If you have been diagnosed with ADHD and have found it difficult to navigate throughout your academics and career, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.

When you take ownership of your diagnosis and develop the necessary awareness and support, you can lead a fulfilling career!

Getting an ADHD Diagnosis as an Adult

It wasn’t until I was in my 30s working full-time and having a tough time as an evening student in law school that I took it upon myself to seek out support.

Getting diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety, ADHD, and a Nonverbal Learning Disability as an adult was a relief because it helped me make sense of things I had wanted to understand for years.

Two women seated together at a table maing eye contact with each other. One holds a tablet up. On the table sit a notepad and a pen.

Seeking Out Support as an Adult with ADHD

Once I had my diagnosis, I learned about resources that could help me thrive as a law student with ADHD. For instance, Herbert Ramy, Director and Professor of Academic Support at Suffolk University Law School was a tremendous resource. He helped me learn about best practices for studying. Thank you, Professor Ramey!

He helped me learn to analyze information and break it down systematically, reorganizing it into themes and grouping like information, which helps with comprehension, retention, and identifying connections. I adapted this system to help my coaching clients learn how to deconstruct job postings and develop their narrative — it’s a highly effective, new approach for them.

I went through the process of requesting test-taking accommodations, which made a huge difference for me as a law student. I finally felt like I was able to perform to the best of my abilities. Law school became less stressful and more manageable, and I passed the Bar Exam on my first time (years later, I’m still amazed by this!). Don’t get me wrong — it was still challenging, but I finally felt like maybe it was something I could complete.

In addition, I sought out support from a therapist with experience in learning disabilities and ADHD, which was helpful and facilitated connecting with some valuable resources.

Resources to Improve Organization for Adults with ADHD

I learned about some terrific books like “ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life” by Kolberg & Nadeau. Later I found out about “The ADHD Advantage” by Dale Archer, MD. These books helped me see that my diagnosis didn’t mean there was something wrong with me. It just meant I was different from neurotypical people and it was up to me to learn how I process information so I could do my best work and live my best life.

Through working with professionals who specialize in ADHD and reading books, I learned that certain organizational methods like color coding, breaking down information into small pieces, using formatting strategies (bolding, bullet points, headings, etc.), and keeping materials in clear containers could help me feel less overwhelmed and more calm and organized.

These strategies may seem obvious, but for me, it was a process to discover what could be helpful.

A variety of colors of sticky notes are pinned to a board

Learning How to Thrive at Work as an Adult with ADHD

Over the years I’ve discovered that certain conditions help me thrive, including when I:

Choose my work environment (e.g. instrumental music or quiet; limiting interruptions)
Have writing, collaborating, and public speaking as a major part of my work
Have long stretches of uninterrupted time to hyperfocus on projects that involve writing or numbers
Work with colleagues who complement my skill sets

A notebook full of pages with writing sits on a wood table with a pen next to it. Behind it sits a ceramic mug.

Finding Other Adults with ADHD

As an adult, I feel excited when a friend shares with me that they have ADHD because it creates an opportunity to bond over our common experiences. It feels comfortable because we understand each other can be ourselves. We share our challenges and how we’re making day-to-day life less stressful and more enjoyable.

I am excited when I read about someone with ADHD who invests in learning how they best function, and then takes the necessary steps to thrive.

Two women sit on swings in a park, facing each other and smiling. Green, leafy trees are in the background.

Receiving Support as a Businessperson with ADHD

Once I established the foundation of my business, here are a few of the steps I took to cultivate a business that works for me and enables me to focus on co-creating amazing experiences with clients:

Delegated bookkeeping tasks and tax prep to professionals
Received support from coaches, including one who specializes in supporting small business entrepreneurs with ADHD (Thanks, Jamie Chapman!)
Reached out for support to refine workflows and systems

Thriving as an Entrepreneur with ADHD

As an entrepreneur, I’m able to create conditions that enable me to thrive. I no longer feel boxed in the way I did when I was trying to conform to traditional workplaces.

The standard 9-to-5 environment of an office was problematic for me….just like living in a loud dorm in college! As someone who is extremely sensitive to noise and easily distracted, to be happy and healthy, it’s important for me to have sufficient quiet.

I can work for hours at a time uninterrupted when I choose to. I can work when and where I focus best. For instance, I do a lot of work from my home office and my co-working community. This mix works well for me.

I choose who to work with and what kind of support to seek out and receive.

I can be myself. I finally feel free.

Working for oneself isn’t for everyone. But for many people with ADHD, the way they’ve been trying to conform for years (possibly decades) is causing a great deal of distress, and it’s time to explore what changes can be made to live with less stress and more joy. There are a number of ways this can play out. Working for yourself is just one possibility.

Learning About Myself from My Clients

A terrific coach I hired as a mentor once said that we attract the clients we need to help us learn certain lessons. My clients have helped me learn about myself.

From my clients, I’ve learned that it’s common for adults to be diagnosed with ADHD. Adults with ADHD experience unique challenges in their careers and we often feel that we don’t fit societal and workplace expectations and standards. We also are likely to experience certain types of challenges in our careers as a result. And we have a whole lot to offer! Creativity, empathy, leadership, strategic thinking, and so much more.

My clients have also helped me learn that the way we perceive and experience our ADHD can impact our sense of security, confidence, and belief in what’s possible or realistic.

Bringing My Full Self to My Work as a Career Coach

My work as a career coach is informed by my experience living with ADHD. It’s inspired by the times when I benefitted from the support I needed to thrive.

I create and seek out approaches that help my clients increase their resiliency and confidence. I use various tools, including self-assessments, narrative assessments, interactive worksheets, and tracking systems. I seek to make our work together fun, because…why not?

Benefits Coaching Clients Experience

Here are just a few of the ways that my clients, with or without ADHD, benefit from our work together:

Meeting regularly with a capability partner helps them get unstuck, move past procrastination, and build momentum.
By learning to break down big projects into small pieces, they combat overwhelm and start achieving small wins right away, which builds confidence.
A structured approach helps manage distraction and cut through the noise to focus on high-impact work, which conserves energy levels.
They learn strategies to help them organize their thoughts and communications so they can become more succinct and compelling, which is useful for everything from leading teams to engaging with their connections to job interviewing to negotiating.
Through narrative assessment, clients are able to increase their self-awareness about what they want more of in their lives and discover possibilities.
By tapping into curated resources I’ve created and compiled, clients no longer waste time aimlessly searching the internet for career advice.
They shift their perspective by developing a strengths-based, resilient mindset, which enables them to escape the emotional roller coaster they once experienced in their careers.
They increase their clarity and ability to move forward intentionally to create a fulfilling career.

Out of recognition that people have different ways of learning and processing information, I take great care to co-create a personalized coaching experience with my clients. By working with a small number of clients at a time, I am able to deliver a highly tailored experience.

Discovering What You Need to Thrive as an Adult Living with ADHD

Here are some guiding questions:

How are you caring for yourself?
How do you best learn and process information?
What type of work is the best match for you?
How do you do your best work?
What kinds of environments do you thrive in?
What kind of support are you allowing yourself to receive?
What can you do to cultivate the belief that you are enough?

“I’ve met hundreds of creative professionals who are suffering needlessly,” says Michael Camoin. “They’re hindering their own careers as writers, musicians, and artists. They’re extremely bright, yet completely unaware of the skills needed to manage their ADHD traits and therefore they underperform. Having knowledge of ADHD and the skills to manage my ADHD symptoms keeps me grounded, focused and on track.”

— "Do What Makes You Happy" by Judy Brenis, ADHD @ Work, ADDA

Receiving Support to Thrive in Your Career with ADHD

When you’re looking to make the investment in yourself to increase your clarity and discover possibilities so you can lead a fulfilling, impactful career and life, support exists!

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