TPP 519: Brendan Mahan on Overcoming the Wall of Awful

What if the reason you or your child can’t “just do the thing” is not laziness, but a Wall of Awful built from repeated frustration, shame, anxiety, and failure? Brendan Mahan breaks down the hidden emotional barrier behind procrastination, avoidance, and shutdown - and shows how to actually get through it without burning out.

Debbie Reber welcomes Brendan back to unpack his new book, Overcoming the Wall of Awful: Why It’s Hard to Get Things Done with ADHD, Autism and Anxiety, and How to Do Them Anyway. Together they make this deceptively simple metaphor concrete, useful, and surprisingly validating for parents, educators, clinicians, and anyone who has ever stared at a task and felt their brain go sideways.

About Brendan Mahan 

Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., MS., is the author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful™, and host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast. A sought-after speaker, and neurodivergent person himself, Brendan helps organizations and individuals manage neurodiverse challenges through education, collaborative problem-solving, compassion, and accountability. 

He is on the board of the Men’s ADHD Support Group, Director of Professional Resources for Calmer Con Boston, and a former committee member of the International Conference on ADHD. He has featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, LinkedIn, Understood, How to ADHD, VeryWell Mind, and ADDitude.

Things you'll learn from this episode 

How the Wall of Awful creates an emotional barrier that can make starting or completing tasks feel impossible

Why anxiety and adrenaline can sometimes help us climb the Wall of Awful while also taking a toll

How creating “doors” in the Wall can provide quicker paths to regulation and getting unstuck

Why making tasks interesting, meaningful, or connected to personal values can reduce avoidance

How rejection sensitive dysphoria can add another layer to the Wall of Awful and how parents can support kids through it

Why having shared language and practical tools for talking about Walls of Awful can help kids better understand and navigate their experience