Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel Understanding ADHD with the Holderness Family
Nov 3, 2025
Join Penn and Kim Holderness, viral content creators and parents, as they explore the world of ADHD. They discuss how embracing ADHD has transformed their creativity, partnership, and parenting. Topics include reframing "fixation" as "hyperfocus" and the importance of understanding neurodiversity. They provide practical strategies for supporting ADHD brains at home and work. With a focus on emotional intensity and rejection sensitivity, the Holdernesses highlight how to turn challenges into strengths and foster belonging for neurodivergent children.
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Childhood Executive Functioning Gaps
- Penn describes childhood struggles with social interactions, emotional flooding, and fidgeting like chewing his shirt.
- His mother acted as his executive functioner, doing tasks like brushing his teeth and cleaning his room for him.
ADHD Is An Executive Function Issue
- Kim emphasizes ADHD is largely an executive-function problem and includes strong emotional overwhelm.
- She highlights that attention exists but focusing and daily task execution are the core challenges.
Funeral Moment Led To Diagnosis
- Penn recounts being humiliated at his grandmother's funeral for chewing a fly swatter, which prompted him to seek a diagnosis.
- The diagnosis felt like a turning point but initially followed a narrow medical model: test and medication without coaching or systems.
