About
The Sticker Chart Disaster (working title) is about my son’s ADHD seen through the lens of Dad’s ship salvage career. It’s peppered with stories and insights from interviews with parents whose kids have ADHD. [It’s not yet out in the world. We’re still recording interviews, writing the interstitials, and editing the episodes! We will link to it when it’s available everywhere you get your podcasts.]
*About the artwork: In 1972 the M.V. “Oriental Warrior” (a passenger & cargo ship) sunk alongside the Jacksonville Port Authority Container pier following fire onboard the vessel.
Our Story:
Tony and Elizabeth first met through a documentary film connection. Tony shot a bit of footage for Elizabeth’s documentary film, Chasing Portraits. It also turns out that we have a lot of other funny, “isn’t it a small world?!” connections. Tony, Elizabeth, and their respective spouses, have enjoyed many dinner conversations about books, films, and raising kids (we each have two boys). It was during one of those dinners that Tony and Elizabeth got to talking about ADHD, the power of stories, and the ways good storytelling inspires each of us to understand the world just a little bit differently.
Elizabeth Rynecki
Elizabeth’s narrative non-fiction memoir, Chasing Portraits: A Great Granddaughter’s Quest for Her Lost Art Legacy was published by NAL/Penguin Random House in 2016 and received a Kirkus Starred Review. She wrote, produced, and appeared in the documentary film, Chasing Portraits (distributed by First Run Features). She’s been featured in the New York Times, been a guest on NPR affiliate stations, and been a speaker at bookstores, libraries, book festivals, and film screenings around the world.
Elizabeth has a BA in Rhetoric from Bates College and an MA in Rhetoric and Communication from UC Davis. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, two sons, and three black cats.
Tony Kaplan
Tony is an Emmy-nominated documentary director, cinematographer and filmmaker who has 20+ years of experience as a creative lead in the film industry. He was part of the team that followed the production of Star Wars Episode II across four continents. He shot, edited or directed every making-of documentary at Pixar from The Incredibles (2003) to Elemental (2023).
Tony has a BA in History from UC Santa Cruz (’89) and an MA in Documentary Filmmaking from Stanford University (’98).
End Credits
An especially big thank you to all the people who took the time to share their stories with us. These are the folks whose voices you heard throughout the show:
Rachel Blatt – Co-host of Constant Chaos, a podcast about raising spirited ADHD children.
Katherine Ellison – Journalist and author. She wrote (among many titles) Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention and ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Tatiana Guerreiro Ramos – Co-director of Classroom Matters. Classroom Matters addresses “the emotional, the social, and the cognitive aspects of academic life in order to foster metacognition and self-advocacy in the kids we support.”
Owen Knowlton – the younger son of Elizabeth Rynecki.
Allison Landa – Writer, Teacher, Coach. She is the author of the memoir, Bearded Lady.
Linda Lawton – Is an educational therapist and ADHD coach. Linda first became intrigued by neuro-developmental variation in the 80’s.
Nick Petty – Vocalist and Guitarist of The Happys, a band channeling classic rock, grunge, and surfy feel-good-vibes. Their 2022 album is titled ADHD.
Ann Rivello – Is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in psychotherapy for adults of all ages and backgrounds. She is also the mom of two boys (both have ADHD).
Alex Rynecki – Ocean Salvage Engineer. Elizabeth’s father. Owen’s grandfather.
Shannon Watts – Speaker, author, and organizer. Shannon Watts is an American gun violence prevention activist and the founder of Moms Demand Action. In August 2023 she posted on Instagram, “I was diagnosed with severe ADHD in 1985 when I was 14. My parents took me to a specialist when I started failing classes, but because of the stigma around medication, my ADHD went untreated. As a result, I struggled through middle school and barely graduated from high school (I didn’t attend my graduation because I thought I’d failed Economics, but my merciful teacher surprised me with a passing grade). Nearly 40 years later, I’m finally exploring treatment options (and that is a whole other additional journey and post).”
Annalivia – A young adult with ADHD.
Anonymous Mom – A San Francisco Bay Area mom of two sons.
Anonymous Dad – A San Francisco Bay Area dad whose wife has ADHD and whose son has ADHD.
Corey – A musician and music educator (he has a PhD in music) who has ADHD.
James – A psychiatrist.
Lauren – The mom of a daughter with ADHD.
Noah – The dad of a daughter with ADHD.
Paula – The mom of a daughter with ADHD.