[ ] I do tasks as soon as they hit my desk.
Angie Nash
Radio personality,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
ANGIE NASH, WHO WORKS AT MAJIC 95.1 ( WAJI), SPENT much of her freshman year in high school polishing her
nails during lectures, skipping class, and rearranging class-
room desks in a “U” formation. “It was less confusing to me
that way,” says Nash. “My teacher did not appreciate it and
made me call home.”
That’s when Nash’s mom decided to have her tested for
ADHD. Nash was diagnosed at 15, but didn’t take ADHD
medication. After high school, she attended Northwest-
ern College, a small community college in Ohio. After six
months, she was placed on academic probation. Nash
blames her challenges there on too much freedom and not
enough structure.
“I got into radio about 12 years ago, by accident,” she says.
She’d been hired as a receptionist at a hip-hop radio station,
where a friend worked on-air. “The boss saw something in
us, and he teamed us up on a show. It’s the most ‘normal’
I’ve ever felt in a job. My mind goes fast, and in many direc-
tions, and that’s great in my line of work.” It also helped that
her friend and co-host understood and accepted her ADHD.
Nash moved on to Majic 95.1, where she now co-hosts “Majic
in the Morning.”
At work, Nash struggles to stay on task and meet dead-
lines. “What’s helpful to me is to do things immediately,” she
says. “If I complete tasks as soon as they hit my desk, distrac-
tions don’t have a chance to get in the way.”
Writing daily lists helps Nash stay on track, and jotting
notes on the back of her hand helps her focus when talking
with friends. “I don’t interrupt people when they talk any-
more, because the notes remind me of what I want to say.”
Nash has learned to stop comparing herself to someone
without ADHD. “They can handle tasks and manage simple,
everyday things that, to us, seem insanely overwhelming.”
Nash works on simplifying her life. “I live in an apart-
ment, and I don’t have credit cards. The fewer things I have
on my mind, the better. Since I don’t use medication, the key
for me is to slow down, regroup, focus, and get lots of sleep.”
Mandy Prosser
Software and database developer,
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
MANDYPROSSER,
43, COASTED THROUGHHIGH SCHOOL, then attended four colleges, all in South Africa, enrolling in a different program at each one. The only program
she completed was secretarial training in Pietermaritzburg.
Having failed many courses after high school, Prosser’s self-confidence plummeted. “I couldn’t concentrate long enough
to do the assigned reading,” she says. Twenty-t wo years later,
she’s taking correspondence courses to complete her Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of South Africa.
In 2000, at age 30, Prosser was not diagnosed with ADHD.
“The doctor wrote down instead that I had major depression, because ADHD was not considered an adult condition
here in South Africa and wouldn’t get insurance coverage.”
It wasn’t until 2011, at age 40, that she started taking ADHD
medication.
“It changed my world,” she says. “I am so grateful to be
able to get a day’s work done.”
Prosser dabbled in several careers before finally taking a
six-month Web development course in London, England.
“On returning to South Africa, I got my first job in Web de-
velopment for a company in Cape Town. Within a week, I
was building databases, which I loved! I did really well.”
These days she works in database development. Prosser
still struggles to complete tasks she doesn’t enjoy, such as
documentation and large projects that she can’t break into
smaller pieces. But she thrives in the software industry’s fast-
paced environment, where new projects pop up all the time.
Besides medication, counseling, and joining an online
support group, Prosser treats her ADHD by practicing Bud-
dhism, yoga, and meditation (sometimes all at once!). She
finds yoga a real boon for her ADHD brain. It calms her down.
Although it’s hard for many ADHDers to meditate, Prosser
insists that they can—and should—learn to do it. “
Meditation helps quiet the chattering monkeys,” she says. “
Emptying the mind of thought for a few minutes can calm one down
to the point where things no longer seem insurmountable.”
[ ] Medication changed my world— I get things done.
