ADHD Founders

In this episode of ADHD Founders, Jesse, Sharon, and Marie dive deep into the ever-shifting world of productivity systems for ADHD brains. From bullet journals to Google Calendar hacks and even racing appliances, the trio swap stories, wins, and fails in their quest for functionality without the shame spiral.

Highlights:

* How systems like bullet journals, Notion, and TickTick work—until they don’t
* Sharon’s genius laundry bin system that’s ADHD-friendly and Pinterest-agnostic
* Marie’s dopamine-fueled sock-folding stopwatch game
* Jesse’s sacred reminder app rules and how he tricks his brain with “talk-driven development”
* Using novelty, urgency, and accountability to beat procrastination
* Calendar sync woes and why "racing the kettle" is the new life hack
* Tricks like the “finger memory method” and doorway-effect exploitation
* Why perfection isn't the goal—function is

Follow us on social media:
 • this podcast: @adhd_founders
 • Jesse – @adhdjesse
 • Marie – @llamalife.co
 • Sharon – @shelpful

Subscribe for free to Jesse’s Extra Focus newsletter: extrafocus.com
Check out Llama Life: llamalife.co
Check out Shelpful: shelpful.com

In this episode of ADHD Founders, hosts Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into personal stories and practical insights from their lives as ADHD entrepreneurs.

What you'll hear about:

* Jesse’s first-time experience speaking at SXSW, plus the sensory overload (and perks!) of attending with a platinum badge
* A candid look at missed opportunities and promoting early-stage products at big events
* Marie’s unexpected journey into fundraising via Twitter (X) and joining an accelerator
* Sharon’s unique fundraising path, including early support from Sam Altman
* A breakdown of what accelerators like Y Combinator offer—beyond the money
* Thoughts on idea execution vs. inspiration, and why “idea guys” rarely get funded

Whether you're curious about startup fundraising or just want real talk from founders with ADHD, this one’s packed with insights and laughs.

Follow us on social media:
 • this podcast: @adhd_founders
 • Jesse – @adhdjesse
 • Marie – @llamalife.co
 • Sharon – @shelpful

Subscribe for free to Jesse’s Extra Focus newsletter: extrafocus.com
Check out Llama Life: llamalife.co
Check out Shelpful: shelpful.com

This is all about starting small so you can learn faster. We discuss: What even is an MVP (minimum viable product), and what can that look like when your brain wants to build the whole damn thing right now?

We dive into:
 • Why starting small can feel impossible (but necessary)
 • How ADHD leads to both perfectionism and chaotic shipping
 • Stories from the early days of Llama Life, Shelpful. What Jesse is thinking about with his brand-new app he’s about to MVP.
 • Learning to ship, iterate, and let go of “the perfect plan”

Join Jesse, Marie, and Sharon as they share their ADHD-flavored approaches to building and launching—plus the hacks and mindset shifts that helped them actually ship something.

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Follow us on social media:
 • this podcast: @adhd_founders
 • Jesse – @adhdjesse
 • Marie – @llamalife.co
 • Sharon – @shelpful

Subscribe for free to Jesse’s Extra Focus newsletter: extrafocus.com
Check out Llama Life: llamalife.co
Check out Shelpful: shelpful.com

Welcome to ADHD Founders! Join Jesse (author of "Extra Focus"), Marie (founder of Llama Life), and Sharon (founder of Shelpful) for some real talk on building businesses with ADHD brains.

In this FIRST episode:

• Meet your hosts, as they share their (brief) company-founding stories as well as their ADHD stories.
• Hear tips on ADHD diagnosis, advocating for yourself, and embracing ADHD as an entrepreneur and creator.
• Some quick stories of ADHD both helping and/or hindering us in our journeys so far

Fave quotes:

• Sharon: “I'd rather start a company than book a dentist appointment.”
• Jesse: “If it's silly and stupid, but it works, then it's not silly and stupid."
• Marie: “Every feature I put in was something I really needed but couldn’t find anywhere else.”

Resources:

• Marie’s app: llamalife.co
• Sharon’s service: shelpful.com 
• Jesse’s newsletter: extrafocus.com
• Jesse's book: extrafocusbook.com

Follow us on social media: @adhd_founders (Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok)

Follow each of us: @adhdjesse, @llamalife.co, @shelpful

Episodes to look forward to:

• Fundraising tips
• Deciding product features
• ADHD-friendly work schedules
• More honest ADHD business talk

SUBSCRIBE to join us every other week, to navigate the challenges of ADHD and founder-hood together.

Marie updates on the Llama mobile app. Marie & Jesse talk about the future of messaging, and what’s next for The Weekly Build.

- Extra Focus

- Llama Life

- Beeper

- Texts

- VergeCast

Marie release a collectible app icon for Llama Life. Jesse gets a new watch.

- Llama Life Collectible App Icon
- Extra Focus

Marie builds a fun marketing website. Jesse discovers a new social media scheduling tool.

Llama Life Mobile Marketing Page

Extra Focus

MeetEdgar

Book Marketing Action Podcast

Marie and Jesse chat about using social to drive traffic to their landing pages, amongst noise and distraction.

- Extra Focus Book
- Llama Life
- Many Chat

Jesse shares numbers around his book launch. Marie shares a very frustrating tech problem.

- Extra Focus Book
- Llama Life

Jesse launches his new book, "Extra Focus". Marie and Jesse weigh the pros and cons of building in public.

- Extra Focus
- Llama Life