Top Takeaways from The International ADHD Conference

Episode 24

Duration: 27 minutes 40 seconds

Episode Theme: Content

November 28, 2024

Recently I attended the International ADHD Conference in Anaheim, California. It was a long trip from the UK, and I was a bit nervous! But wow, it was an amazing experience. In this episode, I share the challenges of international travel, the significance of community connections, and my reflections on overcoming self-doubt. Oh, and my thoughts about the International ADHD Conference.

In this episode:

[0:00] – Welcome to the Smart ADHD Podcast
[1:07] – Back from California: My First ADHD Conference
[2:14] – Getting Organized for the Trip
[3:50] – The Journey to Anaheim
[5:05] – Meeting Friends and Settling In
[7:37] – First Day at the Conference
[8:50] – Experiencing the ADHD Community
[12:08] – Insights from the Conference Talks
[21:57] – The Talent Show Experience
[23:57] – Reflections and Final Thoughts

Organising for Success

Planning for an international trip can be quite the task, especially when it involves attending a significant event like the International ADHD Conference. I found that the key to a smooth experience lies in thorough preparation.

First off, make a checklist! Jot down every little thing, from packing your favourite snacks to ensuring your medication is sorted. It may seem trivial, but having that list can save you from a last-minute scramble.

Also, consider joining groups or forums related to the conference. Not only does this provide a wealth of information, but it also connects you with fellow attendees, making the trip feel less daunting. Have you ever connected with someone online only to find that they were just as nervous as you about attending?

The Power of Community

One of the most rewarding aspects of attending the conference was meeting people who truly understand the ADHD experience. I had the privilege of connecting with various personalities in the ADHD community, each offering their own unique perspectives and stories.

These connections are vital. They remind us that we are not alone in our struggles. Whether it’s discussing challenges or sharing triumphs, there’s something incredibly uplifting about being surrounded by like-minded individuals. Have you ever left a conversation feeling invigorated and understood?

Moreover, engaging in discussions during the sessions provided me with fresh insights that I could bring back to my own life and work. Listening to others share their journeys can often offer new ideas and strategies that you might not have considered before.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is all too familiar for many of us, especially in environments where we want to shine. At the conference, I found myself grappling with these feelings, questioning my place among such talented individuals.

However, it was during the talent show that I learned an important lesson. Participating, despite my nerves, allowed me to embrace my own uniqueness. Remember, everyone has their own strengths and stories to share.

So, if you ever feel like you don’t belong, remind yourself that you bring something valuable to the table. Each voice adds to the richness of the conversation. Have you ever taken a leap of faith to participate in something that scared you? It’s often those moments that lead to the most growth.

I hope you find these reflections helpful as you navigate your own journey with ADHD. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences too!

Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more valuable insights!

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Transcript

[0:00] So I'm here at London Heathrow. You can see the planes out there at the back. And uh, I'm flying to LA for the International A DHD conference. So I've flown down from Manchester and I've got all my stuff here. I think I'm ready to go. The only problem is on the other end, I'm not entirely sure how I'm gonna get to Anaheim, but we'll work that out when I get there.

[0:26] This is very exciting. Can't wait.

[0:36] So, I am here in Anaheim. I've just checked into my hotel. Had a fabulous day with Molly and her family. So it was really good to spend time with them there in Anaheim just a bit. I think it's called Anaheim Hills. Beautiful part of the world. House is gorgeous that time, just by the pool and the palm trees.

[0:56] I'm gonna get used to that. There you go, palm tree. You don't get that in Manchester. So I'm off to the Hyatt, Orange County Hyatt, or whatever it's called, which is just down here, to check in for the International ADHD Conference. That's why I'm here in Anaheim, uh, as part of what I do with the Smart ADHD Podcast.

[1:15] If you haven't come across that, if you haven't heard it, do check that out. Uh, available in all podcasts, apps, and uh, yes, going to be checking in. I'm wondering whether I'm going to spot anyone I know. I only know probably about five or six people here, um, so this is unlike kind of other conferences I've been to in the past where I know a lot of people, so it's going to be interesting, quite excited about it, maybe a bit nervous, we'll see.

[1:51] I'm back at my hotel room, I have checked in, and here is the fancy bag. From the International ADHD Conference in Anaheim, 2024. So, what do we have? We have Yes, we have the What do you call this? An agenda, I think. So that's a lot of stuff happening. I have that on my phone as well. I've set that all up.

[2:14] Looks like we've got some kind of blurb here. From, uh, some sponsors. I don't know, I've not heard of them. No idea what that is. What is this? Looks like some ADHD medication or something. But what's in here? Anything in here? Something, something in here. Anyway, there's that. What else is there? Some other blurb.

[2:38] Interlaced solutions. Yeah, so there's a lot of kind of blurb from, um, that kind of stuff. Oh, look at this! You, me, and our ADHD family with my good friend Tamar over here. She's been on my podcast. Uh, this is her new book, so it's good to see that in there. Uh, what else have we got? Uh, oh, yeah, there we go.

[3:01] That is my lanyard. Uh, what else have we got? Inflammation on the Brain Focus group. Uh, what else is this? I don't know what that is. And then looks like we've got the program. So this is very, very flashy. So I'll have a look at that. And I think that's it. So yeah, there we go. Well, good morning from Anaheim.

[3:28] I'm just, just had my breakfast actually. And I'm walking down to the conference centre. For the first day of the International ADHD Conference. I've got my tea. It's, uh, Rooibos and Earl Grey tea, if you want to know. And, uh, there's actually a breakfast down here organized by the ACO, which I think is the I don't know, is it ADHD coaching organization or something like that?

[3:51] Uh, but I wasn't sure what the breakfast would be. So I've had a just a little breakfast here. I'm like a hobbit I have two breakfasts. So, uh, that's what i'm doing. And uh, yeah, i'll see how we get on today I have no idea what to expect Immediately if you don't know people you're like, hey, please sit here join me And a lot of us are catching up with old friends, so we won't keep you Uh, my name is tamra rosier.

[4:16] I'm one of the co leads Of the conference and I wanted to welcome you here. We have a great professional day and I'm truly excited about it.

[4:35] I do not want to see it again. I don't want to see it again. I don't want to see it again. I don't want to see it again. Did

[4:48] you have something else to say, ma'am, in the back? Oh, on that? Hi, sorry, yes. I'm the attorney. Um, in D. C. who gets calls all the time. So, and she feels the need to be available. So she answers the call. Have a great

[5:32] first day. Anybody super excited about a great second and third day?

[5:42] Good morning from Anaheim. It is day two of the International ADHD Conference. I wish I could say I'm totally awake this morning, but that would be a complete lie. Yesterday was really full on, very exciting. and met so many new people, got to meet people that I already know but in real life, such as Jonathan Hassell, Tamara Rozier, and a few other people.

[6:09] My brain is just not working. I've got, I've got my tea, my Earl Grey Rooibos tea, I've had a little bit of breakfast, and I'm walking down to the convention centre. So yesterday was more of the, that was the professional day, so I went to a talk on neuroscience, that was fascinating, it was aimed at kind of ADHD.

[6:27] professionals, coaches. Um, so, but today is the start of the, the main conference, a lot of networking as well. So it's going to be good. Oh, yes. And the other cool thing about yesterday was there was an entrepreneur's meetup. There's going to be quite a lot of networking today. Uh, the keynote is, is it, um, Penn Holderness or something?

[6:48] I forget his name, but he's, um, I don't know if you've seen him around. He does these kind of, uh, singing kind funny videos, um, about ADHD. So that should be interesting. Uh, what am I doing? Always get these these sidewalk things. Always get mixed up with what I need to do. Uh, and, uh, yeah. And then tonight is the talent show.

[7:09] And I seem to have managed to write myself into some We'll see how we get on there. I'm going to try not to get run over. So, that is today. I'll be sharing some more stuff of what's going on. And let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about it. Because this is my first time at this conference.

[7:29] who care deeply about making the world a better place for people with ADHD. So all for coming. That's him. That's him as a kid. Um, that's the only, that's the only picture I think that my mom and my parents, when they were talking, Um, I felt very different from everyone else. I felt a little bit alone. And I cried really easily.

[7:51] Um, I'm almost sitting here right now. I knew it was. Um, so of course, I don't know. My doctor and my friends, uh, most of my friends, diagnosed me with being a weirdo and a crybaby. Those of you who are just in the general, in the general, know that I was up on stage, I had been mic'd up, about 45 minutes ahead of time, and then Good morning from Anaheim.

[8:18] It is a beautiful day here, a little bit chilly, but the sun is in the sky, we've got the palm trees. It is day three of the International ADHD Conference. Yesterday afternoon I wasn't posting very much, you may or may not have noticed. The reason for that is that I hit a brick wall. I was absolutely exhausted, I had a horrible headache, probably from jet lag, maybe from something else, I don't know.

[8:43] But the short thing to say is that I had to go to the hotel and rest. I tried to go back for an afternoon talk but I just didn't, I just had to go back. So, but in the afternoon, in the evening, sorry, We had the, uh, talent show. So this is my first year at the conference, but apparently every year they have a talent show, and I roped myself into it, uh, to sing something.

[9:10] Uh, so we rehearsed at quarter to seven, um, and went live at eight. There was a huge crowd of people, which was cool. Um, lots of people were doing So there was singing, there was poem reading, parody, parody songs, someone played a flute. It was a lot of fun, uh, and, uh, I'll show a little video of my singing in a little bit, but, uh, really pleased with it.

[9:37] It was really good fun. Good morning again from Anaheim. This is my final day here in the US of A in California. I'm flying back. In a few hours time, um, so I'm just drinking my tea, going down to Target to get a few little American goodies for the kids. Uh, they love the, uh, fish crackers, or the goldfish things, whatever they're called, I can't remember what they're called.

[10:00] But I'm gonna get some of those, and, uh, get packed, and then get a taxi to the Anaheim transportation place. Get a train, a Metrolink train, to, uh, LA Union Station, I believe, and then, uh, get the FlyAway bus to the airport. Fun Pack Day! I might go to the beach as well, I don't know, we'll see what happens. Um, it's all fun, all fun and games, uh, but then I've got a long journey after that.

[10:31] Tomorrow I'm in London, I've got to get up at six something for the Adobe Day. So yes, tomorrow I'm down to London for the, there's a, an Adobe Express Ambassador's Day. I am an Adobe Express Ambassador, so that should be fun, but I'm not looking forward to getting up at like half five after just coming back from California.

[10:50] That's not going to be fun, but I'm going down and back on the same day, because I've been away from my family for a while. Like a week, so, um, that should be good. And I'll let you know how I get on. Right, let's go to Target, my first time at a Target. Well there you go, that was my first Target experience.

[11:07] A number of you, well a couple of you were saying it's not that exciting. Well I beg to differ, that was my first experience, don't take that away from me. That was a fun experience. Okay, in some ways, not that different from like a massive supermarket in the UK. But lots of different things, I've got loads of American goodies for the kids and for me.

[11:28] Um, and yes, but yeah, sorry Hilary, I didn't take any photos. So my friend Hilary was asking about taking photos of the fashion. I didn't do that, sorry. Um, but yeah, it was pretty impressive. I'm gonna go back to the hotel, get myself sorted, and then I'm on my way. So that's the hotel there that the conference was at, the Hyatt, and I just wanted to mention this place over here.

[11:52] The Masala Craft Restaurant. Usually, America is not known for good Indian restaurants, but this was amazing. I went there three times. They have a buffet, or a buffet as my American friends say. It was amazing. Really, really good food. So if you're ever around here, definitely check that out. Shoe City. Uh, and look, just look at this junction.

[12:12] Look how many lanes we've got here. It's like five lanes or something. It's just like nuts. I'm not gonna miss this place.

[13:11] While I'm shocked, I'm here at LAX, and It was like a really quick check in through security. The guy at the security desk was really quite funny, cracking jokes. One of the best experiences I've had and LAX is supposed to be one of the worst experiences for airports. People keep saying to me, oh, I really don't enjoy it, but this was Amazing, oh yeah, in terms of checking in at British Airways, that took about two minutes.

[13:38] Like, what's going on? What is going on? It's amazing. And I can see that my gate is there. I've now got like two and a half hours to twiddle my thumbs and do stuff. But, uh, a good experience.