<p>The ADD Couple is a podcast created for those who live with or love someone who has ADHD. Join us weekly to hear a fun chat about the issues, challenges and awesomeness associated with the condition. Each short episode will focus on a central theme and include social shout-outs and more about what's going on in the world of ADHD.</p>

Brett and Jennie are the ADD Couple... but they're not really a couple... and they don't both have ADHD!

The ADD Couple

Hear what Brett and Jennie are up to and what's coming up next for The ADD Couple.

080 What s New With Us!

Freeze!

Yes, literally. You may need to freeze your assets in order to save them.

Listen to Jennie and Brett share a quick tip on how to help you curb impulsive spending.

Sometimes you have to create a pause that will allow you to think before spending money impulsively. The ADD Couple shares one way to do that.

079 The ADD Couple - Quick Tip to Help Curb Impulsive Spending

Sometimes the difficulty between two choices can be more difficult than between many. Usually because if we've narrowed our choices down to two, we feel somewhat attached to each. But which are we more attached to... and how do we discover that? The secret may lay in a coin-flip, but not in the way you might think.

Flipping a coin to make a choice is not new, but the way Brett and Jennie suggest using it certainly is!

078 The ADD Couple 'Quick-Tip' - The Mindful Coin-Flip

Brett pitches his 'one swing thought' strategy to make getting out of bed easier when you have ADHD.

ADHD Coaches Brett and Jennie share a strategy on how to get out of the bed easier in the morning when you have ADHD.

077 The ADD Couple - ADHD Quick-Tip: Get Out of Bed Easier

What happens when the physical hyperactivity you experience as a child seemingly goes away when you grow up?

Did you outgrow your ADHD?

Research says some folks do outgrow their ADHD. Listen to what The ADD Couple says about that.

076 The ADD Couple - Outgrowing ADHD

An adult ADHD diagnosis can summon a range of emotions from shock to anger to disappointment to relief, usually with each resolving itself into the next. In this episode, Jennie and Brett talk about some of the reasons a person might find themselves getting stuck in anger following a diagnosis.

Experiencing anger after an adult ADHD diagnosis may not be as uncommon as you think.

075 The ADD Couple - Diagnosis Anger

Are you enjoying your life to it's fullest?

If not, you may want to take a moment and evaluate your strengths.

And, that's not necessarily just what you're good at!

We've all heard that your strengths are the things you're good at. Today, Brett and Jennie challenge that assumption and share what they believe is the better way to determine your strengths.

074 The ADD Couple - How to Find Your Strengths May Surprise You

We hear the phrase used a lot when describing how it feels to have ADHD. In this very insightful episode, Jennie and Brett dig deeper into what being out of sync can really feel like and discuss some of the possible causes and strategies to deal with it.

What do people with ADHD really mean by feeling 'Out of Sync"?

073 The ADD Couple - What It Means to be 'Out of Sync'

Listen, as Jennie and Brett talk about transitioning from task to task and why it can take someone with ADHD so much more time and effort.

They also give a suggestion on what to do to help!

Visit www.facebook.com/ADDCouple for more.

It may seem hard to imagine a person experiencing a whole range of emotions in under 5 minutes, but with ADHD, you do!

072 The ADD Couple - Transitioning From One Task to Another Isn't Easy With ADHD

How do you get your motor running again after a big event... like the holidays? Sometimes it helps to remove the pressure to isolate according to importance, and sometimes it helps to focus on something that already has some forward momentum.

Jennie and Brett discuss post-holiday priority issues.

071 The ADD Couple - Priority Paralysis

Sometimes anticipation can be painful with ADHD. Even if you love the Holidays, it can be difficult to accomplish what we need to as they draw nearer. Listen as Jennie coaches Brett through this issue in real time.

What to do when your brain is already in Holiday mode, but your body still has work to do?

070 The ADD Couple - ADHD Holiday Anticipation & Impatience

Not everyone has the holiday spirit even with the celebrations just days away.

Listen, as The ADD Couple share their experiences and come up with a solution that they hope will help.

 

Jennie and Brett talk about the highs and lows of the holidays. Listen to their solution and let them know what you think on their Facebook page, The ADD Couple. 

069 The ADD Couple - Holiday Season Feelings and Reason 

Research shows that roughly 70% of individuals with ADHD have at least one other co-existing condition. In this episode, Brett and Jennie talk about the complications this may cause in both diagnosis and treatment.

Co-existing conditions may be more common than you realize with ADHD.

068 The ADD Couple - ADHD Rarely Travels Alone

With so much going on in our busy lives it's not easy to keep track of all that has to get done. That issue can be compounded when one or more family members have ADHD.

With shorter attention spans and less working memory, even the most eager and willing partner or family member can seem to fall short.

All the more reason to create a common system to be utilized by everyone.


Helping family members get on the same page can be easier when you all use the same tool to create a single system.

067 The ADD Couple - Tools to Help Couples and Families Get on the Same Page

Brett and Jennie talk about the conversational challenges that can sometimes accompany ADHD and ways to become more comfortable speaking in a way that jives more with the way you think.

The art of conversation in ADHD

066 The ADD Couple - Becoming Fluent In ADHD

Listen as Jennie and Brett muse over what role interest plays in relationships. 

We know that it helps to be interested in tasks you have to do, but what happens when the person you're with isn't shiny and new anymore?





Interest is important, but not everything to a relationship...you also have to like the person! 

065 The ADD Couple - Interest in ADHD Relationships

Many people understand the concept of a "Spectrum Condition". It's where the severity of impact varies from person to person. In this episode, Jennie and Brett discuss ADHD as a spectrum condition. Something that is surprisingly not that well understood sometimes.

If you've met one person with ADHD... You've met one person with ADHD!

064 The ADD Couple - The ADHD Spectrum

What happens when one person thinks the other doesn't care but it's really that they are unaware?

Today The ADD Couple talk about awareness of feelings, empathy, and finding common ground. 

They also share some strategies you can use immediately.

What happens when one person thinks the other doesn't care but it's really that they are unaware?

063 The ADD Couple - ADHD Awareness, Empathy and Finding Common Ground

With the holiday season upon us, it is common for people to find themselves more frequently in social settings. With characteristics including impulsivity, inattention and rumination common for individuals with ADHD, Brett and Jennie discuss the anxiety that these settings can sometimes create.

Pressing the rewind button on past encounters can be debilitating.

062 The ADD Couple - Social Anxiety Through Rumination

What does it mean to define yourself by your passion? Is that a good thing? What if you don't even know what it is?

Listen and Jennie and Brett talk about having many passions versus a singular drive. Perhaps, your strength comes from being more, well...well-rounded.





Many people come to coaching to "find their passion". Sometimes though, especially with ADHD, your passion may not just be one thing.

061 The ADD Couple - Passion in ADHD

Starting a change is the first step to creating change, and the catalyst to start can come from a variety of sources. In this episode, The ADD Couple talk about a change that Brett has started and really wants to stick with along with some of the motivators and challenges he's likely to encounter along the way.

Accountability and Creating New Habits

060 The ADD Couple - Making Change Stick

To do or not to do? That is often the question we ask ourselves right before we begin any action. 

Making choices is something we do everyday and as coaches, we often empower our clients when we talk about the choices they have.

But, you can also find power in taking the choice out of situations too.

Stay tuned...

Today Brett and Jennie discuss a strategy that can help you begin building routines and habits.

059 The ADD Couple - ADHD Strategy, Eliminate Choice

Many people feel pressure and believe that in order to affect meaningful change in their lives that they have to fundamentally abandon the person that they are. Jennie & Brett discuss the difference between changing who you are and changing what you do.

The essence of change doesn't have to include changing your essence.

058 The ADD Couple - Change Your Perspective... Not Who You Are

Some folks tell us that they don't want to get the diagnosis of ADHD because, "I don't want to be labelled." Or, they don't want their kid to get labelled.

Some folks even take on made-up terminology to describe certain symptoms rather than facing into a having this medical condition.

That's the stigma we're dealing with here...listen in on what the ADD Couple has to say and then let them know your thoughts at www.facebook.com/addcouple

Why do some people opt-in to using terms like "Shiny-Object Syndrome" rather than ADHD? Brett and Jennie tackle that question today!

057 The ADD Couple - ADHD, What's In A Name

Whether it's overwhelm, procrastination or rumination, one of the most significant causes of many issues faced by individuals with ADHD is the tendency to "over-analyze". In this episode of The ADD Couple, Jennie and Brett spend some time sharing their thoughts on a recent exploration of Analysis Paralysis in ADDitude Magazine.

One of the most significant causes of feeling stuck when you have ADHD.

056 The ADD Couple - Analysis Paralysis

Today we muse over a few things that we wonder if they could be due to ADHD.


As we end ADHD Awareness Month with a bang, listen to a couple of personal anecdotes Brett shares with Jennie

055 The ADD Couple - Is This an ADHD Thing?

In this episode, Jennie and Brett talk about working memory and the wide range of issues it can create for people who have ADHD being possibly the most significant of executive function challenges they encounter.

Ever feel like you need a memory upgrade just to get through the day?

Ep 054 The ADD Couple - Memory

Often times, before a diagnosis of ADHD, a person is going through life with no explanation for the paradoxes in their life.

How can they be so good at one thing and totally drop the ball with other things?

Brett and Jennie talk today about the theme of this year's ADHD Awareness Month: #knowingisbetter

As Brett explains, before he knew about his ADHD, he called into question things like his work ethic, intelligence, and determination...and there was never an answer.

Now he knows both sides of the hashtag and says indeed, knowing is better!



Brett and Jennie discuss the theme of this year's ADHD Awareness Month, #knowingisbetter, who's using it and what it means.

053 The ADD Couple -  #knowingisbetter

Who would choose to take blood pressure medication, insulin injections or use a hearing aid or eye glasses if they didn't need them. These decisions are based on disabilities, impairments and illnesses. In this episode, Brett and discuss this in the context of ADHD.

Like like all medications... no one "chooses" to take ADHD medication.

052 The ADD Couple - The Brain Steroid Myth

What is it that's different between people with ADHD from everyone else? More specifically, why do they differ in areas of motivation and activation from those who don't have ADHD.

With this question in mind, Dr. William Dodson went back over his records of clients to search for commonalities. What he discovered is, according to him, is that their nervous system is different. 

This all speaks to the construct of executive functioning in the brain.

Brett and Jennie reference an article written by Dr. Dodson in ADDitude Magazine and talk about these differences and their impact. 

ADHD is not a failed version of normal. In fact, according to Dr. Dodson, it may be a uniquely designed nervous system.

051 The ADD Couple - The ADHD Nervous System

It's often said that ADHD is not so much a deficit of attention, as it is a variability. One that is based largely on the level of interest in a topic or task. Jennie and Brett chat about this, just one of the paradoxes associated with the condition.

Being interested helps everyone engage and activate... for those with ADHD, it can be a prerequisite

050 The ADD Couple - ADHD and Interest

Many folks have a reluctance to disclose their ADHD either at work, at school, or with friends.

Brett shares his philosophy, "When you commit to full disclosure, you are taking on the ignorance of others." 

In some instances, it may be more beneficial to share specific challenges rather than a blanket statement.



Brett and Jennie talk about what can happen when you disclose your ADHD to others.

049 The ADD Couple - Reluctance to Disclose ADHD

We all have our weekend warrior stories, but sometimes ADHD weekends can be counter-productive, even when their productive... or productive, even when they're not. Confused? Listen as Brett and Jennie discuss.

Weekends... Another ADHD double-edged sword.

048 The ADD Couple - "Everybody's Workin' For The Weekend"

Implying that the choice to be happy is like a switch you can flip on or off is not helpful. Yes, you can choose your way to happiness, but it isn't done the way you think it is. 

Listen, as we talk about why just saying or thinking positive thoughts isn't going to work in the long run and what secret strategy we talk about in coaching that helps you be happier.

Knowing that you have a choice on which emotions to focus on isn't always enough to get you to choose happiness. Brett and Jennie discuss why.

047 The ADD Couple - Choosing Happiness Isn't What You Think 

In this episode Brett and Jennie discuss how life in the 24-hour news cycle can make it nearly impossible to avoid being constantly bombarded with bad news, and how the often overly-empathic nature of many people with ADHD have to learn to protect themselves.

Living in a 24-hour news cycle can do a number on your frame of mind.

046 The Impact of "Empathy Overload" - The ADD Couple

Body Double sessions are an easy way to help get you into action. In this episode, Brett and Jennie talk about how to create Body Double situations and why they are so effective when you have ADHD.

Learn how to use Body Doubling as a powerful tool to increase your productivity.

045 Increase ADHD Productivity with Body Double - The ADD Couple

Sometimes, the most common activities can present the most troublesome challenges when you have ADHD. Listen as Brett and Jennie talk about the simple act of grocery shopping.

The grocery store... so many distractions... so little time!

044 The ADD Couple - Grocery Shopping Challenges

Sometimes it's our expectations that fuel the stress of a new school year. Brett shares his experience of having his daughter begin college this year and the challenges they've faced.

Together, Brett and Jennie discuss a successful mindset to adopt that can make this transition period a little easier.

Back-to-School can be as stressful as it is exciting, especially when starting college. The ADD Couple talk about how to best manage this transitional period.

043 The ADD Couple - Parenting Your Own ADHD Kid

In this episode, Brett and Jennie talk about what goes into the creation of anxiety in a person, and how a more positive use of the same cognitive processes can result in a much more productive outcome with practice and finding the right outlet.

Sometimes it's not the strengths you have, it's the way you use them that can make all the difference.

042 The ADD Couple - The Coin Flip of Anxiety and Creativity

Emotional regulation is one of the areas most profoundly impacting people's lives and yet, is the least researched by scientists.

There's a good reason for that. 

Not that we're happy about it, but listen as we explore the topic and give a shoutout pointing you to where to go to find more information about it.




Understanding Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, a term coined by Dr William Dodson, can help you manage some of the intense emotions associated with ADHD. 

041 - The ADD Couple - Emotional Management and RSD

Brett and Jennie love being ADHD Coaches so much that they thought they'd dedicate an entire episode to coaching. But true to form, they decided to break with tradition and explore the coaching relationship primarily from the client lens.

ADHD Coaching is a partnership with roles for both the Coach and Client.

040 The ADD Couple - Clients and Coaches

There are several reasons that contribute to the thinking of Children's ADHD and Adult ADHD as separate conditions: expectations, environment, manifestation, maturity and self-awareness.

Today, the ADD Couple tackles this topic while pointing out all the reasons that support their viewpoint.

There are theories that ADHD is different in kids than it is in adults. Brett and Jennie think they know why.

039 The ADD Couple - What s the Difference Between ADHD is Kids and Adults

It's great to set and stick to goals, and in ADHD Coaching, that's often an area on which our clients want to work. But sometimes, striving toward a goal can prevent us from appreciating and learning from the process. Listen as Jennie and Brett discuss the sometimes negative connotation that 'striving' can take on in one's thinking.

Having a goal and 'striving' can sometimes have very different meanings for people.

038 The ADD Couple - Striving

With back to school just around the corner, Brett and Jennie spend a little time talking about some of the best ways to deal with the pressures of resuming a normal routine and how some of them can be very counter-intuitive.

What does getting back to school have to do with getting back to "normal"?

037 - Transitioning Back To "Normal"

What do you do when you life has gone off the rails? Is it ADHD or something more? Brett and Jennie explore the difference and what to do about it.

Do you know the difference between being distracted or being derailed?

036 The ADD Couple - Have You Been Distracted Or Derailed

The concepts of intention and action can be very different for someone with ADHD. In this episode of The ADD Couple, Jennie brings an interesting perspective to the idea of creating intention in a deliberate and mindful manner that may help you gain some insight to bridge the gap.

How does one learn to be intentional... with their intention?

035 The ADD Couple - Intention

There are people who understand ADHD and then there are those who think they do, but do not.

We think understanding what ADHD is not is just as important as knowing what it is. 

In fact, it may a great place to start when educating those who mean well.

What we think when someone says, "Try harder."

034 The ADD Couple Talk About Trying Harder

"Trying" is a trigger word for Brett, but that doesn't stop him from talking out what it means to try when you have ADHD versus when you don't with Jennie. ADHD involves automatic processes and so it's really never about "trying." 

"Trying" when you haveADHD is different than "trying" when you don't. Listen in to Brett and Jennie talk about the difference.

033 The ADD Couple - Understanding What it Means to Try With ADHD

Many of us with ADHD come to understand the "power of the pause", but sometimes in our fast-paced world, it can be challenging to give ourselves permission to pause. That permission, along with the creation of new habits around pausing can go a long way in helping us avoid unforeseen difficulties. In this episode, Jennie and Brett discuss the power of the pause and talk about ways to set up default pauses in our lives instead of always forging ahead full-steam.

Learning to build pause into your life is one of the fundamental tools of effective ADHD management.

032 The ADD Couple - The Power of the Pause

Upon return from a family holiday, Brett and Jennie engage in a conversation that starts out talking about the post-vacation transition back into the "real world", and ends up talking about how to combat the Monday morning blues and "Sunday Gut"!

What are some of the ways that we can practice avoidance and yet still remain productive?

031 The ADD Couple - Productive Avoidance

Listen in as Jennie and Brett cross the finish line in part 4 of their 4-part series covering strategies you may not have yet mastered.

Among others, they explore the benefits of attaching  meaning to your activities and routines as well as how to maintain structure and develop a growth mindset.

Strap in and enjoy the ride!

Last in our 4 part series, discover more strategies to help with your ADHD.

030 The ADD Couple with Strategies You Haven't Mastered Part 4

This episode is part 3 of our 4-part series inspired from an article on ADDitude Magazine called '13 Coping Skills You Haven't Mastered — Yet'  http://bit.ly/29NPSUM




photo credit: blogs.windows.com

Yes, there are even more strategies you probably haven't mastered yet. Today we discuss 3 more.

029 The ADD Couple with Strategies You Haven't Mastered Part 3

Some of what we cover in part 2 has to do with insights into your personal blend of ADHD. Discovering what makes you unique and tick can help you on your journey into self-discovery. Own who you are and focus on being the best you that you can be.

Jennie and Brett continue with the 13 coping strategies you may not realize are ready and waiting for you to begin using. This episode is part 2 of 4 in the series.

028 The ADD Couple with Strategies You Haven't Mastered Part 2

Listen as Brett and Jennie discuss many insights that are not so easy to develop when you have ADHD. They begin with loving yourself as you are and then go into the first of a four-part series about 13 specific strategies. 





photo credit: www.collaborationforimpact.com

027 The ADD Couple with ADHD Strategies You Haven't Mastered

ADHD support groups are broadly accepted as an effective element of a multi-modal ADHD treatment approach. In this episode, Brett and Jennie talk about the benefits of a properly facilitated group and where some of the greatest benefits and pitfalls of ADHD groups can lie.

Their can definitely be strength in numbers, but it pays to think about goals and aproach.

026 The ADD Couple - ADHD Support Groups

Therapy pets are used widely to assist in everything from physical rehabilitation to generalized anxiety and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In this episode, Jennie and Brett talk about the positive impact a household pet can also have in the management of ADHD.

Have you ever considered the difference a pet can make in managing ADHD?

025 The ADD Couple  - Pets and ADHD

Based on an article recently posted on Jennie's "See in ADHD" Facebook page, in this episode The ADD Couple discuss the misplaced tendency of some educators and teachers to withhold recess and leisure time throughout the school day as a form of punishment. They also talk about the value of recognizing the social and educational importance of these times throughout the day for all children, but especially those who have ADHD.

What is the merit of withholding recess or lunch as a form of school discipline.

024 The ADD Couple  - Don't Take Away Their Recess!

Following a question from a listener, in this short episode Jennie and Brett discuss the role of gaining insight in deciding on the correct strategies and tools for managing ADHD while talking about their intention in producing "The ADD Couple".



Gaining insight as a way to determine tools and strategies.

023 The ADD Couple - Insight vs. Tools

In this episode, Jennie and Brett have an interesting discussion about how important the role of memory is in both solidifying our memories and creating space for the new thoughts and memories we create everyday.

How sleep and memory helps you "prune" your thoughts.

022 The ADD Couple - Memory  and  Sleep

Brett and Jennie appreciate listener comments a great deal. In this episode, they expand on a topic previously touched on previously after receiving feedback from a listener who wanted to learn more about boredom, the role it plays and why it seems to occur at a deeper level in individuals with ADHD.

Responding to listener request for more detail on the role of boredom in ADHD.

021 The ADD Couple - Regular Boredom Vs. ADHD Boredom

Brett and Jennie discuss the idea of building a solid and fulfilling life by never losing focus of the "Home Team". It takes both bricks and mortar to create a life that is solid, and not easily toppled when things don't go as planned. Figuring out the role of the bricks, and the role of the mortar can be key to making sure your life can be vast without becoming too fragile.

A full-life requires the use of bricks AND mortar, but when to use which?

020 The ADD Couple - The Bricks & Mortar of Building The Home Team

One of THE most significant reasons for ADHD-related difficulties.

019 The ADD Couple - ADHD and Procrastination

After identifying the Emotional Distress Syndrome (EDS) associated with ADHD, James Ochoa wrote a book about it, "Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD". He hopes people will use it as a hands on resource. 

Jennie read the book and was so excited to share it! Listen in, as she describes to Brett what she learned about how to live with the intense emotions of ADHD.

ADHD's Emotional Distress Syndrome (EDS)

018 The ADD Couple - Emotional Complexity in ADHD

Brett and Jennie talk a little about preparing kids in their late teens with ADHD for the challenge of transitioning from high school to to either college life, or life in the real world. In their discussion, they reference the work of Dr. Wes Crenshaw, a family therapist out of Kansas, and author of the book, "I Always Want To Be Where I am Not: Successful Living With ADD and ADHD".

From High School to College and Beyond with ADHD

017 The ADD Couple  - Preparing For Launch

In This episode, Brett and Jennie get into a pretty interesting conversation about recent neurological research that demonstrates that the human need to seek can actually be rewarding in and of itself. This chat may get a little deep at times (although not for long), but in the ADHD world, where what's actually happening often takes a back seat to what else might be happening... it's good to know that apparently it is possible to find true happiness in the journey. Even if only to let your restless self off the hook once in a while.

What if the secret to seeking happiness is actually in the seeking?

016 The ADD Couple - The Contentment of Seeking!

Why is it that individuals with ADHD tend to be such "Black & White" thinkers? It's pretty well accepted that nuance is something that often alludes us. In this episode, Jennie and Brett hypothesize about the role that a desire for "Safety" might play in this tendency. And how the overwhelming power of our "Lizard Brain" might get in the way of becoming more comfortable with life lived in the greys once in a while, where things can be slightly less stressful.

What makes people with ADHD so eager to seek certainty?

015 The ADD Couple - 'Lizard Brain', Safety and ADHD

It has been said that people with ADHD tend to have an "over-developed" sense of authenticity. In other words, they feel an intense need to be true to who they really are, sometimes to a fault. On the surface, this seems like it would be a good thing, but it can cause difficulty in real-life situations, and sometime even result in "self-sabotage". In this episode, Brett and Jennie chat about the role of unwavering authenticity, and the barrier it can create for some individuals as it prevents them from moving forward.