Hacking Your ADHD – ADHD-Friendly Goal Setting with Chris Wang (Rebroadcast)

Podcast: Hacking Your ADHD
Host: William Curb
Guest: Chris Wang, CEO & Co-Founder of Shimmer
Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into ADHD-friendly goal setting with Chris Wang, the CEO and co-founder of Shimmer, an ADHD coaching platform. The discussion centers on how to set goals that actually align with your ADHD brain, why values and process matter more than outcomes, and the importance of cultural sensitivity and community in ADHD spaces. William and Chris also touch on leveraging coaching, the challenges of hyperfixation, and why a strengths-based approach matters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing Shimmer and Chris Wang’s ADHD Journey

• Shimmer’s Origin: Chris created Shimmer out of personal need for affordable, culturally competent behavioral solutions after their own ADHD diagnosis (03:38).
• Platform Features: Shimmer now boasts ~50 coaches, 40,000+ sessions, and includes body doubling, accountability tools, coach upskilling, and promoting cultural competency (03:38–04:31).

The Critical Role of Cultural Sensitivity in Coaching (04:31–09:07)

• Importance of Representation: Chris emphasizes how intersecting identities—race, queerness, cultural background—impact ADHD experience and care. Finding a coach with lived experience can prevent the exhaustion of constantly explaining oneself.

  "There is just this extra layer of understanding when you know that this other person has went through the exact same thing that you have been through." – Chris Wang (06:24)

• Diversity in ADHD Communities: The ADHD coaching field often centers "majority" perspectives. Chris and William highlight making space for underrepresented voices.

  "Everyone’s voice is necessary... Even if five people have the exact same experience... you can change even a couple of lives." – Chris Wang (08:11)

The Power of Community and Peer Support (09:07–12:36)

• Combating Shame & Loneliness: ADHD is as much about the messages you tell yourself as the symptoms. Peer support groups provide validating, healing spaces.
• Intersectional Groups: Example of the AAPI peer support group and the emotional impact of simply hearing your own challenges reflected by others.

Goal Setting: Values, Process, and ADHD Brains (13:10–23:58)

Finding Your North Star

• Long-Term Vision over Rigid Goals: Chris describes starting with a “North Star”—a combination of your values and what you want people to say about you at your eulogy (13:10).
• Seasonal Goals: Rather than annual planning, break goals into quarterly or seasonal chunks for better relevance and adaptability.

Process-Based vs. Outcome-Based Goals

• Problem with Outcome Goals: Outcome goals (like “lose 10 pounds”) depend on factors outside your control and can set you up for disappointment.
• Process Goals for ADHD: Instead, focus on repeatable actions you can control (“go to the gym 3 times a week”), which yields more wins and momentum.

  "Process oriented goals...reset every single week...are going to be in my control." – Chris Wang (15:51)

• Collecting Wins: It's crucial for ADHD brains to celebrate incremental progress rather than binary success or failure (22:17–23:58).

Values-Based Planning

• Start with “Why?”: Instead of impulsively choosing goals, begin by clarifying the emotion or value you want to cultivate (love, calm, adventure) and work backward to identify goals that fulfill that why (16:57–18:28).
• Regular Reevaluation: Revisit and adjust your goals periodically to ensure they still serve your broader values and aren’t just “hyperfixations” (19:44).

Notable Quote – Process over Outcomes

"The goal is not always to just reach the goal. It's to live a better day to day and have a more well-being life." – Chris Wang (23:51)

Practical Tips for ADHD-Friendly Planning (18:35–28:43)

• Be Specific & Actionable: Avoid vague to-dos. Make each action clear and ready to execute (25:44).

• Break Projects into Steps: Write instructions to your future self—if you can’t immediately do it, make sure the context is clear for when you return (27:53).

  “You need to write like instructions to your future self as if your future self is someone who's not you.” – Chris Wang (27:53)

• Avoid Perfection Traps: Don’t set goals that rely on “all-or-nothing” start dates like January 1st. Habits form when you’re ready, not according to the calendar (20:52–21:38).

How Coaching Supports Goal Progress (28:44–34:33)

• Framework of the “Plan” Tab: Shimmer’s app keeps your North Star top-of-mind, followed by actionable goals and habits in each priority area (28:55).
• Regular Review Cycles: Every 3 months, review your goals with your coach: adjust what isn’t working, brainstorm roadblock-busters, shift priorities as needed (29:45–32:12).
• Wheel of Life: Based on Russell Barkley’s research, Shimmer helps clients see at a glance which life areas need focus—work, home, love, relationships—and limit focus to two priorities at a time (32:12–34:33).

  “You can't work on all of them all at once... If you don't choose...your attention ends up being spread on everything.” – Chris Wang (34:33)

Emphasizing a Strengths-Based, Neurodiversity Approach (35:20–36:55)

• Don’t just focus on “fixing” weaknesses. ADHD brings unique strengths—creativity, passion, resilience—that should be recognized, nurtured, and leveraged.

  “There are tons of...beautiful things about you and kind of identifying those things and making sure that we spend time also focusing on those is really important.” – Chris Wang (36:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:43 | Chris Wang | “For me, finding someone to coach me who has that cultural competency...has been really important.” | | 09:07 | Chris Wang | “The hardest part is not the symptoms. The hardest part is the shame, the loneliness, the messages you tell yourself.” | | 15:44 | Chris Wang | “Set process-oriented goals… pick something that is within my control.” | | 18:28 | Chris Wang | “When you don’t have the opportunity to live in your values, that's when you start to feel misaligned.” | | 23:51 | Chris Wang | “The goal is not always to just reach the goal. It's to live a better day to day and have a more well-being life.” | | 27:53 | Chris Wang | “It's almost like you need to write like instructions to your future self...so they can just pick it up and do it.” | | 36:36 | Chris Wang | “There are tons of...beautiful things about you and...we spend time also focusing on those is really important.” |

Important Timestamps

• 03:38–04:31 – Shimmer platform background and features
• 04:43–09:07 – Cultural sensitivity and intersectionality in ADHD care
• 09:07–12:36 – Power of peer support groups & community
• 13:10–15:44 – North Star, values, and eulogy exercise for goal setting
• 15:44–23:58 – Process vs. outcome goals; how to collect “wins”
• 25:44–28:43 – Actionable to-dos, specificity, and future-self planning
• 28:44–34:33 – Coaching process: Plan tab & Wheel of Life; reviewing and shifting goals
• 35:20–36:55 – Strengths-based, neurodiversity model for ADHD

Actionable Takeaways

• Work with your ADHD brain, not against it: Set goals you can control, revisit your “why,” and break things into small, clear steps.
• Community matters: Seek out ADHD spaces where your whole identity is supported.
• Process over perfection: Don’t let the calendar or all-or-nothing thinking block your growth.
• Celebrate small wins: Track process-based achievements, not just outcomes.
• Leverage coaching: It’s not only about “tips and tricks”—holistic support can help you thrive.

For more resources, coaching, and ADHD-friendly tools, visit Shimmer or Hacking Your ADHD Show Notes.