My friend John Mabry has been a leg amputee for more than 25 years. He's a former Hollywood actor and stuntman, an inventor, a public speaker, and a life strategist. In this conversation, he shares how he spent most of his life performing perfectly in public and perishing in private.

John walks me through the car accident that changed everything just before he graduated from Baylor, choosing to amputate his leg a year later, and the pain pills and the Adderall prescription that was written at three times his dose. He talks about Hollywood, finding his brother after a drug overdose, his marriage ending, and the night during COVID when he wanted to check out. A friend sat with him and asked one question: can you start with a shower?

From that moment came the framework John uses today: acknowledge something's going on, choose somebody to tell, and tell them now. He also shares how Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step group, gave him the consistency and accountability he'd never had, and the HERO check-in he now uses with the leaders he coaches.

This episode includes discussion of addiction, a fatal overdose, and thoughts of suicide. If you're in the US and you're struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Every brain deserves a plan that fits. If you'd like support building rhythms that work with your brain, try the 30-day free trial of the Think Time membership, where we plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly together. Or hop on a free call with me and we can talk through what you need.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

02:20 Who John was at eight

05:40 Class clown, Baylor, and the entitled side

10:40 The crash, and crawling back in for his friends

15:20 Choosing amputation, grad school, and numbing out

19:06 ADHD, Adderall, and a prescription error

24:00 Hollywood, and performing perfectly in public

28:26 Rock bottom, and starting with a shower

32:53 His brother, silence, and Celebrate Recovery

37:28 HERO, and where to find John

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Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.

In this solo episode, I walk through the early warning signs I watch for when someone may be heading toward burnout: executive functioning that starts to slip, trouble starting tasks, harder emotional regulation, a weaker working memory, less creativity, leaning on urgency to focus, and a body that is communicating distress. I also name the one that's easy to miss for ADHD visionaries: when the strategies that have always worked for you stop working.

This episode matters to me because early in my counseling career I cared for brain injured patients, some in rehabilitation after a stroke linked to unmanaged stress. Burnout can happen to the best people doing things they genuinely love, not only to people doing something hard or misaligned.

I close with five questions to ask yourself, and I'm clear that I'm not diagnosing burnout, acute stress, or ADHD. If burnout feels real, I encourage you to reach out to a healthcare provider for a personalized assessment. For anyone craving silence or less stimulation, I also recommend Stephen Porges' Safe and Sound Protocol, offered through Unyte.

Don't let it become your story. If you'd like help building structures that keep renewing your energy, try the 30-day free trial of the Think Time membership, where we plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly together. Or hop on a free call with me and we can talk through what you need.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro: living on a cocktail of cortisol and adrenaline, and the early signs

02:53 Executive functioning, and losing the ability to start

05:47 Burnout can happen to the best people, and emotional regulation

09:11 When creativity disappears

12:07 Living on urgency, sensory overload, and decision fatigue

14:56 The body, withdrawing, and when rest and your usual strategies stop working

17:52 Overwhelm or burnout, and five questions to ask yourself

21:39 Productivity with peace, not pressure

Listen & connect

Follow me: Instagram · TikTok · LinkedIn

Think Time®: Website · Free Training · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · LinkedIn

Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.

Christine and Bekah close out the launch series by recapping the last four conversations: Cindy Garrard on joy as a performance strategy, Zach King on being polished but parked, Jamie Maglietta on being visible without waiting to feel polished, and Joy Forrest on coercive control and the ADHD/CPTSD overlap.

Christine also says what comes next: more from her on what you can do with your ADHD symptoms, and experts, but not so many at once. They end on imperfect action: reach out for a quick call, join the membership, or take a first step without having the whole plan figured out.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro: closing out the launch series

01:25 Recapping Cindy Garrard: joy as a performance strategy

11:05 Recapping Zach King: polished but parked, crappy but committed

14:25 Recapping Jamie Maglietta: visibility without waiting to be polished

23:15 Recapping Joy Forrest: coercive control and the ADHD/CPTSD overlap

35:05 Final takeaways: living on mission

36:20 Taking imperfect action

Listen & connect

Join the Membership: think-time-u.teachable.com

10% off a Neuroplanner

Christine: Instagram · TikTok · LinkedIn

Think Time®: Website · Free Training · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · LinkedIn

Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.