By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 7, 2025
When it comes to coaching those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), interest isn’t just something; it is everything. In reading this article, you will understand why interest is such an important part of coaching those with ADHD and how it can serve as a window to what is instinctive—or how those with ADHD are hardwired. Continue reading “ADHD: Interest is the Key and It’s Instinctive”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – February 24, 2025
Much has been written about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Some of it is consistent; other things are confusing. Today, I’d like to clarify a few things.
The Classifications of ADD
To begin, is it Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or is it just Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)? That is a great question because the terms are used interchangeably.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 16, 2024
As an ADHD and attention coach, it is my job to bring clarity to my clients by listening to what they are NOT saying (i.e., the unasked questions). I do this by asking questions that lead them through five simple steps designed to take them from stuck to aha. My goal today is to take the mystery out of the coaching process by showing you how my techniques move my clients forward by helping them choose their focus. Continue reading “ADHD: Hocus Pocus, the Trick Is in Choosing Your Focus”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – November 25, 2024
I stumbled into ADHD coaching as a profession 15 years ago. Daily, most people go to work, but I go to fun! Two things I like most about the job is the creativity and helping people. It is even more rewarding to help those who struggle with limiting beliefs or the reflexive urge to focus on emotions. (Often, judgment is what keeps a person down.) Continue reading “Celebrating Those Who Trust Me to Push Them. Thanks!”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – October 21, 2024
If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard countless people use the phrase, “Every individual has a unique set of gifts, talents, or abilities at which they excel.” And, in my experience, this is definitely true. However, you’d be surprised to learn the number of people who can’t articulate their own unique set when asked; in fact, many of them find the answer to this question to be difficult and even intimidating. Continue reading “Excavating Talents by Removing Barriers”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 30, 2024
Sara has ADHD. She has struggled to pay attention throughout her life. Before coming to coaching, she was easily distracted and stressed out in crowds. It was only after she came to coaching that she discovered how to be effective at managing her attention and stress. Continue reading “How Sara Managed Sound to Manage Her ADHD”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 2, 2024
Those with ADHD struggle with boredom more than neurotypicals do. This especially applies to bedtime. Boredom has been defined as the physical discomfort where one is motivated to escape it. In other words, if those with ADHD are uncomfortable or bored, they will seek comfort, even if what is comforting is something they shouldn’t do. It takes an enormous amount of cognitive energy to sit in pain when all we want is to seek relief. And when it’s time to go to sleep, those with ADHD have a tough time dealing with that boredom even for a few minutes.
Continue reading “The ADHD Dream to Dream”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 12, 2024
We live in a society that fosters negativity and self-limiting beliefs. Just look at the daily news, the endless array of advertisements for things to “fix us,” or the fascination with the mishaps of celebrities as just a few examples.
The ego loves weakness, and we feed into it by focusing on it; and for some, this focus invades every aspect of life. The result for many is staying “stuck” and not moving forward. Continue reading “What is Your Ego Paying Attention To?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 15, 2024
The word “how” is an interesting word when you think about it. “How” can be used as a noun, a conjunction, an idiom, or an adverb. As an attention coach, I use “how” as an adverb. Adverbs work as adjectives to modify verbs. For example, “How do I pay attention to something?” To illustrate, let’s substitute “attend” as the verb in the following sentence: “How does one address the president?” becomes, “How does one attend to the president?” Continue reading “Attending to the Word “How” and How It Works”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 1, 2024
What is obvious to you? To me, what is obvious is a function of what you pay attention to. Not sure if you agree with me? Then pay attention to most jokes, parables, quotes, and metaphors. They all illustrate my point. Each one is designed to shift your attention to what is obvious. Continue reading “What’s Obvious Is a Function of What You Pay Attention To”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 20, 2024
Those with ADHD often go through life with challenges that make them feel like they’re living in a maze where there’s an obstacle at every turn. But there is hope, because we now have a way to shed some light on what’s holding them back. Through a special lens I’ve developed over many years, we can look at our thoughts and beliefs to see what’s actually there. It’s called AttentionScope® and it’s incorporated into my new systematic program, Cognitive Ergonomics from the Inside Out™. Continue reading “Understanding the Workings of Our ADHD Brains”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 29, 2024
As an ADHD and attention coach, I frequently have individuals come to me for coaching because they are not getting the outcome they want. The majority of the time they are “stuck” because they are paying attention to how they believe something works (or how they believe it is supposed to work).
Take for example the stock market. Some individuals value a stock based on its current trading price while others value a stock based on its long-term inherent (or real/genuine) value. But are they paying attention to the right things and how they actually work? Continue reading “Mr. Market: Paying Attention to the Right Things”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 11, 2024
Frustrated by your weaknesses? Why not look at the opposite end of the spectrum?
I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.
I am Popeye, the Sailor Man.
—Popeye, the Sailor Man
Although this quote may seem a bit simplistic, I think it illustrates how free you may feel when you pay attention to who you are, and Popeye did just that. We all have the option to choose what we pay attention to. Consider this: Would this be Popeye’s quote if he paid attention to what he could NOT do? Or does he feel great about himself because he is paying attention to what he CAN do? Continue reading “The Opposite End of the Spectrum”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – February 12, 2024
I’m a fan of what I call insightful thinking, and I’m sharing a simple example that I think beautifully illustrates the difference between insightful thinking and methodical thinking as a way to help delineate the different types of problem-solving strategies. Let’s begin by defining a few terms so we are paying attention to the same thing.
Continue reading “ADHD: How Heavy Is a Glass of Water? It All Depends!”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 18, 2023
The placebo effect has been documented to positively impact physical and mental health. How can this be? After all, a placebo is benign. It’s a sham or simulated intervention designed to produce a perceived or actual improvement. Many times, a placebo is used to reinforce a person’s expectation of getting well or moving forward. Studies show this phenomenon is pervasive. But, if a placebo is benign, how can it have positive effects? I’m calling this to your attention as evidence of the power of what you pay attention to. Continue reading “The Relationship Between Attention and the Placebo Effect”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – November 20, 2023
I’d like to share an old parable used by Mark Twain that I feel illustrates the dangers of searching for, or succumbing to, the control of others regarding what you should do in life.
A schooled military history buff died and was met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. The man curiously asked for the identity of the most talented general of all time. To the man’s surprise, Saint Peter exclaimed, “There is no question who that is,” and pointed out the individual. Continue reading “To Be You or To Be What Others Want You To Be”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 11, 2023
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Isn’t that what they say? But trying harder is impossible if you are already trying as hard as you can and getting no results. So, what can you do?
Should you keep trying harder, repeating the same action and getting the same outcome? Of course not! According to Albert Einstein, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Continue reading “ADHD: Try Harder? Why Not Try Different?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 14, 2023
Jane, a woman with attention deficit disorder (ADD), came to coaching, wanting help with organization, specifically, getting things done. So, we focused our work on paying attention to what she pays attention to. Now, understand that this means we focused on her natural tendencies and habits, not necessarily on what she was consciously thinking of.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 17, 2023
A Lesson from Professor Dumbledore,
Headmaster at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
In the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter finds himself gazing into the Mirror of Erised. In his reflection, he sees the image of himself with his parents standing behind him, both of whom are deceased. Puzzled, Harry looks behind himself only to find his parents are not there. As he gazes into the mirror and dreams, Professor Dumbledore walks in:
Continue reading “ADHD: When the Dream Becomes the Obstacle”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – June 19, 2023
The first written record of the concept of ADHD coaching was in the book, Driven to Distraction, by Dr. Ned Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey in 1994. Little did they know at that time, the entire coaching industry would grow into a new ADHD intervention. In the late 1990s, a handful of individuals became life coaches that had ADHD and began touting the concept. In 2004, we saw the official formation of the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO) as a means for coaches to come together and share best practices and competencies. Continue reading “ADHD Is Hard. Can a Coach Help?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 22, 2023
What is insightful thinking, and why should it be understood as an alternative to methodical thinking or other problem-resolution strategies? Insight, or insightful thinking, is the sudden and immediate comprehension or understanding that takes place without overt trial-and-error testing. Continue reading “My Insights on Insightful Thinking”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 1, 2023
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. Continue reading “Insights on ADHD and Executive Functioning (A Thinking Impairment)”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 3, 2023
These days, there is so much competition for our attention. At times, it can feel like we are pulled in a hundred directions with all different mediums vying for emotional control of our hearts and minds (and let’s be honest, our wallets). It can feel overwhelming. Continue reading “Get More Done: Ditch Your Smartphone”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 30, 2023
Do you control what you pay attention to? Think about it! On the one hand, we have politicians, marketers, and corporate America all fighting to gain control of what we pay attention to for their own self-serving benefit. On the other hand, we have our pets, friends, parents, kids, and significant others all desperately vying for us to pay attention to them. Let’s face it, paying attention is hard work! It takes effort… and lots of it. Continue reading “Coaching: An Industry Born of Need”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 19, 2022
We are living in a DIY world. It’s convenient for society if we all conform and do it “their way.” More and more, systems are being created supposedly to make things easier through automation and other technologies, but the user experience is usually not considered. Continue reading “Ping Pong, Anyone? It Isn’t Always a Game Anymore”
Time and again, I have written about attention, and time and again, I have tried to illustrate that whatever seems to be obvious to you is a function of what you are paying attention to. So, if you want to pay attention to the right thing, then you need to pay attention to how things work by focusing on the process, not the result. To demonstrate that I really do practice what I preach, I will share with you an experience of how I put these principles into play a few days ago in my own life. Continue reading “Puberty: My Teenager is Under the Influence!”
Since the early 19th century ushered in the Industrial Revolution, we as a society have evolved from a one-size-fits-all way of doing things to a more highly customizable system of producing consumer goods. Now, humankind itself is finally starting to develop a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the diverse makeup of its people. More and more advocates are focusing on differences in ethnicity, sexuality, and gender. When it comes to neurodiversity, however, for the most part, many are still silent.
Continue reading “A Call for Neurodiversity Coaching Specialists”
In preparing for ADHD Awareness Month in 2014, I realized that ADHD coaching first appeared in print in the book Driven to Distraction by Dr. Ned Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey. This book has been the best-selling book on ADHD of all time. To bring awareness to the public, I reached out to Dr. Ned Hallowell. Together, we did a podcast on Attention Talk Radio, acknowledging the 20th anniversary of the birth of ADHD coaching as an intervention.
Continue reading “ADHD Coaching, the Evolution of the Intervention”
If you’ve got ADHD and truly observe your behavior, you might come to realize that thinking is effortful. It’s very challenging for people with ADHD to actually pause and engage their thinking mind to override their automatic responses. There is value in doing that if you actually make that happen. Continue reading “The Challenges of ADHD in Our Self-Centered World”
We’re happy to announce that Attention Talk Radio podcasts are now available on Amazon Music. Amazon Music provides streaming and downloading of music and podcasts for thousands of selections. You can search by playlist, artist, album, song, genres, or title. You can even use your Alexa device to request a specific selection.
Organizing your miscellaneous thoughts and ideas? UGH! The topic of getting organized comes up frequently in coaching, and I can relate to that personally. For instance, there’s a miscellaneous drawer in my kitchen. It’s the depository for things that don’t have a home. The top drawer of my bedroom chest serves the same purpose. Ditto my workbench in the garage. Continue reading “Embrace Miscellaneous Organization for Your Ideas”
What is self-awareness? Is it just being aware of your own internal emotions and feelings? Is it being able to see yourself in the third person? Or is it being able to see life and situations at a higher level, not just awareness of yourself, but awareness of others? Many people with ADHD struggle with self-awareness.
They feel threatened by it because they are sometimes lost in their head. They are also unaware of the plights of others. They’re often consumed with their own challenges and sometimes don’t realize the challenges of others. Sometimes we need just to step out of ourselves to understand it. Continue reading “A Lesson in Self-Awareness”
In my talks, podcasts, and videos, I relate information and helpful advice on various topics concerning ADHD and attention. From time to time, I receive comments and questions from folks disagreeing with what I say, because they “feel” what they are doing works for them. Continue reading “How Controversy Speaks to Self-Awareness”
The common theme to all of my newsletters is how paying attention to the wrong belief leads us to the wrong solution, and how being stuck is a symptom of paying attention to an inaccurate belief. As an attention coach, I find that, for most of my clients, the hardest part is not paying attention to the right things, but rather unlearning, letting go, or not paying attention to what the Ego believes it should pay attention to. Continue reading “When the Ego’s Belief Mistook the Wrong Thief, It Caused Such Grief!”
The band Three Dog Night sang it best in their song titled “One,” with the lyrics that go like this:
“One is the loneliest number that you will ever do.
Two can be as bad as one.
It’s the loneliest number since the number one.”
Yes, one is the loneliest number until you add a second.
Untangling a knotted fishing line because it was miscast might be frustrating, but it will pass. Being miscast as a fisherman? Now, that is a problem! As an ADHD and attention coach, I define “miscasting” as placing someone in a role and asking them to do something with an expectation of performance that is not supported by their underlying abilities. To better understand miscasting, let’s use horse racing as a metaphor. Continue reading “MISCASTING: Just a Bad Cast or the Wrong Hobby?”
Social media, YouTube, video games, advertising… they are all about getting your attention.
In the digital world, your clicks are tracked and analyzed so others can exploit what you are drawn to. In other words, they use advanced intelligence to connect with your more primitive urges. Continue reading “I Have a Question for You”
The marketing hype is in full swing. To give you a few examples, in Tampa, Christmas stuff was in stores before Halloween decorations and candy were out, some stores skipped the Halloween season altogether, and others have just enough Thanksgiving to check a box, but that’s it.
Continue reading “Expectations, Attention, and Insights for the Holiday Season”
In Super Bowl XXXVII, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive lineup took the field for the first time. Each player introduced himself on network TV by stating his name and the college that drafted him. When Simeon Rice’s turn came, he stated simply, “Simeon Rice, the School of Hard Knocks.” Get it? Football? Hard knocks? Well, I got the pun and a whole lot more! Here’s what I got. Continue reading “ADHD: Failing Forward at the School of Hard Knocks”
Did you know that 50 percent of all doctors graduated in the bottom of their class? Early in my sales career, I loved sharing this very interesting fact; it proved especially useful when I was selling against HMOs in the days when indemnity plans meant you could choose any provider. That’s when I realized most anything that can be measured by definition is at or below average. This simple concept has fascinated me for years. Continue reading “The 50 Percent Rule”
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. There are times when a picture or a symbol can communicate things that are quite complex in a way that brings instant clarity. When you run across a graphic that really communicates and explains a concept, it’s transformative. Recently I stumbled onto a graphic that was so powerful I had to recreate the concept for my own so I could share it with you. Continue reading “Articulating Complex Concepts – Aha!”
Matt Cohen and Associates (https://mattcohenandassociates.com) is a law practice with an emphasis on special education, disability rights, and human services law. I’ve learned a lot from Matt over the years. One thing about having ADHD is that it’s challenging enough. Yet, it’s even more difficult sometimes to advocate for yourself to get the benefits of well-intended legislation or regulations.
Continue reading “The COVID Pandemic: You Have Academic Rights”
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Yet, all too often, people come to coaching using just a single word, that is, a label, to represent HOW they see something, such as, “I am a writer,” or, “He is a leader,” when in reality the label lacks specificity and represents a vague picture of HOW things really are. As a coach, I prefer using digital descriptions instead of labels because I believe they paint a clearer picture of reality.
Continue reading “ADHD: Digital Descriptions”
I’m very fortunate, because I have a great job — part of what I do is listen to people and understand different perspectives, ways of thinking, points of view, and processes. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to interview subject matter experts, take the best of what they’ve done, and put it together. One thing I’ve begun to do is look at emotions as a reflective response, just like when the doctor hits your knee with a hammer. Continue reading “ADHD: Escaping Thinking”
Thinking is effortful. It can be incredibly gratifying or intensely painful. Take the euphoria of an aha moment when you’ve solved a problem as opposed to struggling to regulate your attention and focus on a difficult or boring task. What’s more, the pressure to think on a deadline, in the face of writer’s block for example, brings on anxiety, which is the human experience, but it’s more extreme for those with ADHD. Continue reading “ADHD and Thinking: UGH!”
There are times in our world with new technologies or events that metaphorically tilt the floor of human behavior. When that happens, some things are easier, but others become more challenging. Those who lack self-awareness, effort, emotion, and willpower have no go-to strategy to survive an adversarial challenge. Metaphorically, those who are self-aware will spend the time and energy to climb the hill because they know, after climbing to the top, they can get back to what works. Continue reading “ADHD: Climbing the Hill for a Better View”
ADHD Heroes book (www.judyadhdcoaching.com/adhd-heroes-book.html)? While the chapter about me was my story, the real hero was my mom (just like many others with ADHD). Remembering all the hours my mom sat with me to help me through schoolwork and to take me to sporting activities so I could indulge my interests. Her loving dedication helped me gain confidence in areas outside of academics to protect my self-esteem. It is my mother who is the true hero.
Continue reading “ADHD Heroes: Mom, Happy Mother’s Day!”
In the ADHD community, we often hear about executive function, but why is it so important that experts often talk about it? That question is one many of us have asked, so we want to help you understand it in a clear context. That’s why we are pleased to release our eBook titled, “ADHD, Executive Function, and Self-Regulation.” It explains the process of executive functioning in the brain as it relates to ADHD, which Dr. Russell Barkley views as largely a challenge of self-regulation. Continue reading “What Is Executive Function and Why Does It Matter?”
If you are like me, you hated doing word problems in school. Word problems are hard because there isn’t a methodical way of doing them. Solving them requires insight, trial-and-error thinking, patience, and practice.
The reason word problems were so important in school is because they require us to think more deeply, to use reasoning and deductive logic to analyze and solve problems. In other words, they develop us as thinkers. Continue reading “ADHD and Word Problems: Hate Them or Embrace Them”
The fun part of being an ADHD coach is to have those with ADHD articulate what I couldn’t. In the last year I’ve had a few emails, texts, and social media posts that really get to the heart of the realities of ADHD. I’d like to share a few with you and get your thoughts (please leave comments). Continue reading “People with ADHD Often Tell It Like It Is”
