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(Introduction music plays)

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Hello brains!

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I say that to you because...[br]if you think about it.

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It wasn't really you[br]that decided to come here today.

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It was your brain.

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And whether you decided [br]to walk or drive, take a taxi, ride a bike

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That decision was decided[br]by your brain.

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Behavior, all behavior,[br]is affected by the brain.

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This is a story about my brain.

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So, I was a smart kid. By 18 months I[br]was speaking in full sentences.

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By third grade I was scoring [br]post high school on standardized tests.

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I had as all my teacher's agreed,[br]so much potential.

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I was also struggling.[br]I didn't have many... any friends.

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Outside of books.[br]I was easily overwhelmed.

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I spaced out in class.[br]I lost things, constantly.

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And trying to get my brain to focus on [br]something I wasn't excited about...

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was like trying to nail Jell-O[br]to the wall.

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But I was smart.[br]So nobody was worried.

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It wasn't until middle school [br]when I was responsible for

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getting myself to classes on time,[br]and remembering to bring my own homework.

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That being smart wasn't enough anymore,[br]and my grades started to suffer.

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My mom took me to the doctor[br]and after a comprehensive evaluation.

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I was diagnosed with[br]attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

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ADHD.

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If you're not familiar with ADHD [br]it has three primary characteristics.

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Inattention, impulsivity, [br]and hyperactivity.

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Some people with ADHD [br]have more of the inattentive presentation.

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Those are the daydreamers,[br]the space cadets.

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Some have more of [br]the hyperactive/impulsive presentation.

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Those are the kids that usually[br]get diagnosed early.

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But, the most common presentation[br]is a combination of both.

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My doctor and my parents decided [br]that given my shiny new diagnosis.

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Maybe stimulant medication would succeed,[br]where spankings and lectures had failed.

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So I tried it.[br]And it worked.

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The first time I took my medication [br]it was like putting on glasses.

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And realizing I could see, [br]without squinting.

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I could focus!

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Without changing anything [br]my GPA went up a full point.

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Honestly it was kind of miraculous.[br]By 14 I had friends, that liked me.

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By 15 I had published my first poem.[br]I got a boyfriend.

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By 17 I knew I wanted [br]to be a journalist.

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My local college had a program that would[br]guarantee admission to USC.

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They had a really [br]great journalism program.

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So, I signed up at my local college[br]and I started taking classes.

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I moved in with my boyfriend.

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Things were going great![br]...until they weren't.

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I started having trouble making it [br]to class on time.

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I aced a statistics course, [br]but I forgot to sign up in time.

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So, I never got the credit.

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I took classes so I could help[br]my boyfriend with his career.

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But I completely lost sight of mine.

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I never made it to USC...

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By 21 I dropped out of college[br]and moved back home.

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Over the next ten years I started[br]and quit, or was fired from 15 jobs.

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I ruined my credit.

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I got married![br]And was divorced within a year.

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At this point I was 32, and I [br]had no idea what I was doing with my life.

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Besides reading self-help books[br]that didn't seem to be helping.

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What happened to all that potential?[br]Was I not trying?

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No, I worked harder than anyone I knew,[br]I didn't even have time for friends.

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I was that busy.

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I had potential, though...

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So my failure was clearly my fault.

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I just hadn't done what I needed to do [br]to reach it and honestly....

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I was tired of trying, putting more effort[br]into life than everyone else.

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And falling farther[br]and farther behind.

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At this point I could[br]have given up on myself.

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I could have decided that everyone who[br]thought I had potential, was wrong.

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But, I didn't, because I knew that it was[br]my behavior that had gotten me here.

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And behavior is affected by the brain.[br]And my brain has ADHD.

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Looking at my behavior[br]I knew...

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Even with medication, [br]even as an adult.

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My ADHD was still interfering[br]with my life.

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What I needed to know[br]was how, and why.

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And more importantly,[br]what could I do about it.

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I started to do some research.[br]And I found a lot of great information.

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I found a lot of bad information too,[br]but that's another talk.

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But there's good information out there.[br]Websites, podcasts,

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talks, by researchers [br]and medical professionals.

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Books that would of been way more helpful[br]than the self-help books I've been using.

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That were clearly written for normal...[br]well, there is no normal.

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Neurotypical brains.

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A lot of what I found though [br]was either really technical.

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Or seemed like it was written for parents,[br]and teachers trying to deal with ADHD kids

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There wasn't a lot that seemed to be [br]intended for us, the people who have ADHD.

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So, I started a YouTube channel.

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I had no idea how to start[br]a YouTube channel.

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But, I started a YouTube channel

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I almost called it "How Not To ADHD"[br]because that was all I knew at the time.

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But my boyfriend, Edward, [br]talked me out of it.

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It turns out lots of people need help[br]understanding ADHD.

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Including, maybe especially,[br]those who actually have it.

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I was no exception.

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I thought having ADHD[br]was kind of the same for everybody.

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I thought it was mostly[br]about getting distracted.

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I thought that having ADHD was maybe[br]the reason that I was failing at life.

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And I thought I was what needed to change[br]in order to be successful.

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I couldn't be successful,[br]and still be me.

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Spoilers.[br]I was wrong.

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So, lets go back for a second.[br]Back to what brought us here today

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The brain.[br]Understanding the brain you're

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working with, it turns out[br]is kind of important.

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And, that's true whether that brain is[br]your employees, your students,

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your kids, your significant others,[br]or your own.

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ADHD affects between [br]5 and 8% of the global population.

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Which means statistically speaking there's[br]between 37 and 60 of us just in this room.

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You can't tell who we are just by looking[br]but its fun to watch you try.

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(Laughter)

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So at some point you're going [br]to meet someone with ADHD.

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Work with them, give birth to them,[br]or fall in love with them.

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Chances are you already have.

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And at some point, [br]you're going to ask yourself.

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What is going on in their brain?

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So, after two years of learning about [br]ADHD and a lifetime of experience with it

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After having the honor of connecting with[br]researchers, and doctors, and ADHD experts

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and tens of thousands[br]of ADHD brains all over the world.

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What can I tell you,[br]to help you understand ADHD?

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By the way, many of them[br]helped with this talk.

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First of all its real.

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It's not bad parenting [br]or lack of discipline.

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ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder.

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It's currently the most [br]well researched mental condition.

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And, there are actually measurable[br]differences in the brain.

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These differences are larger in children,[br]but for most people they never go away.

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In other words,[br]adults have ADHD too.

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While rates of the ADHD diagnosis[br]are increasing.

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It's not because of an increase [br]in sugar, or technology.

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Or... lack of spanking.[br]It's not.

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Anymore than people drowning in[br]swimming pools is because of Nicholas Cage

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Correlation does not equal causation.

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Those are real numbers.

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(Audience laughter)

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It's from both an increase [br]in understanding that ADHD exists.

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That girls, adults, and gifted students[br]can have it too.

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And ironically a lack of understanding[br]that being hyper, misbehaving,

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or struggling in school[br]does not mean that you have ADHD.

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ADHD is more serious than I realized.

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The primary characteristics of inattention[br]impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

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Don't sound all that serious, [br]and I didn't think that they were.

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But in real life they translate into[br]people getting into more accidents.

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Being more likely to get fired, [br]get divorced.

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Significantly more likely [br]to struggle with addiction.

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I learned that ADHD is on a spectrum.

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Raise your hand [br]if you've ever lost your keys.

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Or spaced out in the[br]middle of a lecture.

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If you're not raising your hand I'm [br]going to assume you spaced out

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in the middle of this one.

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(Audience laughter)

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The thing is while everyone experiences[br]ADHD symptoms sometimes.

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An actual diagnosis is based on how many [br]of those symptoms significantly,

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and chronically impair[br]multiple aspects of your life.

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Just like you can get sad[br]and not have depression.

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You can get distracted[br]and not have ADHD.

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And just like you can have [br]mild depression, or severe depression.

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ADHD can range[br]from mild to severe.

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I also learned ADHD is a [br]terrible name for ADHD.

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It creates a lot of confusion.

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We don't have a deficit of attention.

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What we have trouble with[br]is regulating our attention.

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As ADHD coach Brett Thornhill puts it,[br]it's like your brain keeps switching [br]

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between 30 different channels,[br]and somebody else has the remote.

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Sometimes we have a hard time [br]focusing at all.

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And other times we get stuck on a [br]channel, and can't pull ourselves away.

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In real life this might look like we just [br]don't want to do homework because we'de

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rather play video games,[br]and sure sometimes that's the case.

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But, the truth is, there are plenty of [br]times we want to be able to focus, we try.

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And we just can't.[br]Current understanding is

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that this difficulty has to do with the [br]way our brains produce,

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and metabolize neurotransmitters,[br]like dopamine, and norepinephrine.

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I learned ADHD is highly treatable.[br]Stimulant medication boosts

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these neurotransmitters, [br]Which is why it helps us focus.

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It's very effective for around 80%,[br]of people with ADHD.

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And I learned that medication [br]isn't enough.

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ADHD affects much more than our focus,[br]it impairs executive functions

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like planning, prioritizing and the [br]ability to sustain effort towards a goal.

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It affects our ability to regulate [br]our emotions, our behavior, our sleep.

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It's not one program in our brain[br]that it works differently.

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It's the whole operating system.[br]It can effect every aspect of our lives.

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And there are a ton of strategies[br]out there, that can help.

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy,[br]coaching, even meditation,

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or regular exercise can [br]make a huge difference.

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Understanding your brain.[br]I knew I had trouble focusing,

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and I knew my medication [br]helped with that.

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What I didn't know was that getting[br]overwhelmed all the time had to do

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with poor working memory.[br]And that making lists helps.

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Or that the reason that I ran late all[br]the time isn't because I didn't care.

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ADHDer's have a skewed sense of time.

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And that using a timer could teach me[br]how long thing's actually take.

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Mostly, I expected to learn[br]what I actually learned.

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That ADHD is real.[br]Addressing it is important.

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And medication is not enough.

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What I didn't expect to learn[br]that I wasn't alone.

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I had an ADHD tribe.

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What a difference it would make [br]to connect with it.

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There are people with ADHD in every [br]country, every culture across the globe.

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Yes, even in France.

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(Delayed laughter)

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And this tribe is awesome.

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Comparing myself to people [br]with neurotypical brains,

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I felt really bad about myself.[br]Why couldn't I keep my house clean?

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Or, finish a project in time instead of [br]waiting until the very last second.

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But seeing the positive [br]in fellow ADHD brains.

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Helped me recognize,[br]and appreciate my own strenths.

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One's that I couldn't see when I was [br]just staring at my weaknesses.

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Which is what I[br]had been doing for decades.

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But ADHD, ADHD brains [br]have a lot to offer the world.

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We tend to be generous,[br]funny, creative.

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ADHDer's are 300% more likely[br]to start their own business.

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We not only think [br]outside the box.

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We're often not even aware [br]there is a box.

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(Audience laughter)

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We may struggle when [br]our brains aren't engaged.

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But ADHD brains are great [br]at tackling tasks that are urgent.

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Working with ideas that are new.

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Wrestling with problems[br]that are challenging.

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And dedicating themselves to projects[br]that are of personal interest.

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This YouTube career I'd stumbled [br]into was all of those things.

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At 32 I was divorced, miserable and had[br]no idea what I was doing with my life.

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At 33 I started my own business[br]and was connecting with ADHD experts.

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By now, at 34 I have a team of volunteers[br]helping me with the channel.

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And I'm engaged to this amazing man,[br]who helps me produce the channel.

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Works right alongside with me[br]is doing the slides right now.

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And as we discovered[br]also has ADHD.

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(Audience laughter)

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I'm working on reaching out to schools[br]so that kids don't have to wait

0:13:36.597,0:13:39.250
until they're 32 to learn[br]about their brains.

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And I'm doing my very first Ted X talk[br]here with you today.

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(Audience applause)

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But wait there's more.

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That did sound like the end of the speech.[br]I'm sorry it's not.

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I'm happier and more successful [br]than I've ever been in my life.

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So what happened?[br]How did I reach my potential?

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Three things. [br]One I learned about my brain.

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My ADHD brain both on my own[br]and by connecting with others who have it.

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If you judge a fish by it's ability[br]to climb a tree.

0:14:18.333,0:14:21.084
It will live it's whole life[br]believing that it is stupid.

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Unless it happens to chat [br]with another fish.

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And realizes fish aren't great[br]at climbing trees.

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And that's okay.[br]There's plenty of ocean.

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Two, In learning about my brain I found[br]and stumbled into a job that engages it.

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If you spend all your time trying to [br]get a fish to be able to climb a tree,

0:14:39.588,0:14:41.869
you'll never see how far it can swim.

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It turns out, I can be me[br]and still be successful.

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I just had to find[br]my ocean.

0:14:49.807,0:14:53.300
Three, I learned strategies for [br]the challenges I still face.

0:14:53.300,0:14:56.406
I have no fish analogy for this one.[br]I am sorry.

0:14:56.921,0:14:59.097
I guess I learned how to swim.

0:14:59.575,0:15:02.464
Once you know what[br]your brains challenges are.

0:15:02.555,0:15:04.623
You can find solutions to them.

0:15:04.623,0:15:09.182
Once you look past the stereotypes and[br]assumptions about people with ADHD.

0:15:09.182,0:15:13.182
And dig deeper.[br]You learn what ADHD actually is.

0:15:13.182,0:15:17.177
It's not people who wont stop fidgeting,[br]or getting distracted.

0:15:17.177,0:15:20.357
It's brains that are [br]chronically under aroused.

0:15:20.357,0:15:24.357
Trying to get the basic [br]stimulation that all brains need.

0:15:24.831,0:15:27.446
It's not about procrastinating[br]or not caring.

0:15:27.446,0:15:31.129
It's having executive function deficits[br]that make it hard to get started.

0:15:31.523,0:15:34.225
And it's not people being lazy,[br]or not trying enough.

0:15:34.510,0:15:38.608
It's kids and adults struggling to succeed[br]with a brain that doesn't

0:15:38.608,0:15:42.410
always want to cooperate.[br]In a society that wasn't built for them.

0:15:42.999,0:15:45.716
Society is our user's manual.

0:15:47.089,0:15:51.257
We learn how our brains and bodies work[br]by watching those around us.

0:15:51.996,0:15:55.213
When yours works differently,[br]it can feel like you're broken.

0:15:55.913,0:15:58.795
So what I'm trying to do,[br]is reach out to these people.

0:15:59.011,0:16:04.446
Wherever they are in the world,[br]and tell them you are not weird.

0:16:04.931,0:16:08.245
You are not stupid.[br]You do not need to try harder.

0:16:08.469,0:16:10.753
You are not a failed version of normal.

0:16:11.381,0:16:16.721
You are different, you are beautiful,[br]and you are not alone.

0:16:17.521,0:16:21.457
If you don't have ADHD yourself chances [br]are you know somebody who does.

0:16:21.907,0:16:25.823
Their your employee, your boss,[br]your friend, they're in this room.

0:16:26.489,0:16:28.924
I hope this talk helps you[br]understand them better.

0:16:29.207,0:16:34.424
If you do have ADHD.[br]Welcome to the tribe.

0:16:35.525,0:16:59.506
(Audience applause)