The DadDHD Podcast

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young
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We're Shane Thrapp and Braden Young, two neurodivergent dads talking about the things that matter to fathers who are neurodivergent, or who have neurodivergent kids. No perfect parenting BS, just what actually works when your brain's wired different.  We're both certified ADHD life coaches, community leaders, and fathers who got our diagnoses as adults. We know what it's like to figure out parenting when you're also figuring out your own brain. And we're here to help you do the same. Each episode, we bring you practical strategies for neurodivergent parenting, the kind that actually fit into real life with real kids and real challenges. You're raising kids who might be neurodivergent. You might be neurodivergent yourself. Either way, you're dealing with executive function challenges, sensory issues, time blindness, and all the chaos that comes with parenting when traditional advice doesn't cut it. We break down the latest research on ADHD, autism, and neurodivergence into stuff you can actually use. We tackle spousal relationships, supporting your kids across different spectrums, managing your own regulation while helping your kids with theirs, and building systems that work with your brain instead of against it. You'll also hear from experts, researchers, therapists, and other father's navigating this journey. No gatekeeping, no misinformation, just evidence-based approaches delivered in a way that makes sense. This isn't about being perfect dads. It's about being dads who get it—and building lives that work for our whole families.

  1. 6d ago

    Rest Isn't Lazy - Why Neurodivergent Dads Need to Stop Thinking They Need To Earn It

    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 to treat rest like a reward they haven't earned yet, why that logic is broken, and what it actually looks like to build rest into your life as a system instead of a last resort. This isn't about slowing down. It's about understanding why your brain runs hot, why it needs different kinds of downtime than a neurotypical brain does, and why rest -- real rest -- is one of the most productive things you can do for yourself, your kids, and everyone who depends on you. You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com

  2. Jun 19

    Beyond Maslow: Purpose, Community, and Cultural Perpetuity for Neurodivergent Dads

    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 for community actualization and cultural perpetuity. They argue that community breaks generational trauma cycles, and that small, consistent actions—engaging in kids’ therapy, modeling apologies, asking for help, and giving kids language—compound over time. You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com.

  3. Jun 10

    ADHD Lows: The Gray State, Dopamine Hunting, and How to Tell It From Depression

    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, watch for upstream contributors like sleep debt and masking, and seek professional help if it persists or worsens. They emphasize the key distinction between regulating dopamine hunting versus numbing, and remind listeners they aren’t lazy or broken. You can find Shane Thrapp at https://creatingorderfromchaos.com  You can find Braden Young at https://empoweradhdsolutions.com

  4. Jun 5

    Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults: Unmasking, “Dropping a Ping,” and Building Friendship-Friendly Routines With Caroline Maguire

    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 complicated, how to move from acquaintance to friendship using shared interests and why “dropping a ping,” can help small talk provide useful information, and how parents can model healthy communication, boundaries, and friendship infrastructure by including their kids in their journey. Caroline can be found at @authorcarolinem on Instagram And check out her new book “Friendship Skills For Neurodivergent Adults” wherever books are sold.

  5. May 26

    The Cost of Silence: Neurodivergent Men, Masking, and Finding Support

    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, depression, substance abuse, relationship strain, isolation, burnout, and anger. They emphasize peer community support, spotlight the Men’s ADHD Support Group (about 26,000 members, plus Discord and meetings), and encourage listeners to seek men’s support resources and share the episode. You can find out more information about the Men's ADHD Support Group at https://mensadhdsupportgroup.org for join them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/mensadhdsupportgroup You can find Shane Thrapp at https://www.creatingorderfromchaos.com  You can find Braden Young at https://empoweradhdsolutions.com   00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:35 Cost of Silence 01:29 Where Silence Starts 02:01 Neurodivergence and Masking 02:45 Finding the Words 04:37 Hidden Long Term Costs 05:43 Shame Anger Burnout 07:06 Men's ADHD Support Group 08:29 How to Join Safely 09:56 Braden's Community Story 11:32 Feeling Seen Together 12:38 Takeaway and Next Steps

  6. May 12

    Beyond Mother’s Day: Building Daily Respect and Connection in ADHD Relationships

    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, and defensiveness despite good intentions. They recommend systems like scheduled partner check-ins, reminders, trying new things together, learning love languages, externalizing appreciation, and staying present because kids are watching and learning what love looks like in practice. 00:00 Welcome to DadDHD 00:25 Mother's Day Jump Off 01:33 Teaching Thoughtfulness 02:28 Respect as Practice 03:52 ADHD Brain Science 05:29 Autopilot and Neglect 06:39 Follow Through Problems 07:33 RSD and Defensiveness 08:38 Systems That Work 09:00 Check Ins on Calendar 10:11 Redirect Novelty Together 11:03 Reminders and Externalize 12:41 Small Daily Connection 13:38 Kids Are Watching 14:19 Start Being Intentional 15:20 Wrap Up and Subscribe You can find Shane Thrapp at https://www.creatingorderfromchaos.com  You can find Braden Young at https://empoweradhdsolutions.com

  7. May 6

    Their Story, Not Yours — RSD and the Trap of Making Your Child's Struggles About You

    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 offers practical steps—do your own work, pause and regulate, ask what they need, let them own their story, and model moving through rejection—so your child gets emotional space and support without carrying your unprocessed pain. You can find Braden Young at https://empoweradhdsolutions.com

  8. Apr 21

    Breaking the Spanking Cycle Using Authoritative Parenting Skills

    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 for how we discipline our kids, why physical punishment hits differently when your child's nervous system is already working overtime due to ADHD, autism, or both, what gentle parenting actually is versus the permissive no-consequences approach it constantly gets mistaken for, how authoritative parenting gives you firm consistent limits and the connection your kids need to actually learn from them, and why breaking the cycle starts with understanding that it was handed to you — and that what you do with it from here is yours to decide. You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com  You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com

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About

We're Shane Thrapp and Braden Young, two neurodivergent dads talking about the things that matter to fathers who are neurodivergent, or who have neurodivergent kids. No perfect parenting BS, just what actually works when your brain's wired different.  We're both certified ADHD life coaches, community leaders, and fathers who got our diagnoses as adults. We know what it's like to figure out parenting when you're also figuring out your own brain. And we're here to help you do the same. Each episode, we bring you practical strategies for neurodivergent parenting, the kind that actually fit into real life with real kids and real challenges. You're raising kids who might be neurodivergent. You might be neurodivergent yourself. Either way, you're dealing with executive function challenges, sensory issues, time blindness, and all the chaos that comes with parenting when traditional advice doesn't cut it. We break down the latest research on ADHD, autism, and neurodivergence into stuff you can actually use. We tackle spousal relationships, supporting your kids across different spectrums, managing your own regulation while helping your kids with theirs, and building systems that work with your brain instead of against it. You'll also hear from experts, researchers, therapists, and other father's navigating this journey. No gatekeeping, no misinformation, just evidence-based approaches delivered in a way that makes sense. This isn't about being perfect dads. It's about being dads who get it—and building lives that work for our whole families.

Information

  • Creator
    Shane Thrapp and Braden Young
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The DadDHD Podcast