PODCAST. The Disruptors is a Movie about ADHD with Nancy Armstrong.
What do Paris Hilton, Will.i.am, Scott Kelly, Howie Mandel, David Neeleman, Michelle Carter, Wendy Davis, Terry Bradshaw, Ty Pennington, Jillian Michaels, Tim Armstrong, Christopher Knight, Steve Madden, Jake Steinfeld, Tom Scott all have in common? They have ADHD and are featured in the award-winning ADHD documentary The Disruptors.
In this episode of ADHD Wise Squirrels, we feature a candid conversation with Nancy Armstrong, Executive Producer of The Disruptors.
The conversation delved into the intricate world of ADHD, unraveling myths, shedding light on the challenges faced, and exploring the film's impact on global perceptions.
Behind the Scenes of "The Disruptors":
Nancy shared her career path, family story, and deep-seated motivation for spearheading the production of "The Disruptors." The film not only seeks to spread awareness about ADHD but also addresses the challenges we face. Armstrong highlighted the profound impact the film has had on families and communities, emphasizing the need for open dialogue surrounding ADHD.
Debunking ADHD Myths:
One of the core themes explored in the interview was the prevalence of misconceptions surrounding ADHD. Nancy addressed stereotypes, such as the erroneous belief that ADHD exclusively affects boys. She passionately dismantled these myths and brought attention to the unique challenges faced by girls with ADHD, often leading to underdiagnosis.
The Urgent Need for ADHD Education:
The scarcity of ADHD experts and clinicians emerged as a critical issue discussed by Armstrong. Prolonged waiting times for diagnosis and treatment pose significant hurdles. Nancy underscored the film's purpose, not only to educate parents and children but also to enlighten teachers. The aim is to foster a supportive environment within schools for children dealing with ADHD.
ADHD in Different Cultures:
The interview touched on the global perspectives on ADHD, delving into unique stories from various regions, including Japan, where specific medications are banned. The conversation explored cultural nuances and challenges related to ADHD treatment and awareness, revealing a diverse tapestry of experiences.
ADHD as a Unique Brain Type:
Nancy challenged the stigma associated with ADHD. The interview emphasized the strengths that accompany this unique brain type, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of ADHD.
Impact on Various Professions:
"The Disruptors" explores ADHD in different professions, showcasing success stories of individuals thriving in high-stimulation environments. From emergency rooms to firefighting and space exploration, the film highlights the unique skill sets of people with ADHD and challenges stereotypes associated with the condition.
Challenges in Film Distribution:
The conversation also included challenges in getting the film to a broader audience. Rejection from streaming giants like Netflix didn't deter Armstrong's commitment. The interview explored alternative distribution channels, emphasizing the ongoing efforts to make the film accessible to a wider audience.
How to Watch "The Disruptors":
To conclude, Nancy shared where and how audiences can watch "The Disruptors," including the film's website and various streaming platforms.
The interview with Nancy Armstrong was a profound journey through the landscape of ADHD sparked by her passion and dedication. "The Disruptors" is not merely a film; it's a call to action, challenging perceptions, fostering empathy, and paving the way for positive change.
For those seeking a deeper understanding of ADHD and its impact, "The Disruptors" stands as a beacon, urging viewers to join the movement.
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Description text goSpeaker 1 0:00
Hi, I'm Nancy Armstrong and I'm the executive producer of the award winning documentary film the disruptors.
Unknown Speaker 0:05
Where are you from? Originally? Wisconsin? Illinois. Illinois. Okay, cool. Turner? Yes, yes. I'm from Toronto originally. So, okay,
Speaker 1 0:14
I left the Midwest when I was 21. I guess, never.
Speaker 2 0:21
It never was that sort of follow. Because I know you did a lot of theater acting. And
Speaker 1 0:27
there have been many careers. But the first career was as an actor. The second career was in communication. The third career was co founding a women's leadership platform. And so this is the filmmaking is the fourth. That's amazing. Fourth and final.
Speaker 2 0:47
Well, it's cool too, because you kind of come full circle. This is something I'm discovering myself in my own career as well. Because the, for me, it's it's, if there's one word, it's really around communications. For me, that's kind of been the thread line through my whole career. So yeah, yeah. And I even dabbled with acting and my closest I got was a extra role in the movie 54. With Mike Myers, and Neff Campbell and Ryan Felipe. And it's, yeah, it's quite wonderful. Not at all. The the scene is like when Ryan fleet first enters this, you know, Studio 54. And he's kind of it's a slow motion kind of track shot that kind of gradually. It's all on him as he enters the dance floor. And I'm this like, dancing head over his shoulder, looking like an idiot. So yeah, which isn't hard for me to do. So you started with with acting, and where did you move to from Illinois to follow that pursuit?
Unknown Speaker 1:49
Los Angeles?
Unknown Speaker 1:51
Yeah, a logical place to be.
Unknown Speaker 1:54
I was there for a while.
Unknown Speaker 1:55
Yeah. And then
Speaker 1 1:58
decided I'd rather be in the real world. So went to graduate school and moved to New York.
Speaker 2 2:03
And that's Is that where you joined? Ogilvy? Is that right? Yes. Okay, cool. And what were you doing? What were you doing there?
Unknown Speaker 2:12
You know, just investor relations.
Speaker 2 2:16
So that's cool, too. Because you? It sounds, you know, getting into like, being an executive producer. I mean, obviously, it's very much a relations game and getting investment to in order to help produce a film, right?
Speaker 1 2:31
Yeah, well, I mean, I would say, all of your experiences are cumulative. So it doesn't really matter what you start out doing, you're building a skill set as you go along. And you sort of discover along the way, what you love and what you're passionate about. And so it truly is the journey and not the destination. And so I try to advise my kids in the same direction is that you'll, you'll figure out what your what you want to do and what you're passionate about, but you have to start somewhere and run full speed ahead to that thing, and then along that journey, you'll go Oh, no, I want this. And then you can pivot. You know, so I think, but yeah, everything I've been interested in has been around communication, storytelling, producing, you know, sort of various art forms that are all kind of related. Yeah,
Speaker 2 3:20
you mentioned, you know, speaking to your kids and inspiring them about, you know, kind of career paths and things like that. I've got a my kids, my daughter will be 17 next week, and my son will be 18 and two weeks. So they're 11 and a half months apart. Wow. That is actually Irish twins. Yeah. And so the for the foreshadowing there is my wife and I met in Ireland, of all places. So that explains things. Ireland, not at all. No Irish roots whatsoever. No. Right? Yeah, no, she, she.
Unknown Speaker 4:00
you're Canadian, Canadian. She's
Speaker 2 4:01
not even Canadian. She's American. She's from Tennessee. Which is, which is why we live in Nashville now. So yeah. You mentioned you mentioned your kids, and it was your son's diagnosis with ADHD. They got you along this path. Is that right? Yes.
Speaker 1 4:16
I mean, we sort of early on knew something was different about him, something was up, we didn't know what it was, you know, he was perfect baby and, you know, never cried and was so easy. So we thought we were just on the Easy Street to parenthood, and then, you know, around the time he was 12 1314 months, you know, and particularly when he started moving around the world. You know, we noticed that there were some some differences between him and the other kids have just moved faster like he was driven by a motor and you know, various other things. One of them was sensory. And so, by age four, we If we didn't know what to do, we took him to various experts and landed on this sensory integration disorder. And we did all kinds of occupational therapy for that. And then, at some point, he was, you know, eight or nine years old. And I took him to a psychologist, because it just things were really difficult at school and really difficult at home. And we had no idea not one person, not one doctor, not one teacher, no one mentioned anything about ADHD. So it just never came up, which is hard to imagine now since he was a classic textbook kid with ADHD. So the psychologist recommended that we get him tested and the diagnostician said, you know, he has ADHD, and he's in the 96th percentile for hyperactivity. And my husband was in the room, while the diagnostician is telling us this, and going down the list of symptoms, and my husband says, I have all those symptoms. And he said, Well, yes, it's hereditary. So there we were in the room, it was a very big day, with a lot of revelatory discoveries. And so that was at least we knew what it was at that point. I think we were happy to know there was a reason for all of these things. And the diagnostician said, There's no such thing as sensory integration disorder, that there are sensory symptoms associated with ADHD. That's just part of the diagnosis.
Speaker 2 6:30
Interesting. Yeah. There's a lot of like, for example, I was suffering from like, mild depression, more anxiety. Back in 2020, go figure. Most people were. And but it wasn't until this year that I was diagnosed with ADHD at 50. So really, yeah, yeah. And that was really the impetus of why squirrels being the person that I am, right away. I was like, Well, I'm, like, I wrote a book called New Business Networking a number of years ago, and in the book I referenced dug the dog from up squirrel, and have referenced that memes so many times through my life. And I do a lot of keynote presentations and workshops around communication skills. And squirrel is a gag a joke, a meme that I referenced all the time. And it wasn't until this year when I was like, ah, but I'm older and wiser. So it's
Speaker 1 7:32
a meme for Asia, you know that right? No, no. 100%? Yeah. Yeah. So you're, you're you have a 17 year old and an 18 year old. And assuming one of them or both are diagnosed, the number of people in the country right now we think it's like nearly 10% In terms of people getting diagnosed, or I guess it's children that being diagnosed is at around 10%. But what Ned just said in this interview we did recently was that, that doesn't count. The people who have ADHD but don't have serious impairment. Those people don't get tested because there's no, they're not seriously impaired. They do feel like they have to work twice as hard. You know, as kids, they have to work twice as hard in school, but they just do it. They work twice as hard. So they are in a way. And I don't know if this is true if your kids underachieving, but they're doing fine. They're not falling out the bottom like my son was like, there was no way of continuing to function normally, because we were not functioning.
Speaker 2 8:40
I was going to reference the statistic in the disruptors, which I actually took a screenshot of the of the image in the film of the baby boy and the baby girl. But it was at ADHD and boys is linked to genetic 65% of the times. And girls, it's close to 90% of the time. And when I've mentioned that to people, even ADHD coaches and others who I've spoken to on this podcast, they're often shocked to hear that number just because
Speaker 1 9:10
it's even higher in boys. I think the numbers are probably more similar than that, that those are the official numbers that we were able to derive for the film.
Speaker 2 9:18
Tell me a little bit about the backstory there of how this movie came to be. And by the way, I haven't even said it yet. Awesome movie. Great job. Yeah, yeah, no, it's excellent films,
Speaker 1 9:30
and they are abnormally brilliant documentarians, and I knew that they were the, you know, the perfect filmmakers to partner with and they did a phenomenal job. So I'm really, really happy with the film and proud of the work that we did on it. So but anyway, so the backstory is, well I also have two daughters who are both diagnosed with ADHD. Yeah, but really that number one, a couple of things. There's There's a tremendous amount of confusion around ADHD still. Yes. And certainly that was the case when I was making the decision to quit my job and make the film. And I'm not sure why this issue is so controversial. And maybe it's because it's directed toward children, primarily, like we're now talking more about adult ADHD. But the children, that's where the real obvious struggle is, you know, and it's kids and parents that are in this struggle to get through K through 12 education with their ADHD children. So there's tremendous, there is deeply misunderstood. There's so much misinformation. There's all these pervasive myths that I experienced as a parent. With children of children with ADHD, and the stigma, everyone hides in the shadows, Oh, nothing, nothing to see here. My kids are perfect. No one talks about it as if it's something to be ashamed of. And I never thought it was something to be ashamed of, because my husband has it. And he's been incredibly successful. There was this huge stigma around ADHD and people were hiding the shadow in the shadows and ashamed of it. And I never thought it was something to be ashamed of, because my husband, you know, was diagnosed with ADHD at the same time my son was, and he's brilliantly successful. And yeah, did he have his struggles growing up? Yes, he had some struggles growing up, and, but he found what he was passionate about. And it's the different way that his brain works that has made him so successful. Yeah. In his career path.
Speaker 2 11:39
What's his career, by the way, I just had a curiosity. So
Speaker 1 11:43
he was one of the early people at Google. And then, and then he, and then at the height of Google's popularity in around 2009, he left Google at the height of his career to go run AOL, which is, which was a sinking ship, that something only someone with ADHD would do. Yeah. And it was really hard, really, really hard. And he took a lot of flack for it, you know, people just didn't, didn't like that he was trying to turn AOL around. And, of course, he was successful doing that. And the first CEO in they had had five CEOs in 10 years. And it was Tim, who was able to turn that ship around, and make sure to bring the company back to profitability. And then they sold it to Verizon. Now
Speaker 2 12:36
shocked, people are shocked how much AOL still earns, like a lot of people still use AOL. people or people are orphans. Yeah, I mean, I have. I was actually a speaker for Google for five years. So I have a background and have done work in the tech space quite a lot. So yeah, but I didn't know that. That was your husband. That's cool. That's
Speaker 1 12:59
Tim Tim Armstrong. Yeah. And then he now he's, uh, he's, he caught he founded a company called flowcode. So that's been since I guess, 2000. And that was 2019. So it's pretty
Speaker 2 13:15
fascinating. The correlation between entrepreneurship and, and ADHD, and the creativity aspect of it. Certainly in the tech space, there's some so many neurodiverse developers, you know, UI designers, UX, like all all, all that space and just developers in general. So it's, it's pretty, it's pretty fascinating. I have a keynote presentation, I do now called the root down. And it actually goes into some of the, it's about my, my ADHD diagnosis, but also about removing stigmas and, and supporting people. And a big part of it is talking about different entrepreneurs who have ADHD. And yeah, it's, it's pretty fascinating.
Speaker 1 14:01
Well, and there's research, there's research to back it up, you know, there's research on the strengths of ADHD, you know, some of which are creative cognition, conceptual expansion, innovative thinking, those are all 100% necessary if you want to be an entrepreneur, entrepreneur. And there was also a study done at Syracuse University, on the relationship between the ADHD brain and entrepreneurs and they found that if you are someone with ADHD and you have a couple of things, one of two things you are more likely to be successful than a neurotypical person and the two things are either you have the requisite education for that to build the business and or you have a very stable partner in life. Without those two things, ADHD people did not do better than neurotypical people in entrepreneurship, but with one of those two things they did better. So I thought that was pretty fascinating. And people with ADHD, it makes sense, needs support they need, you know, particularly growing up, they need parents who are behind them, they need to get through school. And, you know, they, they need support in those early years to kind of make it through to adulthood intact. And if they do, they are often the ones who become our innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, award winning artists and athletes because they, they then can launch into their life. And if they can find what they love and accelerate the super skills of ADHD, they don't just fly they soar. Yeah,
Speaker 2 15:46
and I'm working on the soaring part. And I'm so thankful that I married my best friend, and we've been married for we've been together for 25 years. She like, I mean, I wrote an 80,000 word book about networking. And it's something near and dear to my heart network in the good way on social media and blah, blah, blah. But I mentioned that because I had like a contract, I had a legal obligation, I had an advance and had dates, I had to deliver chapters to my publisher. And I almost quit, like 20 times during the process. And it wasn't for my wife who was like, now you can do it like, or you have to do it. So let's just, you know, you got to get it done kind of thing. And, yeah, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without her support. So yeah, yeah. Very, very helpful. She's also a school teacher, and she's been telling me for years that I have ADHD. So there is a lesson here, listen to your spouse. But, and some of the celebrities that you lined up for the disruptors? You know, some would be big surprises to people who didn't, who didn't know that they they had ADHD people, like, you know, like Tom Scott, or Paris Hilton, or will I am and then, you know, like, I mean, as a comedy fan, Howie Mandel totally makes sense. That he does, very talented,
Speaker 1 17:13
more. So overtly creative people are less of a surprise, because you sort of there's there is becoming a more normalized association between creativity and ADHD. But what people are surprised by are, you know, Scott Kelly, and then, you know, as NASA astronaut, yeah, all female astronaut, you know, he, he had a hard time getting through high school, and the dad wasn't going to send them to college, he and his twin mark, and, but then they sort of it was that threat of not going to college that caused them to do a little better. In high school, you know, it was almost like, what when kids with ADHD have their back to the wall, the dopamine starts flying at an accelerated rate, and they can do the thing they need to get done. If there's no urgency to something, it just is procrastination, or, you know, they don't care. And I had a similar experience with my son. He wasn't doing great. freshman year in high school. And, you know, we all got hauled into the office, and the head of the upper school said, we're going to hold your contract, because this might not be the right school for you. And my son was horrified by that. And the grades just went up.
Speaker 2 18:38
That's great. That's my I didn't I was not, I was not so lucky. I was kicked out of five high schools. Oh, boy. Yeah. Not not as not as Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 18:50
What did you do?
Speaker 2 18:53
Luckily, I wasn't bad in the sense like I wasn't violent or wasn't, you know, I was a class clown from the very beginning. And actually, the route down this presentation actually tells that whole story. The beginning of that presentation is a story about Little Red Riding, and in grade one and my first grade, and I was supposed to be the lumberjack, rescuing Little Red Riding Hood when he heard her cries and I would be cutting a tree. What happened was I was just such a class clown that my teacher demoted me to the tree. And so I had to be a tree and just stand there, wearing like brown pants and a green sweater. And then the new lumberjack would cut me and I would I was suppose I was instructed to just tilt. And that was my staging. That was my stage direction. And in the moment of that happening, I was like, Nah, and instead of tilting my body, my arms, I fell flat on my face. Boom on the stage. Everybody started laughing. And I think that was my first taste for me as a speaker. I do a lot so much. Stay Ah work obviously. And in front of audiences. That was my first dopamine hit in front of an audience. And I'm like, Hello. Wait a second. And I was kicked out of in grade one had to go to a different school after that. Well, that's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1 20:12
Yeah. Think about that. How ridiculous that is that you can get crazy. For for mishap in the school play.
Unknown Speaker 20:23
Yeah,
Speaker 1 20:24
really. The shameful
Speaker 2 20:28
at least, I'm thankful that my mom actually kept all of my old report cards, and I had them in a box in the closet. And after getting diagnosed this year, with ADHD, my wife and I found that box and we started reading all the teachers comments over the years. And like, if you saw them, it'd be like, yeah, a hands down. Case study on ADHD, positive ADHD for sure. But yeah, only took me 50 years to find it. Wow. What are some things that you've learned about ADHD since the movie came out? And I know you and you mentioned Dr. Ned Halliwell earlier, and I believe the story, my understanding is it was a dinner party with that you you met him and just started chatting. Is that right is that I
Speaker 1 21:20
was at a dinner party and someone very well known. Also had a child with ADHD. And we started sharing stories about our children. And he said, have you met Ned? And I said, No, who's Ned? And he said, Oh, my gosh, you have to meet Ned Halliwell. So I started researching that, and I read his book. And it was really kind of, you know, it was revelatory, because not only did I find my son in that book, but of course, it it was an exact description of my husband. So it was kind of just good for me to sort of get that sort of understanding. And I think what I learned as we go is the, that the, the stories of, of everyone who's grown up with ADHD that has ADHD are also similar. All the people in the film that well known public figures, they have the same story to tell from their childhoods, as all the kids in the film. Yeah. And the reason to put them in was also, you know, we can talk about the fact that there's a strength based approach, and this person has ADHD, you know, you can name all the well known people, but it's another to hear them speak about it to camera. It's undeniable. Yeah, we've all I mean, if you're a parent of children with ADHD, you've had those conversations with teachers where they roll their eyes at you when, you know, their perception is probably that these are just bad kids with bad parents or, you know, parents who aren't disciplining them enough. I mean, there's, there's this profound misperception that persists that this is willful, behavioral, that you know, kids are doing this intentionally. And that's because the outward presentation of ADHD is behavioral. So that's what leads to all the questioning, is this real? Or is is this willfulness? And so that's something I really wanted to get at at the film. And, you know, there's been Ned's been at this strengths based approach for decades. But there's something about a 90 minute film that can sort of, you know, curate all of the best information from the top experts and get a message across that I think, can resonate with a wider audience. And I think that was sort of the mission of the film is like, let's read, let's sort of reframe ADHD once and for all as a brain type, or a trait that comes with some challenges that need to be managed. But that also comes with some very significant and impressive strengths. And we should look at both sides of that, too often, we just look, we myopically look at the negatives of ADHD, oh, that kid has ADHD, or what a shame? Not really, that kid's gonna struggle now. But one day is gonna be signing your paychecks. Ya know, and that's the that's the the switch that needs to happen on a societal level about kids with ADHD. It's the first sort of recognition from the outside world should be Oh, you have ADHD Oh, that means you're very creative. You're you have the ability to hyper focus you're very curious you've got lots of ideas will just help you with the organization and you know, put you in the front of the class so that you don't get distracted and we'll we'll do things to help you. And you'll have a treatment hopefully a treatment plan with your with your doctor and you'll figure out a way to manage while your brain is developing. I think that's sort of the difficult thing is having an undeveloped brain that has ADHD. It's just very difficult.
Speaker 2 24:51
Yeah, I was talking to Tamra who wrote your brains not broken. And she's she's fantastic. She He's talking about Yeah, it's basically a three year give or take, but about a three year delay in development of the prefrontal cortex. Yeah, it's, it's, you're kind of three years behind in that in that department, but at the same time, to your point. I mean, yeah, there were so many strengths here that need to be acknowledged. And also, I mean, challenges. Certainly, you know, something we've talked about on the podcast here, it's about, you know, where, when you don't treat ADHD, that can lead to very bad places. But I raised that because it is so important to be treated because, yeah, I mean, it can lead to, to, I mean, there's addictive personnel or addictive tendencies for years.
Speaker 1 25:51
Yep. Much more common with people who have ADHD, to be sure, yeah,
Speaker 2 25:55
but but the positive is that it also makes you really addicted, air quotes into whatever you're working on. That's, that's getting you excited. And that's when magic happens. It is,
Speaker 1 26:09
I mean, when we were making the film, my son was still in high school, and I thought, Oh, I really, you know, we were sweating it out there in high school, you know, just wanted him to get through graduate and, you know, figure out a college that he wanted to attend. And then he started working with my husband, at flowcode. And he found, you know, as long as the lock that his key goes into, that's, that's the thing, you have to find the lock that your key goes into, and he found it there. And he's super talented. Yeah. It wasn't something that shows up in a high school setting, necessarily. So they, you know, unless they if they're musically talented, or like, my daughters are both singers and stage performers. So yeah, even though they might struggle with standardized testing, man, they can hit the mark on the stage, and belt out a solo free of inhibition, which is amazing to be able to do that. So, you know, they, they, they're super, super creative. And but with Jack, you know, it was that it was the working, it was the work environment, the creativity of a work environment, where he is building products and things like that, that just turned him on. And he he spends, you know, he can spend inordinate amount of time drilling down on something he's trying to figure out, where I think, you know, we would all love to be able to focus that way. So his his gifts have shown up, which is great. It helps for always have the other he'll always, you know, have the other things that he has to manage. Yeah,
Speaker 2 27:48
any tips for people to help them find the lock,
Speaker 1 27:52
I mean, you just have to, you have to go out in the world, you can't, it does not going to happen sitting at home. So you have to kind of go out in the world and have experiences and do internships and get jobs and you have to be the eight people with ADHD have excessive energy, and they need to be busy. So they, they sort of need to have a lot of things in their lives. And it's really good for them to get, you know, adequate exercise and sleep and nutrition just like everyone else. But I think even more so, you know, my husband wakes up at 5am exercises, meditates, eats, right, he does a whole bunch of rituals that help him, you know, sort of amplify his super skills. But that the all of those things, turn his brain on and keep him running effectively.
Speaker 2 28:45
And caffeine, probably. It's probably a little me. That's me anyway. Because I do I do. Yeah, it's interesting, because you're hitting on a lot of things. And I'm glad to hear it. Because in in this presentation that I've created, you're hitting on a lot of things that I talked about in there because, yeah, men like mindfulness and meditation. Like that's a huge one, and something that that I'm very, very, I have a daily practice that I do, and I find it incredibly rewarding. And the thing is, I started that a number like, again, a lot of I made a lot of changes to my life in 2020 when the world was imploding. And, in addition to the obvious parts of the world imploding that affected everybody or many people, we had a tornado in Nashville that destroyed my kids school. Oh my god. Fast forward. Three months later, we had another storm that put 10 holes in our roof, and we were out of our house for three months. So at the time, I was, you know, having a few too many beers. And I'm like, you know, I need to like, I mean, we weren't even staying at home, we had to go we had somewhere else. We had to live somewhere else for three months while I dealt with insurance and during a pandemic, and contractors and all the things And so it was during then then I was like, now it's time to take like meditation more seriously, it's time to, you know, start taking fitness and mental health more seriously, it's time to quit drinking once and for all, which I did. It was, you know, all these things helped me prepare for for this year when when the big ADHD letters appeared. And that diagnosis appeared. So I'm thankful that that I made those changes to my life ahead of the diagnosis. But certainly, I now know how I was using certain things to kind of curb the symptoms that I was feeling. Yeah, yeah, basically. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, that's, that's fascinating. So yeah, are there are there are there? What are the what are do you have any updates on the kids in the film? You have such a great group of diverse people in the movie and, and some wonderful stories have you been able to keep up with them at all, or you
Speaker 1 31:06
need to do that I get that I it's funny. I get that request all the time. And I think it's a testament to the fact that we were just so lucky to get great kids and great families to do the film. So, but I think they're, I think I've gotten an I've gotten an update on Zara, and she's a brilliant girl, and I think she's doing great. And I've gotten a few updates. Everyone's doing really well. No surprise, like, these are their outstanding kids. Yeah, yeah. But they've they've definitely had, you know, their struggles. And the parent, they've got great parents, so I'm not worried about any of them.
Speaker 2 31:46
Yeah, that's true. That's true. What about like for, for for projects? I'm almost selfishly asking for myself here with why squirrels, but with projects where, you know, folks with ADHD, want to express maybe maybe they're a singer or an actor, or a writer, somebody creating content that is around and about ADHD, but any tips to help them spread? Get it out there, get it out in the world? It sounds like you've I mean, obviously, with the disruptors, you've done a great job with that. But you know, from from other things, or any tips on getting the word out and getting help to, you know, building communities, getting investors, all those things to help build something.
Speaker 1 32:35
I mean, well, for us, I think we know the film came out in 2022. So we, I've been talking, we've been doing screenings all over the country, and there's screenings happening all over the world. I think the the film has been a great catalyst for conversation. You know, it's, it's sort of curated the conversation down to here's what it is. And let's talk about it. So, you know, I go to quite a few screenings. I have several this month for ADHD Awareness Month. They're happening in New Zealand, in Australia. And in Ireland, I mean, all the time, I get Google alerts for community screenings and, and school screenings. Then we just did a campaign this month for ADHD Awareness month called upside of ADHD. So we have a site upside of adhd.org. And we actually offered the film complimentary access to the film until tomorrow, October 6, so I don't know if anyone will hear that. I'm probably going to air but anyway, we, the film is at disruptors film.com And along with many other resources, and I think, you know, I think what I realized making the film is this is a community and there's a shorthand in within the community. And so every time I go and do q&a is with parents. You know, people are are dying to talk about this to ask questions to, you know, have the community parents just as even more so than kids, because the parents are the ones that are in the trenches, trying to figure this out. And it's so hard, you know, on a number of levels, whether it's academically or socially or in sports or in, you know, outside activities, it's, it's, it's really tough for parents to navigate that as well as kids. So it's nice for parents to have a community and there's, you know, like you have there's many podcasts and there's, like 200 Facebook groups for ADHD. I was amazed at the communities on Facebook. There's really pretty active communities.
Speaker 2 34:51
What are some of the misconceptions that you've come across? Both, you know, yeah, in your own in your own research and development of the film. And even since I found one,
Speaker 1 35:01
that it doesn't exist at all that, that it's not a real thing, that these are just bad kids with bad parents, which is obviously not true. The other is that it only affects boys. You know, girls are affected equally by ADHD, they just sometimes present slightly differently, they don't have the same perhaps level of hyperactivity, they don't have the same sort of outward aggression that boys do, because they don't have testosterone. And they can sometimes go unnoticed and undiagnosed. So they're in the back of the classroom, looking out the window, twirling their hair, they're, you know, they have more emotional impulsivity. They're a little tear, more tearful than, you know, than boys and, and they're exquisitely sensitive to rejection. I think that's probably true of both boys and girls. But girls are able to kind of widen up glit longer than boys. So they, they tend to get diagnosed in middle school, when the demands change. There's six classes as opposed to one, the, you know, expectations for achievement go up, and then the hormones kick in. And that tends to exacerbate ADHD, in puberty for girls, but also in menopause for women. So but all of those are, I think we debunk all of those in the film. Yeah. And I think, you know, the other issue is that there is a real shortage of ADHD experts and clinicians. So we know if you happen to live somewhere and there isn't a diagnostician or, or an experienced clinician that can help you figure out whether you have it. I think it's really terrible. I think I saw something in Australia where it's an eight month wait to get an appointment with a clinician to see you know, to see, if you have it, if you feel that you do have it, you're you're struggling, you're exhibiting impairment across a number of settings, and you think it's ADHD, it takes eight months to get an appointment with the doctor. So then I saw an article in Australia that said, it's better if you don't, you do better with your ADHD if you don't get it diagnosed. Which seemed very convenient. Yeah, that that you couldn't get it diagnosed because there were no doctors to diagnose it. So they just came right out and said, it's better if you don't, wow. Which is just silly. You know, you if you have it. I know a lot of parents actually, I've met many parents who were like, well, we know she has ADHD, but we're not getting her diagnosed. I don't really think I don't, I don't really understand that. Because I think if your brain is wired differently, you want to know that and you want to be able to figure out where you need to compensate. And not also feel that, you know, a lot of times kids with ADHD feel they're not smart. When they are they're super smart, they just have trouble organizing and being on time and you know, getting their homework in, because they left it at home, you know, the the disorganization really wreaks havoc on you know, them being able to be successful in school,
Speaker 2 38:16
you're you're really not setting them up for success by not by not at least having them diagnosed. It also,
Speaker 1 38:23
it's also that there's some sort of shame in the diagnosis, that's, that's the thing that I think that's the thing we want to change is that this is not a shameful diagnosis. This is just a brain type. Yeah. And you have it or you don't, and if you do have it, you know, you'll have some challenges that you'll need to manage. But you also it also will come with some strengths that are great. And that's the way we should really look at it. And I don't we're not there yet.
Speaker 2 38:52
I was asked about metaphors, you know, metaphors for for having ADHD. And for me it's it's a, it's an operating system that's just being run in the wrong device. Pretreatment. Right, so it's like reading, you know, Apple OS in like a Samsung, or like a Google device or something, right. Like it's some, some software will still run, some might be a little sluggish. It might crash a lot. You know, you might get a bug here and there, but chances are it's not going to be quite right. And if you want it to run smoothly, you know,
Speaker 1 39:27
fix it. Yeah. Might need might need some extra things to go along with it.
Speaker 2 39:33
Yeah. You mentioned Australia. I do. I have come across some interesting stories about like, for example, in Japan where meds are banned. You cannot get meds. In fact, you can't bring meds so if you're traveling with ADHD to Japan, you've got to check your meds at the door because you're not even allowed to bring them in at least last I heard as far as stimulants go, which obviously is a big problem. as well, so yeah, there's so much as you know, misinformation but also just yeah, just ignorance around around treatment and meds but then the other side of it too and a big challenge I'm, I'm thinking a lot about, you know, there's a shortage of meds right now and, and also a shortage as you said in Australia and I expect it's probably the same in Canada right now to where there's a lack of doctors and you need, at least in the US, you need a psychologist or a psychiatrist to diagnose you for treatment.
Speaker 1 40:32
I mean, there's a lot there are a lot of issues right now. There's the dearth of specialists, there's the shortage of some of the stimulant medication that people use. And yeah, it's really, if you are someone for whom stimulant medic medication works, it's great. It doesn't work for everyone. It's a frustrating trial and error process to find the right stimulant. But if you can find the right stimulant, and it works with you target symptom relief with no side effects, it's great. Yeah. And if it helps you it's a little bit like putting glasses on, you know, versus squinting all day. It's not great. Typically, kids with ADHD don't love taking the ADHD medicine, they, they only take it because they want to be able to focus and learn and they don't want to miss anything at school, they don't want to fall behind. They don't want to do poorly. You know, they don't take it because it's a feel good. So the only people abusing ADHD medications are people without ADHD. That's true. The other thing is there are studies that show that people who use you know, over time people who use stimulant medication are less likely to abuse other drugs because they've been diagnosed, they don't need to shut their brain off with alcohol or drugs, because they have a way to manage their brain, you know, when they when they need to do it? And it's not that, you know, people don't necessarily always take it every day they take it situationally, or if they're in school, if they're at home, not in school, maybe they won't take it. Those are all very personal preferences. But yeah, I mean, I think it's there, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome. And the lack the lack of doctors and the shortage of medication, or just
Speaker 2 42:19
I want to be mindful of your time here. And I know we're running out of time. So Nancy, any any topics, anything that I missed asking you about that you you'd like to share?
Speaker 1 42:29
I mean, I'd say, you know, I would urge people to go see the film, I'm amazed at the impact it's having, I mean, I knew it would have an impact, and I wanted it to have an impact. I've been blown away at the impact it's had on families and kids and parents care, I get letters from parents all over the world. And the point of the film is not only to educate parents and, and children, but also teachers, we need to get the film into schools, because that's where kids spend the majority of their time. And it's, you know, a teacher can have an incredibly positive impact on a child's life. But if they don't understand their their kids with ADHD, they're powerless to help them. So this is something that parents are going to need to advocate for to have the film shown, you know, at their school, and we have a company, Rocco films that will offer the film free to schools who are unable to pay for the film. The point for us was to get the film out there. Yeah. And for it to help people for to help educators to help parents, to help children to help people in the workforce, understand their own employees better. Why is this person great in a brainstorm, but a little disorganized over over here, or, you know, you sort of have to, as a business manager, understand the skill set of people with ADHD and maximize it, make sure they're meeting something that maximum because they will be better at that than anyone else on your team. And so it's it's like opening people's eyes to the fact that these are highly creative, highly curious. People who are also have no risk aversion. You know, all these things like they're it's a very specific skill set. That's why but interestingly, we see them in every industry at the top of their field. And I think that's what we were able to show in the film, in emergency rooms. Why? Because they need that stimulation. sitting in a cubicle in a quiet room all day might sound good to someone who's neurotypical, but to someone with ADHD, it's like a death sentence. So an emergency room where there's, you know, people running back and forth where there's emergencies their dopamine is flying on a natural high the entire time. And they don't, they are not unnerved by it that they are their brains turn on. So firefighting And, you know, surgeons, you know, most people don't want to cut open a body and transplant a liver. For someone who is a surgeon with ADHD. That's where they're in the zone. That's their feel good place is doing that work. High intensity, high stimulation, high stress work. That's where they thrive. You know, astronaut, you know, we had Scott Kelly, like, who wants to Korean through space? Only someone with ADHD? I would think.
Unknown Speaker 45:29
Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 45:31
So I think I think we need to open our eyes to the fact that we have, this trade has been around for 500 years, it's not going anywhere, we're not curing it, and we don't want to. And this is really, in a way how we've moved society forward. And we point this out in the film, and all the people famously through history, who have had ADHD, and have changed the course of history, from Einstein, to Edison to Walt Disney. And the list goes on, you know, these all the of these people exhibited many of the signs of ADHD growing up and struggled growing up and you know, did amazing things.
Speaker 2 46:15
Are you what's the biggest struggle in getting the word out about the film now as far as like getting more people more places, screening it, things like that? I asked, partly because you've got my, my wheels turning thinking about places that I could do that?
Speaker 1 46:30
Well, you know, we've done several media campaigns, we're all over Facebook. So we've done social media, we have social media, going constantly, Instagram, Facebook, we've done major television media, there have been, you know, so we've got, we've sort of run the gamut of getting it out there. And then I think there's just a period of time that it takes for it to kind of that, you know, we had for a long time, we had 1000 followers on Facebook, you know, 1100, it just went up. So then it was going up, 1000 a day, all of a sudden, something happened where the wheel starts to turn faster. And now there's 50,000 plus. So I think it just takes time. So we're continuing to work at it and and I think there's enough people out there that know about the film that are recommending the film. And so it's like, it's sort of exponentially gets out there eventually.
Speaker 2 47:28
Yeah, it's gotta we gotta we gotta wake up Netflix to get out to get them to work with the film. So they did on what grounds? Why were they rejected? That's, it's such a great film, not
Speaker 1 47:41
really our thing. And they probably have some content person who doesn't have ADHD and doesn't have children. They said, we don't do I mean, anyway, they, they didn't pick up the phone, people were really upset about it. And I said, I'm happy to put it on Netflix, free of charge. But it's not it's not a Netflix. So I'm
Speaker 2 48:03
surprising. I'm surprised by that. Because they do like physical. I mean, like blue zones right now, which is a great series about longevity, healthy longevity. dampeners, documentary and great book also, but you know, and that's partly about mental health, but it's more of a physical but, and diet and things, but I'm surprised the Yeah, well, yeah. I mean, someone's gonna see it and be like, you know,
Speaker 1 48:27
it's all over. It's all over the internet. It's on Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play locals.com. So it's everywhere. It's widely available. But I think, you know, people were hoping it would be somewhere that they have a streaming subscription. And, again, I would put it on Netflix in a heartbeat.
Unknown Speaker 48:50
But don't wake up to it.
Speaker 1 48:52
I think they will eventually. I mean, right now, there's only one film like this. I mean, there are a lot of films that touch on ADHD from the perspective of one person and they might have, you know, an expert here and there, but we got the top people, you know, yeah, Ned Halliwell, Russell Barkley, you know, all of these people who are kind of the godfathers of and understand this. The best we have in the film.
Speaker 2 49:21
Did you see the short films by Samantha LaBrecque, who I met recently? She's got a short film on YouTube called trying, if you look up like trying ADHD, I don't know. Have you seen that? No, it's It's great. It's great. And she's I think she's trying to develop it into a streaming series like a TV series or something. Yeah, it's really great. I should connect you because it's Yeah, and she's also an actor singer. But she also had all women casts or all women crew on the film and and she she's a singer and stuff So it's Yeah, yeah. You guys are kindred spirits for sure. All right. Well, Nancy to be respectful of your time, thank you so much for joining me today. My pleasure. Yeah, this has been awesome. I'm excited to share it with all the white squirrels out there. So thanks again. I appreciate it.
Unknown Speaker 50:18
Yeah. My pleasure. Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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