"I know ADHD people who the minute the business is successful they sell it and start another business, because they’re bored; it’s running itself [and] it doesn’t meet any challenge anymore." Listen as your host Eric Tivers and his guest Judy Bass discuss overcoming challenges and finding success in the college classroom for ADHD students on this episode of ADHD reWired.

Judy is an internationally recognized expert in the field of college planning for students with ADHD and other learning challenges. Over the past 20 years, she has helped many ADHD adults in their late 20s and 30s realize their dream of earning a college degree. By focusing on their strengths and instead of their challenges, she helps ADHD adults develop a positive self-image, giving them the confidence to achieve success in life.

Her website, Bass Education Services, offers comprehensive college planning where students and their families are guided through the selection and admission process. BES assists with everything from high school course and extracurricular activity suggestions, visiting colleges, conducting interviews, filling out applications, and writing essays to reviewing testing and college accommodations and fostering independence and self-advocacy skill development.

Listen as Judy shares some of her surprising revelations of and experiences with neurodiverse students. She talks about the types of college learning environments and workloads that can be better for those with ADHD to find success. She even discusses perfectionists vs. procrastinators, how to request and receive ADHD accommodations from your college, and preparations you should make before the start of the school year to help keep you organized and on track.

You’ll also hear about alternative routes to traditional colleges, college graduation myths, changing majors, finding the best field of study for you, advice on talking to parents with certain career aspirations that you don’t want to pursue, and more. Along the way, Eric shares some of his experiences as an ADHD adult college and grad student and offers his own recommendations.

Your Resources:

• Rate My Professors
• Sonocent Audio Notetaker
• Momentum

You'll learn:

• [02:18] Welcome to the show, Judy!
• [03:31] ADHD college students experienced these pleasant surprises during the pandemic.
• [04:15] How did Judy get into this line of work?
• [06:15] Judy shares her self-advocacy recommendations for neurodiverse students.
• [08:05] Not every professor accepts that some students have ADHD.
• [10:18] When he was in college, Eric did this to minimize distractions in the classroom.
• [12:06] Finding the right professor that matches your learning style can make all the difference.
• [13:42] What surprising characteristics does Judy find in people with ADHD when it comes to the pursuit of higher education?
• [15:45] Two colleges in the country, to Judy’s knowledge, have six-week classes. But it can be both a blessing and a curse.
• [22:05] Judy discusses some alternatives to the traditional college environment available.
• [24:33] Judy reveals why it’s a challenge to shake perfectionists out of their perfectionism.
• [24:58] How did Eric handle his own perfectionist tendencies in college?
• [27:23] If you decide to go back to college and need accommodations for your ADHD, Judy lays out what you should do step-by-step.
• [29:35] Meet with someone during the summer before you start college to get your syllabi streamlined into your calendar.
• [30:33] Several technological aids exist to help ADHD students stay on track, take notes, and get organized.
• [32:35] What if a college student has been told to get a psych evaluation (despite research saying it’s unnecessary) to receive ADHD accommodations?
• [39:27] Eric divulges the key to getting the best accommodations for himself in college.
• [41:53] Smaller classes afford better opportunities to get to know your professors.
• [42:33] Here’s what Judy tells students who are thinking about attending a large university.
• [44:15] Sometimes, Judy has recommended that students not go the traditional college route.
• [45:45] Judy and Eric expose these myths about college graduation in the U.S.
• [47:12] When a student wants to change majors, how does Judy help them evaluate their decision?
• [48:14] Students with ADHD really need to go after degrees due to genuine interest in the field, not for the money.
• [50:19] Judy talks about how she guides students to converse with parents who have set career expectations for them.
• [52:32] How do you find the best field of study for you if you have ADHD?
• [53:12] Judy doesn’t recommend fields with these characteristics for those with ADHD.
• [56:10] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at  www.ADHDreWired.com.

Find Judy Bass:

Bass Education Resources

"When you look at entrepreneurs, some of the most successful people in this world come from broken homes and troubled childhoods and poverty, and it’s because they’ve been able to navigate adversity and they’re so good at it." Listen as your host Eric Tivers and his guest Christian Morrow discuss growing up with ADHD, facing disease and addiction and depression in parents, and how Christian has and continues to work through the events of his life on this episode of ADHD reWired.

Diagnosed with ADHD as a child, Christian has learned to navigate both a personal and professional life, as well as cope with tragedy in his personal life. More recently, he was also diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and his father passed away at age 64. He couldn’t enjoy his early 20s like most other young adults and found himself having to get organized and grow up really quickly just as he was about to finish college. His plans for grad school and his life were even put on hold for a while.

From dealing with a parent with an addiction to the loss of a parent to suicide while he was in college, Christian has developed a new perspective about life, resiliency, and self-discovery. Now, he currently works in higher education where he recruits for Miami University and deals directly with respective college students, counselors, and faculty every semester. He’s also just graduated from grad school and has a home and a 4-year-old girl with his fiancée.

Listen as Christian shares his experiences as a child with ADHD and the effect of his dad’s leukemia and addiction and his mother’s depression in his life from elementary school through college. He also reveals the difficulty he faced in trying to complete his education during some traumatic events involving his parents, discusses handling the aftermath of his mother’s death, and talks about how he continues to process what has happened in his life.

You'll learn:

• [02:47] Welcome to the show, Christian!
• [04:50] How did Adderall and Strattera affect Christian?
• [06:54] A leukemia diagnosis for his dad in 1995 triggered the start of Christian’s hectic life.
• [09:02] Christian’s dad traded in his family for his addiction.
• [10:24] Christian discusses the beginning point of his mother’s depression.
• [12:24] After a period of rehabilitation, Christian’s dad moved back in with his son and ex-wife.
• [14:40] Why has Christian always preferred writing in cursive over print?
• [16:07] Miami U delivered a letter to Christian that kicked things into high gear.
• [24:31] For a few years, Christian was living two lives as a college student and a caretaker.
• [25:47] Christian discusses his OCD as a trauma response.
• [27:01] What was it about teaching middle schoolers that turned Christian off?
• [28:47] On the morning of April 10, 2015, Christian got some bad news from his dad.
• [31:17] Christian became the executor of his mom’s estate at age 22.
• [33:05] What kind of strategies helped Christian get organized?
• [38:23] ADHD is never just on an island by itself. It’s part of the greater picture of life.
• [39:55] Christian’s already done so much at age 29, and he’s often told he has an old soul.
• [42:01] How does Christian continue to process the events of his life?
• [44:32] Christian has felt obligated to take care of others, but how does he take care of himself?
• [46:05] If you’ve recently found out you have ADHD or are struggling with it, Christian offers this advice.
• [48:38] Christian has this thing about not starting anything unless he knows he’ll win or be successful beforehand.
• [50:27] How did his own upbringing shape Christian as a dad now?
• [53:16] To wrap up the show, Christian shares what he thinks listeners should take away from this conversation.
• [55:10] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at  www.ADHDreWired.com.

"When I was in a high-stress situation, I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline acting like Adderall, but everything slows down for me and it’s by the numbers." Today, listen as your host Eric Tivers and his guest Jennifer G. discuss how her diagnosis affected her law enforcement training and career as well as some of the traumatic events from her childhood involving her family on this episode of ADHD reWired.

There are some officers out there who shouldn’t be and others who are meant to be in their position. The latter really want to help people; it’s what they do, and it’s a very strong feeling. Jennifer was born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1960s and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Nancy Drew and The Happy Hollisters mystery book series heavily influenced her as a child. She started her career in law enforcement as a meter maid in her town. Then she became an emergency dispatcher and finally a police officer like her father.

The story of arrest is one of struggle and triumph and then struggle again, both with and against ADHD. With her ADHD, Jennifer always came to work hyper prepared for any incident on a call. Her trunk had everything she could need for any possible scenario, something that her co-workers both teased her for and took advantage of when they needed her help.

Listen to her stories of struggle with anxiety and depression and embarrassing incidents while training and working as a police officer with ADHD. You’ll also hear about how Jennifer almost got hooked on alcohol and some hair-raising events during her childhood involving her older sister who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction. You’ll even discover her unusual rock collection where prized pieces keep...exposing themselves to her on the beach for her to discover.

You'll learn:

• [02:27] Welcome to the show, Jennifer!
• [03:39] How did Eric’s podcast save Jennifer’s life?
• [05:16] Jennifer discusses how she first got into law enforcement.
• [06:21] Jennifer humorously reveals her biggest claim to fame.
• [07:09] A mishap during police academy training almost halted Jennifer’s career.
• [08:32] A squawking radio almost gave Jennifer away during an undercover drug call.
• [10:42] Hesitating to tell this story, Jennifer reveals a time she gave the wrong directions to her backup.
• [12:12] Was Jennifer more willing to take risks and enter dangerous situations?
• [14:30] Jennifer wonders if adrenaline acts like Adderall and slows you down.
• [29:15] Jennifer experienced a lot of trauma in her family growing up.
• [31:42] Has Jennifer explored the role PTSD might have played in her life thanks to her traumatic childhood?
• [32:25] At a young age, Jennifer discovered alcohol and could’ve gotten addicted.
• [34:52] If Jennifer hadn’t stopped drinking at age 23, she doesn’t think she’d be here right now.
• [37:00] Jennifer describes what her blue-collar dad and busy mom were like as she grew up.
• [39:42] The kindest thing Jennifer’s younger sister ever said to her.
• [41:14] Self-compassion is the way forward, no matter what struggle you’re working on.
• [49:27] Say what?! Jennifer has an erotic collection of rocks (which is growing every day).
• [51:31] Jennifer started rock hunting after her mother fell sick. She gets a bit emotional describing how her mom supported her.
• [53:21] For so many of us, the inner critic we hear comes in the voice of a parent.
• [55:09] Once you get diagnosed and start working with yourself, some people resist the changes in you.
• [55:36] Jennifer might be on the verge of a new invention. She’s an idea machine!
• [59:21] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at  www.ADHDreWired.com.

In this episode, Eric Tivers and his guests, Brendan Mahan, Moira Maybin, MJ Siemens, Will Curb, and Barb answer listener questions in our May Q & A session of ADHD reWired. We’re taking questions from you about situations you want to discuss. It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or professional. We’re here to offer our knowledge and perspectives to help you find the answers you seek.

Susan starts off the show with a question about her two ADHD children. She wants to know what the panel thinks about using functional psychiatry and nutrition to address ADHD symptoms. Winston asks about how to deal with his struggle with text messaging--sending them and responding to them in a timely manner, especially if they’re group texts. Jane is curious to know if any link exists between ADHD and body temperature control. 

What are school systems doing regarding social-emotional learning for the fall when kids and staff will be in the same building for the first time in a while? Questioner Rich wants to ensure the best possibility for the upcoming school season to go as smoothly as possible for everyone. Les wants advice about anxiety, decision paralysis, and making the most efficient use of free time. Then the panel answers a question about the importance of healthy habits with sleep, movement, and nutrition.

Marks wants to know how to loosely follow a GTD methodology while dealing with overwhelm by closing as many loops as possible. Diana has an action-oriented question for those who feel frantic about their list of priorities. Another listener wants advice for her ADHD-inattentive daughter on going to school for a future career in psychiatry. And the last somewhat related question from Sandra inquires about any professions where ADHD people tend to find success.

Thank you for listening to the Q & A session this month. We cover a wide variety of topics and provide some creative takeaways no matter what stage you're in with your diagnosis. Listen in as we discuss your questions and the struggle we all still have dealing with ADHD.

Your Resources:

• ADHD Essentials Podcast with Brendan Mahan
• Hacking Your ADHD with William Curb
• ADHD Friendly Lifestyle with Moira Maybin
• ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens

You'll learn:

• [02:08] Susan asks the first question.
• [02:57] Eric gives a caveat about natural approaches to health and treatment.
• [04:32] People respond differently to food, but crappy food leads to crappy feelings while good food makes you feel better.
• [05:30] Exercise is the best non-medicated tool for ADHD.
• [06:00] Moira addresses functional health and how it differs from holistic health.
• [07:50] Susan’s daughter hasn’t responded well to stimulant medications.
• [09:13] Winston has a question about texting which he struggles with.
• [12:00] Brendan realizes he forgot to respond to a text recently and shares how he prioritizes his messages.
• [13:09] If you’re worried about your tone while texting, Brendan shares a funny tip to alleviate your concern.
• [13:50] On the iPhone, you can pin text messages that you haven’t responded to. Eric shares how and offers another great way to respond.
• [16:48] MJ quickly talks about how she handles questions asked of her via text.
• [17:23] Eric realizes he hasn’t yet introduced the panel so does so now.
• [18:52] Barb reads a question from Jane about any link between ADHD and controlling body temperature.
• [19:44] MJ can’t seem to get her body into a comfortable temperature zone.
• [20:48] Moira has struggled with body temperature due to her thyroid disease and perimenopausal hormone changes.
• [22:17] Body temperature is a huge issue for many people during sleep.
• [32:14] After a long hiatus thanks to COVID, Rich wants to know what the landscape will look like for the students and staff returning to school.
• [33:29] Brendan answers part of Rich’s question by sharing what he’s seen and heard.
• [35:50] Teacher burnout is real. Their pay scale needs to be adjusted upward; otherwise, many will walk.
• [37:31] Getting on his soapbox for a minute, Eric expresses appreciation for what teachers have had to endure over the last year.
• [38:51] Barb reads a question from Les about advice on structuring free time.
• [39:37] Why is scheduling your free time activities not as restrictive as it sounds?
• [40:10] More than doing fun things,the anticipation of fun things will increase your enjoyment of them.
• [42:29] Even if you enjoy the work you do, your brain still needs to take breaks from it.
• [45:29] How important is it to establish healthy habits like cutting down on sugar, developing a good sleep routine, and physical activity?
• [52:29] Mark has a question about loosely following the GTD method.
• [53:13] Not all open loops need to be completed but some need to be dismissed.
• [54:37] When you know what you must do next and have a good list of priorities but feel frantic and overloaded, how do you get yourself to take action?
• [57:13] Eric believes that once you’ve had your top 3 priorities for the day, you have to earn the right to do anything else.
• [59:13] A listener has a daughter interested in becoming a psychiatrist but thinks going to med school would take too long and be too stressful.
• [01:00:50] Can you choose a career close to what you want but without a huge time and money commitment?
• [01:02:46] Sandra asks in what professions do people with ADHD tend to excel?
• [01:03:52] If you want to be a creative entrepreneur, just realize that you’re going into a business, not just your craft.
• [01:04:38] Barb discusses the need to consider the structure you want in your chosen career.
• [01:05:58] You’ve learned stuff and have a skill stack if you’ve bounced around from job to job. Take advantage of it.
• [01:07:01] Will quickly tells us his latest dad joke!
• [57:33] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at  www.ADHDreWired.com.

Links and Resources:

Eight Sleep

"It’s very easy to get lost in what other people say and think it’s your own thoughts.” Your host, Eric Tivers, welcomes back returning guest Justin Classen who was previously on the show in episodes 195 and 260. They discuss Justin’s journey after his last appearance on the podcast, navigating issues of trust, attachment theory, and codependency, and his growth work today on ADHD reWired.

Since Justin’s ADHD diagnosis, he’s made a multitude of critical changes to gain better insight and control over his seemingly chaotic existence that helped transform his life. A series of traumatic psychological events proved to be a catalyst that transformed a desire for truth into diligent hyperfocus and dedication to reprogramming his entire understanding of reality through the labyrinth of human psychology.  

The last time he appeared on the show, Justin had made significant progress on his journey to acceptance, positive change, and self-awareness development and discussed his strategies and results from transitioning between his home and work life. In this episode, he expands on what’s happened during the last year and talks about seeking help through a psychologist, spending time alone with himself for greater self-awareness, and his experiences with co-dependency and dealing with manipulative people. He also shares how he handles moments of wanting to quit his growth work, accountability for himself, and speaking truth from trauma.

From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Justin is a hyper-active whirlwind with many interests and passions. Those who know him call him a “jack of all trades.” While he was diagnosed with ADHD in 2017, his diagnosis was prolonged for two years due to memory lapses that prevented him from attending his evaluation. But even with a profound number of failures, he’s found success too and is currently investing his intense energy into various chosen hobbies and careers.

You'll learn:

• [03:20] Welcome back to the show, Justin!
• [05:50] Justin reveals his latest hobbies.
• [07:07] In the last year, Justin has started seeing a psychologist.
• [09:18] Self-awareness is an important core value that can uncover blind spots and accelerate your growth.
• [11:44] How has Justin learned to trust himself and deal with others’ feedback?
• [12:45] Often people with ADHD can be susceptible to narcissistic people.
• [14:21] Justin talks about why he often didn’t enjoy receiving recognition from others.
• [15:50] What does Justin go through when he realizes he’s in a manipulative relationship?
• [23:14] Eric and Justin discuss attachment theory.
• [24:51] Eric shares one of the most helpful pieces of information he found while reading up on attachment.
• [27:31] Justin has hit moments of wanting to get off the growth train for a while.
• [30:28] Organization is a big area Justin has been working on lately, but time management is still his biggest issue.
• [32:54] To remain accountable to himself, has Justin requested help from anyone to keep him disciplined?
• [33:45] Justin somehow manages to function on very few hours of sleep.
• [35:19] Eric finds it difficult to wind down when he’s out of town on business.
• [36:35] Justin has managed to find ways to integrate his leisurely time into his busy daily life.
• [42:19] What does the phrase “from trauma speaks truth” mean to Justin?
• [44:14] Despite his traumatic past, Justin doesn’t give off a feeling of resentment.
• [45:30] Friends that Justin thought he had a year ago are no longer friends.
• [47:07] Justin reveals the best thing he’s learned over the past year.
• [48:58] What would Justin say to anyone who thinks that beating themselves up is the only way to change?
• [50:14] For some people, negative attention is better than no attention at all.
• [52:21] Laughter can be some good medicine. Find the funny in the situation.
• [54:35] Justin is in a vastly different place from when he first appeared on the podcast.
• [57:33] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at  www.ADHDreWired.com.

Find Justin Classen:

Ju!cebox