ADHD Founders

In this episode, Sharon and Jesse discuss the realities of being parents with ADHD raising kids with ADHD. They explore navigating their children's complex relationships with AI (from building apps to rejecting it entirely) as well as how Sharon leverages AI as the foundation for her company, Shelpful. They give company updates, discuss bespoke tools they use and the temptation to put everything o...

Is a startup just a small business with ambition, or is there a real structural difference? The main conversation this week is about what actually separates a startup from a small business — and after working through Paul Graham, WeWork, creator economics, and the indie vs. VC divide, the answer turns out to be less about structure and more about who you are. Jesse, Marie, and Sharon have all been...

The ADHD brain doesn't tolerate annoying repetitive work. It either avoids it until everything breaks or engineers the problem out of existence. This week Marie, Jesse, and Sharon are firmly in the second camp: Marie turned her most dreaded support task into a script that genuinely gives her dopamine, Jesse built a custom climate control app in an afternoon because the existing ones were ugly, and...

A reminder that fires at the wrong moment isn't a reminder, it's noise. Sharon's deep in launch mode on Shelpful's automation features, and Jesse's side hustlin' a macOS sports tracker just because he can. The episode goes hard on AI and product development: the death of precious code, why Claude Code gives developers superpowers while designers are still waiting for theirs (even with Figma and Cl...

After a month off the mic, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon are back!. The episode starts with a long-overdue conference debrief and a pitch competition outcome nobody saw coming, then slides into a genuinely good argument about why the most powerful thing a product can do is refuse to do more. They talk founder identity crises, the weird psychology of products that just stay in their lane , and why somet...

Running a business with ADHD means living with a head full of ideas and a calendar full of self-imposed deadlines you'll absolutely move to next Tuesday. This week Sharon, Marie, and Jesse get into what actually works. They share product updates that came out of pure gut instinct, talk about the kind of pressure that genuinely lights the ADHD brain on fire, and unpack why following an idea might b...

In this episode, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon kick off 2026 by setting actual intentions. Each host shares a theme for their year, and the accountability that follows is equal parts insightful and chaotic. The conversation winds through the graveyard of good ideas that never got built, the difference between chasing what excites you versus what you think you should do, and why shipping something imper...

Jesse and Marie get deep in the developer weeds this week, walking through the entire journey of shipping a first app to the App Store—from initial launch of Flux (Jesse's new Blue Sky client) to navigating rejection and iteration. They wrestle with the messy realities of responsive design across different phone models, talk about building for older hardware, and why supporting every device gets e...

In this episode, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon are back after a month-long unplanned hiatus—mostly because they kept forgetting what day they were supposed to record. They kick things off by handing out some awards, then they dive into a proper 2025 retrospective, talking through the big wins across our businesses. They wrap up with their favorite product picks from the year. Next episode they'll look...

Here's a challenge: keep momentum through the holiday blur and actually ship those January updates. Marie, Sharon, and Jesse tackle the brutal reality of the "holiday fog," explain what ADHD January is, and how founders navigate the gap between their grand Black Friday/Cyber Monday plans and how to keep from slowing down. They also break down Sharon's "pay what you want" pricing data, the counteri...

Jesse shares his most mortifying white elephant story, then Sharon counters with tales of "Secret Santa Stalker" workplace pranks that escalated to Michael Scott-level disasters. The conversation shifts to practical ADHD gift recommendations, with the hosts sharing their favorite fidget tools, tech gear, and everyday items that actually help with focus and regulation. From the Widgy pry bar to spe...

What happens when three ADHD founders try to optimize their way out of their own dopamine-seeking behavior? In this episode, Marie, Sharon, and Jesse start with iPhone automations designed to help them focus—then inevitably spiral into discussions about minimal phones, grayscale screens, monetization strategies, and why we keep building systems we immediately override. From the promise of producti...

When you're bootstrapping a startup and watching your savings dwindle, creativity becomes currency. Jesse, Marie, and Sharon tackle the uncomfortable reality of funding an early-stage company without investor backing, sharing everything from Airbnb's famous cereal box hustle to Marie's viral lifetime deal that accidentally landed her in an accelerator. The conversation explores unconventional reve...

In today's episode, Jesse and Sharon discuss exciting update for Wave Pal and Shelpful, then we present their discussion from Shimmer's ADHD Growth Summit. There so much to learn from this episode! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/adhd_founders Follow us on social media:  • This podcast: @adhd_founders  • Jesse – @adhdjesse  • Marie – @llamalife.co  • Sharon – @shelpful Check out Wav...

Three ADHD entrepreneurs dive into the emotional rollercoaster of building startups, from the euphoria of landing your first unknown customer to the challenge of celebrating wins when you're wired to immediately focus on the next mountain to climb. Jesse shares his breakthrough moment with WavePal, while Sharon prepares for Shelpful's app store launch and Marie gets reinvigorated at a Stripe found...

Jesse, Marie, and Sharon check in on their accountability goals while navigating the realities of building apps with ADHD. The conversation covers everything from App Store submission challenges and user onboarding insights to the mental weight of incomplete tasks. They also explore practical ADHD strategies, discuss when it's okay to accept help from partners, and share what they're learning from...

Jesse, Marie, and Sharon share what it really feels like to juggle ADHD, early-stage startups, and the pressure to stay visible online. They talk through the messy middle — app bugs, audience feedback, life interruptions — and the small wins that keep them moving forward. Follow us on social media:  • this podcast: @adhd_founders  • Jesse – @adhdjesse  • Marie – @llamalife.co  • Sharon – @shelpful...

Jesse and Sharon sit down with Lydia Swift, Sharon’s co-founder at Shelpful, to talk about starting a company with a decades-long friend, the whirlwind of launching during COVID, and how the ADHD community shaped their product’s direction. Lydia opens up about living in the “squishy middle” of ADHD (relating to nearly every trait without a formal diagnosis) and the hurdles of self-advocacy in the...

In this episode of ADHD Founders, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into the complex relationship between ADHD, sleep, and streak-based motivation. From the highs and crashes of productivity apps to the shame spiral of missed days, they unpack how self-tracking tools like the Oura Ring can both help and harm. They also explore revenge bedtime procrastination, night owl tendencies, and how ADHD often i...

In this episode of ADHD Founders, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon unpack how energy-draining conversations, negative feedback, and reactivity can derail an ADHD entrepreneur’s entire day. They explore the difference between venting and vibe-killing, the power of structuring your day around creative flow, and how AI (or even Zapier!) can help you protect your dopamine. Plus: hilarious background setup fai...

In this episode, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into how they’re using AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT in their founder workflows for everything from coding whole apps in a weekend to meal planning and fighting writer’s block. Jesse shares how a bout of hyperfocus led him to build an iOS version of Wavepal (almost by accident). Sharon talks about testing AI agents with ChatGPT and the realities of...

In this episode, Marie, Sharon, and Jesse share updates on their startups and dive deep into the hidden challenges of ADHD entrepreneurship. From Marie’s struggles with context switching and dev motivation, to Sharon’s product launch jitters and personal branding journey, to Jesse’s course rollout and emotional marketing hurdles. This is a raw, funny, and relatable look at building products while...

In episode 61, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into the chaos of time zones, appointment scheduling quirks (like 11:11 start times), and the emotional rollercoaster of building ADHD-friendly tech products. They share raw stories about customer interviews, MVP struggles, subscription pricing models, and deeply personal reasons behind why their apps exist. From missed birthdays to AI-driven reminders...

In this episode, the hosts open up about what it’s like to fall out of rhythm as entrepreneurs with ADHD—and how they slowly find their way back. From quiet burnout to unexpected breakthroughs, this is a raw, insightful conversation about recovery, routine, and self-compassion. Key Highlights: - Honest reflections on doing the bare minimum during burnout periods - How changing environments (like w...

In this episode of ADHD Founders, hosts Jesse, Marie, and Sharon reconnect after meeting in person for the first time at the NeuroDiversion Conference — a groundbreaking event for neurodivergent entrepreneurs and creators. They share personal reflections on what it meant to unmask, connect, and be surrounded by a community that gets it. From the joys of real-life hugs to insights on building authe...