ADHD inertia...and troublemaking (Nabil Abdulrashid’s story)
Nabil Abdulrashid was diagnosed with ADHD as a child growing up in Nigeria. Now a London-based comedian, Nabil credits his ADHD brain as an advantage in his comedy career. He’s quick-witted, both driven and stifled by inertia, tumbling into funny thoughts and scenarios as he speaks. He doesn’t even write down any of his material — it’s stuck in his head and just flows. Nabil’s teachers in Nigeria thought he wouldn’t amount to much. They didn’t even want him in their classes. He got into fights and turned to sports to channel his energy. When he moved to the U.K. as a teen, he got into trouble there, too. As an immigrant, he was othered, and the rigid school structure didn’t work with his ADHD. He fell into the wrong crowd and eventually ended up in jail, where he discovered his comedic talents. Listen in to hear Nabil’s “aha” moment and how he channeled his ADHD into a successful comedy career. Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about “ADHD Aha!” and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts. Copyright © 2023 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.
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Show Notes
Nabil Abdulrashid was diagnosed with ADHD as a child growing up in Nigeria. Now a London-based comedian, Nabil credits his ADHD brain as an advantage in his comedy career. He’s quick-witted, both stifled and driven by inertia, tumbling into funny thoughts and scenarios as he speaks. He doesn’t even write down any of his material — it’s stuck in his head and just flows.
Nabil’s teachers in Nigeria thought he wouldn’t amount to much. They didn’t even want him in their classes. He got into fights and turned to sports to channel his energy. When he moved to the U.K. as a teen, he got into trouble there, too. As an immigrant, he was othered, and the rigid school structure didn’t work with his ADHD. He fell into the wrong crowd and eventually ended up in jail, where he discovered his comedic talents.
Listen in to hear Nabil’s “aha” moment and how he channeled his ADHD into a successful comedy career. To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.
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Related resources
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