# The ADHD Chef: Why Chaos Felt Normal My Entire Life

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-20-6751677/the-adhd-chef-why-chaos-felt-normal-my-entire-life
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-20-6751677/the-adhd-chef-why-chaos-felt-normal-my-entire-life.md
Podcast: [The Hidden 20%](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-20-6751677)
Published: 2026-05-20T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/hidden-20/episodes/the-adhd-chef-why-chaos-felt-normal-my-entire-life
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/657b32c48f98e20016664592/e/6a0c64bd2b0a812052e099d7/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-hidden-20-6751677/episodes/the-adhd-chef-why-chaos-felt-normal-my-entire-life
Duration seconds: 3453

## Resource

Chef, content creator and food waste activist Martyn Odell - better known online as Lagom Chef - joins Ben for a chaotic, funny and emotional conversation about ADHD, creativity, food, and finally understanding his brain. Diagnosed with ADHD midway through writing his first cookbook, Martyn reflects on growing up in kitchens where chaos and intensity were normalised, and why that made it difficult to recognise the difference between personality, coping and neurodivergence. They explore ADHD creativity, burnout, internet culture, the pressure of social media, and what happens when your job relies on constantly turning your brain into content. Martyn shares why “eat the food you buy” became his philosophy, how cooking can help people reconnect with themselves, and why perfection is ruining the way we think about food. This is a conversation about ADHD, identity, creativity, and learning to trust your own way of doing things. Join us at  hidden20.org/donate . Eat The Food You Buy: 15 Everyday Ingredients, Endless Delicious Meals by Martyn Odell is publishing on 16th July 2026 (Penguin Life, £25) ________ Host: Ben Branson Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné Video Editor: James Scriven Social Media Manager: Charlie Young Music: Jackson Greenberg Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller 00:00 Introduction 01:12 Martyn Odell: ADHD, Cooking & Internet Chaos 03:44 Why Kitchens Made ADHD Feel “Normal” 06:20 The Link Between Creativity, Chaos & Cooking 09:18 Growing Up With Undiagnosed ADHD 12:42 Social Media Pressure & Going Viral Online 16:10 Why Humour Can Become a Mask 19:25 Burnout, Content Creation & Internet Pressure 22:14 Being Diagnosed With ADHD Midway Through Writing a Book 25:39 ADHD, Executive Dysfunction & Writing Struggles 26:43 “Eat The…

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