Attention Different with Stephen Tonti & Aaron Smith

Hacking Your ADHD

William Curb

Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 702 Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, I’m talking with Stephen Tonti and Aaron Smith, co-founders of the ADHD edutainment platform Attention Different. It’s a podcast and resource hub for ADHD adults looking for support, humor, and, most importantly, strategies that actually work.

I got to know Stephen and Aaron at the 2024 ADHD Conference in Anaheim. Stephen’s a filmmaker and longtime ADHD advocate who’s been trying to reframe ADHD as a difference, not a disorder. Aaron’s a licensed therapist and ADHD coach, helping clients bridge the gap between clinical understanding and real-world functionality.

In this episode, we dig into the messy middle of adulting with ADHD. We explore why the strategies that worked before suddenly stop working, the emotional aftermath of small mistakes, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is just… breathe.

I had a lot of fun with this one, it’s a grounded, funny, and deeply practical conversation about living with ADHD, without trying to fix it into something it’s not.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/226

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This Episode's Top Tips

1. You don’t need to finish all the dishes to feel like you’ve succeeded. Sometimes, doing just part of the task can be good enough, and good enough is a win.

2. We’re not always going to have high-capacity days, so work on shifting your mindset from “What can’t I do?” to “What can I do with the energy I have?” Reframing these thoughts can help manage low-capacity days with less shame.

3. In conflict, slow down. Shut up, breathe, listen, ask questions. This sequence can help de-escalate emotional tension, create space for connection, and avoid falling into defensiveness.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD.
0:05.6	I'm your host, William Kerb, and I have ADHD.
0:09.7	On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain.
0:15.2	Hey team, this week I'm talking with Steven Taunty and Aaron Smith, co-founders of the
0:20.3	ADHD edutainment platform, Attention Different. It's a podcast and resource hub. This week I'm talking with Stephen Taunty and Aaron Smith, co-founders of the ADHD
0:21.1	edutainment platform, Attention Different.
0:23.4	It's a podcast and resource hub for ADHD adults looking for support, humor, and most
0:27.5	importantly, strategies that actually work.
0:29.9	I got to know Stephen and Aaron at the 2024 ADHD conference in Anaheim.
0:34.0	Stephen's a filmmaker and longtime ADHD advocate who's been trying to reframe ADHD as a difference
0:38.5	and not a disorder, and Aaron's a licensed therapist and ADHD coach helping clients bridge
0:43.2	the gap between clinical understanding and real-world functionality. In this episode, we dig into
0:47.9	the messy middle of adulting with ADHD. We explore why the strategies that worked before suddenly
0:52.3	might stop working, the emotional
0:54.2	aftermath of small mistakes, and why sometimes the best thing that you can do is just
0:58.2	breathe.
0:59.4	I had a lot of fun with this one.
1:00.6	It's a grounded, funny, and deeply practical conversation about living with ADHD
1:04.3	without trying to fix it into something it's not.
1:07.6	If you'd like to follow along on the show notes page, you can find that at hacking your ADHD.com slash 226.
1:14.4	All right, keep on listening to find out how we've got Attention Different.
1:22.8	All right, so I'm so excited to have you both here with me, especially after I got to go on the Attention Different podcast. Could you just tell me a little bit about Attention Different? I think it's a great platform that you guys are developing and I think a lot of people would like to hear more about it.
	...

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