How visual aids can help busy adults with ADHD

Out of sight out of mind is probably one of the best descriptions of ADHD. We need important items and reminders in front of us and it needs to capture our attention.

So that’s what we’re going to talk about today: why visual cues for busy adults with ADHD can be a game changer. Many of us have challenges with short-term memory, and visual cues and aids can help us tremendously.

Dave talks with Sara Olsher, the founder of Mighty and Bright, an organization that creates very useful products to help people with visual structure.

Sara talks about founding Mighty and Bright, her personal story and why she decided to build this business.

Dave and Sara discuss visual cues and why they can be highly effective for those of us with different brains. Remember out of sight, out of mind.

They also discuss why from many busy adults with ADHD, important reminders as well as physical items sometimes need to be in our face.

Sara discusses what makes a great visual aid including those around the house.

And Dave and Sara talk about some of the important ways that visual aids can help busy adults with ADHD including task initiation, completing tasks and projects, aiding in our challenges with short term memory as well as reducing overwhelm.

Sara talks about the more popular charts that her business offers and why they are popular.

You can find out more about Sara’s story and her visual aids here: https://mightyandbright.com/

Moms with ADHD, this podcast is for you. And guys, you can listen too!

This episode is dedicated to all you moms out there with ADHD.

But guys, don’t hit the stop button because we know you’re going to learn something too from this discussion.

Today we have Anna Burns with Anna Burns Wellness and she works with ADHD moms.

Anna discusses with Dave what it’s like to be in ADHD mom, some of the specific challenges of mothers with ADHD and how ADHD moms out there can make life less stressful and a little more organized.

Anna starts out by describing a day in the life of an ADHD mom. You might relate to some of this!

Anna also talks to Dave about some of the more common challenges a mother with ADHD would face that many of you listening can relate to.

She talks about why it could be common from many women after having children to discover they have ADHD.

How do we organize as a mom with ADHD? Anna discusses the core parts and systems women should focus on.

She also discusses with Dave how to implement more emotional intelligence as a mom with ADHD. Because many people, men and women can have challenges with emotions in different situations.

Anna also walks us through how moms with ADHD can build routines with kids running around the house, extracurricular activities and other responsibilities.

What can be a game changer for women with ADHD? Anna talks about this as well.

Find Anna at: https://annaburnswellness.com/

The importance of belonging in the workplace with ADHD

One of the things that makes a career a better journey is when we have purpose, and we feel like we belong. Belonging is human and it’s something we all crave.

On this episode of Overcoming Distractions, we talk about belonging in the workplace and why it is so mission critical for all of us. Especially those with adult ADHD.

Aga Bajer is a culture strategist and works with organizations to help a cultures evolve for the better. She works with leaders and teams across the globe to help improve culture.

Aga is the founder of Culture Brained which is a community dedicated creating cultures that are synonymous with fun, meaning and belonging.

Aga starts telling us about Culture Brained and the organization’s important work.

Dave talks with Aga about some of the bigger factors involved in people not feeling like they belong in any type of working Environment.

Aga also discusses with Dave what happens to both the individual and the organization when the feeling of belonging is lost. That includes stress and in the long term feeling burned out for individuals.

Aga talks with Dave about how an individual knows that they do truly belong in an environment such as a workplace and what those key indicators that give them comfort.

They also discuss what should someone looking to make a job or career change look for and how to go about that if belonging is important.

How do we show up in a workplace that can make a difference? Aga answers this as well.

Learn more about Culture Brained and Aga’s important work here.

https://www.agabajer.com/

How to manage the fear of goal setting with adult ADHD

Many individuals with ADHD here the term goal setting and they want to run the other way. Does this sound like you?

Many times our perception of goal setting can introduce overwhelming thoughts. We think of massive goals such as running a marathon or losing 50 lbs.

But goals are not always big ideas. They can be small achievements we want to make.

Dave’s guest on this episode is Dr. Fiona Peters an expert in ADHD in the workplace, a researcher, speaker and authority on this topic of goal setting and Adult ADHD.

Dave and Fiona talk about why adults with ADHD typically have challenges with goal setting, including short-term and long-term goals.

Fiona discusses with Dave why many adults with ADHD can get stuck when it comes to setting goals and some of those obstacles that continue to get in our way.

Fiona also discusses some of the more particular issues regarding goal setting and ADHD including how our executive functions play a role, our habits and routines, perfectionism, perceived rejection and defeating obstacles.

As always, we have some actionable items at the end of this podcast for everyone to be thinking about if they have been struggling with setting long or short term goals.

If you’re looking to achieve certain things in business and in life and want to learn some smart ways to set goals with your ADHD brain, this is a great episode to listen to.

Find Dr. Fiona Peters here.

https://www.drfionapeters.co.uk/

Practicing self kindness as an adult with ADHD

Adults with ADHD need to practice more kindness to ourselves and be intentional about self compassion.

But how do we do it?

This podcast episode is dedicated to helping busy adults with ADHD fine ways to be more kind to ourselves and help us understand the science of self compassion.

Tara Cousineau PhD is the author of the book the Kindness Cure, a meditation teacher and perfectionism coach.

Tara first discusses why she wrote the book, the Kindness Cure, what prompted her and what she wanted to accomplish by having people read about kindness.

She discusses with Dave how self compassion can directly affect our executive functions and how stress can deactivate our compassion network.

She discusses the overall lessons of kindness that we need to implement in our lives and why it is so critical, especially for adults with ADHD.

Dave and Tara discussed the physical challenges that can result from a lack of self compassion and stress.

And Tara discusses kindness in practice with some questions we can all ask ourselves at any time of the day to put a more positive aspect on our lives.

You can find Tara Cousineau here at her website. https://www.taracousineau.com/book/

Exploring and understanding different support systems for adults with ADHD

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

 

How occupational therapy helps adults thrive with ADHD

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

How a weighted pillow can help calm adults with ADHD

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/

Adult ADHD and Executive Functions 101

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/