135 | Overcoming Perfectionism This Week’s Guest: Drew “Scooter” Ackerman is the host of the podcast, Sleep With Me.  This podcast is designed to lull you to sleep with stories that are delivered in soothing tones.  Drew has never been formally diagnosed with ADHD.  He has shared that he has dyslexia and he struggles with sleep. In this conversation, we discuss some of the challenges Drew has with organization and perfectionism with his podcast.  We look at these challenges and in the ADHD reWired Hot Seat portion of the episode, I challenge Drew to make a commitment in his podcast editing.  Included in this episode is a follow-up phone call, which took place a few weeks after the original interview.  Drew talks about the different topics that he’s been contemplating since the original call, including perfectionism, to-do lists and fears and goals. Connect with Drew Ackerman! Follow Drew Ackerman on Twitter - Sleep With Me Podcast - You’ll Learn: [4:20] - Drew shares why he started Sleep With Me. [8:00] - Two of Drew’s listeners started a Facebook group for his podcast, where his community could gather. [11:07] - Drew talks about his career path, which has led him to currently working at a library.  This is interesting because Drew has dyslexia. [15:28] - Determining how much to share. [17:38] - Drew gives us a taste of Sleep With Me. [20:33] - Overcoming perfectionism [26:18] - Drew talks about his podcast schedule and workflow. [35:49] - Drew Ackerman sits in the ADHD reWired Hot Seat. [47:46] - “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” [53:20] - The shame of feeling like we’re never doing enough. [56:00] - Drew talks about his podcast editing. [1:02:37] - Drew ponders a podcast editing commitment.  [1:09:20] - Follow-up call with Drew Ackerman. [1:10:20] - Things from the original call that have been on Drew’s mind since the call. Use my Audible.com affiliate link to get an audio book for free (and a 30-day free trial)! The CHADD International Conference on ADHD This conference is being held November 10th-12th in Costa Mesa, California.  I will be speaking about time management strategies at this conference.  To register, visit ! October is ADHD Awareness Month! You can join me and more than 30 other ADHD experts at the 2016 ADHD Awareness Expo.  You can attend this free virtual event October 2nd-8th.  Claim your spot at . Every Tuesday in the month of October, you can join Nisha Subramanian and me for a live, interactive webinar. We will be answering your productivity and ADHD questions!  The webinars are held at 12:30-1:30pm (Central Time). These webinars are free and you can sign up at . ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Do you want to improve your productivity, develop better habits, and experience the true power of accountability from members of our own tribe?  Learn more at   Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress. Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

134 | Discovering You Are Enough This Week’s Guest: Jo Meleca-Voigt is an accomplished school teacher, wife, runner, social activist, and travel consultant.  Jo was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45.  I invited Jo to come on the podcast since she is just now starting her ADHD journey.  In this conversation, you will hear some of Jo’s thoughts as she starts her ADHD journey.  She shares how she is documenting everything.  Jo was named “Teacher of the Year” in a district with over 1,000 teachers and she shares some of her thoughts on teaching and learning strategies.  For years, Jo has been an advocate for same-sex marriage.  She shares her opinions on the similarities between being gay and having ADHD.  On days when Jo feels like she’s having more difficulty with ADHD, she is more self-conscience in one-on-one conversations.  These situations bring her a lot of stress and anxiety. In the hot-seat portion of this discussion, we dig deeper and come up with some strategies that Jo could implement to help herself in these situations. Connect with Jo Meleca-Voigt! Follow Jo Meleca-Voigt on Twitter - You’ll Learn: [3:55] - Jo talks about how she is documenting her ADHD journey.  [4:37] - She shares some insights she’s learned about herself since starting this journal. [6:16] - Jo believes the name “attention deficit” is misleading. [8:00] - Jo shares one of her first experiences after medication, which leads to some entertaining stories. [11:28] - Jo was named Teacher of the Year in a district of over 1,000 teachers. She talks about this recognition and what she did in her years of teaching to earn it. [16:33] - Jo explains the correct way to study.  [19:42] - Teaching students how to learn, not just what to learn. [21:42] - If government was run like a start-up.  [22:39] - Education is becoming more data-driven, but when the data is not specific enough, it can impact some students with ADHD. [29:55] - Coming out as being gay and coming out as having ADHD. [37:18] - Jo Meleca-Voigt sits in the hot-seat and we talk about issues regarding social conversations in a one-on-one setting and some solutions that Jo can implement. [1:03:10] - Self-acceptance has been the toughest part of this journey for Jo. [1:04:49] - Jo calls in to follow-up on our original discussion.  She talks about going through the “anger” stage. [1:09:03] - Jo talks about implementing one of the strategies we discussed when she was in the hot-seat. [1:11:36] - This is our third conversation, and Jo reflects back on our 2nd conversation and talks about getting to an area of acceptance. Use my Audible.com affiliate link to get an audio book for free (and a 30-day free trial)! Not sure where to start? I’d recommend Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: October is ADHD Awareness Month! You can join me and more than 30 other ADHD experts at the 2016 ADHD Awareness Expo.  You can attend this free virtual event October 2nd-8th.  Claim your spot at . Every Tuesday in the month of October, you can join Nisha Subramanian and me for a live, interactive webinar. We will be answering your productivity and ADHD questions!  The webinars are held at 12:30-1:30pm (Central Time). These webinars are free and you can sign up at . ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Do you want to improve your productivity, develop better habits, and experience the true power of accountability from members of our own tribe?  Learn more at Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

133 | Free to be ADHD This Week’s Guest: Brandy Wynn is a self-identified marketing maven in-the-making. Diagnosed at the age of 30, now at 40, she’s enjoying her freedom from the box. In this conversation, you’ll learn what “freedom from the box” means. Brandy has been an entrepreneur from an early age.  You will hear her describe her life and entrepreneur journey.  As a student in her 40s, Brandy describes why she is pursuing her MBA, despite the popular opinion that entrepreneurs don’t need to achieve this level of education.  She also shares her experience with advocating for herself in the world of education.  When Brandy sits in the hot-seat, we look at her strategies in her education.  In this discussion, I suggest that Brandy outsources will-power via . I also suggest she use . Brandy shares some insight into her personal views on ADHD, and in particular, her brand of ADHD.  In describing her “freedom from the box”, she talks about being comfortable in your own skin.  This leads to a discussion on “people first” language and how individuals might prefer to describe themselves and their diagnosis. Connect with Brandy Wynn Website - Twitter - Facebook – Instagram - You’ll Learn: [2:10] – “Freedom from the box” [3:04] – Brandy talks about her hesitancy to talk about her diagnosis. [4:48] – Brandy describes her brand of ADHD.  [6:55] – Brandy is close to receiving her degree and she talks about her life as a student. [9:00] – Self-advocating in the world of education. [13:33] – “I don’t have a problem; I have a disability.” [14:44] – Brandy talks about speaking at CHADD.    [15:50] – Brandy shares how she describes and identifies her ADHD diagnosis.  This leads to a discussion about “people first” language. [19:13] – Brandy explains why she is would be uncomfortable with giving a Ted Talk. [23:15] – Brandy claims to be “the worst ever” with relationships. [27:11] – Now is the best time to be able to be comfortable in your own skin. [29:36] – Brandy shares her entrepreneurship story. [36:45] – Brandy explains why she wants her MBA. [39:00] – Brandy talks about the role of religion in her life and her journey. [41:50] – Brandy talks about two books, and . [43:03] – Brandy Wynn sits in the hot-seat.  In this discussion, we look at her academic strategies and timeliness. Use my Audible.com affiliate link to get a free book (and a 30-day free trial)! Not sure where to start with Audible?  Check out Brene Brown’s, The Gifts of Imperfection. ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Do you want to improve your productivity, develop better habits, and experience the true power of accountability from members of our own tribe?  Learn more at ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at: Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress. Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

132 | It's Never Too Late This Week’s Guest: Liz Applegate is a life-coach, entrepreneur, and podcaster.  She introduces herself as a “second chance enthusiast positive change facilitator.”  Her work includes helping over-40 individuals turn the “maybe somedays” into “today”.  Liz was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, after her son pointed out that she had a lot of the symptoms.  In this discussion, we start off by looking back on Liz’s ADHD journey.  She talks about what her life was and how ADHD impacted areas of her life, specifically in her first marriage.  It was actually ADHD reWired that helped Liz realize that she needed structure and medication to get her ADHD in check and live the life she wanted.  She shares some of her strategies, including . Liz balances her personal work, including her podcast, Midlife Schmidlife, but she also does virtual support work.  Balancing these two spheres and going from task to task is a challenge for Liz.  In the ADHD reWired hot seat portion of our discussion, we go through and identify some of the trouble spots and then look at solutions.  A few of the tools I mention are , , and . Connect with Liz Applegate! Podcast - You’ll Learn: [3:40] - Liz talks about turning 50 and the negativity of midlife. [6:05] - Liz’s son realizes that she may have adult ADHD.  [7:00] - Liz’s ADHD journey and how her diagnosis helped her make sense of her life. [10:22] - Self medication and the driving factors behind it. [12:37] - After a period without medication, ADHD reWired helped Liz realize she needed structure and medication to keep her ADHD in check. [15:00] - Becoming the person Liz wants to be. [18:13] - Liz shares the strategies she’s adopted to bring structure into her work-life. [23:32] - Liz talks about the types of people that are attracted to her business. [26:40] - When Liz feels like the situation is beyond her capabilities, she refers clients to appropriate mental health professionals. [29:36] - Coaching and virtual support are two different realms in which Liz helps people. [31:40] - Deciding if it’s worth it to learn something new. [35:49] - “Even if you’ve never been diagnosed with ADHD, all of us have something.” [39:31] -  Liz Applegate sits down in the ADHD reWired hot seat!  [40:15] - Being on social media for work, but not getting sucked in and balancing work between personal and coaching/virtual support. [48:44] - Liz goes through an exercise. What will she do when Midlife Schmidlife becomes successful enough for her to stop doing virtual support. [51:23] - Liz experiences “break failure” when it comes to Facebook and we talk about one solution. [1:01:20] - Liz talks about her lack of accountability. Book Review This week’s book review is The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, the author of the Chicken Soup books. This is like ten great self-help books all-in-one. Use my Audible.com affiliate link to get The Success Principles for free (and a 30-day free trial)! ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Do you want to improve your productivity, develop better habits, and experience the true power of accountability from members of our own tribe?  Learn more at ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at: Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress. Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

131 | Making Your Mess Your Message News! This episode is coming out a day early! If you’re listening on Monday, the day this episode has been released, you have just a few more days to reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group!  Learn more about the group at Today, Monday August 29th, we are doing a live Q&A webinar Register at    Also, I just created a brand new video series, “125 Strategies to Get Your ADHD reWired”. In this series, I go through the strategies I use to better my ADHD.  To access this series, go to This Week’s Guest: Donna Barre has worked for years as a “data geek”.  She is now re-inventing herself to help others with ADHD find meaning, joy, and the pursuit of their creative endeavors.  Donna was also a member of the very first ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group.  Donna is doing something unique, she’s bringing arts and crafts into the world of ADHD.  In this conversation, Donna talks about the importance of play and creativity and their role in productivity.  She explains what art does for her and how activities like art can help in various areas of life. In the ADHD reWired Hot Seat portion of our discussion, we work with Donna on her issues with confidence and bravery.  She shares some areas in which she feels like her bravery and confidence are lacking.  We work through some practical ways to build confidence and bravery.  We also learn what a brave Donna looks like.  In this discussion, I share this resource: Connect with Donna! Website – http://clickadhdservices.com Email – or You’ll Learn: [7:16] – Donna shares her back-story and explains why she joined the ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group. [9:16] – When Donna started the group, she was looking to unload some real estate and the group helped her through that process.  [12:43] – Donna shares how long-term success means ongoing support and accountability.  [16:21] – Donna gets sucked into entertainment such as television and the internet and she talks about how she gets herself back-on-track.  [19:04] – Donna talks about her tendency to minimize accomplishments and we talk about self-correcting mechanisms and breaking bad habits. [24:25] – Donna is bringing arts and crafts into the world of ADHD. She talks about the importance of play and creativity and their role in productivity. [34:34] – Donna opens up about clutter.  This is a cyclical struggle for her.  [41:01] – Data is Donna’s “play”.  [45:05] – “Making your mess your message” [49:02] – Donna sits down in the ADHD reWired Hot Seat and throughout this segment, we work through her issues with confidence and bravery.  Donna shares what she thinks being brave means, and what a brave Donna looks like. [1:23:12] – Fill out the contact form to let Donna know if you are interested in her supportive crafting group. Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles: ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the group! Registration is now open!  Registration closes on Wednesday, August 31st.  Learn more about this group at: ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3-minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at: Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress. Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

130 | Stepping Into Freedom From Anxiety This Week’s Guest: Kali Pelham is an educator that has taken big steps to gain freedom from anxiety.  She just finished the reWired Coaching and Accountability Group.  Kali struggles with anxiety and feeling like everything is urgent and important.  She talks about how her involvement in the reWired Coaching and Accountability Group has helped her in this area.  Kali shares her journey and explains her thought process and the conversations with her husband that led them to realizing her life would benefit from involvement in the group.  Throughout this conversation, we learn the areas of her life that have benefitted and she shares specific examples of the tools and practices she has implemented.  Kali tells us about how she has her calendars set up, how she operates her to-do list, and uses programs like Google Keep.  We engage in a 10-minute power coaching session to help Kali determine where things fall in the urgent vs. important matrix.  We also talk about implementing the GTD (Getting Things Done) Methodology to be organized and manage time.  Also, what are the questions to ask yourself to determine the importance of tasks?  Listen to this conversation to find out! You’ll Learn: [8:38] - Kali shares her back-story and explains what brought her to the reWired Coaching and Accountability Group.  [14:17] - Kali describes the moment that she knew she needed to sign up for the reWired Coaching and Accountability Group. [17:35] - Kali talks about her use of typical ADHD medications and where they help and where they fall short. [19:05] - Kali was unable to find a support group in her area and the reWired Coaching and Accountability Group provided her with that support. [20:35] - Kali describes her priorities and what she wanted to get out of the group.  Now that she’s finished the group, she evaluates the group’s effectiveness in those areas. [21:38] - Kali describes some of the tools she’s put in place and she shares how she constructs her to-do list. [23:26] - Kali shares how she merges her digital calendars.  This leads to a lengthy discussion on being organized with calendars and to-do lists. [32:10] - Kali walks us through some of the items on her to-do list. [36:18] - Re-framing “I should...” to “It would be nice if…” [38:32] - Kali talks about her need to ignore technology first thing in the morning. [40:50] - Kali explains how she uses [44:35] - Kali talks about her relationship with God.  [46:25] - Kali shares her “one thing”, the fact she doesn’t have to perform and she can “just be”.  This leads into a discussion on acceptance, peace, and serenity. [54:42] - Kali talks about a recent incident where she was able to be more accepting. [1:01:40] - For Kali, this journey is about doing things without anxiety. [1:05:05] - Kali’s 10-minute power coaching session.  Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles: ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the group! Registration is now open!  Registration closes on August 31st. Learn more about this group at: ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at: Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress. Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

129 | The Life Changing Power of the ADHD Coaching and Accountability Group This Week’s Guests: Aaron Collier and Kari Gormley join us on this week’s episode.  Both Aaron and Kari have been accountability partners in the most recent ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group. Aaron Collier is a computer programmer/librarian that resides in California.  He was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 39.  After feeling like he didn’t have the tools he needed, he joined the ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group.  Kari Gormley is a coach, mom, wife, long distance runner, and podcast host ().  She was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago.  She became part of the group to help herself with habits. In this episode, Aaron and Kari share their own stories and describe the tasks they struggle with. They’re also able to give examples of how they’ve been able to implement strategies and processes to become more successful at accomplishing these tasks.  This isn’t just through their own determination, accountability is imperative in this process.  As accountability partners, Aaron and Kari share how they hold each other accountable.  It’s easy to sense the productive friendship that has grown out of this group in just 9 weeks.   We have a special offer! If you sign up between August 22nd and 24th, use the promo code “CoachingReWired245” and you will receive two 45-minute coaching sessions with me!  You can also get the audio recording of these coaching sessions!  By using that code you’ll also be able to sign up one ADHD ReWired Tech mini-course or workshop when we launch them in early 2017. That’s over $300 in bonuses! You’ll Learn: [9:18] - Aaron explains the idea of a mastermind group and how he (and his relationship with his wife) has benefitted from this concept. [11:56] - Aaron describes the group’s “Study Hall” sessions and the accountability that comes from it. [16:53] - Kari talks about her mastermind session.  She shares her “lessons learned list”.  This includes a useful tip on stopping at task, building processes, doing one thing at a time, and more. [23:40] - “Statistics are not determinable outcomes.”  [27:32] - Aaron talks about being mindful about his list and taking care of what needs to be done now. He also shares his success with going to the gym since joining the accountability group. [29:56] - Aaron shares the importance of play and talks about the change in his productivity since incorporating play.  [31:45] - Aaron talks about his star chart and the reason for his success in sticking to it. [32:37] - Kari and Aaron share why they have been successful in holding each other accountable. [35:00] - The ratio of men/women with ADHD is 1:1. [35:45] - Aaron shares a typical accountability email. [39:45] - Kari and Aaron talks about what it takes to be a good accountability partner and aspects of the accountability relationship. [43:45] - Kari talks about the bond between people with ADHD and shedding the shame. [44:32] - Aaron talks about his time-blindness and his appreciation of the trust in the group. [47:17] - Kari and Aaron explain why this group has been life-changing. [51:30] - The importance of routine and how this group reWires your brain.    Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles:   ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the group! Registration will be open for 8 days only:  August 22-27 & 29-31 Learn more about this group at:   ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at:   Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress.  Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

128 | How to ADHD with Jessica McCabe This Week’s Guest: Jessica is the creator and host of the .  Jessica has ADHD herself, and discovered that medication is only part of the solution. Jessica created her first show as an ADHD toolbox. This was a friendly mix of useful tips and techniques that she shared based on her research and her own personal experience.  Jessica says, “I make mistakes so you don’t have to.”  Jessica provides her 10,000+ subscribers with new episodes every Tuesday.  Jessica’s background in acting helps make her videos compelling and pretty clever. Reach Jessica McCabe: YouTube: Twitter:   Jessica talks about her struggle (and unexpected success) with consistency in producing videos for the How to ADHD YouTube Channel.  One thing that makes her feel comfortable in this area is the level of forgiveness in the ADHD community.  People within the community appreciate the authenticity and we like to see that others struggle with the same things that we do.  Jessica shares that some individuals find that she speaks too quickly, yet some appreciate the way that she speaks because they struggle with people that talk slowly.  This illustrates that point that no matter what you do or how perfectly you do it, you’re not going to be for everybody.  Jessica does get some feedback that ADHD is a serious topic and “no laughing matter.”  She sees the seriousness of this topic, which is why she researches so much to try help things, but if you can’t laugh, it just gets too depressing.  Jessica illustrates the humor of ADHD by telling a story about burning her face with a steamer. Jessica was a productive student in elementary school and chose to always have her nose buried in a book.  She believes she enjoyed reading so much because she was bored by reality.  When she entered Junior High, the added responsibilities of daily school life and independence magnified some of these ADHD symptoms.  She was provided with medication and that was the only treatment, so she wasn’t learning how to manage her life.  Jessica shares that she almost called the show “How not to ADHD” because she had a better idea of what NOT to do.  Her boyfriend pointed out that might not be the best name and she’s glad she listened.  This leads into a discussion on relationships.  Jessica has a relationship history that she calls “not a pretty thing” and points out that this area of life one that does not get discussed enough in the overall ADHD discussion.  She was always “good” at new relationships.  Things were exciting and new.  As those things changed and things weren’t as new and exciting, she would blame the boredom on the relationship.  This is not an easy thing for Jessica to discuss, but this is important and worth sharing.  When starting her current relationship, she  was very honest about her bad choices in previous relationships.  As an actress, Jessica struggles with memorizing lines and she has found some tools to help herself in this area, including an app.  She also feels that being put on the spot is the best way to remember lines.  Nobody wants the embarrassment of not remembering lines and this is a strategy that works for her.  She also did a series on tricks to help improve working memory.  Simply reading material is not the best way to learn.  Jessica also shares how she’s used the Mind Palace strategy.  She points out though, that not every strategy works for every person. A strategy that works for a person isn’t guaranteed to work every time.  It’s about having a tool box with different strategies that you can implement.  Jessica also talks about her struggles with to-do lists.  She’s currently excited to use the app . We challenge her to open her to-do list and share some of the overdue tasks on her list. As it turns out, correctly identifying the type of task something is actually helps with accomplishing the task and completing it.  Another alarm that might help with accomplishing tasks is . Throughout this discussion, she realizes her resistance to these types of tools.  She is afraid of being “boring” through routine.    You’ll Learn: [6:35] - Jessica talks about starting her YouTube Channel, “How to ADHD”. [7:44] - Jessica expected to struggle with consistency and has been more consistent than she imagined she could be.  The ADHD community is also very forgiving. [9:38] - Her biggest fear was that people would think she was wrong.  She talks about giving herself the permission to make a mistake. [11:02] - No matter what you do and how perfectly you do it, it’s not for everybody. [12:50] - “If we can’t laugh at ADHD or ourselves, it’s just depressing.” [12:06] - Jessica tells an entertaining story about burning her face with a steamer. [16:47] - Jessica shares her personal story and her ADHD diagnosis. [21:45] - “If the solution is too simple, they’re trying to sell you something or it’s something that just worked for them.” [22:35] - “How to ADHD” or “How not to ADHD”? [23:26] - Jessica shares her relationship history, which is a symptom of ADHD that doesn’t get discussed enough. [31:00] - “People who express gratitude are happy. It’s not happy people who express gratitude.” [32:33] - Jessica talks about how she has more satisfaction with what she is doing now compared to her career as an actress. [33:30] - The difficulty of memorizing lines trying to learn things that you aren’t invested in. [36:29] - We don’t have a terrible memory. Our working memory is challenged. [42:25] - Jessica talks about how she uses a mind palace to help learn new things. [43:55] - “A kid with ADHD succeeds once and it’s held against him for the rest of his life.” [49:15] - Jessica McCabe sits in the hot seat! She is struggling with having the tools, but not wanting to use them.  Together, we work through this and find some solutions to this and other issues that Jessica is encountering in her life.   Audio books mentioned in this show: Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind from the Afflictions of Civilization  by John J Ratey - Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J Ratey - Get these titles through my Audible.com affiliate link:   ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group Reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the group! Registration will be open for 8 days only:  August 22-27 & 29-31 Learn more about this group at:   ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box. Learn more about our courses and workshops at:   Stay tuned to ADHD reWired for follow-up sessions with past guests who have allowed Eric to help them and keep up with their progress.   Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a Coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call

127 | Running Routines and the Drive to Be a Better Dad   This week’s guest, Andrew Wilcox is the creator of “Eat Live Dream ADD”, a blog about his experiences living with ADHD. It explores topics such as routine, exercise, running, health & wellness, motivation, fear, acceptance, self-loathing, sex, emotions, adult tantrums, relationships and parenting. Andrew is married and a father of three and the only person in his home diagnosed with ADHD. He was diagnosed at age 5 and took Ritalin on and off for most of his life until he was 28 and made the decision to regulate his ADHD through coffee, exercise and routine.   Medication: Having been diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age and having to take medication to manage it left a big impression on Andrew and his views towards medication. He tells the story of how he was shamed by a teacher in front of his whole class for failing to understand a math problem and then thrown out of class when he retaliated. Being singled out for being different from his peers and constantly being judged for it made him make the connection that medication was bad. After suddenly quitting medication at the age of 17, his life began to take a downward spiral until a friend intervened and had an honest conversation with him.  His father offered him a place to stay and to get him back on medication. Recognizing this as “fork in the road moment”, he got back on medication and began to piece his life together. Today it has been 7 years since he has given up medication in favor of managing ADHD through exercise, coffee and a routine. He has at this time, made the conscious decision that while medication can be effective for some individuals, he will choose a different path to regulating his ADHD. Regarding medication, Andrew believes that just as it is important to wean yourself off medication when you decide to stop taking it, it is important to get back on it gradually. He also believes that our bodies will take some time to adjust to the dosage and not giving up during this transition period is key to making the medication work for you.   Routine: According to Andrew the hardest thing about staying on an exercise routine is (1) allowing yourself to have an “off” day where you choose to do a less intense version of your regular workout (2) stop beating yourself up when you do break the routine and instead channel that frustration into your workout when you get back into it.   Coaching: In the coaching segment of the show, Andrew talks about how in the face of a stressful situation he is likely to react poorly and he would like to work on keeping this reaction in check. An example of this situation is when Andrew is trying to get his two daughters to bed. How can he keep himself from letting stress takeover in such a situation? Eric gave him the following strategies to help manage this: Consider that in a scale of 0 – 10, your current stress levels have not gone beyond 6. This is a good time to use logic and reason to bring yourself back. A meditation/mindfulness practice will allow you to put yourself in the observer position and slow down. Have a conversation with your family and come up with a code word that can help you recognize your increasing stress levels in a situation. Channel your physical energy into exercise. Remove yourself from the situation Allow yourself to make mistakes and forgive yourself when you do have a slip-up. Come up with creative solutions to get the children to bed: different schedules for both kids, a 1 minute dance party, collaborating with them to come with a solution that works and reviewing this from time to time.   Andrew will follow up with Eric in 2 weeks to talk about how he is using these strategies to manage his stress reaction.   Experience the ADHD reWired Study Halls for FREE!   8th August, 2016 and 15th August, 2016 at 12:30 pm CDT   More information on our website:   ADHD reWired Coaching & Accountability Group   Reserve your registration call for the Fall Session of the group! Registration will be open for 8 days only:   August 22nd to 27th and 29th to 31st     ADHD reWired Tech eCourses and Mini Workshops Tell us what technology or tool you would like to learn about: Complete our 3 minute survey below and you can win free coaching, a $50 gift card to Amazon or your preferred app store  or a productivity mystery box.     Reach Andrew Wilcox:   Blog: Twitter: @ZillaDrew Facebook: Eat Live Dream ADHD   Books mentioned during this episode:   The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children – Ross W. Greene PhD   Get this title through my Audible.com affiliate link:

126 | Emotional Distress Syndrome Emotional Distress Syndrome Emotional Distress Syndrome, discovered and coined my James Ochoa himself. James had training working with people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In time he saw similarities in some of his clients and the people with PTSD with one exception. For some, it wasn’t going away. Some of his clients, were not getting better in the way people with PSTD generally did. These clients of his suffered from the exact same thing: Chronic breakdowns Lack of self-worth They felt bullied They were all misunderstood He determined that for these people he would have to rebuild their internal sense of self. EDS is manageable and treatable thanks to the work James is doing. Coaching Session James has difficulty being consistent with singular systems. He tries many things such as post-it notes, phone apps, etc. He prefers to write things down. Currently has four systems and he is not able to follow through with any of them. He finds himself not having enough time. Eric has James scrounge up a pen and paper to write the following A Accountability Who are you accountable to? T Timers Timing tasks makes you more accountable and keep you focused Make predictions as to how long a task will take R Reminders Include the why with the what I Inputs To do lists, calendar, email, voice mail, pile#1 Pile#2…. P PlanningProcessProcesses Streamline and improve. Evaluate what works and what does not work James was excited and eager to begin using this system when he left the show.   About James Ochoa James Ochoa is on a mission. In a way he always has been. He was born the seventh of eight children in Houston, Texas and almost immediately began to feel the faint hum that all ADHD sufferers feel. It would be safe to say that his journey to find answers for his issues began as early as is humanly possible. Then, at the age of four, he had a traumatic accident that would alter his life forever. While playing on his parent’s car, he fell, hitting his head on the concrete. After the doctors examined him they were not hopeful, and everyone prepared for the worst. While in the hospital, James had what he describes as his first spiritual experience, one that he can still recall with great clarity and emotion. His father had been in Vietnam working a construction job, and he took a leave from his contract to come visit James in the pediatric ward of their local hospital. As his father walked toward him, James remembers seeing a blue orb-like structure above his bed. In his mind, this was a sign and he knew it immediately. His father didn’t see the blue orb, of course, but James remembers that he was stunned to hear James announce, “Dad, I’m not gonna die. I’m here for a reason.” As it turned out, many decades would pass before James truly understood what that moment and that proclamation meant. In fact, it mostly eluded him until the summer of 1989 when he was working at an ADHD summer program for kids. “It was total chaos,” he says. “But the lights and intrigue that these kids came to the table with was like…Oh my God, they’re brilliant and we’re not seeing it.” He immediately recognized his calling and resolved to spend his life trying to find answers for himself and others. For almost two decades, now, he has done just that. His work with patients and extensive personal study of the neuroscience of ADHD has allowed him to find answers that work. His new book Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD is just the latest mile on a many-long miles journey he is on. His discoveries and success in his own life and with his patients have made him a much in demand speaker these days. James lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Edie. They have two sons, Gabe, 25, and Jules, 20. How to Reach James Web Facebook Page Twitter @adhdinsights   Audible books mentioned  Get a free audiobook Download at The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield Contact Eric Tivers @   Inquire about the ADHD reWired coaching and accountability group @ Registration: August 22-28. You can schedule your registration call now.