The ADHD Skills Lab

Skye Waterson
  • 4.7 (123)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Things are starting to fall through the cracks. Not because you're not trying, but because the systems everyone recommends weren't built for a brain like yours. The ADHD Skills Lab is for business owners with ADHD whose responsibilities have grown past simple solutions. Each week, Skye Waterson and guests share research-backed strategies and real-world systems to help you reduce the chaos, make consistent progress, and stop reinventing the wheel every time life gets complex. No "just use a planner." No productivity hacks that last a week. Just honest, practical support from someone who has spent years researching, testing, and refining what actually works for adult ADHD. Skye is the founder of Unconventional Organisation, a former academic diagnosed with ADHD during her PhD, and the author of over 50 articles read by more than 250,000 people worldwide. She has worked with senior leaders, business owners, academics, and professionals navigating ADHD in high-responsibility roles, and was invited to share her research with both the Australian and New Zealand Government.  🤝 In partnership with Understood.org: https://u.org/4boG8QW 🌐 https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/ 📲 https://www.instagram.com/theadhdskillslabpodcast/

  1. 1d ago

    ADHD Impulse Control Is About Friction, Not Trying Harder

    With ADHD, "just wait until later" can feel impossible. Buy it now. Switch to the fun thing now. Say it now. And when you give in to the impulse, it's easy to blame yourself for not trying harder. In this special episode of the ADHD Skills Lab, Skye Waterson shares a conversation from the ADHD Channel for Women by Understood.org. Host Cate Osborn speaks with Dr. Polaris Koi, an assistant professor of practical philosophy at the University of Turku who researches ADHD, self-control, and decision-making, and has ADHD themselves. Together, they explore why impulse control isn't just about willpower. Polaris explains how adding friction, removing temptations, and changing your environment can make impulsive actions easier to manage. They also challenge the idea that self-control works like a muscle and discuss how anxiety and self-blame can make things harder. Cate shares her experience with compulsive shopping, while Skye reflects on the urgency of wanting something right now, even when you know waiting might be better. No "just wait." No trying harder for the sake of it. No silver bullet. What We Cover Why waiting can be so difficult with ADHDHow adding friction can help with impulsive decisionsWhat the marshmallow experiments reveal about temptationWhy willpower isn't simply a muscle you can strengthenHow self-blame and anxiety affect impulse controlListen to more episodes of the ADHD Channel for Women from Understood.org: https://lnk.to/adhdchannelforwomenFD!theadhdskillslab Want to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    ADHD Impulse Control Is About Friction, Not Trying Harder

  2. 2d ago

    Why ADHD Makes You Overthink Every Decision

    With ADHD, you can spend three days researching a $50 purchase, finally make the decision, and still wonder if you chose wrong. Meanwhile, the important stuff isn't getting done.  Skye and Robbie Waterson unpack a 2012 study from the Journal of Attention Disorders on ADHD, decision making, and regret. The research found that higher ADHD symptom scores were linked to more maximizing, the drive to find the best possible option, and more regret afterward. They explore why trying to avoid the wrong decision can leave you feeling worse even when you make a good one, and how that same pattern can quietly stall progress in your business. What We Cover: Why ADHD can turn a simple purchase into days of research and second-guessingHow maximizers can get better outcomes but feel less satisfied with their decisionsWhy trying to avoid regret can actually create more of itHow overthinking small decisions steals time from the work that moves your business forwardWhy setting limits on time, money, and acceptable mistakes can make decisions easierWhat the research can and cannot tell us about ADHD and decision makingWant to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    Why ADHD Makes You Overthink Every Decision

  3. 3d ago

    Why Pushing Through Stops Working for ADHD Adults (Dr. Tracey Marks)

    If you have ADHD (and especially if you run your own business), you probably know this cycle: push hard to hit a deadline, get it done, then do the same thing next week. It works often enough that you keep relying on it, until the week it doesn’t and you’re running on nothing. Dr. Tracey Marks is a board-certified psychiatrist with more than 25 years of clinical experience. Skye and Tracey talk about why pushing through is so hard to give up and what it costs your attention and energy over time. Tracey’s main point: recovery only works when it matches what drained you in the first place. In this episode: Why pressure you put on yourself as a business owner hits differently than pressure from a bossHow to tell whether you’re socially or cognitively drained, and what helps each oneTracey’s baseline for sleep, food, and movement (including her own bedtime routine)How to build a small set of anxiety tools that work for you and keep them within reachListen in if you’ve been running low for a while and keep telling yourself it’s just a busy season. Find Tracey  Website: https://markspsychiatry.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drtraceymarks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraceymarks Want to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    Why Pushing Through Stops Working for ADHD Adults (Dr. Tracey Marks)

  4. Oct 21

    Why a Big Audience Doesn't Buy | ADHD, Kyrus Keenan Westcott

    You're posting consistently, growing your audience, and putting hours into marketing your business. People are watching, liking, and following. But they're not buying. Kyrus Keenan Westcott, known as The Vibe With Ky, has built an audience of more than two million across Facebook and TikTok while working full time as a director of paid media. Diagnosed with ADHD at 35, he's learned how to turn content into a business without making every post a sales pitch. In this conversation, Ky and Skye unpack why a bigger audience doesn't automatically mean more revenue, why selling before building trust can backfire, and how Ky turns engaged followers into paying customers. He shares what he gives away for free, what he charges for, and why he refuses to rely entirely on brand deals or platform income. They also explore how he manages a full-time job alongside his growing business, the systems that help him work with his ADHD, and why he's still cautious about giving up a stable income. You'll learn what actually moves people from following to buying, and how to build income that doesn't depend entirely on someone else's platform. What We Cover Why a bigger audience doesn't automatically mean more paying customersHow Ky builds trust before selling, and what he gives away for freeTurning engaged followers into customers without constant sales pitchesWhy relying on brand deals and platform revenue puts your income at riskHow Ky manages ADHD, a full-time job, and a business with millions of followersConnect With Kyrus Keenan Westcott Ky (Kyrus Keenan Westcott) is a mental health advocate and host of The Vibe With Ky Podcast, which reaches nearly three million followers. Diagnosed with ADHD at 35, he uses humor and honesty to simplify conversations around mental health. He was named one of JCI USA's Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2023 and keynoted Neuro Diversion 2026. Website: thevibewithky.comSocial: @thevibewithky on all major platformsPatreon: patreon.com/thevibewithkyDigital guidebooks: store.thevibewithky.comWant to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    Why a Big Audience Doesn't Buy | ADHD, Kyrus Keenan Westcott

  5. Oct 20

    How To Avoid Task Overwhelm With ADHD

    You hired people so you wouldn't have to do everything yourself. So why are you still the one remembering every deadline, chasing every handoff, and checking whether things actually got done? Skye Waterson and Robbie Waterson explain why delegating tasks doesn't always mean delegating the mental load, especially when you have ADHD. Research shows that working memory challenges can make tracking tasks, priorities, and deadlines harder. And when everything lives in your head or gets buried in Slack, your team ends up guessing what matters most. Skye and Robbie share the prioritisation filter they've developed and tested over five years. It puts tasks, real deadlines, and priorities into one shared system so everyone can see what needs to happen next. They also explain why teams resist new systems, how outdated tasks keep wasting time, and how to spot when a delegation problem is actually a training or process problem. The goal isn't another complicated productivity system. It's a business where work keeps moving without you having to remember and chase everything. What We Cover: Why delegating tasks doesn't automatically remove the mental loadWhy even a great assistant needs a shared system to work fromHow Slack handoffs lose priority and turn into constant follow-upsWhy teams resist new task systems and how shared visibility helpsHow one prioritised list shows everyone what needs to happen nextHow to spot outdated tasks, training gaps, and work that's taking too longWant to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    How To Avoid Task Overwhelm With ADHD

  6. Oct 14

    When Losing Interest Isn't Failure: ADHD and Creativity

    With ADHD, creative ideas are often the easy part. Starting one is harder. So is the project you were sure about, set down just short of finished, and the shame that follows. In this special episode of the ADHD Skills Lab, Skye Waterson shares a conversation from the ADHD Channel for Women, created by Understood.org. Host Cate Osborn talks with Adam Reid, an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, filmmaker, and producer, in front of a live studio audience. Adam didn't know he had ADHD until he was around 45. Their conversation explores ADHD and creativity, and what happens between having an idea and finishing it. Adam explains how he gives himself permission to start, to be bad at something, and to let an idea become nothing. He describes getting close to the end of a first draft and losing all interest in looking at it again. He talks about putting work away to age instead of automatically calling it a failure, and how pieces of old projects have sometimes found their way back into his creative life years later. Cate brings the harder questions. The frustration of choosing one interest while others wait. The difference between creative potential and finished work. The reality of responsibilities, and the fact that making room for creativity is easier for some people than others. Adam also talks about understanding his strengths, finding people and environments that support how he works, and learning that his worth isn't determined by what he creates. Skye also shares how Adam's experience reminded her of stepping away from academia after her master's degree, spending a year making art and working in a bakery, before returning to complete her PhD. No hustle. No pressure to turn every idea into an achievement. No need to prove your worth through what you produce. What We Cover Why starting can be the hardest part, and how Adam gives himself permission to beginWhy Adam thinks of ideas as seeds rather than children to protectWhat happens when interest fades before a project is finishedHow strengths, supportive people, and the right environments influence creativityLate ADHD diagnosis, masking, and separating self-worth from creative outputWant to hear more? Listen to more episodes of the ADHD Channel for Women from Understood.org: https://lnk.to/adhdchannelforwomenFD!theadhdskillslab Want to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    When Losing Interest Isn't Failure: ADHD and Creativity

  7. Oct 12

    Why ADHD Brains Excel at Starting Businesses (And Collapse at Scaling Them)

    With ADHD, a quick client callback runs long, you lose track of time, and the work you meant to do is still sitting there. Dr. Jessica McCarthy stopped taking those calls. Dr. McCarthy is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist, and the founder and clinical director of Elements Psychological Services, a two-location assessment and therapy practice in New Jersey. She has ADHD and runs the practice around it. She walks Skye through what she handed off, what she kept, and the one test she applies to every task. She also shares the automated billing mistake that told her whole practice she had changed her name before she was ready to say why. What We Cover Her test for any task: if it takes too much time, it gets handed off or it does not get doneWhy call backs were one of the first things to goWhy digital records are harder on ADHD working memory than a stack of paperWhat went wrong when an automated system ran exactly as designedThe part of her marketing she is still not willing to hand overConnect With Dr. Jessica McCarthy @dr.jessica.mccarthy @elements_psych Dr. McCarthy is a licensed clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist, specializing in neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessments and cognitive-behavioral therapy for children through adults. She focuses on neurodivergent populations, including ADHD, autism, and learning differences, and conducts medically-driven assessments for conditions like TBI, stroke, and dementia. Dr. McCarthy uses evidence-based behavior therapies such as ACT and CBT, and enjoys working with young adults and women of all ages navigating life transitions. Her approach emphasizes understanding the brain-behavior relationship and providing actionable recommendations for patients and families. She has worked in schools, medical settings, and private practice, offering a wide range of specialty care. Dr. McCarthy is also a recognized speaker and media contributor on topics related to neuropsychology and mental health. Want to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    Why ADHD Brains Excel at Starting Businesses (And Collapse at Scaling Them)

  8. Oct 7

    Why Your ADHD Gets Worse When You Start Managing a Team & How To Fix It

    You finally hire people to get some time back. Then somehow you have even more to keep track of. What did you delegate? Is it getting done? What did you tell them was most important? Where is everyone actually spending their time? For ADHD business owners, growing a team can make it feel like the systems you spent years building for yourself suddenly stop working. Skye Waterson and Robert Waterson look at why. Working memory was already carrying too much when you were managing your own tasks. Now you're trying to keep track of other people's work too, and hiring one highly organized person or adding more AI doesn't necessarily solve the problem. This episode is about why getting tasks out of your head becomes even more important once you're leading a team, and why your personal productivity system eventually needs to become a shared one. Next episode, Skye and Robert get into exactly how to build that shared system. What We Cover: Why the systems that worked when it was just you can break down once you have a teamWhy ADHD leaders can lose track of tasks after they've delegated themHow hiring an organized person can help without solving the underlying problemWhy AI and automation can become more things you have to remember and monitorWhy one shared system lets you see priorities without constantly chasing your teamWant to grow your business with ADHD? You can use my free focus filter to manage overwhelm and organize yourself and your team:  https://tinyurl.com/focus-filter Looking for an ADHD business mentor who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain? Book a call and let's assess you're business to see if you're a fit: https://tinyurl.com/book-a-call-uo

    Why Your ADHD Gets Worse When You Start Managing a Team & How To Fix It
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4.7
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About

Things are starting to fall through the cracks. Not because you're not trying, but because the systems everyone recommends weren't built for a brain like yours. The ADHD Skills Lab is for business owners with ADHD whose responsibilities have grown past simple solutions. Each week, Skye Waterson and guests share research-backed strategies and real-world systems to help you reduce the chaos, make consistent progress, and stop reinventing the wheel every time life gets complex. No "just use a planner." No productivity hacks that last a week. Just honest, practical support from someone who has spent years researching, testing, and refining what actually works for adult ADHD. Skye is the founder of Unconventional Organisation, a former academic diagnosed with ADHD during her PhD, and the author of over 50 articles read by more than 250,000 people worldwide. She has worked with senior leaders, business owners, academics, and professionals navigating ADHD in high-responsibility roles, and was invited to share her research with both the Australian and New Zealand Government.  🤝 In partnership with Understood.org: https://u.org/4boG8QW 🌐 https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/ 📲 https://www.instagram.com/theadhdskillslabpodcast/

Information

  • Creator
    Skye Waterson
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    225
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The ADHD Skills Lab
  • Show Website
    The ADHD Skills Lab

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