Overcoming Distractions-Thriving with ADHD, ADD

Hosted by David A Greenwood

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Episodes

382

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Overcoming Distractions-Thriving with Adult ADHD takes a street-smart approach to managing adult ADHD. This is THE podcast for busy professional adults, including business owners, entrepreneurs, CEO's, marketing and creative professionals and even PHD's with demanding workloads. The podcast is an excellent resource for any adult, especially individuals looking for strategies and tactics to create better circumstances in their professional lives. If you're a small business owner with ADHD and other life responsibilities, this is the perfect podcast to help you navigate the ups and downs of business and life with ADHD. Every week host David Greenwood, author of the book by the same name, has experts in the field of adult ADHD as well as other entrepreneurs with ADHD. Every episode is packed with solutions and methodical approaches to having a better life with ADHD. The podcast covers productivity, navigating workloads, how to manage yourself in a chaotic work environment, and burnout. And MUCH more! Entrepreneurs and business owners with ADHD share their insights and approaches with Dave regularly on the podcast. How did they do it and what do they need to have in place to be successful? Those answers can be found in the podcast. There are also many episodes with just Dave, who shares his thoughts as a busy entrepreneur with ADHD. Dave Greenwood has been both an entrepreneur for decades and an executive at one of the most recognized brands in the world, doing it all with ADHD. This is not a Q&A or a stuffy podcast. Every time you hit the download button, you'll feel like you're having a cup of coffee or a pint of your favorite beer with Dave and/for his guests.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 23, 202642 min

Your Stress, Your ADHD, Your Kids: Why Nervous System Regulation Matters

In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, Dave talks with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge and discusses the critical role of nervous system regulation in managing ADHD, stress, and parenting. She shares practical techniques for calming the nervous system, the impact of dysregulation on performance and relationships, and how to implement micro-moments of regulation for a healthier, more focused life. If you are a busy professional with ADHD and also a parent, you'll learn practical advice for managing stress of being in business and a parent at the same time. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min Dave and Dr. Rosanne discuss: Nervous system and stress response Impact of dysregulation on performance and relationships Techniques for micro-moments of regulation The science behind stress and regulation Parenting with regulation in mind The role of self-love and repair in emotional health How stress affects children and family dynamics Strategies for daily regulation practices Find out more about Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge: The Dysregulation Insider - www.drroseann.com/newsletter The Dysregulated Kid - Order NOW - www.drroseann.com/dysregulatedkid

October 16, 202628 min

The Price of Being the Person Who Always Gets It Done

What if the very reliability that built your success is the same thing burning you out? Dave addresses a common dilemma for high-achieving adults, leaders, and entrepreneurs with ADHD. Being the reliable person who always delivers, but at the cost of personal energy, priorities, and peace of mind. While relying on urgency and effort can produce results, it is often unsustainable over the long term. Key Discussion Points: The Hidden Costs of Reliability: Overextending yourself drains strategic focus, pushes personal priorities aside, hides internal mental overload behind external success, and ties personal identity to being indispensable. Why ADHDers Get Caught in the Cycle: Factors like relying on urgency for momentum, struggling to assess capacity, seeking immediate rewards from solving problems, and serving as the default organizational safety net drive this pattern. What busy professionals with ADHD can do to take their time and energy back! How to stop being the person who does everything. But still be a reliable leader. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

October 10, 202639 min

The Hidden Mind-Body ADHD Connection-Is Your Posture Hijacking Your Focus?

How can shifting your physical movement and regulating your nervous system unlock greater focus, emotional calm, and clarity for busy professionals with ADHD? In this episode of Overcoming Distractions -Thriving with Adult ADHD, Dave welcomes Beverly Atkins, founder of Posture, a mobile app featuring guided somatic audio lessons based on the Feldenkrais Method. Together, they explore how ADHD affects the nervous system and how chronic stress often manifests physically through posture, tension, and pain. Beverly shares her personal journey from corporate burnout and back pain to discovering how guided movement can downregulate a hyperactive nervous system. Beverly and Dave discuss how body-centered awareness can help tame urgency, quiet mental noise, and rewire the brain for long-term clarity. Go to https://www.pauseture.com/ Enter custom code, DAVE30, to receive a 30-day free trial. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

October 5, 202629 min

ADHD and Workload Management: How to Recognize When You're Working Beyond Your Capacity

What if the problem isn't that you need to manage your time better. Maybe you're consistently asking yourself to operate beyond your actual capacity? For busy professionals, business owners and entrepreneurs with adult ADHD, it's easy to confuse capability with capacity . You may be capable of taking on another client, meeting another deadline or squeezing one more responsibility into your day. But can you do it and not be exhausted? Dave discusses: What professional capacity really means, including time, energy, attention, cognitive and emotional capacity. Why adults with ADHD can find themselves consistently operating over capacity. How urgency, hyperfocus, overcommitment and difficulty saying no contribute to the problem. Practical ways to create buffers, match work to energy, delegate and establish a capacity ceiling. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

September 25, 202636 min

Sheer Will: How a Fortune 500 CEO & U.S. Cabinet Secretary Led with Undiagnosed ADHD

How can a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis reshape our understanding of executive leadership and personal success? In this episode of Overcoming Distractions , Dave interviews Carlos Gutierrez, author of Sheer Will: Learning to Lead When There Is No Path . Gutierrez, the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former CEO of the Kellogg Company, shares his journey of rising through corporate and government ranks before receiving an ADHD diagnosis at age 65. The conversation highlights how unaddressed executive skill gaps can be balanced by leveraging personal strengths, intuition, and strategic delegation. Executive Leadership With ADHD Leveraging Core Strengths: Gutierrez discusses utilizing macro-level pattern recognition, public speaking, and rapid decision-making while relying on dedicated team members to manage detail-heavy operations and administrative logistics. The Role of Self-Awareness: The value of identifying personal blind spots, such as procrastination and impulsivity, to avoid ill-fitting tasks and build complementary teams. Channeling Hyperfocus and Drive: How turning high-engagement tasks into sources of deep focus allowed Gutierrez to progress from selling cereal out of a van to leading major organizations. Cultivating Optimism and Reframing Failure: Strategies for leaders with ADHD to celebrate achievements, manage internal stress, and project confidence to their teams despite continuous challenges. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

September 21, 202623 min

ADHD and Prioritization: How to Stop Treating Every Task Like an Emergency

What if everything doesn't actually need your attention right now…but your ADHD brain is making it feel that way? If you are a business owner with ADHD, busy executive or leader, the challenge isn't knowing how to prioritize; it's that your brain experiences almost everything as urgent simultaneously. In this episode, Dave will explore why immediate demands hijack our focus, the hidden costs of living in perpetual fire-fighting mode, and practical tools to take back control of your workday. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min ADHD and Urgency in the workplace. Why ADHD Amplifies Urgency: How time blindness, the pull of immediate stimulation, and emotional discomfort trick your brain into treating every task like a top-priority emergency. The High Cost of Urgency Mode: How constant reactivity leads to decision fatigue, endless context switching, burnout, and becoming your company's default "emergency response system." Creating Systems Outside Your Brain: Using structured categories to eliminate the fatigue of making repeated prioritization decisions. Protecting Uninterrupted Focus: Why block-scheduling, boundary-setting, and pre-defining what truly constitutes a "real emergency" are essential for strategic work.

September 11, 202625 min

How to Avoid The ADHD Tax in Your Business-Work With Less Stress and More Fulfillment

What if the recurring problems in your career or business aren't a sign that you need to work harder, but a sign that you need a better system? For busy professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs with ADHD, constantly remembering, rescuing, reorganizing, and starting over can create an "ADHD tax" in time, energy, money, and mental bandwidth. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min In this episode, Dave explores questions to help you: Identify where you're paying the ADHD tax in your business. Turn recurring problems into simple systems Reduce mental load by externalizing information Automate, delegate, or eliminate unnecessary work Stop relying so heavily on memory Find opportunities for a 1% improvement The goal isn't a perfect system. It's creating a little more ease, control, and space for what matters.

September 2, 202636 min

Brilliant Brains, Hidden Struggles- Decoding ADHD and Hormones for Professional Women

How does ADHD manifest uniquely in women across their lifespan, and why are so many high-achieving professionals being missed or misdiagnosed? In this episode of Overcoming Distractions , Dave talks with Dr. Jolene Brighten, naturopathic endocrinologist, nutrition scientist, and author of " ADHD and Women " to unpack the often-overlooked nuances of neurodivergence in female professionals. Dr. Brighten shares her insights as a late-diagnosed "AuDHDer," explaining how hormonal shifts, cultural expectations, and internalized hyperactivity create distinct challenges for women in business, health, and daily life. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min Dr. Jolene and Dave Discuss: The Entrepreneurial Advantage: Why ADHD brains excel at creativity and problem-solving, yet often struggle within rigid corporate structures. The Diagnosis Gap: How up to 75% of women reach adulthood undiagnosed, often receiving their diagnosis during perimenopause when changing hormones amplify symptoms. Hormones & Executive Function: The impact of fluctuating estrogen and progesterone across the menstrual cycle, including the connection to premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Masking & Internalized Hyperactivity: Why female ADHD presents as internal restlessness, overthinking, and burnout rather than overt physical hyperactivity. Find Dr. Brighten on her website: https://drbrighten.com/

August 21, 202637 min

Overcoming the Wall of Awful- Peak Performance Strategies for the ADHD Brain

Why do high-performing professionals with ADHD so often feel paralyzed by simple or critical tasks, and how can you break through those hidden barriers? In this episode of Overcoming Distractions , Dave welcomes back ADHD coach and author Brendan Mahan to discuss his book Overcoming the Wall of Awful: Why It's Hard to Get Things Done with ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety (and How to Do Them Anyway) Even top executives, business owners, and driven entrepreneurs struggle with the invisible emotional friction that halts execution. Brendan breaks down how past failures, uncertainty, and fear of rejection stack up like bricks between us and our goals, and provides a practical blueprint for navigating through, over, or around those mental walls. Meet Brendan Mahan here and find your copy of the book! www.TheWallofAwful.com **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

August 14, 202622 min

ADHD at Work: Why Uninterrupted Focus Time Matters for Busy Professionals

What if the biggest productivity problem for adults with ADHD isn't a lack of focus, but not having enough uninterrupted time to focus? For business owners, entrepreneurs, and busy professionals with adult ADHD, constant interruptions, meetings, emails, messages, and competing priorities can make it nearly impossible to reach the level of focus needed for high-quality work. In this episode, Dave explains why large blocks of protected time can be one of the most powerful productivity tools available to the ADHD brain. And he offers ways to create them despite the demands of a busy professional life. The goal isn't to work harder. It's to create the conditions that allow your ADHD brain to do its best work. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min