ADHD, Burnout, and the Entrepreneur Impulse: Find your balance in the New Year

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RODE NT-USB & Susan's iphone (work) Camera:

What's up my friend.

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It's ADHD, coach Katherine.

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And I'm bringing some powerful

possibilities to you today.

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If you're listening to this

just as it's released, it's

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the third week of January 2024.

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And it's about now that many people with

ADHD start to hit a metaphorical wall when

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it comes to their new goals, their dreams.

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their resolutions.

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And so I wanted to look at why these

things are more challenging for us.

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. But also I wanted to look a little

bit into the world of entrepreneurship

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and burnout, because these are two

things I'm hearing a lot about.

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From people in my DM's and my emails

and also it's that time of year.

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Right.

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We want to be trying new things.

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But we may be struggling and not sure why.

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And one of the things I want

people to avoid as much as

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possible is feeling burned out.

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So let's have a look at ADHD.

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Resolutions goals, visions.

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Entrepreneurship and burnout

and see what we come up with by

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the end of this episode for you.

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I don't know where you are in the world,

but here in Scotland, the winter is

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really tricky for many people with ADHD.

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We often don't get sunlight until eight

30 quarter to nine in the morning,

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and then it's gone again by 4:00 PM.

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And there is some research that shows

people with ADHD are more likely to

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experience the seasonal depression

that comes with darker months.

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We're also very likely to be quite

busy and it could be that somethings

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help you for me, for instance, going

out in the middle of the day for a

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walk ticks off lots of my ADHD boxes

and my seasonal depression boxes.

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But in January that can feel

like just one thing too much.

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So.

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If you are struggling, I want

to take a moment just to say.

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You're not alone.

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This will pass.

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It's not you.

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That is somehow broken.

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It's just that this moment right now.

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It's a real challenge,

but you can overcome it.

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You have before you will, again.

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And I'm going to invite you to just

take a little break for half an hour.

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Listen to the information here.

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Which will put all of your

experience into context.

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And then give you some.

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Some ways out of it.

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When I'm in a session with people, I

often say, can I share this with you?

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I just had this image of, and this,

because I, I think in very visual

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ways, And right now I'm thinking

of a person pulling themselves.

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out of a pit using a rope or maybe a sand.

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You know, when it is sinking sand things

that you used to see in adventure films.

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Eh, in my youth, people were

always falling into sinking sand.

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And somebody would just throw them a rope.

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This is your rope to pull you out of

the sinking sand that is ADHD plus

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January plus resolutions and goals.

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Plus.

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Entrepreneurship and burnout.

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And at this time of year,

it is entirely possible.

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You have said, I'm not making

any resolutions this year.

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I'm not going to do that to myself.

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I know it's really counterproductive.

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But somewhere in the back of your

mind, you have this goal for what

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you would like to achieve this year.

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And most research looking at resolutions

and setting goals shows that round

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about the middle of February.

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Neurotypical people in general

tend to be burning out.

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The gym start to get quiet or again?

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The dry January is finished.

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We're maybe not studying so hard

for the qualification or the topic

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that we've been interested in.

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we've taken our foot off the pedal

on the new business that we may be

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starting, or if you're a student, you

might find your resolution to study is.

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Not holding up against

the weather outside.

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And that's because our.

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, time horizon.

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Is generally.

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Around six to eight weeks.

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And for many people

with ADHD, it's shorter.

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If you go back a few episodes,

I talk a lot about the time

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horizon and how that impacts our.

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Goal setting our vision creating and

how we need to A) be aware of that.

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And remember that when we start

to lose focus, It's not because.

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It's not important anymore.

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It's just because it's really

hard for our brains to imagine

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something that far in the future.

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So give yourself a break.

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Except that it's the second week in

January, you may already have decided

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that this is just too much right now.

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And I want to share a metaphor with you.

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In gardening, which is one of

my favorite things in the world.

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At this time of year.

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The garden's look quite grim.

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Mine does anyway.

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I've left a lot of plants overgrown

and I haven't cut them back.

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Because I want them to feed the birds.

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And just this week, a Goldfinch was

eating the seed heads on one of my

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boat, one of my flowers from the summer.

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If you look at the garden right now,

you would have no idea what it's

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going to look like in the summer.

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But if you go a foot down underneath.

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The roots.

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The bulbs, the shoots.

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They're all going and getting ready to

start coming up in a few weeks time.

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I want you to think of yourself.

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as one of those little bulbs.

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You do not need to be out

there doing all the things.

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And pounding the pavements when it's.

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One or two degrees.

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You do not need to be schlepping to

the gym at 6:00 AM in the morning.

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You can take your time and

you can still get there.

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But if you push yourself too hard,

too soon, It's going to be more

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likely that you'll eventually start

to feel burned out and exhausted.

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And burnout is something I want

to talk about a little bit today.

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both from a personal and from

a professional perspective.

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So this week.

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Imagine you're a little

bulb snug under the ground.

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You are filling up your

dreams with summer sun.

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And green leaves and

beautiful colored petals.

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And, or, you know, Fruit.

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If you're.

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You prefer a fruit metaphor, vegetables.

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But right now.

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It's all about doing the deep work the.

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Foundation setting, which

may not look like very much.

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And may not feel like very much for

you, especially if you have ADHD.

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And you want to be very active and going

out and doing lots of different things.

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So let's give ourselves

just a few weeks to pause.

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To rest.

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To recharge in the Midwinter.

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And to gather a resources

internal and external.

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For the coming spring, which

is, you know, far enough off.

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That we may have some

trouble envisioning it.

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Very accurately.

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RODE NT-USB & Susan's iphone (work) Camera-1:

It might seem a bit strange for

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me to be talking about burnout

at the start of the year.

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But this is something I've noticed,

especially among people who like me

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are maybe in their fifties and who are

managing lots of different roles in life.

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Maybe you've decided

that this is the year.

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You do things differently, maybe

you want to start your own business.

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You're maybe currently unemployed

or a parent or carer you've been.

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out of a workplace for a while.

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You want to start something new.

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And.

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I'm hearing a lot of resistance.

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Just in the general chatter.

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I wouldn't say anything in particular.

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And it may be.

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That's just what the

algorithms are serving me.

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But I wanted to address it

directly because I think.

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One of the problems I see

most commonly is we think.

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If I can just add one more thing.

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This one thing will be the solution that

makes all the other things manageable.

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And I'll feel better.

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I will have success.

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I will have financial freedom.

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I will not feel.

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Like a failure.

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Because that is underlying all of

these things that our current state.

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Is not acceptable.

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And we want to change it.

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now.

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From an ADHD coaching perspective.

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That is a laudable and that

coaching is all about positive

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change and going forward.

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But I think it's much easier if we're

coming from a place where we have

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discomfort in our current situation.

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But we're not blaming ourselves.

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For that.

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And we're able to take a

helicopter view of the situation.

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Both our strengths or challenges.

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Our situation and our desires,

our visions for the future.

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So I'm going to ask you

to zoom out a little bit.

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And just observe yourself and think.

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Am I setting up a vision

or a goal for this year.

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From a place of blame and shame.

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For myself.

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And if I am, I'm ready

to like, go with that.

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Because I know it's not going to

serve me and it's not going to take

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me closer to where I want to go.

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I hope you said yes.

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And you're.

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Able to move forward with me because

while you are busy, focusing on your

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weaknesses, your flaws, your faults.

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It's going to be really

difficult for you to accept.

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That you have these strengths that

you need to lean into depending

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on what you want to do this year.

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And.

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While we're busy berating ourselves,

whether it's for our emotional reactivity.

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Whether it's for our procrastination.

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our inability to prioritize.

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our.

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Timekeeping our financial impulsivity.

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Any of these things.

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While we're feeling guilty and

ashamed and bad about all of those.

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We're going to be stuck.

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I want to acknowledge that these

things are all present for many of us.

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But they are just part of the scenery.

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They're part of the landscape

and they can be minimized.

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They can be disguised.

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But ideally.

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You want to address the structural

element of what's going on there?

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So that you can have genuine.

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Freedom and genuine success.

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That's long lasting.

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By maintaining the changes.

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Somebody said to me this week,

what do you mean by scaffolding?

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Eh, that's the kind of

thing I'm talking about.

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So let's take an example

and we'll go from there.

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RODE NT-USB & Susan's iphone (work) Camera-2:

So the kind of scaffolding that

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is helpful for people with ADHD.

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Are.

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Things like making sure you

have a structured routine.

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Making sure that you have enough sleep

and that you have a sleep structure,

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a sleep routine sets up; that you have

enough daily exercise that you have that

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built in to your daily plan, that your

weekly plan includes enough exercise.

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That just means things like

walking, weight training.

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If possible, maybe some

yoga or some stretches.

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It's about making sure that you have.

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Admin structures, admin

scaffolding around you.

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Do you need to find a kind of bank

account that will put a limit on

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how much you can spend in 24 hours.

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Do you need an accountant?

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Do you need a bookkeeper?

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Do you need to have somebody else

who keeps hold of your bank card?

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If you're feeling like you

want to go and buy something?

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What are the other types of

scaffolding you might need?

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You might want to have a saved

shopping list on your supermarket.

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Website that you can order

food from regularly so that

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you're not impulse buying.

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Food that takes you further away

from your goals of health wellbeing,

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or outside of your budget.

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So there are lots of different

kinds of scaffolding and it depends

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very much on what your needs are.

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For your current situation, your

challenges, and what's available to you.

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Before we get to the idea of a vision

or a goal might look like for somebody

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with ADHD and how that can relate

to things like your own business.

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Let's take a moment to

think about burnout.

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ADHD burnout.

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Autistic burnout.

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We hear a lot about it.

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There's very little specific research.

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Into either one of these on their own.

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So ADHD, burnout, autistic burnout.

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The research tends to be a tied together

with the general experience of burnout.

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And what does that mean?

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It's a state of complete exhaustion.

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It would have been described as

nervous exhaustion 50 or 60 years ago.

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And it's not a breakdown in the sense of.

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Being unable to function in

daily life, but it's very close.

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And none of these are medical terms.

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None of these are academic terms that you

would go and get a diagnosis with you.

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You can't get a prescription that

says this will treat burnout.

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What are the features of burnout

and what do you need to be looking

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out for if you're starting to

edge closer to it, as I've heard

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a few people mentioned this week,

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The first thing to say is that you

can experience burnout at any age.

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At any stage.

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And it's to do with a

constant chronic stress.

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Fatigue, physical and nervous exhaustion.

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And it's all to do with

managing how we need to live.

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But in a world with

neuro-typical standards.

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Now, neurotypical people

also experience burnout.

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This isn't an us versus them.

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Situation.

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It's just that I like to think we are the.

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Whereas it Rangers out in front,

we can spot danger on the horizon.

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And the same goes for circumstances

in life that can cause burnout.

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What are the main five things

that you're likely to see if

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you're experiencing burnout?

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First is exhaustion.

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And I don't just mean feeling tired.

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Exhaustion that doesn't get any

better, even after asleep, even

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after a few days, a week of rest.

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So if you've gone on holiday you've

had two weeks of sun lying by the pool.

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You come back and you're

even more exhausted.

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That would be a red flag for me.

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And.

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We want you to see your GP to

get everything checked out.

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But it could be that your life is

leading you to a place of burnout where.

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There's just no gas left in the

tank and you cannot recover.

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With simply resting and going

back to business as usual.

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And this isn't just a physical exhaustion.

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Mentally emotionally, you may find that

you just have no room for anything.

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And your limits are much

smaller than they used to be.

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It's something that I noticed

in myself a few years ago when

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I was getting close to burnout.

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I didn't have the tolerance the patience.

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That is a hallmark of how I

parent it just wasn't there.

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You might also find that your

performance isn't what it usually is.

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This is at work and at home and in

your hobbies and things like that.

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And it, again, Resting doesn't

seem to help and it's consistent.

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And the more you try to get back to where

you were to improve your performance, to

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meet those deadlines, to get things done.

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It's just not responding to more effort.

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So you end up with this awful

situation where you're trying harder.

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But you're doing worse.

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And that again is one of the signs

that we're closing to burnout.

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You might also find that your

ADHD symptoms start to get worse.

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If you're getting into the burnout

zone and things like impulsivity, your.

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Distractability.

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Time management.

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Prioritization.

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And organizing things.

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And again, these are always going

to be part of our ADHD profile it's

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to do with our executive functions.

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Our prefrontal cortex and

dopamine regulation, et cetera.

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But when we're getting burnout.

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They get so much worse and you might

try to increase your medication.

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And it doesn't make any difference at all.

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If that's happening then.

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That's another tick in the I'm

heading into the burn out zone.

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You might find that socially you're

withdrawing from commitments.

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You are not connecting with people.

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You are avoiding having conversations.

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It's not because you don't

want to talk to people.

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Really.

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You just don't have the energy.

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You don't have the social battery anymore.

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You might be feeling that

it's just not worth it.

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And that also leads to our last one,

which is the emotional difficulties

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that we can experience more.

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with burnout.

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You might find that you feel more

inadequate, more of a failure.

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That you're just completely overwhelmed.

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You will never get a hang of things

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that can lead to mood swings,

becoming much wider and more

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frequent, more noticeable.

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And the general dysregulation that

goes with ADHD, can become much, much

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more noticeable for other people.

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So all of these together,

these five signs.

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are i ndications that you're

heading towards burnout.

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So what can you do?

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Because burnout isn't something that

is genuinely diagnosable as a separate.

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Condition or separate illness.

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: 00:16:39

The strategies that actually

help with it are ones that are

335

: 00:16:42

based on people's experience.

336

: 00:16:44

They are ones that you have heard me

talk about before, but they are extremely

337

: 00:16:49

applicable for ADHD and burnout.

338

: 00:16:51

The first is to look at your

breaks and your time management.

339

: 00:16:55

Generally, we are trying to

put a gallon and a pint pot.

340

: 00:17:00

So we have all these responsibilities that

we've maybe taken on all these interests

341

: 00:17:05

or these goals and visions, which is why

we're talking about this in the new year.

342

: 00:17:10

And we're trying to fit

it into 24 hours and okay.

343

: 00:17:15

I know Beyonce has 24 hours, but her

24 hours look very different from mine.

344

: 00:17:20

She's a wonderful person, but

I'm pretty sure she has staff.

345

: 00:17:24

I'm pretty sure she has other

people to manage the day-to-day.

346

: 00:17:28

Admin.

347

: 00:17:28

Of life in a neurodivergent family,

in a neurodivergent business.

348

: 00:17:33

And as a human being with my

own interests and passions.

349

: 00:17:37

If you are struggling to put everything

into one day, The first thing to think

350

: 00:17:42

about is what can I put aside for just no.

351

: 00:17:46

What can I put a pin?

352

: 00:17:48

In.

353

: 00:17:48

And keep to one side.

354

: 00:17:50

For when I've got a bit more time.

355

: 00:17:53

Or when I've completed something.

356

: 00:17:55

And.

357

: 00:17:55

This is a challenge because we

like to add things because it

358

: 00:18:00

keeps it up for me in flowing.

359

: 00:18:01

It makes us feel more

interested in daily life.

360

: 00:18:04

But if you are getting overwhelmed,

if you're getting close to

361

: 00:18:08

burnout, What can you park?

362

: 00:18:10

or put a pin in and put to one side

just for a few weeks, for a few months.

363

: 00:18:14

And give yourself time to recover.

364

: 00:18:17

Take things off your plate

as far as you possibly can.

365

: 00:18:20

Make sure that you do keep time for fun,

for relaxation, for things that you enjoy.

366

: 00:18:25

But think about structuring your time.

367

: 00:18:28

Especially for entrepreneurs,

for business owners, with ADHD.

368

: 00:18:32

set a cut off time when

you've put everything away.

369

: 00:18:36

Because what will happen is you do not

have firm enough boundaries and things

370

: 00:18:40

are going to start bleeding over into

your family time, into your rest time.

371

: 00:18:44

That is not sustainable.

372

: 00:18:46

It is not healthy for you

for people around you.

373

: 00:18:50

It's not healthy for the people that

you're serving in your business.

374

: 00:18:54

So how many days do you want to work?

375

: 00:18:56

If you can't do everything

within those days.

376

: 00:18:59

What can you get assistance with?

377

: 00:19:01

And make sure that you've put some

bright line boundaries in place.

378

: 00:19:06

That may mean.

379

: 00:19:07

Asking someone to take your phone away.

380

: 00:19:10

At 9:00 PM.

381

: 00:19:11

Or 8:00 PM.

382

: 00:19:12

It may mean that you set an out of office

reply on your email from Friday to Monday.

383

: 00:19:19

Whatever it takes.

384

: 00:19:21

Make sure that you are

taking enough time away.

385

: 00:19:24

And that you have got a structure

in place from your day to

386

: 00:19:29

your week, to your months.

387

: 00:19:30

So we're looking at structure time.

388

: 00:19:32

We're looking at building in

more breaks were looking at.

389

: 00:19:36

boundary setting And some of that,

if you are a person in business

390

: 00:19:41

is setting expectations and that

may mean that you do not reply.

391

: 00:19:45

To everybody within a day and that's okay.

392

: 00:19:48

As long as you make it very clear from

the beginning of your conversation.

393

: 00:19:52

That you will respond to them within

24 48 hours, but you do not need to

394

: 00:19:57

be answering everybody straight away.

395

: 00:19:59

Let's make some boundaries.

396

: 00:20:01

Get some time structured in place.

397

: 00:20:03

And look at how much you can put aside

or have somebody else assist you with.

398

: 00:20:08

And these have to be

very strict boundaries.

399

: 00:20:10

So that when you are not working, you

are resting rest doesn't need to be

400

: 00:20:16

lying down, still not moving, but it

does need to be something sufficiently

401

: 00:20:20

different from your business.

402

: 00:20:22

Or from your job or from your studies?

403

: 00:20:25

If you are a parent who is burning out.

404

: 00:20:28

And you're thinking I can't get away from

my work because my work is my family.

405

: 00:20:32

You're going to need to get some help.

406

: 00:20:34

now, that might mean you employ.

407

: 00:20:37

A local volunteer.

408

: 00:20:38

Eh, you find a friend,

cousin, somebody who can.

409

: 00:20:43

Either entertain the kids

for a couple of hours.

410

: 00:20:46

So that you go and do something

and you're not interrupted.

411

: 00:20:49

But it might mean that you need to.

412

: 00:20:51

Think about what other people can take on.

413

: 00:20:55

So that you're not being so overloaded.

414

: 00:20:59

And again, structure time, boundaries and

you need to see if you can get at least.

415

: 00:21:06

One solid stretch of time each week,

where you are just being yourself.

416

: 00:21:11

And it's not easy.

417

: 00:21:12

I acknowledge that it's really not

easy, but there are going to be groups,

418

: 00:21:16

people around you that can help.

419

: 00:21:19

So find me on social media.

420

: 00:21:21

Drop me a comment or a message.

421

: 00:21:23

And I will see if I can.

422

: 00:21:25

Find groups around who can help you.

423

: 00:21:28

And.

424

: 00:21:28

Point you in the right direction.

425

: 00:21:30

When we are heading into

burnout our stress and emotional

426

: 00:21:33

dysregulation tends to get.

427

: 00:21:35

Out of control.

428

: 00:21:36

And so one of the most evidence-based

ways to manage that is a mindfulness

429

: 00:21:41

based stress relief technique.

430

: 00:21:44

And so you can find lots of these online.

431

: 00:21:47

Look for free ones.

432

: 00:21:49

There are some really good ones.

433

: 00:21:51

Focusing on self-compassion by Dr.

434

: 00:21:53

Neff who wrote fierce.

435

: 00:21:54

Self-compassion.

436

: 00:21:55

Which is one of my recommended reads.

437

: 00:21:57

And aim for five to 10 minutes once a day.

438

: 00:22:01

It would be fantastic if you

could do it every day, especially

439

: 00:22:04

when you're feeling burnt out.

440

: 00:22:05

But there is good evidence to show.

441

: 00:22:07

It can help with stress

and emotional regulation.

442

: 00:22:10

If we do it every day for two weeks.

443

: 00:22:13

Think about your thoughts.

444

: 00:22:14

And one of the patterns of thinking

that tends to crop up with burnout

445

: 00:22:18

is that we are failures, that

we can't do it, that we get into

446

: 00:22:22

these negative loops of a thought.

447

: 00:22:24

It's challenging to break that yourself.

448

: 00:22:27

So obviously it's one of my jobs

is to challenge people when I hear

449

: 00:22:32

them saying negative things and.

450

: 00:22:34

Being stuck.

451

: 00:22:35

But it needs to be done in the right way.

452

: 00:22:38

With enough compassion and curiosity.

453

: 00:22:41

And.

454

: 00:22:41

Space for people to reframe it.

455

: 00:22:43

There are other ways to do that.

456

: 00:22:45

You might have a friend, you might be

part of an online group or a community.

457

: 00:22:49

Where, if you hear somebody's

constantly being down on

458

: 00:22:53

themselves and being stuck in this.

459

: 00:22:55

Very negative view of life of themselves.

460

: 00:22:59

It's worth just highlighting that

to them and reflecting it back.

461

: 00:23:03

You don't need to do anymore.

462

: 00:23:04

You're not trying to fix things.

463

: 00:23:06

But you can reflect it back and see.

464

: 00:23:08

It sounds like you're always saying this.

465

: 00:23:11

Is that true or, I thought

you did really well last week.

466

: 00:23:14

And highlight the positive

things that they have mentioned.

467

: 00:23:18

So we're just challenging that

narrative a little bit more.

468

: 00:23:21

And then we need to look after

your body as well as your mind.

469

: 00:23:24

So sleep hygiene is really important.

470

: 00:23:28

If you can leave your phone

out of the bedroom, please do.

471

: 00:23:32

The temptation to lie there and

scroll is too great for most people.

472

: 00:23:36

You can get these.

473

: 00:23:38

Speaker things that go under your pillow.

474

: 00:23:39

So at least put it on the other side

of the room and play your audio book

475

: 00:23:44

or a podcast through that while you

rest or your white, noise, whatever you

476

: 00:23:49

use I like white noise, but I have it.

477

: 00:23:51

As part of my alarm clock.

478

: 00:23:52

So that you're not tempted to pick up

your phone and scroll things either.

479

: 00:23:57

As soon as you wake up or

just before you go to sleep.

480

: 00:24:00

Try to get up at the same time every day.

481

: 00:24:03

Make that consistent seven days a week.

482

: 00:24:06

Make sure you're taking your

meds early enough in the day.

483

: 00:24:09

And if your brain is

really active overnight.

484

: 00:24:12

Discuss with your prescriber,

whether it might be worth trying

485

: 00:24:16

to have medication that works

overnight, because that does help.

486

: 00:24:20

Some people.

487

: 00:24:21

Who have a kind of rebound and

whose brains just never stop.

488

: 00:24:25

If you're thoughts are waking you up

overnight, please discuss that with

489

: 00:24:29

your psychiatrist or your doctor.

490

: 00:24:31

Again, make sure you're physically active.

491

: 00:24:34

And this is difficult

when we're exhausted.

492

: 00:24:36

So it might be that you just go for a

gentle walk, try to make it somewhere

493

: 00:24:41

outside, near nature, water trees.

494

: 00:24:44

These have all been shown in many studies.

495

: 00:24:47

To be helpful for our stress.

496

: 00:24:49

But they give you energy.

497

: 00:24:51

That doesn't mean you go

down and start CrossFit.

498

: 00:24:53

Okay.

499

: 00:24:54

It's something that I might aspire

to, but it's not on my radar just yet.

500

: 00:24:58

We're talking about restorative

exercise and so walking in nature.

501

: 00:25:02

Outside near watered or trees

is probably the easiest one.

502

: 00:25:06

Make sure that your

medication is optimized.

503

: 00:25:08

And this has been a huge problem

across the world for people.

504

: 00:25:12

Eh, accessing the appropriate

medication for different reasons.

505

: 00:25:16

But now that the supplier is starting to,

to re-emerge and things are improving.

506

: 00:25:21

Just check.

507

: 00:25:22

Is this the right medication for you?

508

: 00:25:24

Is it the right dose?

509

: 00:25:25

Are you using it as well

as behavioral techniques?

510

: 00:25:29

Because we often talk

about pills and skills.

511

: 00:25:33

In ADHD management, one on its own.

512

: 00:25:35

Isn't going to be a long-term solution.

513

: 00:25:38

And finally, if you are really struggling

and burnt out find a therapist.

514

: 00:25:42

Coaches can be fantastic.

515

: 00:25:44

And some therapists are also coaches.

516

: 00:25:47

But I would say that if you are really

chronically, burnt out, We might

517

: 00:25:51

suggest that you go and contact somebody

like a therapist, a counselor, or a

518

: 00:25:55

psychologist in the first instance.

519

: 00:25:58

To get you back to a place of being

well enough to engage with coaching.

520

: 00:26:03

Because it does take energy.

521

: 00:26:05

It does take some focus and

sometimes we're just not there.

522

: 00:26:08

And if that's you, then there

are a neuro divergent therapists,

523

: 00:26:12

more of them all the time.

524

: 00:26:14

And I will include links to

some of them in the show notes.

525

: 00:26:18

But I do mention them in other

places on my blog and my website.

526

: 00:26:21

I would say that I feel that.

527

: 00:26:24

This time of year when we might

be thinking about new ventures.

528

: 00:26:27

New goals, new visions.

529

: 00:26:29

It's sometimes when we start to

recognize that actually we are burned.

530

: 00:26:33

And especially if you've managed

something for many years if you're an

531

: 00:26:38

late diagnosed adult, And by that, I do

mean people over the age of 35 or 40.

532

: 00:26:44

By the time we get a diagnosis,

quite often, you've been

533

: 00:26:47

living in burn out for so long.

534

: 00:26:50

All of the things I've just

described are how you live every day.

535

: 00:26:52

And if that's you, then you need

to do that restorative work.

536

: 00:26:57

Ideally before you jump into

something really demanding, whether

537

: 00:27:01

that's starting a new business.

538

: 00:27:03

Transitioning how you work, just now.

539

: 00:27:05

Eh, or yeah, moving house.

540

: 00:27:08

Any of these big challenging.

541

: 00:27:09

Life altering circumstances.

542

: 00:27:12

Yeah, I'm a big fan of tiktok,

which might sound a bit strange

543

: 00:27:16

for some people because isn't

tiktok really bad for your brain.

544

: 00:27:20

Possibly, but I enjoy.

545

: 00:27:22

10 minutes scroll through there.

546

: 00:27:24

I've got some people in there

that I now describe as friends.

547

: 00:27:27

One of them.

548

: 00:27:28

Eh, Helena is running a 30 day

549

: 00:27:30

start a business.

550

: 00:27:31

Challenge.

551

: 00:27:32

And one of the things I was thinking about

as I was listening to her talk, and she's

552

: 00:27:37

an incredible bright young woman, is that.

553

: 00:27:41

The number of people I know who run

their own business and who have a

554

: 00:27:45

diagnosis of ADHD is quite incredible.

555

: 00:27:49

But then the number of people

with ADHD who run their own

556

: 00:27:52

business and are in burnout.

557

: 00:27:54

Which is why I wanted to start.

558

: 00:27:56

Looking at burnout and talking about

some of the strategies that you can use.

559

: 00:28:00

So if you are a person with ADHD and

you want to start your own business.

560

: 00:28:05

I'm going to be talking, more about

that in the weeks to come, but I would

561

: 00:28:09

love to know what has got you stuck.

562

: 00:28:12

I think this is my third.

563

: 00:28:13

Business and in each of them I've

come up against the same problems.

564

: 00:28:19

Because I didn't really understand

how to work with ADHD until now.

565

: 00:28:23

So third time lucky.

566

: 00:28:25

And the things that I have managed

are things like impulsivity,

567

: 00:28:31

things like burnout, things like.

568

: 00:28:34

Overwhelm.

569

: 00:28:35

Problems with focusing being consistent.

570

: 00:28:37

The kind of multitasking

aspect of running a business.

571

: 00:28:41

And of course.

572

: 00:28:43

The sensitivity to stress and to criticism

to rejection and not just from people on

573

: 00:28:49

social media, but from my peers as well.

574

: 00:28:52

And all of those.

575

: 00:28:53

Are things that are going to be part of

what I'm looking at in a few weeks time.

576

: 00:28:59

I'm going to drop them into

the next few podcasts, but if

577

: 00:29:02

you have a specific question.

578

: 00:29:04

About running a business,

starting a business and ADHD.

579

: 00:29:09

Let me know, because I have been

around the block a few times.

580

: 00:29:12

But not only am.

581

: 00:29:14

I know a successful.

582

: 00:29:15

Coach and a business owner.

583

: 00:29:18

I've also had extreme

circumstances of failure.

584

: 00:29:23

Not to the extent where I have

lost millions of pounds because.

585

: 00:29:26

I've never taken out a

loan to start a business.

586

: 00:29:29

But I do know many people with ADHD

who have, because they have a sure bet.

587

: 00:29:34

They know exactly what people need.

588

: 00:29:35

They know exactly how they're

going to fix the problem.

589

: 00:29:38

And they do a lot of investment

upfront and then it doesn't work

590

: 00:29:41

because of the ADHD challenges.

591

: 00:29:44

As well as poor market fit.

592

: 00:29:46

So I would like to invite you

to send me your questions.

593

: 00:29:51

About ADHD and business startups.

594

: 00:29:55

Running a business.

595

: 00:29:56

It's the exciting part is

getting things started.

596

: 00:30:00

The hard part is making that sustainable

avoiding burnout and actually enjoying

597

: 00:30:07

the thing that you set out to do.

598

: 00:30:09

I'm incredibly privileged.

599

: 00:30:10

I love coaching.

600

: 00:30:11

But all the other stuff that

goes with it is a challenge.

601

: 00:30:15

So I would never deny that it is.

602

: 00:30:17

Something that I need

to monitor constantly.

603

: 00:30:20

And it's one of the reasons.

604

: 00:30:22

I still have my own coach.

605

: 00:30:24

But I want to help here.

606

: 00:30:25

And I want to make sure that if you

goal for this year, if your vision

607

: 00:30:30

for this year is to transition into.

608

: 00:30:32

To a business that works for you

rather than one that uses you up

609

: 00:30:37

and spits you out and exhausts you.

610

: 00:30:40

And doesn't leave you

time for your family.

611

: 00:30:42

Doesn't reward you if whether

eh, In terms of your mission in

612

: 00:30:46

life in terms of your finances.

613

: 00:30:48

Let me know, and we will do

some brainstorming together.

614

: 00:30:52

And if you've got symptoms of

burnout, if you feel like you're

615

: 00:30:55

getting close to that age.

616

: 00:30:57

Please download the PDF.

617

: 00:30:59

I'm going to link in the show notes today.

618

: 00:31:01

Yes.

619

: 00:31:02

It sends you up from a mailing list.

620

: 00:31:03

No, you are not going to get five emails.

621

: 00:31:07

From now until the end of time, every

single day, I'm going to be in your inbox.

622

: 00:31:11

I'm not like that.

623

: 00:31:12

I'll send you is the list of things

that I suggest are useful for.

624

: 00:31:17

ADHD burnout.

625

: 00:31:18

And then you can choose what comes next.

626

: 00:31:21

Get in touch with me.

627

: 00:31:22

If you have questions about ADHD

and burnout or ADHD in business.

628

: 00:31:27

And until next week.

629

: 00:31:29

Take care of yourself, make sure you're

making time for rest for relaxation

630

: 00:31:34

and put those boundaries in place.

631

: 00:31:36

Now remember lean into that bulb energy.

632

: 00:31:41

You're going to be glorious.

633

: 00:31:43

In a few months time, you can have that.

634

: 00:31:46

Main character center stage

big, incredible blossom

635

: 00:31:51

with bright petals energy.

636

: 00:31:53

You're going to get there.

637

: 00:31:55

But right now.

638

: 00:31:56

It's perfectly.

639

: 00:31:57

Okay.

640

: 00:31:58

To be a bulb cozy and

nestled up underground.

641

: 00:32:01

storing up your energy and just,

waiting to emerge with springtime.