54: The Tom Nardone Show

Tom Nardone of TheTomNardoneShow.com & ADHDpeople.net

Tom Nardone of ADHDpeople.net returns to the podcast to chat with Eric about a wide variety of topics, from podcasting, motivation, and laziness, to sleep habits and more. Amongst a plethora of other topics, Eric discusses his post-vacation struggles with motivation, Tom and Eric talk about the definition of the word “lazy”, and both give shout-outs to a bunch of others in the ADHD community.

About Tom Nardone:

See ADHD reWired Episode 34: Married with Separate Bedrooms for another interview with, and more information on, Tom Nardone.

• Tom runs blogs on tomnardone.net and ADHDpeople.net

• Tom created ADHDpeople.net to accommodate ADHD more specifically. It has since surpassed the user-base of his original site.

• Recently, Tom started his own podcast, called The Tom Nardone Show, which he hosts alongside his wife Yvonne.

Post-Vacation Struggles:

• After returning from vacation last week, Eric has had a challenging time motivating himself to work.

• Mid-way through the week, when he realized he had no plan for an upcoming podcast, he realized he simply didn’t care.

• Eric had his first panic attack in a year.

• Coming to a conclusion, Eric feels he pushes himself too much.

• Tom: When nothing is going right, nothing is getting done, and you just don’t care – that’s like the ADHD Zen.

Podcasts:

• Unlike where most podcast episodes are planned out to a certain extent, Tom thinks this unplanned episode gives the hosts an opportunity to show the audience how they are in an off-the-cuff manner.

• Tom recently launched his own podcast, The Tom Nardone Show.

• Eric and Tom both had the idea that Eric would record a commentary track to play overtop of a regular episode of Tom’s podcast, adding extra context and information.

• Tom: What might be funny would be to have an ADHD coach like yourself in the background of our podcast who would chime in during arguments.

• Another idea Tom had was to have Eric interview him for the introductory episode of his podcast.

• Eric: Tom’s show feels like listening to a conversation that we shouldn’t be privy to.

• Because trying to decide what movie to watch has always been a long process for Tom, he recorded himself and Yvonne sorting through their Netflix queue discussing which movie to veto for ridiculous reasons.

• Eric and Tom appreciate each other’s show for different reasons. Eric enjoys The Tom Nardone Show for its humor and relatable nature; Tom appreciates ADHD reWired for its informative content and for how it helps others.

• Tom mentions Kim Trumbo’s Generosity Philosophy podcast and how fun of a person Kim is.

• Tom loves hearing the stories of where people are when they listen to his show (i.e. in the shower, washing a car).

Laziness:

• One issue Tom brought up on his show concerned how he defined “lazy”: “There are lazy people and there are people who aren’t lazy. […] I’m sorry, but if you have laundry, you know it needs to be done, but you don’t do it – why don’t you do it? Because you don’t want to do it –  okay, to me, that is lazy! Okay, I’m not saying that makes you a bad person or – and I’m not even saying it’s bad to be lazy – lazy is just what you are. The fact that you have a legitimate reason for being lazy, which is your ADHD. . .”

• Eric: There’s one difference between laziness and ADHD, and that concerns your intention. Laziness is the choice of inactivity.

• When a person thinks about doing something, they’re actually exuding mental energy. Executing a behavior requires the brain to fill its mental “cups” with neurotransmitter “water”. When those cups are fully filled, the brain sends a message that makes us respond and move in reaction. In a person with ADHD, those cups only become about 70% filled, which is not enough to complete the action of sending a message, while also “weighing” their thoughts down.

• Those with ADHD end up working harder to think about and complete simple cognitive tasks compared to those without.

• Eric: If there is one thing I think you do so well in your show it’s that you really stand for acceptance. You just accept who you are. Many other people are told they’re lazy, believe they’re lazy, and feel very shameful about it.

Miscellaneous:

• On the ADHD population: The CDC says that between four and nine percent of people have ADHD. Of those, only about fifteen percent have been diagnosed.

• On sleep:

  • Eric usually falls asleep listening to podcasts.

  • When Tom heard that Lisa Feinberg’s (guest on episode 44) boyfriend asked for her to put on Tom’s show while he went to sleep, he was ecstatic.

• Tom: People with ADHD should never use the phrase “from now on”.

• On anxiety: Usually, when Eric feels anxiety, he just chalks it up to general feelings of being overwhelmed due to ADHD. Maybe anxiety for Eric is a larger part of how he functions than he realized previously.

Shout-outs:

• Ril Giles from SuperADDmom.com

• Deb Rowley from Madison Coaching & Therapy Services (56:49)

• Carolyn D’Argenio, the Audible audio book master

• Oz du Soleil, the Microsoft Excel expert who was a guest on episode 46 and episode 50.

• Precious Makey, an avid member of the ADHD reWired Facebook Group, interviewed on episode 49.

• M. K. Cochrane, a member of the Facebook group

• Alan Brown, creator of ADD Crusher and guest on episode 25

• Ari Tuckman, a psychologist specializing in ADHD, appeared on episode 17

• Roberto Olivardia, Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School

• Terry Matlin, author of the book Queen of Distraction, interviewed on episode 24

Other Products and Links Mentioned:

• Generosity Philosophy, Kim Trumbo’s podcast that focuses on inspirational stories of generosity

• The Queen of Distraction: How Women with ADHD Can Conquer Chaos, Find Focus, and Get More Done by Terry Matlen

Find and Contact Tom Nardone:

• ADHDpeople.net

• TomNardone.net

• TheTomNardoneShow.com

Donate to CHADD’s “One of 15 Million” fundraising campaign: gofundme.com/oneof15m

If you donate $100 or more, Tom Nardone will give you a free signed book and a personal phone call.

If you donate $200 or more, Eric Tivers will record a message for your home answering machine.

Other information:

• Help CHADD, an ADHD organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with ADHD through useful research and support, by donating to their fundraising campaign here: gofundme.com/oneof15m.

• Visit erictivers.com/audible for Carolyn D’Argenio’s list of her top Audible.com audio-book picks, complete with preview links.

• Connect with people virtually using Eric’s favorite video conferencing and connectivity platform, Zoom, by visiting erictivers.com/zoom – the basic service is totally free.

• If you want you hear your question or comment on a future episode, go to erictivers.com/adhdrewired and look for the comment form, or click on the yellow button for either “Be a Guest” or “Record your question”.

• Are you looking for a coach? You can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with Eric. Go to erictivers.com and click the blue “Schedule an Appointment” button

• http://www.chadd.org/

• Northern Illinois chapter of CHADD

  • Third Monday of every month at 6:45 PM

  • Grayslake, Illinois

(CHADD does not endorse this podcast)

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