I wondered why I couldn’t organize my
thoughts attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder presents significant challenges
to millions but these people show that
ADHD doesn’t have to limit you welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
inspirational people with ADHD I was
such a rest of player but everybody’s
got feeling for this list we’re looking
at people with ADHD previously known as
a DD who have worked hard to meet the
challenges associated with their
condition and make their mark on the
world
[Music]
number 10 ty pennington
Ty Pennington has worked as a model and
a set designer but he really became
famous when he hosted the hit series
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
[Applause]
Penningtons wacky sense of humor and
personal charm made him a star but his
journey wasn’t easy as a child school
was especially difficult for Pennington
since he struggled to stay focused now
when I was in elementary school my
mother received countless phone calls
from my teachers the principal’s office
and even my guidance counselor because I
was constantly in trouble for something
his mother discovered he had ADHD but
didn’t inform Pennington of his
diagnosis until he was 17 but I learned
to cope with the symptoms by channeling
my energy into my passion which is
building things when he began receiving
treatment life changed dramatically for
him despite his ADHD Pennington is
managed to juggle multiple tasks and to
focus his energies to establish a unique
niche as a television personality and
designer okay it’s the morning of day
three and I’m about to take a refreshing
dip in our new pool oh yeah not really a
new pool here at all is there number
nine Adam Levine
[Music]
as lead singer of maroon 5 Adam Levine
has achieved commercial success and
picked up a slew of awards including
several Grammys the charismatic vocalist
has also been a celebrity coach on the
voice an actor and the power behind his
own fragrance line after struggling with
hyperactivity and impulsivity growing up
Levine was diagnosed with ADHD as a
young teen and began treatment however
like many kids with ADHD he didn’t
realize the condition could continue
into adulthood on the first album I
remember very distinctly uh being very
being stuck and not being able to to
focus and I had you know 30 ideas
floating through my mind Levine has
since become a spokesperson for adults
with ADHD urging proper diagnosis and
continued treatment ADHD is complex it’s
complicated and it was a struggle for me
but when you’re an adult you can
actually sit down and say okay this is
what I suffer from how do I handle it
number 8 Channing Tatum
I got these tickets to the One Direction
concert yeah I love one direction do you
have an extra checkup
yeah as a child Channing Tatum had to
deal with both ADHD and dyslexia which
was a tough experience for him in school
today however the star of hit movies
like Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street is
much in demand
and popular with men and women alike one
particle about a team has a nuclear
reaction with a flux capacitor carry the
two changing its atomic ISOTONER into a
radioactive spider
you science yet even now it’s not easy
since Tatum has said it takes him much
longer than most to process things he
reads and focus requires extra work but
through his steel will and fierce
determination the actor has succeeded
beyond measure unlike many others with
ADHD Tatum is not a fan of prescription
medicines for the condition and has
courted controversy with his stance he
says he believes some children need
medication but since he didn’t the more
he took the less it worked Tatum doesn’t
dismiss treatment for everyone but found
that it just didn’t work for him
Channing’s advice quote if we can
streamline a multi-billion dollar
company we should be able to help kids
who struggle the way I did number seven
Pete Rose please welcome Pete moves
one of the greatest players in Major
League Baseball history Petros is the
unquestioned champion in terms of hits
games played at-bats
singles and outs the winner of two gold
glove and three World Series rings
roses career is unique in baseball
although he was a legend on the field he
struggled with gambling due to his ADHD
which he spoke out about in his memoir
my prison without bars Rose was
diagnosed in middle age and some suspect
that his ADHD may have played a big part
in his success nobody’s perfect and I
certainly wasn’t and I understand it I’m
not going to argue with him I know I
messed up in baseball despite the many
challenges he’s had to face in his
career the determination he showed in
baseball is inspiring to athletes
everywhere
number six Howie Mandel you know I’m
medicated I go to therapy
I figured you’d laugh at that that’s not
funny either
having ADHD presents plenty of
challenges on its own for Howie Mandel
things are made even more challenging
because he also has obsessive-compulsive
disorder I can remember I had learned to
tie my shoes went to school and the
laces came undone and they had touched
the floor and then I didn’t want to
touch the laces and tie the shoe the
popular comedian actor and television
personality unintentionally revealed his
OCD diagnosis on the Howard Stern Show
and was it first horrified that he had
done so I didn’t know we were still
broadcasting I said no I see a
psychiatrist I have OCD I’m medic I
can’t that is not funny this is not a
joke and they ended up opening the door
for me and then I realized that this got
broadcast
however he since become a crusader for
those with any sort of mental health
issue while the media has focused on men
Dale’s OCD his struggles with ADHD are
equally real as a matter of fact it may
be his ADHD that prompted his impulsive
revelation about his OCD handrails are
my enemy I never go near a handrail I
won’t open those things I would never
serve myself I wouldn’t touch this
because a lot of people touch that
Mandel’s courage helps all with ADHD to
be more accepting of their struggles we
take care of our dental health we don’t
take care of our mental health and I
believe that this is a scene for every
problem we have in this world right now
number five
David Neil Minh but you know I I really
strongly believe that you know ordinary
people can do extraordinary things if
they just follow certain principles
David Neil man’s name may not
immediately ring a bell with the general
public but he’s an important role model
for those with ADHD nonetheless just
follow your dreams and follow your
passion you know don’t don’t let anyone
tell you um what you should be
interested in and then when you do it do
it the best Neel Minh is an immensely
successful businessman who has founded
four Airlines most notably JetBlue
when’s the last time you saw the head of
an airline show up on one of his flights
and not only talked to his passengers
but treat them like people
chocolate-chip cookie Nealon struggled
with symptoms of ADHD such as difficulty
focusing absorbing written information
and staying focused from an early age
however it wasn’t until he was in his
mid-30s that he realized his symptoms
resulted from ADHD neoman knew that he
had other strengths however and found a
way to access those while working around
his shortcomings you know having an
attention deficit disorder has has
drawbacks you know you’re disorganized
here don’t kind of moving from project
project but the advantages are you look
at the world a little differently that
strategy seems to have worked out pretty
well for him wouldn’t you say you can do
things different you can become one of
those five companies you can become a
company that changes things
number four Justin Timberlake
[Music]
like Adam Levine Justin Timberlake is a
respected and successful musician with
ADHD like Howie Mandel Timberlake
revealed this in an interview in
connection with his film The Love Guru
someone ordered the special Quebec pizza
you know like indie porno
the multiple Grammy and Emmy Award
winning artist hasn’t divulged much
about how ADHD affects him but it’s
clear he’s found a way to deal with the
condition his ability to produce hit
after hit on the music charts shows that
attention disorders can not only be
controlled but also overcome feeling
number three Michael Phelps one of the
things that has been good for me I think
besides training has been my sort of
mental preparation who knew that one of
the world’s greatest swimmers and one of
the most decorated Olympians of all time
had ADHD which gives him the ability to
hyper focus or multitask when they’re
really into what they’re doing like
Michael is when he was swimming
diagnosed during the sixth grade
Phelps benefited from his mother’s
commitment to seeing him succeed since
she worked closely with schools to make
sure Michael was given the resources he
needed I look at I look at the water as
a cocoon to Michael I’ve watched it as
he’s grown up it’s a his comfort zone
it’s what he loves and he has just great
great passion for a sport his personal
foundation works to help children
develop healthy lifestyles giving Phelps
an opportunity to help other kids get
the chances they need have kids learn
things that they’ll use throughout their
whole entire life you know confidence
and and I’m healthy I’m strong promoting
healthy and active lifestyle for
children ADHD clearly has not held
Phelps back and some experts point to
his achievements as a demonstration of
how ADHD can be turned into an asset for
certain people number
– Sir Richard Branson Richard Branson
the man with the golden touch and the
billionaire smile some people believe
that the symptoms associated with ADHD
can actually be beneficial to
entrepreneurs who are engaged in
start-up activities the career of virgin
group founder Richard Branson who has
both ADHD and dyslexia certainly
demonstrates this I was dyslexic and had
no understanding of school work
whatsoever
Branson dropped out of school and
started his first business at the age of
16 and by the time he was 22 he had
established the Virgin Records chain
which became the basis for the massively
successful virgin group somebody
suggested slip disc records we had that
you know the old vinyl discs which kept
on slipping and somebody else loved you
know why not virgin we’re all virgins
and hysterical laughter all around
knighted in 2000 for his services to
entrepreneurship Branson’s personal
wealth has been estimated at more than
five billion dollars all of them
multitasking he depended on as a result
of his ADHD has definitely borne fruit
to say the least
I’ve been extraordinary fortunate I’ve
enjoyed every minute of my life going
forward
most of my time will be spent on setting
up not-for-profit enterprises and seeing
them in attacking some of the big
problems in the world before we reveal
our number one pick here are some
honorable mentions I think one of the
the best answers that I’ve ever had was
cordon bleu and we actually found a way
to like pay tribute to some of our
favorite shows or movies or musicals
through the dances that we did that
season because music keeps me saying
keeps my mind on something good my mom
will just wander
and if it wanders that’s not good number
one Albert Einstein your Albert Einstein
thank you
Wow may I say what a great fan I am of
yours thank you
Einstein died in 1955 years before
either a DD or ADHD were officially
added to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders yet the man
with one of the greatest scientific
minds of our time is considered by
experts to have been a proud member of
the ADHD Club Einstein is the
personification of the typical
absent-minded professor as disorganized
and forgetful as he was insightful and
intelligent like many great innovators
Einstein was a rebel a loner but deeply
curious he was slow in learning to speak
as a child so slow that his parents
consulted a doctor his ADHD helped him
to think outside of the box in a big way
and to develop the theory of relativity
which has revolutionized the modern
world he continues to be an inspiration
to people with ADHD and to all people
everywhere this concept the time and
space are flexible depending on how
you’re moving became known a special
relativity
it led to remarkable results such as the
famous equation relating energy to math
do you agree with our list you you know
to you it’s a joke – no it’s my luck I
will go everywhere with this I will
expand are there other people with ADHD
whose deeds should qualify them for this
list everybody’s talking about everybody
is talking about yeah yes let’s talk
about something else
for more inspirational top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
it’s your ADHD own it
[Music]
thoughts attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder presents significant challenges
to millions but these people show that
ADHD doesn’t have to limit you welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
inspirational people with ADHD I was
such a rest of player but everybody’s
got feeling for this list we’re looking
at people with ADHD previously known as
a DD who have worked hard to meet the
challenges associated with their
condition and make their mark on the
world
[Music]
number 10 ty pennington
Ty Pennington has worked as a model and
a set designer but he really became
famous when he hosted the hit series
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
[Applause]
Penningtons wacky sense of humor and
personal charm made him a star but his
journey wasn’t easy as a child school
was especially difficult for Pennington
since he struggled to stay focused now
when I was in elementary school my
mother received countless phone calls
from my teachers the principal’s office
and even my guidance counselor because I
was constantly in trouble for something
his mother discovered he had ADHD but
didn’t inform Pennington of his
diagnosis until he was 17 but I learned
to cope with the symptoms by channeling
my energy into my passion which is
building things when he began receiving
treatment life changed dramatically for
him despite his ADHD Pennington is
managed to juggle multiple tasks and to
focus his energies to establish a unique
niche as a television personality and
designer okay it’s the morning of day
three and I’m about to take a refreshing
dip in our new pool oh yeah not really a
new pool here at all is there number
nine Adam Levine
[Music]
as lead singer of maroon 5 Adam Levine
has achieved commercial success and
picked up a slew of awards including
several Grammys the charismatic vocalist
has also been a celebrity coach on the
voice an actor and the power behind his
own fragrance line after struggling with
hyperactivity and impulsivity growing up
Levine was diagnosed with ADHD as a
young teen and began treatment however
like many kids with ADHD he didn’t
realize the condition could continue
into adulthood on the first album I
remember very distinctly uh being very
being stuck and not being able to to
focus and I had you know 30 ideas
floating through my mind Levine has
since become a spokesperson for adults
with ADHD urging proper diagnosis and
continued treatment ADHD is complex it’s
complicated and it was a struggle for me
but when you’re an adult you can
actually sit down and say okay this is
what I suffer from how do I handle it
number 8 Channing Tatum
I got these tickets to the One Direction
concert yeah I love one direction do you
have an extra checkup
yeah as a child Channing Tatum had to
deal with both ADHD and dyslexia which
was a tough experience for him in school
today however the star of hit movies
like Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street is
much in demand
and popular with men and women alike one
particle about a team has a nuclear
reaction with a flux capacitor carry the
two changing its atomic ISOTONER into a
radioactive spider
you science yet even now it’s not easy
since Tatum has said it takes him much
longer than most to process things he
reads and focus requires extra work but
through his steel will and fierce
determination the actor has succeeded
beyond measure unlike many others with
ADHD Tatum is not a fan of prescription
medicines for the condition and has
courted controversy with his stance he
says he believes some children need
medication but since he didn’t the more
he took the less it worked Tatum doesn’t
dismiss treatment for everyone but found
that it just didn’t work for him
Channing’s advice quote if we can
streamline a multi-billion dollar
company we should be able to help kids
who struggle the way I did number seven
Pete Rose please welcome Pete moves
one of the greatest players in Major
League Baseball history Petros is the
unquestioned champion in terms of hits
games played at-bats
singles and outs the winner of two gold
glove and three World Series rings
roses career is unique in baseball
although he was a legend on the field he
struggled with gambling due to his ADHD
which he spoke out about in his memoir
my prison without bars Rose was
diagnosed in middle age and some suspect
that his ADHD may have played a big part
in his success nobody’s perfect and I
certainly wasn’t and I understand it I’m
not going to argue with him I know I
messed up in baseball despite the many
challenges he’s had to face in his
career the determination he showed in
baseball is inspiring to athletes
everywhere
number six Howie Mandel you know I’m
medicated I go to therapy
I figured you’d laugh at that that’s not
funny either
having ADHD presents plenty of
challenges on its own for Howie Mandel
things are made even more challenging
because he also has obsessive-compulsive
disorder I can remember I had learned to
tie my shoes went to school and the
laces came undone and they had touched
the floor and then I didn’t want to
touch the laces and tie the shoe the
popular comedian actor and television
personality unintentionally revealed his
OCD diagnosis on the Howard Stern Show
and was it first horrified that he had
done so I didn’t know we were still
broadcasting I said no I see a
psychiatrist I have OCD I’m medic I
can’t that is not funny this is not a
joke and they ended up opening the door
for me and then I realized that this got
broadcast
however he since become a crusader for
those with any sort of mental health
issue while the media has focused on men
Dale’s OCD his struggles with ADHD are
equally real as a matter of fact it may
be his ADHD that prompted his impulsive
revelation about his OCD handrails are
my enemy I never go near a handrail I
won’t open those things I would never
serve myself I wouldn’t touch this
because a lot of people touch that
Mandel’s courage helps all with ADHD to
be more accepting of their struggles we
take care of our dental health we don’t
take care of our mental health and I
believe that this is a scene for every
problem we have in this world right now
number five
David Neil Minh but you know I I really
strongly believe that you know ordinary
people can do extraordinary things if
they just follow certain principles
David Neil man’s name may not
immediately ring a bell with the general
public but he’s an important role model
for those with ADHD nonetheless just
follow your dreams and follow your
passion you know don’t don’t let anyone
tell you um what you should be
interested in and then when you do it do
it the best Neel Minh is an immensely
successful businessman who has founded
four Airlines most notably JetBlue
when’s the last time you saw the head of
an airline show up on one of his flights
and not only talked to his passengers
but treat them like people
chocolate-chip cookie Nealon struggled
with symptoms of ADHD such as difficulty
focusing absorbing written information
and staying focused from an early age
however it wasn’t until he was in his
mid-30s that he realized his symptoms
resulted from ADHD neoman knew that he
had other strengths however and found a
way to access those while working around
his shortcomings you know having an
attention deficit disorder has has
drawbacks you know you’re disorganized
here don’t kind of moving from project
project but the advantages are you look
at the world a little differently that
strategy seems to have worked out pretty
well for him wouldn’t you say you can do
things different you can become one of
those five companies you can become a
company that changes things
number four Justin Timberlake
[Music]
like Adam Levine Justin Timberlake is a
respected and successful musician with
ADHD like Howie Mandel Timberlake
revealed this in an interview in
connection with his film The Love Guru
someone ordered the special Quebec pizza
you know like indie porno
the multiple Grammy and Emmy Award
winning artist hasn’t divulged much
about how ADHD affects him but it’s
clear he’s found a way to deal with the
condition his ability to produce hit
after hit on the music charts shows that
attention disorders can not only be
controlled but also overcome feeling
number three Michael Phelps one of the
things that has been good for me I think
besides training has been my sort of
mental preparation who knew that one of
the world’s greatest swimmers and one of
the most decorated Olympians of all time
had ADHD which gives him the ability to
hyper focus or multitask when they’re
really into what they’re doing like
Michael is when he was swimming
diagnosed during the sixth grade
Phelps benefited from his mother’s
commitment to seeing him succeed since
she worked closely with schools to make
sure Michael was given the resources he
needed I look at I look at the water as
a cocoon to Michael I’ve watched it as
he’s grown up it’s a his comfort zone
it’s what he loves and he has just great
great passion for a sport his personal
foundation works to help children
develop healthy lifestyles giving Phelps
an opportunity to help other kids get
the chances they need have kids learn
things that they’ll use throughout their
whole entire life you know confidence
and and I’m healthy I’m strong promoting
healthy and active lifestyle for
children ADHD clearly has not held
Phelps back and some experts point to
his achievements as a demonstration of
how ADHD can be turned into an asset for
certain people number
– Sir Richard Branson Richard Branson
the man with the golden touch and the
billionaire smile some people believe
that the symptoms associated with ADHD
can actually be beneficial to
entrepreneurs who are engaged in
start-up activities the career of virgin
group founder Richard Branson who has
both ADHD and dyslexia certainly
demonstrates this I was dyslexic and had
no understanding of school work
whatsoever
Branson dropped out of school and
started his first business at the age of
16 and by the time he was 22 he had
established the Virgin Records chain
which became the basis for the massively
successful virgin group somebody
suggested slip disc records we had that
you know the old vinyl discs which kept
on slipping and somebody else loved you
know why not virgin we’re all virgins
and hysterical laughter all around
knighted in 2000 for his services to
entrepreneurship Branson’s personal
wealth has been estimated at more than
five billion dollars all of them
multitasking he depended on as a result
of his ADHD has definitely borne fruit
to say the least
I’ve been extraordinary fortunate I’ve
enjoyed every minute of my life going
forward
most of my time will be spent on setting
up not-for-profit enterprises and seeing
them in attacking some of the big
problems in the world before we reveal
our number one pick here are some
honorable mentions I think one of the
the best answers that I’ve ever had was
cordon bleu and we actually found a way
to like pay tribute to some of our
favorite shows or movies or musicals
through the dances that we did that
season because music keeps me saying
keeps my mind on something good my mom
will just wander
and if it wanders that’s not good number
one Albert Einstein your Albert Einstein
thank you
Wow may I say what a great fan I am of
yours thank you
Einstein died in 1955 years before
either a DD or ADHD were officially
added to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders yet the man
with one of the greatest scientific
minds of our time is considered by
experts to have been a proud member of
the ADHD Club Einstein is the
personification of the typical
absent-minded professor as disorganized
and forgetful as he was insightful and
intelligent like many great innovators
Einstein was a rebel a loner but deeply
curious he was slow in learning to speak
as a child so slow that his parents
consulted a doctor his ADHD helped him
to think outside of the box in a big way
and to develop the theory of relativity
which has revolutionized the modern
world he continues to be an inspiration
to people with ADHD and to all people
everywhere this concept the time and
space are flexible depending on how
you’re moving became known a special
relativity
it led to remarkable results such as the
famous equation relating energy to math
do you agree with our list you you know
to you it’s a joke – no it’s my luck I
will go everywhere with this I will
expand are there other people with ADHD
whose deeds should qualify them for this
list everybody’s talking about everybody
is talking about yeah yes let’s talk
about something else
for more inspirational top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
it’s your ADHD own it
[Music]
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