My Learning Journey of ADHD has begun.

A call for mutual understanding, Neurodivergent, Typical alike.

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 2024 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐃 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA).

That wasn’t just a decision. It was a conviction.

Many asked me if I am an ADHDer. The answer is NO.

That fetched the next question – “Then why did you sign up for ADHD coaching?”

Puzzled. Why must one be part of the cause to advocate for THE cause?

Truth is, close to 90% of my course mates are ADHDers. Not an official number this is, but during the self-introduction, I’ve heard only 2 or 3 introducing themselves as neurotypicals, out of 40 of us.

But here’s my point - 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐃𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐃 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

I might have unknowingly worked with many ADHDers - entrepreneurs, budding leaders, ex-colleagues, ex-bosses. And to someone who’s naturally skilled in executive functions, speaking for myself, I’ll be honest - they drove me nuts!

Startup investors frustrated with ADHD founders who churn out brilliant ideas but never follow through.

Teams exhausted from the chaos of ever-shifting directions.

But I’ve also witnessed the 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 of ADHD entrepreneurs and budding leaders, only to see it shut down by ignorance, judgment of others and self doubt - ADHD budding leaders who judge themselves being ‘too scattered’ alongside others who judge them.

𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

To my fellow neurotypicals: Learn, understand, and embrace the unique wiring of ADHD minds - without judgment.

If we fail to see past our own lens, we’ll never bridge the gap.

To my ADHD friends: As you seek understanding from the neurotypical world, recognize too the challenges your wiring may pose to others.

It is all about mutual appreciation of each other.

At the heart of any thriving, the common denominator is a shared set of values and the ability to leverage strengths that transcend the differences in brain wiring.

This Matters to Me.

Because my #1 CliftonStrengths theme is Connectedness - the power to bridge worlds and people.

And that’s exactly what I’m committing to.

I’m learning ADHD coaching from a world-class institution, ensuring that I 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲.

The class has been tremendously enriching and inspiring, thanks to our trainer, Barbara Luther, and fellow course mates – such that I don’t even mind the late nights in my sleepwear on camera! 🤩

The Journey Has Just Begun.