Mastering your Environment with ADHD: LIVE Interview with Stephanie Scheller
Apr 15, 2024
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Stephanie Scheller, founder of Grow Disrupt, dives into how to optimize environments for those with ADHD. She discusses the unique aspects of ADHD-friendly conferences and how sensory stimuli impact attendees. Stephanie shares insights on building supportive communities for ADHD individuals and innovative workspace strategies that minimize distractions. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of taking action despite imperfections, fostering growth through community connection and practical adjustments.
Understanding and acknowledging ADHD traits can lead to strategic modifications in work environments and event planning to enhance focus.
Creating ADHD-friendly conferences involves eliminating sensory distractions and incorporating structured social engagement to foster meaningful connections.
Deep dives
Understanding ADHD Through Personal Experience
The episode highlights a personal journey of discovering and understanding ADHD, as the guest reflects on her informal diagnosis at 27 when a colleague recognized her ADHD traits. This revelation initiated a deep exploration of how ADHD influences her business practices, particularly in event planning. The guest's insights illustrate that recognizing one’s unique needs can lead to significant changes in both personal and professional life. The process of understanding her ADHD led to implementing valuable strategies that optimize her work environment and interactions.
Creating ADHD-Friendly Conference Environments
The guest discusses the transformation of her business model to focus on creating ADHD-friendly conferences, which prioritize the specific needs of participants with ADHD. Key elements include eliminating unnecessary distractions, such as loud music and sales pitches, which can hinder focus and engagement. Instead, the events incorporate thoughtful strategies, like ensuring spacious seating arrangements and providing structured activities to promote connections among attendees. Her approach recognizes that accommodating sensory needs significantly enhances the overall experience for ADHD business owners.
Harnessing Environmental Sensitivities for Enhanced Focus
Research indicating that individuals with ADHD often experience heightened sensitivity to their environments is presented, suggesting that tailored settings can foster better focus. Participants show improved engagement when environments reduce stressors, such as overwhelming sounds or chaotic visuals. The guest implements these insights into her events by commissioning a custom scent and controlling lighting to help attendees feel comfortable and focused. This strategy not only engages participants more effectively but also taps into the brain's response to sensory stimuli for improved concentration.
Innovative Engagement Strategies for Conference Success
To transform the traditional conference model, the guest introduces unique engagement strategies that encourage social interaction among attendees. This includes pre-event games that help participants connect online before meeting in person, reducing anxiety around networking. During the event, engaging activities, such as collaborative problem-solving games, create a shared experience that fosters immediate social bonds. These methods are designed to cater specifically to ADHD attendees, acknowledging their challenges with conventional networking and social settings.
Welcome back to The ADHD Skills Lab! I'm Sarah, your producer, and I'm here to let you know what you can expect from this week's episode.
Skye and I were thrilled to sit down with Stephanie Scheller, the founder of Grow Disrupt. It was our mission to explore all of the strategies for modifying your environment, and this convo did not disappoint!
Highlights:
What is different about a conference made specifically for ADHD'ers?
How an unintended experiment was conducted on conference attendees...
Managing various types of sensory stimuli, at home and in the wild.
Thanks for being here. Until next time, ~ Sarah (Podcast Producer)
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