ADHD reWired

Jessica McCabe, creator of the How To ADHD YouTube channel, shares her personal journey with ADHD. She discusses the challenges of consistency in content creation and the uplifting support from the ADHD community. Humor plays a key role in her approach, balancing the seriousness of ADHD with lightheartedness. Jessica also reflects on overcoming imposter syndrome, the struggle with to-do lists, and the importance of emotional motivation and mindfulness. Don't miss her funny mishap involving a steamer and a hospital visit during a video shoot!

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.

125 | Success Despite ADHD   Hello everybody. Tom Nardone here,  This week, we had the pleasure of speaking to Dan Spears. Dan learned of his ADHD as a result of the problems it was causing in his marriage. This episode hit especially close to home for me.  Dan saw a therapist in the fall of 2015. He was diagnosed and given a prescription. The therapist he was seeing at the time recommended he read, “Driven to Distraction” which was somewhat helpful. While the book spoke of helping with strategies, it was the emotional side of things that presented the biggest challenges in his life.  Dan speaks of his experience with procrastination, accountability and memory. These issues have caused problems for him, and consequently for his wife in their communications with one another. Dan cannot recall the simplest of things to memory when his wife engages him, in what should be a normal conversation. He has trouble not just remembering names, but entire events of which he was a part of. He often has only vague memories of things they have done or places they have been to.  Those of us with ADHD know this feeling all too well. Our inability to focus on the things we are doing, prevents us from being able to recall them later. This causes those who know and love us to feel like we are not interested in them or in the things they say to us or do with us.  This is not just a problem with our families. We struggle at work where forgetting something can present a completely different set of problems.  We see the so called “regular people” and wonder how they seem to master interactions and tasks with little to no effort. We wonder what they have that we do not. We ask ourselves, “Is it something we will ever learn?” We ask ourselves, “How to they do this without having to look for a strategy”   For many of us, this is where we begin to feel inferior or not good enough. Those of us with ADHD will usually take one of two paths. We will simply give up or mentally check-out and accept defeat, or we will seek the help of a professional. Thankfully Dan Spears has chosen the latter.  Dan works in IT and a big part of his job is preparing time sheets. This is very important because it is the way they ensure that clients are billed properly. This is where Dan struggles the most. He has tried many different methods to achieve this but nothing has worked for him in the long term.  We invite you to listen as Eric discusses solutions and helps Dan not only develop new strategies, but leaves him with a genuine enthusiasm about their implementation on this 125th episode of ADHD reWired.   Bio: Dan Spears   Dan is a 36-year-old native of Liverpool, England, who unfortunately does not sound like one of the Beatles. He immigrated to the US in 2005, landing in Texas, then ventured north to Ohio in 2010, where he lives with his wife, 3 step-children, and 2 cats and according to Dan, a rabbit that hates him.   Dan was finally diagnosed with ADHD in 2015.   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. 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      Audio books mentioned in the show. Driven to Distraction – Edward M. Hallowell The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg The Willpower Instinct – Kelly McGonigal Get these titles through my Audible.com affiliate link: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired

124 | 5 Ways to Crush Procrastination     124 | 5 Ways to Crush Procrastination   This week, Eric and the staff at ADHD reWired welcome back one of our fan favorites. Alan Brown returns to discuss “5 ways to Crush Procrastination”. Productivity knows few if any greater foes than procrastination. This can manifest itself as a feeling of being stuck. Sometimes, even though we want something to be completed, our lack of ability to focus on one thing prevents us from even starting the task or project. Today, Alan brown will show us that when you have a big meal to eat, it is best to devour it in a series of courses instead of a single bite. Alan speaks of a cycle of procrastination. We become overwhelmed We look for an escape We Procrastinate (check our email, or check Facebook.) As a result, our to do list continues to grow We fall further behind This leads to under-achieving or screwing up We are then…miserable  If you have had the pleasure of ever seeing Alan Brown’s award winning ADD Crusher videos you may remember hearing Alan say: “YOU ARE JUST KICKING YOUR OWN A$$”   Alan’s method of crushing his procrastination is primarily achieved through his asking himself specific questions. For example, Alan will ask himself, “Are any of my to-do’s a problem right now?” Sometimes the things we believe to be the most critical have the least amount of significance in the end. Alan helps us by offering methods to determine what is truly important and how to attack these tasks.   reWired Coaching (Alan Brown in the hot seat)   Alan Brown, during the coaching session of ADHD reWired shares some things he would like to improve in regard to the production of his amazing CrusherTV show. Alan Brown:  Alan explains that he struggles with coordinating the main processes of producing CrusherTV. There are many moving parts such as editing, sound, booking guests, and of course not having as much time as he needs to do get the job done. Eric Tivers:  Eric instructs Alan Brown to make 3 columns and head each of them as follows Things I don’t like doing Things I can’t do Things I should do Alan Brown:  Alan adds a fourth step Things that must be done by me. Eric Tivers:  Eric asks for action steps Alan Brown: Alan responds with 3 Spend time filling in the three columns Do this with honesty Involve his wife to help him execute  Eric Tivers:  Eric asks Alan to set a date to begin and a date for follow up Alan Brown:  Alan complies It is always a treat when Alan comes on the show. His balance of helpful information and humor are unmatched. If you would like to get in touch with Alan you can got to: Or email him at   Alan Brown Bio Meet mess-to-success entrepreneur, productivity coach Alan Brown. An unmitigated mess before diagnosis — booze, drugs, massive under-achievement and irresponsible space case. Now a successful executive, investor and entrepreneur, he crushed his own ADD using the proven ADD Crusher™ strategies. Personal mission: Help ADHD adults around the world live to their potential through alternative ADD treatments and solutions. CrusherTV ™ is a weekly online TV show delivering life-changing solutions to its members-only audience – crazy-busy people just like you. Each week productivity coach Alan Brown hosts A-list guest experts sharing brain hacks and other simple solutions to turbocharge your productivity and quality-of-life: Crush procrastination. Get more stuff done. Have more free time. Just to name a few. But it's more than just the TV show that makes you more productive. CrusherTV ™ members enjoy loads of other benefits... 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. 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 contact Eric Tivers at   Audible.com free trial  Sign up for ADHD reWired’s Coaching and accountability

123 | 5 Principles of a System Marina Darlow There are many people with ADHD, who aspire to be entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur requires a focus on many areas. Creativity, management, products and projects to name a few. People with ADHD have difficulty with some of the tasks that are necessary to keep it on track. Many people are so overwhelmed with the smallest things. However, this is often where the majority of their time is spent. Without systems and strategies in place it can be near impossible for the entrepreneur with or without ADHD to succeed. It would be nice if there were professionals who focused on the needs of ADHD entrepreneurs. If only there were people whose job it was to develop and help implement real useable strategies catered to the challenges of people with ADHD who want to succeed in business. Well, those people do exist. ADHD reWired is proud to introduce such a person. Meet Marina Darlow as she joins Eric Tivers in the ADHD reWired virtual studios. Marina Darlow works with creative people to help them develop strategies and methods for freeing up time that allows them to focus on what is really important. Marina got into this because she wanted to make the world a less violent place. After she came to the realization that she did not want to be a field agent with the CIA. She worked as a project manager for several non-profit corporations and then she became a Systems coach catering mostly to those with ADHD. Marinas “Five Principals of a System” are: System must be easy to use. Never forget reminders System must be flexible System must be fun System must have Accountability  COACHING SESSION Marina puts her career in Eric’s hands as she confides in him about an upcoming challenge. Marina has to make contacts and reach out to some venture capitalists. Marina struggles a bit with rejection. She mentions that she procrastinates to avoid what she knows she should be doing. She and Eric come up with a strategy and Marina seemed to leave the session with noticeable excitement. Contact Marina: Go to   for a free downloadable PDF from Marina. _________________________________________ 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. 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 contact Eric Tivers at   Audible.com free trial Sign up for ADHD reWired’s Coaching and accountability

122| Making Friends with Adult ADHD     Please join us as we welcome Alex Hofeldt back to the show. Some of you may recognize him from the Beautiful Dust Specks Podcast. This week Eric and Alex discuss the effect ADHD has on Making friends and social situations, such as remembering names, conversation, and general awkwardness. For people with ADHD, life can be very difficult when in social situations. This is even more so the case in small to large groups of people. We cannot expect everyone we know and interact with to factor our “condition” into everything we say think or feel. People are generally impatient when it comes to these things and for those who are interested in fitting in, this can be a very disheartening circumstance. Forgetting names is common and people can sometimes feel they are not regarded highly enough by you for you to take the time to actually remember their name. Blurting out can be considered rude in that it is generally taken as an interruption. Sometimes people with ADHD are just different and therefore misunderstood. This can even be the case with other people with ADHD. Those of us with ADHD do tend to stand out and it can be frustrating when one day our peers depend on us for entertainment and the next day just can’t seem to deal with us. Some of us have been in a similar circumstance when we are treated as the court jester among our “friends”, as if we are there for the sole purpose of their amusement when they want us to perform. Eric Tivers (host of ADHD reWired) was kind enough to try to help Alex with his specific problems in this area. Alex mentions many of the problems as stated above and goes further with some more specific things.  Eric offered Alex what I felt was some really sound advice. It was not just general tips we have all heard before. It was catered to his specific problems, which is what an ADHD coach should always do. Alex was kind enough to agree to come back on the show to discuss how his problem has changed as a result of the coaching Eric provided him. Please stay tuned to ADHD reWired for the follow-up with Alex.   On a personal note: “During this episode I found myself able to identify with Alex. I felt and still feel a strong empathy for him. I was reminded of the being in similar situations during certain times in my life. Alex held nothing back and was very forthcoming in the things he shared. I am happy to know the ADHD community has a person like Alex in it. His honesty was inspiring and I was reminded of the reason for my own commitment to spread awareness about one of the most treatable mental disorders we know of.” T.

Episode 121 | Chloe & Lisa, A Symbiont Circle of Awareness Mother and Daughter, Lisa Mortell and Chloe Johnson join us in the ADHD reWired virtual studios this week to talk about their lives and how ADHD is a part of it. Chloe along with her ADHD has trouble with depression and anxiety. Lisa, Chloe’s mom admits to not having been a perfect mom (as if there was such a thing). In the early days she made the very common mistakes people make when trying to help people with depression by explaining that there was nothing to be depressed about. Lisa felt the guilt that many parents feel about putting their kids on medication. At 18 months Chloe refused to stay in her crib and figured out how to escape the confinement it was designed for. Chloe thought vitamins were snacks Chloe wanted to be a normal person. More than that she wanted to be a normal person without taking pills to achieve this. Chloe then finds herself in the “Hot Seat”! • Problems o Cannot kick carbs o Trouble sticking to her diet o Trouble getting in an exercise routine Chloe want to lose weight to fit into her clothes she could wear a year ago. She also uses exercise as a way to deal with her anxiety and depression. Eric gives her some amazing advice to help her achieve this, and schedules a date for the follow-up. Mother daughter relationships can be tough. Chloe and Lisa are a shining example of what can be achieved through mutual respect and understanding. This was a truly amazing episode and listening to Chloe and her mother was very insightful in learning ways people can discover what is great about other people, as opposed to focusing on what is wrong, or what needs to be fixed. Though there is no perfect relationship between a parent and their child, you would have to search long and hard to do better than Lisa and Chloe.

120 | Today's Awesome with Brendan Mahan   This week on the 120th we welcome back to the ADHD reWired virtual studio Brendan Mahan. Brendan saved ADHD rewired from a possible dilemma in that there are no shows in the can. Brendan thank you for bailing us out. Brendan begins by doing a quick review of his last appearance on episode 78 The Wall of Awful. Brendan is also now working on a book. He has a big white board with the books outline on it. Brendan tells a story of his near death experience with some camouflage hockey fans. Eric felt like a random hug is what would best defuse the situation. Eric confesses a deep rooted fear of his own in regard to his loud office neighbors. Brendan coined a new phrase for Tuesday since Eric is spending time with his son. This day shall hence be called “Two-Dudes-Day” Brendan talks about “Todays Awesome” post series Began with the most awful year of his life. Mom passed away. Career ended Fired on his wife’s birthday Car burned up He watched his car burn Rather than looking at the awful he looked at the awesome. Brendan begins each day posting what is awesome about the day. Everyday! Brendan talks about is kids. Brendan’s kids don’t really hate the aquarium. They hate leaving the aquarium Brendan’s kids, in the presence of an elephant, are drawn to a bird. Brendan’s kids like many kids and Eric, are enamored with poop. Brendan has been looking for a job. Eric gives him a plug. Eric Tivers…What a great guy. HOLD ON PUT ON THE BRAKES!!!! LIVE COACHING AHEAD Eric inquires about where and how Brendan is interviewing Eric first arms himself with index cards. Brendan explains his methods Eric inquires about what he may be aware of that he is doing wrong Managing emotions Eric inquires about exercising Brendan has a revelation and discovers that he could ride his bike. Eric has him get the bike DURING the show. Because starting is the hardest part Eric continues to coach Brendan on the show. Brendan Mahan is one of the kindest people in the ADHD community. He is a fantastic father, a loyal husband and fine friend. It is always a pleasure to have Brendan on the show or listen to him speak. There are many voices in the ADHD community but none more genuine than Brandan Mahan. Please stay tuned to the threads in the ADHD reWired community for news and updates for Brendan’s job search.

119 | The Voice of Your Dreams   We are proud to have Aaron Anastasi in the ADHD reWired virtual studios. Aaron is an entrepreneur who claims to have stumbled through life falling into a few successes. Aaron is a writer, and actor, and a film maker. He has never officially been diagnosed. He sees many similarities with his brother who is diagnosed ADHD, and sees many of the same struggles. Aaron actually began working with a coach after a major disappointment when his record deal fell through. He decided he had failed so much that some of it must be his own doing. He wanted to change, and be successful. He notes that his coach once said to him, “Who do you have to be to get the results you want?”   Eric and Aaron discuss in depth, The Fearful Voices. These are the voices that say things like, You cant do it, You will fail, etc.. and the dangers of listening to them. Aaron mentions, “Sometimes the voice in our limitations is louder than the voice in our dreams” Aaron was also kind enough to discuss some secrets from his book. One of which, is “The Commitment Compartment”. The place where all the things we are going to do are kept. This was a fantastic show and it was just a lot of fun listening to Aaron who is such a normal guy who was and is achieving extraordinary things.   More About Aaron Aaron Anastasi is a Southern California native who graduated with a master’s degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he studied philosophy, Psychology, and theology.   He’s also a serial entrepreneur with online businesses such as Superior Songwriting Method, Signing Success, and the internationally recognized, Superior Singing Method, an online singing lesson program that grosses seven-figures annually.   Aaron has the #1 singing/life lesson channel on YouTube and has over 11.5 million organic views and over 130 thousand subscribers total on his three channels.   Having a love for adventure, he was a pro snowboarder in Vail, Colorado, scaled Glacier Lake Mountains in Bolivia, and cut pathways through the jungles of Contagem, Brazil.   Along with being a Los Angeles based actor and filmmaker, Aaron is also a prominent success coach for clients in industry-leading roles, ranging from film directors to marine biologists to TEDx speakers. His new book, The Voice of Your Dreams, was released in April 2016, and reached Amazon's top 100 best sellers within the first week of release. Get Aaron's book here. Get you copy of “Chasing Kites” at Contact Eric Tivers through his website at