Overcoming Distractions The Podcast

Back on Overcoming Distractions is ADHD Coach Jeff Copper of DIG Coaching. The topic is a favorite one. ADHD and Non med, meds. We are talking about meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep and the power of incorporating these in your life to thrive with your ADHD. We not only talk about how effective these can be in managing ADHD but we discuss the challenges involved in incorporating these habits into our daily lives. First Jeff discusses is how mind and machine can work together. What he means by this is that there is a thoughtful brain and a mindful brain, and the brain responds well when it is taken care of properly and fed the right fuel. He discusses the importance of having a good night's sleep and proper sleep hygiene but also realizes that for many with ADHD, sleep can be boring, especially the first 15 to 30 minutes that we go to bed. Jeff discusses is how critical exercise can be for people with ADHD and offers a few tips to make it more enjoyable. He says that exercise can be social in that finding

Were you ever officially diagnosed with ADHD? Are you thinking you might want to see a professional for an ADHD diagnosis? This week, we discuss what an ADHD diagnosis might look like in the coming years as well as what some professionals feel should be included in diagnosing people with ADHD. Back on the podcast again is Sarah Cheyette M.D., author of many books on ADHD including, ADHD & Me, ADHD and the Focused Mind, and Winning with ADHD. Dr. Cheyette recently published an article in Psychology Today with her Husband, Ben Cheyette about the future of ADHD diagnoses. Dave and Dr. Cheyette discuss what the criterion for a diagnosis is today as well as historically and whether she feels that has been an adequate method of arriving at a conclusion. They also briefly walk through what a professional may be looking for. They discuss why separating adults and children makes perfect sense in a diagnosis and why that is more important today with technology and innovation. They discuss why taking the working env

Dave tackled the subject of burnout in this solo podcast episode. Burnout has always been a challenge whether you are a caregiver, parent, or suffering from career burnout, the struggle is nothing new. However as we've seen during this past year and our experiences with COVID-19, many more people may be experiencing burnout in many ways. Dave first shares his personal story a burnout in the restaurant business. It was not only mentally exhausting but took a toll on his body. He talks about some of the things you should ask yourself if you feel like you are burned out. Dave runs through a series of questions you should ask yourself such as, do you feel disconnected, are you emotionally exhausted, are you cynical, have you set boundaries and you have challenges saying no to others and yourself when pressed for time. He also examines whether you need a vacation or whether your burnout is much more severe. Dave offers his suggestion based on personal experience and others he has interviewed for an upcoming projec

In this episode, we discuss how those of us with ADHD can develop better eating habits. Dave is joined by Sarah Stites, the founder of the Wavelength app to discuss eating, nutrition, and proper food choices. And they also talk about cutting yourself some slack every now and then. Sarah first discusses her own ADHD as well as other challenges that led to substantial weight gain as a young adult. She talks about how she had to learn more about food in the science of food and nutrition. Dave and Sarah chat about food comfort and that brains love to eat. Food can give us a dopamine shot. Dave and Sarah also discussed that being hungry is a distraction for anybody and that we need to learn proper habits and routines to not get to that point. Sarah talks about what contributes to unhealthy eating habits, the discipline when trying to eat healthy and why many with ADHD can struggle with proper meal planning and eating. Sarah also discusses what foods can help us focus including reducing sugar and yes, increasing fa

Those of us with ADHD need to take careful consideration into how we structure our workplace as well as the working conditions we surround ourselves with. To feel productive, focused and to minimize the distractions we may encounter, putting ourselves in the ideal working conditions can benefit both of us, our employers, and if we are entrepreneurs, our clients. In this episode, we talk about how to create ideal working conditions for your ADHD and distracted brain. Returning to Overcoming Distractions is Grant Crowell, the author of GRANTASMS: Twisted Creative words for cool people! Grant also has extensive experience in the profession of workplace training and assisting those with different brains be more productive in the workplace. Grant and Dave discuss how the past year during COVID-19 has either helped or hurt the productivity of those with ADHD. They talked about some of the common struggles associated with the workplace including focus, distractions, and accountability as well as putting the proper s

In this podcast, Dave gets to talk with Anjle a multidisciplinary artist and performer (drag, burlesque, illustration, opera, theater, prop-making, set design, stage managing, producing, etc.). Anjle has done it all! Anjle was officially diagnosed with ADHD just weeks before our podcast recording. Anjle talks about struggles in the past and the tools needed to navigate those challenges. Before even being diagnosed with ADHD, Anjle was already using tools and coping skills to have a thriving career as an artist. Dave talks with Anjle about a whole host of topics including creating systems, thriving with good strategies, identifying strengths and other ways to grow professionally. Both talk about how using paper instead of electronic organizes work best for both. To name a few... Anjle and Dave Talk about the stigmas associated with neurodiversity, navigating the workplace and society in general and how to be better in tune with ourselves. Anjle gives tips for navigating a neurodiverse life as an adult and an a

There is one thing all of us need in this world whether we have ADHD or not and that is more kindness. Those of us who have different brains understand that we not only need to be kind to each other, but we need to show ourselves some kindness as well. This podcast is dedicated to the subject of kindness and how we can show more of it in our daily lives. David Fryburg is the co-founder of Envision Kindness, an organization that believes shedding light on the positive things that happen in our life is incredibly important. One of the ways the organization inspires kindness is through imagery and photography and if you visit the website you know exactly what we are talking about. The website is full of images that inspire kindness and show the good in the world. The two Davids discuss the act of caring for others and experiencing kindness in many areas of our lives.  They talk about how kindness makes us feel connected to others as well as our inner selves. David Fryburg talks about the psychology of images and

There is never one productivity technique that will work for everyone. That is just a fact. Productivity tips for people with ADHD come in all shapes and sizes as do the tips for everyone else. You may decide pen and paper work best for you, or you may like electronic organizers and note-taking programs. Everyone is different when it comes to productivity…ADHD or not. This week we have back Christopher Mitchell, better known as Traveling Mitch, a successful travel blogger, and photographer. Chris is not only a professional writer but an entrepreneur with ADHD who has some great tips from managing time and productivity as someone who is self-employed. Chris takes us through what he calls the focus and bonus method of productivity and time management that he uses in his business. But before we get into tactics and strategies, Chris gives us an update on the travel blogging industry during this past year of the pandemic. He talks about strategies he implemented in his operations as well as finding new opportunit

We can all get better at the habit of saying NO and learning how to say no properly is a long process. But when we do get good at saying no, we not only free up valuable time and resources but also begin to lower our stress. Committing to certain things, events, projects, or other longer-term obligations when we do not have the time to invest, increases our anxiety and has the ability to stress out everyone around us. Back on the podcast is Sarah Reiff-Hekking, Ph.D. from True Focus Coaching. Sarah specializes in productivity and time management training for professionals. She has been on the podcast before and gives us tremendous value on how to preserve our time and get more done. This time we talk about how to say no… but say yes to the right things. Sarah and Dave discuss why people say yes when they really mean no. Hint, it may have to do with us not wanting to disappoint others. But Sarah gives us even more insight. Sarah gets into why we struggle with saying no and why we continue to be challenged with

We talk a lot on this podcast about how to have a positive mindset when you have ADHD. And we're going to discuss the topic again this week, taking a different angle and a different approach. We look at mindset through the lens of the beginning stages of entrepreneurship and career development. Our guest this week is Tom Bergeron, co-founder of Inventive Labs based in Massachusetts. The organization helps different learners and those of us with different brains with career prep, making use of a gap year as well as helping young people develop an entrepreneur mindset. Tom is a lifelong entrepreneur and brings incredible experience to the organization including a strong emphasis on acceptance. Tom introduces us to Inventive labs and just how important these programs can be for different learners. We discuss how important it is for the organization to help those that come to it create a positive mindset and how they do that through a positive environment. He talks about what happens when individuals come to the

How can I have a positive mindset when I have ADHD? That is a question we hear all the time, and we are going to do our best to answer it and offer some expert advice on the subject in this episode. Some people call it a growth mindset in the world of ADHD and other areas of personal success, but whatever it is you call it, we are going to talk about staying away from negative thoughts. Back on the podcast is Dr. Sharon Saline. She is the author of the book What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew. Dr. Saline has been on Overcoming Distractions a few times and always offers some great advice and expert knowledge of ADHD in both adults and children. First, Dr. Sharon defines a positive and growth mindset. She discusses how the ADHD brain can sometimes automatically lean toward a negative mindset and why this happens. And we of course talk about how many have slipped more heavily into negative thinking during this past year of the coronavirus. Sharon gives us clear examples of both a growth mindset and negative thi

If you have ADHD and you want to set some goals for the coming year, we're going to take a fun approach in this episode. Back on the podcast is Dr. Lara Honos Webb, a clinical psychologist specializing in ADHD. Dr. Lara is also the author of several books on ADHD including Brain Hacks, life changing strategies to improve executive functioning. Dr. Lara takes ADHD goal setting through the past, present and future model. She talks about how you need to look at your past successes in order to build confidence as well as challenge that self-doubt in your head. She talks about practicing being present in the moment and how to create fun for yourself and not worry about the past or the future in this part of your goal setting. She talks about the power of now. And, Doctor Lara talks about how we look to the future when it comes to ADHD goal setting. She suggests that you imagine talking to your future self, looking at a year and even five years down the road. What advice would you give your future self, right now?

Back on Overcoming Distractions is ADHD coach Jeff Copper. Dave and Jeff tackle the subject of ADHD and self-regulation. One of our core executive functions as humans is self-regulation. It is important to understand this in ourselves and how to be more self-aware about our emotions in various situations. Jeff says that self-regulation is the ability to direct an act back on yourself to change your behavior to change the future. Jeff also states that it's the ability to pause and ponder before you proceed. In other words, those of us with ADHD need to think before we act or react. Jeff walks us through why the ADHD brain has challenges with self-regulation as well as some of the more difficult aspects of self-regulation including some of the more common ways we struggle with this. Jeff discusses with Dave some of the ways we can do a better job with self-regulation and some of the systems he works with his coaching clients. That includes limiting temptations, learning how to downregulate, limiting choices, ho

This week we discuss how you can serve as the creator of your own life with the goal of living big. As our guest says, when we actively create each day, we live big! Rochelle Seltzer is our guest. She is the author of Live Big, A Manifesto for a Creative Life. She's also a coach that works with women, but her advice rings true for both men and women. Rochelle wants you to live big and she is going to discuss how in this engaging conversation. Rochelle talks about how she feels we are all creators and that we do have the ability to create our own path. She talks about the importance of building a proper mindset so we can create our own path and vision for a big life.   Dave and Rochelle also discuss how many of us miss opportunities that could be staring us right in the face. How does this happen and what can we do about it? Rochelle then walks us through the process of setting up a vision so we can live big. That includes understanding what you want to be, how you want to do it and what is worth having in you

This week we are talking about how to celebrate small wins when you have adult ADHD and how to learn from those little slices of success. Daniel Warren is the guest. He is an entrepreneur and a law school graduate. Dan like many of us with ADHD had some challenges navigating the school system when he was younger. He talks about growing up and go into school with ADHD and includes the bad and the good experiences. He even talks about the stigma associated with ADHD growing up. Dan talks about how he eventually attended law school and how he succeeded with intense demand on studying in good grades. He talks about adjustments he needed to make as well as holding himself accountable and taking responsibility in order to get through law school. Dan talks about how to celebrate those small wins and how when you have ADHD the meaning of success can mean something different for everyone. Dan talks about how to find those wins and to try new things in order to thrive with adult ADHD. And then introduces us to his full

In this episode, we talk about getting your ADHD life back on a positive cycle and identify the lessons learned from the past year. While there has been a lot of negativity in our lives the past year, we know we can find some positives to help us through the coming years as well as lessons learned. This week we have back Dr. Sarah Cheyette who has incredible knowledge in the world of ADHD. She has been on the podcast several times and offers tremendous insights into how we can thrive with ADHD. This week we discuss how many with ADHD may have let certain things in our life and business get a little out of control due to the circumstances of the pandemic. They may be subtle things but are issues we need to work on to thrive in the coming year. Sarah and Dave discuss how many of us may have lost our job, started a new job or career, had increased family obligations and how we have had to prioritize those to create a so-called normal life during these times. Dr. Sarah digs deep into why many of us have let our n

Communicating in a remote workplace is much different than how you communicate with coworkers and others in person. We have all found this out since COVID-19 struck us. This podcast is going to go through how we can improve our communications when we have different brains, as well as communicating with other different brains. Back on the podcast is Grant Crowell the author of Grantasms- Twisted Creative Words for Cool People. Grant also serves as a trainer for various individuals and organizations and helps to train those with a neurodiverse background.   Grant and Dave discussed the fact that communication has changed and suffered in this new remote world we are living and working in. Grant talks about some of the biggest struggles with online communication and specifically for those with ADHD or other different brains. Grant discusses the differences between face-to-face meetings and online meetings as well as the challenges that both have presented us this past year. Grant talks about some of his strategie

We are continuing to learn the lessons from the year 2020 in order to have a much more productive 2021. Many of us have lost track of time, had to adjust our routines because of COVID-19 and have found out what it really means to be productive. On this episode we are going to discuss what productivity really means to an individual and will focus in on how to identify the productivity strategies that work for you. We have back Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking of True Focus Coaching. She is a time management and productivity guru and has been on Overcoming Distractions before with her expert advice and tips. We start by discussing some of the lessons that many of us may have learned about productivity as a result of the year 2020. And Sarah asks the question, what went well? A question we should all be asking ourselves. Focusing on the negative aspects and what we did not get done, does not help us at all. How did you move the ball forward this past year? Sarah and Dave also discuss that there is not one bullet proof pr

If you went through the year 2020 then you probably experienced a lot of ups and downs. All of us ADHD or not experienced a lot of emotions and the year was quite a rollercoaster. Because of that, many of us probably did not have as much fun as we wanted to in our lives. Dr. Kirsten Milliken is back on the podcast to discuss ways to have more fun in 2021. And boy do we need fun after the year we've had. Kirsten is a big advocate of using fun and play to manage your ADHD and to help you thrive in life and in business. Kirsten is also the co-founder of "World of ADHD." The project profiles many successful individuals that just happened to have ADHD. Anyone with ADHD can submit their art, writing, music and other creative projects to show the positive aspects of having ADHD. Kirsten gives us an update on this important project. Of course, having a discussion about fun, would not be fun without some laughs and there are plenty of laughs between Kirsten and Dave in this discussion. Kirsten discusses is why play an

Let's show the year 2020 the door in this episode and let it be known that it is not welcome back. What is your plan for 2021 and what have you learned from last year? On this podcast, Dave talks about moving forward from a rough year and how to look back at the positives so we can all make 2021 a better year. Dave talks about how all the negative energy of the past 10 months has been exhausting and stressful for many. But he also talks about how many of us have learned a lot and that 2020 taught us quite a few lessons. Those lessons include how to alter our routines and how we've had to change the way we have done things in the past based on what our family life and working conditions were like this past year. Many of us with ADHD have become more resilient, have shown our toughness, and have learned how to manage our time better even though we might not have a good relationship with time. Take checks off his To Do List for 2021 which includes consuming positive content on the Internet as well as books and s