Aug. 2, 2026

Why ADHD Professionals Get Stuck | Overcoming the Wall of Awful

Why ADHD Professionals Get Stuck | Overcoming the Wall of Awful
Why ADHD Professionals Get Stuck | Overcoming the Wall of Awful
Refined Leadership: ADHD Lens
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:

  • What can be hiding inside a seemingly simple task such as sending an email

  • How repeated struggles contribute to the Wall of Awful

  • Why caring deeply about the outcome can sometimes make beginning harder

  • The difference between activating under pressure and performing well under pressure

  • How urgency, anxiety, frustration and anger can become a damaging way to smash through the wall

  • What it means to put a door in the wall or climb it

  • How skills, resources and expectations affect workplace performance

  • What leaders often miss when they move straight into problem-solving

  • 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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Join our Quantum Thinkers' ADHD Community for bi-weekly group coaching sessions. Tailored for professionals seeking guidance on managing ADHD in the workplace, Coach Cathy Rashidian offers valuable insights. Through her group coaching approach, she fosters growth and understanding among participants. Each session is limited to a maximum of 8 participants to ensure personalized attention.

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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