I recently had the pleasure of joining Nikki Kinzer on Brooke Schnittman’s podcast, Successful with ADHD. Brooke is fantastic and has a stellar handle on how we can learn to work with, rather than against, our unique ADHD brains.
Nikki and I were, of course, thrilled to share some bits and bobs from our new book, Unapologetically ADHD, and to reflect on the journey it took to create it.
One of the most powerful parts of this journey for me—and a part of our conversation that Brooke was patient enough to let me wax on about for a while—was the idea of failure. For so many with ADHD, failure feels personal—something tied to our worth. But learning to separate the emotion from the act itself is transformative. Failure isn’t a judgment; it’s just a moment in time. This shift in perspective has been life-changing for me, and I hope it resonates with others, too.
We also talked about the importance of understanding ADHD on a personal level. Nikki’s advice was simple but profound: learn how your ADHD impacts you and advocate for what you need. That might mean creating friction to avoid distractions, asking for accommodations, or using verbal processing to organize your thoughts. For me, even something as simple as documenting how I make tea revealed how much executive function I already struggle to muster—and how much I take for granted in my daily routines when things fall apart.
What I loved most about this conversation was how it captured the spirit of the book. Sure, it’s about strategies and tools. But it’s also about embracing who you are, flaws and all, and living unapologetically. Brooke brought out the best in us, and I hope this episode inspires anyone who listens to approach their ADHD—and their lives—with curiosity and compassion.