September 17
What if you could draw your way out of a scattered mind?
For Brandy Agerbeck, drawing became the key to turning her chaotic thoughts into something clear and manageable. Long before she was diagnosed with ADHD, Brandy used her visual skills to take control of her fast-paced brain, translating abstract ideas into organized visuals. In this episode, she shares how drawing helped her make sense of the world and how it’s become her go-to tool for managing ADHD—and empowering others to do the same.
From childhood, Brandy learned that drawing wasn’t just an artistic outlet, but a way to visually organize her thoughts and reduce overwhelm. We discuss how she honed this skill, growing up in a creative family, and found her community of neurodiverse thinkers in college. Brandy also talks about choosing self-employment to avoid the friction of traditional jobs, building a career where her visual skills could thrive.
Throughout the episode, Brandy walks us through her practical strategies for managing ADHD using visual tools—breaking down tasks with sticky notes, mapping ideas with diagrams, and creating flow states through drawing. We also explore the common challenges of ADHD, like time blindness and staying organized, and how visual thinking offers a way to navigate these issues.
Brandy’s story shows that for those who think visually, drawing can be more than an artistic skill—it can be a way to bring clarity and structure to even the most scattered thoughts.
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"I like to think of visual thinking as writing with more choices because, when we're writing, we've discussed the outline. We're confined to a system that consists only of words, flowing from left to right and top to bottom."
- Brandy Agerbeck
“When we understand the choices we have to make, we've given ourselves incredible tools to get ideas out, to push things around, to visually and tangibly represent the patterns and connections we're already forming in our brain."
- Brandy Agerbeck
“We love to learn through hands-on experiences. For those of us who enjoyed subjects in school that involved experiments, trying things out, and physically using our hands and bodies, that's a strong indicator.”
- Brandy Agerbeck
"Over the course of the day, debris builds up in your brain, and during deep sleep, it's like your brain is sweeping up that debris."
- Brandy Agerbeck
- Brandy's ADHD journey started with Tracy Otsuka's introduction, highlighting Brandy's use of Visual Thinking to manage overwhelm.
- She is an international speaker and pioneer in Visual Thinking, using drawing to create flow states and sharing her journey through her book, The Shapers.
- Brandy self-diagnosed ADHD through relatable memes, "time blindness," and "ADHD tax" before a neurologist and psych evaluation confirmed her diagnosis.
[05:19 - 31:57] Challenges in Diagnosis and Impact of Sleep Apnea
- Brandy discusses the challenges of diagnosis, including a high ACE score, trauma, and the complexity of the psych evaluation.
- She reveals that sleep apnea significantly contributed to her ADHD symptoms, and treating it was a key step in her ADHD management.
- Finding the right medication (Vyvanse) transformed her focus and task initiation, emphasizing the importance of executive function management in ADHD.
[31:57 - 01:07:23] Executive Functions and Visual Thinking
- Brandy explains the role of executive functions, focusing on her struggles with time blindness and task initiation, and how therapy helped her understand them.
- She emphasizes Visual Thinking as a powerful tool to make ideas tangible and spatial, using post-its, index cards, and other visual aids.
- Brandy shares how sensory experiences like specific pens and paper play a role in making her Visual Thinking process more effective in managing overwhelm and improving focus.
