The DadDHD Podcast

Shane Thrapp and Braden Young

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. 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

    16 min
  2. APR 16

    Connecting With Our Kids Through the Things We and They Love

    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. Learn about why sometimes embracing the chaos of our ADHD brains is exactly how we connect with our kids in ways nobody else can, how our tendency to bounce from interest to interest is actually a gift when it comes to helping our kids explore the world and find what they love, why rough-housing, bedtime, and homework are where the real connection gets built, how to find shared interests without forcing them, the language you need for birthday parties and social events so you stop standing around like a statue, and why being present with your kids is also one of the biggest gifts you can give your partner. Don't miss the part where we get into what it actually looks like to let your ADHD inner kid out and play, and why the neurodivergent dads who lean into the chaos end up building connections their neurotypical counterparts can't touch.  You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com.  You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com.

    24 min

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.