188 - ADHD Is A Label But Capacity Is The Problem - with Frankie Berkoben

You can be brilliant, ambitious, and wildly capable and still feel like your follow-through is slipping. That doesn’t automatically mean you’re broken or “not disciplined enough”. It often means your executive functioning is overloaded by context: stress, layoffs, a heavier emotional load, shifting team expectations, or the simple fact that life outside work got bigger.  I sit down with executive coach Frankie Berkoben, founder of Frankly Quite ADHD, to unpack a more useful way to think about ADHD and productivity for tech leaders. Frankie explains executive functioning in real terms: planning, working memory, attention, emotional regulation, and adapting when conditions change. We talk about why these skills dip under pressure for many people, and why the diagnostic label can be less helpful than understanding what your brain needs to do its best work.  We also go straight at the toughest part for high performers: the gap between potential and performance. When your identity is tied to achievement, that gap can trigger shame and harsh self-talk, which then suppresses the very prefrontal cortex resources you need to plan and execute. Frankie shares patterns she sees across founders, senior ICs, and executives, plus a practical path forward using design thinking: get clear on what’s actually draining you, ask better questions, and run small experiments that reduce friction rather than demanding heroic willpower.  If you’re leading teams, building products, or carrying a lot of visibility and you’re feeling “something is off”, this conversation will give you language, frameworks, and next steps. Subscribe for more on product leadership and human performance, share this with a teammate who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest insight you’re taking away.