475 | Meet The Coaches: A Coach’s Journey

Join the ADHD reWired Team every second Tuesday of the month for our monthly Live Q&A!  If you want to join us live on Zoom, go to adhdrewired.com/events to register!  In this episode, Trina from My Lady ADHD joins the panel!  You’ll get answers to your ADHD-related questions about relationships, motivation, satisfaction, and burnout. You’ll also hear about taking care of aging parents, the importance of community, disclosing in the workplace, engaging in self-care, and more!   You’ll also find bonus answers and can listen to this episode ad-free on Patreon when you become a Patron at $5.00 a month or more by going to adhdrewired.com/Patreon! Learn more about Trina at her website MyLadyADHD.com! Resources & Honorable Mentions Book: Still Distracted After All These Years by Kathleen G. Nadeau Book: The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov Book: Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA Website: Inclusively.com Website: The Gottman Institute – A Research-Based Approach to Relationships Mentioned – HALT: Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired?   🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired’s award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

In today’s episode, Eric is joined by Dr. Ali Arena!  Dr. Ali is passionate about social cognition, language processing, executive functioning, and creating meaningful friendships and relationships.  She is both a speech and language pathologist and a board-certified behavior analyst, has a doctorate degree in educational leadership, is becoming a licensed educational psychologist, and uses a neurodiversity- and trauma-informed lens when working with all clients.   Dr. Ali’s doctorate focus was unique, to say the least, as it addresses the dating intricacies of autistics, which led her to develop her private practice for anyone who wants help socially navigating in their workplace or relationships.  Lastly, Dr. Ali feels social support is a biological necessity and wants to help all neurodivergent individuals to reach wholistic communication.  Find out more and get connected with Dr. Ali at Connection-Squared.com Questions/Topics:  [00:01:36] Introducing Dr. Ali  [00:03:26] Eric asks Dr. Ali how she got into focusing on relationships and the dating intricacies of neurodivergent people  [00:05:04] Emptying the dishwasher and other themes in neurodivergent relationships [00:06:40] A discussion on parentification [00:07:53] Ways to bring up difficult conversations with a partner  [00:11:31] Cleaning up 99 percent, not assuming negative meanings, and shame responses [00:18:27] Listening, eye-contact, and different ways of processing while listening [00:22:35] “How do you cope with going out to eat in a noisy restaurant?” and other sensory challenges when communicating [00:24:41] Setting yourself up for talking with your partner  [00:26:02] Communicating via text [00:32:47] A discussion on neurodivergent relationships and sex  [00:36:57] Neurodiversity and the LGBTQ+ community  [00:39:00] Explaining neurodiversity as part of one’s identity in a relationship [00:42:54] The impact of being in a relationship with someone who understands your neurodiversity [00:45:31] Finding support for neurodivergent relationships and how to get in touch with Dr. Ali  [00:46:20] One more question for Dr. Ali & closing thoughts  🌟 Want to hear the bonus questions and answer at the end of this episode? Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show and bonus content when you become a Patron at $5 a month or more! You can even join Eric every 4th Tuesday of the month for a Patron-only monthly coaching call at $25 a month!  🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired’s award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

Most adults with ADHD have experienced the impact of their brain at work.  Some have lost jobs, impulsively resigned or never really landed the best fitting career. 
In this episode, I talk with Certified Career Coach, Betty Kempa where she shares her five-steps approach in transitioning to your dream job.  Her insight and systematic approach really resonated with me.  Especially for those of us with ADHD, we tend to act on impulse when we are losing interest in our current career and end up making choices that do not pay off in the long run.  
Imagine taking a step back and really digging deep to not only understand your ADHD brain wiring but also how you can be more resourceful in finding your next amazing career.   Betty and I will share a few insights into this topic with you.  

About Coach Betty:
“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching corporate clients hailing from Google and Sephora to budding entrepreneurs, health-industry professionals, and private-investment firms (to name a few).  My coaching style? Authentic. Strategic. Empathetic. Well-researched. Determined. Your personal champion.”   
You can book a discovery call with her at http://bettykempa.com/about/
I hope you have enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate and share.  

You can always follow me on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathyrashidian/   
Follow me on Instagram at @proudlyadhd_coachcathy where I share ADHD tips for professionals 
To better understand your ADHD book a discovery call with me 

In this episode, Eric is joined by Jessica Smith.  Jessica was ‘accidentally’ diagnosed with ADHD at age 25.  At age 27, she became a sex worker – specifically an independent webcam model.  A combination of creativity, tenacity, and luck helped her to grow a successful business and became one of the top webcam models on her cam site.   After spending 5 years in the industry, she unintentionally retired due to social and performance burnout.  Jessica attributes a large part of her entrepreneurial success to her ADHD and is now transitioning towards a career in ADHD coaching and streaming video games in her free time!  Jessica shares how she was diagnosed with ADHD, her experience in school, her thoughts about her own capabilities, and her view on relationships.  You’ll also hear how she heard about sex work and her time as a performer, her reasons for leaving the industry, the importance of community for alleviating shame, and her experience in the coaching groups.  Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode: [Timestamps coming soon!] ** Get ad-free episodes and the full conversation of this episode by becoming a Patron at $5 a month or more at adhdrewired.com/Patreon! ** – – – Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network: with Brendan Mahan with Will Curb with MJ Siemens – – – ⭐️ We’re starting our 31st season of ADHD reWired’s Award Winning Online Coaching & Accountability Groups!  It’s your last chance to join because we’re starting this week – go to coachingrewired.com to get registered!   

It is not a secret that what holds us back from being our best self is the internal conversation that we have with ourselves. One way to gain Self-confidence is to become fully aware of your thoughts and their impact on your life. Here is a breakdown in 4 categories and how to coach yourself out of these blocks.  I go into details in this episode, here is a summary:
Can you relate to these thoughts?

I am not good enough to ask for that promotion. Others are more qualified than me!
My brain won’t keep up with me if I ask for more challenging, creative projects.
I want to be like the rest of my colleagues. They don’t have the same challenges as I do. They can focus, sit still, and do their work. I can’t possibly do that!
Everyone is expecting me to be a strong leader and always solve their problems. After all, I am the Business owner and should have all the answers.

4 Energy blocks that hold you back from being your optimal self
Limiting Beliefs – something that you accept about life, yourself, and your world or the people in it that limits you in some way.
Ask yourself where this thought came from and how is it serving you to get to your truth.

What is the cost to continue to have this belief?

Interpretations – an opinion or judgment that you create about an event, situation, person, or experience and believe to be true.
To overcome this block, ask yourself, what is another way that I can look at this situation? What would someone else say about this?
Assumptions – because something has happened in the past, it will happen again
Just because it happened in the past, what facts do you have that it will happen again?
Gremlins – Your inner critic that tells you, in one way or another, that you’re not good enough
What is the thought, emotion that I am feeling now, and what action am I taking? How is this thought, emotion, and action, helping me towards my goals and being my best self?  What is a positive Thought and Emotion that I can have to move me closer to my goals?
Don’t forget to comment and subscribe
follow me on Instagram @proudlyadhd_coachcathy 

Eric Tivers continues to reflect on his journey of overcoming burnout and seeking solutions for long-term sustainable energy management. ADHD at 80 MPH is a nod to the last episode recorded in the car about 9 years ago. Episode 47 called . Recording from his car during a road trip, Eric shares his experiences of taking a solo retreat to recharge and refocus and to think about yearly planning. He discusses his efforts to rebalance his work and personal needs, and some insights he’s recently gained. The episode also touches on his continued discovery of being autistic alongside having ADHD and how it’s shaping his approach to life and business.  Eric also announces the opening of registration for winter coaching and accountability groups, reflecting on the value of community and structured support for ADHD individuals. The episode concludes with hearing from some recent coaching group alumi and with logistical details about upcoming coaching sessions and community events. 1:07 Winter Coaching and Accountability Groups 01:30 Road Trip Reflections 03:47 Burnout and Sustainability 15:45 Coaching Group Success Stories 22:02 Upcoming Events and Announcements 25:36 Conclusion and Farewell Registration for our winter groups starts Jan. 3, 2025.  Winter sessions are January 30 – March 27. Add your name to our interest list at It’s not to late to do your yearly planning with ADHD reWired in . Our 5-part yearly planning series is available on demand for Adult Study Hall Members. Join today. It’s only $19.99 a month, or save with an annual membership for only $150 for the year.  You can also support this work on *Note – There will be no Monthly Patreon Coaching Call, or Pomodoro Dance Party for Adult Study Hall Members in December. But we’ll be back in January.