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© 2026 The ADHD Skills Lab
Description
Navigate ADHD in real life, especially when things get complex.
The ADHD Skills Lab shares research-backed strategies, real-world systems, and honest conversations to help you stay focused, make progress, and reduce chaos as responsibilities grow.|
Hosted by Unconventional Organisation founder Skye Waterson, the show blends ADHD research, expert interviews, listener questions, and practical tools for adults who want support that actually works, not generic productivity advice.
Skye is a former academic turned coach and researcher who was diagnosed with ADHD during her PhD. After experiencing firsthand how poorly traditional strategies translated to real adult responsibilities, she began developing and testing research-based, ADHD-aware systems. She has written over 50 articles read by more than 250,000 people worldwide and now focuses on translating research into strategies adults can actually use.
In 2022, Skye was invited to share her work with the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. Since then, she has supported late-diagnosed professionals, including academics, senior leaders, and business owners, navigating increasing complexity. Unconventional Organisation was built to meet a gap Skye experienced herself: practical, personalized ADHD support for adults whose lives and work no longer fit simple solutions.
Learn more
https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/
Talk with Skye
https://www.instagram.com/unconventionalorganisation/
127 Episodes
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A lot of people with ADHD deal with physical symptoms they’ve never talked about - or never thought were connected. This episode looks at what the research actually shows about ADHD and gut issues, and where the line is between association, speculation, and overreach. ADHD usually gets framed around focus, motivation, and productivity. But growing research suggests it may also be linked to very real physical symptoms, including gut issues that many people quietly live with. In this episode, S...
If the word accounting makes your attention disappear, this episode is for you. Skye sits down with Joe Dunaway - founder of Vici Financial, accountant, business owner, and ADHDer - to talk about why so many ADHD entrepreneurs avoid their numbers, and how to understand them without overcomplicating things or forcing yourself into systems you won’t maintain. This isn’t about becoming good at accounting. It’s about knowing enough to make decisions, reduce background stress, and stop guessing ab...
Looking for the Bottleneck Reset Workshop? Click here for details: https://unconventionalorganisation.circle.so/checkout/bottleneck-reset-workshop-wednesday-jan-21st Kids with ADHD are not just more likely to struggle academically. They are more visible, more misunderstood, and often less liked by peers and teachers. In this Research Recap, Skye and Will unpack a study on ADHD, social status, and bullying, and talk honestly about what it felt like to stand out in school for reasons you did no...
Looking for the Bottleneck Reset Workshop? Click here for details: https://unconventionalorganisation.circle.so/checkout/bottleneck-reset-workshop-wednesday-jan-21st Growing a business is hard. Doing it with ADHD - while raising five kids - can make you feel like your brain is actively working against you. In this episode, Skye talks with Tiana Sutton, a fitness instructor, community builder, and mother of five, about realizing she had ADHD later in life - not through childhood struggles, but...
Looking for the Bottleneck Reset Workshop? Click here for details: https://unconventionalorganisation.circle.so/checkout/bottleneck-reset-workshop-wednesday-jan-21st If you have ADHD, you probably know this pattern. You’re foggy, scattered, or stuck… until a deadline hits. Then suddenly, you’re laser-focused, productive, unstoppable. And afterwards, you’re wrecked. In this episode, Skye and William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD unpack why hyperfocus feels like the only way to get things done...
Ads are overwhelming for a lot of ADHD business owners, not because they are bad at marketing, but because the information is scattered, noisy, and contradictory. In this episode, Skye talks with ads expert Jeremy Pogue, founder of Summit Acquisition, about how ads actually work at a high level, what they are and are not responsible for, and how to think about them without spiraling into complexity. This is a grounding conversation designed to help you understand the landscape before you deci...
Video is everywhere, but very little of it is designed with ADHD in mind. In this Research Recap, Skye and William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD unpack a qualitative study exploring how people with ADHD actually experience video content. From captions to pacing to visual overload, they look at what helps, what hurts, and why one size never fits all. They also talk about why many ADHD viewers adapt by speeding up videos, multitasking, or using video as background stimulation, and how those habit...
Skye sits down with Carly Braker, founder of Avialan Blue, to talk about building a high tech areospace engineering consultancy while navigating ADHD. Carly shares how she masked symptoms growing up, why the “real world” hit harder, and the adjustments she had to make when deep focus, sensory overwhelm, and impostor feelings collided with entrepreneurship. What we cover: Why gifted kids often miss their own ADHD signsThe crash that happens when school structure disappearsThe identity shift fr...
People love to say ADHD comes with superpowers. The research is more nuanced. In this Research Recap with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD, Skye and Will examine two papers that look at ADHD strengths in careers. They discuss the themes that appear across 79 studies, the stories from qualitative interviews, and the complicated truth about strengths that can help and hurt depending on context. What we cover: Why creativity and idea linking appear across ADHD career researchHyperfocus: stren...
Most people with ADHD have one moment that stops them in their tracks. For Laura, it was finding her childhood journals filled with the word “focus” scribbled in every possible way. In this conversation, Skye talks with Laura Key, host of the ADHD Aha! podcast, and VP of content at Understood.org. After interviewing more than 120 people about their ADHD stories, Laura shares her own. From finding her childhood journals to understanding how ADHD shaped her leadership, parenting, and emotional ...
Can TikTok actually teach you about ADHD - or is it just feeding you misinformation? In this Research Recap with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD, Skye dives into a 2022 study analyzing the quality of ADHD content on TikTok. They explore how much of it is accurate, how much is personal storytelling, and why the most relatable content often isn’t the most reliable. What we cover: Why #ADHD is one of TikTok’s biggest health hashtagsThe 3 types of ADHD videos researchers foundWhy “personal ex...
This one’s real, hilarious, and way too relatable. Skye sits down with Russ Jones, ADHD coach, creator of the Ready, Set, Go framework, and host of the *ADHD Big Brother* podcast, to talk about what it really takes to build momentum when you’re working with an ADHD brain. They share stories, laugh a lot, and unpack the small mindset shifts that make consistency feel possible, even on the days when motivation disappears. Russ also shares what has changed for him since joining Skye’s coaching p...
Are ADHD brains more creative, or is that just a myth? In this Research Recap with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD, Skye breaks down a foundational study on ADHD and creativity, exploring how ADHD brains innovate, imagine, and sometimes overreach. What we cover: How ADHD brains approach creative problem-solving differentlyWhat “conceptual expansion” means for ADHD thinkingWhy originality and practicality don’t always go hand in handWhat this research says about collaboration and follow-th...
ADHD medication can be a controversial topic online. Is it safe? Does it change who you are? What does the science actually say? In this episode, Skye talks with Dr. Ryan Sultan, psychiatrist, researcher, and founder of Integrative Psychiatry in NYC, about what medication does in the brain and what decades of studies reveal about its effects. This is not medical advice - it’s a clear, evidence-based conversation to help you understand your options. What we cover: How ADHD medication affects d...
Ever feel restless in a meeting or line and want to bolt? That’s not impatience, it’s delay aversion. In this Research Recap with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD, Skye explores new research showing how delay aversion connects boredom, frustration, and inattention in ADHD. Together they dig into how the brain’s reward system makes waiting harder and what you can do to make it easier. What we cover: What delay aversion actually means for ADHDWhy ADHD brains overvalue instant rewardsThe neur...
World-champion habits aren't just for athletes - they're the secret weapon for ADHD executives juggling chaos and big ambitions. In this episode, Skye chats with James Laughlin, 7-time world champion musician, bestselling author of Habits of High Performers, and host of the top-ranked Lead on Purpose podcast. James shares how he suspected ADHD tendencies and worked with Skye to build systems for focus, while unpacking the 7 core habits from his book that help high achievers cut through distra...
Can exercise really compete with medication or therapy for managing ADHD symptoms? In this Research Recap with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD, Skye and Will break down new findings on how exercise supports emotional regulation and anxiety reduction in ADHD, with results that may surprise you. What we cover: Why exercise affects both anxiety and attentionWhat happens in the ADHD brain during movementHow consistency rewires your stress responseThe difference between physical and emotional ...
AI is redefining work, but for ADHD founders, the question isn’t whether to use it, it’s how. In this episode, Skye sits down with Ryan Brazzell, entrepreneur, founder of Assistant Launch, and system/AI strategist who helps founders “bend time” using systems and executive support. Ryan has built and scaled multiple 7- and 8-figure companies by applying AI, systems thinking, and radical delegation. Together they dig into how AI can support ADHD brains - reducing overwhelm, automating decision ...
Why does time blindness show up so early in life? Welcome to another episode in our Research Recap series, co-hosted with William Curb from Hacking Your ADHD. In this episode, Skye and Will unpack a study of preschoolers in Hong Kong, showing how time perception, working memory, and delay aversion already affect early academic skills. What we cover: Why ADHD symptoms in preschoolers are hard to spot but still matterWhy time perception was the newest and most revealing testWhat frustration tas...
Dr. Jacquelyne Read, a chemistry professor and ADHD trailblazer, joins Skye to reveal how she transformed her postdoc struggles into a tenure-track triumph and a top publication award. Discover the actionable systems like breaking down overwhelming tasks and mastering prioritization that helped her thrive in academia's high-pressure world. Perfect for ADHD executives and founders looking to turn their big ideas into real results. P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into ...
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