Why ADHD Professionals Get Stuck | Overcoming the Wall of Awful
Why can a capable ADHD professional know exactly what needs to be done—and still find it incredibly difficult to begin?
In this conversation, Cathy Rashidian speaks with Brendan Mahan, MEd, MS, author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful, about the emotional barriers that can build around work we have struggled with before.
A report, email, decision or difficult conversation may look straightforward from the outside. Internally, that task may be carrying frustration, uncertainty, shame, fear of failure or memories of previous struggles.
In this episode, we explore:
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What can be hiding inside a seemingly simple task such as sending an email
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How repeated struggles contribute to the Wall of Awful
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Why caring deeply about the outcome can sometimes make beginning harder
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The difference between activating under pressure and performing well under pressure
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How urgency, anxiety, frustration and anger can become a damaging way to smash through the wall
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What it means to put a door in the wall or climb it
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How skills, resources and expectations affect workplace performance
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What leaders often miss when they move straight into problem-solving
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Questions to ask yourself when you are staring at your own Wall of Awful
Brendan Mahan is an internationally recognized ADHD and executive-function expert, host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast and author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful.
📘 Learn about or pre-order Overcoming the Wall of Awful:
https://brendanmahan.com/the-wall-of-awful-book/
🎙 Learn more about Brendan:
https://brendanmahan.com/
🌐 Learn more about Cathy Rashidian and Ready Set Choose:
https://www.readysetchoose.com/
Subscribe for thoughtful conversations about professional and leadership development through an ADHD lens.
#ADHDAtWork #ADHDLeadership #WallOfAwful
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00:00 - Speaker view GMT20260713-185730_Recording_avo_640x360
01:38 - Intro & Welcome
01:52 - What Is the Wall of Awful?
04:09 - The Origin Story
05:55 - The Wall Never Goes Away — You Get Stronger
09:00 - The Change Cycle & Relapse
10:57 - Building Systems That Work
15:57 - When Caring Too Much Causes Paralysis
19:44 - Skills, Resources & Why "Lazy" Isn't Real
24:43 - How We Get Past the Wall
36:03 - The Default Mode Network & Passive Climbing
41:34 - ADHD Myths That Drive Brendan Crazy
45:42 - Two Questions to Self-Coach Through Any Wall
51:22 - Where to Get the Book