law school and how he succeeded with intense demand on studying in good grades. He talks about adjustments he needed to make as well as holding himself accountable and taking responsibility in order to get through law school.

Dan talks about how to celebrate those small wins and how when you have ADHD the meaning of success can mean something different for everyone.

Dan talks about how to find those wins and to try new things in order to thrive with adult ADHD.

And then introduces us to his full metal intensive 90 day leadership seminar which he conducts.

And Dave and Dan discuss changing the term of ADHD from the word disorder to variance and why Dan thinks this way.
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In this episode we talk about getting your ADHD life back on a positive cycle and identify the lessons learned from the past year. While there has been a lot of negativity in our lives the past year, we know we can find some positives to help us through the coming years as well as lessons learned.

This week we have back Dr. Sarah Cheyette who has incredible knowledge in the world of ADHD. She has been on the podcast several times and offers tremendous insights into how we can thrive with ADHD.

This week we discuss how many with ADHD may have let certain things in our life and business get a little out of control due to the circumstances of the pandemic. They may be subtle things but are issues we need to work on to thrive in the coming year.

Sarah and Dave discuss how many of us may have lost our job, started a new job or career, had increased family obligations and how we have had to prioritize those to create a so-called normal life during these times.

Dr. Sarah digs deep into why many of us have let our negative thoughts take over and how this has happened. You do not have to have ADHD to have negativity slowly fill your life because of what we are living through. Everyone is experiencing some form of negative thinking.

Sarah talks about how we can look back at what we have learned in the past year and how much of this can benefit us in the future. That includes learning new skills, developing new routines, finding new ways to work as well as get things done around the house and even learning to be a home cook.

How can we improve focus with these new skills? Sarah offers her advice. She also offers her professional advice on how to set goals given our current circumstances.

Sarah walks us through how to get back on a positive cycle and slowly shed that negative thought process. She helps us be slightly better today than we were yesterday.

If you feel like negativity has been taking over your life this past year, this is a great discussion and worth your time.

Find Sarah Cheyette here: https://sarahcheyette.com/

Communicating in a remote workplace is much different then how you communicate with coworkers and others in person. We have all found this out since COVID-19 struck us. This podcast is going to go through how we can improve our communications when we have different brains, as well as communicating with other different brains.

Back on the podcast is Grant Crowell the author of Grantasms- Twisted Creative Words for Cool People.

Grant also serves as a trainer for various individuals and organizations and helps to train those with a neurodiverse background.

Grant and Dave discuss the fact that communication has changed and suffered in this new remote world we are living and working in. Grant talks about some of the biggest struggles with online communication and specifically for those with ADHD or other different brains.

Grant discusses the differences between face-to-face meetings and online meetings as well as the challenges that both have presented us this past year.

Grant talks about some of his strategies for better communication and he talks about how two different brains, example two people with ADHD can communicate more effectively with each other.

Grant offers his tips for better communication including coming to commonality with others, the power of listening, the power of follow ups, mimicking communication styles and making sure you do not assume anything especially when it comes to communicating online. He also discusses the power of a communication audit in an organization.

Find Grant’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/GRANTASMS-Creative-twisted-words-people-ebook/dp/B07ZY9JDPP

We are continuing to learn the lessons from the year 2020 in order to have a much more productive 2021. Many of us have lost track of time, had to adjust our routines because of COVID-19 and have found out what it really means to be productive.

In this episode, we are going to discuss what productivity really means to an individual and will focus in on how to identify the productivity strategies that work for you. We have back Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking of True Focus Coaching. She is a time management and productivity guru and has been on Overcoming Distractions before with her expert advice and tips.

We start by discussing some of the lessons that many of us may have learned about productivity as a result of the year 2020. And Sarah asks the question, what went well? A question we should all be asking ourselves. Focusing on the negative aspects and what we did not get done, does not help us at all. How did you move the ball forward this past year?

Sarah and Dave also discuss that there is not one bulletproof productivity technique. Everyone is different and you need to experiment with different strategies to find out how you can be most productive and manage your time officially. Experimenting is the answer to finding this out for yourself.

Sarah discusses other aspects of productivity such as having a good relationship with your calendar in your to-do list. She discusses the importance of building tools for productivity and finding simple tools to help you get more done with the time that you have.

And Dr. Sarah discusses what productivity is. When you get to do what is important to you, when you can be effective been getting things done, and how you could achieve your own goals with increased productivity.

She ends by asking you one important question. What is one meaningful thing you have done this week?

If you are struggling with productivity after this past year and you want to figure out how to take the lessons from what COVID-19 has forced us to do and turn those into positives for 2021, you need to listen to what Dr. Sarah has to say in this podcast.

You can find Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking at True Focus Coaching; www.TrueFocusCoaching.com

If you went through the year 2020 then you probably experienced a lot of ups and downs. All of us ADHD or not experienced a lot of emotions and the year was quite a rollercoaster. Because of that, many of us probably did not have as much fun as we wanted to in our lives.

Dr. Kirsten Milliken is back on the podcast to discuss ways to have more fun in 2021. And boy do we need fun after the year we’ve had. Kirsten is a big advocate of using fun and play to manage your ADHD and to help you thrive in life and in business.

Kirsten is also the co-founder of World of ADHD. The project profiles many successful individuals that just happened to have ADHD. Anyone with ADHD can submit their art, writing, music, and other creative projects to show the positive aspects of having ADHD. Kirsten gives us an update on this important project.

Of course, having a discussion about fun, would not be fun without some laughs and there are plenty of laughs between Kirsten and Dave in this discussion.

Kirsten discusses is why play and fun are so important to the ADHD brain. Having fun keeps us motivated in other areas and activates that all-important dopamine that we need to get through the day. She gives us examples of how we can stay motivated and how we can actually play better.

Kirsten wraps up with her tips for incorporating fun into our lives and staying connected even in a pandemic like we have been experiencing. That includes incorporating fun in smaller environments in ways we can still meet new people.

Have you found something new and fun this year? Maybe it was cooking, a new form of exercise or you found a new TV show to binge-watch. Whatever it is, make sure you have fun this year.

Find World of ADHD here: https://www.worldofadhd.com/

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Self-discipline is the foundation of achieving what we want in life and becoming the person we were meant to be. Without self-discipline, we will never know the life we could have achieved and the goals we could have accomplished. That is why this discussion is so important.

This is part two of our discussion on the power of self-discipline for those with ADHD and others. You do not have to have ADHD to walk away with a ton of value from this podcast.

Dave continues his discussion with Giovanni Dienstmann, A meditation and self-discipline teacher and coach.

While many with a distracted brain may be challenged when it comes to self-discipline, Giovanni addresses those individuals right at the beginning about any skepticism they may have. He does so by talking about his younger years when he did not feel so peaceful or disciplined. By looking at his own upbringing, Giovanni feels confident that his advice can help just about anybody become centered and disciplined in life.

Dave and Giovanni spend time on the concept of willpower. And Giovanni specifically addresses willpower for those who may have an impulsive nature. That would include those with ADHD.

Giovanni talks about how optimism goes hand in hand with willpower and he offers his tips for being more optimistic about the process.

He also breaks down the concept of awareness both internal and external awareness. Giovanni feels this is a big part of becoming more self-disciplined in life. He discusses meditation, journaling and integration as parts of the awareness journey.

Giovanni ends the discussion with small steps people can take to begin the journey of more self-discipline in their lives including the PAW Method, Pause, Awareness and Willpower.

If you are looking for a methodical and well thought out approach to getting more out of life and finding the discipline you need to achieve your goals, this is a great discussion.

Find Giovanni at his website and learn more about the programs he offers.

https://liveanddare.com/

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We’re not going to sugarcoat anything in this podcast episode. Many with and without ADHD tend to get in their own way when it comes to progress in life and creating the life and business that you want for yourself. So the topic of this podcast is how to get out of your own way.

The guest is Nancy Colier. Nancy is a psychotherapist, a past guest on Overcoming Distractions, and the author of a book by this same title. How to Get Out of Your Own Way.

Many never really live the life or achieve the goals they want because of limiting beliefs, negative mindset, and telling ourselves do we are not worth the goals that we’re trying to achieve or a successful life. We tell ourselves some things and after time we believe it whether it is negative or positive.

And that by definition is being in our own way. And Nancy is going to walk us through how to tear down that internal brick wall in front of us.

Nancy and Dave discuss what it actually means to be in your own way as well as how this actually happens in our personal lives and in our business. They discussed the many things that limited beliefs and an improper mindset can prevent us from doing in our lives.

Nancy talks about how negative internal thoughts, chasing perfection and self-doubt can limit our ability to live the life we want and to actually enjoy that life.

The two talk about how you need to be present in the moment and how to get into the “now,” they discuss how elite athletes get into the zone and how successful people block out what does not work for them.

This is part one of a 2-part series on this topic so stay tuned for Nancy’s next appearance here.

Learn more about Nancy Colier on her website and find more books written by her; http://nancycolier.com/

This is part two of our discussion about radical self-acceptance with ADHD coach Diann Wingert.

Diann and Dave continue their discussion about why it is so important to get comfortable with yourself and accept your strengths and weaknesses. Doing so is a very powerful way to thrive in life and in business.

Diann talks about the negative biases of the brain and how that affects accepting who we are. She also talks about knowing what your triggers are so that you can minimize limiting beliefs and mindsets.

She also talks about how to embrace ourselves, moving towards a positive attitude, and how our emotions can control our behaviors.

Diann gives her road map to getting on that path of radical self-acceptance.

She talks about how to begin the process of creating a positive mindset. Diann also talks about the fact that there are people in our lives that are going to like us and not and that is all right. She said it is OK to stand out and be different and to share our gifts with others.

Diann also talks about how important it is to do things we are good at in our personal lives and in our careers.

She discusses how we must laugh at ourselves to begin to accept ourselves, we need to release resentment and self-pity and we need to forgive ourselves often.

Find Diann Wingert and her podcast on her website: https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/

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