Big Brain vs Fast Brain: How ADHD Shapes Planning and Action

Translating ADHD

In this episode, Ash and Dusty introduce the conversational labels "big brain" and "fast brain" as alternatives to inattentive and hyperactive ADHD descriptors. They explain how big brainers tend to get stuck in planning, perfectionism, and idea-generation—always needing the full picture before starting—while fast brainers rush into action, overcommit, and underestimate time and bandwidth. Through client stories and personal examples, they show how each style creates different practical problems (paralysis vs. toxic optimism) and why the internal experience matters more than external labels.

The hosts offer concrete coaching approaches: for big brainers, set committed milestones, decouple long-term product ambitions from immediate learning goals, and create low-stakes experiments to break inertia; for fast brainers, treat time and energy as finite resources, practice saying no from values, and build constraints that prevent constant overcommitment. They emphasize that few people are purely one type—many move between both—and the goal is finding the "middle gear": practical strategies that move projects forward while preserving presence, quality, and meaningful connection to others.

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