Welcome to the ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator Podcast. Host Steve August is joined by Jennifer Adelhardt, founder of Strategic Curiosity and Adjunct Faculty & Associate Graduate Faculty, Department of Management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a TEDx Speaker. Jennifer shares her journey from corporate consulting to studying ADHD in entrepreneurship. She talks about how ADHD traits can both challenge and fuel entrepreneurial success, and offers insights on building environments where neurodivergent entrepreneurs can thrive.

Jennifer isn’t just a consultant; she’s passionate about helping ADHD entrepreneurs succeed. Her journey from the corporate world to studying ADHD in business shows how understanding neurodivergent traits can create better work environments. She believes the right strategies can help ADHD entrepreneurs thrive, especially with the right support and mindset.

Jennifer has nearly two decades of experience in the corporate world before transitioning to focus on ADHD in entrepreneurship. As the founder of Strategic Curiosity, she combines her expertise in leadership and academic research to create environments where neurodivergent entrepreneurs can thrive. She uses her personal experience with ADHD to help others build effective strategies for success.

• ADHD and Entrepreneurship: Jennifer highlights how ADHD traits can fuel business success.
• Building Supportive Environments: Creating workplaces where neurodivergent entrepreneurs thrive.
• The Power of Research: Understanding ADHD leads to better strategies.
• Personal Experience: How Jennifer’s ADHD journey shaped her approach.
• Practical Tools: Strategies to help ADHD entrepreneurs stay focused and succeed.

• ADHD and Entrepreneurship: Jennifer explains how ADHD traits can drive business success.
• Building Support: The importance of creating supportive work environments for ADHD entrepreneurs.
• Learning from Experience: How Jennifer’s ADHD journey shaped her business strategies.
• Effective Tools: The tools and strategies Jennifer uses to stay focused and productive.
• Adapting and Growing: Why flexibility and curiosity are key to success for ADHD entrepreneurs.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• “ADHD traits can be a powerful advantage in business.” - Jennifer Adler
• “Creating supportive environments helps ADHD entrepreneurs thrive.” - Jennifer Adler
• “Understanding ADHD leads to better strategies for success.” - Jennifer Adler

Join Jennifer Adler as she discusses how ADHD traits, research, and supportive environments can help neurodivergent entrepreneurs thrive and build successful businesses.

Episode Highlight:

[00:00] - Teaser

[01:15] - Guest Introduction: Jennifer Adler

[03:26] - Jennifer’s Journey: From Corporate to ADHD Research

[05:36] - ADHD Traits and Their Impact on Entrepreneurship

[07:16] - Using ADHD Strengths to Drive Business Success

[09:14] - Creating Supportive Work Environments for ADHD Entrepreneurs

[11:39] - The Role of Research in Understanding ADHD in Business

[15:32] - Tools and Strategies for ADHD Entrepreneurs

[17:52] - Importance of Delegation and Teamwork for ADHD Entrepreneurs

[20:20] - Coping Mechanisms and Support Systems for Success

[25:04] - The Future

Welcome to the ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator Podcast. Host Steve August, Founder of ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator and August & Wonder, and an expert ADHD coach and productivity specialist. He is also the founder, coach, and leader of The Focus Formula ADHD Coworking Community, and creator of the 2X Accelerator, helping ADHD entrepreneurs grow with focus and clarity in Steve August Coaching. In today’s episode, Steve shares how ADHD brains struggle with planning and time, and why typical tools don’t work. He explains the power of a simple weekly dashboard to stay focused, prioritize better, and make real progress. Through personal stories and clear advice, Steve gives listeners a tool built for ADHD brains to finally break the cycle of stress and distraction.

Steve knows what it’s like to plan a great week and still feel stuck. After learning how ADHD affects time and focus, he found new ways to work better. Instead of fighting his brain, he built tools that match how it works. Now, he teaches ADHD entrepreneurs how to stay on track with simple systems that help them do the right work, avoid burnout, and feel more in control each week.

Steve spent years trying different planning tools, chasing new systems, and feeling stuck in the same weekly cycle. Nothing seemed to work until he realized most tools weren’t made for ADHD brains. That led him to build his own weekly dashboard, focused on progress, not just planning. Now, he helps other ADHD entrepreneurs use this simple system to stop spinning their wheels and start making real progress.

• Weekly Struggles: Why ADHD brains often feel stuck and overwhelmed by midweek.
• The Power of a Dashboard: How a simple weekly dashboard can replace complex planners.
• Planning vs. Progress: Why most systems fail ADHD brains and how to fix that.
• Meeting Your Brain: How to match your work to your energy and focus levels.
• ADHD-Friendly Tools: A look at Steve’s real system to plan less and get more done.

• Real ADHD Weeks: Steve breaks down why typical weeks fall apart for ADHD entrepreneurs.
• Smarter Support: Knowing how your brain works makes it easier to build better habits.
• From Chaos to Clarity: Steve’s experience shows how the right tools make a big difference.
• Dashboard in Action: A real example of how to use the weekly dashboard for focus.
• Focus First: Working with your ADHD, not against it, is the key to real progress.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• “Time blocking is great until it eats all your energy before you even start.” - Steve August
• “Most planning tools are built for brains that aren’t like ours.” - Steve August
• “A good week for an ADHD brain means meeting your brain where it is.” - Steve August

Join Steve August as he explains why most ADHD entrepreneurs struggle with typical planning systems and how a simple weekly dashboard can create clarity, focus, and real progress in both business and life.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] - Teaser

[00:58] - The Key to a Better ADHD Week

[02:18] - The ADHD Weekly Cycle: Hope, Chaos, and Catch-Up

[04:37] - Why Weeks Matter More Than Days or Months

[06:17] - What Makes a “Good Week” for ADHD Brains

[08:00] - Executive Function and What’s Really in the Way

[09:12] - Why Most Planning Systems Fail ADHD Entrepreneurs

[12:03] - Building a System That Supports ADHD Brains

[12:48]

Welcome to the ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator Podcast! Host Steve August, Founder of ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator and August & Wonder, also a Founder, Coach & Leader of The Focus Formula ADHD Coworking Community, and creator of the 2X Accelerator, helping ADHD entrepreneurs grow with focus and clarity in Steve August Coaching. Steve shares his personal journey as a long-time entrepreneur who discovered his ADHD later in life. He opens up about the struggles he faced, how ADHD shaped his work, and the turning point that helped him find clarity. Steve explains why he started this podcast to support other ADHD entrepreneurs by sharing tools, stories, and real talk about how ADHD can both challenge and drive success in business.

Steve isn’t just an entrepreneur; he’s been through the ups and downs of building businesses while living with undiagnosed ADHD. After years of success and struggle, his diagnosis helped everything click. Now, he’s focused on helping other ADHD entrepreneurs understand their brains, use the right tools, and build businesses with more clarity, focus, and freedom.

Steve built and sold a startup, worked as a CMO, and later became a coach for other founders. After hitting burnout and facing new challenges, he learned he had ADHD at age 54. That moment changed everything. Now, he shares what he's learned to help ADHD entrepreneurs stay focused, feel less overwhelmed, and grow their businesses with less stress.

• ADHD Discovery: Steve shares how learning he had ADHD made things clear.
• Entrepreneurial Struggles: The ups and downs of running a business with ADHD.
• Working With Your Brain: How to stop fighting ADHD and start using it.
• Life After Diagnosis: How understanding ADHD changed Steve’s life and work.
• Helpful Tools: Simple tips to stay focused and manage each week better.

• ADHD in Business: Steve shares how ADHD has both helped and challenged his work.
• Support That Works: Why understanding your brain can lead to better results.
• Real-Life Lessons: His journey shows how a late ADHD diagnosis brings clarity.
• Tools That Help: Steve talks about the weekly dashboard and simple routines.
• Growth Mindset: Learning to work with ADHD, not against it, opens new doors.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• “I couldn’t even finish the first sentence of an email.” - Steve August
• “ADHD isn’t a deficit of attention; it’s a surplus that’s hard to focus.” - Steve August
• “I was a wallflower in my own life until I understood my brain.” - Steve August

Join Steve August as he shares his journey of discovering ADHD later in life and how learning to work with his brain helped him and other entrepreneurs grow thriving, focused businesses.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] - Welcome to the ADHD Entrepreneur Accelerator

[01:07] - Steve’s Background: From Startup Exit to Coaching

[02:18] - Post-COVID Fatigue Turns Out to Be ADHD

[04:18] - Getting Diagnosed at Age 54

[05:14] - Understanding the ADHD Brain and Past Patterns

[07:21] - Why This Podcast Exists and Who It’s For

[10:00] - Tools, Takeaways, and What’s Coming Next

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