Doug's Gray Matters

ADHD is often framed as a disability. I personally do not feel that way. For some people, it is—but that experience is shaped heavily by environment. There are theories that different cognitive styles evolved for different roles—some oriented toward structure and order, others toward movement, adaptation, and uncertainty. Both are valuable. But modern systems tend to reward only one. When the environment aligns with the wiring, performance changes. This is about ability—and f

We need to start thinking about what can go right with AI and who it can help. Much of the public conversation about artificial intelligence revolves around replacement. The argument tends to fall into one of two camps: either AI will replace human thinking, or it will diminish the value of human work. The framing assumes that the central question is substitution. But from where I sit, that isn't the most interesting aspect of what these tools are doing. The more compelling d

Sometimes in life, roads don’t fork. They intersect.    Recently I stepped back onto an Aikido mat after several years away. Within the first few training sessions — most of which ended with me on the floor, where I seemed to be spending more time than I remembered — I realized something that should probably have been obvious much earlier. Getting up after being thrown took longer than it used to. A lot longer. And the getting up was just the beginning. I also found immense j

Aikido as a counterbalance to my chaotic mind My brain runs wide. Always has. But last weekend I deliberately walked into a room where that would get me thrown on the floor. I stepped onto an Aikido mat for the first time in years. I had visited a few seminars over that time and checked out different schools, but this felt different. I wasn’t drawn back because I suddenly missed the martial aspect. I was drawn back because I realized I needed something structured in my life a

Entrepreneurial lessons from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or making good in a wary world. There are very few movies that feel universally beloved—not just popular or successful, but beloved. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of those rare cultural touchstones. I've never met anyone who actively dislikes it. That alone should tell us something. It isn't just nostalgia. It isn't just Gene Wilder's performance or the songs or the candy. It's what the movie sa

1.3%. It’s not the interest rate on a financial product, it is not the number of bikers that are kind of outlaw and it is not the percentage of daily nutrition from your cereal. It’s the percentage of your life that each year represents in a 77-year lifespan-the average lifespan in the United States, according to the CDC. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately: my age, these uncertain times, and the many things I still want to accomplish. Each passing year feels more signi

I was recently honored to be highlighted in Adrienne Barker, MAS's recent book, where she profiles entrepreneurs building businesses that solve real problems in unexpected ways. The chapter tells the story behind the NULU—a kitchen knife born from a moment of frustration in my workshop. "Disability and ability is a continuum. It's not an identity. It's not a different tribe... We all will get there. The reality is people look at disabilities and identity as opposed to a state