Ready, fire, aim! ADHD, creativity, and magic tricks (John Michael Hinton’s story)

Magician and speaker John Michael Hinton grew up full of energy.
As a kid, he lived abroad and stood out for his high energy. His
parents noticed early on that caffeine seemed to calm him down, a
clue that something deeper might be going on.


John Michael — who performs a few magic tricks in the
episode! — talks with host Laura Key about how things fell
apart academically in his freshman year of high school, leading
to a 1.7 GPA. An ADHD diagnosis helped him get the support he
needed. The biggest turning point came thanks to a mentor who
encouraged him to stop living in “Ready, FIRE, Aim” mode and
start thinking “Ready, AIM, Fire.” 


Now a husband and father of three (all with ADHD, too), John
Michael explains how ADHD fuels his creativity, curiosity, and
performance style.


Related resources


John Michael’s website, www.johnmichaelhinton.com

ADHD and creativity 

ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria 



Timestamps


(00:00) Intro


(01:01) Growing up undiagnosed while moving around
internationally, and being diagnosed in the states as a teenager


(06:19) College, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and creativity


(09:01) Magic trick break #1


(11:15) ADHD and performing magic on stage


(13:15) Being remembered as the “weird kid” and using mentors to
mature


(16:12) “Ready, aim, fire” instead of “Ready, fire,
aim”  


(17:50) Magic trick break #2 


(19:15) Incorporating ADHD into his magic acts


(21:13) Home life with an entire ADHD family


(22:42) A message to all the other “spazzes” out there


(25:19) Outro and credits


For a transcript and more resources, visit the “ADHD Aha!” show
page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email
us at 


adhdaha@understood.org or record a message for us here.


 


Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like
ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work,
donate at understood.org/give


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