The ADHD CEO

Hosted by Alyece Smith

Business Marketing

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Episodes

219

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Welcome to The ADHD CEO. The podcast for ambitious entrepreneurs with ADHD done forcing themselves into neurotypical business models. If sales feel like panic-launching, you overthink instead of selling, or “just be consistent” doesn’t work for your brain... you're in the right place. Each week, I share ADHD-friendly sales tips, dopamine-driven marketing, and real talk on scaling a sustainable business without burnout. Follow now and make sales work for your brain.

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August 18, 202620 min

219: Don't Say Accommodation: The ADHD Script That Actually Gets a Yes at Work

Full show notes here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/what-to-say-to-your-boss-about-adhd-script-ep-219/ Last week I told you why your company will not support you even when supporting you is cheaper than replacing you. This week I am giving you the actual words. Not a framework. Not advocate for yourself. Sentences, in order, that you can say out loud on Monday. And it starts with the part that surprises people. Do not lead with the word accommodation. If you do, you just routed a ninety minute schedule shift into a process built by lawyers to limit liability, and it will take three weeks and probably get you less. There are two doors here. Almost nobody knows they are choosing. Note: I am a certified ADHD coach and a systems expert, not an attorney and not a doctor. Nothing in this episode is legal advice, and I say exactly where that line sits. In this episode: (00:00) Why the most important word is one you should not say first(02:00) The two doors, and how your wording picks one for you(04:00) What the ADA actually requires, and why door two is not a magic key(05:00) The four sentence script: setup, observation, ask, output(06:00) Five filled in scripts, word for word(10:00) Four phrases to never use(11:00) When to use the word accommodation on purpose(12:30) What to do if they say no(14:00) For managers: your ten seconds Your one action: take the one change that would most improve your actual work. Write the four sentences. Read it back and cut "I struggle with," "I have ADHD so," and any hedging. Send it tomorrow, not today. Then DM me on Instagram @socially.ausome and tell me what you asked for and what they said. I want the nos as much as the yeses. Resources mentioned: FLOW-First Thinking on Amazon and Audible: https://amzn.to/3TaVuD7 My TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBaJhU1gOVU Free Spark Tracker, find your focus windows before you ask for them: https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page Book me to speak: https://sociallyausome.com/alyece_speaking Discounted 1-hour call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/onehourwithalyecesmithg0cjjj If this one helped, leave the podcast a review. It costs nothing and it is how other ADHD adults find it.

August 11, 2026Episode 21819 min

218: Why Companies Won't Support Their ADHD Employees (Even When It Costs Them More)

Full show notes here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/why-companies-wont-support-adhd-employees/ What You'll Learn: The real cost of replacing an employee (and why it's higher than you think) The three wrong answers companies give and why they're wrong The Split Ledger: the structural reason accommodation never happens Four mechanics that keep the cost and the cure in different places What to do if you're an ADHD employee at an unsupportive job What managers need to see to change behavior Key Numbers: Gallup: Replacing an employee costs 50-200% of their annual salary SHRM: Same range, depending on role Mid-level employee at $60K: Replacement costs $30-$120K Voluntary turnover costs US businesses: ~$1 trillion per year Team productivity drop after turnover: ~11% The Split Ledger — 4 Mechanics: Cost (HR budget) and cure (manager decision) have different owners Timelines don't match (quarterly goals vs. 14-month retention) No line item for "resignations prevented" Accommodation gets routed through legal, not performance Three Tactical Moves for ADHD Employees: Don't use "accommodation" unless you need legal protection If you do need protection, use it deliberately Frame requests as output, not as personal need Want to talk about ADHD Consulting for your company? Fill out the form here: https://sociallyausome.com/adhd-workplace-consultant Resources: FLOW-First Thinking: https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking Book Alyece to Speak: https://sociallyausome.com/alyece_speaking Instagram: @socially.ausome

August 4, 2026Episode 21717 min

217: Your Achievement Is an ADHD Symptom

Full show notes here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-overachiever-achievement-is-a-symptom-ep-217/ I want to read you a list. A TEDx talk. Two books. Two coaching certifications. A marketing agency. A nonprofit board seat. This podcast. I do not think I collected any of that because I am ambitious. I think I collected it because somewhere around age nine I figured out that being impressive was the only thing that made being difficult forgivable. And not one of those things ever felt like arriving. This episode makes an uncomfortable argument: for a lot of ADHD adults, achievement is not the evidence that we overcame our ADHD. Achievement is the symptom. Stay to the end for one question, four seconds, that tells you the difference between ambition and armor. In this episode: (00:00) The list, and why I do not think it is ambition(02:00) "She has so much potential" and what that sentence actually installs(04:30) Sign one: the finish line moves every single time(05:45) Sign two: you collect credentials you do not need(06:45) Sign three: rest feels like risk(07:30) Sign four: you cannot take a compliment and cannot function without one(09:00) Why ADHD brains get trapped here specifically(11:00) What it cost me, and the business I burned down(12:30) The four second question: ambition or armor Your one action: take the next goal on your list and ask, if nobody ever found out I did this, would I still do it? Then DM me on Instagram @socially.ausome and tell me which goal it was and what the answer was. Resources mentioned: FLOW-First Thinking on Amazon and Audible: https://amzn.to/3TaVuD7 My TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBaJhU1gOVU Free Spark Tracker: https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page Discounted 1-hour call for listeners who finish the episode: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/onehourwithalyecesmithg0cjjj If the book has made you feel seen, drop it a review on Amazon. It costs nothing, and it is how other ADHD adults find it.

July 28, 202614 min

216: I Wasn't Ashamed of My ADHD. I Was Confused by It.

Full show notes here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/i-wasnt-ashamed-of-my-adhd-i-was-confused-by-it-ep-216/ Last week I promised I'd say something on this show I've never said out loud. Especially not live. So here it is. For years I didn't tell people I have ADHD, and everybody assumes that means shame. Part of that's true. But the bigger reason was this: I didn't think anybody would believe me. How do you say out loud that you built a six-figure business, spoke on a TEDx stage, and also have no idea where the water bottle you filled up forty minutes ago went? It sounds made up. So I said nothing for years and called it privacy. In this episode, I walk through the three walls that kept me quiet, and wall three is one I've genuinely never admitted publicly. In this episode: (00:00) The thing I've never said out loud (01:30) Wall one — everyone pictures a bouncing eight-year-old boy (04:15) Wall two — why the ADHD contradiction makes you sound like you're lying (05:00) Why ADHD pattern recognition points outward but never inward (07:15) No, we don't hate structure — we can't reliably build it (08:00) Why "everyone's a little ADHD" is not a compliment (09:30) Wall three — the one I've never admitted (13:00) What actually changed: I stopped asking one side of my brain to disappear Your one action: pick the wall you're standing behind and name it out loud. Then DM me on Instagram @socially.ausome and tell me which one is yours... wall three especially, because I've never heard anyone else say that one. Resources mentioned: 📖 FLOW-First Thinking (Amazon + Audible) → https://amzn.to/3TaVuD7 🎤 My TEDx talk → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBaJhU1gOVU ✨ Free Spark Tracker → https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page 🎧 My episode on ADHD Rewired → https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-rewired-masking-burnout-alyece-smith 💼 Discounted 1-hour call (listeners who finish the episode) → https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/onehourwithalyecesmithg0cjjj If this one hits, please leave the episode a review; it's the best compliment you can give!

July 21, 2026Episode 21513 min

215: 7 ADHD Business Hacks That Actually Work | ADHD Entrepreneur Productivity

Full Shownotes Here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/7-adhd-business-hacks-that-actually-work-ep-215 ⚡ TL;DR — What You'll Get From This Episode 7 ADHD business hacks built for your actual brain, not a neurotypical productivity system Why "I'll remember it later" is costing you ideas, money, and follow-through The real reason you keep abandoning offers right before they'd have worked One rule (Hack #7) that changed how this entire business runs Book Alyece to speak at your organization: ⁠https://sociallyausome.com/alyece_speaking⁠ FLOW-First Thinking - the book: ⁠https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking⁠ Tag ⁠@socially.ausome on Instagram⁠ with a screenshot of you listening. If this episode hits, please leave a review. It is the best compliment you can give. Make it simple. Make it social. Make it Ausome.

July 14, 202618 min

214: Did Anyone Ever Ask Her How She Works Best? | ADHD CEO Podcast Ep 214

Full Show Notes: https://sociallyausome.com/post/did-anyone-ask-how-she-works-best-adhd-workplace-ep-214 I once spoke with a manager after she let someone go. She walked me through everything. The missed deadlines. The late arrivals. The blank stare in meetings. She had done everything by the book. Documented. Coached. Warned. I asked her one question. "Did anyone ever ask her how she works best?" She went quiet. That employee wasn't difficult. She was unaccommodated. Nobody knew she had ADHD. Nobody asked. And the entire system she was handed was built for a brain she doesn't have. This episode answers the question a licensed clinical social worker left in my comments: "What helps managers create enough trust for that conversation before performance is already affected?" In this episode: - Why neurodivergent employees don't disclose what they need - and it is not withholding - The invisible adaptation job ADHD employees perform every day that nobody hired them to do - Why psychological safety is built in the moment after a small ask - not in a policy - 3 behaviors that create trust before the crisis hits The most expensive conversation in business is the one nobody had six months earlier. Book Alyece to speak at your organization: https://sociallyausome.com/alyece_speaking FLOW-First Thinking - the book: https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking Miss Episode 213? That's where this series started. https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-workplace-5-things-managers-get-wrong-ep-213/ Tag @socially.ausome on Instagram with a screenshot of you listening. If this episode hits, please leave a review. It is the best compliment you can give. Make it simple. Make it social. Make it Ausome.

June 30, 2026Episode 21317 min

213: ADHD in the Workplace: 5 Things Every Manager Gets Wrong

Full show notes : https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-workplace-5-things-managers-get-wrong-ep-213/ Every day, somewhere in a corporate office, a performance review is being written about an employee who is brilliant, creative, fast, and completely exhausting to manage. The manager has no idea they are describing unaccommodated ADHD. This episode is for two audiences. If you are an employee, you are going to feel seen. If you are a manager or HR professional, you are going to walk away with something you can use before your next performance conversation. The 5 things: 1. Confusing inconsistency with unreliability 2. Treating ADHD symptoms as attitude problems 3. Equating busyness with productivity, and stillness with laziness 4. Designing systems for one kind of brain and calling it fairness 5. Waiting for a diagnosis before offering accommodation Each one has a practical fix. No jargon. No checkbox. Just the conversation that needs to happen inside more organizations. Bring this conversation to your organization: https://sociallyausome.com/alyece_speaking Work With Alyece: https://sociallyausome.com/work_with_alyece FLOW-First Thinking - the book: https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking Tag @socially.ausome on Instagram with a screenshot of you listening. If this episode hit, please leave a review. It's the best compliment you can give. Make it simple. Make it social. Make it Ausome.

June 23, 2026Episode 21211 min

212: ADHD Pattern Recognition: - The Gift That Feels Like Overthinking

Full show notes: ⁠https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-pattern-recognition-gift-feels-like-overthinking-ep-212/⁠ You were right. You saw it coming. You said something, and nobody believed you. And then it happened exactly the way you said it would. And instead of being trusted, you got called negative. Anxious. Too sensitive. Overthinking. This episode is about naming what's actually happening in your brain and why the "feeling" you always have isn't a feeling at all. It's data. In this episode: Why ADHD pattern recognition gets mislabeled as anxiety and negativity What's actually happening when your brain "just knows" something The compounding cost of being dismissed over and over 3 shifts that help you stop apologizing for seeing what others miss You don't have a thinking problem. You have a translation problem. FREE: Spark Tracker — find your real execution windows https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page FLOW-First Thinking — the book on building with your ADHD brain https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking ADHDpreneur Academy https://sociallyausome.com/adhdpreneur_academy-2026 Tag @socially.ausome on Instagram with a screenshot of you listening. Leave a review if this episode hit. It's the best compliment you can give. Make it simple. Make it social. Make it Ausome.

June 16, 2026Episode 21110 min

211: AI Is Making Your ADHD Worse

Full Shownotes Here: https://sociallyausome.com/episode_211 You downloaded three AI tools last month. Your follow-up email is still in your drafts. Here's what nobody in the productivity space is saying right now: AI tools are giving ADHD entrepreneurs a brand new, socially acceptable way to stay in prep mode forever. And because it looks like work, you don't even realize it's happening. In this episode:- Why "avoidance" now looks like productivity — and why that makes it more dangerous than Netflix ever was- The exact prep mode trap AI has created for ADHD brains - Why compounding confidence erosion is the real cost (not just lost time) - 3 boundaries that put AI back in its lane so you can actually execute - How the people getting results are using AI completely differently. This one will be uncomfortably specific. Good. FREE RESOURCE: 10 Ways ADHD Entrepreneurs Can Use Claude Cowork Every Day. Not prompts. Not a course. Ten real ADHD business problems and exactly how to use AI to finish the work — not avoid it. https://sociallyausome.com/claude-cowork-guide FREE DOWNLOAD: Spark Tracker — find your real execution windows https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page FLOW-First Thinking — Alyece's book on building a business with your ADHD brain https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking ADHDpreneur Academy — execution, decision-making, follow-through https://sociallyausome.com/adhdpreneur_academy-2026 Tag @socially.ausome on Instagram with a screenshot of you listening. If this episode hit — leave a review. It's the best compliment you can give. Make it simple. Make it social. Make it Ausome.

June 2, 2026Episode 21048 min

210: Wired for More: The ADHD High Achiever's Guide to Nervous System Performance with Ian Mai

Full Shownotes Here: https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-wired-for-more-nervous-system-performance-ian-mai-ep-210/ You've hit every quota. You've built the business. You've stood on stage. And you're still exhausted , still numbing , still feeling like it's never enough. That's not a discipline problem. That's a nervous system problem. Ian Mai spent 12 years in tech consulting, became a president's club sales rep AND a pro bodybuilder simultaneously, and still hit complete rock bottom in 2020. The addictions, the near-failed marriage, the burnout he couldn't grind his way out of — all of it traced back to one thing: unmanaged ADHD and a nervous system that had never learned to rest. In this episode, we cover: Why the highly successful but quietly suffering ADHD professional never feels like enough The real neurological link between ADHD and addiction Why zone two cardio is non-negotiable for ADHD nervous system recovery How to use exercise to rehearse high-pressure moments before they happen The "double tab" awareness method and how it breaks the shame-avoidance cycle What it actually takes to go from knowing what to do to doing it Ian is opening his H2 group coaching cohort on July 1st, and all of June is FREE for early sign-ups. Connect with Ian:🌐 ianmai.co 🤝 linkedin.com/in/ian-mai-coaching 🆓 Free Skool Community: skool.com/adhd-wired-for-more-6065/about 📅 Book an intro call: calendly.com/ian-mai/30-minute-intro Resources from Alyece:📖 FLOW-First Thinking: sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking ✨ Free Spark Tracker: sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page 🎓 ADHDpreneur Academy: sociallyausome.com/adhdpreneur_academy-2026