Change Your Brain Every Day
Episode: "Adrien Nunez: The Truth About Finding Out You Have ADHD"
Date: March 30, 2026
Hosts: Dr. Daniel Amen & Tana Amen
Guest: Adrian Nunez (with partner Tiana)

Episode Overview

This special edition of the podcast features singer, songwriter, and former college basketball player Adrian Nunez. Dr. Daniel Amen discusses with Adrian (and at key points, his partner Tiana) the experience and impact of discovering possible ADHD, undergoing a brain scan, and the interplay between mental health, career transitions, and relationships. The conversation moves fluidly from Adrian’s upbringing and character, through his journey from basketball to music, to the practical results and insights from his brain scan at Amen Clinics. Above all, the episode centers the importance of knowing your brain—how it shapes your choices, relationships, and ultimately the path to a fulfilled life.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Adrian’s Upbringing, Family, and Mindset

(04:03 – 09:56)

• Adrian grew up split between the Lower East Side and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, raised by parents with distinct approaches: a hard-working, pragmatic Dominican father and an artistic, emotionally-aware American mother.
• He notes the positive impact of seeing his parents nearly divorce, then reconcile:

  "Being able to see them get back together and work through it really I think affected me a lot. Even when you’re on the last day of a divorce ... it can change." (07:49–09:19)

• Adrian’s relationship with his older brother (six years senior, now a designer in LA) is strong and supportive.

2. Career Transitioning — From Basketball to Music

(04:15 – 05:12; 18:37 – 20:06)

• Music was Adrian’s first passion, but practical needs (and his height) drove him toward basketball in adolescence. After college at Michigan, he returned to his musical roots.
• Describes basketball as requiring "discipline, not want," and credits both sports and music for shaping his mental toughness and flexibility in facing life’s transitions.

3. Recognizing Mental Health Patterns and Family Influence

(05:51 – 09:56; 13:34 – 14:45)

• Adrian recognizes inheriting a "hard-working, black-and-white" pattern from his dad, and high emotionality from his mom.
• Discusses the family history with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), but is reassured by Dr. Amen that it’s not highly hereditary.

4. Discovering ADHD Traits

(15:01 – 18:17; 21:22 – 23:42)

• Adrian’s scan and self-reflection reveal classic ADD/ADHD tendencies—squirrel brain, jumping from idea to idea, trouble amid information overload.
• School experience: Performed well but disdained showing work or procedures; focus wasn’t always a problem, but compliance with process was.
• Persistence and "stubbornness" are strong, especially when self-driven.
• Adrian’s creative process with music lets him "let out" the ADHD energy positively.

5. Brain Scan Findings & Practical Implications

(21:22 – 25:18; 27:27 – 28:11; 34:23 – 36:45)

• Brian scan shows:

  • Impact from a childhood sports injury.
  • Strong dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus activity: sees errors quickly, can be overly rigid or perfectionistic.
  • Emotional areas are busy ("could be early trauma").
  • Slight deficiencies in short-term memory, focus, and reading social cues—but strong long-term memory and organizational skills in domains he cares about.

• Dr. Amen suggests nutritional and supplement advice (Neuralink, vitamins, fish oil, brain boosts) to support balance.

• Notable exchange on the cingulate’s effect:

  Dr. Amen: “If things aren’t just so, you don’t like it.”
  Adrian: “100%. ... It doesn’t come out as much until ... there’s a breaking point.” (22:07–22:43)

6. Navigating Relationships—Patterns, Triggers, and Growth

(10:23 – 13:34; 24:34 – 25:29; 29:34 – 34:23; 43:39 – 56:37)

• Both Adrian and Tiana relate present-day relationship dynamics to parental patterns—Adrian often takes after his father; Tiana after his mother.
• Importance of defining together what kind of relationship they want:

  Dr. Amen: “Does my behavior fit? Kind, caring, loving, supportive, passionate ... As long as I don’t try to make her ... I always focus on my behavior.” (11:43–12:46)

• They both reflect on the roles of empathy, communication, and learning each other’s brain-based tendencies.
• Tiana’s initial self-diagnosis with ADHD is gently corrected—her brain shows mood instability, not ADD. Both partners agree to be more intentional about recognizing and accommodating each other's differences.

7. Handling Success, Fame, and Motivation

(31:12 – 41:59)

• Adrian’s approach to achievement is present-centered:

  “I feel fulfilled and successful when I’m doing everything I can to achieve that one goal. Whether I get there or not doesn’t matter as much.” (31:26–31:48)

• Dr. Amen cautions about the effect of fame on the brain:

  “Fame is tricky because it can feel really great, and then it can burn out the joy circuits in your brain.” (27:27–28:00, repeated at 40:11–41:59)

• They discuss how young stars can lose grounding, relationships, and even lives if not mindful.

8. Executive Function — Organization, Lists, and Emotional Regulation

(28:11 – 29:15; 53:15 – 57:41)

• Adrian and Tiana discuss strategies for daily effectiveness, like the “One Page Miracle”—writing down life goals by domain and using them to check decisions.
• Practical tips: Making shorter task lists, professional organization help, routines for exercise and diet, and not blaming brain wiring as an excuse for non-action.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Adrian on motivation:

  "I feel successful when I’m doing everything I can to achieve that one goal. Whether I get there or not doesn’t matter as much to me." (00:00–00:14, 31:26–31:48)

• On inherited mindset:

  "My dad would always tell me that I’d have to work twice as hard to get half as far as everybody else … I applied that as much as I can to everything.” (19:01–19:26)

• Dr. Amen on behavioral intention:

  “Does my behavior fit kind, caring, loving, supportive, passionate? … I always focus on my behavior.” (11:43–12:46)

• Adrian reflecting on his brain scan:

  “I thought I was gonna see a hole or two for sure. I got knocked a couple times by some large humans.” (42:10–42:35)

• Tiana on relationship dynamics:

  “He’s one of, like, the happiest people I’ve ever met ... he’s so optimistic ... it’s interesting to see it’s actually there and I’m not just in my head about it.” (44:57–45:27)

• Dr. Amen on managing fame:

  “If you take care of your brain ... you can do it for a long time ... her [Miley Cyrus’] godmother is Dolly Parton, who's still doing it ... If that's what you want, this is the path.” (40:11–41:59)

• On self-management:

  “You have to train your brain to be more organized and not let, ‘oh, I have ADD so I’m not going to do it.’” (57:31–57:41)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–03:34: Adrian’s background, family, and initial trajectory
• 03:34–05:12: Path from music to basketball and back
• 07:49–09:19: Parents’ near-divorce and impact on Adrian
• 13:34–14:45: Discussion of hereditary illness and early health concerns
• 15:01–18:17: Realization and discussion of ADHD tendencies
• 21:22–23:42: Brain scan findings explained
• 24:34–25:29: Practical implications for focus and reading social cues
• 29:34–34:23: The “One Page Miracle” exercise and daily intention setting
• 36:02–39:16: Emotional regulation and finding fulfillment in process, not outcome
• 40:11–41:59: Lord on fame’s risk and protecting one’s brain, relationships
• 43:39–56:37: Relationship reflection—listening, empathy, and complementing each other’s brain types
• 57:31–57:41: On not using brain wiring as an excuse for disorganization

Takeaways & Practical Advice

• Understand and accept your brain’s wiring—Identify natural strengths and challenges so you can work with, not against, your tendencies.
• Don’t self-diagnose or use mental health labels as excuses—Seek real information and be careful not to use them as a crutch for non-action.
• In relationships, define shared intentions—Regularly revisit your "One Page Miracle," asking, “Does my behavior fit what we want together?”
• Chase process, not just outcomes—Sustained fulfillment comes from daily alignment, not just hitting milestones.
• Protect your brain from over-stimulation and the pitfalls of fame—Make intentional choices about substances, routines, and boundaries.
• Cultivate empathy and open communication in partnerships—Honor wiring differences, support, and teach each other how best to listen and be heard.
• Anchor self-worth in effort and process, not ever-changing external benchmarks.

If you want to optimize your brain and relationships, or better understand challenges like ADHD, this episode with Adrian Nunez delivers rich insight, practical tools, and the kind of honest reflection that empowers real change.