22: A Successful View of ADHD with Chris Haddad

Please note: This podcast includes words or language that might be considered coarse or offensive to some listeners. 

On this week’s episode of Soaring Child, we take a look at ADHD from the perspective of someone who’s had it. Chris Haddad is considered one of the best direct response copywriters in the world, as well as a best-selling author of the book, The Language of Desire. He’s also overcome several mental health challenges, including ADHD and bipolar disorder.

Chris shares his story of feeling tortured in his head all the time and not being able to emotionally regulate. He teaches students they’ve got everything they need inside of them to understand everyone around them, because we are all just human beings in pain and share so many of the same emotions.

He teaches those with ADHD that it’s not their fault and that there’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just how their brain operates chemically. He helps them understand they can be very successful financially and professionally by overcoming guilt and focusing on the positives. Many children with ADHD are quick thinkers, witty conversationalists, and have lots of energy. 

Many kids think they’re being ostracized by others when in reality, they’re ostracizing themselves. It’s not that their brains are inferior; they’re just different. Chris points out that a lot of the most brilliant people in the world have had ADHD. Acceptance and a feeling of respect for those with ADHD is also important.

Chris’s advice to parents with children struggling with ADHD is this: Love them for what they are and not what you want them to be. There’s nothing wrong with them, and make sure they know that. They just have a different kind of brain. His advice to kids with ADHD is to be kind to yourself. 

 

Key Takeaways:

[10:20] How Chris’s teachers discovered he was really smart

[10:44] Challenges of high school, college, and youth

[13:19] Chris’s experience at Burning Man Festival

[18:20] Chris’s full mental breakdown

[19:50] How society judges people with ADHD

[21:39] Chris’s relationship with his brother

[26:58] How Chris handles his ADHD and mental challenges today

[30:43] How Chris stumbled upon his superpower of copywriting

[41:57] Advice for children with ADHD 

 

How To Connect With Chris Haddad:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.haddad

Podcast: https://thechrishaddadshow.com/ 

Website: https://go.thepigmethod.com/

 

Memorable Quotes:

“People ask me why I'm good at what I do and why I'm good at the empathy side of things particularly. And I think it's just because with ADHD and bipolar, it heightens everything.” 

“It was always a joke that I was ADHD for most of my life, but I would never go to a psychiatrist or get diagnosed or get meds or anything like that. And I spent most of my youth thinking I was lazy, thinking there was something wrong with me.” 

“The biggest thing I learned was mental health issues are not a moral failing. A lot of kids who have ADHD go through life thinking it’s their fault, that there is something wrong with them or they’re not trying hard enough. All of that stuff is just crap.”

“Just because you're dealing with ADHD, bipolar schizophrenia, or whatever it is, yeah it's hard. It is really, really hard, but you can still reach a level of what people consider success, financial or otherwise. You can have an impact on people.”

 

Dana Kay Resources: 

Website - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adhdthriveinstitute 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adhdthriveinstitute/ 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ADHDThriveInstitute 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/74302454/ 

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/adhdthriveinstitute/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@adhd_thriveinstitute  

 

International Best Selling Book, Thriving with ADHD - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/book/ 

 

Free Reduce ADHD Symptoms Naturally Masterclass – https://bit.ly/3GAbFQl  

 

ADHD Parenting Course – https://info.adhdthriveinstitute.com/parentingadhd

 

ADHD Thrive Method 4 Kids Program - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/packages/