By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 20, 2025

Heading to college can be tough for students with ADHD and keeping in touch as a parent can pose some challenges, too! I had a talk with Rob Tudisco, former president of Edge Foundation, to talk about the struggles of students with ADHD as they go off to college.

Continue reading “ADHD Tips for College Parents: Stay Connected and Supportive” →

By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 23, 2024

In the world of ADHD awareness and advocacy, few voices are as compelling as Alan P. Brown, creator of ADD Crusher. In an episode on Attention Talk Video a few years ago, Alan shared his remarkable journey with attention coach Jeff Copper. He openly discussed his struggles, diagnosis, and ultimate breakthrough.

Alan’s early years were marked by chaos—substance abuse, reckless behavior, and brushes with the law. He was, as he puts it, “this close” to jail. Sadly, it’s a reality many undiagnosed ADHD individuals face, and this is supported by statistics. Up to 45% of the prison population and 70% of alcoholics are believed to have undiagnosed ADHD. Yet, even as he was spiraling out of control, he knew he had potential. He often worked twice as hard as others but didn’t understand why he couldn’t break out of the spiral.

But his turning point came when he noticed a small newspaper ad for an ADHD support group. Alan attended the group where he finally realized his AHA MOMENT. It was the missing piece of the puzzle, leading to his diagnosis and a new sense of direction. As he began to understand the root of his challenges, he dug into learning how to manage his ADHD, ultimately sparking the idea for ADD Crusher™—a program designed to deliver ADHD strategies in a fun, visual, and accessible way.

Today, Alan is a testament to his transformation. He has turned his once chaotic life into a source of inspiration for others. His journey is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to turn things around. Please watch the video interview with Alan, “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What an Aha Moment Looks Like,” to learn more of his story.

If you are struggling with undiagnosed ADHD, this experience offers hope and an opportunity to seek support and strategies that will work for you. The AHA MOMENT isn’t just a revelation—it’s the start of a life-changing transformation.

TRANSCRIPT:
Jeff Copper: Welcome everybody to this edition of Attention Talk video. I’m your host, attention coach, Jeff Copper. And I’m here with ADD Crusher, Alan Brown. Alan, welcome to the show.
Alan Brown: Well, thanks for having me here.

Jeff Copper: We’ve interviewed Alan on Attention Talk radio, and he’s storied, he’s legend, he’s Mr. Detention because I’m Mr. Attention. And sometime after the show, get Mr. Intention on, but anyway, Alan Brown had… You were quite the character for a period of time and weren’t diagnosed with ADHD until later in life. And can you just tell us a little bit about your background? And what the show’s about today is the aha moment where you kind of changed things. So pre-diagnosis and kind of pre-getting your act together. Can you explain to everybody a little bit of your background?

Alan Brown: I’ll tell you what, it’s just very, very close to home. The huge potential problem that is undiagnosed adult ADHD. And in fact, I’m giving a TED Talk in San Diego next month on the 85% who are undiagnosed adults that, for instance, 45% of the prison population is undiagnosed ADHD, up to 70% of alcoholics. You know all these stats, but it’s scary stuff. So what were my teens and twenties like?

Jeff Copper: Yes.

Alan Brown: I was this close from jail, this close from-

Jeff Copper: Okay, so when you say this close from jail, what is… I mean, they’re chasing you down the street with guns or…

Alan Brown: Well, first of all, it’s alcohol abuse. Second, it is stupid, crazy behavior. Third, it is crime. I was engaged in some crime. I was a drug dealer. I was buying large amounts of drugs in Harlem in the height of the crack epidemic. And a couple of my friends were doing something similar and they got caught. I didn’t get caught. So I came within an inch on more than one occasion of really having a completely different life than the one I do now with our nice suits on.

Jeff Copper: Yes, yes. This was not the uniform back in the day.

Alan Brown: No, it was not. No, it was not.

Jeff Copper: So I’m hearing that you had some substance abuse issues, run-ins with a law possibly and got in close because your friends were there, plus there was an adrenaline junkie side to you. If I’m not mistaken, you had… Matter of fact, Rent-A-Car companies hate you, I would imagine.

Alan Brown: Yes, they do. I just got a letter from one the other day. It’s a woman in Philadelphia. I did something in Philadelphia. But anyway, I do feed my adrenaline addiction in a little bit more of a healthy way. I race motorcycles. I was actually just doing that last weekend. So it’s a healthier way. No drinking and driving when you’re on the racetrack.

Jeff Copper: But that’s today. Before you had flipped a car in the Jersey Turnpike a couple of times.

Alan Brown: Yeah. And bottom line, I hit bottom with the drugs, with the behaviors, etc. And I kind of turned myself over to self-help groups and was able to finish college and get a job in advertising. But-

Jeff Copper: I’m going to cut you off there because I want to just kind of fast-forward today. You are ADD Crusher. You’ve put together a program that you’re promoting, but also you’re an advertising executive. You’ve been very successful and you’re splitting time between the two and wearing a very nice suit here, I might add.

Alan Brown: Thank you.

Jeff Copper: So we talked about the before and now we’re at the after. Oh, and recently married.

Alan Brown: Yep.

Jeff Copper: So you got a lot of things going for you. And what I want to ask here, the focus of this program is for our viewers out there is what was the aha, how did that kind of come about? Because I mean, there’s a lot of people who are sitting there probably identifying with this a little bit, but somehow something clicked for you and it turned. Can you just talk about that experience?

Alan Brown: I was struggling in the advertising business, working as hard as I possibly could, twice as hard as my peers and not get anywhere. I’m sitting in a cafe in the East Village of New York, and the back page of the Village Voice has a little ad for a support group for ADHD. I had already been told about three years before by my doctor that ADHD was a myth. Don’t worry about it, Alan. You might think you have ADD, just do more crossword puzzles. Well, I went to the support group, it’s the Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group, and they’re still going. I love these people.

Jeff Copper: Yes, yes.

Alan Brown: And I went into this one meeting and the speech happened to be one, the talk happened to be one about doctors who get it and doctors who don’t. And the light bulb went off. And I said, man. And by then I had a new doctor whom I went and I asked her, “Do you believe or do you not believe?” And she said, and this is 15 years ago, she said, “Do I believe? My son is a classic case. Let’s send you through a battery of tests. Let’s make sure it’s not something else.” Diagnosis, more light bulbs go off. And then of course ADD Crusher happens because that all flows out of wow.

Jeff Copper: So what I’m interested in, and this might be difficult, is that you’re sitting there, life is on the skids, but what you see this ad, what compels you? I mean, you could have done things before that, but what was it about that that enabled you to say, I’m going to go to this?

Alan Brown: Well, I think it was a really frustrating point where I just couldn’t understand why it was that as hard as I worked and I worked long hours, I worked every Saturday for about seven years, every Saturday. Why couldn’t… And I know I’m no dummy, I just couldn’t break out. And then when I saw that thing, and I remembered that three, four years prior, a doctor had told me ADHD is BS. I said, “That’s got to be it. This has got to be it.”

Jeff Copper: So I think what I’m hearing you saying is deep down your self-esteem was a wreck, but there was something inside that was telling you that you weren’t a wreck and you saw this and you said you were looking… This has to explain it. This could be the difference between what I feel and what is and that compelled you to go.

Alan Brown: You just characterized it perfectly.

Jeff Copper: And this is very difficult, I guess to kind of explain, but my intuition is when you… There’s so many that I’ve coached that they’re just bright people. They know that they’re bright, but they just haven’t executed. And to be on the rock bottom and say, “Wait a second, this is not making any sense to me. I’m not that dumb. I shouldn’t be here. There’s got to be a reason for it.” To me, is what I’m hearing is like, hey, I’m looking… This could be the reason, which is enough to kind of get going. And I’m assuming, I’m inferring that once you went, you found a little bit of a tribe and you start identifying and then slowly… Am I putting words in your mouth?

Alan Brown: No. Well, you know what? Right up until a certain point, because once I was diagnosed, I ran out and grabbed all the books I could so I could learn strategies. And of course, I’m a horrible reader, so I couldn’t really pull the info. That’s what really started the idea of ADD Crusher. I wanted to find a way where I can get strategies delivered to me in a fun visual way and not have to read them.

Jeff Copper: This is interesting because I’m having a little bit of aha because I didn’t really think about this, but the epicenter of this is the disconnect in your mind with here’s who… I know that I’m better than this, but this is where I am. And one day you look and say, if this is the explanation, the relief to say, hey, no, I am and get myself out. This is kind of a weird moment for me because it’s mechanical, but literally it all boils down to that is you know that were capable of more, but you weren’t seeing it. And that was the, hey, this is the ticket.

Alan Brown: That was the hey. And it was a moment of potential relief because you knew at least you could see the path. The real relief came when I started to learn strategies and teach myself strategies for how to be a better performer at work and in my personal life. And that’s where the real-

Jeff Copper: And I think that in my experience coaching people, there’s this huge euphoria of when they get the diagnosis that, oh, that explains it.

Alan Brown: Yes, yes.

Jeff Copper: But then they kind of go back to it for a period of time. Okay, great, I’ve got… What do I do?
Alan Brown: What do I do now?

Jeff Copper: The second piece of it is some of the things that ADD Crusher doing and the coaching side is, okay, let’s talk about what you do, how do you get past procrastination. So with that, Alan, I appreciate you coming on the show. Everybody, if you want to learn more about Alan, the best place to go is AddCrusher.com.

Alan Brown: AddCrusher.com. Yeah.

Jeff Copper: It’s A-D-D-C-R-U-S-H-E-R dot com. And I have to think about that because I can’t spell.

Alan Brown: I know, you’re terrible. That was pretty good.

Jeff Copper: Well, I know…

Alan Brown: You’re awesome.

Jeff Copper: So anyway, thank you very much for coming on the show.

Alan Brown: Thanks for having me.

Jeff Copper: Take care.

Alan Brown: God bless.

By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 2, 2024

In this blog post, I address how individuals with ADHD often thrive by using strategies that are nontraditional and are more suited to their brain’s unique wiring. With ADHD, their ability to focus and process information is impaired, and traditional methods may not always work. Instead, they should experiment with different environments and other approaches, like using background music or movement to optimize learning or productivity. Continue reading “Writing a Harvard Dissertation While Listening to Punk Rock” →

By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – November 4, 2024

If you have ADHD, you may find that your biggest problems are related to specific types of tasks. For example, boring things can feel like a big challenge. But more importantly Multifaceted or unclear tasks can leave you feeling overwhelmed and stuck. So how do they relate to ADHD? Continue reading “The Truth About ADHD: Is It Really a Thinking Impairment” →