By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – June 15, 2026
One of the most difficult—and damaging—issues in the ADHD world today isn’t ADHD itself. It’s parent denial.
In an early episode of Attention Talk Video, I sat down with Dr. Charles Parker, a long-time ADHD medical expert, to talk about a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough honest attention. What he shared was both sobering and hopeful. Continue reading “ADHD Denial: How Fear and Misinformation Hold Kids Back”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 6, 2026
For many people with ADHD, visual distractions can be overwhelming, making it difficult to focus on conversations, lectures, or even personal thoughts. If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to concentrate in a visually chaotic environment, you’re not alone. Fortunately, a simple but effective strategy could help—closing your eyes. Continue reading “Close Your Eyes: A Simple ADHD Focus Strategy”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 26, 2026
When we talk about ADHD, weight isn’t usually the first topic that comes up. But if we understand ADHD as a self-regulation disorder, the connection becomes surprisingly clear. People with ADHD often struggle with managing attention—both engaging it when needed and disengaging it when necessary. This difficulty can apply just as much to food as it does to focus. Continue reading “The ADHD-Weight Connection You May Be Overlooking”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 29, 2025
Have you ever had a gut feeling you couldn’t quite explain? That subtle nudge or sense that something is off, even when you can’t pinpoint why? Those who have ADHD often may feel like their intuition is a superpower—that is, the ability to pick up on patterns or changes that others might overlook. But what is intuition, really, and how does it work for those with ADHD? Continue reading “ADHD and Intuition: A Hidden Strength”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – October 27, 2025
Motivation in the context of ADHD is often misunderstood. Today, we’re beginning with an important reflection on motivation. That is, when we talk about motivation, we’re often really talking about what we want those with ADHD to do—not what truly drives them.
Continue reading “Rethinking Motivation: A Look Through the ADHD Lens”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 29, 2025
In this post, I’m tackling a topic that continues to surprise many people, which is the comorbidity of ADHD and bipolar disorder. “Comorbidity” refers to disease or medical conditions that are present at the same time in a patient. To be completely honest, I once believed that ADHD and bipolar disorder couldn’t coexist. But, as I later learned, not only is it possible to have both ADHD and bipolar disorder, it’s actually quite common.
Continue reading “A Surprising Connection Between ADHD and Bipolar Disorder”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 1, 2025
Exercise is one of the most effective natural treatments for managing ADHD. It enhances focus, attention, and overall well-being. But when it comes to how much exercise is enough, the answer is surprisingly simple: the amount you will actually do.
Continue reading “Exercising with ADHD: Start Where You Are”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – June 23, 2025
When it comes to managing ADHD, most conversations center around stimulant medications—what type, what dosage, and how they affect focus and behavior. But there’s a less-discussed, highly practical factor that can make a major difference in treatment outcomes, and that’s breakfast, specifically a protein-rich breakfast. Continue reading “Is Protein the Silent Hero of ADHD Medication Success?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 26, 2025
Living with ADHD often means navigating the world in a way that’s fundamentally different from how others experience it. Recently, I had a personal realization that’s helped me better understand how my brain works, and I hope it offers some clarity for you, as well. When I’m working, I often find myself stuck when it comes to reading instructions, especially online. Just reading the words or the definitions isn’t enough for me. I need to work with it or see it in practical application. Without examples or step-by-step demonstrations, it feels like I’m just reading words without grasping their meaning. Continue reading “Why ADHD Minds Crave Examples: A Personal Insight”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 14, 2025
As an ADHD and attention coach, I am often asked whether exercise is good for those with ADHD? The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, if exercise could be bottled into a pill, it would be hailed as the drug of the century—not just for everyone, but especially for those with ADHD. Continue reading “ADHD and Exercise: A Fascinating Connection”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 3, 2025
Today, we’re talking about one of the most powerful tools for managing ADHD challenges—brainstorming. I don’t mean just the outcome, but the process itself. For those with ADHD, understanding and managing brainstorming can be a game-changer.
Continue reading “Brainstorming: An ADHD Power Tool”
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.
Continue reading “ADHD: What An Aha Moment Looks Like for Real”
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”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – October 14, 2024
There are lots of conversations around when you should disclose your ADHD and when you shouldn’t. In fact, it may be better to disclose only the symptoms, not the diagnosis. But sometimes it’s kind of cool and clever to find that there are benefits around disclosing it. Continue reading “Surprising Perks of Disclosing Your ADHD”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – September 23, 2024
Play is not just for kids… especially for adults with ADHD. Let’s talk about de-stigmatizing play. All too often, adults think of play as childish, but for those with ADHD, playing or having fun in the workplace has value in the business world. In this blog post, we are exploring the significance of play that can enhance creativity and executive functioning. Continue reading “ADHD and the Workplace: Finding Fun in Every Task”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 26, 2024
In the classroom, ADHD students are often fidgety and energetic, unable to sit still and pay attention. What can teachers do? In my experience as an ADHD and attention coach, I have heard schoolteachers and other educators talk about their challenges in managing these students. It calls for a balance of structure with flexibility that can reduce the student’s impulsivity and anxiety, and, thus, the concept of in-house field trips was born. Continue reading “Tips to Manage Wiggly ADHD Students”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 5, 2024
Knowing what to do is often the easy part, especially for folks with ADHD. A phrase coined by ADHD expert Dr. Russell Barkley captures the essence of ADHD that says it’s not a disorder of knowing what to do but rather a disorder of doing what you know. In other words, you know you’re supposed to do something, but you don’t actually do it. Continue reading “ADHD: The Gap Between Knowing and Doing”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 8, 2024
We often talk about memories. It feels like it’s just one thing and one kind of memory, but there are several different kinds of memory. Today, we’re breaking down memory into three key types of memory for those with ADHD: long-term memory, working memory, and prospective memory. In other words, memories are remembering backwards, remembering in the moment, remembering into the future. Continue reading “ADHD: Unlocking the Three Key Types of Memory”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – June 10, 2024
Are you a parent looking for effective strategies to improve communication with your ADHD child? In an interview with Elaine Taylor-Klaus (https://impactparents.com), we discussed simple and fun approaches to keep the lines of communication open without resorting to constant instructions. These methods focus on creating a positive and engaging environment for your children, allowing them to express themselves freely while fostering a stronger bond. Continue reading “ADHD Tip: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 13, 2024
Students, whether they’re teenagers, adolescents, or young adults in college, need to have their own goals, their own reasons to succeed, which really leads to whether they are motivated. Sometimes this means they need professional help, and coaching is an effective means to help them move forward because research is showing that coaching has a positive impact. However, there is a caveat. Are they coachable? Meaning, are they ready for coaching? That’s a very important question, because the answer apparently is, no, they are not all ready for coaching. Continue reading “ADHD: Are Teenagers Coachable?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 4, 2024
It might be surprising to learn that kids with ADHD are twice as likely to land in police custody at some point. In fact, as we learn more about behavior in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it’s an easy jump to say that many of the kids in the criminal justice system should have been in the mental health system instead.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – February 5, 2024
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is confusing and key ADHD symptoms are often misunderstood in relationships. One of the patterns that couples fall into that is damaging for them is that they don’t understand the symptoms as they’re expressed in the relationship.
Continue reading “ADHD Relationships: Misunderstood Symptoms”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 8, 2024
As an ADHD and attention coach, I’m often asked what works for those with ADHD. So, I want to dive into that, but I also want to explore what doesn’t work. First, it’s essential to understand that everyone’s experience with ADHD is unique, so what works for one person may not work for another. But in general, the key to success is finding strategies that support the individual’s strengths and challenges.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 4, 2023
If you have ADHD, do you have trouble getting started? Sometimes that looks like procrastination or a lack of motivation. Have you considered a body double? Most of us think of body doubles in terms of stand-ins or stunt actors in movies or on television. I think it’s an valuable concept as a strategy to help those with ADHD. Continue reading “ADHD Solutions: Body Doubles Can Help”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – November 6, 2023
Get ready to get ready to go? How can that concept help manage time for those with ADHD? How can it help them manage transitions? First, we need to understand the concept.
Get ready to get ready to go is a concept that many ADHD coaches use to help their clients. Those with ADHD tend to wait until the very last minute and then they race around, gathering things they need to take with them… keys, shoes, papers, lunch, whatever. The problem with this is that there’s no transition time spent in preparing to go. Continue reading “ADHD: Get Ready to Get Ready to Go”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – October 16, 2023
As we age, we have memory loss, and hormonal changes present some attention deficit symptoms. This can get confusing. So, how can you tell the difference between ADD symptoms and age or hormonal changes? It’s a tough question. But the ADDiva, Linda Roggli (https://addiva.net) has a lot to say about it. Continue reading “Is It ADD, Age, or Hormones?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 28, 2023
ADHD is an issue of self-regulation. As an ADHD and attention coach, I know that many of the tips, tricks, and strategies on the Web don’t typically work for those with ADHD. Often, these tips tell you there is a logic behind using a weakness to overcome a weakness, but this sets you up for failure. And that’s why good ideas or good solutions don’t work in the world of ADHD.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 31, 2023
Those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder typically procrastinate when something is unclear. Are you clear on your specific, methodical process of studying? As an ADHD and attention coach, I find that the more you understand your process with specificity, the higher the probability you will study and be successful.
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 3, 2023
ADHD relationships can spiral out of control and end up in hurtful conversations. Is that an outcome you will really want? How do you stop these interactions that only end up damaging your relationships? Once the damage is done, how do you repair or rebuild the trust? It’s not just by saying you’ll do better or you’ll try harder. You really have to get at the dynamics of the relationship and then work to understand each other. That’s what you need to develop conflict intimacy. Continue reading “Hurtful Conversations in ADHD Relationships”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – Published June 5, 2023
What is it like for someone with ADHD when their executive functioning brain is being taxed and becomes a distraction? It’s like starting the task all over again. If you have ADHD, it’s just like rebooting your laptop; you have to reboot your brain. That’s why I’m using a computer as a metaphor to understand what happens when you get distracted while engaged in an activity that requires your executive functioning brain. Continue reading “ADHD Insight: Impact of Distractions on Executive Functioning”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – May 15, 2023
Dr. Russell Barkley (https://www.russellbarkley.org) likes to think of the ADHD brain as a two-level system, that is, the automatic brain and the executive functioning brain. The use of the executive functioning brain is effortful because it takes great effort to step in and override the automatic brain. Continue reading “ADHD Tips: Use Your Executive Functioning Brain to Override Impulse”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – April 17, 2023
Just as a physical activity requires exercise on a regular basis to develop a skill, ADHD requires attention exercise to develop attention skills. With that in mind, I’m sharing a cool tip with you that correlates physical exercise and attention exercise. Continue reading “ADHD and Athletics: Combining Physical and Attention Exercises”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 13, 2023
When you’re observing someone else, it can be easy to make judgments and describe who they are and what they do. When you have to turn the tables on yourself, particularly if you have ADHD, it can be challenging. This is especially true if you are a creative type or a problem solver.
When emotions come into play, they can overwhelm you and make it difficult to articulate who you are and what you do. Continue reading “ADHD: A Different Mindset to Selling Yourself”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – February 13, 2023
Many with ADHD are stuck applying the obvious solution as if they are the same as everyone else. The bottom line is this: Those who are diagnosed with ADHD have brains that are just wired differently.
By the same token, we need to think differently about ADHD, to look at strengths and what’s right or natural for those with ADHD. It’s not always a deficit in attention, but it is always a difference, and that’s the main thing. Continue reading “Is it Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Difference Disorder?”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 23, 2023
Athletes who have ADHD often suffer from psychological issues such as depression or anxiety and other emotional challenges that stem from ADHD. These athletes may experience less than ideal performance on the playing field. As an ADHD and attention coach, this topic is significant as I coach sports players who suffer from symptoms of ADHD in their performance, both on the field and off.
Continue reading “Impact of ADHD on Sports Psychology from a Sports Psychiatrist”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 2, 2023
During the COVID pandemic, many people had no recourse but to work from home. Unfortunately, they struggled with getting things done and their productivity declined, perhaps for one simple reason. There’s no one around to take off some of the stress on your working memory. The home environment is much different from the workplace where others are around and are readily available for interaction. So, working at home means you often don’t have an accountability partner. Continue reading “ADHD, Productivity, and People: Two-Second Solutions”
By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 12, 2022
Knowing what works for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is just as important as knowing what does not work. Some of the tactics you use might not be helping. In fact, they might even exacerbate your symptoms. For example, pressure to perform based on other people’s ideas of how you should perform almost always leads to failure because it doesn’t work and it’s detrimental. For those with ADHD, doing things that do not fit their natural way of doing things can often paralyze them at most and at least inhibit their performance. Continue reading “ADD Tip: What Doesn’t Work for Those with ADD”
Organizing things is a real challenge, especially for those with ADHD. They think they’ll just jump in and start organizing until they get into a mess and then things seem to explode.
It has been said, if you don’t understand something as a process, you don’t understand it at all. I find this rings true for those with ADHD in the context of organization.
Continue reading “ADHD: Getting Organized about Organization”
Working with those with ADHD, I find they have a certain processing style that varies by individual. While this is not ADHD specific, those with ADHD are more dependent on a more dominant style. It’s a common occurrence in those with ADHD, as they have a working memory issue in how they process things. Let me give you an example. Continue reading “ADHD and Conflicts in Style”
Pain! Energy! ADHD! They just don’t seem compatible with each other, but yet, they go hand in hand for those who struggle with chronic pain, no energy, and ADHD.
Those with ADHD often have endless amounts of energy, but when they don’t, they may be suffering with chronic low-level pain that seems to suck their life away. It keeps them from doing what they want to do, and they beat themselves up and blame their ADHD. Continue reading “The Impact of Pain on ADHD and Energy”
In the context of ADHD, do your eyes glaze over when you start talking about digital means and methods? If so, I’m here to say that the cloud can set you free. So, let’s talk about what I mean by “the cloud.”
With the explosion of technology and our need to manage home, cell, and work phones, as well as emails, texts, instant messages, and direct posts on Twitter or Facebook and other social media, it’s difficult to understand just how dramatically technology is growing. All this digital activity can create problems for those with ADHD who are already challenged with organization. Continue reading “ADHD: The Cloud Is Here to Set You Free”
As a former athlete and competitive swimmer, I understand how important rest is for the body. After intense workouts or stressful training, the body needs time to replenish its energy stores, and your muscles need time to recover. To illustrate my point, I want to share some important lessons I learned as a triathlete. But these insights are not aimed just at those with ADHD. They truly apply to anyone who is on that track but not realizing they’re running on empty. Continue reading “ADHD: Rest and Recovery”
Conflict and struggles can arise when one partner in an ADHD relationship travels frequently. When connection is lost due to being out of sight, out of mind, the challenge is to figure out how to handle this in a manner that suits both partners. Continue reading “ADHD Relationship Tip: A Traveling Partner”
Those with ADHD struggle with working memory. A working memory impairment hinders the ability to follow a sequence of steps because they’re not able to hold the steps in their mind. It takes a lot of effort because they have to override their automatic instincts and use an already taxed working memory to work through a problem.
Continue reading “ADHD: A Thought versus a Plan”
Those who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty with what we call transitions, that is, starting and stopping projects when they are in the middle of something and get interrupted or they have to look elsewhere for further information. Those are transitions, like having to reboot the computer (or the brain) to get back to the thought process where they were. It’s tough enough for non-ADHD people, but with ADHD, it’s much more effortful. It takes a lot more time to get back in the game and it can be exhausting. Continue reading “ADHD and Transitions: The Concept of Rebooting”
I’ve always been curious what stops someone from getting rid of things. Having coached many, many borderline hoarders, I’ve seen the overwhelm this clutter bestows on them. So, let’s talk about purging. I have several suggestions to illustrate this, but as an example, I’ll use the tassel on my cap when I graduated from the University of Tampa. Continue reading “ADHD: Is Clutter Trash or Museum Bound?”
Are you aware that meditation is often more difficult for those with ADHD? Experts certainly are. They say the practice of mindfulness or meditation is very helpful for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. As an ADHD and attention coach, I have found that those who have difficulty with mindfulness, which is self-regulation, may benefit from the practice of yoga. The reasoning is that it becomes easier to practice mindfulness by using yoga poses that require balance. What I mean by that is this. Continue reading “ADHD, Mindfulness, and Yoga”
Can help sometimes actually foster learned helplessness? There are times when one partner helping the other can diminish the partner being helped. Partners in an ADHD relationship especially need to be aware that helping may hurt the relationship. Continue reading “ADHD and Relationships: When Helping Hurts”
