Overcoming the Wall of Awful

"Overcoming the Wall of Awful is not only endlessly validating, but epically empowering. This book needs to be in the hands of everyone who has ever failed at anything." -Jessica McCabe, New York Times bestselling author of How to ADHD We've all had that feeling when we need to do something as simple as cleaning the kitchen or sending an email and we just...can't. Over time, past failures and negative emotions-shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, anger, and disappointment-can build up, isolating us and keeping us from achieving our goals. It's not that we don't want to accomplish our goals. We just feel paralyzed. We're not aimless. We're not lazy. Our brains are working against us! We have purpose; we just need guidance. This is that guide. Just like bricks, negative emotions and experiences can build up, creating what feels like an impenetrable wall between us and our goals. Educator and ADHD expert Brendan Mahan calls this the Wall of Awful-and he's lived it. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Mahan has made it his life's work to help people overcome their own Walls of Awful and accomplish their biggest, boldest ambitions. Now, in Overcoming the Wall of Awful, Brendan shares his comprehensive model and practical strategies to help anyone with executive function issues do just that. The book explores: - how anxiety shuts down the executive function of the brain, making everything harder- why smashing through the Wall can hurt more than it helps- ways to manage your emotions so you can put a door in your Wall - how to climb your Wall of Awful and take back control! You'll learn how to identify the bricks in your Wall (aka key emotions). Then you'll learn the tricks, systems, and habits you'll need not to climb just one Wall, but to overcome the blocks throughout your life, one step at a time. The Wall is real, but you are stronger than you know.

Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., grew up with undiagnosed ADHD. He has spent the last twenty-five years becoming the person he needed. Mahan draws on his experience as a former teacher, principal, and mental health clinician in his work as a highly esteemed ADHD coach, consultant, celebrated podcast host, and speaker. He has coached hundreds of clients with ADHD, autism, and anxiety through their most difficult challenges. Over that time, he has built a groundbreaking model that helps people understand and solve their challenges at a deeper level. That model is the subject of this book, "The Wall of Awful." About the Co-writer Alex Hughes Capell is an award-winning career writer of twenty-two book-length projects and numerous shorter pieces. She has worked on projects in the fields of psychology and behavior, neurodiversity and mental health, science, business, and the technology industry. In addition to her expertise as a writer, Alex adds patient expertise on the mental health community, anxiety, and trauma-informed approaches to the book.