S2E14: Screenwriting, Redefining Success & Embracing ADHD + guest Steve McCleary
Update: 2025-11-15
Description
Julie Legg chats with Kiwi screenwriter, actor, and pro wrestling commentator Steve McCleary, best known for his work on Power Rangers. Steve reflects on his late ADHD diagnosis, tracing the thread from misunderstood childhood behaviours to the clarity that came in adulthood. He shares his pure joy for plot dynamics, his love of the creative process, how he’s redefined success, and how understanding his neurodivergence has reshaped his approach to writing, perspective, and living fully.
This conversation is a must-listen for anyone exploring diagnosis later in life, those in creative industries, or anyone seeking permission to love what they love, unapologetically.
Key Points from the Episode
- Steve’s journey to adult ADHD diagnosis
- How childhood trauma often masks neurodivergence
- The "brake pad" metaphor and the crash of coping mechanisms
- Why Power Rangers was the perfect ADHD job
- Inside the world of ADR, monster voices, and hyper-creative TV writing
- Wrestling, dopamine, and finding your tribe
- Managing distraction and burnout with intentional creative rituals
- Redefining success and choosing joy over judgement
- Encouragement for newly diagnosed creatives navigating ADHD
Links
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mccleary-9a649ba3/
- WEBSITE: https://proofreadernz.com/
- X: https://x.com/SJMcCleary
- INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/stevejmccleary/?hl=en
Thanks for listening.
- Visit ADHDifference.nz to find past episodes, videos, links, or to say hello!
- Get social with us on Instagram
- Julie Legg is the author of The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD
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