Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast

Listeners share their strategies for managing ADHD in the family, including the use of alarms, planning routines, and meal planning. The hosts discuss the upcoming content and promote their website and Patreon page. They also provide tips for using alarms effectively, using launch pads for organization, maintaining a tidy home, and strategies for meal planning and grocery shopping.

As we kick off our twenty-third season of Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast, we're looking at families. These are some of the closest relationships we have in our lives — we live with them, eat with them, play with them, sleep with them — but how does ADHD contribute to our family relationships? This week, Dr. Michelle Frank returns to introduce us to The Gottman Method. According to the website of the originators of the method, John and Julie Gottman, here's what we know about The Gottman Method: The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough assessment of the couple’s relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.When we spoke to Dr. Frank about couples and ADHD, she was ready to jump right in — she's a respected specialist in using Gottman Method Couples' Therapy and sees it as one path that happens to be uniquely suited to improving communication between partners who have some mix of ADHD between them. Building our Sound HouseDr. Frank introduces us to The Sound House theory and we meet the Four Horsemen (Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling). In this context, we look at what allows ADHD to throw our relationships out of balance and how to find realignment along the way. About Dr. Michelle FrankDr. Frank is a clinical psychologist specializing in providing diagnostic and treatment services to individuals with ADHD. Her work with clients is all about finding strengths-based approaches to learning how to live with ADHD. She works with college students, adults, and families and the book she co-authored with Sari Solden — A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers — was released last summer. Learn more about Dr. Frank. (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (02:22) - Support the Show! • Patreon.com/theahdhpodcast (08:49) - What is the Gottman Method? (17:28) - The Sound Relationship House Theory (24:00) - The Four Horsemen (33:06) - ADHD is Out of Balance (42:50) - Balancing Planning in the Mixed ADHD Relationship (52:51) - Finding a Therapist the Works with ADHD ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It’s the end of the road ... for this season. And to celebrate we’re taking a walk down memory lane for the shows that made the most impact on us, the guests that gave of their time to our community, and of course: Shocktato.Links & NotesThe Original Livestream Shocktato Incident. Let me just say this about that: I think my Shocktato is somehow damaged. There is no way a toy like this should be overclocked like it is. It made my back sweat… and back sweat is never child’s play. (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (01:59) - Support the Show • Become a Patron! (03:53) - A Bit on Seasons (07:08) - The Review! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Friendships are already a challenge with ADHD. What happens when you're also living with social anxiety and rejection sensitivity? We pull apart a few important lessons on the show this week, not the least of which is the following: in all likelihood, people like you more than you think they do. Is that hard to hear? Then you need to listen to this week's show. Nikki brings an exercise and resource to help you breakdown the RSD we live with, and how to deal with the disappointment that comes when we make ourselves vulnerable to close friendships. Pete helps to catalog those friendships thanks to the work of a new book by Robin Dunbar. Check out the infographic here and listen in for more.Links & Notes5 Ways to Deal with Disappointment — Dr. Radha ModgilFriends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships — by Robin Dunbar (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (03:13) - Support the Show • Become a Patron! (05:25) - The Dunbar Friendship Circle (10:11) - More is not always better (14:12) - The Social Anxiety Disorder Flag (20:17) - Learning about Friendships & Kids (26:24) - Dealing with Rejection (33:05) - A digression on Fun ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Is it common to struggle to develop friendships with ADHD? Let's just say, if you're struggling yourself, you're in good company. Struggles to manage time for friendships, develop close, meaningful ties, are made all the more difficult thanks to the bouquet of ADHD factors. This week on the show we’re thrilled to welcome back the fantastic Melissa Orlov. She’s a leading expert in how ADHD affects relationships. On top of that, she’s an award-winning author of books including The ADHD Effect on Marriage, and The Couple's Guide to Thriving with ADHD. She’s founder of ADHD & Marriage where she writes regularly alongside a cast of incredible contributors and hosts a large community of adults learning about ADHD in their relationships.Links & NotesADHD & MarriageMelissa Orlov on Amazon (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (00:54) - Support the Show • Become a Patron (02:30) - Friendship and ADHD with Melissa Orlov (05:56) - Do you tell your friends about your ADHD? (11:34) - The Value of Friendships (14:46) - ADHD and Memory (19:53) - Dating (23:42) - Stories we tell ourselves (31:00) - Community Questions ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We met Sonal Singh as she was managing the virtual green room and serving as host for our session at last year’s CHADD International Conference on ADHD. Our paths had never crossed, but as we started chatting we realized just how fascinating her path had been.She is India’s first certified ADHD coach. We think this is fascinating. What would you do if you were in her shoes, and you had the opportunity to teach all those in your sphere about neurodivergence and executive function and the entire spectrum of ADHD?Of course, Sonal is doing much of her work with an International audience from her home in Delhi and we certainly don’t want to set her up as an ADHD savior for an entire country! But, we think hearing of her experience in this place and time can give us an interesting insight into the development of ADHD awareness as a culture, and that’s worth discussing on the show next week.Links & NotesSonalSinghCoaching.comExceptional Minds on FacebookADHD Life Coaching on Instagram (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (03:02) - Introducing Sonal Singh (07:14) - ADHD Infrastructure and Support (13:49) - Navigating the Journey of ADHD Awareness (18:24) - Getting Therapeutic Support (21:13) - Training to Talk the Talk (22:24) - How do we measure changing perceptions? (26:22) - How does culture impact coaching? (33:00) - Demand to become coaches? ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Did you know focus requires focus? Yes, it sounds a touch nonsensical, but when you're living with ADHD, the act of focusing has a tendency to become unhinged. And unhinged focus can damage what you're otherwise out to find: productivity.This week on the show we're talking all about focus, the state of mind appropriate for best focus, and how you can take care of your mind and body so that when you need to find focus, it's there. Links & NotesSerene: The macOS App for Laser-FocusFreedom: Block Websites, Apps, and the Internet (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (02:24) - Support the Show • Become a Patron! (06:18) - Focus on Focus ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Looking for focus? Like music? Have trouble focusing WITH music? We might just be able to help you out this week. Focus@Will is a service offering focus music to help you tune in to what you’re doing so that you can get it done. Will Henshall is the musician and inventor behind the service and joins us today to talk about the tool, the technology, and how it just might be your next secret weapon in your war on distraction.What’s different about the music? What makes it so good for focus? Will tells all this week with examples from channels across the site that help a wide range of brains to raise the noise floor and get working. We talk about entrainment, and why it can be both a useful tool for some people, and an even bigger distraction for others. Plus, we dive into a bit of 90’s music history to hear about Will’s past life as a founding musician behind Londonbeat. About Will HenshallWill Henshall is a Los Angeles based tech entrepreneur, inventor and music producer. He was the founding member and main writer in the UK pop soul band Londonbeat. Their massive early 90s hit ‘I’ve Been Thinking About You’ reached #1 in the Billboard chart and was the top selling single in all major territories and won him BMI/PRS songwriter of the year. In the mid 90s, he founded San Francisco-based audio tech company Rocket Network. The “DigiDelivery” media transfer system, now part of ProTools 12 Cloud collaboration, is a standard tool used everyday in pro audio production for TV, movies and music. He sold the company to Avid in 2003. His most recent start up is focus@will, a science driven instrumental music streaming service (2m users) that helps people at work and study reduce distractions and be more productive. He holds five patents, and has a new one in on the way.Links & NotesFocus@WillFind Will on FacebookConnect with Will on LinkedIn (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (00:38) - Support The ADHD Podcast • Become a Patron! (02:02) - Introducing Will Henshall and Focus@Will (02:36) - A little bit about Londonbeat (07:26) - Will's background in tech and ADHD (16:21) - The Distractability Index (17:06) - A digression on Ned Hallowell (18:38) - Meanwhile... back to the distractibility index... (19:46) - Habituation and the Noise Floor (24:10) - The technology (30:26) - Does entrainment work? (38:10) - The Google Glass connection ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What does it mean to have? We’re not just talking about material possessions here, but how do you relate to having anything? Food? Space? Time? Focus? Productivity? Living with ADHD, we often live in a position of lack, of not having enough, of not being able to do enough, of scarcity. But we don’t have to live that way, and this week’s guest is going to tell us why. Author Victoria Castle joins us this week to talk about her book, ‘The Trance of Scarcity’. She helps us understand the trap of scarcity and the transformation to abundance. Even more, she helps us revisit our own bodies and our lived experience. We talk about what we aspire to with our ADHD, and how we can redraw that map to create the role models that serve us. (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (01:56) - Introducing Victoria Castle (03:48) - What is the Trance of Scarcity? (14:40) - Somatics (25:28) - How does loneliness magnify the Trance (35:37) - Remapping our Aspirations ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, Brittany Smith joins us to talk about technology and how it fuels productivity. We talk about battling the fear that comes from new tech tools, the overwhelm from that feeling of too much technology, and how you can actually find the spark of motivation hiding in an examination of the things that de-motivate you about your tools the most!Brittany Smith is an ADHD, Productivity, and Technology coach in Portland, Oregon. She has her MS in Cognitive Neuroscience and uses the latest tools and her love of technology to help her clients get more done, with less stress. This week, Brittany joins us to talk about technology and how it fuels productivity. We talk about battling the fear that comes from new tech tools, the overwhelm from that feeling of too much technology, and how you can actually find the spark of motivation hiding in an examination of the things that de-motivate you about your tools the most!Links & NotesBrittany Smith at Devise & Conquer ConsultingObsidian: A second brain, for you, foreverDevonThink from DevonTechnologiesData Privacy Day at Apple: Improving Transparency and Empowering UsersWhat is App Tracking Transparency and how do you block app tracking?Apple Shortcuts User Guide (00:00) - Welcome to The ADHD Podcast (01:01) - Support The Show • Become a Patron! (02:24) - Introducing Brittany Smith (06:15) - Falling in Love... (17:23) - Friction (18:51) - Finding Motivation through Technology (21:07) - Automating Brittany with Shortcuts (23:46) - Brittany's Planning Process (26:14) - Information Management (31:59) - Less is More (33:32) - Automation (39:32) - What have you given up? What are you most excited about? ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★