In this episode of ADHD Founders, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon unpack how energy-draining conversations, negative feedback, and reactivity can derail an ADHD entrepreneur’s entire day. They explore the difference between venting and vibe-killing, the power of structuring your day around creative flow, and how AI (or even Zapier!) can help you protect your dopamine. Plus: hilarious background setup fails, the ultimate customer sentiment filter, and one surprisingly perfect question for identifying yo...
Jul 15, 2025•41 min•Ep. 64
In this episode, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into how they’re using AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT in their founder workflows for everything from coding whole apps in a weekend to meal planning and fighting writer’s block. Jesse shares how a bout of hyperfocus led him to build an iOS version of Wavepal (almost by accident). Sharon talks about testing AI agents with ChatGPT and the realities of building ADHD-friendly products like Shelpful. Marie breaks down how she uses AI for daily meal pla...
Jul 01, 2025•44 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, Marie, Sharon, and Jesse share updates on their startups and dive deep into the hidden challenges of ADHD entrepreneurship. From Marie’s struggles with context switching and dev motivation, to Sharon’s product launch jitters and personal branding journey, to Jesse’s course rollout and emotional marketing hurdles. This is a raw, funny, and relatable look at building products while managing neurodivergence. Expect candid moments about perfectionism, community-building experiments,...
Jun 17, 2025•47 min•Ep. 62
In episode 61, Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into the chaos of time zones, appointment scheduling quirks (like 11:11 start times), and the emotional rollercoaster of building ADHD-friendly tech products. They share raw stories about customer interviews, MVP struggles, subscription pricing models, and deeply personal reasons behind why their apps exist. From missed birthdays to AI-driven reminders that help rebuild broken connections, this episode is an authentic look at founders building tools t...
Jun 03, 2025•39 min•Ep. 61
In this episode, the hosts open up about what it’s like to fall out of rhythm as entrepreneurs with ADHD—and how they slowly find their way back. From quiet burnout to unexpected breakthroughs, this is a raw, insightful conversation about recovery, routine, and self-compassion. Key Highlights: - Honest reflections on doing the bare minimum during burnout periods - How changing environments (like working in a friend’s office) can help reset focus - The struggle and satisfaction of re-establishing...
May 20, 2025•33 min•Ep. 60
In this episode of ADHD Founders, hosts Jesse, Marie, and Sharon reconnect after meeting in person for the first time at the NeuroDiversion Conference — a groundbreaking event for neurodivergent entrepreneurs and creators. They share personal reflections on what it meant to unmask, connect, and be surrounded by a community that gets it. From the joys of real-life hugs to insights on building authentic support networks, this conversation is a heartfelt celebration of ADHD, entrepreneurship, and f...
May 06, 2025•42 min•Ep. 59
In this episode of ADHD Founders, Jesse, Sharon, and Marie dive deep into the ever-shifting world of productivity systems for ADHD brains. From bullet journals to Google Calendar hacks and even racing appliances, the trio swap stories, wins, and fails in their quest for functionality without the shame spiral. Highlights: * How systems like bullet journals, Notion, and TickTick work—until they don’t * Sharon’s genius laundry bin system that’s ADHD-friendly and Pinterest-agnostic * Marie’s dopamin...
Apr 22, 2025•42 min•Ep. 58
In this episode of ADHD Founders, hosts Jesse, Marie, and Sharon dive into personal stories and practical insights from their lives as ADHD entrepreneurs. What you'll hear about: * Jesse’s first-time experience speaking at SXSW, plus the sensory overload (and perks!) of attending with a platinum badge * A candid look at missed opportunities and promoting early-stage products at big events * Marie’s unexpected journey into fundraising via Twitter (X) and joining an accelerator * Sharon’s unique f...
Apr 08, 2025•45 min•Ep. 57
This is all about starting small so you can learn faster. We discuss: What even is an MVP (minimum viable product), and what can that look like when your brain wants to build the whole damn thing right now? We dive into: • Why starting small can feel impossible (but necessary) • How ADHD leads to both perfectionism and chaotic shipping • Stories from the early days of Llama Life, Shelpful. What Jesse is thinking about with his brand-new app he’s about to MVP. • Learning to ship, iterate, and let...
Mar 25, 2025•43 min•Ep. 56
Welcome to ADHD Founders! Join Jesse (author of "Extra Focus"), Marie (founder of Llama Life), and Sharon (founder of Shelpful) for some real talk on building businesses with ADHD brains. In this FIRST episode: Meet your hosts, as they share their (brief) company-founding stories as well as their ADHD stories. Hear tips on ADHD diagnosis, advocating for yourself, and embracing ADHD as an entrepreneur and creator. Some quick stories of ADHD both helping and/or hindering us in our journeys so far ...
Mar 11, 2025•44 min•Ep. 55
Marie updates on the Llama mobile app. Marie & Jesse talk about the future of messaging, and what’s next for The Weekly Build. - Extra Focus - Llama Life - Beeper - Texts - VergeCast
Nov 21, 2023•35 min•Ep. 54
Marie release a collectible app icon for Llama Life. Jesse gets a new watch. - Llama Life Collectible App Icon - Extra Focus
Nov 07, 2023•30 min•Ep. 53
Marie builds a fun marketing website. Jesse discovers a new social media scheduling tool. Llama Life Mobile Marketing Page Extra Focus MeetEdgar Book Marketing Action Podcast
Oct 24, 2023•30 min•Ep. 52
Marie and Jesse chat about using social to drive traffic to their landing pages, amongst noise and distraction. - Extra Focus Book - Llama Life - Many Chat
Oct 03, 2023•29 min•Ep. 51
Jesse shares numbers around his book launch. Marie shares a very frustrating tech problem. - Extra Focus Book - Llama Life
Sep 26, 2023•33 min•Ep. 50
Jesse launches his new book, "Extra Focus". Marie and Jesse weigh the pros and cons of building in public. - Extra Focus - Llama Life
Sep 19, 2023•34 min•Ep. 49
Jesse accidentally hit publish on his book. Marie adds a very requested AI feature to Llama Life. - Extra Focus book - Llama Life - Llama Life’s ‘Break-it-down’ feature
Sep 12, 2023•32 min•Ep. 48
Marie closes Llama Life's Affiliate program. Jesse discusses long-term marketing strategies for his book. Llama Life Extra Focus book
Sep 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 47
Marie implements a big pricing change. Jesse’s new book hits #1 in the Amazon store. Extra Focus book Llama Life pricing post on X/Twitter Llama Life
Aug 29, 2023•26 min•Ep. 46
Jesse shares what he's learned while self-publishing his book, he and Marie discuss long term strategies for launching a product, and they look back on the 37signal's marketing for Hey. The Extra Focus book Llama Life Hey
Aug 22, 2023•29 min•Ep. 45
Jesse holds his book in his hands and Marie gives an update on forthcoming updates for Llama Life. They discuss testimonials and which ones get premium real estate. Testimonial Shoutout Things by Culture Code Tweetie Extra Focus book Llama Life...
Aug 15, 2023•32 min•Ep. 44
Jesse is so close to launching his book! Marie shares progress on the the Llama Life Android and iOS apps. And we contemplate pricing for SaaS. - The Extra Focus newsletter - Llama Life
Aug 08, 2023•28 min•Ep. 43
Jesse is on the home stretch with his book. Marie starts both Android and iOS apps for Llama Life. - The Extra Focus newsletter - Llama Life
Jul 25, 2023•23 min•Ep. 42
Marie gets hit by Card Testers, Jesse gets some awesome testimonials for his book, and could Threads be the next Twitter. - Marie’s tweet about Card Testers - The Extra Focus newsletter - Llama Life
Jul 18, 2023•30 min•Ep. 41
In a quick series of lightning rounds (managed by none other than Llama Life timers), Marie and Jesse discuss their tablets, recording equipment, bags, desks & chairs, and more! - Llama Life - Jesse's Extra Focus newsletter
Jul 11, 2023•32 min•Ep. 40
Marie and Jesse discuss their computers, mice, and keyboards in Part 2 of the State Of Gear series - Llama Life - Jesse's Extra Focus newsletter
Jul 04, 2023•35 min•Ep. 39
Marie and Jesse discuss the gear they carry with them daily in Part 1 of the State Of Gear series - Llama Life - The Extra Focus Newsletter
Jun 27, 2023•27 min•Ep. 38
Jesse goes to a conference. Marie deals with hiring challenges. - Craft + Commerce conference - Llama Life - Extra Focus Book
Jun 20, 2023•28 min•Ep. 37
Thoughts on WWDC and the new Vision Pro. - Llama Life - Llama Life accent color tweet - Daring Fireball - Sherlocking / Watson - Flux app - Google Cardboard - Meta Quest - WWDC roundup...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 36
Marie increases conversion, and Jesse's new app - Marie's conversion tweet - Llama Life - Jesse’s Be-A-Better-Friend app tweet - Now defunct app starting with C that Marie couldn't remember - Oura ring...
Jun 06, 2023•32 min•Ep. 35
