In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, Dave sits down with Mark Steiner, founder of the powerhouse event marketplace GigSalad.

After receiving a life-changing ADHD diagnosis at age 57, Mark looked back on his journey from a New Jersey theater actor to a highly successful CEO.

They dive deep into the unique mechanics of the ADHD brain in business, exploring how unconventional paths can breed massive professional success.

Entrepreneurship and ADHD:

• The Reality of Late Diagnosis: Mark shares his personal journey of discovering his ADHD later in life after his daughter was diagnosed, highlighting how common it is for adults to finally make sense of their lives decades into their careers.
• EQ Over IQ: Mark emphasizes that high emotional intelligence (EQ) and "street smarts" are critical for building a flourishing company culture, far outweighing traditional MBA or textbook knowledge.
• Non-Negotiable Systems for Success: To sustain a thriving, bootstrap company for over 20 years, Mark relies on hiring people who complement his weaknesses, delegating autonomy completely, and protecting his calendar for essential solitary decompression time.

· Build a Culture of Autonomy: Avoid micromanaging your team. Plant the overarching vision, give your employees a "long leash" with plenty of freedom, and act as their ultimate cheerleader while they execute.

· Acknowledge and Map Your Social Window: Recognize that even if you are an extrovert who thrives at conferences or in boardrooms, you likely have a "four-to-six-week window" before you need dedicated, solitary decompression time to reset.

· Practice Extreme Self-Mercy: Forgive yourself for the tangents, the oversharing, and the inevitable administrative blemishes. Mark attributes true professional freedom to showing up as your authentic self without "shape-shifting" or masking.

• You can find GigSalad here: https://www.gigsalad.com/

Success can make it easy to overlook what's really happening beneath the surface. In this episode, Dave steps away from productivity hacks, planners, and optimization strategies to focus on something even more important.

ADHD awareness.

If you're a busy professional, entrepreneur, executive, or high performer with ADHD, these weekly questions will help you uncover patterns, recognize strengths, and better understand what your brain may be trying to communicate.

In this episode Dave talks about:

• Why ADHD can be both a professional advantage and a source of friction at the same time.
• How to identify moments when you felt most energized, engaged, and aligned with your strengths.
• What it means when you're constantly "fighting your brain" and how to recognize when a system simply isn't working.
• The hidden effort and invisible work many successful adults with ADHD carry every day.
• Why unexpected wins, struggles, and surprises contain valuable clues about how you work best.
• How to recognize ADHD-related strengths that deserve more attention and appreciation.
• The importance of spotting recurring patterns instead of focusing on isolated setbacks.
• A simple reflection question that may completely change how you view your ADHD.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

Dave connects with Jenna Free, author of A Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation, to dismantle the misconception that thriving with neurodivergence requires endless lifestyle hacks.

Instead, they dive deep into the power of nervous system regulation and why busy professionals, entrepreneurs, and CEOs frequently find themselves trapped in a frantic cycle of high performance followed by complete shutdown.

Jenna highlights how prolonged states of fight-or-flight mimic and intensify ADHD symptoms. She offers a sustainable path to step out of survival mode and provides actionable advice on thriving with adult ADHD.

How adults with ADHD can embrace emotional regulation:

• The Vicious Cycle: Operating in a frantic, rushing state can feel highly productive but inevitably leads to stress, overwhelming burnout and in some cases physical shutdown.
• The Mechanics of Dysregulation: When stress tricks the nervous system into perceiving routine business challenges as life-threatening, blood physically leaves the brain for the limbs, crippling executive dysfunction and creative focus.
• The "In-the-Moment" Regulation Strategy: True regulation isn't about avoiding stress or taking constant breaks. It involves interrupting dysregulation in real-time by slowing your physical pace and breathing without abandoning the task at hand.
• Unpacking Core Beliefs: Common narrative traps, such as feeling constantly "behind" or believing rest must be earned, keep the nervous system stuck in a permanent, defensive tug-of-war.

You can find Jenna's book about ADHD and regulation here.

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Guide-ADHD-Regulation-Enjoying/dp/1400254698

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min