ADHD reWired

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 - @JoMelecaVoigt 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: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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 http://www.erictivers.com/expo2016. 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 http://erictivers.com/events. 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 http://ADHDreWired.com 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 here.

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 Kitchen Safe. I also suggest she use Waze. 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 - GoneWithWynne Twitter - @GoneWithWynne Facebook – GoneWithWynne Instagram - @GoneWithWynne 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, The Value in the Valley and In the Meantime. [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)! http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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 http://ADHDreWired.com 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS 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 here.

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 KanbanFlow. 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 Realtime Board, Process Street, and Edgar. Connect with Liz Applegate! Podcast - Midlife Schmidlife Midlife Schmidlife on Facebook Liz Applegate on Twitter Midlife Schmidlife on Instagram Liz Applegate on Pinterest 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)! http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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 http://ADHDreWired.com 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS 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 here.

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 http://coachingrewired.com Today, Monday August 29th, we are doing a live Q&A webinar Register at http://EricTivers.com/events 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 http://www.erictivers.com/125strategiesvideo 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: http://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/ Connect with Donna! Website – http://clickadhdservices.com Email – dr.donna@clickadhdservices.com or donna.barre@comcast.net 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: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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: http://coachingrewired.com 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS 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 here.

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 Google Keep [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: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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: http://coachingrewired.com 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS 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 here.

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 (The Running Lifestyle Podcast). 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: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired 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: http://coachingrewired.com 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS 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 here.

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: http://www.erictivers.com/adultstudyhall 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 http://coachingrewired.com 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. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HDJCSSS Reach Andrew Wilcox: Blog: https://eatlivedreamadd.wordpress.com/ 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: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired

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 http://www.tlec.info/ Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/TheLifeEmpowermentCenter/?fref=ts Twitter @adhdinsights Audible books mentioned Get a free audiobook Download at www.audibletrial.com/adhdrewired The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield Contact Eric Tivers @ http://adhdrewired.com Inquire about the ADHD reWired coaching and accountability group @ http://coachingrewired.com 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 here. 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