Some wins with ADHD don’t come from perfect plans or clever hacks. Sometimes, they come from sitting in the middle of a mess, trying twelve different things, and then suddenly shouting, “I figured it out!” In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan talk about what it’s like to face those relentless everyday tasks that feel heavier than they should, and how adding curiosity or humor can turn them into something more manageable.

There’s also a scene involving a spoon, some dirty dishes, and a full-on gladiator battle. And yes, Keila the AI assistant returns with a round of chaotic dog toy names that are somehow exactly what the moment needed. Under the laughter is a real look at how ADHD brains process overwhelm, and how little sparks of joy can turn even the most annoying moments into tiny triumphs.
Our favorite line from the episode is: I figured it out!

00:00 – Dish duty meets ADHD chaos
04:30 – Yellow quadrant tasks and why they drain us
08:10 – Turning chores into green quadrant joy
11:45 – Gladiator dish battles and dog toy chaos
15:30 – KEILA the AI makes a guest appearance
19:00 – How playfulness helps reframe burnout
23:15 – “I figured it out!” and other ADHD breakthroughs
Caught in the chaos? You might just need a gladiator spoon moment too. Follow the show, share the joy with a fellow spicy brain, and leave a review so more of us can figure it out—together.
ADHD chores, ADHD task overwhelm, yellow quadrant ADHD, ADHD burnout, ADHD productivity, emotional regulation, ADHD reframing

Some days, the only solution is the ocean! In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan talk about how ADHD energy fluctuates throughout the day. They discuss how having a playful and flexible system can make the difference between burnout and momentum. They revisit the “Solve It Grid,” a tool that helps organize tasks based on your current state instead of your to-do list’s demands.

Along the way, Keila the AI assistant pops in with unexpected wisdom, including a pep talk about dry cleaning that might honestly apply to your entire life. There’s plenty of laughter, but underneath it all is a real conversation about what helps when your brain feels stuck and nothing feels possible. If you’ve ever needed permission to go outside, do less, or be kind to your capacity, this one might be exactly what you need to hear.
Our favorite line from the episode is: We’re gonna go to the ocean!
00:00 – Feeling the ADHD crash
03:15 – What the Solve It Grid is and how it works
07:40 – Red, yellow, blue, and green quadrant tasks explained
11:20 – Keila the AI assistant makes a comeback
14:45 – Creating pep talks for dry cleaning and overwhelm
18:00 – Why ADHD brains need novelty and movement
21:30 – “We’re gonna go to the ocean!” and other sensory resets
25:15 – Building joy and curiosity into your routine
Feeling stuck in the red zone? We’re gonna go to the ocean. Hit follow, share this with your favorite neurospicy friend, and leave us a review so more folks can ride the wave with us.
ADHD energy management, Solve It Grid, ADHD burnout, emotional regulation, ADHD sensory tools, ADHD color zones, Keila AI assistant

It’s right there in the title: ADHD and anxiety are the perfect storm for emotional overwhelm. We break down coping tools, messy moments, and how to laugh in the middle of it all. 

We talk about what it really feels like to "chase flow" with an ADHD brain. Some days, it clicks. Your brain is locked in, energized, and creative. Then out of nowhere, the switch flips! You're done. The energy’s gone, and you're left wondering how to climb back up from the crash.

We dig into how emotional states shift throughout the day and how ADHD makes it hard to predict, let alone control. Megan shares a favorite moment from a friend's story that turns into a full-on life philosophy about how not everything needs to be a “seven” on the joy scale. And if you’ve ever had a day that started in green zone bliss and ended in total burnout, you’ll feel right at home here.
Our favorite line from the episode is: It's the most satisfying seven I've ever had!
00:00 – The ADHD flow switcheroo
04:00 – Red, blue, yellow, and green emotional states
07:45 – The joy scale and why “seven” is peak weirdness
10:30 – Simon Says moments and sudden burnout
14:20 – Megan’s story about the family friend and the rating system
18:10 – What flow looks like, and what to do when it ends
21:45 – Why it’s okay to be a four
Stuck in a Simon Says spiral? Try not playing. Follow the show, share with a fellow flow-chaser, and leave us a review so more spicy brains can find their rhythm too.
ADHD flow state, ADHD emotions, ADHD energy colors, ADHD burnout, emotional regulation, ADHD joy scale, ADHD overwhelm, neurodivergent tools

Sometimes ADHD burnout doesn’t look dramatic. Rather, it just feels like nothing's working and everything needs to stop. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan talk about the kind of exhaustion that sneaks up quietly. They discuss how ADHD brains tend to stall out and why adding fun back into your day isn’t a luxury. Fun is a strategy!

They share how the ADHD energy grid helps explain what’s happening when you feel emotionally disconnected or low on fuel. Rosey talks about how even a tiny spark of joy can start to shift your state, especially when it’s unexpected. And yes, there’s a story about juicing a pug’s butt that somehow ties the whole thing together. If you’ve been feeling stuck or out of sync with yourself, this episode offers a gentle way back in.

Our favorite line from the episode is: I'm gonna listen this time... I promise!

00:00 – Emotional check-in and what burnout feels like
03:30 – When the ADHD energy grid goes offline
06:40 – Why fun matters more than productivity
10:15 – The pug story (brace yourself)
13:45 – “I’m gonna listen this time…” and other ADHD promises
17:30 – Naming your zone to get unstuck
21:00 – The difference between emotional resets and emotional escapes

Follow the show, share it with a fellow spicy brain, and leave us a review so others can feel a little less alone in the chaos.

ADHD emotional burnout, ADHD energy grid, ADHD and self-care, ADHD overwhelm, ADHD humor, emotional regulation, neurodivergent coping tools

In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan dive into the messier moments of living with ADHD. They tackle the kind of emotional chaos that sneaks in when you're already low on energy. They explore how shame and sensory overload can build up without warning, and how even the most well-meaning feedback can miss the mark when your brain isn’t in a place to receive it.

There’s also a pug, a bag of vanilla-scented powder, and a surprisingly insightful meltdown that leads to an honest conversation about emotional regulation. Megan shares what it feels like when motivation turns malicious, and why finding connection in the middle of the storm can make all the difference. If you've ever felt like advice was bouncing off your brain or like everything was just a little too loud, this one’s for you. Also yes, Megan's house did smell like vanilla, and no, it wasn’t a candle.
Our favorite line from the episode is: It doesn't penetrate my ADHD

00:00 – When feedback doesn’t land for ADHD brains
03:45 – The vanilla-scented destruction incident
07:20 – What malicious motivation feels like
10:30 – Reframing emotional spirals in real time
14:10 – How ADHD brains absorb (or reject) advice
18:45 – The role of mirroring and connection
23:00 – Tiny tools that bring us back to center

Follow the show, share it with a fellow spicy brain, and leave us a review to help more people find comfort, laughter, and a little chaos-navigation magic.

ADHD motivation, malicious motivation ADHD, emotional dysregulation, ADHD feedback issues, ADHD burnout, ADHD humor, neurodivergent coping strategies

If you've ever avoided opening a package because it feels like a personal failure waiting to happen, this one's for you. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan talk about how ADHD shame doesn’t always come in big moments. Rather shame builds quietly through unopened Stitch Fix bags, social pressure, and the exhausting effort to seem like you have it all together.

They open up about the ways masking drains emotional energy, and how chasing a perfectly curated life that would make Martha Stewart proud can actually disconnect you from what feels good and true. Megan shares a moment where naming her own boundaries helped shift the shame spiral into something softer. This episode is about what it means to come home to yourself, even when that home is messy, loud, or unfinished.

Our favorite line from the episode is: Martha Stewart is an ADHD nightmare

00:00 – ADHD shame and the mental load of “shoulds”
04:10 – Stitch Fix, unopened packages, and avoidance spirals
08:35 – How masking robs us of real rest
12:20 – Naming your boundaries vs chasing Pinterest perfection
16:40 – The slow rebuild of emotional energy
20:10 – What self-acceptance actually looks like (hint: it’s not a mood board)
24:30 – One tiny reframe that helped us stop spiraling

Follow the show, send it to your friend who still has a “someday bin” in the corner, and leave a review so more spicy brains can drop the shame and come home to themselves.

ADHD shame, ADHD masking, emotional burnout, ADHD home overwhelm, Stitch Fix avoidance, neurodivergent emotional health, ADHD energy management

Some chores hit differently when you’ve got an ADHD brain, and dishes might just be the worst offender. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle is joined by her sister for a conversation that starts with dishwashing dread and ends up exploring how sensory overload, burnout, and masking all show up in everyday life. It’s messy, emotional, and (of course) ridiculously funny!

Together, they unpack the layers behind why something as simple as cleaning up can feel like an emotional landmine. There’s talk of tiny dream dishwashers, yelling as a family role, and that deeply relatable moment when you stare at a plate and just think... stupid dishes. Underneath the jokes is a shared understanding of what it means to live with a brain that’s wired a little differently, and how love and laughter can still live there, too.
Our favorite line from the episode is: Damn Dishes
00:00 – The sensory war zone of dishwashing
03:20 – Childhood roles and emotional triggers
07:00 – Why ADHD brains freeze on simple tasks
10:45 – Dreaming of tiny dishwashers
13:30 – Sibling banter meets ADHD overwhelm
17:15 – Finding humor in the middle of frustration
21:40 – Naming the feelings that chores bring up

Follow the show, share it with someone whose dishes are currently yelling at them, and leave a review so more spicy brains know they’re not the only ones in dishwashing damnation.

ADHD chores, ADHD sensory overload, ADHD burnout, ADHD masking, neurodivergent family dynamics, executive dysfunction, ADHD emotional overwhelm

There are days when the ADHD brain feels like it's running twelve tabs and a filing cabinet... underwater. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Megan and Michelle dive into the tangled mess of perfectionism, procrastination, and why even the smallest task can feel like a mountain when your brain is in burnout mode. If you’ve ever felt like your mind is throwing its own little tantrum before you even start, you’re not alone.

Megan shares a spot-on mental image of what shutdown feels like. Picture an infinite filing cabinet submerged in water, and burnout suddenly makes sense. There’s laughter, some solid “same here” moments, and an honest look at how we try to make peace with the weird wiring of our brains. Whether you're dodging your to-do list or riding the wave of overwhelm, this episode is your invitation to let go of perfect and make room for real.

Our favorite line from the episode is: ADHD is my first language

00:00 – Why “not doing it” feels like protection
04:10 – Filing cabinets and brain shutdowns
07:45 – Perfectionism dressed as productivity
11:20 – When procrastination is just fear in disguise
14:50 – Naming the shutdown instead of shaming it
18:15 – Strategies that actually feel doable
21:30 – Finding humor in the chaos

Follow the show, send it to someone whose filing cabinet brain needs a hug, and leave a review to help more spicy brains feel understood.

ADHD procrastination, ADHD perfectionism, ADHD burnout, ADHD shutdown, ADHD emotional overwhelm, executive dysfunction, neurodivergent mental health

Some mornings you wake up ready to take on the world. Other mornings, you wake up with an entirely different brain than the one you fell asleep with. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Megan and Michelle dig into the wild unpredictability of ADHD. A world where magical thinking and anxiety can show up in the same breath, and the need for structure battles fiercely with the need for freedom.

They talk about the myth of working better under pressure, the comfort of staying in bed just a little too long, and what it really feels like to crave a schedule you probably won’t stick to. Through honest stories, gentle laughs, and some all-too-relatable moments, they unpack the emotional highs and lows of navigating ADHD brains that don’t always behave the same way twice.

Our favorite line from the episode is: I need a schedule, but don’t hold me to the schedule

00:00 – The magic of a fresh brain… until it isn’t
03:50 – Anxiety, procrastination, and false urgency
07:40 – When magical thinking hijacks your plans
11:15 – The myth of “I work better under pressure”
15:00 – Schedules, resistance, and the need for choice
18:20 – Why morning routines are chaos for ADHD brains
22:30 – Honoring the roller coaster without judgment

Follow the show, text this episode to your favorite schedule-dodger, and leave a review so more spicy brains can join us on the ride.

ADHD magical thinking, ADHD anxiety, ADHD procrastination, ADHD burnout, ADHD routines, neurodivergent time blindness, ADHD executive function

Getting out the door shouldn’t be hard, but when you’ve got ADHD and anxiety teaming up, even grabbing your wallet can turn into a saga. In this episode of Spicy Brain, Michelle and Megan talk through the real-life chaos of trying to leave the house when your brain feels like it’s juggling flaming swords. From forgotten essentials to the overwhelming swirl of last-minute decisions, the struggle is real and weirdly funny.

Megan shares the now legendary tale of her wallet necklace, born from repeated wallet mishaps and the kind of anxiety that sneakily tries to help but usually just stresses you out. Along the way, they unpack the emotional exhaustion of everyday routines and offer gentle ways to meet yourself with curiosity instead of shame. If you've ever melted down over misplaced keys or spiraled over socks, this episode will feel like home.

Our favorite line from the episode is: Aruba, Omega, Ooh I Wanna Take Ya

00:00 – When leaving the house becomes a full-body event
04:15 – Anxiety as a dysfunctional assistant
08:00 – The origin story of the wallet necklace
12:30 – When a meltdown is about everything else too
16:45 – ADHD, routines, and why socks are the final straw
21:10 – How curiosity softens the spiral
25:00 – Naming your brain's weird logic without judgment

Follow the show, send this one to a friend who’s ever cried over shoes, and leave a review so more spicy brains can find us.

ADHD anxiety, ADHD burnout, ADHD overwhelm, ADHD morning routine, neurodivergent emotional regulation, executive dysfunction, ADHD daily challenges