"Between Chaos & Bedtime" the Podcast

This past weekend was hard. And I wish I could say it was an anomaly, but unfortunately, hard weekends have become my norm. My wife works as a nurse. Thank goodness for that. If it weren’t for her steady, dependable career, our family would be in a very different situation. But one of the realities of her job is that every other weekend, I’m solo parenting our two kids. Those weekends don’t usuall...

If you’ve been reading my series Managing ADHD in Real Life , you’ve probably noticed that I’ve mentioned exercise several times. That’s no mistake. In my experience, there are few things that help manage ADHD like moving my body. There’s plenty of good science to back up why exercise is so effective for managing ADHD . It’s worth checking out. I want to focus on the anecdotal evidence, share what...

For most of my life, I believed that if something couldn’t be measured, completed, or achieved, it probably wasn’t worth doing. Then I learned about the philosophical distinction between telic and atelic pursuits. A telic pursuit has an endpoint. It’s done to achieve something—graduate, lose weight, finish the project, check the box. You complete something, and it’s done. It’s satisfying, and easy...

*This is my third post in a series called Managing ADHD in Real Life . Subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming posts! If you read my last post in this series, I wrote about momentum . Momentum can be an essential part of managing your ADHD. Momentum creates a sense of progress and allows your brain to use today’s wins to encourage future wins. This week I want to talk about the improvements you can e...

*I’m taking a pause from my series “Managing ADHD in Real Life” so I can get my kids squared away on summer break. Stay tuned for more in the weeks to come and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any future posts! I got glasses for the first time about a year ago. I turn 40 this year, and my eyesight seems to be the first thing that’s failing me. Up until the exam, I’d never had any issues with...

*This is my second post in a series called Managing ADHD in Real Life . Subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming posts! “It’s all about momentum.” It’s advice a friend with ADHD gave me a few years ago, and it’s been a game-changer. Momentum isn’t just about maintaining forward motion. It’s an approach that focuses on stacking wins so your brain thinks, “Hey, I’m making progress and being productive!...

*This is my first post in a series called Managing ADHD in Real Life . Subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming posts! If you have ADHD, you’re likely familiar with the feeling of burnout. Life is piling on, you become overwhelmed, and you can’t snap out of it. You might find yourself sprawled out in your bed, or plopped down on the couch, unable to move, unable to find the motivation to go forward. Y...

Last week I was at my son’s baseball game when I realized something… It’s hard for me to watch my kids play sports. Not because they aren’t athletic or talented (thank goodness they take after their mother). It’s because I can’t help but see myself out there. Somehow, when they step onto the field, a part of me goes with them. And it’s not the part of me that’s confident and athletic. It’s the par...

Last summer a friend told me I reminded him of a blue cartoon dog. Honestly, I’ve never been more proud. As a millennial dad, one of the highest possible compliments you can receive is being likened to Bandit Heeler, the dad in the insanely popular show Bluey . If you’ve never seen the show, let me tell you what you’re missing. Bluey follows the everyday lives of a family of four “Heeler” (also th...

“I had no idea you have ADHD!” It’s a common reaction when people learn of my diagnosis. As a child, I didn’t exhibit the usual symptoms. I wasn’t hyperactive. I did well enough in school that I didn’t draw any attention. I was labeled “bright.” That’s probably why it took 36 years to finally arrive at a diagnosis. To be honest, going that long without a diagnosis feels like an achievement. For 36...

They say, ”Comparison is the thief of joy.” True. It’s also very hard for me to avoid. In recent years, social media has become a steady stream of updates showcasing the accomplishments, achievements, and possessions of my friends and peers. Try as I might, I can’t help but feel envious. And that envy extends to parenting. The parents I follow seem to have more to offer in time and resources. They...

I want to be a dad that doesn’t shout, lose his temper easily, or choose anger as his default emotion. So far, it feels like I’m failing. I’ve struggled with emotional regulation as long as I can remember. One of the few home-movies from my childhood shows a 3 year old me—shouting, with tears streaming down my face—throwing my bike across the driveway because I’d fallen off. I wasn’t physically hu...

When I was diagnosed with ADHD in my mid-30’s I was left wondering, “what now?” I looked for answers and resources, hoping to find stories of people’s lives that echoed my own. There were countless books and articles about ADHD written by researches and subject experts, but for me, they didn’t resonate. They were too clinical and academic. Plus, reading was never the way I learned, and the stack o...

For the first 30 years of my life, I managed to get by. Granted, I was never known for my ambition or drive, but I was bright enough to keep up in school and at work, and made up for most of my shortcomings with creativity, personality, and charisma Even after my first child was born in my early 30’s, I was making it work. Life got harder, but I managed. But what I didn’t realize then was, I’d spe...