In a recent episode of the Figuring Out podcast, Olympic legend Michael Phelps sat down with Raj Shamani for a deeply personal conversation about his early life. While the world knows him as the most decorated Olympian in history – with 23 gold medals – Phelps used the interview to pull back the curtain on a childhood defined by restlessness, academic struggle, and the ADHD diagnosis that many tried to use as a label for his limitations.
He shared how learning to manage and direct his neurodivergent mind played a significant role in his achievements. Here is a look at the key insights from their conversation regarding his upbringing and how he turned a perceived “disorder” into his greatest asset.
The reality of growing up with ADHD
Phelps was open about his ADHD diagnosis and the struggles that came with it long before he was a household name. He described having a chaotic energy that made it difficult to stay still; something that got him into frequent trouble while he was still in school
“So my ADHD, I literally was like, I was all over the place. I was leaning back in the chair on the back legs, leaving dents on the floor in the classroom, always getting sent to the principal’s office. And honestly, I just had a really hard time sitting still.”
His mother, Debbie, tried to channel this energy through various sports, but the restlessness remained a constant. Phelps noted that even now, decades later, that core part of his identity hasn’t changed.
“Well, I still am that kind of ADD, kind of all over the place, jittery, like kind of always moving around. Like, that’s just who I am. That’s my personality.”
Facing the doubters
One of the more solemn moments of the interview came when Phelps discussed the lack of empathy he faced from educators. He recounted a specific memory of a teacher who dismissed his potential entirely – a memory that he still carries vividly.
“And yeah, I mean, I remember in middle school, I was told by my teachers that I would never buy, excuse me, by a teacher that I would never amount to anything. And I still remember her name and I still remember what she looks like. I still remember where I was sitting in the class.”
Rather than letting that dismissal crush him, Phelps transformed the negativity into fuel.
“And I think at that point for me, I used it as motivation. You know, the fact that a teacher, number one, would say they’re doubting a student and not knowing how to deal with them, I think is saddening. It’s upsetting. But for me, I was like, ‘watch this. I’m going to prove you,'” He said.
Turning a label into a superpower
Phelps explained to Shamani that the very thing that made him a ‘problem student’ in English class – which he admitted he “hated” – was exactly what allowed him to dominate the pool. He eventually stopped taking Ritalin and found that the water provided the clarity he couldn’t find anywhere else.
“So, you know, I think over time, I naturally took something that somebody labelled me with having or being a less than of a kid. I took that into almost really making it a superpower because it gave me the ability to focus on things that I was really passionate about. “
Phelps’ conversation with Raj Shamani shines a spotlight on the fact that traits making a child seem difficult or unruly in a traditional environment are often the same traits that drive extraordinary success elsewhere. By refusing to be defined by a medical label or his teacher’s low expectations, he redefined what it means to live with ADHD.