In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with award-winning producer, composer, film scorer, songwriter, and music director Kevin Lynch to explore how ADHD, OCD, and anxiety intersect with a life in music. Kevin traces his journey from discovering the piano as a child to working at Juilliard, music directing theater productions, studying at Berklee College of Music, and building a creative career centered around collaboration and project based work.

Kevin opens up about experiencing ADHD from an early age, describing his mind as having "15 televisions" playing at once, and the long process of finding mental health care that actually worked for him. He and Zak discuss medication, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, compulsions, hypervigilance, and the importance of finding providers who listen. Kevin also explains why the multidimensional demands of musical theater work so naturally with his ADHD brain, while the solitude and sustained focus required for composing can present a very different challenge.

This conversation is candid, funny, and refreshingly practical, offering an honest look at how understanding the way your mind works can help you build a creative process that works with your brain rather than against it.

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Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How ADHD can become an asset in the fast moving world of musical theater

Why Kevin describes his ADHD brain as having multiple televisions playing at once

The connection between anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors

Why finding the right mental health treatment can require patience and experimentation

How Kevin moves from simple ideas on paper and piano into fully developed compositions

Why structure, deadlines, and time blocking help Kevin stay creatively focused

How understanding your own patterns can help you work with your brain instead of against it

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

(03:13) Kevin traces his path from childhood piano lessons to musical theater, Juilliard, freelance music direction, and studying at Berklee

(12:16) Growing up with ADHD, struggling to focus in school, and learning how differently his brain processes information

(20:57) Kevin shares his journey through different medications and providers and how treating his anxiety changed his approach to ADHD care

(27:14) Why ADHD can be a creative advantage in musical theater and how Kevin manages distraction when writing his own music

(42:43) Understanding Kevin’s experience with OCD, including counting, intrusive thoughts, compulsions, anxiety, and the strategies that help him interrupt those patterns

(53:12) Kevin introduces Busted Broadway and shares what he’s creating next as he expands beyond traditional musical theater

Follow Kevin Lynch

Kevin’s Website: https://www.kevinlynchmusic.com/

Follow Zak Sandler

Zak’s Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with poet and writer Lenna Jawdat to explore the relationship between ADHD, depression, trauma, and creativity. Lenna shares the story behind her book length hybrid project combining memoir, documentary poetics, history, and visual elements, which began as a response to learning about the loss of Palestinian books and private libraries after 1948. What started with the simple act of writing numbers by hand evolved into an expansive creative practice for processing history, memory, grief, and the body's response to trauma.

Lenna also opens up about experiencing depression from an early age, growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, and the lasting impact of feeling that something was wrong with her before she had language to understand how her brain worked. She and Zak discuss hyperfocus, creative flow, motivation, and the complicated ways ADHD and depression can both fuel and interrupt the artistic process. Lenna also reflects on therapy, medication, coping strategies, and learning when to engage with painful material and when to give herself permission to step away.

This conversation is intimate, thoughtful, and deeply reflective, offering an honest look at how creativity can give shape to experiences that are difficult to express and how understanding our minds can change the stories we tell about ourselves.

Become a Patreon subscriber and get early access, bonus content, and a chance to support the future of Insanely Talented.

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Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How ADHD hyperfocus can fuel creative flow

The connection between undiagnosed ADHD and negative beliefs about yourself

How depression can both inspire and interrupt creative work

Why Lenna uses poetry, memoir, history, and visual art to process difficult experiences

The difference between losing motivation from ADHD and withdrawing because of depression

How therapy and other coping strategies can change the way we respond to difficult emotions

Why knowing when to engage with painful material and when to step away matters

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

(01:23) Lenna introduces her hybrid book project and explains how writing thousands of numbers became a way to explore history, memory, trauma, and loss

(06:15) Growing up with depression and undiagnosed ADHD, from early emotional struggles to finally understanding why her brain worked differently

(16:29) How ADHD hyperfocus fuels Lenna’s writing while also creating challenges with motivation, focus, and finishing long term projects

(20:59) Lenna explores the different ways ADHD and depression affect creativity and why depression can sometimes serve as protection from overwhelming emotions

(24:32) Therapy, medication, coping strategies, relationships, and the practices that have helped Lenna care for her mental health over time

Follow Lenna Jawdat

Website: https://lennajawdat.wordpress.com/

Follow Zak Sandler

Zak’s Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with writer, director, composer, and author Paul Dalio to explore the profound relationship between bipolar disorder, psychosis, and creativity. Best known for writing, directing, and scoring the acclaimed film Touched with Fire, Paul shares the deeply personal experiences that inspired his work and how living with bipolar I disorder transformed both his life and his artistic voice.

Paul reflects on experiencing psychosis while attending NYU, the intense creative energy that accompanied mania, and the long journey of learning to separate meaningful insight from delusion. Together, he and Zak discuss the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder, the importance of finding purpose after diagnosis, and why storytelling can help reshape the way we understand mental illness. Paul also shares his perspective on psychedelics, creativity, and the projects that continue to grow from his lived experience.

This conversation is thoughtful, courageous, and deeply illuminating, offering a compassionate look at the complex relationship between mental illness and creativity while reminding us that healing begins with honesty, acceptance, and meaningful connection.

Become a Patreon subscriber and get early access, bonus content, and a chance to support the future of Insanely Talented.

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Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How Paul's first manic episode and psychosis changed the course of his life

The relationship between bipolar disorder, creativity, and artistic expression

Why distinguishing insight from delusion is one of the greatest challenges of psychosis

How Touched with Fire grew directly from Paul's lived experience

Paul's perspective on psychedelics, mental illness, and creative breakthroughs

Why sharing personal stories can reduce stigma and deepen understanding of bipolar disorder

How purpose and creativity can emerge from even the darkest experiences

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

(02:09) Paul reflects on his first manic episode, experiencing psychosis while studying at NYU, and how it reshaped both his life and his creative ambitions

(13:35) The inspiration behind Touched with Fire, writing from lived experience, and changing the conversation around bipolar disorder through film

(27:10) Paul and Zak explore the complex relationship between bipolar disorder, creativity, insight, and the search for meaning during psychosis

(39:15) An honest discussion about psychedelics, mental illness, and the importance of approaching healing with caution and intention

(48:58) Paul shares his upcoming memoir, films, and musical projects inspired by his experiences with bipolar disorder and creativity

Follow Paul Dalio

Website: https://pauldalio.com/

Film: Touched with Fire

Follow Zak Sandler

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with actor, singer, musician, and coach Elise Arsenault to explore how anxiety, ADHD traits, and creativity have shaped her personal and professional journey. From performing at a young age to building a career in acting, Elise shares how she's learned to navigate self-doubt, embrace her strengths, and create sustainable systems that support both her mental health and her creative work.

Together, Zak and Elise discuss the realities of creative burnout, perfectionism, physical clutter, productivity, and learning to focus on what matters most. Elise also opens up about the mindset shifts, therapy, and coaching that helped her move past limiting beliefs, along with the importance of defining success on your own terms rather than chasing external validation.

This conversation is thoughtful, encouraging, and deeply relatable, offering an honest look at what it takes to build a creative career while caring for your mental health and trusting your own path.

Become a Patreon subscriber and get early access and interview suggestions.

Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

How anxiety and ADHD traits influence Elise's creative process

Why physical environment can have a major impact on productivity

The role therapy and coaching played in overcoming creative roadblocks

How to balance multiple creative passions without burning out

Why redefining success can create greater confidence and fulfillment

The importance of building systems that support long-term creativity

How embracing curiosity leads to more meaningful artistic work

What You'll Hear in This Episode

(00:00) Elise shares her journey into acting, music, and performance, along with the mental health challenges that have accompanied her creative career.

(05:30) A conversation about anxiety, ADHD traits, clutter, organization, and the practical systems Elise uses to support her creativity.

(18:30) Elise reflects on therapy, coaching, limiting beliefs, and the inner work that helped her pursue bigger creative goals with confidence.

(28:00) The importance of focusing on one opportunity at a time, avoiding burnout, and creating a sustainable creative career.

(34:00) Zak and Elise wrap up by discussing purpose, personal growth, and what it means to define success on your own terms.

Follow Elise Arsenault

Website: https://www.theglobalactor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisearsenault.actor/

Follow Zak Sandler

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with recording artist, author, music executive, and disability inclusion advocate Lachi to explore the relationship between blindness, ADHD, OCD, maladaptive daydreaming, and creativity. Lachi reflects on growing up as the legally blind daughter of Nigerian immigrants, struggling to ask for help, and finding a place of belonging and self-expression at the piano.

Lachi shares how learning that she was gradually losing her remaining vision inspired her to embrace life more fully, take risks, and pursue experiences she had once considered out of reach. She also explains how music helped transform a shy and isolated child into a touring artist, industry leader, and advocate working to make creative spaces more accessible. The conversation explores the accommodations that allow neurodivergent artists to thrive, the complexities of diagnosis, and how maladaptive daydreaming became the foundation for an entire fictional world.

This conversation is funny, candid, and deeply empowering, offering a powerful reminder that accepting the parts of ourselves society tells us to hide can unlock greater creativity, confidence, and purpose.

Click here to subscribe.

Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

How blindness, ADHD, and OCD became interconnected in Lachi’s life

Why accommodations are essential for accessing neurodivergent strengths

How music can create confidence, belonging, and self-expression

The relationship between disability acceptance and creative authenticity

How maladaptive daydreaming became the foundation for a novel

Why community matters when exploring diagnosis and identity

How accessible tools and systems support Lachi’s creative process

(05:00) Lachi reflects on growing up blind with ADHD and OCD, feeling caught between different communities, and turning to the piano for belonging

(10:47) Learning that she was losing her remaining vision and deciding to experience life more fully instead of living in fear

(14:13) How college piano nights led Lachi to New York, a professional music career, disability advocacy, and greater confidence in her identity

(18:19) The creative strengths of ADHD and OCD, the importance of accommodations, and how maladaptive daydreaming became a book

(24:05) Inside Lachi’s songwriting process, accessible production tools, collaboration, and the systems that help her capture ideas

(33:18) Lachi introduces I Identify as Blind, The Colors in My Mind, and a children’s music project celebrating disability and neurodivergence

Follow Lachi

Lachi’s Website: https://lachimusic.com/

Books: https://lachimusic.com/books.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lachimusic

Zak’s Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

Produced by: Justin Marra

Additional editing by: Podcast Engineers

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with award-winning actor, acting coach, improviser, and filmmaker Wyatt Unger to explore the connection between anxiety, dyslexia, creativity, and performance. As a founding member of Shrug Productions and a mentor to young performers, Wyatt shares how neurodivergence has shaped both his artistic career and the way he helps others discover confidence on stage and screen.

Wyatt opens up about growing up with dyslexia, navigating anxiety throughout his life, and finding a creative home in acting and improvisation. Together, he and Zak discuss the unique strengths that neurodivergent artists bring to their work, the challenges of self-criticism and perfectionism, and how creative expression can transform even life's most difficult experiences into something meaningful. The conversation also explores empathy, storytelling, and why some of the most powerful art comes from learning to embrace vulnerability rather than avoid it.

This conversation is funny, heartfelt, and deeply inspiring, offering a powerful reminder that our struggles don't have to define us. Instead, they can become some of the most valuable tools we bring to our creative work, our relationships, and our understanding of ourselves.

Become a Patreon subscriber and get early access, bonus content, and a chance to support the future of Insanely Talented.

Click here to subscribe.

Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

How anxiety and dyslexia can influence creativity and performance

Why improvisation can be a powerful tool for building confidence

The relationship between perfectionism, self-criticism, and anxiety

How empathy helps actors connect more deeply with their work

Why neurodivergent artists often develop unique creative strengths

How storytelling can transform pain, grief, and adversity into connection

What it means to create art for impact rather than achievement

(01:20) Wyatt shares his work as an actor, acting coach, filmmaker, and mentor, and explains how creativity became the foundation of his career

(10:30) Growing up with dyslexia and anxiety, discovering theater, and finding a place where his differences became strengths

(27:45) The realities of perfectionism, self-criticism, and learning how anxiety can both help and hinder the creative process

(46:00) Why empathy is one of the most important skills an artist can develop and how storytelling allows us to experience lives beyond our own

(01:04:32) Wyatt reflects on grief, resilience, and the lesson that every experience, even painful ones, can be transformed into meaningful art

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shrugproductions/

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

In this episode of Insanely Talented, Zak sits down with composer, pianist, performer, and multimedia artist Joe Cahill to explore the relationship between ADHD, creativity, anxiety, and depression. Joe shares the story behind Neurodivergent, a jazz-inspired piano piece he wrote shortly after being diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety in his mid-twenties. By intentionally changing time signatures throughout the piece, Joe transformed his experience with ADHD into music that reflects both its chaos and its beauty.

Joe also opens up about graduating from NYU, facing an unexpected mental health crisis after losing the structure that had defined much of his life, and learning how to navigate feelings of shame, productivity, and self-worth. Together, Zak and Joe explore how creativity can become a source of healing, why slowing down can sometimes lead to greater success, and the challenge of balancing artistic ambition with mental well-being.

This conversation is thoughtful, vulnerable, and deeply relatable, offering an encouraging reminder that neurodivergence isn't something to overcome, but something we can learn to understand, embrace, and channel into meaningful creative work.

If you believe in this show and want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Click the Patreon link below to subscribe. Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

How ADHD can become a source of creative inspiration

Why structure and routine are essential for neurodivergent minds

How losing structure after graduation contributed to anxiety and depression

The relationship between productivity, shame, and self-worth

Why movement and exercise can be powerful tools for regulating ADHD

How to balance ambition with long-term mental well-being

The challenges and opportunities of creating art in the age of social media

(02:03) Joe shares the inspiration behind Neurodivergent and how his ADHD diagnosis became the foundation for a new creative direction

(09:14) How ADHD shapes his daily life, from hyperfixation and routines to using running as a powerful outlet for his energy

(19:30) Graduating from NYU, losing structure, and navigating a difficult period of anxiety, depression, and uncertainty

(27:26) An honest conversation about shame, productivity, and learning to separate self-worth from achievement

(38:28) Joe reflects on social media, creative burnout, and finding sustainable ways to create without losing himself in the process

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joecahill_productions/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fPOfihVDgU9CjipvVpfMa

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9c-1q2OnmoCitcsg9Q9IEQ

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

What does it take to find your real voice after years of trying to fit in?

This episode features Benjamin Lerner, a rapper, pianist, composer, and recovery advocate who is on the autism spectrum and has experienced addiction and recovery firsthand.

In this conversation, Benjamin explores the connection between neurodivergence and creativity, how his struggle to fit in shaped his identity, and how getting sober transformed both his life and his music into something more honest, grounded, and deeply personal. This episode is about what happens when everything falls apart and how you begin to rebuild from truth instead of illusion. It’s a reflection on identity, addiction, and neurodivergence, and what it really takes to find your real voice.

This conversation is honest, insightful, and deeply moving, offering a powerful look at how recovery, self-acceptance, and creativity can work together to help us become more fully ourselves.

If you believe in this show and want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Click the Patreon link below to subscribe. Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

(00:00) Benjamin shares his journey with autism, creativity, and the search for identity

(09:30) The realities of addiction, hitting rock bottom, and choosing recovery

(17:00) How the pressure to fit in shaped his sense of self and artistic voice

(23:20) Discovering music as a tool for expression, healing, and connection

(35:00) Final reflections on fatherhood, presence, recovery, and living authentically

Benjamin’s Website: https://benjaminlerner.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamin.lerner/

Follow Zak Sandler for tools, resources, and support on your journey:

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

What happens when there are too many balls bouncing in your brain at once? Do you focus on one? Or do you find a way to keep all of them going?

In this episode, Zak sits down with the incredibly creative musical duo Andrew Barkan and Polly Hall to explore the deep connection between neurodivergence and artistic expression. Together, they talk about ADHD, autism, hyperfocus, and parenting neurodivergent children, as well as how creative work can become both a coping mechanism and a manifestation of neurodivergent superpower.

Andrew and Polly share honest reflections about discovering their own neurodiversity later in life while simultaneously navigating diagnoses and support for their children. They also dive into the realities of the creative process, from needing structure and deadlines to balance multiple projects at once, and how their brains help them create emotionally rich music, podcasts, and stories.

This conversation is thoughtful, funny, deeply human, and full of insight into how neurodivergent minds experience the world differently. 

If you believe in this show and want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Click the Patreon link below to subscribe. Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

(01:19) Andrew and Polly share how navigating a beautifully neurodiverse family has shaped their lives, relationships, and creative work

(06:27) The power of collaboration, songwriting, and why the best creative ideas often emerge from unexpected connections

(12:39) Discovering ADHD, anxiety, and autism later in life, and how diagnosis can lead to greater understanding, community, and self-acceptance

(20:34) How neurodivergence influences creativity, including hyperfocus, structure, productivity, and the unique strengths of the ADHD brain

(30:19) A look inside their creative projects, including Ear Snacks, Disability Happy Hour, and their mission to create joyful, inclusive content for children and families

Website: http://andrewandpolly.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewandpolly/

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/

In this episode, Zak sits down with songwriter and frontman Aaron Maloney to explore the relationship between neurodivergence, ADHD, depression, and creativity. Aaron shares the deeply personal story behind Internal Pictures, an ambitious musical project born during one of the darkest periods of his life. Following a series of life-altering events, including the pandemic, serious medical challenges, the birth of his daughter, and a profound mental health crisis, Aaron retreated to a tiny home for seven days and created an album that ultimately became a lifeline.

This is a heartfelt episode with a very open, vulnerable guest, who talks about how he gets through depression and onstage panic attacks, as well as the fascinating ways this musical genius sees and perceives music. 

If you believe in this show and want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Click the Patreon link below to subscribe. Your support helps cover editing, design, recording tools, and the work that goes into bringing these conversations to life. If supporting financially isn’t possible right now, you can still make a huge difference by sharing the show with your friends and family.

This show runs on real stories and real listeners like you.

(00:49) Aaron shares the inspiration behind Internal Pictures and how a profound mental health crisis led to the creation of the album

(10:44) Growing up with ADHD, navigating medication, and discovering the creative strengths that shaped his musical identity

(18:35) Aaron opens up about depression, anxiety, chronic health challenges, and reaching a breaking point during one of the darkest periods of his life

(24:34) The realities of performing while struggling with mental health, and how music, connection, and community became part of his healing process

(29:12) Practical tools for managing depression and anxiety, finding perspective, and staying present both on and off the stage

Website: https://www.itsallgoodmusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsallgoodmusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ItsAllGoodMusic

Album: Internal Pictures

Zak's Website: https://zaksandler.com/

Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/zaksandler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/