Attention Talk Radio · Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG

Breaking the Cycle: Overcoming Shame and Negative Self-Talk with ADHD

November 19, 2025·39 min·3 clips

Kids with ADHD don't need a catastrophic event to develop deep shame — a thousand small negative messages build the same neural pathway as major trauma.

The episode treats shame as something that rises and falls, not something fixed in one neat move. Jeff starts from an ADHD coaching angle and keeps the conversation on shame and negative self-talk as patterns that can get in the way of action. He is careful about scope. As a coach, he says he only coaches around some of this and encourages people to seek out or continue with a therapist or counselor. That boundary helps the conversation stay honest. Dr. Sharon Saline gives the clearest image near the end: shame can get loud, but people can practice turning the volume down. The exchange does not promise a cure. It asks the listener to notice the internal noise early enough to answer it before it takes over the day. Jeff sounds warm and practical. He paraphrases, qualifies, and keeps pulling the thread back to what someone with ADHD can practice over time. The ads interrupt a lot, so the strongest part of the excerpt sits around the break and the close, when the show comes back to shame, negative self-talk, and coaching's limits. The volume metaphor earns its keep. A thought can be loud without being in charge. That gives the listener a bit of room: hear the shame, talk back to it, quiet it, and move toward the chosen activity. Jeff is not diagnosing from a distance or pretending one clever phrase solves this. Dr. Sharon Saline supplies the language, and together they make the problem feel more workable without softening it too much.

As heard by us

A plainspoken ADHD discussion that keeps shame and negative self-talk in practical focus.

Attention Talk Radio keeps the focus on shame, negative self-talk, and ADHD, with Jeff Copper holding the pace while the guest does most of the explaining. The episode works best when it stays practical.

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Why you'd press play

You want a coach-led take on shame that stays practical.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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