Magician and speaker John Michael Hinton grew up full of energy. As a kid, he lived abroad and stood out for his high energy. His parents noticed early on that caffeine seemed to calm him down, a clue that something deeper might be going on.
John Michael — who performs a few magic tricks in the episode! — talks with host Laura Key about how things fell apart academically in his freshman year of high school, leading to a 1.7 GPA. An ADHD diagnosis helped him get the support he needed. The biggest turning point came thanks to a mentor who encouraged him to stop living in “Ready, FIRE, Aim” mode and start thinking “Ready, AIM, Fire.”
Now a husband and father of three (all with ADHD, too), John Michael explains how ADHD fuels his creativity, curiosity, and performance style.
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Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(01:01) Growing up undiagnosed while moving around internationally, and being diagnosed in the states as a teenager
(06:19) College, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and creativity
(09:01) Magic trick break #1
(11:15) ADHD and performing magic on stage
(13:15) Being remembered as the “weird kid” and using mentors to mature
(16:12) “Ready, aim, fire” instead of “Ready, fire, aim”
(17:50) Magic trick break #2
(19:15) Incorporating ADHD into his magic acts
(21:13) Home life with an entire ADHD family
(22:42) A message to all the other “spazzes” out there
(25:19) Outro and credits
For a transcript and more resources, visit the “ADHD Aha!” show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at
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Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
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