The DadDHD Podcast

Hey -- before we get into it, we owe you a quick apology. Life got away from us. Things have picked up on both ends, and we dropped the ball on getting new content out. We're back, and we're glad you're still here.

This week we're talking about something that sounds simple and isn't: rest. Not sleep. Not stopping. Actual rest -- and why neurodivergent brains are wired to fight it, guilt-trip themselves over it, and then crash hard when they finally can't avoid it anymore. Shane and Braden dig into why ADHD and AuDHD dads tend...

Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions explore why Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can feel like it has a ceiling for neurodivergent parents who have reached stability and self-actualization but still ask “now what?” They discuss how neurodivergence can complicate safety, belonging, and esteem through masking, isolation, and shame, and why self-actualization shouldn’t be the finish line.

Drawing on Dr. Cindy Blackstock’s interpretation of the contrast between what Maslow observed while studying the Siksika Nation and what he published, they describe a reframing where self-worth is a foundation...

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young discuss “ADHD lows,” the flat, gray, low-arousal state where nothing feels worth the effort, and how it often leads to “dopamine hunting” like binge-watching, hyperfixating, scrolling, or other novelty-seeking. They connect the experience to anhedonia and “indifferent boredom,” framing it as dopamine dysregulation in ADHD rather than necessarily burnout or depression, and warn that mislabeling it can lead to wrong interventions. They share ways to spot the difference from depression (whether anything can still spark interest and whether the feeling comes and goes), and offer practical responses: name the cycle, lower demands, communicate with your partner...

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young welcome social coach, award-winning author, and keynote speaker Caroline Maguire, who has worked with neurodivergent people for 21 years and has just released her new book “Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults”.

Caroline explains she wrote the book after years of adult clients and parents asking for friendship support, especially amid increased diagnoses since the pandemic, and she highlights common themes from interviews and surveys: masking and people-pleasing, shame, rejection sensitivity, and the need to “find our people” through interests rather than taking any friendship available.

We talk about why parent friendships can feel...

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young discuss the “cost of silence” underlying masking, describing how men are conditioned from childhood to hide struggle, avoid asking for help, and “push through” quietly, which becomes especially damaging when layered with ADHD/autism challenges like executive dysfunction, sensory overwhelm, emotional dysregulation, and rejection sensitivity. Braden shares a story about his son identifying overwhelm at a crowded flea market, highlighting how many men lacked language for their experiences and may go undiagnosed into their late 30s or 40s, often internalizing shame and believing they are lazy or broken. They describe long-term consequences including anxiety, depressi...

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young use Mother’s Day as a starting point to talk about how ADHD and AuDHD can make dates, gestures, and follow-through difficult, and why appreciation needs to be a daily practice rather than a once-a-year performance. Shane shares involving his kids, Liam and Harley, in choosing gifts to teach them to notice and value their mom, while both hosts emphasize that small, consistent acts of attention matter more than grand gestures. They explain how dopamine-driven novelty, time blindness, object permanence issues, executive function challenges, and rejection sensitive dysphoria can lead to complacency, missed needs, an...

Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions flies solo and unpacks rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) and what it looks like when your child is the one experiencing it—especially in a neurodivergent household where a parent’s own ADHD and past rejection can get activated. He explains how perceived rejection can feel like overwhelming emotional pain, and how parents can accidentally shift into fix-it mode, over-advocacy, story-sharing, anger, or minimizing as a way to manage their own discomfort. Braden reframes the goal as empathy without enmeshment: your child’s rejection belongs to them, not as a replay of your childhood. He off...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as we get into one of the most charged conversations in parenting: spanking, discipline, and the cycle most of us were handed before we ever had a choice. We're digging into what the research actually says, why "I turned out fine" deserves a harder look, and what gentle parenting actually means — because the misunderstanding around that term is costing a lot of families.

Learn about why decades of research across more than 160,000 children landed in the same place and what that means fo...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as they talk about the quiet distance that builds between neurodivergent dads and their kids when we keep our lives and theirs in separate lanes. Our hobbies over here, their stuff over there. Our downtime on one side of the house, them on the other. This episode is about closing that gap by including our kids in what we already love, letting our ADHD brains do what they do best, and showing up for the small moments that actually build the relationship.

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Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as we tackle the conversation most neurodivergent dads avoid: therapy. Not coaching. Not podcasts. Not self-help books. Actual therapy. We dig into why so many dads resist getting professional help, what types of therapy actually work for ADHD, autistic, and AuDHD brains, and why relationship therapy isn't optional when you're in a neurodiverse marriage.

Learn about why therapy and coaching serve different functions and you probably need both, what CBT, EMDR, and DBT actually do for neurodivergent brains, how to find a...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as we tackle neurodivergent burnout and what it really means for fathers. Not the "I need a day off" kind. The kind where your brain and body hit a wall because you've been running at 200% just to meet baseline expectations. We break down the difference between burnout and depression, why they need completely different treatment, and what happens when your doctor can't tell them apart.

Learn about why neurodivergent dads are especially vulnerable to burnout, how to start having real conversations with...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as they talk about managing work life with ADHD, autism, AuDHD, and fatherhood. From the provider pressure their dads drilled into them to the careers they actually landed in, Shane and Braden get real about what happens when the work you do fights your brain and why that cost follows you home to your kids.

Learn about why "just clock out" doesn't work for neurodivergent brains, what the wrong job actually costs someone with ADHD, Autism, or AuDHD and why building a...

Join Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as he flies solo for this one and shares his legacy origin story. He talks about the biological father who said "I can't" and walked away, the complicated and often abusive relationship with his stepdad, and the mom who stepped in and showed him what choosing someone actually looks like. Braden opens up about stepping into his stepdaughter's life undiagnosed, the anger he carried, and the moments he wishes he could take back.

Learn about how undiagnosed ADHD shows up as anger in fatherhood, why breaking cycles isn't clean and...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as we dig into masking—the pressure to perform a version of yourself that isn't really you to hide your ADHD or Autism. We talk about where masking starts (the "be a man" messages, the bootstrap CEO myth), how it shows up in our relationships and kills intimacy, and why we accidentally teach our kids to mask when we do it ourselves.

Learn about the difference between strategic masking and masking out of fear, how to unmask safely with your partner without dr...

Join Shane Thrapp and Braden Young as they interview Brendan Mahan from ADHD Essentials. Brendan, the author of the upcoming book 'Overcoming The Wall of Awful,' shares his experiences of raising 17-year-old twins, the complexities of his childhood, and how they inform his parenting.

The conversation covers fatherhood, ADHD strategies, the influence of upbringing, and key insights into maintaining a balanced family life while managing neurodivergence. Don’t miss Brendan's advice on fostering trust, effective communication, and navigating the challenges of OCD.

You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com

You ca...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as they break down why the traditional "walk it off" mentality fails neurodivergent kids—and what actual resilience looks like. Through a real story about Braden handling his autistic son's scraped knee at school, they explain the difference between teaching resilience and teaching kids to mask their needs. This episode challenges fathers to show up emotionally, not just provide, and offers concrete strategies for co-regulation that work with neurodivergent brains instead of against them.

You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.co...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos Consulting and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as they discuss the phenomenon of afterschool restraint collapse. Learn about the challenges faced by both neurotypical and neurodivergent children, the impact on parents, and why co-regulation is essential. Discover practical strategies for managing stress and fostering a supportive family environment. Tune in for expert insights into building routines that accommodate the needs of every family member.

You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com
You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com

00:00 Introduction: The...

Join Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as he discusses a recent study from Washington University in St. Louis that reveals surprising findings about the effects of stimulant ADHD medications. The study examines how stimulant ADHD medications affect brain activity differently than previously believed. Key findings include the role of stimulants in enhancing arousal, wakefulness, and reward centers, rather than directly improving attention. The discussion also explores the implications for sleep hygiene and its connection to ADHD symptoms, and Braden talks about the necessity of sufficient sleep for children with ADHD.

Check out the study from Washington...

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos Consulting and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions for our first official episode of The DadDHD Podcast. We talk candidly about our personal histories and our fathers, our experiences as fathers with ADHD and autism, our neurodivergent kids, and why we started this podcast.

Learn about effective parenting strategies for fathers, advocating for your kids at school and with family, and setting routines that work for neurodivergent children. Don’t miss our tips on using timers for smooth transitions and the importance of co-regulation.

You can find Sh...

Welcome to The DadDHD Podcast. This is where we start.

We're Shane Thrapp and Braden Young—two certified ADHD life coaches and neurodivergent dads who are tired of parenting advice that assumes everyone has a neurotypical brain. There's a massive gap between research and what actually helps you at 3 AM when your kid won't sleep and your brain won't shut up. We're here to bridge that gap.

In this episode, we introduce ourselves, explain why this podcast exists, and lay out what you can expect. We're talking practical strategies, no misinformation, no "just try harder" BS...