Autism

In this episode, Eric is joined by Jessica Smith.  Jessica was ‘accidentally’ diagnosed with ADHD at age 25.  At age 27, she became a sex worker – specifically an independent webcam model.  A combination of creativity, tenacity, and luck helped her to grow a successful business and became one of the top webcam models on her cam site.   After spending 5 years in the industry, she unintentionally retired due to social and performance burnout.  Jessica attributes a large part of her entrepreneurial success to her ADHD and is now transitioning towards a career in ADHD coaching and streaming video games in her free time!  Jessica shares how she was diagnosed with ADHD, her experience in school, her thoughts about her own capabilities, and her view on relationships.  You’ll also hear how she heard about sex work and her time as a performer, her reasons for leaving the industry, the importance of community for alleviating shame, and her experience in the coaching groups.  Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode: [Timestamps coming soon!] ** Get ad-free episodes and the full conversation of this episode by becoming a Patron at $5 a month or more at adhdrewired.com/Patreon! ** – – – Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network: with Brendan Mahan with Will Curb with MJ Siemens – – – ⭐️ We’re starting our 31st season of ADHD reWired’s Award Winning Online Coaching & Accountability Groups!  It’s your last chance to join because we’re starting this week – go to coachingrewired.com to get registered!   

Introduction to the Episode: Eric Tivers welcomes listeners back and introduces the current season (36) Main Topic: The discussion focuses on self-care and numbing behaviors. Eric emphasizes the importance of understanding the differences between intentional self-care and behaviors that serve as emotional numbing. The context is week 6 of the program where these topics are explored in detail. Intentional Self-Care vs. Numbing: The dialogue underscores the need for mindfulness in distinguishing between self-care activities that genuinely contribute to well-being and behaviors that might temporarily mask emotional distress. Impact of Self-Care: The conversation also touches on the positive impacts of being intentional about self-care practices, possibly suggesting strategies or insights into improving mental health and managing symptoms of ADHD through mindful self-care rather than numbing. These insights reflect an ongoing commitment to addressing complex emotional behaviors in the context of managing ADHD, with a focus on improving overall mental health and awareness.   *This summary was generated using Ai

Emily Sussman joins Eric on the podcast today to talk about mindfulness and reducing stress!  Emily, who is a mom and also has ADHD, has over 20 years of experience empowering others, uses mindfulness daily, and is a certified instructor in mindfulness-based stress reduction.  When asked why she practices daily, Emily says, “It’s like breathing!  You must breathe to survive, hence: mindfulness.”  In this episode, you’ll hear about what a “resource” room was, how Emily became an advocate, her experiences going through special education – both as a kid and as a parent, and why saw less success for neurodiverse brains in public schools.  Then, you’ll hear Emily’s definition of mindfulness, how she got started, the struggles she faced through schooling and learning, and then walks us through a meditation!  Get in touch with Emily: LinkedIn   Email:    Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode: [00:01:11] Introducing Emily & an ADHD moment  [00:02:48] How did Emily get into mindfulness-based stress reduction?  [00:05:19] As a kid who went through special education, how is it for Emily now, navigating as a parent? [00:07:16] Emily’s observations from public school to alternative schooling  [00:11:51] Emily shares how ADHD was the final piece of the puzzle  [00:21:32] What is Emily’s definition of mindfulness?  What is mindfulness-based stress reduction?  [00:26:55] Happiness and how mindfulness gave Emily a sense of purpose  [00:27:16] Emily shares a relatable ADHD struggle about explaining, expressing, and perspective  [00:28:17] What is a body scan meditation?  Why is it helpful?  [00:31:39] “There’s no such thing as clearing your mind!”  [00:32:56] Eric shares the importance of self-care, experiencing the benefits, and the impact of repetition [00:41:31] Prefacing a mindfulness meditation and suggestions before beginning  [00:45:27] Emily leads us through a meditation [01:00:17] Wrapping up and closing thoughts  Resources & Honorable Mentions: “Once you begin to come out of your shell, that’s when you’re going to start feeling good about yourself, that’s where you’re gonna learn how to learn, and then you find your passion.” – Emily  Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network: ADHD Essentials with Brendan Mahan Hacking your ADHD with Will Curb ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens ⭐️ Registration for our spring season is happening now! Learn more about our award-winning intensive online coaching and accountability groups at coachingrewired.com!  If you’re ready to get your ADHD reWired, that’s coachingrewired.com to start your pre-registration process so you can join us for our last spring 2023 registration event on Thursday, March 23rd at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern! ⭐️

If you enjoyed this episode, and want more from Alejandro, check out his website: Alejandro is a mindfulness life coach and yoga instructor who first experienced the benefits of mindfulness and breathwork when he was a student at Parsons School of Design in New York City. To cope with the stress of ADHD and university, he cultivated a practice of Pranayama, an ancient form of yogic breathwork. Today, he’s teaching people how to get out of their heads and into the breath by merging the Western practices of mindfulness based in self-compassion, and yogic Pranayama meditations. He studied compassionate inquiry with Dr. Gabor Maté, a therapeutic approach to uncover and heal trauma in our bodies. When he’s not teaching and coaching, he works as a portrait photographer in Toronto, Canada.

Earlier this year I sat down with Michael Liss to hear his inspiring story of late in life diagnosis of ADHD at 50.   There is so much compassion and raw honestly in his story.  I encourage you to listen to the entire episode as I am sure many of you will relate to what he shares and will be inspired by how he has moved beyond his ADHD diagnosis. 

Join my Quantum Thinkers’s Mastermind, managing ADHD does not have to be done all on your own. Lean into the support of our group. 

Join the ADHD reWired Team every second Tuesday of the month for our monthly Live Q&A!  Get this episode uninterrupted by ads when you become a Patron at $5.00 a month or more by going to adhdrewired.com/Patreon!  Questions/Topics: [00:01:06] Welcome & introductions  [00:02:03] A listener, who was diagnosed with ADHD within the week of the recording of this episode, asks the panelists about taking stimulant medication.   [00:08:51] “When you are trying to be open with your job or others about your ADHD, how would you handle your response?”  [00:19:29] Another listener who was also recently diagnosed with ADHD asks, “What is your advice?  How do you work with a leader at work who is very linear and very neurotypical when your best comes out when you’re not?” [00:28:00] “I have autism.  Is it true that ADHD drugs tend to not work for autistic patients?  Do we have any possible reasons why, if it’s true?”  [00:34:05] A listener, who has treatment-resistant depression, is unable to take ADHD medication, and has been experiencing fatigue, asks the panelist if fatigue is an ADHD symptom.   [00:41:29] A listener asks the panelists to recap the good sides of ADHD.   🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired’s award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!