ADHD & Stimulation: Embracing the Sixth Need

What if the restlessness, risk-taking, and novelty-seeking that comes with ADHD isn't a character flaw — but an unmet need? In this episode, Cameron introduces the concept of the "sixth need": stimulation. Drawing on the five need models of Maslow's hierarchy and Glasser's Choice Theory, Cam makes a case that conventional needs models are missing something essential for the ADHD brain. With characteristic candor (and some wonderfully ill-advised stories from his early 20s involving small sailboats and ceiling fans), Cam explores how an unrecognized need for stimulation can quietly hijack your week — sending you chasing shiny objects or avoiding anything that might add more noise to an already overloaded system. The good news? There's a three-step path forward: awareness, embracing the need, and integration. Because the goal isn't to suppress your need for stimulation — it's to channel it into the meaningful, high-impact work you actually want to be doing. Part of the ongoing series on using the week as a unit of time. Cam's Hierarchy of ADHD Needs Cam's Group Coaching Offering Equanimity