Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks

Welcome to episode #66 We’re thrilled to be joined by Rebecca Arnold today. 

REBECCA ARNOLD, JD, CPCC, PCC, is a professional, certified coach and the founder of Root Coaching & Consulting, LLC, a holistic leadership coaching firm for ambitious professionals. She has worked with 100+ leaders in the fields of education, medicine, law, academia, and social-impact organizations. She is an attorney by training and has collaborated with organizations from Google and Harvard to Top 100 law firms and K-12 school districts. She’s known as a “straight-talkin’, big-hearted” coach. Her book, The Rooted Renegade: Transform Within, Disrupt the Status Quo & Unleash Your Legacy, shares the path to holistic success for mission-driven leaders. It’s a #1 Amazon bestseller and Kirkus Reviews called it, “A wide-ranging and impressively holistic approach to achieving personal and professional success.”

Welcome to the show, Rebecca!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity?
   1. When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? 
      1. About age 42- which I’m finding is more and more common among my peers (women with ADHD). 
      2. I have been treated for anxiety and depression for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I had a child with ADHD that I recognized the symptoms in myself and was able to get a diagnosis. This seems like a common experience for parents of children with ADHD because there’s so much more awareness now than when we were children.
   2. What challenges did you face? 
      1. Getting started and focused has always been difficult for me, but I did very well in school because of what I now realize were maladaptive coping mechanisms. I procrastinated and stayed up all night finishing assignments in high school, college, and law school.
      2. This led to me getting to the point of hallucinating in the middle of the night working on finals in law school because I’d stayed up for multiple nights in a row.
      3. When I had kids and started work again, the tasks built up more and more and I could no longer rely on procrastination. I ended up burning out because of massive anxiety overload and sleep deprivation.
      4. I’ve since learned that the effects of anxiety mimic ADHD medications, so of course many of us who are undertreated for ADHD use anxiety to self-medicate. Many of us also have anxiety as a separate diagnosis, so I do want to make that clear. In a world that doesn’t understand or value neurodiversity as it should, anxiety seems to be an obvious byproduct.
         1. The anxiety-fueled productivity masked what was going on underneath.
         2. It was tough to sleep. Combined with adrenal disease, it was really challenging - led to burnout of 8 months.
      5. Writing the book, especially editing required support from others
         1. Can edit things forever.
         2. Hard to cut through the pressure of doing things alone
   3. What is it like now?
      1. I have medication that works- yay!
      2. And I’ve learned so many hacks that help me work with my ADHD
         1. Hacks wax and wane over time
         2. Accountability buddies
      3. I’m really choosy about the type of work I do because I know that if it plays to my strengths and talents, I’m fire and if not, it’s torture. 
      4. I’m also very intentional about ways to generate motivation (connecting a task to my purpose, considering who the work is for and its impact, allowing myself to get excited and follow my energy- instead of treating my to-do list like my boss).
   4. What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. I’m great at coming up with new ideas for my coaching business 
      2. Many people post-pandemic have ADHD-like challenges with focus, procrastination, and productivity, so I’m able to share with my neurotypical clients strategies that support me (and they work for them too)
      3. I can get a lot done when I’m motivated, so I capitalize on that. 
      4. Deep empathy
         1. Can be a distraction as well as a superpower.
      5. Tangentiality means she can join dots and see patterns easily.
      6. Creating own rules (came from being socialized as a woman, pressure to be perfect). Rebelled against perfection.
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. I’m focused on spreading the word about my book, The Rooted Renegade because it’s packed with practical tools and strategies that I know will support people.
      1. The impetus for the book was videos that Rebecca was releasing during pandemic
      2. Messages for videos translated to book
      3. Framework for holistic success
         1. Calming emotions
         2. Existential peace - align work with purpose, habits with goals
         3. Relational peace: positive relationships with self and others (instead of sucking us dry)
      4. 50+ tools
      5. Talk to the book while writing it
   2. Doing deep work with my executive and leadership clients.
   3. Running my business in ways that fulfill me like being aligned with my purpose, hiring people who are values-aligned, and building time and space into my schedule for deeper work, connection, rest, family, and play. JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time? (5 minutes - T+25)
3. Productivity tips 
   1. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? Examples: creating energy/focus-aligned to-do lists, doing focused work at particular times of day, working in noisy environments for tasks that require focus or that I’m avoiding, having accountability partners who cheer me on and ask how my projects are going, batching tasks I’m avoiding, work blocking, getting enough sleep and eating well, strategic breaks, lovingly telling on myself, and so much more!
      1. Accountability partners
      2.  Time of day: 
         1. 9am-12 best time to GSD
         2. 2pm energy dip
      3. Changing environments - Going to coffee shops
      4. Coffitivity - streaming coffee shop noise (link to come)
      5. Movement breaks:
         1. Take the dog for walk
         2. Get coffee
      6. Goals posted on wall
         1. Vision Board
         2. Being able to see goals helps with object permanence
      7. Suck Sandwich
         1. Work on something fun
         2. Work on something really hard/sucky
         3. Work on something fun
      8. Focus/energy - aligned todo-lists. E.g. Checking in on how the focus is and then picking the lists that are aligned with the level of focus.
   2. What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
      1. I resist project plans, spreadsheets, task lists, and things that feel overly constrictive. Instead, I create these in ways that serve how my brain works (stickie notes/drawings/color)
      2. I don’t like having a set schedule- I crave novelty, so I mix up my schedule all the time.
      3. “Do the most important thing first”- nope. It’s hard for me to figure out what’s most important and if I hate that task, I can’t start with it or it affects my entire morning. Instead, I use what I call the “suck sandwich”- I do a task I enjoy for a short time, then work on the task I’m dreading for a bit, and finish with something I enjoy.
4. BREAK
5. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. I don’t have a morning routine, other than showering, dressed, having coffee, getting kids out the door to school, and then getting to work. Sometimes I run before I work. Sometimes I walk. Sometimes I get right to it. Depends on the day. 
   2. Routine changes all the time to combat routine fatigue.
   3. Start with...

Welcome to the Focus and Chill podcast, episode 65. Today, Jeremy Nagel and Joey Corea talked about niching down for work, and clear to neutral.

Questions

• Niching down - freeplane/Zoho
  • Writing a book for specific people (Tim Ferris approach)
  • If those people don’t like it, it’s a failure
  • User stories and personas - make them real not 
  • Be an apprentice/journeyman first
• Clear to neutral
  • Closing tabs at end of day
    • Tab limit: 5 tabs
    • Save in Pocket instead?
      • How do you order them?
      • Setting an internal proposition?
        • Low information diet
          • How do you consume content?
            • Fractal reading?
              • Read content around the author (interviews with author)
  • “Leave future self breadcrumbs”
    • Write plan for the next day the night before
  • Clearing desk
  • Resetting donations/subscriptions (pause credit cards)
  • Hemingway starting in middle of sentence
• Zone 2 cardio
• ADHD meds/stimulants
  • caffeine

More from Focus Bear:

Website: https://focusbear.io

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/

Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear

10 News First: Melbourne Inventions Helping Those With Disabilities

Connect with Jeremy:

Jeremy’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Joey:

https://thepluckyjester.com/newsletter/

Welcome to episode #64. We’re thrilled to be joined by Damien Diecke today. 

Damien is the founder of the School of Attraction and The Dangerous Man. He is the author of the award-winning book Sincere Seduction. He's been a coach and professional speaker in over 25 countries. He was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 10 and struggled until he started his company at the age of 25, which he’s still running today 15 years on. Damien has developed unique working styles to enable him to be productive. Many of his clients have ADD and he’s here today to share these working styles and how his work can help those with ADHD and ADD.  

Welcome to the show Damien!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realise that you weren’t neurotypical?
      1. Other people realised long before I did - as a kid you don’t thnk about these things as much - except I never had friends in primary school which hurt a lot. 
      2. I never ‘felt’ neurodivergent until I was an adult - even though I had been medicated as a kid
      3. Diagnosed at 10
   2. What challenges did you face? 
      1. Couldn’t keep focussed on university, dropped out of a double degree
      2. Couldn’t complete anything that I started - DJ work, courses, study, business ideas etc. 
      3. When people knew I had ADHD they told me certain things I couldn’t do - I learned to be obsessed with finding a way to turn the ADHD into a strength, a way to use it to my advantage - this obsession has served me well I think.
      4. Feeling misunderstood
      5. Often had only one friend
      6. Struggled with homework
      7. Wondered what trouble he was going to get into
      8. Which knocked the love of learning out of him
      9. University was tough because the pressure to achieve was no longer there.
   3. What is it like now?
      1. I suppose it’s a part of who I am - I live a life where it’s completely integrated and accounted for - I just live a little differently but don’t feel it’s a negative in any way
      2. I had to learn to adapt because most useful drugs are off the table for me - hormone disregulation issues. 
      3. I default to logic when things get emotionally hard
      4. Loves learning again
      5. Still loses interest in things that are repetitive (e.g. some board games).
      6. Schoolofattraction was the only thing that he was able to see through
         1. The difference was that he was able to get a lot of praise (because everyone wants to get better at dating).
         2. Consistent progress: 5 minutes per day.
   4. What neuroexceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Definitely hyper-focus… I can get amazing amounts of work done in short periods of time when I get into hyper-focus area. 
      2. Knowing strengths:
         1. Great at designing and building websites. Not great at writing sales emails
         2. Now delegates work that he finds hard to hyperfocus on
      3. I also hyper focus on electronic toys (drones) - Why is this useful? I buy and sell toys on a profit - so it’s a side-hustle I can only pursue because I’m hyper focussed on the toys and the marketplace they live in - I see the trends and take advantage of playing with new electronic toys for a while. 
      4. Because I had to learn to be hyper-structured - it’s useful in a business context - at least a lot of the time.
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on? 
   1. Two parts:
      1. School of Attraction
         1. Dating coaching
            1. Goal is to be confident but not manipulative (not pickup artist style)
   2. Men’s retreats
      1. Personal development work separate from dating coaching
         1. Hard to sell spirituality/self development - easier to sell dating coaching (but actually dating goes better if you do self development)
            1. Helps to dissolve illusion that a partner will solve self esteem issues
      2. Dealing with inner demons
   3. Advertising and PR mostly - I have spent too long focussing on what I’m good at and not other parts of the business that need attention. So my hyperfocus righ tnow is on designing ads, landing pages, and writing copy - thank god for AI it helps a lot with ideas. 
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time? 
   1. I fly FPV racing drones, watching movies, photography
      1. FPV (first person view)
   2. Exercise (helps with hormone dysregulation).
      1. Goes to a gym
      2. Goes with his partner but only because they’re partnered
      3. Does weights (but doesn’t do much for mental health)
   3. Lot’s of reading
   4. Avoiding 
      1. alcohol (since 21)
      2. Bars / clubs
   5. Spending time with partner
   6. Novelty
      1. Cars / buggies
   7. Recommends that people find hobbies that force you to be part of a community
4. Productivity tips  
   1. What do you do to optimise productivity during your working hours? 
      1. I’m hyper-structured
         1. Start work at the same time
         2. My whole day is the same every day
         3. On Sundays plans out entire week down to 30 minute level
         4. Long term goals
      2. I have to block entire days dedicated to hyper-focus tasks otherwise I can’t even consider starting them. 
      3. I have to bounce my thoughts off other people to really process them
         1. Verbally processing - doesn’t need feedback
   2. What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
      1. Pomodoro technique  - better to stay in hyperfocus
         1. But needs breaks during creativity crashes
         2. Taking walks every hour or two
5. BREAK 
6. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time? 
   1. I eat the same thing every day until I get bored of it - adding a new decision every morning would create cognitive fatigue that would make starting with work harder
   2. I avoid dopamine activities prior to starting work
   3. Reduce decision fatigue
7. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night? 
   1. My sleep is often rough - not sure if that’s about neurodivergence - or my hormone dysregulation - maybe those are related, who knows? 
   2. I read at night in bed, takes about an hour to get to sleep
   3. Doesn’t watch TV
   4. Because my brain is always firing on overdrive, waking up in mornings is almost never an issue even with just a few hours sleep
8. Where can people connect with you or find your work? 
   1. schoolofattraction.com
   2. youtube/schoolofattraction 
   3. School of attraction podcast
9. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience? 
   1. I think it’s hard to give overall advice to neurodivergents because all forms of neurodivergence are spectra, and more than that the symptoms between identical diagnoses tend to be vastly different as well - everyone is a bit unique. In many ways I still don’t consier myself neurodivergent because that feels like a way of seeing myself that would just hold me back - this is probably not the ideal advice for everyone, but for me, it was important to my success.    
   2. Actually I think that it’s good advice for EVERYONE NT and ND - Create a life where you can capitalise...

Welcome to episode #63. We’re thrilled to be joined by Errin Anderson today. 

Errin Anderson is a dedicated ADHD Clarity Coach, empowering professionals with ADHD through his 90-day program. Offering personalized strategies and motivational support, he helps individuals overcome challenges, focusing on their strengths. His empathetic, focused approach aims to transform personal and professional lives, understanding the unique hurdles faced by those with ADHD. 

Welcome to the show Errin!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realise that you weren’t neurotypical? 
      1. I always thought I was different, but it was not till I was going through a rough patch that I started to think about ADHD since other family members got diagnosed, Officially diagnosed when I was 32.
         1. Relatively late diagnosis
         2. Diagnosis gave a reason to the things going on with him
   2. What challenges did you face? 
      1. Always mind a friend and work colleague who always said Errin you're like a Duracell Bunny on Drugs, running at 100 mph, 
      2. I could not focus a lot of the time, unless I had a deadline to meet; mind from Uni, I was writing my essay at midnight when it was due to be handed in at lunchtime
      3. Noise is always in my head, thoughts going 1000mph
         1. Brain is always busy
   3. What is it like now?
      1. Learned just to be me 
      2. Mediation has really given me the quiet mind
      3. Through coaching developed lots of tools and techniques that work for me to maintain focus and not lose EVERYTHING (mobile, wallet, keys) 
      4. I am happy, not that I've never been happy but the longest I've felt in the happy emotional state.
         1. More emotional granularity (understanding the nuances between emotions)
      5. Having visual reminders like calendar reminders to help him manage time.
   4. What neuroexceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Being creative
         1. Getting lost in Canva
      2. Being my true self and getting that mask drop 
      3. Thinking outside the box, is there a way i can get around, over or under this challenge
      4. Being able to listen to others and understand what really going on
         1. Active listening
         2. Not filling in the space
            1. Instead allow thinking time.
         3. Was able to build it with small habits
         4. Allows fidgets and sensory toys
            1. Fidget ring
         5. Walking can help 
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Busy (always busy!)
   2. Background is working in non profit space
   3. Really focusing the now on setting up my coaching business working with professionals ND, providing them with the safe and time to reflect and develop actions, within a safe nonjudgemental place, oh and love the random moments we have in coaching when our brain takes us down that rabbit hole and allowing people to explore the space. Without feeling pressured into focus on what was the first thing we spoke about
   4. Charities
      1. Untangling some admin messes (e.g. financials)
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. When not working with Charities across Scotland or working on my coaching, i spend time with the family. 2 children (9 and 13), and the wife (who just gets it)
      1. Getting away
      2. Youngest has ADHD traits
   2. Time out in the garden - well when it’s actually sunny in Scotland and not raining
4. What do you do to optimise productivity during your working hours? 
   1. 1. To Do list - but small GOALS,One product split into 5/10 steps to reach the goal, use online software to help me plan, has been a life saver. Used to write to-do list which was huge, and i would lose it so spent most the time trying to mind what was on the last one and redoing the list
         1. UseMotion.com
         2. Remarkable notepad
   2. What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
      1. FOCUS and have QUIET, sounds like hell to me, i need noise to keep my brain busy on two things at one. Trying to just focus with nothing else going on it, make my brain feel like we need to run a marathon - Well that will never happen physically. 
         1. Music
            1. What he listens to depends
               1. When hyperfocused, doesn’t matter what the music is
               2. When he’s trying to get into something, lyrics get distracting
         2. Subtitles makes him feel like he’s multi-tasking
            1. Reading and listening at the same time
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?
   1. Before i would just close down and disengage, now its all about the relationship ive developed with them. Of course at the start i will apologies all the time, as my brain switches off or im listen but doing something else at the same time
   2. Why should i conform to neurotypical, they need to take me as i am, maybe they should change or we can meet half way? 
7. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Morning routine what's that!
   2. Initial i would wake up get ready and get to work no matter the time, can mind being in the office at 6am as i was up which just burned me out
   3. Now - always up around 1.5/2 hours before i need to leave, give myself time to have everything ready, and spent some time on stuff i need to do, if going into the office, jump on the bus and listen to a podcast whilst reading the news to see whats happening in the world. 
8. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?
   1. Sleeps an interesting thing, probably spent that last 2 years really struggling with sleep, you would be lucky if i was getting 5 hours a night and being topped up on drugs to get me to wind down, by evening i was done but my heads was WIDE awake and wanted to do everything  
   2. Now as im having time for me and allowing space to winddown at night, and having lights that change with the sunlight helps my body feel like it needs to sleep and can now sleep a full night, well unless the kids are up .
9. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. You can get me on Socials
      1. Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/philanthropeakcoaching/ 
      2. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PhilanthroPeakCoaching 
      3. TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@philanthropeakcoaching?_t=8iqQJxoyHDM&_r=1
      4. Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/errin-anderson/
   2. Best place - via my website https://philanthropeak.co.uk/
10. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Be you, learn about yourself and take the pressure off, sometimes just having that conversation with someone who gets can change everything. Lets those grey clouds and fog lift away. 

More from Focus Bear:
Website: https://focusbear.io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/
Youtube:

Welcome to episode #62 We’re thrilled to be joined by Ellen Busch today. Ellen Busch, diagnosed with dyslexia in childhood, defied expectations. Her parents nurtured her beyond academic confines, teaching her to navigate the ocean, excel in team sports, and embrace adventure. Despite self-esteem struggles, she became a skilled skier and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Battling low self-esteem and trauma, Ellen persevered, escaping abuse and seeking healing. Through coaching, therapy, and training, she reclaimed her power, now thriving and fearlessly pursuing her dreams. Welcome to the show Ellen!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realise that you weren’t neurotypical?
      1. Initially diagnosed as ambidextrous.
   2. What challenges did you face? 
      1. Dyslexia associated with an intellectual disability.
         1. People had low expectations of her - teacher told her parents that she would only ever be able to be a wife/mother
         2. Her parents didn’t accept the administrator’s diagnosis. Her dad’s mantra was “Prove em wrong Ellen!”
      2. Took successes outside of the classroom and brought them into the classroom.
         1. Physical challenges like abseiling, scuba diving, boating
         2. Was able to apply the adventures to assignments
      3. Going to college / uni was better
         1. Academic staff were supportive
            1. Probably because she was so open and transparent
         2. Managed to get through tough subjects
   3. What is it like now?
      1. Agrees that the struggle gave her the grit
         1. She could outwork everyone else
         2. At an early age
            1. E.g. Reading nautical charts with her Dad.
   4. What neuroexceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Understanding visual learning
         1. Thinks in pictures
         2. Using visual aids whenever possible
            1. E.g. Anatomy colouring book - associating the colour with the name.
      2. Long-term memory is good
      3. Good pattern recognition
2. What projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Book: disEmpowered
      1. Shares her story about getting through hostile education system and leaning into her strengths
      2. Lots of podcast
   2. Training to become a coach (to help other dyslexic people and parents of dyslexic children)
      1. Heroes’ journey approach
         1. Refuse the challenge
         2. Take on the challenge
         3. Succeed
         4. Take the lessons back to your tribe
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Come back to the idea of outworking people. Does she find it difficult to switch off
      1. When younger, it was rough
         1. Because don’t have the emotional development on how to cope.
         2. Would have frustrated outbursts.
      2. Do athletic, physical things and then would fall asleep.
      3. Foundational practices
         1. Meditation
         2. Journalling
         3. Breathwork
         4. Visualisation
         5. Reboot practice - 45 mins to turn off the brain
         6. Yoga
4. What do you do to optimise productivity during your working hours? What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
   1. Optimising productivity
      1. Take breaks - not a robot!
         1. “Spot drills”
            1. Micro-workouts (10 minutes): 50 air squats/burpees/push-presses/WOD
            2. Does 3 of those per day. Aiming for 4
         2. “Sitting is the new smoking”
      2. Break up tasks - write for 15 minutes and then empty the dishwasher
      3. Setting boundaries: this is what I need to do for myself
   2. Unhelpful advice
      1. Multitasking: doing 3-5 things at a time doesn’t work. Do one thing at a time.
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?
   1. Setting expectations (like she did with the professors at college)
   2. Active listening
   3. Understanding different perspectives
      1. Asking for clarification
      2. Reflecting back
   4. 5 mountain plan
      1. From Commander Mark Devine (retired Navy Seal)
7. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Set alarm clock 30 mins early - give herself time to wake up (not New York style wake up, gulp coffee and leap out the door anymore!)
   2. Large glass of water
   3. Box breathing
   4. Gratitude journalling - typically 3 minutes 
   5. Yoga and stretching
   6. Micro goals approach: 
      1. start small with the habits - 3 things I’m grateful for and then build out from here
8. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?
   1. PM ritual:
      1. Journaling (what went well/what didn’t go well - what did I learn? In a non judgemental way)
      2. Breathwork (box breathing)
      3. Meditation (insight timer)
      4. Sleep!
9. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. Book: Amazon
   2. ellenbusch.com
   3. Facebook
   4. LinkedIn
   5. Instagram
10. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. If you are dyslexic/ND, please know that you are not broken
    2. You have amazing abilities - focus on what you’re good at - explore that

More from Focus Bear:

• Website: https://focusbear.io
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/ 
• Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear
• 10 News First: Melbourne Inventions Helping Those With Disabilities

Connect with Jeremy:

• Jeremy’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Joey:

• https://thepluckyjester.com/newsletter/ 

Welcome to episode #61 We’re thrilled to be joined by Katriona Lee today. 

Kat is the Co-Founder of Kaya, Australia's first strategy-as-a-service platform built for entrepreneurs. Kat forged a successful career in corporate as a neurodivergent professional, leaning heavily into fitness and habit stacking as key tools for emotional regulation.

Welcome to the show Kat!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? 
   2. What challenges did you face? 
   3. What is it like now?
   4. What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?

Early Signs and Challenges:

• Early childhood observations by parents indicated unusual developmental patterns, such as speaking and swimming before walking. This hinted at a different learning and communication style.
• During the teenage years, emotional regulation and social comprehension were significant struggles, leading to disproportionate reactions to routine disruptions or misunderstandings in communication.
• Professional life highlighted these challenges, particularly in understanding and managing social interactions and conversations.

Diagnosis and Personal Struggles:

• Following difficulties in emotional control and understanding social cues, a diagnosis was made, including depression and being on the autism spectrum (previously referred to as Asperger's).
• The diagnosis brought mixed feelings about intelligence and self-worth, leading to extensive personal research and a reluctance to share this information with social circles for fear of judgment and loss of opportunities.

Current Situation and Embracing Neurodiversity:

• Transitioning from a corporate environment to running a personal business has allowed greater freedom to be authentic and redefine leadership and business practices.
• Recognizes and values neurodiverse strengths such as exceptional memory and pattern recognition, which enhance capabilities in strategy consulting and anticipating risks.
• Uses unique cognitive abilities to develop innovative solutions and technologies, addressing pain points effectively.

2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?

Kat Developed a one-stop "anti-consulting" platform to provide integrated, accessible business solutions for underserved entrepreneurs, fostering growth and authenticity without traditional

barriers.

Kat addresses the challenges of managing diverse business functions like IT, marketing, and sales through two main strategies:

1. Partnerships: She partners with experts who respect her unique approach, enabling effective collaboration.
2. Technology and Automation: Kat automates repetitive tasks to enhance efficiency and minimize errors, supporting her business's growth.

3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?

• Kat enjoys outdoor sports like hiking, running, and tennis.
• She takes regular breaks in nature to manage hyper-focus and safeguard her health.
• Social and leisure activities, such as discussing movies with friends, help balance her life.

4. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?

• Productivity Through Fitness: Kat uses her cardio sessions to brainstorm solutions to business challenges, assigning specific tasks to intervals in her running sets.
• Idea Generation During Exercise: She finds physical activity away from the computer leads to actionable business ideas by the end of her gym sessions.
• Reflective Processing: Kat reflects on conversations and business issues during non-work times, which aids in deeper processing and future planning.

5. COMMERCIAL BREAK

6. How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?

• Positive Self-Talk: Utilizes self-encouragement to tackle natural negative thoughts.
• Preparation and Visualization: Plan mental exercises to visualize interactions, assessing likely conversations and challenging personalities.
• Daily Mental Rehearsals: Incorporates daily mental walkthroughs of her schedule to anticipate professional interactions and enhance communication skills.
• Empathetic Connections: Builds relationships with neurodivergent partners and team members, leveraging shared understanding.
• Communicating Needs: Proactively informs colleagues of her needs during remote conversations to manage expectations and maintain focus.
• Requesting Breaks: Transparently requests short breaks during conversations to manage energy and focus, which is well-received by colleagues.

7. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?

• Consistent Wake-Up: Uses alarms set at 15-minute increments to ensure she doesn't oversleep, providing a safety net for starting the day right.
• Hydration and Supplements: Begins with a big drink of water and takes daily supplements.
• Mandatory Exercise: Engages in a structured workout (minimum 40 minutes) which includes a warm-up, high-intensity or weight training, and cool-down. Requires coffee before exercising.
• Cold Water Exposure: Incorporates cold showers to boost focus and energize for the day ahead.
• Routine Importance: Follows a strict routine daily to maintain structure and focus; disruptions lead to agitation throughout the day.

8. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?

• Chronic Sleep Issues: Historically poor sleeper since childhood, with extreme sleep deprivation during teenage years (1-2 hours per night).
• Current Sleep Patterns: Experiences 3-4 hours of sleep on good days and less on bad days.
• Coping Mechanisms: Has tried various methods to improve sleep, including medications, magnesium soaks, yoga, and guided meditation.
• Structured Night Routine: Recently emphasized a more structured evening routine, including:
  • ·    Breaking the day with consistent activities.
  • ·    Turning off lights in a specific sequence.
  • ·    Arrange pillows in the same way each night to create comfort through routine.
• Improvement Efforts: Although still struggling, there has been slight improvement, managing to get about 3-4 hours of sleep regularly in the last three months. Continues to refine the process for better results.

 
9. Where can people connect with you or find your work?

Primary Platform: LinkedIn is the best way to connect.

• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/katrionalee
• Website teamkaya.com.au (Company)
• Content Offered: Publishes a news...

Welcome to episode #60 We’re thrilled to be joined by Aleasha Bahr today. 

Aleasha Bahr is a sales strategist, speaker, best-selling author, and founder of the Black Sheep Sales Method™️. She has 15 years of experience customizing sales strategies for businesses. Aleasha is an ADHDer and uses it to her advantage in her career.

Welcome to the show Aleasha!

QUESTIONS

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? 
      1. Didn’t know that habits were neurodivergent until a few years ago
         1. Getting frustrated when she can’t open certain things.
         2. Can’t conform to deadlines
         3. Fidget
            1. Doodling
         4. Empathy
   2. What challenges did you face? 
      1. Humans are draining
         1. So concerned with another person’s experience that they are constantly trying to accommodate.
      2. Stimulants can make her tired
      3. Trying to figure out what works for her brain
      4. Getting diagnosed as a woman
         1. It felt normalized because she was in the entrepreneurial space.
      5. Spiraling
         1. Catastrophising
            1. Not acting on the spiraling thoughts
      6. Figuring out how to get stuff done
   3. What is it like now?
      1. Learning to communicate the experience
         1. Is it a shared experience?
   4. What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Empathy - sales
         1. Ask more questions
         2. Listen (including to what they don’t say)
         3. Pattern interrupt
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Sales training (Black Sheep)
      1. Clients = service providers who provide their own services
         1. Not just solopreneurs
      2. Avoid working with corporates - people are engaged
      3. Ethos:
         1. don’t manipulate buyers or use shame
         2. Be transparent
         3. Meet their needs
         4. Make lots of money
   2. Group sales training
      1. A different approach - previously did 1 on 1 coaching/training so that she fully understood the client’s offer
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Boundaries:
      1. “That doesn’t make sense for my family” - if people ask for something beyond what she can offer
   2. Tries not to identify completely as “Mom”
      1. Boundaries around
         1. Personal time
            1. Colouring
               1. Adult coloring books
                  1. Absent-mindedly coloring
            2. Write music/singing
            3. Writing a book
         2. Partner time
         3. Friend time
4.  
   1. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? 
      1. Day blocking
         1. Monday and Friday are 0 meetings.
         2. Tuesday - Thursday are just meetings.
      2. Doodling/colouring/going for a walk to unlock creativity
      3. Delegation - detailed work to someone else
         1. Calendar management
         2. Podcast editing + distribution
         3. Social media management (Aleasha creates the content, EA uploads/schedules it)
      4. Lots of lists - bullet points
   2. What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
      1. Time blocking
      2. Putting stuff into spreadsheets
      3. Likes having a bit of freedom/disorganization
         1. A lot of productivity advice is around rigidity and isn’t flexible.
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?
   1. Remember that dealing with difficult people is optional
   2. Transparency
7. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Mon, Wed, Fri - work out virtually with someone
      1. At 5:30 AM?
   2. Otherwise, getting kids dressed and out the door.
      1. Generally, talking to someone gets her out of that stress
         1. And being able to offer value.
8. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?
   1. Brain dump before bed to prevent looping
   2. Personifying your mind
      1. Instead of trying to switch off the thoughts, thank the mind for the thoughts
9. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. Podcast
      1. Sales is not a dirty word
   2. Website
      1. aleashabahr.com
10. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. “There is no good or bad - there is effective and ineffective” - avoid judgment, focus on being effective

More from Focus Bear:
Website: https://focusbear.io

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/ 

Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear

10 News First: Melbourne Inventions Helping Those With Disabilities

Connect with Jeremy:
Jeremy’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy
Email: [email protected]

Connect with Joey:
Joey’s creativity course

Welcome to episode #58 We’re thrilled to be joined by Christina Hooper today. 

Christina is revolutionizing the journey for neurodivergent entrepreneurs. As one of the world's only AuDHD Business Designers, she puts a focus on understanding deeply, unlocking potential, and designing businesses that aren't just successful, but also fulfilling and sustainable.

Christina and her business partners are creating a space where differences are strengths, where every challenge is a chance to innovate, and where everyone gets to live their best life through the journey of entrepreneurship.

Welcome to the show Christina!

Questions

1. JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? 
      1. Age? I missed it
      2. Self-diagnosed through Tiktok
         1. Felt like the first time other folks understood how her brain worked.
            1. Other people experiencing
               1. Brain bouncing around
               2. Not being able to sit still
               3. Drawing connections other people can’t
   2. What challenges did you face?
      1. Couldn’t create the course that should have been easy.
         1. Hired Melanie? The mindset coach?
      2. Business culture
         1. Attire
         2. Loud venues (e.g. Vegas)
   3. What is it like now?
      1. Sensory toys
         1. Fidgit toys
      2. Background music
         1. Without words
         2. Medieval tavern (Bardcore?)
         3. Classical dubstep
      3. Follows the music of brain DJ
      4. Dopamine cheat sheet
      5. Sensory-friendly clothes
      6. Beverage goblin army
      7. Supplements
      8. MTHFR gene mutation
         1. Diabolical B12 deficiency
            1. Turns B12 into cyanide
   4. What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Business design skillset
         1. Leaning into autism
         2. The possibilities / lateral thinking
2. JC: What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Academy
      1. 18 years in business
      2. Offering
         1. Delivery methods:
            1. Metaverse style via gather.town
               1. Body doubling
            2. Office hours with coaches
            3. Email/slack
         2. Roadmap for ND entrepreneurs 
            1. Strategies, apps
         3. Mindset coach
         4. Fractional COO 
            1. Help with delegating and communication
   2. Has 3 other businesses
      1. Consultancy - personal brand
      2. SaaS built on high-level
      3. Project management agency
   3. Started doing graphic design initially
   4. Also website programming on the side (before WYSIWYG builders)
3. JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Hanging with husband and kids
   2. Loofy/one-piece
      1. Business lessons
4. JC: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
   1. Optimizing productivity
      1. You have to prepare the day before if you want to be productive today
         1. Rest and recover well
         2. Pay attention to energy
            1. Monday = content creation day
            2. Thursday/Friday = get interviewed/admin
            3. Daily/monthly cycles
            4. Seasonal changes - winter = not a good time for launching products
      2. Body doubling
         1. Highest level = physical human next to you
         2. Lower level = focus mate/gather town
      3. Optimizing stimulation level
         1. 4x speed if she wants to watch something and learn
         2. Can read a book, watch a video, and listen to a podcast at the same time.
            1. One of the things should be familiar - e.g. a re-run. Without cliffhangers.
         3. Needs to have two things happening at once.?
      4. Things don’t work forever
         1. Why - perhaps the context has changed, e.g. body doubling doesn’t work if you’ve been 
   2. Unhelpful productivity advice
   3. PlayDHD
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. JN: How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?
   1. She stopped trying
      1. Tries to get people to assume positive intent
      2. Training the neurotypicals to assume positive intent
7. JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Go easy first thing - sloth energy - avoid anxiety first thing
   2. Experience morning colors for the rest of the day
      1. And colors the energy 
8. JC: How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?
   1. Closing duties:
      1. Washing dishes
      2. Clothes
      3. Lock door
   2. Timing: do the duties before dinner
   3. Tactile goal setting
      1. Stir to left for more of what you want of
      2. Stir to the right for less
9. JN: Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. christinahooper.com
10. JC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Slow down and prioritise your joy
       1. Life is a journey

Welcome to the Focus and Chill Podcast, episode 58! Today we'll share Journaling Tips: Traditional vs Digital Journaling, Gratitude Practices, Mind Mapping & more!

TOPICS

1. Journaling strategies
   1. Traditional vs digital
      1. Benefits of Digital
         1. Security
         2. Organization
         3. Searchability
      2. Benefits of Traditional
         1. Feels nice
         2. Freeform
         3. Can throw bits of paper away
   2. Smart journaling apps
      1. Not really journaling, more like e-therapist
      2. Concerns around having intimate thoughts sent to the cloud (even if they don’t store your journals in the cloud)
      3. Advancements in local GPTs running on your smartphone
   3. Gratitude practices
      1. Writing a single line vs a story
      2. Getting into the feeling of it makes a difference according to Huberman
   4. Prompts vs no prompts
      1. Different prompts for different times of day/emotional states
         1. Morning - Jeremy prefers tactical: what are the challenges of the day likely to be? How can I make today fun
         2. During the day: emotional processing - why is this person annoying me so much?
            1. Muttering can help?
         3. Evening/scheduled weekly/monthly/seasonal reflection: strategic/divergent thinking - what did I learn? How am I living up to my values?
   5. Writing a day log vs a simple story of the day
      1. Lifelog helpful for historical reflection - what was life like in 2021?
   6. Weekly/monthly reflection
      1. Reflect on insights from last week
      2. What have I learned?
      3. How did I go with last week’s experiments?
      4. How am I Iiving up to my values?
      5. What concerns do I have?
      6. lite tasks (can get done in less than 2 minutes)
      7. tasks to add to the to-do list
      8. Non-actionable but useful reference info to integrate into the second brain.
      9. Experiments to try for the week ahead
2. Mind mapping
   1. Implementing journaling in mindmaps (Freeplane); possible future episodes.

Connect with Jeremy:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy
Email: [email protected]

Connect with Joey:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeycorea/
Creativity Course: https://thepluckyjester.com/habitling-habit-building-course

More from Focus Bear:
Website: https://focusbear.io

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/ 

Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear

Welcome to episode #57 We’re thrilled to be joined by Chris Cameron today.

Chris Cameron is a Workflow Engineering and Process Automation Expert with over a decade of experience. He founded Satellite, a company dedicated to helping small businesses optimize their operations. He also teaches people with executive function barriers how to overcome them using AI, no-code automation tools, and productivity strategies. His work is driven by efficiency, innovation, and empathy, ensuring technology serves people.

QUESTIONS

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? 
   1. When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical?
      1. During pandemic
         1. Felt more on top of things
            1. Other people were struggling
            2. Realized later
               1. He was responding well to chaos.
      2. Having a child
      3. The above two things prompted him to investigate further
      4. In school was the kid that
         1. Didn’t
            1. Do homework
            2. Study
         2. But always performed well
   2. What challenges did you face?
      1. Late to start things
      2. But learning new things about it all the time
         1. Different ways to approach things.
      3. Time blindness
         1. If something isn’t on the calendar, then it doesn’t get done.
      4. Underestimating
         1. Tries to journal and self-analysis and reflect on what is working and what isn’t
   3. What is it like now?
      1. Wanted to talk about it so that other kids wouldn’t fall through the cracks
         1. Not simply be dismissed as the hyperactive boy stereotype.
         2. See through the coping strategies and masking.
   4. What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
      1. Tolerance for frustration
         1. Depending on the cause
            1. Lower than usual
               1. E.g. repetitive tasks
                  1. Filling out tasks
            2. Higher than usual
               1. E.g. Solving aggravating problem
                  1. Coding a solution
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Consultancy doing business process automation (Satellite)
   2. Educational workshops (https://learnwith.cc) for ND people to learn how to automate processes
      1. Building out course material
      2. Tutoring (e.g. how to set up automation)
      3. Workflow optimization tool (free tool to figure out how to improve your processes)
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Investigating new tools (physical and computers)
   2. Spending time with family
      1. 2.5 year old
4. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
   1. Calendaring + notes (so don’t forget)
   2. Timeboxing (worked for a while but then hated it)
   3. Time tracking 
      1. Started for client billing as a freelancer
      2. Tracking how much time spent on personal projects too
      3. Helpful to calibrate estimates (e.g. grocery shopping seems like it should only
   4. Adapt tools to how people work rather than bending people to make the tools work
      1. Velja
         1. E.g. default zoom calls to a specific browser
         2. E.g. always open Trello in the Trello app
   5. What works for a few months, can’t expect it to work forever
      1. Theories about cycling
         1. Novelty is attractive
            1. Adaptation / habituation
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. How do you manage communication with neurotypical folk?
   1. Variable NT tolerance
   2. Having different personas
      1. Work Chris
      2. Real Chris
      3. Is he consolidating these?
   3. Establishing good rapport
7. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. For a while, he had a tightly planned morning routine
      1. Previously, 2-hour time block in the morning
         1. Exercise
         2. Meditate
      2. Adaptability helped in transitioning to parenthood.
   2. Being a father led to a need for flexibility in the morning (e.g. kid wakes up early and needs you right away)
      1. Self-care for self
      2. Get son ready (change, feed him, take him to daycare)
      3. Do maintenance tasks (meditation, exercise, writing)
8. How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night?
   1. Parenting
      1. Terrible sleep doesn’t last forever.
         1. It’s tough when the kid doesn’t sleep at all.
   2. Energy management (more productivity stuff)
      1. Know when you have peak energy
      2. Being mindful of when being sleep deprived.
9. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. https://learnwith.cc
   2. X: learnwithcc
   3. LinkedIn
10. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Webinars
       1. Get people to attend.

Connect with Chris:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/learnwithcc/
Website: https://learnwith.cc/

Connect with Jeremy:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy
Email: [email protected]

Joey’s creativity course: https://thepluckyjester.com/habitling-habit-building-course

More from Focus Bear:
Website: https://focusbear.io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/
Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear