The ADHD CEO

Hosted by Alyece Smith

Business Marketing

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211

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Jun 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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June 16, 2026Episode 21110 min

211: AI Is Making Your ADHD Worse

Full Shownotes Here: https://sociallyausome.com/episode_211You 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 windowshttps://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page FLOW-First Thinking — Alyece's book on building a business with your ADHD brainhttps://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking ADHDpreneur Academy — execution, decision-making, follow-throughhttps://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 enoughThe real neurological link between ADHD and addictionWhy zone two cardio is non-negotiable for ADHD nervous system recoveryHow to use exercise to rehearse high-pressure moments before they happenThe "double tab" awareness method and how it breaks the shame-avoidance cycleWhat it actually takes to go from knowing what to do to doing itIan 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-introResources 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

May 12, 2026Episode 2099 min

209: You Don't Have a Productivity Problem. You Have a FLOW Problem

FULL SHOWNOTES HERE: https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-productivity-problem-flow-problem-ep-209/Every productivity system you've tried was built for a brain you don't have. This episode reframes the whole thing — it's not a discipline problem, it's a flow access problem. Alyece walks through what Spark Times are, why activation rituals work when willpower doesn't, and how to build your business around your energy instead of fighting it.🔗 Grab FLOW-First Thinking: https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking🔗 Free Spark Tracker: https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page

May 5, 2026Episode 20812 min

208: "Just Be More Disciplined" Is the Worst Advice You'll Ever Get as an ADHD Entrepreneur

FULL SHOWNOTES HERE: https://sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-just-be-more-disciplined-worst-advice-ep-208/You've bought 14 planners. You've time-blocked. You've eaten the frog. And by 10 am, you're done for the day. The problem isn't you ... it's that discipline was never the answer for an ADHD brain. In this episode, Alyece breaks down why dopamine is the real motivation fuel, why every system without it will fail, and three specific techniques from the FLOW-First framework to finally get boring tasks done: dopamine pairing, temporal building, and batching.🔗 Grab FLOW-First Thinking: https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking🔗 Free Spark Tracker: https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page

April 21, 2026Episode 2079 min

207: What Happens When an ADHD Brain Finally Stops Fighting Itself

Full Shownotes Here: sociallyausome.com/post/adhd-brain-stops-fighting-itself-ep207You didn't fail today because you weren't trying hard enough.You failed because your ADHD brain spent the whole day doing everything except the one thing that would have moved your business forward. And the wild part? You felt productive the whole time.That's the safe-task cycle. And it's keeping you busy, exhausted, and broke.In this episode, I break down:Why your ADHD brain keeps choosing the wrong taskThe difference between a priority-based brain and an interest-based brainThe one move you can make tomorrow that changes everythingWhy FLOW-First Thinking is the framework built for how your brain actually worksThis isn't a motivation problem. It never was.Resources mentioned:📖 FLOW-First Thinking → sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking💛 Focused & Free → sociallyausome.com/ffmembership🎓 ADHDpreneur Academy → sociallyausome.com/adhdpreneur_academy-2026

April 7, 2026Episode 20610 min

206: You’re Not Busy: The ADHD Time Management Lie That’s Keeping You Stuck

Full ShowNotes Here: https://linkly.link/2fiwxYou’re not busy. You’re avoiding.In this episode, we break down the real reason ADHD entrepreneurs stay stuck in “busy work” while the things that actually drive revenue never get done. This isn’t about discipline or better time management. This is about the task avoidance spiral, emotional safety, and the patterns quietly running your business.If you’ve ever ended the day exhausted with nothing to show for it, this episode will call it out and show you what to do instead.You’ll learn:• What the task avoidance spiral actually looks like in real life• Why your brain chooses “safe tasks” over revenue-driving actions• How to identify your avoidance patterns• What flow-first systems look like in action🎯 Ready to stop circling and start executing?👉 Grab the details + next steps here: https://linkly.link/2fiwx

March 17, 2026Episode 20514 min

205: I Said Five Minutes. It's Been Four Hours. | ADHD Time Blindness

Full Show Notes: https://linkly.link/2e4m8I Said Five Minutes. It's Been Four Hours. (ADHD Time Blindness)I sat down at 2pm to answer one email.I looked up and it was 6:47pm. I had reorganized my entire desktop, watched a 45-second video about how saltwater pools work, started a note titled "content ideas october" even though it was March, and looked up whether fennec foxes make good pets.The one email I sat down for? Still open. Still unread.That is ADHD time blindness. And if that was uncomfortably specific, this episode is for you.🎧 In this episode:What ADHD time blindness actually is — and why it's neurological, not a discipline problemWhy ADHD brains only have two time zones: now and not nowWhy every piece of standard time management advice fails us specifically5 tips that actually work including the one tool that changed everythingHow to stop fighting your brain's time perception and start building around it✨ Free Spark Tracker → sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page📖 FLOW-First Thinking (the full system) → sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking💙 Focused & Free Membership → sociallyausome.com/ffmembership🎤 Neurodivergent Business Summit — Free Registration → linkly.link/2daPbYou are not bad at time. You have a brain that processes time differently. Those are not the same thing. You do not fix the clock. You build a workaround. And workarounds are kind of our specialty.

March 10, 2026Episode 20418 min

204: The Day My ADHD Mask Broke (And What I Built After)

Full Show Notes Here: https://linkly.link/2ddDlI want to tell you about a call I paid $1,000 for.I got on. I nodded. I said "that makes so much sense" at least four times. I hung up and had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do next.Not because the coach did anything wrong. I spent the entire hour managing how I was coming across instead of actually absorbing what she said. I processed maybe thirty percent of that call.A thousand dollars. And I left more confused than when I started.That's ADHD masking. And I didn't even know I'd been wearing one.In this episode, I'm getting personal about what masking actually is, what masking burnout really looks like (hint: it doesn't look like falling apart — it looks like functioning perfectly until one day you just can't), and what I built after the mask shattered.🎧 In this episode:What ADHD masking actually is — and why high-achievers are most at riskThe quiet buildup nobody talks about before burnout hits5 specific signs you might be masking right now without knowing itThe single schedule change that made the most difference over anything else I triedHow the FLOW-First framework was born directly from the unmasking process📲 DM me MASKING on Instagram, and I'll send you the free checklist with the 5 signs + 4 moves to start unmasking this week → instagram.com/socially.ausome📖 FLOW-First Thinking (the book built from the aftermath) → sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking✨ Free Spark Tracker → sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-page🎤 Neurodivergent Business Summit — Free Registration → linkly.link/2daPb💙 Focused & Free Membership → sociallyausome.com/ffmembershipThe mask is protective. It kept you safe in a world that wasn't built for your brain. But at some point, the protection becomes the problem.Real is a competitive advantage. And what you build after the mask breaks? That's the good stuff.

March 3, 2026Episode 20313 min

203 | What Mel Robbins Got Right — And the ADHD Layer She Missed

Full Show Notes: https://linkly.link/2ceEBI just listened to the most-shared podcast episode of 2025 — Mel Robbins sitting down with Stanford researcher Dr. Stacy Sims to discuss how women should actually eat and exercise for energy, health, and fat loss.And it was genuinely life-changing.But the whole time I kept thinking: nobody is talking about what happens when you add an ADHD brain to this equation.In this episode, I break down what Mel and Dr. Sims got exactly right and add the ADHD chapter they didn't write.WHAT WE COVER:▶ Why the most shared podcast episode of 2025 resonated with millions of women▶ What Dr. Stacy Sims (Stanford, 107 peer-reviewed studies) says about fasted training — and why it backfires for women▶ The cortisol spike women have every morning — and what food does to bring it down▶ Why intermittent fasting until noon doesn't work for women (but eating by 8 am does)▶ The "protein coffee" hack that solves the breakfast problem for busy women▶ Why women over 40 need heavier weights with FEWER reps — not more cardio▶ The ADHD layer that Mel's episode didn't cover: dopamine, executive dysfunction, and time blindness on top of all of this▶ How FLOW-First Thinking helps neurodivergent women design a system their brain will actually cooperate with▶ 3 actionable takeaways you can use starting today📖 FLOW-First Thinking (Alyece's book) → https://sociallyausome.com/books/flow-first-thinking🌐 Work with Alyece → https://sociallyausome.com/work_with_alyece🎓 ADHDpreneur Academy → https://sociallyausome.com/adhdpreneur_academy-2026CONNECT WITH ALYECE:📸 Instagram: @socially.ausomeIf this episode resonated, share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it. And leave a review — it helps other neurodivergent entrepreneurs find the show.Because ADHD isn't broken. It's untapped. 🧠#ADHDEntrepreneur #WomenWithADHD #FlowFirstThinking #ADHDCEOPodcast #NeurodivergentWomen #ADHDHealth #MelRobbins #DrStacySims #ADHDProductivity #WomensHealth

February 24, 2026Episode 20211 min

202: Neurotypical Brains Get Dopamine from Completing Tasks (ADHD Brains Don't)

Full shownotes here: https://linkly.link/2bUoDGet FLOW-First Thinking Book: sociallyausome.com/flow-first-thinking⁠FREE Spark Tracker: https://sociallyausome.com/spark-tracker-pageStruggling with task initiation and wondering why neurotypical people can "just start" boring tasks while your ADHD brain can't? This episode breaks down the science of dopamine dysregulation and why ADHD brains don't get dopamine from completing tasks like neurotypical brains do.In this episode, you'll learn:• Why ADHD brains struggle with task activation (it's neuroscience, not laziness)• How neurotypical vs ADHD dopamine systems work differently• The real reason you procrastinate until panic sets in• What task initiation paralysis actually is and why "just start" doesn't work for ADHD• Practical dopamine stacking strategies to actually get boring tasks done• How to work WITH your ADHD brain instead of fighting itIf you've ever felt broken because you can't fold laundry without a podcast, can't start emails without a timer, or need a panic deadline to activate, this episode will make everything make sense.Plus: Learn about the FLOW-First Thinking framework and how to link boring tasks with dopamine-providing activities so you can finally stop feeling guilty about needing "extra" support to do "simple" things.Perfect for ADHD entrepreneurs, ADHD professionals, neurodivergent business owners, and anyone tired of productivity advice built for neurotypical brains.Resources mentioned:FLOW-First Thinking book: sociallyausome.com/flow-first-thinkingADHDPRENEUR ACADEMY: adhdpreneuracademy.comFocused & Free membership: sociallyausome.com/membershipKeywords: ADHD task initiation, ADHD dopamine, task activation ADHD, ADHD procrastination, neurodivergent productivity, ADHD entrepreneur tips, dopamine dysregulation, ADHD motivation, executive dysfunction, ADHD time management