Claudia von Boeselager: Welcome to another episode of the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast. I'm Claudia von Boeselager, your host here to uncover the groundbreaking tools, strategies, and practices from the world's pioneering experts to help you live at your best and reach your highest potential.

If you want top tips and weekly inspiration, don't forget to go to LLinsider.com to grab my weekly newsletter. Today's guest is Brooke Schnittman. Brooke is a trained expert in the field of A D H D and executive function coaching. She's the owner and founder of Coaching with Brooke since 2018. Brooke has worked with individuals with A D H D since 2006 and has been named Top 10 Healthcare Collaborator by WEGO Health, W E G O, top 60 Remote A D H D coaches by SOAR, as well as an adult who was diagnosed with A D H D later in life. And we'll get into this shortly. Brooke has personally experienced and overcome many of the struggles that her clients encounter daily. 

It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast today, Brooke, thank you so much.

Brooke Schnittman: Thank you, Claudia. Thanks for having me. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Love it. So I'd love to start with, and for those unfamiliar, I know by now many people have heard of the term A D H D, but could you just share what exactly is A D H D and why can it be considered a super power? 

Brooke Schnittman: So ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
It's an umbrella term and it embraces three different categories. So ADHD hyperactive type, which you used to think of the young boy in the classroom, getting up, hyper, all that. Then there's ADHD inattentive type, which used to be called ADD until 1994. And then there's the combined, which is symptoms of both.

So I was talking to someone and, they were saying there were thousands of different ways this can present. But essentially there's about nine different symptoms in each. So adhd, hyperactive nine in inattentive, and then the combined again is, like 10 of all of them together.

And in women, You and I. It's very easy to go undiagnosed. Because very often it's the inattentive type. So we look like we're paying attention and we're making eye contact and we're nodding our head, we're masking, and then all of a sudden we get into adulthood, usually like thirties and forties, and we start recognizing that a lot of the symptoms that other people are experiencing we're experiencing as well in this adulting life.

So you asked me about, the superpowers of individuals with A D H D. So, I mean, Albert Einstein is suspected to have A D H D, Michael Jordan, Whoopi Goldberg, Lisa Lang. I know we're going into women's, history month. And so determination, creativity, open-mindedness, positivity, insight. A lot of people say that individuals with A D H D are a little witchy because we have such big intuition. The issue is when we don't follow that intuition because the trust in ourselves. So we have to really get confident in our abilities and who we are so we can trust that intuition because we can use that as a superpower and we can also get to the answer much quicker than many neurotypicals. It's just we don't like explaining how we got there.

Claudia von Boeselager: I love that and I'd love to dig into that a little bit later on today as well. I'd love you to share, Brooke, your journey to becoming an ADHD expert in general, kind of how has your path been? What were some struggles perhaps you had and then, when you only got later diagnosed in life with having ADHD, how has that journey been for you?

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah, I am still discovering my journey five years later from being diagnosed. Because of my working memory. And there wasn't so much that my parents really explained to me from when I was younger because, I don't think they identified the symptoms of my A D H D. So when I was younger, I was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder.

I got speech and language services for that. I also in high school, was diagnosed with a learning disability for reading, so I got extended time on my SATs at that point. And, I just knew that when I was interested in things, like when I went to NYU for my master's and students with disabilities, I was so focused.

But then, when I was at Penn State and there were for my undergrad, 400 people in a classroom and I was learning about history, which to me at that time, I didn't care. I zoned out. So, my journey, a lot of what? What did you say? That kind of thing. And the shame surrounding that. The insecurity surrounding that.

Not remembering verbal directions. Learning through my parents and learning through my special education, teaching how to compensate myself. So I can live in this neurotypical world, not knowing that I had ADHD. And finally, after. At that time, 14 years in the school system, working with individuals with A D H D.

I went into coaching as an A D H D coach, ironically, after being coached for a year. Not in ADHD coaching, because I saw the benefits of coaching. I was like, oh my God. I finally figured out who I am, my strengths, my weaknesses, my values, how I'm showing up for myself, how I'm showing up for other people.

And I put the two together. I was like, I'm gonna be an A D H D coach. I just dove into it. I got my training, I got like multiple trainings, you know were lifelong learners as ADHDer's. It's like, oh, I'm interested in ADHD coaching, life coaching, parent coaching, I'm gonna start my own course, this and that. Right?

It's like, so I have like every single degree know to man, right? And certification. And then I was working with adults and that's where when I got online in 2019, I was focused on the session with an adult, and then I had to go, and at that time I was writing notes on paper. And I hated it. Like I could not shift my attention from focusing on the person, to then writing the notes, and then coming back to the next session.

That was just one of many things that I started noticing. I was like, oh my God, I think that this is all making sense to me. How did I not know this? So being in the field, I knew who to go to and she diagnosed me with adhd, combined type. And, I started going on Adderall. Just to try it out.

My parents at the time were like, you don't need medication, ba ba ba, right? Because they didn't know. And I'm like, listen, this is just an experiment for me. You know, I wanna see how my clients feel and I wanna know how I feel. And ultimately it made so much of a difference. , I already had the tools from compensating and being coached and coaching other people. But this helped me get that edge that it's really hard to get behaviorally because the neurons aren't firing. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. Where they need to be as well. And so what were some of the biggest insights and breakthroughs after being diagnosed? Was it a real like 'aha' moment or confirmation? Did you feel joyous or was it like, oh, okay, I have it too. How was it for you? 

Brooke Schnittman: It's not the typical story. So what I see from many is, oh my gosh, this all makes sense to me, right? No, that's not what happened to me. I wish I could say that. I already had a lot of the tools that I needed for my brain from coaching, from going to school, from teaching, from masking, and what the biggest aha moment for me was I can finally really get into the brain of my clients. And feel like the reason why I've been doing this all these years is because I wasn't just helping them. I was helping myself, and I am part of a community.

That's the biggest thing. The community, the overall feel good, from helping them, from helping myself, from making an impact. I feel connected. I feel part of a group, for honestly, like one of the first times in my life, and I feel accepted. So I think that was the biggest aha for me. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Beautiful. Yeah. And I think, you know, that is basic human nature to wanna feel connected, to wanna feel part of something, right? It's so beautiful that your path led you to actually getting the diagnosis and finding your calling as well. 

Brooke, I wanna ask you about, masking for those unfamiliar, like what is masking? What do you mean when you refer to masking? 

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah. It's like being a chameleon. You try to look neurotypical or you try to block out the A D H D tendency, so you can mask when you have any type of disorder. So autism, O C D, O D D. But you block it out so you appear neurotypical. And while you're doing that, it takes so much energy to do so because you're trying to put on that face, you're looking like you're focused.
Right? So like my teachers used to talk to me and I was like, 'mmhmm, uhha'. Yep, 

Claudia von Boeselager: I got it. I know. 

Brooke Schnittman: Exactly. Even like people in general, they would talk to me and I was doing that and I had no idea what they were saying because I was so focused in on paying attention and making eye contact and looking and appearing like I was being socially adequate.

So masking you basically put on a mask and you look like you are fitting in, but really because it takes so much energy away from, that you're drained after. And there's a lot of negative impacts in masking because you're not truly being authentic. You're not being you and people aren't seeing the real side of you.
You're not seeing the real side of you. So there's also a lot of shame. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. Being able to adapt properly and to situations and I guess it's built up stress as well. 

Brooke Schnittman: Absolutely. 

Claudia von Boeselager: I wanna look at sort of the word freedom around this, is coming to mind. So for people thinking, maybe I have symptoms, but maybe where I am in the world or my family, or whatever, there's stigma around mental health and neurodiversity, A D H D, but I don't wanna get a diagnosis. 

What would you say are some of the major pros of actually having a diagnosis and seeing this as a sort of positive thing, and what freedoms does it allow, in terms of people being okay to be themselves and not masking?

Brooke Schnittman: So when you first started talking about that, I thought of a client from, the Middle East. And it was not accepted, by his family, and he got diagnosed. He told his sister who understood, but his parents didn't. So he had a lot of shame around, saying anything to his parents, however, he found people who did care, right?

And by getting that diagnosis, he was able to understand who he truly was to the core, his strengths related to A D H D. His weaknesses, how to maximize his strengths. Going back to that masking. If you're living in your weaknesses and you're trying to show up differently than who you are, you're gonna be stressed, you're gonna be depressed, and you're gonna be anxious.

So I think once you get that diagnosis, it can give you the clarity and it could give you the next steps in your journey. And it's up to you to capitalize on that. So there's medication, there's behavioral therapy, so there's coaching, there's so many different things. There's support groups. And if you can finally accept it, then it starts with you, right?

So you feel more confident in being authentically you, and then you can show up as the best version of you because no one else can. So, I think the stigma is being broken every day. There's still a lot of people who don't understand it, and that's okay. We just need to educate if they wanna be educated, but they're, the diagnoses are going out the roof.

I know in the UK. Since 2020, there are 400% of people who are trying to get an A D H D diagnosis. So just that alone hopefully will give people who are afraid to get that diagnosis, the strength and the acceptance to know that you're not alone. There's a huge community out there and the rates just keep going up. So find your people. It will help.

Claudia von Boeselager: You said it really beautifully as well, so I think for people listening who think, oh, it might be me, but I don't really want to go down that path. Well, it just makes it okay for you to be yourself and know that you're not alone. And so I really like that you've hit home on that points as well.

Let's talk about emotions and A D H D. How can a person with A D H D with negative emotions or difficulty with emotional regulation? How can they maybe without, or with medication? Like what is the best way or some of the tools that they can deal with it? 

Brooke Schnittman: Sure. So emotional regulation is a huge topic right now, and because we have executive dysfunction, which means that all of our executive functions are at a weakness.

So Thomas Brown talks about six clusters of executive function with individuals with A D H D, and their sub clusters each individuals with A D H D have one or more weaknesses in every single one of those clusters. So working memory activation, which means getting started on something. Sustained focus. So those are just some examples of them. So if you have trouble with all of those things, emotions, are going to affect you and impact you because if you can't, hold on. So let's start with working memory. If you can hold on to multi-step directions in your head, the classic example before, Google Maps, I'm gonna give you directions to get to so-and-so's house.

First you have to go straight, make a left, then you're gonna make a right. You're gonna go down a mile, and then you're gonna make another left. And then you're gonna see this big building and then you're gonna go at two more miles. We hold on to the first step and the last step and nothing in between.

So the expectation from this other person is you're gonna remember every single step. In our head, we're like, (overwhelmed) right, so we're getting anxious. We're like, oh my God, I lost that step. Now I'm a failure. Like you're telling yourself all these things. So emotions are playing into everything that we're doing that involves the executive functions in our brain, which is in the prefrontal cortex.

So because of that, We have a lot of shame. We have a lot of rejection sensitive dysphoria. Which is stories that we tell ourselves based on what we think other people are thinking of us or what we're thinking of ourselves. And, it really starts with like knowing yourself, adapting, leveling the playing field by accommodating yourself and being kind to yourself and separating facts from stories. So there's those behavioral types of approaches, that we do in coaching. I think once you have your community, once you understand that most of our thoughts are negative and there's the past that gets in the way of our emotions, and you can separate the two and have more of a realistic understanding of how to do that, then you'll feel more confident and you won't be as impacted as before, so it takes a lot of practice. Our brain has a reticular activating system, so when we've had negative thoughts our whole life, which all humans do, 80% of our thoughts are negative, and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive. 

Claudia von Boeselager: It's terrible. I know. 

Brooke Schnittman: Terrible and ADHDer's have even more negative thoughts. So if we've been wired that way in order flip the script. We have to constantly train our brain like a muscle. And the reticular activating system can be rewired. But it takes a lot of practice, a lot of visualization, and thinking of the possibility you wanna create. And that's the number one success strategy for billionaires. Now, so that's the behavioral approach.

William Dodson, who is the guru, of medication he talks about medication for emotional regulation and he had, like beta blockers, I believe, guanfacine. The research that he's doing now shows that 30% of people who try one medication that he had recommended can help with emotional dysregulation and R S D.

And then if that doesn't work, then you can try the other medication and then that's another 30% chance. So it's a 60% chance that medication can help you with your rejection sensitive dysphoria. But medication isn't the be all end all. We know that it is something that really does help, but you also need the tools to help you as. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah, I'd love to dig into medication for a moment as well. When would you say, medication is great for certain types of candidates or for certain circumstances, but for others it should be avoided. What are you seeing? 

Brooke Schnittman: So, stimulants work for 80% of people with ADHD and then there's a small percent, 20% where it doesn't work. I'm a family of ADHD as we all take stimulants. My stepsons are on Concerta, my husband and I are on Adderall, so, I'm a little biased but the studies do show that stimulants are the best form of A D H D medication if you can take it and it does help wire the synapses of the brain and fire them so it can send them messages. Think of an outlet, an electric outlet. It's not plugged in, in the A D H D brain, but when you take medication, it's finally sending those synapses and those messages. So there's a lot of people who choose not to take medication and also who they react negatively to it. So they might have heart conditions. So they're not, gonna go on stimulants. Some people who have addictive tendencies, might be afraid to go onto, stimulants and their doctors might say not to, although I do know some people who do have addictive tendencies and are on medication.

So it is a personal decision if you wanna do it, but it takes a while to know what the right medication is for you. It can take up to two years to find the right one. It's not just medication, it's behavioral, training and mechanisms. So if the medication works for you, it can help you get more focused into a task.
But how do you know what the right task is for you? The medication's not gonna tell you that.

Claudia von Boeselager: And would you also say for children as well? Medication is a route to consider. 

Brooke Schnittman: It is. So they don't typically start medication in children until the age of six. And, they don't diagnose A D H D until the age of four. There's a lot of mixed reviews, but what I can tell you is that, you know, Ritalin and Adderall has been around for years. For unmedicated individuals with ADHD the life expectancy of ADHDer's, if they're not getting the tools and medication can very often be, 8 to 10 years less than people who are medicated because of the risks associated with A D H D, the impulsivity, the anxiety, the depression.

So, It's definitely something to think of. When people come to coaching, sometimes they're afraid of getting on medication, so, I'll say, look, try behavioral strategies first, see if it works, and then if you wanna get on it, it's a personal decision. I mean, you don't have to, I wasn't on medication for a whole year while I was pregnant. Luckily the hormones also helps you focus more by being pregnant. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Let's talk about the work that you do as a coach. Say, you know, a potential client comes to you and says, Brooke, I think I have ADHD. I can't cope in life. I have so many things going on. I'm running my business, juggling so many balls. How can you help me? What are some areas and types of clients that you deal with, but also what type of coaching do you offer? 

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah. Because of the late diagnoses and the shame associated with A D H D later in life, we start early. We start young at eight years old, and if you have a child who's younger than eight, then we also have parent coaching that can help with that because we wanna implement those tools and those strategies early to decrease the bullying decrease the negative self-talk, all of that. So we work with individuals eight to 80 with A D H D, and I have a team of eight coaches and we all specialize in different areas of h ADHD and different ages. So I have student coaches, I have coaches that work with professionals. I personally work with entrepreneurs. I have coaches that work with creatives, middle-aged. But our signature program is called 3C Activation and it's our signature process. And I've taken the best tools that have worked for my adult clients, my adult professionals with A D H D, and pat them into 12 weeks.

And it's a hybrid program, and my coach Kelly runs it. She's run it for the past two years. It's been around for the past four years and we have a group of six professionals with A D H D and that has been the most life-changing process. So, we help them clear the chaos of their A D H D brain. Then we help them build consistency with time management and organizational strategies and prioritization and planning.

And then we get to a level of confidence where they stretch themselves, they stretch their goals, they have uncomfortable conversations, they've been avoiding delegation and they start planning out their next three months without us. So, I would say that, that is our biggest program, but if we do one-on-one coaching with adults, we also implement those tools and strategies into our coaching, 

Claudia von Boeselager: What are some of the biggest insights clients you work with have had through coaching with you and your team? 

Brooke Schnittman: Some biggest insights are I'm not alone, that's a huge one. I'm aware and because I'm aware I can accept and not try to fight so much. I have what it takes to be successful and meet my potential and let's start small, instead of trying to do everything all at once, which a lot of ADHDer's including myself. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yep. 

Brooke Schnittman: Very often fall into. Slow it down because that 1% is so much better as far as gaining the tools to get to your goal than trying to do it all at once.
So like people with their to-do list very often are like, I talked about this with one of my clients yesterday. I'm gonna write a screenplay on their to-do list. I'm gonna create a musical. I'm gonna create a song. This is on their weekly to-do list. Let's slow down for a second. By the end of the week when you don't achieve that, how are you gonna feel?

How can we break it down to 1%? So this is actionable. So we really turn it on its head. And I think the clients after those 12 weeks understands that you can't do everything all at once. So let's break it down and you gain more success at the end because you've had an organized system to do that.
So that's some insights. We've had clients who've tripled their income in one month. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Wow. 

Brooke Schnittman: We've had clients who've healed their relationship with their spouse. We've had clients who have, figured out a game plan to do their notes like doctors, clinicians, that's the biggest thing that a lot of them hate.

We've had clients who have done their taxes for like three years that were back taxed, and they didn't wanna touch it with a 10 foot pole, organize their space. So, and then we fed students who were really successful, let's say in high school, but then went to college and failed out because they never had that executive functioning training because their parents and their teachers were their executive functions their whole life. And they were really smart. So they were on honors. So for the first time, they actually needed to learn how to organize their time, how to break things down, how to study. So we've had someone who is in honors college who failed out the first semester, get B's and a's the second semester. So, you know, we see the whole gamut.

Claudia von Boeselager: That's so beautiful. Brooke, what would be some of your top strategies and tools for someone either undiagnosed or even diagnosed that hasn't worked with a coach in coping with day-to-day life? What are some of your top tips that people could start with? 

Brooke Schnittman: Who have not been diagnosed? 

Claudia von Boeselager: Well, either they have been diagnosed, but maybe they don't have that coach or that support, and they're kind of like, here's your diagnosis. You know? Good luck. 

Brooke Schnittman: Find your community, I mean, although there's some negative stigmas about TikTok and Instagram, go and see who you can relate to. There is some bonus of that. And anyone that you feel like you resonate with, maybe have a conversation with them, see if they have any support groups out there. ADA has wonderful support groups. Chad, Attitude Magazine has some great information. And just know you're not alone.

There's millions of individuals with A D H D out there. You just have to find your people. We have a huge Instagram community coaching with Brooke. Feel free to follow us and just check out our daily tools. There might be things that you can relate to people in the comments who share information there so you can connect with them.

But just try to find your community, try to find your support, and then from there you decide do you want coaching? Do you need therapy to deal with some of the things from the past? Do you wanna possibly try medication. See who you can connect with first and then start there. You're not gonna change everything.
You're not gonna heal everything overnight. So one step at a time. 

Claudia von Boeselager: To avoid that overwhelm that us ADHDer's have. 

Brooke Schnittman: Yes 

Claudia von Boeselager: Exactly. What have been some of the lifestyle changes you've done? Have you implemented certain morning routines or evening routines, or habbits, food, etc.? 

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah. So of course, as a new mom, that's changed a little bit.
But yes, I had a morning routine. I would wake up, drink a whole glass of water. When I first woke up, I would go into my reading room, which was downstairs, and I would just sit and I had like five different books. I would just pick a book and read a page. Just because information for me felt so validating and rewarding, and I felt like I was learning, so that helped.

I didn't care how much I read, as long as I read something, I would go outside, get some fresh air, walk around. And do my best to try not to look at my emails and text messages because that was showing up for other people rather than showing up for myself. So when you set your morning, even if it's like five seconds of deep breathing in the morning, when you set your morning for you, your day is less chaotic.

But if you start on other people's agendas, then your whole day is like that. So that morning piece is huge. And then before I go to bed also, I try to think about, okay, what is coming up for tomorrow? What is that one thing that I'm gonna do in the morning. And go to sleep with that, being prepared for the next day.

Claudia von Boeselager: I think that's really helpful so that monkey mind doesn't take over during the night. And you can't get to sleep as well. Are there certain foods that you avoid or recommend your clients to avoid? 

Brooke Schnittman: It's very personal. So what I'll say is there's people out there that swear that, gluten and dairy, If you don't have that, it can help individuals with A D H D.

However, a lot of people have an intolerance of gluten and dairy, so whether you have A D H D or not, if you are intolerant to it, it's gonna impact your focus because it has that gut brain reaction, right? So for me, before I even knew I had ADHD I did an elimination diet just to see what I was, intolerant to, and dairy and gluten, I was intolerant to. 

And so now I try to stay away from gluten. I don't always, but I know that when I eat it, I sometimes get a headache. I sometimes get bloated and I feel different. So just, you know, be conscious of what works for you. I wouldn't, go crazy into like, exploring all these different things. If you eat something and it doesn't make you feel good, then maybe you shouldn't have it.

So, but in order to do that, you have to kind of food journal and be aware of what you're putting into your body. So, one thing that I can tell you is that a lot of individuals with ADHD forget to drink water. So drink water, we all need water. We're 80% water, right? So that's huge. But I have no hard stops on, what you shouldn't eat, what you should eat, what you shouldn't drink, what you should drink.
It's really your personal decision. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Well, I mean I think with also sugar and things like that as well, I think that there's little research on this to date, but you know how blood sugar levels will also impact, but I mean, we know that it impacts focus because when you obviously crash and changes the whole physiology as well. So interesting as time goes on to observe research and recommendations with that. We know what's good for our brain though. 

Brooke Schnittman: Yes. But you know what we. If we're seeking sugar a lot, then we need to look inward and say, why are we seeking it?
Like, do we need that dopamine if we're not getting the dopamine because ADHDers are constantly seeking the dopamine. How can we get it in another way so we don't crash, like you said. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah, exactly. What are some bad recommendations, Brooke, that you hear, around A D H D or you know, some professionals that mightn't be in the right place to give advice, that are giving advice?
What are some things where you're kind of cringing, like, no, no, that, don't do that. That's not true.

Brooke Schnittman: ah. Okay, this is gonna be controversial, but you started it. I've seen people out there say, do not go on medication. It's a personal decision. But there's a lot of research out there that shows how effective is for individuals with ADHD. So again, Speak to your doctor.

Make a personal decision. Don't listen to everything that you hear. There's benefits and you know, there's pros and cons to everything. So that's one thing. Another thing, and this is gonna be controversial too, is to share with your boss immediately that you have ADHD.

Claudia von Boeselager: And why? 

Brooke Schnittman: Why? Because what if your boss doesn't trust you and doesn't understand ADHD?
And what if you don't trust your boss? It unfortunately, it could still be used against you at times. So my advice to people is you have to know your boss. You have to know the people that you're around if you trust them. Fine, but you also might wanna consult with a lawyer who does this for a living, before you share that information, because sometimes it still does get used against individuals with ADHD.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah, I think, you know, depending where people listening are in the world, some places are much more protective, they can't get fired. Whereas in the US I think that happens. Can happen quite quickly. So it depends where you are. But are you seeing neurodiversity being much more embraced also by companies?

Brooke Schnittman: Yes, definitely. There's a researcher that I met, her name is Jessica Hickstead. She had mentioned that 70% of people in the workplace are neurodiverse or have a disability. But only 35 or 30% actually disclose it. 

Claudia von Boeselager: So, I mean, neurotypical people are in a minority in essence. 

Brooke Schnittman: Correct. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Yet we tried to function to be a neurotypical.

Brooke Schnittman: Isn't that, isn't that funny? I mean, it's not funny, but like we're laughing because we're like, oh my gosh. Mind blown. 

Claudia von Boeselager: So, I mean, you know, hats off to the companies of the future that figure out how to actually harness this and embrace it and use it to thrive and allow people to be open with their gifts and thrive in those gift areas instead of trying to conform to certain ways. I mean, I know for ADHDer's is like email inboxes the biggest nightmare. It's like switching from one topic to the other and whatever as well.

Brooke Schnittman: Oh my gosh. And the worst is when they email you back right after you email them. But you know what I saw that the UK is trying a four day work week now. 

Claudia von Boeselager: I think it depends where, you know, which companies as well. I think coming out of Covid, they're doing sort of three day in the office, two days from home. There's movement happening. Let's see what really comes to pass, etc. I don't know what the right solution is. Right? Because some people, if you really love what you do, rather than try to kill yourself for four days a week and then have three days off, might prefer to do, you know, maybe less hours. 

Brooke Schnittman: A little bit every day.

Claudia von Boeselager: Yeah. And so how is that gonna to the economy then as well? No one's around holidays, right? You know, I mean, like I said, have to pick the days as well. What are some online resources, books that you would recommend people start with if they're looking to dig further into A D H D and understanding it and how to better manage it?

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah, so Thomas Brown, ADD from Thomas Brown, and there's a couple more words after that, but there's goldfish on the front. Dr. Thomas Brown with goldfish and ADD. So that's a very popular book.

I use it as a guide. Like I just scroll back, I've had it for five years, and I'm like, okay, I wanna revisit the executive functions. Go back. It talks all about the science behind it. So that's one. I really like Dr. Daniel Amen. I know you know him. His healing ADD so it talks about the seven types of A D H D. Smart, but scattered, they have tons of different books. They have it for teens, they have it for adults. Driven to distraction. A lot of people can relate to that by Dr. Ned Hollowell. For individuals in relationships, adults, Melissa Orla, the A D H D marriage effect. For adults with ADHD when an adult you love has ADHD. I think it's by Dr. Russell Barclay, that book. So there's just some starting points there and if you want that list, I actually have an ADHD manual with that list on my website so you can take a look. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Where can people follow you? Find you? What's the website? Can you share the details for people listening?

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah. Everything is coaching with Brooke with an e. C o a c h i n g with Brooke. So Instagram is that. We have a big following. Lots of free tips there. Uh, lots of freebies on our website. Coaching with Brooke. Just mentioned one of them. We also have a student freebie. We have a big ebook on there, and YouTube.
We have a pretty big following there. With lots of videos from our podcast, ADHD Power Tools and our new podcast, successful with A D H D that's going to be coming out on all podcast platforms soon. 

Claudia von Boeselager: Exciting. Very, very exciting. Well, thank you for all the work you're doing. It's amazing. Brooke, do you have any final ask or recommendation or any parting thoughts or message for my audience? 

Brooke Schnittman: Yeah not everyone has ADHD, so you're not alone in thinking that. There is an overdiagnosis, a diagnosis, and an underdiagnosis. So don't ever feel like what you're experiencing is not real. Don't accept those negative messages. And if you're living with someone who doesn't get it, you don't need to push your agenda on them. Just share what you know. And, through your journey, you're gonna start weeding out some people who just don't get you because you're gonna be authentically you and you're gonna be accepting more people who do get you.
So you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and you're in control of who you spend time with. So just know if you wanna be awesome, be with awesome people.

Claudia von Boeselager: I love that. Find your people, thrive, be you, and let your superpowers thrive. Thank you so much, Brooke, for coming on today.
It's been such a pleasure. 

Brooke Schnittman: Thanks for having me.