By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – October 5, 2026
In a paper called “Self-Esteem Issues in Adults with ADHD,” Cynthia Hammer writes:
When I am asked to speak in the community on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I often start by holding one hand behind my back and saying, “I was born with one hand tied behind my back.” As I was growing up, no one knew I had a hand tied behind my back – not my parents, not my teachers, not my friends, not even myself. As you probably realize, when you have one hand tied behind your back, there are some things you can do well – like eating soup with a spoon – and some things you can’t do well at all – like cutting a steak which requires a fork and knife. No one could understand why I could do some things well one day, and couldn’t do other things equally well on another day. Continue reading “ADHD Meds Impact More Than Just School and Work”
ADHD is widely recognized as a disorder of executive function, but what does that actually mean? More importantly, is there a difference between executive function and executive skills? While these terms are often used interchangeably, understanding the distinction can dramatically change how you approach ADHD challenges and find solutions that actually work.
Self-awareness is an executive function, and success in life is highly correlated with self- awareness. Executive functioning (EF) is a set of mental faculties that enable us to identify, organize, and sequence relevant information over time towards a goal. In short, executive functioning is what we use to engineer a plan to achieve a goal. 
All too often, those with ADHD struggle with working memory challenges. If you are one of those individuals, you may have multiple thoughts or tasks in mind but have trouble organizing and sequencing them. ADHD coach Jeff Copper suggests doing a brain dump as the most effective strategy to help. 
Often, those with ADHD feel chaotic and disorganized. In a sense a feeling is a knee-jerk or reflexive emotional response in that emotions or judgments are made without awareness, analysis, or acknowledgement of what “is.” Just because you feel something doesn’t make it a reality. This reminds me of a story. You may be familiar with it. 
What happens in the ADHD brain? It’s a mystery of the universe, right? Maybe, but once in a while, I coach someone and get a glimpse of the unique logic that is ADHD or at least what works for one person with ADHD. I’m grateful to EV for agreeing to let me share her unique logic. It matters little if it makes sense to you. What matters is it works for her. Like most with ADHD, her process might not be mainstream, but it works for her.
As an adult with ADHD, you’re probably aware that one of the side effects of this fun little disorder is having a lot of things going at the same time. The ADHD brain thrives on stimulation. It generates ideas upon ideas and gets excited to start something new—sometimes multiple things—all at the same time. For someone with ADHD, generating ideas and seeing the potential of them produces dopamine that “lights up” the pleasure center of the brain, just as food, chocolate, alcohol, and addictive behaviors do.