ADHD-ish™ ADHD Business Strategy for Busy Brains

When you’re just getting started, there’s nothing wrong with DIY’ing your brand assets in Canva or hiring a designer on Fiverr or Upwork.  But, once you’re established and have outgrown your existing brand, it may be time to partner with a design professional.  

We are one week away from revealing the new branding for this podcast, so I invited the graphic designer I’m working with, Jess Malli Mercier, to join me in talking about her approach, why she prefers helping established businesses to rebrand and how to know when it’s the right time to do so, and our experience working together. 

We talked about the true essence of a brand—it's more than just a logo and colors; it’s a reflection of your core values and how people feel when they encounter your business. If you do any kind of client services work, Jess shared invaluable insights on the benefits of a collaborative approach and the value of an emotional connection. 

Whether you're feeling disconnected from or bored with your current branding or simply curious about the rebranding process, this episode is packed with valuable advice and personal insights. 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Collaborative Approach: Establishing a genuine relationship and clear communication with your designer is pivotal. 
• Authenticity & Consistency: Your brand’s visual representation should authentically reflect your core values and ensure consistency across all touchpoints to create a memorable and trustworthy brand experience.
• Safety & Trust: Rebranding is a journey that requires introspection, trust, and sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone to truly represent the evolution of yourself and your business.

🎙️Mic Drop Moment:

“Be yourself. Be unique. What are the elements of you that are that are the most important and the most memorable? Let's show people that."  Jess Malli Mercier 

Want to connect with Jess?

https://www.jmmartistdesigner.com/

Instagram.com/jmmartistdesigner

Companion episode: 

Ep # 195 “It’s Time to Rebrand The Driven Woman Entrepreneur Podcast” 

The new podcast is being revealed NEXT week, so please Follow/ Subscribe to The Driven Woman Entrepreneur NOW so you don’t miss the first episode in the new name, show art, and focus! 

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube Music (formerly Google Podcasts)

Have you ever noticed that the smarter you are, the more you question yourself and the more you struggle to make the original contributions you are uniquely qualified to make? Well, I certainly have and that lead me to connect with another coach who is just as obsessed with helping high achievers overcome their resistance and avoidance, Jane Elliot, PhD. 

In this compelling conversation, Jane and I explore her framework for understanding and overcoming the four shades of avoidance - the spincyclers, overdeliverers, upper limiters, and white knucklers—unpacking how these behaviors manifest and impact driven women. 

We shed light on why perfectionism isn't just a standalone issue but a symptom of deeper resistance, and how being identified as gifted can be a burden, leading to genuinely painful struggles to reach inner and outer expectations. 

Jane and I share our insights on the spiritual aspects of using one's gifts in service to others, the identity struggles of highly intelligent individuals, and the importance of radical self-acceptance and continuous personal evolution. 

We discuss her innovative framework, and her quiz, inviting you to determine which type of  “self-eating brain” is holding you back.  You'll hear the inspiring success story of Regina, a lawyer-turned-novelist, and how Jane's transformative coaching program unblocked her brilliance. 

🎙️Mic Drop Moment:

“I've found that for some people, particularly people who've been the designated achiever in their family, there can be this point where the achievement looks like its gonna start to serve them, instead of the collective and that is a very frightening moment."  Jane Elliot, PhD 

Episode Highlights:

• Resistance styles are more than just labels—they are lenses through which we can better understand our behavior and thoughts. 
• Perfectionism, often seen as a virtue, is redefined here as a mere symptom rather than an avoidance style. 
• The emotional burden of being labeled as "gifted" and pressure to perpetually meet others' standards.
• Jane's "self-eating brain" framework offers a compelling look at how intelligent brains can become their own worst enemies

The Four Types of Self Eating Brains:

• Spin Cyclers 
• White Knucklers 
• Overdeliverers 
• Upper Limiter

Which one are you?  Take the Self-Eating Brain Quiz! https://www.janeelliottphd.com/thequiz

The next cohort of Jane’s group coaching program Blazing Talents starts in September, so here is the link to find out more 

Jane on LinkedIn 

The Summer Strategy Sessions have come and gone, but I now have a 6-week 1:1 coaching offer in addition to my signature 12 week program.  Click here to book a free consultation to find out more.  

My favorite interviews are Client Success Story episodes, because I get to celebrate my clients’ success and also show what’s possible when you partner with a highly experienced coach who really understands the needs of neurodivergent, highly creative solopreneurs.

Today’s guest is Ashley Lloyd, a multi-talented creative, who transitioned from the luxury fashion industry to landscape design, and who shares her journey of discovering the power of right sizing her business to fit her values, financial goals and ADHD brain.

In this episode, Ashley shares how her recent ADHD diagnosis helped her better understand her perfectionism, time blindness, and rejection sensitivity, all while creating systems and workflows for her business as a sole proprietor with my expert guidance and mentorship.

We focus on the importance of setting boundaries, systematizing workflows, and building referral partnerships to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. You won't want to miss this insightful conversation on balancing passion, purpose, and profit!

Here’s a sneak peek of what we covered:

🎨 Harnessing Creative Strengths Ashley shares how she utilizes her artistic skills and creative spark, honed in luxury fashion and fine arts, to create stunning landscape designs.

🧠 Managing Perfectionism and ADHD: We talk candidly about perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, and time blindness the simple, practical strategies that make all the difference.

📈 Referral Partnerships: Ashley’s created a partnership agreement to ensure alignment with her brand and “weed out” (pun intended) clients that aren’t a good fit.

🛡️ Setting Boundaries to Eliminate Over-delivering and Undercharging: Ashley and I discussed how we restructured her service offerings to prevent burn-out while maximizing profit.

🌟 Self-Acceptance and Personal Growth: Building a business that aligns with your personal values and vision sustains your momentum and creative energy.

Check out the episode Ashley listened to TEN times that changed her mind about customer service:

Episode #201: Reversing Energetic Drain by Closing Open Loops in Your Client Service Business

Books on the Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron

Mic Drop Moment:

"I created a flowchart with you of my process. And knowing what the flowchart looks like, the client intake, all the way through to the end, I'm able to better position myself to not get taken advantage of." Ashley Lloyd

Website: Ashley Lloyd Garden & Design

Have you been forgetting to book a consultation for one of my summer offers? There’s just ONE WEEK LEFT to grab one of my Summer Strategy Sessions. These fast and focused engagements are designed for maximum impact in minimum time. Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no obligation consultation NOW!

Several years ago, Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, interviewed me on the topic of whether women with ADHD are at greater risk for entering into a relationship with a narcissist or toxic partner on her podcast “Save Your Sanity.” 

I have not done any qualitative research on the subject, but based on my experience as a psychotherapist and a coach, I have seen plenty of evidence that it may be true. 

I was contemplating recording a solo episode on the topic when I learned that Dr Shaler passed away unexpectedly in April 2024. 

So, instead of recording something on my own, I decided to share the best parts of the original interview on her show in honor of her important work.  

In this episode, Dr Shaler and I explore how women with ADHD,  who tend to be quite intuitive often miss the warning signs that the person they are involved is a narcissist. 

We unpack everything from the addictive allure of unpredictable partners to the internalized shame that makes us more vulnerable to remain in unhealthy relationships. 

Our dialog offers a fresh perspective on the dopamine deficiency that drives us, insights on how rejection sensitivity, impulsivity, and the hidden brilliance of ADHD play a part in partner selection.

If you have ever found yourself in a manipulative relationship, or questioned your self-worth, this conversation will provide the validation you need to seek out more information and healing.

Mic Drop Moment: 

 "I believe that women with ADHD can sense the abnormality in the hijackal’s behavior and the inconsistencies in how they behave, but we override our ability to trust our intuition because of our persistent self-doubt and all the negative messages that we have internalized."   Diann Wingert 

Rhoberta Shaler’s resources on toxic relationships and narcissistic abuse:

• YouTube
• Podcast
• Website

The original interview on Save Your Sanity Podcast: “Have ADHD? You Might be an Unwitting Hijackal Magnet” with Diann Wingert

Don't forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it 

Additional resources:

“It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People” by Ramani Durvasula, PhD

I Believe Your Abuse support groups in the U.S. 

Note: 

This episode is intended for information purposes only.  If you suspect you may be in a relationship characterized by narcissistic abuse, please seek out support from a qualified professional.

Having a fun summer but want to get something BIG done in your business before fall? Time is running out to grab one of my Summer Strategy Sessions.

These fast and focused engagements are designed for maximum impact in minimum time.  Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no obligation consultation NOW! 

Most people with ADHD traits are original thinkers and creative problem solvers, but don’t always know how to make the most of these abilities. My own search lead me to the work of psychologist JP Guilford who studied creativity in the 950s, and is based on the notion that all creativity is evidence of divergent thinking.  

Spoiler alert: if you are neurodivergent, you are creative, even if you don’t think of yourself that way.  In this episode,  using Guilford’s model, I will break down the four different types of creativity (aka divergent thinking) and share simple, effective strategies for how to enhance yours, from brainstorming and mind mapping to perspective shifting and role-playing. 

Troubled by your tendency to go off on tangents?   Have trouble making decisions because you can see the benefits of every option?  Feel self conscious about your impulsivity and intuition?  It’s all evidence of your divergent, creative thinking! 

Don't forget to share this episode with a fellow creative and choose one new strategy to implement this week.

Guilford’s Model of Divergent Thinking (aka Creativity) 

• Fluency: generating a large number of ideas or solutions 
• Flexibility: generating ideas that are different from each other.
• Originality: generating ideas that are novel or unique.
• Elaboration: developing, refining, and elaborating on ideas.

We’ll not only cover tools and techniques to amplify your creativity in each of these four areas, but how to protect your creativity through strategic rest, structured downtime and how to avoid toxic productivity and revenge bedtime procrastination.  

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Interview with Jude Star on mindfulness and meditation 
• Q-less Crossword Solitare Dice Game
• Julia Cameron Morning Pages 
• Voxer walkie talkie app 

Time is running out to grab one of my Summer Strategy Sessions. 

These fast and focused engagements are designed for maximum impact in minimum time.  Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no obligation consultation NOW! 

I’m excited to introduce you to my client, Robyn Rosenberger, the passionate founder of Tiny Superheroes. Robyn is a founder with a heart, and decided to work with me on the advice of her therapist so she could learn to balance passion, purpose and profitability in her business.

You’ll hear Robyn open up about her unique journey as a twice-exceptional individual, facing the challenges and triumphs of running a mission-driven business that empowers children with disabilities to see themselves in a positive light, as well as a vibrant community for their parents.

We’ll dig into Robyn's struggles with managing others, the emotional rollercoaster of taking big risks that don’t always work out, and the often-lonely path of a visionary entrepreneur who is striving to balance business ambition and mental health.

Join us as we explore the nuances of thinking differently, the quest for sustainable success without burnout and the profound impact of truly understanding and embracing one’s giftedness.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Techniques for balancing collaborative and solo work
• Leaning into your intuition as a twice-exceptional founder
• Building trust and effective communication in a neurodiverse team.
• Tips for finding the perfect business coach for your unique needs.
• Exercises to align mental health with business growth.
• Strategies for creating sustainable peace and financial stability

Meet Robyn Rosenberger

Robyn Rosenberger is the founder of Tiny Superheroes, a mission-driven business dedicated to changing the way the world views disabilities by empowering children with superhero capes and creating a supportive online community for their parents. Robyn is a twice-exceptional entrepreneur—both gifted and ADHD—who has built a thriving business while addressing the unique challenges that come with her exceptional mind.

Tiny SuperHeroes

Connect with Robyn on Linkedin or Instagram

Mentioned during the interview:

ThinkUp! App

There is just ONE MONTH LEFT to schedule one of my Summer Strategy Sessions.

It starts with a free consultation to see which one meets your needs and fits your budget. These are fast and focused engagements designed for maximum impact in minimum time. Click on the hyperlink to schedule NOW.

Today I am joined by Racheal Cook to unpack the reality of why women are not making the kind of money they should be making in their entrepreneurial ventures and what they need to do to flip the script.

Racheal Cook is a speaker, host of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, and founder of The CEO Collective, and in this episode, she'll share the shocking statistic that only 12% of female entrepreneurs break the six-figure barrier.

Racheal and I are not only going to dissect the hype versus the reality of the online business world, but provide proven strategies for achieving sustainable profits.

Here are 3 key takeaways from our conversation:

 🎯 Network Strategically: Human connection remains crucial, regardless of whether you're an introvert or extrovert. Rachel shares excellent strategies for connecting within your energetic capacity.  

 💡 Understand Your Strengths: Racheal and I unpack the importance of leveraging personal strengths when designing your business, creating a business model that excites you and aligns with your skills.

 🚀 Profit over Revenue: Highlighting common industry misconceptions, we discuss the importance of focusing on profit rather than revenue. 

✏️ Simplify your business strategies and learn to trust in your decisions to build sustainable success

Mentioned in this episode:

• Tara Newman
• Mike Michalowicz
• Shannon Greenwood’s Rebelle 
• Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary V) 

🎙️ Mic drop moment: “Marketing has hijacked common sense.” Racheal Cook

Want to connect with Racheal Cook? 

Racheal’s Get Paid Calculator 

The CEO Collective: https://theceocollective.com/

Promote Yourself to CEO podcast 

If you want to grab one of my limited Summer Strategy Sessions, it starts with a free consultation to see which one meets your needs and fits your budget.  These are fast and focused engagements designed for maximum impact in minimum time.  Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no obligation consultation.  

Many of us with ADHD tend to be collectors.  Collectors of everything from rescue dogs to creative projects to information.  The ease of acquiring information in the digital age makes it close to impossible to know when we have collected enough.  Is there any objective measure of when “research” turns into a rabbit hole? 

Add to this tendency the fact that we often struggle with FOMO and the pervasive sense that we are not doing enough, are falling behind, aren’t where we are supposed to be and generally not keeping up.  

FOMO renders us more susceptible to experiencing RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) because we are more vulnerable to criticism when we are already criticizing ourselves.  

So, in this insightful episode, I describe the intersections between ADHD, FOMO, RSD and information overload, with the goal of normalizing how common this is, how much anxiety and stress it causes, and what we can do to manage it. 

Here’s a sneak peek to what you’ll learn: 

• Understand how impulsivity and novelty seeking sets us up to become social media junkies.
• How to set boundaries and prevent information overload and overwhelm.
• Boredom, loneliness, and isolation are triggers for FOMO - learn to recognize and tackle them head-on.
• From mindfulness to mini-breaks, discover actionable steps to combat FOMO in real time.
• The often overlooked link between FOMO and RSD - let’s learn to protect our sensitivity 

Hey, we all struggle with social comparisons and the need for validation, but it’s incredibly important to focus on meaningful experiences with people who genuinely care about us. 

This episode is packed with strategies that not only help you combat FOMO and RSD but also ensure that you live a more connected and purposeful life.

💬 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, especially a fellow creative or business owner.  Use this link to make it easy.

Episodes on related topics to check out: 

Fancy, Gritty, Shiny, FOMO 

Overcoming Rejection Sensitivity in Entrepreneurship 

If you have been diagnosed with ADHD, one of the decisions you’ll need to make is whether to share it with others, especially people you work with. Join fellow ADHD coach Cathy Rashidian and I on July 19th for a LinkedIn Live discussion on if, when and how to disclose your diagnosis in the workplace or in your own business. 🚀 Register Now for the next LinkedIn Live on July 19th 

In this episode, I mentioned my pop up offers for July & August only, called the Summer Strategy Sessions, These are fast and focused engagements designed for maximum impact in minimum time.  Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no obligation consultation to see if one of these offers and working with me this summer is right for you. 

When we think of ADHD, most of us think of impulsivity, distractibility and inattentiveness, but challenges with regulating our emotions, including overexcitability, irritability, reactivity, rejection sensitive dysphoria, anxiety and overwhelm are just as prevalent.

This is especially true for women with the hormonal changes that accompany their monthly cycles and during perimenopause. 

I’m thrilled to welcome Kate Moryoussef, an ADHD wellbeing and EFT coach, back to the Driven Woman Entrepreneur Podcast.

We will be talking about ways we can help ground, support and empower ourselves to gain self compassion, self confidence and self control through EFT tapping, breathwork and mindfulness practices. 

Here are some of the highlights: 

• Self-compassion techniques for reducing self criticism
• Simple daily exercises to keep your nervous system in check
• Tips for making more confident and clear decisions
• Practicing Emotional Freedom Technique for instant relief from overwhelm 
• Accessible habits anyone can adopt for better emotional regulation and focus.

Want to connect with Kate Moryoussef?

ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast 

Kate on Instagram

Kate’s on demand workshops 

If you want to grab one of my limited Summer Strategy Sessions, it starts with a free consultation to see which one meets your needs and fits your budget. 

These are fast and focused engagements designed for maximum impact in minimum time.  Click on the hyperlink to schedule your no-obligation consultation.  

Kate shared this Mic drop moment before we hit record, but I just had to share it:  

“The longer we live with it (ADHD), the more resourceful we become.” 

Check out my first interview with Kate from Dec 2020  Episode # 34 “Freedom from Overwhelm.” 

Mentioned during the interview:

My interview with Jude Star: mediation teacher, psychotherapist & adult with ADHD 

Welcome back to another episode in the Entrepreneurs with ADHD series!

Today, I’ll explore the legitimate reasons why many people decide against getting an official diagnosis, the challenges involved in obtaining one, and what you can expect if you're considering it. 

I’ll also share why I’m embracing the term "ADHD-ish" and advocating for a world where everyone, diagnosed or not, can feel supported and informed.

Stick around for an episode packed with insight, empathy, and a call for broader acceptance and understanding within the ADHD community.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed, suspect you might have ADHD, or are just plain curious, this episode is filled with insights you cannot miss.

What to expect in this episode:

• The rigorous and often frustrating process of getting an official ADHD diagnosis as an adult.
• Why many people, despite recognizing ADHD traits, choose not to get diagnosed 
• Alternative labels like "fast-brained," "creative," or even the trendy "neurospicy."
• How past experiences and societal misconceptions keep many from seeking an ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
• Why I’ve started using terms like ADHD-ish to create more inclusivity 

If you have been diagnosed with ADHD, one of the decisions you’ll need to make is whether to share it with others, especially people you work with.

Join fellow ADHD coach Cathy Rashidian and I on July 19th for a LinkedIn Live discussion on if, when and how to disclose your diagnosis in the workplace or in your own business. 

🚀 Register Now for the next LinkedIn Live on July 19th 

💬 What did you think about this episode and the term ADHD-ish? Opinions? Thoughts? Harsh Words? I can handle it all. Share your feedback with me.

Email - Voice note -  DM on LinkedIn or Instagram