[1:11] There is hope for those of us who are creative, who are entrepreneurial and have ADHD. And so we're going to be focusing on smart strategies to help us. Now I'm no ADHD expert, so I am going to be inviting some. experts onto this show and I'm going to be asking them questions and trying to address myths.
[1:32] I'm sure you've heard some of these myths like, ADHD is just a label and isn't everyone a bit ADHD? everyone struggles with procrastination. Those kind of questions, but also talking about other things like anxiety and ADHD and how does that affect intelligence? How can we address the challenges that we face?
[1:52] This is going to be a really constructive and positive podcast. I want to be focusing on the hope and the strategies, but we're not going to be sugarcoating it either. It's going to be, we're going to be focusing on the struggles as well. And so as well as inviting guests onto the show, they're going to be short.
[2:12] I'm aiming for 20 minute episodes, but I'm also going to be doing longer form episodes as well, where I'm going to be inviting on some smart ADHDers onto the show who have had some success. They are entrepreneurs, business owners, creative people. And I'm going to be allowing them to tell their story, their ADHD story and sharing some of their strategies as well.
[2:36] So I'd love it if you could join me and join the community and I'd love to hear from you. If you've got any thoughts or ideas or any feedback, then you can send me an email at ian at smartADHD. com. That's Ian at smartadhd. me. in this episode, I'm going to be playing the first video I posted to my YouTube channel, which kind of explains my thinking behind smart ADHD and also my thinking when it comes to intelligence and smart ADHD and how that can affect our thinking.
[3:10] So instead of me just gibbering on and on, I'm going to. This is the first video for the smart ADHD channel, and I've been avoiding it because talking about ADHD and talking about being smart is difficult, but I do think it's much needed. And so here I am. my name is Ian Anderson Gray and smart ADHD is all about giving support and smart strategies.
[3:35] for smart creatives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who are trying to navigate life with ADHD. And you might be thinking, I'm not that smart. So let's talk about that. If you're thinking that, if you have doubted your own intelligence, you're not alone. I've been there too. I would never have described myself as overly smart, bright, or intelligent.
[3:56] I really struggle with that terminology, but I've realized that my kids are really smart and My wife's really smart, and my kids can't have got all of their intelligence from her, even though she might like to think that. But I still feel really uncomfortable in talking about intelligence. I can't even say that I am intelligent.
[4:15] Many smart ADHD individuals often question if they have ADHD. We've learnt how to mask our symptoms and develop strategies to cope, which can delay diagnosis and compound challenges like anxiety, overthinking, and burnout. I've been doing a lot of overthinking about this channel, for example, and so ADHD can be difficult to spot at first.
[4:37] And of course, There are the stereotypes about ADHD which don't always fit, especially for smart individuals like us. People often think that if you have ADHD then you'll be constantly running around like a naughty school boy, forgetting things, always being late. Never listening, and constantly interrupting.
[4:58] Oh, that's not what I said! For example, I've mastered the art of arriving at the airport way too early to avoid the anxiety of being late. I used to struggle with losing things, but with smart technology and other strategies, I found ways around that. ADHDers are supposed to be always forgetting things and late for everything, but if you are a smart ADHDer, you might have worked out strategies to help.
[5:21] And smart, Really? You may have been told by teachers, family members, or friends that you're easily distracted. Maybe you struggle with certain tasks, or maybe you were bored at school. My school reports were littered with comments like, Ian gets easily distracted and Ian needs to try harder. We tend to focus on the negatives without recognizing the things.
[5:43] We've done well. We're good at masking the symptoms and we often develop strategies to cope with them over the years. That's why smart ADHDers are often diagnosed a lot later in life, but they're also more likely to struggle with anxiety, overthinking, burnout, imposter syndrome. Now, I want to make one thing clear, I'm no ADHD expert.
[6:04] That's why on Smart ADHD, I'm going to be interviewing experts. I was diagnosed with combined type ADHD with anxiety at the age of 47? 46? 48? I don't know, I'm not that great with memory. Since then anyway, I've learnt so much, but I am no expert. I'm going to be sharing my story and interviewing the experts, and interviewing other people.
[6:28] other creative people, successful people with ADHD. Feeling uncomfortable in calling yourself smart can also be cultural. Here in the UK, it's just not the done thing to put yourself up like that, to blow your own trumpet. We tend to put ourselves down, not stand out, and not celebrate our talents or successes.
[6:47] The other thing is that many people with ADHD are highly empathetic and intuitive, and We can be worried about what people think. Calling yourself intelligent kind of goes against that. A lot of smart ADHDers have a skewed view of success, thinking that success has eluded them, comparing themselves with others and facing that dreaded imposter syndrome.
[7:09] And the other thing is many of us have done lots of different things. I trained as a professional classical singer at the Royal Northern College of Music. I sang professionally throughout the UK, And I taught singing at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music and some of the top schools in the northwest of England.
[7:25] And some of my students have ended up becoming professional singers, studying at some of the top UK conservatoires. I set up a web agency, which is still going today, and I taught myself web development and WordPress. I launched a successful blog on social media. And then I pivoted into live video streaming and I still, I'm a consultant in the live streaming world today.
[7:46] I ended up becoming an international speaker, speaking at conferences around the world, like social media marketing world and content marketing world. I'm married to an amazing wife, Helen, and I have two fantastic kids. Despite all of that, I still question my own success and I focus on my failures. Is that something that you do?
[8:05] Of course, everyone's experience will be different. You may not resonate with everything that I've said there. But, if you are a smart ADHD er, it's likely that you resonate with some of those things. It's been said that if you've seen one person with ADHD, you've seen one person with ADHD. Or, putting it another way, there are as many symptoms of ADHD as there are people with ADHD.
[8:28] Now, some of these things are the reasons why I've been scared about launching this channel. And, also, Thoughts pop into my head like it's just gonna fail and no one's interested blah blah blah blah But I also feel really strongly that this channel is so needed There are so many smart adhd ers who are struggling right now and they don't need to be It's time to launch smart adhd and i'd love you to join me But not everyone thinks that what i'm doing here talking about adhd is a great idea I'm not Some people have told me that they are worried that me being open about ADHD or tying it to my brand might backfire.
[9:07] Who would hire someone they think was always going to be late, forgetful, and disorganized? But this view misses a big part of the story for those of us with smart ADHD. It doesn't see the full picture of living intelligently with ADHD. We're not always late or disorganized. Many of us have developed smart strategies to manage our challenges.
[9:27] We've found unique ways to harness our ADHD traits as strengths, not setbacks. I'm not denying the challenges, the struggles. There are real struggles with being smart and having ADHD, and we're not going to gloss over those things. So as we embark on this journey with Smart ADHD, we'll dive into interviews with experts, debunk myths, and share stories from real creatives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who are thriving with ADHD.
[9:52] This is more than a podcast. It's the beginning of a community where we support and uplift each other. So despite the doubts and the myths, it's time to launch Smart ADHD. Join me as we uncover the strategies, the successes, and the real stories of navigating life with ADHD. Together we'll learn, grow, and redefine what it means to be successful.
[10:16] I'd love it if you could join me on this journey. Please subscribe to this channel and like it and share it with other people you think might find this helpful. I'd love to hear your stories as we build this community together. So there we go, that's it for this first episode. I hope you can join me in the next few episodes.
[10:34] Do check out the YouTube channel at SmartADHD and across all the socials as well. You can subscribe and follow and just let people know that this exists. So until next time, toodaloo.
