Before Diagnosis

I lived with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD for 36 years, which gave me plenty of time to develop some very unhelpful habits, seek dopamine in all the wrong places, and cultivate an incredibly unpleasant and persistent inner critical voice.

When I was diagnosed at nearly 37 my life was unmanageable: my home was a mess, my work was overwhelming, and I was wobbling. I lived in fear of being ‘found out’ and losing everything.

Diagnosis euphoria to renewed frustration

Being diagnosed was the light bulb moment that made me feel vindicated. I kept thinking - this means it’s not my fault! I was elated, and a couple of months later I started taking medication for ADHD and my mind was blown. I could organise a thought in my head!

But once the dust settled and I adjusted to my newfound focus and identity, I still had many of the same challenges. Just because a psychiatrist told me I had ADHD and I took medication every day, didn’t mean I knew anything about it; how it related to my habits and decisions and my horribly low self-esteem. I could see the mess more clearly, but I still had no idea how to clean it up!

Starting ADHD Coaching

By the time I accessed ADHD coaching through Access to Work, I’d been on ADHD medication for three years. Whilst nothing could match the hopelessness and unmanageability of my life in the months before my diagnosis, by this time my ADHD wasn’t managed or understood well enough by me to cope effectively with a highly stressful and responsible job, and I was at a low point.  

When I use the term ‘game changer’ to explain my experience of coaching, I absolutely mean it. I found it incredibly helpful to work with someone who was like me and understood what was going on with my brain. I’d had coaching in the past, but this was completely different – it was a journey of exploration that didn’t set me up to fail by using ‘normal’ strategies. It was also a gentle education on ADHD – that was what I was there to be coached on after all.

At the time I was a Director of Operations and Inclusion at a mental health charity. One of the most frustrating things I’d experienced during diagnosis was unsolicited opinions that I ‘couldn’t have ADHD’ because I had ‘a good job’. I now take a lot of pleasure in coaching people who hear the same thing to change their associated challenges: perfectionism, masking, imposter syndrome, people pleasing, burn out etc.

Career Change

After coaching, my ability to cope with my work was completely different. I thrived and I was able to share my experience as a senior leader with ADHD. But, I’d fallen in love with coaching and knew this was what I wanted to do. I trained to become an ADHD Coach with Leanne Maskell at ADHD Works and launched ADHD ACTS. And here we are.

I am enormously grateful that ADHD Coaching exists – it has had the biggest impact on my life in all aspects, not just ADHD. I love coaching others with ADHD. Supporting another person to understand how their brain works, to realise that they are not to blame, and that they are capable of making the changes they want and seeing them do so is simply wonderful.

I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful journey for you.