Attention Different | Adulting with ADHD

Welcome to the Radical Acceptance Lab, a unique series created by Attention Different for those navigating ADHD and looking to transform shame into self-compassion. 💡

In this lab, we dive deep into the concept of radical acceptance—a powerful tool for recognizing our unique strengths and moving beyond the cycle of self-criticism. Through honest discussions, personal stories, and insights from ADHD advocates, we explore what it means to embrace our brains as they are, without needing to “fix” or change ourselves to meet unrealistic expectations. Radical acceptance helps us see that ADHD is not separate from us; it’s part of our identity that enriches our lives and the world around us.

We’ll also cover:

The destructive nature of the shame spiral and how to recognize it
Breaking free from perfectionism and self-punishment
Why acceptance is the first step toward real change
Learning to embrace ADHD as part of who we are, and finding gratitude along the way

Radical acceptance doesn’t mean liking every challenge ADHD brings—it’s about holding space for all parts of our reality, especially the messy ones. Join us as we uncover how to move forward with self-compassion, strength, and community.

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We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

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Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

Attention Different Labs are short form episodes centered around important adulting with ADHD topics. Stephen dives into specific research mixed with tangible coaching strategies and advice, delivered with a side of relatability and humor. 

In this lab, we discuss and educate on Adult ADHD Symptoms. 

Our mission is to reclaim the label, not reinvent it, in order to understand our condition in more accurate and self-affirming ways. Labels can be stigmatizing, leading to shame, guilt, and despair. We believe that “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD), while a very real condition, has a tired and overly negative label.

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

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Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

In this episode of the Attention Different Podcast Co-founders of Attention Different Stephen Tonti and Aaron Smith talk with Marlena Pavich about her journey of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and accepting her diagnosis.  

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Follow Us on Instagram:
Marlena Pavich https://www.instagram.com/marlenalikeantenna
Stephen Tonti https://www.instagram.com/stonti
Aaron Smith https://www.instagram.com/potentialwithinreach

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

In this episode of the Attention Different Podcast Co-founders of Attention Different Stephen Tonti and Aaron Smith react to an old TEDx talk (ADHD As A Difference In Cognition, Not A Disorder: Stephen Tonti at TEDxCMU) that Stephen gave many years ago that was the inspiration for the launch of a new company.

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

In this episode, we discuss when, how, and if you should disclose your ADHD status to your employer. We talk about some critical considerations surrounding ADHD and workplace stigma, asking for support, and accessing needed accommodations, among other topics.

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

We discuss the common problems that arise in relationships between ADHD and Non-ADHD partners and what to do about these dynamics.

Show notes:
Dani Donovan – check out her awesome ADHD webcomic
@DaniDonovan. Facebook @DaniDonovanArt
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48146166

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

In this episode of "Attention Different," the hosts discuss the hunter-gatherer hypothesis and its connection to ADHD. They explore how ADHD traits may have evolved as adaptive features beneficial in early human societies, challenging the view that ADHD is purely a negative, maladaptive condition. The conversation delves into the genetics of ADHD, the impact of environmental stressors on its expression, and the role of neuroplasticity and epigenetics in shaping behavior. The episode emphasizes that ADHD should be seen as a feature of human evolution, offering unique strengths, rather than as a disorder to be "fixed."

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

We respond to the backlash from Take Your Pills, the new documentary on Netflix that addressing issues of stimulant use and abuse, as well as performance-enhancing drugs. The film has created quite a stir in the ADHD community. Very soon we will be doing a deeper dive into the film, but for now, we would like to offer some tips about how we can react in an intentional way to films like this. For many of us, the film is/was triggering, creating unpleasant feelings. How we choose to respond can make all the difference. Either stimulating (pun intended) productive conversations and dialogue or leading to more suffering, stereotyping and re-stigmatization.

We, like many of you out there are having a mix of feelings about this documentary. We would like to hear from you? How are you feeling about this documentary? Please use the I like, I wish, I feel framework in your response. Post your comments on our YouTube page.

GUEST SPOT:
Susan Burroughs offers insights into how to use mindfulness and meditation practices to channel emotions through discernment, creativity, and self-awareness.

Susan Burroughs is an ADHD Coach and educational design specialist who has worked for Google. Recently diagnosed with ADHD herself, Susan is an expert in design thinking, mindfulness, stress management, presentation skills, instructional design, and massage therapy.

For more information or to work with Susan visit: http://www.starshine-health.com/

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent  

Today we interview Dr. Sharon Saline and discuss what it’s like for siblings in families where one sibling has ADHD and the other does not. Often times the focus is placed on what is going on for the ADHD sibling but what about the Non-ADHD sibling? Dr. Saline has experience in this area growing up in a family where her brother has ADHD. She highlights some of the dynamics that arise for families and how to get through the rough patches.

If you are interested in more information about or working with Dr. Saline visit:
http://drsharonsaline.com/

Pre-order her new book is titled “What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life”, here: http://drsharonsaline.com/dr-salines-latest-book/ 

Send us Fan Mail

We are Attention DIFFERENT not DEFICIT An advocacy and edutainment podcast centered on radical acceptance and neurodiveristy. Attention Different aims to de-stigmatize and build community by exploring the intricacies of living life and "adulting" with ADHD in the modern world. We periodically feature experts, special guests and influencers in the ADHD community.

If you enjoy the podcast please like, share, and subscribe!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV0lWgdvEhaI4p5MyxM5w3A?sub_confirmation=1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow all of these if you want to be inspired in your ADHD journey
•  Website - https://www.attentiondifferent.com
•  Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/attention_different
• Facebook -   https://www.facebook.com/attndifferent
• X -   https://www.x.com/attndifferent