The DadDHD Podcast

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

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

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

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.

You Need More Than Systems: Why Therapy Matters for Neurodivergent Dads

Join Shane Thrapp of Creating Order From Chaos and Braden Young of Empower ADHD Solutions as we tackle the conversation most neurodivergent dads avoid: therapy. Not coaching. Not podcasts. Not self-help books. Actual therapy. We dig into why so many dads resist getting professional help, what types of therapy actually work for ADHD, autistic, and AuDHD brains, and why relationship therapy isn't optional when you're in a neurodiverse marriage. Learn about why therapy and coaching serve different functions and you probably need both, what CBT, EMDR, and DBT actually do for neurodivergent brains, how to find a therapist who actually understands ADHD and autism in adults instead of wasting your time and money, why the parent-child dynamic quietly takes over relationships when neurodivergence goes untreated, and how to start the conversation about couples therapy without your partner hearing "we're failing." You can find Shane Thrapp at www.creatingorderfromchaos.com [http://www.creatingorderfromchaos.com]  You can find Braden Young at www.empoweradhdsolutions.com [http://www.empoweradhdsolutions.com]