Overcoming the Wall of Awful: Why It's Hard to Get Things Done with Adhd, Autism, and Anxiety (and How to Do Them Anyway)

A groundbreaking, practical guide to accomplishing your goals and thriving in life, written for people with ADHD, autism, trauma and anxiety.

"Overcoming the Wall of Awful is not only endlessly validating, but epically empowering. This book needs to be in the hands of everyone who has ever failed at anything." --Jessica McCabe, New York Times bestselling author of How to ADHD

We're afraid to talk about it--that feeling we all get when we need to do something as simple as cleaning the kitchen or sending an email and we just ... can't. It's not because we don't want to, it's because we feel paralyzed. We're not aimless. We're not lazy. Our brains are working against us! We have purpose, we just need guidance.

This is that guide. Just like bricks, negative emotions and experiences can build up until they feel like an impenetrable wall between us and our goals. Brendan Mahan, MEd., MS. calls this the Wall of Awful--and he's lived it. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Mahan has made it his life's work to help people overcome their own Walls of Awful and accomplish their biggest, scariest ambitions.

Mahan draws on twenty years in teaching, counseling, and coaching people with anxiety, ADHD, autism, and trauma. He teams up with writer Alex Hughes Capell in Overcoming the Wall of Awful to present his comprehensive model. The book explores:

• How anxiety works and why it gets in the way
• Ways people try to get past the Wall that don't work--and what does
• How to climb your Wall of Awful and take back control

Learn how to identify key emotions, the bricks in your Wall. Then, learn the tricks, systems, and habits you'll need to not just climb one Wall--but to overcome your blocks throughout your life, one step at a time. The Wall is real, but you are stronger than you know.

Author: Brendan Mahan Med MS,Alex Hughes Capell
Publisher: Balance
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.30w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781538778951

About the Author
Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., grew up with undiagnosed ADHD. He has spent the last twenty-five years becoming the person he needed. Mahan draws on his experience as a former teacher, principal, and mental health clinician in his work as a highly esteemed ADHD coach, consultant, celebrated podcast host, and speaker. He has coached hundreds of clients with ADHD, autism, and anxiety through their most difficult challenges. Over that time, he has built a groundbreaking model that helps people understand and solve their challenges at a deeper level. That model is the subject of this book, "The Wall of Awful."

About the Co-writer
Alex Hughes Capell is an award-winning career writer of twenty-two book-length projects and numerous shorter pieces. She has worked on projects in the fields of psychology and behavior, neurodiversity and mental health, science, business, and the technology industry. In addition to her expertise as a writer, Alex adds patient expertise on the mental health community, anxiety, and trauma-informed approaches to the book.