Dr. Umesh Jain is now exclusively responsible for TotallyADD.com and its content

Off To CHADD

By Rick Green We’re off to see the Wizard. Actually the Wizards. The Wizards of ADHD. Russell Barkley, Ned Hallowell, Rosemary Tannock and dozens more. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who have or deal with ADHD are coming together this week in San Francisco at the big CHADD conference (2012). It happens every year at this time. On my birthday. Last year we were presenting a shortened version of our workshop, “Now What?!” It was a terrific success. This year we’re going to interview as many experts as we can possibly manage. And in classic ADHD fashion we are scrambling at the last minute to get everything organized. Okay, truth be told I am scrambling. The stuff that Ava had to take care of– flights, accommodation, hiring a crew—was wrapped up weeks, even months ago. But lining up interviews, contacting people to request an hour to talk on camera, scheduling people so that we can squeeze in as many experts as possible… I’m still working on it. I’m actually somewhat shy so approaching people is a bit nerve-racking. Fear of rejection. Or something like that. Silly I know. Especially since, to my delighted surprise, everyone we approach has heard of us. Dr. Hallowell, Gina Pera, and others have told us, “Because of ADD & Loving It?! you folks are legends.” With television, and on the web, you never really know how big an impact you’re making. I think that’s why we love hearing from our members. Their gratitude and acknowledgement means the world to us. At some points it’s all that kept us going. Now to have so many people that we admire and respect happy, even eager, to sit down and talk with us… Well, it tells us were doing something special. Now with our new program, ADD & Mastering It! , launching on PBS, and the final preparations for the new, expanded, turbocharged TotallyADD.com website falling into place, it suddenly feels like we’ve arrived. (Actually, they’re not falling into place, we’re madly pounding them into place.) The point is, in the four and a half-years since Ava and I got the go-ahead to make ADD & Loving It?! we’ve been going off in a thousand directions, six and seven days a week, trying to keep up with everything we want to do. Now, it feels like we are going to be okay. Were going to be able to make this work. TotallyADD is here to stay. And best of all, we are going to be able to focus on a dozen new projects, programs and website features that have us as excited as we were when we first began. What a great Happy Birthday present!
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18 Comments

  1. sweet-sheba November 5, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Awesome Rick! Happy Birthday to you and have a great time in San Fransico! It sounds so exciting and one day I will make it to a CHADD Conference to experience it myself!. A big Thank you to you and Eva for all your hard work, and to all that have helped you out, on such an amazing website! I can’t say enough great things about Totallyadd.com! It has given me a place to go to help me with facing my ADHD head on! Which is a huge relief for me and my husband. As there is not alot of places in the city I live in (Brandon, MB) to help me do that! Now I have all the info at my finger tips at totallyadd.com!
    I look forward to all the new projects and programs in the near future!
    Enjoy the Conference!
    Sheba:)

  2. Vanilla November 6, 2012 at 12:53 am

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Rick!!! All the best to you on your birthday and ALWAYS, you really deserve it! You have changed my life and the lives of so many people through your ‘ADD & Loving it’ amazing videos, through your website, the resources you share with us, your great sense of humour, your honesty, and for being simply YOU! Thank you so much again! We love you. I wish you a wonderful celebration with your beautiful sweet Ava and a healthy and fruitful year ahead.

  3. SuzeQuze November 6, 2012 at 11:58 am

    Happy Birthday! I look forward to hearing more about the conference. It is interesting to see you write “we will be able to make it work” since, from where I sit, it appears that you’ve been making it work all along. I also look forward to seeing the revamped website when it comes online. Thank you so much for your efforts. ADD and Loving it?! helped me in understanding and having self-compassion for this frustrating brain thingy.

  4. sdwa November 7, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    That’s great news (and happy birthday)….You have done so much to raise awareness. Looking forward to the new features of the website, and to seeing the new video when it becomes available in my area (or for purchase). And would love to hear about the conference. You guys rock, in that incredibly brave and bold sort of way. Thanks for all you do.

  5. mcfarlane November 7, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    Rick, you are so talented. I know you could work on other project that have nothing to do with ADD where the money is better. This why I was so happy to read “ToyallyADD is here to stay.” Money is important but helping people is also so imporant too.
    Thank you for all your work
    Wayne McFarlane

  6. Larynxa November 8, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    Happy birthday, oh Great Exhausted Leader!
    Have a wonderful time spreading the word and the knowledge, and the laughter!

  7. Geoduck November 9, 2012 at 3:48 pm

    Happy birthday! Congratulations on your many ADHD themed successes. Thank you for all you and Ava have done for all of us in the ADHD community. I have no idea where I’d be without this website, and the initial documentary that got me here. Everyone here has been invaluable in my ADHD journey. Thank you for such a great gift.

  8. Chica November 10, 2012 at 10:01 am

    I’m delighted to hear you feel you are here to stay – I have really bonded with this website since ADD became personal to me. It’s the funny trustworthy place I have gotten to get me, and in such good company!

  9. Rick November 28, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    Thank yo for the kind words. We are launching, as you probably know, our new website, and the Premium Membership which has a whole gallery of features.
    So yes, we are here to stay. And what you will be able to do on the new Forums, which are more like Facebook, is amazing. Life here at TotallyADD is about to get very interesting!
    Once we get used to the new look, and try out all the features.

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