ADHD & Executive-Function Coach · Host, ADHD Essentials Podcast · Author, Overcoming the Wall of Awful
Brendan is a former teacher and mental-health counselor with ADHD himself, best known for creating the Wall of Awful, the widely shared framework for the emotional barrier ADHDers hit before starting hard tasks.
He has used the Wall of Awful model to help millions of people better understand themselves and the challenges they face so they can accomplish their goals, both large and small. He is the author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful, co-authored with Alex Hughes Capell, publishing September 1, 2026, from Balance.
As host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast, Brendan has spoken with hundreds of experts in neurodiversity and mental health, exploring relationships, productivity, parenting, career management, executive function, anxiety, and mental health. He works with individuals, parents, schools, and organizations, including running Wall of Awful coaching groups, to make executive-function support practical and shame-free.
Brendan is a board member of the Men's ADHD Support Group and Director of Professional Resources for Calmer Con: Boston, and was formerly on the Influencers and Advocates Committee for the International Conference on ADHD.
Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., is an ADHD and executive-function coach, international speaker, and host of the ADHD Essentials podcast. A former teacher and mental-health counselor with ADHD himself, he works with individuals, parents, schools, and organizations to make executive-function support practical and shame-free.
The Wall of Awful is Brendan's framework for the emotional barrier, made up of things like rejection, shame, guilt, and anxiety, that ADHD brains hit before starting hard tasks. He wrote the book Overcoming the Wall of Awful, co-authored with Alex Hughes Capell and publishing September 1, 2026, to bring the model to a wider audience.
ADHD and executive-function coach for adults, parents, and professionals, and the creator of the Wall of Awful.