Penn & Kim Holderness Out With New E book ‘ADHD is Superior’

In case you, like me, have been residing beneath a rock for the previous couple of years, let me introduce you to the pressure of nature referred to as the Holderness Household. A household of 4, they’re Penn (dad), Kim (mother), Lola and Penn Charles (two teenagers), and a pup named Sunny. If this sounds fairly typical, nicely, it’s. And it’s additionally not.

They could look like an everyday household, however they’re really a contemporary media phenomenon; Holderness Household Productions, the place Kim is Chief Govt Officer and Penn is Chief Inventive Officer. They produce movies, social media content material, a podcast, and write books. In response to their web site, the household enterprise has garnered 4.5 million followers throughout platforms and a billion views general. Not too shabby.

Now, their latest e-book, ADHD is Superior, from HarperCollins is out on April 30. It’s completely unbelievable.

Possibly as a result of I’m a mother to 2 (very) little ones who stop social media when it acquired too poisonous for my tastes, however I hadn’t heard of the Holderness Household when my editor reached out and requested if I’d like to talk with them concerning the new e-book. Heck, yeah, I assumed once I learn the title.

I’ve ADHD, and my child nearly actually does as nicely, and I’m at all times excited to learn one thing hopeful about neurodivergent people’ place on the planet. A couple of weeks and greater than a few rabbit holes of Holderness Household movies later, it’s protected to say I’m grateful the ADHD group has these voices in our nook. 

With a wholesome dose of poignancy and humor, Penn and Kim have created a quantity that’s helpful each to ADHD-ers and to their family members. Inside a number of pages of studying, I spotted I used to be underlining nearly each sentence and filling the margins with exclamation factors.

After I acquired to the primary of Kim’s notes, I turned to my spouse and advised her I needed her to learn it, too—I’d by no means learn a e-book about ADHD that introduced forth the companion perspective so fantastically (or in any respect).

ADHD is Superior isn’t about ignoring the robust elements of getting a distinct mind, but it surely would not make it the only real focus both. In taking the laborious and the joyous into consideration equally, the e-book has helped us each really feel seen.

From the Feedback Part to the Bookshelf

Penn was identified with ADHD in school, when the organizational expertise and focus essential to take care of a full course load made his mind distinction much less manageable. Nevertheless it wasn’t till he had children and began a media firm with Kim that issues started to actually change into unwieldy.

“I spotted that I wanted to be taught extra about [ADHD] than I did in school. I used to be letting my household down, I used to be letting my spouse down. I needed to do a deep dive, to seek out methods I might put in place to [manage better],” he advised me. “Now, actually, we’re at some extent the place we’re on the verge of explaining to the world that [ADHD] is just not essentially an terrible factor for those who learn to management it.”

When the Holdernesses started their deep dive into the science behind ADHD, they began to share that journey with their followers. As with the remainder of their content material, that is finished with a comic book spin (working example: “You May Have ADHD,” a side-splitting authentic new track) and a optimistic tone. This content material, based on Kim, ended up creating probably the most genuine connection they’d ever skilled as content material creators. 

“We realized that we had been giving adults and children a launching level for normalizing what their brains are like. Lots of people have had a really unfavorable expertise with ADHD,” stated Penn, “It had been defined to them as in the event that they had been damaged, that there was one thing incorrect with them. Taking a look at that, we thought it will be a good suggestion to attempt to put our ideas [about ADHD] collectively in a e-book in order that they may have one thing tangible. One thing to have a look at, to carry, to see.”

A Refrain of Voices 

One of many issues I really like about this e-book is how a lot experience could be present in its pages. Only a few of the good minds who contributed to ADHD is Superior embody Dr. Ned Hallowell, Dr. Russell Barkley, Dr. Marcy Caldwell, and Jessica McCabe (creator of The way to ADHD).

“After we began creating content material round [ADHD], we simply needed to say ‘Hey, there are some good issues we’re discovering out about this,’ and to share the optimistic [side] of it,” says Kim.

And share is what they did. The e-book itself is nearly 300 pages lengthy—and encompasses a 23-page bibliography on the finish, the place readers can discover all of the analysis, interviews, and different assets to assist the insights the Holdernesses have got down to share. 

“All these persons are on the identical group,” says Penn, “We’re attempting to advance the understanding of ADHD as a result of it is extremely misunderstood. We wish individuals to know—we’re doing this, which signifies that you are able to do it too. These individuals, these voices, are essential voices. They’re letting individuals know that ADHD is a treatable mind distinction,  that drugs is not the one reply, that placing methods in place can help you exist with this, that you could get pleasure from the entire good issues that include having this mind. That features spontaneity, creativity, and a humorousness.”

Residing in Neon Technicolor

The very first thing any reader will most likely discover about ADHD is Superior is that it’s very colourful. Every web page options illustrations, each chapter is color-coded, and there are frequent non-sequiturs or departures from the ostensible narrative. 

In different phrases, it’s written like an ADHD mind thinks. 

“We all know the ADHD thoughts goes to wander anyway,” says Kim, “After we’re mentioning one thing about biology, and immediately you’re fascinated with a whale’s mind, we’re going to then give a enjoyable truth about it.”

This associative writing fashion isn’t distracting for an ADHD-er; we’re naturally curious and curious about each passing thought. Quite the opposite, I discovered it extra partaking as a result of my distractions had been all rolled into the studying expertise. 

For Penn, it additionally made the writing course of a complete lot simpler. He discovered himself including post-it notes to the manuscript and questioning how one can incorporate them. “Fairly than having to regulate myself and tamp down all of the asides, we thought—what if we simply put the post-its within the e-book?”

The result’s a downright technicolor joyride of a e-book that by some means walks the reader via lots of science, a world of strategies for ADHD administration, and a large physique of anecdotes. Truthfully, it seems like a Holderness Household video in e-book kind—foolish, self-aware, humorous, and grounded in real-life experiences. 

Lacking the Mark? Not Anymore.

Penn and Kim say they hope this e-book turns into the What to Count on When Anticipating for ADHD-ers and people who love them. It’s the e-book they wanted when their son, Penn Charles, was identified a number of years in the past, they are saying.

Overwhelmingly, the messaging about ADHD has been and continues to be unfavorable. Do a fast seek for “Grownup ADHD” and also you’ll discover details about how the dysfunction is usually accompanied by anxiousness, melancholy, low shallowness, struggles with dependancy, and even a decrease life expectancy. Analysis backs this up.

In contrast, the lion’s share of ADHD is Superior is about thriving—not attempting to heal ADHD. Not the way it can restrict your life or make issues tougher (though they speak about that, too). It’s concerning the beautiful, unimaginable methods through which this neuro-difference can enrich the lives of ADHD-ers and people who love them. It is a profoundly vital message. 

Penn says their son, who was 12 when he was identified, exhibits fairly comparable signs to those he had on the similar age. The distinction? A willingness to work with the household to assist him thrive.

“I by no means acquired identified—it wasn’t a factor again then,” says Penn, “Nobody had figured this out. When he was identified we had information of those methods that you could put in place to assist.”

Opposite to fashionable perception, the reply to all ADHD struggles is just not solely stimulant drugs. There are sensible methods to intervene as nicely. For Penn Charles, this meant shifting his lower-focus courses to the morning, when he’s sharper, and ensuring he’s on the entrance of the category. It additionally meant residence methods to make sure schoolwork and different tasks don’t get misplaced within the shuffle.

“He is extremely smart and he would not have lots of behavioral points, however he has some emotional flooding. [Things get] to him and he simply sort of snaps, he’s delicate and emotional. Numerous instances, in center college, that may be robust,” says Kim. 

The Reply is Compassion

Residing with an individual who has ADHD is just not simple. I do know this—my spouse places up with loads. Like… forgetting my footwear on the roof of the automotive and watching them bounce down the freeway. Or forgetting a bank card fee (once more) and owing the requisite curiosity. For Kim and Penn, the reply to those challenges is compassion and empathy. 

“We’re nonetheless passengers on this flight,” says Kim, as Penn nods alongside, “We’re nonetheless engaged on this and it’s not simple. Understanding why his mind is this fashion has actually helped our relationship. We each give one another much more grace. That stated, in our home, ADHD is the reason. It’s not the excuse. He doesn’t get a free cross for strolling out the door with out footwear on. However now that we perceive why it occurs in his mind, that’s allowed me to supply extra compassion.”

The reality is, each one among us is exclusive, whether or not we’re neurodivergent or neurotypical. All of us carry each challenges and joys to any relationship. The ADHD mind is superior. Bizarre, and quirky, and filled with unusual, fantastic concepts. Forgetful, risky, and unpredictable. However lovable nonetheless.