July 6
When Mandy Zelinka and I first crossed paths in a women's marketing mastermind group years ago, her vibrant energy and unmistakable talent made it clear she was headed for big things. However, nobody including Mandy could’ve predicted the eccentric places her creative ADHD brain would wind up taking her.
Mandy’s foray into filmmaking first began when she got bored and convinced her Mayor husband to run off to a nudist colony and live in a tiny RV nestled in the Issaquah Alps. Their three-year adventure in the nudist colony, which she describes as being “like one giant SNL skit that took place on the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” became the catalyst for her captivating documentary, Escape from Tiger Mountain Family Nudist Park. Mandy’s documentary received recognition from film festivals around the world, and before she knew it, she was an award-winning documentarian.
During our heartwarming and humorous conversation, Mandy shares her experiences as a self-taught documentarian and how she transformed her ADHD into a formidable asset. We explore the beauty of hyperfixation, the importance of embracing boredom as a creative person, and the power of treating ADHD as a lifelong journey of self-discovery.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"I feel like we are lifelong students of ourselves and of our ADHD and what works for us."
- Mandy Zelinka
"You have the keys to a jaguar brain. Would you feed it leaded gasoline or would you feed it supreme? All of those things go into how you can take that hyperfixation and use it for the best thing possible."
- Mandy Zelinka
"I think the hyperfixation feels like a missile. When you take it and point it towards something, it's going to blow up either in a disaster or a really good way."
- Mandy Zelinka
- Mandy struggled with ADHD and found motivation in her busy schedule, sports, and college experience, but ultimately dropped out of college and found success in the salon industry.
- Mandy shares her experiences with trauma, guilt, and neurodiversity, and how she struggled in college despite being a "successful" high school student.
- Mandy discusses her journey with ADHD and how it affected her relationships, including her two previous marriages.
[21:24 - 36:52] Relationships, therapy, and personal growth
- Mandy emphasizes the importance of being best friends with her partner before anything else, as it's not natural to her to put a label on him that is not "best friend."
- Mandy reflects on her past mistakes and how she has learned to forgive herself, and she shares her current perspective on life as an empty nester.
- Mandy reflects on the absurdity of the situation and the importance of feeling safe and sane in an unconventional living environment.
- Mandy documented her experience living in a nudist colony during the COVID-19 pandemic through a diary and a subsequent documentary, which she feels still doesn't fully capture the story.
- Mandy shares her perspective on why people seek out risky experiences, citing a desire to create memorable stories and mark time.
- Mandy discusses her experience with drugs, mentioning that she tried various types but found no effect on her brain except for exercise.
Substack: MandyFans.com
Youtube show: www.TheMandy.Show
Documentary: EscapeFromTigerMountain.com
Instagram: @MandyZelinka
12 Weeks of Mandy’s meal plans are usually $27, but Tracy’s listeners get them for $17.
They are Perfect for neurodivergent people that forget to eat or get exhausted easily by the idea of having to come up with a different meal every day so they eat the same thing. You can the recipes at a reduced price over at mandysmealplans.com
Tracy’s program: Your ADHD Brain is A-OK
