Overcoming Distractions

Managing adult ADHD can be challenging for the best of us. Managing burnout can be a tremendous effort for many as well. When we have both, that presents circumstances that should cause us to take action to improve our well-being.

This week we talk about adult ADHD, burnout and many other challenges those of us face in our lives. Catherine Avery of Catherine Avery ADHD Coaching is the guest this week.

Catherine discusses how she managed adult ADHD, two experiences of burnout, and recovery from cancer.

She also discusses why she experienced burnout more than once and why she needed to make changes in her life after this second burnout.

One key takeaway in this podcast from her experience with burnout is telling people to ask for help.

Because Catherine is also a productivity and ADHD coach, she offers tips for improving productivity during stressful times.

It’s OK to be unproductive sometimes.

Find a hobby or sport that you like.

Meditation can help with productivity.

Pause, plan and prioritize.

Save time by taking 10 minutes to plan your day.

If you have wondered how accountability groups and partners can help you thrive with adult ADHD, you’ll want to listen to this podcast episode.

Accountability is a powerful tool for managing adult ADHD if implemented correctly.

Eric Tivers of ADHD reWired is back on the podcast to discuss the concept of accountability and how it can dramatically improve our lives as adults with ADHD.

In this podcast about adult ADHD and accountability, we discuss:

Eric describes and gives His definition of what he feels accountability is. Because many of us think of this word as a negative, Eric dispels the myths of accountability.

Eric also discusses how the ADHD brain responds to certain forms of accountability and how it can be a powerful tool in many areas of our lives.

He also talks about what does not work when it comes to accountability.

Eric gives tips for people who are ready to bring accountability into their lives including how to start. He discusses options such as accountability groups, individual coaching, and accountability buddies.

And, Eric gives tips to ensure the effectiveness of accountability.

If you are open to cooperative accountability with no power differential, accountability can be a great tool for managing your ADHD.

Learn more about ADHD reWired including accountability groups and Eric popular podcast here.

https://www.adhdrewired.com/

In this podcast, we are talking about one of Dave’s favorite topics, and that is ADHD and entrepreneurship. If you are an adult with ADHD and you’ve thought about starting your own business or you have just become an entrepreneur, you’ll take away several items to think about in your journey as somebody who is self-employed.

Back on the podcast is Skye Rapson the founder of the Unconventional Organisation based in New Zealand which offers various types of ADHD support. Skye herself as an entrepreneur, discusses how she entered the world of entrepreneurship and what it took to get her organization off the ground.

Skye also talks about some of the challenges she faced as an entrepreneur with ADHD and what she did to mitigate some of those challenges to be able to grow her business.

Skye and Dave discuss some of the areas that entrepreneurs with ADHD should focus on to become successful. Those include:

Understanding your ADHD including your strengths and weaknesses. Also, understanding that you are an entrepreneur with ADHD.

Skye says it’s important to understand how the day works for you as well as the best times of day to get certain types of work accomplished.

Dave and Skye also discuss finding the best system for to-do lists and other productivity strategies.

Skye says it is also important to get the right support, whether that is administrative support, or a coach that understands ADHD and entrepreneurship.

https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/post/is-adhd-good-for-entrepreneurship

Communicating your needs in the workplace when you have ADHD can be challenging. Especially if you are hesitant to disclose your ADHD. However, to thrive in a career and a specific workplace may require you to express your needs to help you do a better job and enjoy your work.

Back on the podcast is therapist turn coach Diann Wingert. Diann will discuss with Dave the reasons we hesitate to communicate our needs as well as the reasons why we must. And she will give listeners specific ways to communicate more comfortably in the workplace with ADHD.

If you don’t feel like you’re getting your needs met at work, feel like you are getting walked on, or feel burned out, you’ll need to listen to this advice.

Maybe you need a change of pace at work or would like certain accommodations to be more effective at work, Diann has some great tips for moving forward.

You may also be an entrepreneur and need to have difficult conversations with clients.

Diann and Dave go over the following topics in this podcast:

• Why confidence and clarity are mission critical.
• The difference between wants and needs.
• Why you must advocate for yourself.
• How to communicate what you do want instead of what you do not want.
• How to reframe conversations in the positive.
• How to test your needs with smaller asks.
• And much more…

Find Diann here, including her awesome podcast!

WEBSITE: https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/

PODCAST: https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/podcast

Is it time for you to get back on track? This may be the best time of the year to do that.

The fall season is a great opportunity to hit the reset button on both personal and professional goals. And by doing so, it’s the perfect time of year to rebuild structure in your life and recommit to routines that help you meet certain goals.

You do not need to be an adult with ADHD to get some tremendous value out of this discussion with Sarah Reiff-Hekking of True Focus Coaching.

Sarah and Dave discuss the many reasons why this may be a great time to get back on track. Everything from the seasonal flow of business, kids back to school, and the end of vacation season for many makes this a good time to develop new routines and “get stuff done.” The right stuff…!

Key points in this podcast discussion include:

• The ability to create more structure
• More uninterrupted time because school has started.
• Putting personal goals above career goals
• What time horizons are and why they matter.
• Committing once again to regular self-care

Sarah gives listeners a road map to get back on track. Those tips include:

• First take a 10,000-foot view of everything you have committed to.
• If you must, use visuals such as a wall chart.
• Incorporate what Sarah calls a flexible template for work each week.
• Establish when you are working and when you are not working.
• Set up an environment that is conducive to productivity.
• And she shares so much more in this podcast.

Do you want to book a strategy session with Sarah? Check out the link below to connect with her.

https://www.truefocuscoaching.com/apply/

How do we prioritize when we have adult ADHD? How do we plan both our personal and professional lives and how do we create organization and build time management systems? All these are related when it comes to adult ADHD and that is the discussion for this podcast.

ADHD at its most basic level is a challenge with executive functions. And many with ADHD have difficulty with planning and executing important tasks. We will discuss the basics of how many aspects of our lives affect “getting stuff done!”

Back on the podcast is ADHD coach Jeff Copper with DIG Coaching.

Jeff uses a phrase called task Darwinism to explain how executive functions play a role in all parts of our lives and he begins the podcast by explaining what he means.

Dave and Jeff talk about how many people with ADHD make planning and organization too complicated. They also discuss why clarity is one of the most important things a person with ADHD needs to have in all aspects of life. For example being clear on directions from clients or your boss at work.

Not having clarity is a recipe for procrastination and unnecessary stress.

Jeff also discusses the difference between the word ‘should’ and ‘will’ and how these affect planning and organizing tasks.

Jeff also gives tips towards the end of the podcast about how to stay away from panic mode when it’s challenging to get stuff done.

You can connect with Jeff Copper below.

www.digcoaching.com

www.attentiontalkradio.com

We can incorporate mindfulness into our busy ADHD lives in several ways. Mindfulness doesn’t always mean meditation. It means that you can give something your full attention without being distracted. And it should help reduce your stress.

Can art help people with ADHD relax and increase their creativity?

This week we have Faigie Kobre on the podcast, founder of Creativity Reunited. She spends much of her time helping people create art through alcohol inks which she explains in the podcast.

She has some great tips in this podcast if you are an adult with ADHD and looking for something different to help reduce your stress.

Faigie talks about being diagnosed with adult ADHD later on in life and how seeking a diagnosis came about.

She talks about being a high end professional photographer and how after an ADHD diagnosis, she made the career change to educate people about art.

She discusses how alcohol inks can help people relax and feel at ease, even those with ADHD and how this fits into the mixed media art community.

Faigie discusses how everyone can get started with art, even if you feel you’re not good at being creative through art. She says alcohol inks are a great way to express your creativity initially.

Find out more at: https://creativityreignited.com/

While there are many ways to manage and thrive with adult ADHD, one of the areas to focus on is choosing the right foods. By eliminating certain types of foods, we can begin to feel better and even develop more focus.

On this episode of Overcoming Distractions Dave sits down with Dana Kay, Founder of the ADHD Thrive Institute and the author of the book, THRIVING WITH ADHD –A Guide to Naturally Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Your Child. While dana’s book is geared more towards children with ADHD, the same advice for which foods to choose also helps adults with ADHD.

Dana feels that choosing the right foods and discussing nutrition for people with ADHD do not get enough attention. It is a powerful way to manage your ADHD, and she feels more and more people should be aware of the benefits of choosing the right foods.

Dana also says that the worst foods for people with ADHD to consume are those that contain gluten, dairy, and soy. She says that if you had to choose one to start with, it would be removing gluten from your diet because it has many benefits.
Dave and Dana also talk about how there is a connection between the brain and the gut. I think there is no better evidence of this than when you get butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous.

Dana discusses how to get on the right track, including starting with whole foods, that consist of fruit vegetables grass-fed proteins, and healthy fats. She also advises you to drink spring water.

There is a whole lot more nutritional advice when it comes to ADHD in this podcast, and Dana gives her tips for getting started.

Find Dana Kay at her website as well as her book.

ADHD Thrive Institute

Burnout can happen to everyone including those with ADHD. In fact adults with ADHD can burnout much faster when faced with an unhealthy work environment. Burnout also occurs when those of us with ADHD are not in the right job.

ADHD career coach Shell Mendelson is on the podcast this week talking about what causes employees with ADHD to lose interest and even burn out.

And Shell talks about the warning signs of being in the wrong job, how to correct that and how to lay the groundwork for finding a new career or job.

Some important points to the discussion include:

Why performance improvement programs at a job can backfire on people with ADHD.

Why confidence is important when trying to navigate your career.

What contributes to burnout in the workplace including poor communication, lack of flexibility, and insufficient physical space or open spaces such as cubicles. And, of course, the amount of house someone works.

Shell discusses how to start the process for finding a new job or career. She walks everyone through an exercise for identifying what they like and what might cause them to experience any level of burnout in the workplace.

She also has suggestions for a successful job interview to ensure you ask good questions before accepting any position.

Find out more about Shell here:

www.passiontocareer.com

www.shellmendelson.com

The topic of this podcast is about the feelings many with ADHD feel about having a different brain. Many with ADHD go as far as to feel that their brain is broken. That’s what many say to themselves.

Tamara Rosier, PhD, is the founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan and the author of the book, Your Brain’s Not Broken. The book has received much praise from many in the ADHD community.

Tamara wants people to understand that ADHD is just a part of you and does not define you.

Dave asks Tamara why many people with ADHD feel their brain is broken. They ask questions such as “Why am I like this? Or why do have this brain?” “Why can’t I be normal?” These are common messages we feed ourselves as individuals with ADHD. It’s not uncommon and the frustration that comes with having ADHD can feed this.

By the same token, Dave asks Tamara why many with ADHD have a default negative type of thinking? For example, “I have ADHD so I can’t do that.” she discusses what those of us can do to begin to change our negative way of thinking.

Tamara also spends an entire chapter in her new book on setting boundaries. It’s an important part of managing your life whether you have ADHD or not. But even more important if you’re an adult with ADHD. She explains why.

In chapter 12 of her book, Tamara explains practical ways to manage and thrive with ADHD. She discusses these briefly and tells people why it’s important to be practical. Building a solid foundation for managing your ADHD is one of the most important things you can do.

You can find Tamara’s new book here:

https://www.tamararosier.com/