Angela Stephens is the president of A. Stephens & Associates, LLC, CEO, and co-founder of RE-Focus, the Creative Office (and certified with Women’s Business Enterprise National Council), co-founder of DDA West Coast Productions, and host of the RE-Focus podcast with Angela Stephens. A. Stephens & Associates, LLC is a boutique executive search firm founded in 1997 and focused on the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, consumer, food, and nutrition industries as well as healthcare advertising and medical education.
 
RE-Focus, The Creative Office was created in 2016, to help her son in school and in life as he had been diagnosed with ADHD in the fifth grade, and Stephens herself diagnosed with ADHD as well later in her life. Along the way, Stephens realized being certified as a woman-owned business certified via WBENC was huge; many organizations look for companies with this diversity classification.Stephens holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications, along with a minor in theatre from Drury University. She has served as vice president and president for the children’s advocate organization CASA for the 12 years she was involved with the organization. During her term with CASA, she credits the organization for taking her knowledge of child abuse and the foster care system to a new level. 

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Health E-Insights: What is the cause of ADHD?
 
Stephens: Research indicates that ADHD is a metabolic disorder in the brain. There are many theories on what the cause of ADHD is, but as a fan of research and science, I feel we continue to learn about the brain, what causes ADHD, and the future may indicate new areas. I have found the area of CNS is truly fascinating. Whether it be genetic factors, psychosocial factors, one structured day for a child may not be right for a child, or it may be perfect. Every child is different.
 
Health E-Insights: There are several types of ADHD. Do all types deal with a focus issue?
 
Stephens: Yes, there is. Classic ADD includes inattentive, distractible, hyperactive, disorganized, and impulsive symptoms. Other types of ADD are inattentive, over-focused, temporal lobe ADD, limbic, ring of fire and anxious ADD.
 
Health E-Insights: It is my understanding an accurate ADHD diagnosis is difficult to determine, especially in children.

Stephens: It is difficult to diagnose ADHD in children younger than four years. This is because younger children change very rapidly. It is also more difficult to diagnose ADHD once a child becomes a teenager. There is no single test for ADHD. Among adults, diagnosing ADHD is more difficult than among children. Its symptoms can be more subtle and can resemble other illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar illness. For my family, it was a combination of understanding our son’s challenges, the diagnosis, the options of treatment and working with our child to assess the best path of treatment for him. We included him in finding out what worked specifically for him. Sometimes, getting on your knees, and looking them in the eye, and just talking with them so they feel heard is the best medicine.
 
Health E-Insights: Is ADHD treatable?
 
Stephens: It is not treatable as a cure. It is an ongoing process with various combined treatment plans, that may or may not include medications, counseling, physicians, biofeedback, exercise, and nutrition. ADHD is a disorder that affects the brain and behaviors. There is no known cure for ADHD. If you have just found out that your child has ADHD or ADD, embrace that, encourage them, and tune in to their special talents. They may just surprise you, but more than that, they will feel so special knowing you are cheering them on. It takes a team of people. A team that can come up with a creative plan that works for your child. Most of the people I know who have ADHD/ADD are some of the most amazing, and creative individuals I have ever met. Yet when they were younger just by having ADHD/ADD they were met with disapproval or it was indicated they just had some type of disorder. Sometimes it can be a gift. For myself when I was diagnosed at age 45, I was running three businesses. I guess being able to do more than one thing at a time does have its advantages.
 
Health E-Insights: Are specific supplements for ADHD issues recommended for people of any age group?
 
Stephens: For older children, the best treatment is often a combination of behavior therapy, medication, and supplements. But for children under six years of age, experts recommend that ADHD be treated with behavior therapy first, before trying medication. Behavior therapy is the recommended treatment for ADHD in children under six. From my research, omega-3, zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamin C, and melatonin may be the best vitamins and minerals for mitigating ADHD symptoms.
 
Health E-Insights: You offer a wide selection of products geared towards those affected by ADHD. Is this based on your research?
 
Stephens: Yes. RE-Focus, The Creative Office has long term goals of being a part of changing the stigma of ADHD/ADD. I was a single mom for 10 years before I remarried. My son was diagnosed at a high functioning level with testing results of ADHD. It was a journey. If you know of anyone who has children diagnosed with ADHD, you may be aware every child has their own journey and there certainly are challenges. Nothing was working. I realized I had to start looking at solutions through his eyes to come up with solutions to help him. Those solutions were successful, so much that I started integrating them into my other businesses. In the meantime, he started working for my search firm creating all our specialty advertising products. He did not just look on the Internet. He called for rates, ideas, and worked with me and our team to select those products. I had him follow the sales process from start to finish. I think that was one of the best things I could have provided to him at that time. Today, a sophomore in college studying IT engineering, while at the office, he can be on the phone across the room and you would think he was 35 years old. He has a professional style and knows customer service and showing kindness to others.
 
Health E-Insights: Please explain why you launched RE-Focus, The Creative Office through the eyes of a child with ADHD.
 
Stephens: Our products were created through the eyes of a child with ADHD but designed for anyone that wants to focus and be more productive to help alleviate stress. We started a podcast, “Re-Focus with Angela Stephens” (www.refocuswithangela.com) and have approximately 30 episodes posted with over 1,300 downloads and many more scheduled. We have an episode on brain health with another segment with a leader in the nutrition industry. This journey of helping my son helped me realize I was also ADHD. The skills we learned together made me realize I could help myself be more organized, while implementing new products in our businesses.
 
Health E-Insights: In addition to Re-Focus, The Creative Office you also have a recruiting firm that works with companies and individuals in the nutraceutical industry.
 
Stephens: Yes. We originally started about 30 years ago in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. When I started working with PepsiCo in 2006, they wanted to concentrate on creating products that were healthier. Speaking with nutrition industry executives, about creating wellness strategies for a soda company was challenging. Throughout that process, we connected with many individuals with extensive experience in nutrition. I personally used that time to educate myself on the differences between the pharmaceutical industry and the nutrition industry. For instance, in the quality assurance area if the vice president of quality is from the nutrition industry, and the company hires a senior director of quality from the pharmaceutical industry, there may be challenges. Often it works out, but from that time frame our reputation of understanding the differences and knowing how to screen, recruit, and select the right individual, while understanding the company culture of where that candidate may be coming from was highly respected.
 
Health E-Insights: Any employment trends you are seeing?
 
Stephens: With our relationships which we are so grateful for, and our knowledge in the search industry, our firm has sustained itself through the pandemic. We are interviewing candidates who now have a desire to work permanently on a remote basis. I wrote an article on this topic. I always suggest that the candidate takes time to think through how that might work, what the response may be from their employer, and how to utilize their accomplishments through this time to show the company that working remotely could be a benefit to both. In terms of employment trends, there has been a shift in the nutrition industry where many individuals might have not thought nutrition would be the leader it is today. This is an overly exciting time for individuals who have wanted to work in the nutrition arena 20 years ago.
 
Health E-Insights: Years from now, when you have ridden off into the sunset, how do you want people to remember you?
 
Stephens: Honestly, I know my responses may seem like something many would say, but for me it is truly from the heart. In my life, as a single mother I wanted to help my son be the very best he can be; I helped my child’s father through life’s issues, I really want to make my husband’s life better, because he has made my life better as well as a role model to my son. I would want people to know that our employment placement methodology was different than other firms and how we interview candidates and determine what they are passionate about first before telling them about a job and what their dream job would be. It is so gratifying to help someone find the job they have wanted their entire life. That is the type of candidate many companies are looking for today. At RE-Focus, The Creative Office, we put kindness in our mission statement. We have created products that make life easier and help people focus. I would love to be remembered by helping others and encouraging them to follow their dreams. If we all did just one thing a day to make someone’s day better, we just might be that one encouragement they needed and maybe, just maybe, they will take that home to their family, or to someone they meet that day.

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Sheldon Baker is a senior member of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for many well-known supplement and food industry companies. For Health E-Insights interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at SBaker@BakerDillon.com.