Overcoming Distractions-Thriving with ADHD, ADD

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

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.

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.

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/

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