Jason Mayden on Why ADD Is a Superpower (Replay)
Jason Mayden, a designer who rose from the South Side of Chicago to become Nike's Senior Global Design Director for the Jordan Brand, discusses how his ADD, childhood trauma, and relentless work ethic enabled him to achieve his dreams. He emphasizes that struggle builds the same entrepreneurial skills celebrated in startup culture, and explains his philosophy of converting obstacles into opportunities through service, introspection, and disciplined execution.
Summary
Jason Mayden shares his journey from poverty and violence on Chicago's South Side to designing iconic Nike shoes and launching his own company, Superheroic Inc. Growing up amid systemic poverty and witnessing his friend's death at age 14 became his catalyst for success—he refused to settle for the limited opportunities his environment offered. Inspired by Michael Jordan's work ethic and strategic mindset, Mayden adopted the principle that "there's always someone going through more than you," which kept him humble and motivated.
Mayden attributes much of his success to being naturally curious and multidisciplinary, traits he argues are often pathologized as ADD. He reframes this as a superpower, explaining that polymaths historically shared an insatiable curiosity that led them to master multiple disciplines. Rather than accepting the labels others placed on him, he set his own limits and believed in being limitless.
He details his tactical approach to achieving his Nike dream: sketching shoes daily like Michael Jordan shot baskets, convincing his mother to take him to shoe stores to study designs, creating his own college major in footwear design, and systematically learning from experts in adjacent fields (supply chain, finance, legal). When given the "hazing" project of reinventing shoelaces, he crushed it so thoroughly it led to multiple patents and caught Phil Knight's attention.
Mayden emphasizes the power of introspection using Marcus Aurelius and Stoic philosophy as frameworks. He practices a "like, wish, wonder" annual inventory rather than resolutions, constantly asking himself what he contributed to difficult situations rather than blaming external circumstances. He distinguishes between emotional reactions and strategic responses, and views haters as "defenders" trying to stop him from scoring—useful resistance that makes him stronger.
Regarding the similarities between impoverished backgrounds and entrepreneurship, Mayden argues both require resilience, self-confidence, fearlessness, and scrappiness. He reframes childhood struggles like cutting grass and shoveling snow as skill-building opportunities (negotiation, scheduling, organization) rather than burdens. He coins the term "immersive empathy" to describe how difficult work experiences build genuine understanding of users' needs.
Mayden reveals his plans to run for mayor of Chicago, viewing it as a natural extension of his mission. He states he needs three credentials: entrepreneurial experience (building from scratch), technology understanding (why he attended Stanford's D School), and independent wealth (so he won't be beholden to private interests). He wants to transform Chicago into an interactive learning environment.
On balancing his driven nature with positivity, Mayden explains he consciously biases toward the light and joy he wants to see in the world rather than dwelling in darkness. His meditation is service—helping others frees him from perfectionism. He maintains a beginner's mind by reading across disciplines, talking to strangers, and deliberately breaking his own patterns to find the "red thread" connecting all knowledge.
About this episode
<p>Jason Mayden, co-founder of Super Heroic, was the lead designer for the Air Jordan, the highest grossing Nike shoe in history. </p><p>In his relentless pursuit to be the greatest sneaker designer, he did 1,000 sketches a day and became the first African American to land a design internship with Nike. And in just five years, he familiarized himself with other disciplines to earn his role as Senior Designer — a feat that normally takes around 15 years to achieve— and ultimately designed the Nike shoe of his hometown hero, Michael Jordan. </p><p>Jason went on to obtain his Master’s degree from Stanford and worked his way all the way to Senior Global Design Director for the Jordan brand. Join Tom Bilyeu as he sits down with the co-founder of Super Heroic, Inc. as he shares his strategies for improving introspection and harnessing child-like curiosity in this episode of Impact Theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>[Original air date: July 25, 2017].</p><p><br /></p><p>FOLLOW JASON:</p><p>TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2snCsrT </p><p>INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2vAVQmq </p><p>FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2uBDYKU </p><p>LINKEDIN: http://bit.ly/2uy8WnK</p><p><br /></p><p>FOLLOW SUPER HEROIC, INC.: </p><p>INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2u77x4R </p><p>FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2vhqLVw </p><p>WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/2t6JrbE</p><p><br /></p><p>FOLLOW TOM:</p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/</p><p>Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en</p><p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeu</p><p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu</p><p><br /></p><p>SPONSORS:</p><p><em>If you purchase an item using these affiliate links, Impact Theory may receive a commission.</em> </p><p>Get 5 free AG1 Travel Packs and a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D with your first purchase at <a href="https://bit.ly/AG1Impact" target="_blank">https://drinkag1.com/impact</a>.</p><p>Try Audible free for 30 days! 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Key Insights
- Mayden argues that having ADD—characterized by curiosity across multiple disciplines—is historically linked to mastery, and that labeling it as a deficit limits human potential rather than recognizing it as an advantage.
- He claims that the struggle, scrappiness, and resilience required to escape poverty are identical to the traits celebrated in successful entrepreneurs, yet society demonizes these same traits when displayed by people in poverty.
- Mayden states that fear only has power if you don't verbalize it; by speaking your goals and insecurities out loud to another person, you conquer the fear and remove the weapon that critics could use against you.
- He argues that response (strategic, intentional, calculated) differs fundamentally from reaction (emotional, unthinking), and that mastering oneself—not just one's discipline—is what separates great people from others.
- Mayden contends that introspection requires asking yourself what you contributed to negative situations rather than blaming others, and acknowledging truth in criticism even from people you dislike, because improvement requires honest self-assessment.
- He claims that becoming great requires surrounding yourself with people who are better than you in specific areas, creating a personal board of advisors that keeps you learning rather than settled.
- Mayden proposes that childhood hardship and marginalization function as 'immersive empathy'—direct experience that builds genuine understanding of others' struggles and needs, which translates into superior product design and leadership.
- He argues that the separation between where you are and where you want to go is entirely determined by work ethic and mindset, not by external circumstances like where you were born or what you look like.
Topics
Transcript
You're listening to the Impact Theory Podcast, your source of empowering ideas and actionable techniques from the world's highest achievers. Join host Tom Bilyeu, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the billion-dollar brand Quest Nutrition, on a journey to unlock your potential and realize your vision of success. Welcome to Impact Theory. Hey, everybody, y'all can see Impact Theory. You are here, my friends, because you believe that human potential is nearly limitless, but you know that having potential is not the same as actually doing something with it. So our goal with this show and company is to introduce you to the people and ideas that will help you actually execute on your dreams. All right. Today's guest grew up…
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