507 | Neurodiverging, Masking, Burnout, and More – with Danielle Sullivan

Welcome to Refined Leadership ADHD Lens with Credentialed Coach Cathy Rashidian, where we delve into refining leadership skills through the ADHD perspective. In this episode, Coach Cathy builds on foundational strategies from the previous discussion, offering actionable steps to clarify and sustain progress despite ADHD challenges.

Discover the MATTER framework – Milestones, Attitude, Tasks, Team, Evaluation, and Revision – designed to help you create a flexible planning system that accommodates change and unpredictability. Move away from perfectionism and embrace a mastery orientation for continual growth.

Witness how Jennifer, a tech product manager, transformed her approach using this framework and achieved success by focusing on progress over perfection.

Remember – Join our Quantum Thinkers ADHD community for tailored insights and support, and learn to lead with confidence and clarity. Celebrate each step as you build a life where you thrive, not just survive.

Returning to the podcast is Kat Hoyer, a recovering HR Specialist who hosts our Career Accelerator Sessions (or CAASH+) in ADHD reWired’s Adult Study Hall Community. Get to know Kat even more in this episode, amd invite you to join us in welcoming Kat Hoyer as ADHD reWired’s newest coach to the coaching team! You’ll hear even more about Kat’s story about how she pivoted from her dream job in human resources to becoming a life and career coach, then the steps leading up to her officially joining the ADHD reWired Coaching Team.  In this Episode: So, who is Kat Hoyer? How did Kat make the transition from HR to Career Coaching to Life-Coaching?  Is Kat still involved with the HR Community? Is the perception of ADHD and Neurodiversity really shifting in the workplace? What compelled Kat to make the change to join the ADHD reWired Coaching Team? What is Kat most excited about when the spring-season of coaching groups arrives?  What values does Kat bring to coaching? What does Kat feel will be her greatest opportunities for growth?  This year, I have a word – it is “enough”. I am really working on understanding that sometimes, it’s okay to be where you are and not be pushing myself… and sometimes “enough” is where I need to live. Kat Hoyer

In this episode, I speak with Executive Coach, and Faculty member of ADD Coach Acadamy, Sherri Cannon. 
She shares how she moved from up the corporate ladder from sales to becoming a leadership development Coach/Facilitator in Silicon Valley. Like my previous guests, Sherri was also diagnosed with Adult ADHD late in life.
During this episode we talk about:

how ADHD can hold you back from reaching your ultimate potential and impact your work/business
Understanding what your style of learning is and how you can tap into your strengths so you can succeed at work
the importance of actively understanding your brain so that you make it work for you instead of you being reactive to it, especially in times of stress, change and transition
How to address the imposter syndrome when it comes to ADHD and how working with the right coach you can remove limiting thoughts that have held you back

About Sherri Cannon
This is how I became an ADHD coach.
In career #1, I was a consumer products sales rep/manager (that’s a classy way of saying I sold soap and fabric softener to grocery stores and loved it). In the second, I traveled the public seminar circuit leading communication and leadership skills workshops around North America.
When I developed a love for change management work with business teams, it took me to Silicon Valley, home of fast companies, geeks and a higher than average percentage of neuro-diverse folks. As an Executive Coach and Group Facilitator, I found my people and my calling. About that time, I also got my own ADHD diagnosis.
In 2015, I added ADHD coaching to my practice. I’ve found my happy place here — coaching leaders, individual contributors, entrepreneurs, retirees, and career seekers to live more fulfilling lives by understanding and partnering effectively with their unique brain wiring.
As you can see from my own path, going toward what calls and interests me has opened new cool doors.
As I went through my own ADDCA training, I hoped I’d one day teach others and help them experience the richness and reassurance of this ADHD community.  When ADDCA invited me to join the faculty in 2018, it was the perfect intersection of my love of teaching with my desire to share this wealth with other learners.
In 2019, I proudly joined the PAAC Board of Directors as Volunteer Chair and I look forward to starting my PAAC accreditation process in 2020.

You can connect with Sherri Cannon  https://www.beyondthebellcurve.life
Resources that we talked about:

Additude Magazine – inside the ADHD mind https://www.additudemag.com/
Adult ADHD Self-Report Scales (ASRS) – https://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/asrs.php
[Self-Test] Do I Have ADHD? Symptom Test for Adults https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-symptoms-test-adults/

Follow Coach Cathy on Instagram at ProudlyADHD_coachcathy
or connect with me on Linkedin at Cathy Rashidian

In today’s episode, Eric is joined by Edward Savio!  Edward is a dad, has ADHD, wrote a musical, and grew up in Connecticut; after Howard University, Edward moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting, where he became a 10-year overnight success!  Savio’s first novel, Idiots in the Machine, was picked up by Sony Pictures from the academy award-winning producers of Forest Gump. After more deals with Sony, Disney, and others, Edward shifted his focus  writing novels so he could spend more time with his family.  He wrote his first three novels in the home overlooking San Francisco Bay, where Danielle Steel wrote her first two breakout novels.  He also once nearly drove Val Kilmer off a cliff!   Learn more about Edward at his website: EdwardSavio.com 🌟 Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show!  You’ll also catch the full content of today’s episode and Eric and Edward’s extended discussion 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!  Questions/Topics:  [00:01:32] Introducing Edward Mentioned here: Book – Idiots in the Machine   [00:02:50] How Edward became successful and a writer and managing ADHD  [00:04:45] Routine, resistance, novelty, and plateauing [00:06:03] How to revisit a project that’s been put away for a while  [00:09:10] Misunderstandings in writing and why inflection matters [00:10:50] Struggles with transitions  [00:14:09] Getting help and taking action  [00:15:04] Edward shares some of his writing process and mitigating distractions  [00:21:23] Systems, built-in overhead, and a question about calendars  [00:25:37] Planning for and putting fun stuff on your calendar, and guilt when not engaging with goal-directed behavior  [00:29:04] “Do you know how many people said they wished they worked more?” and a creative person’s struggle  [00:31:04] “I want to make sure […] my writing does not overtake my ability to interact with people.” – Edward  [00:33:00] Goals, good ideas, and basketball in the office  [00:37:43] Tips for when your brain is faster than you can write and organizing thoughts  [00:41:51] When you don’t want to write, do this.  [00:42:52] What else has Edward been up to?  Mentioned here: Book – The Velvet Sledgehammer [00:47:11] Closing thoughts & where to find more from Edward  Resources & Honorable Mentions: ADHD reWired: Episode 497: Succeed in College with Hannah Choi Book: The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware 🌟 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!

This week, Eric is joined by Emily Karp! Emily is a 33-year-old entrepreneur, asexuality activist, and fan-work creator!  She embraced her ADHD around age 30 and quit her tedious job to become self-employed as a funeral celebrant and memorial slideshow editor who crafts personalized funerals and celebration-of-life events for non-religious individuals.  Emily went through the ADHD reWired coaching program in spring of 2021 and became a peer mentor in 2022.   Emily is also one of the authors of the book Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing your Asexual or Aromantic Identity, and is a lead organizer of the Washington DC Metro Area Ace and Aro meetup group!  Learn more about Emily at griefpictured.com! Questions/Topics: [00:01:39] Introducing Emily [00:02:41] Diving into the start of Emily’s ADHD journey [00:03:37] The stakes of getting an ADHD diagnosis [00:04:47] Life as an administrative professional before treatments  [00:08:47] Burnout, becoming an entrepreneur, sleep struggles, and coaching  [00:10:30] The “why” behind becoming a non-religious Funeral Celebrant  [00:13:24] Helping others grieve and heal, family estrangements, memorial gatherings, and closure  [00:17:17] Grief to acceptance with ADHD  [00:24:07] The basics of asexuality and aromantics [00:26:04] Nuances of ace relationships, significant others, attraction, and more   [00:28:25] Physical desire, libido, and other statistics in the asexual community  [00:30:44] A discussion on dysfunction, orientation, sexual trauma, and gatekeeping  [00:33:20] ADHD and neurodivergence in the Ace community  [00:42:07] The positive impact of community and relationships  [00:45:01] Emily’s facilitated sessions in the ADHD reWired community spaces  [00:46:54] Sharing more wins  [00:48:43] Emily’s work, website, and closing thoughts Resources & Honorable Mentions: Podcast: Aceterpretations Website: TAAAP – The Acc and Aro Advocacy Project @ taaap.org Book: Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Asexual or Aromantic Identity Want to go to CHADD this year?  Go to chadd.org to learn more! 🌟 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!

This week, Eric is joined by Chris Wang, the cofounder and CEO of Shimmer, an ADHD startup offering bite-sized coaching to individuals with ADHD!  Chris is an entrepreneur, social-impact advocate, angel investor, growth consultant, and forever tinkerer.  She believes strongly that business should be used as a force for good, and that positive impact not only isn’t the enemy of profit, but is a catalyst.  This thesis underpins every decision she makes, especially when it comes to the communities she is a part of and cares the most about, the communities including LGBTQ+, AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islander), women, non-binary, and neurodiversity – especially with ADHD.  Find out more about Shimmer at https://www.shimmer.care  Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode: [00:02:26] Chris talks about getting prepared for the show [00:03:20] Eric asks Chris about her story launching Shimmer  [00:04:12] Chris shares her experience as a kid and where the messages of “being a kid” came from [00:07:19] Eric asks Chris about a “failure” from a previous business venture  [00:08:18] “I have the learning, it’s on a sticky note!” -Chris  [00:10:14] Where did Chris learn all of the skills she has now that’s led to personal growth and building a business?  [00:11:33] Eric pokes Chris’s brain: “How did you figure out what you needed to figure out?”  [00:15:09] Chris shares her journey with feedback and how it’s been used to improve Shimmer [00:23:14] Chris walks us through different types of feedback sessions, inspired by https://thefoundercoach.com  [00:26:53] What kind of person does it take to engage in vulnerable and courageous conversation?  [00:28:36] Chris shares an example of the language used when engaging in a feedback session  [00:33:28] “Sometimes feedback stings.” Chris talks about dealing with the sting of feedback.  [00:37:50] How do you get back up from negative or critical feedback?  [00:42:51] Chris shares more about what Shimmer is all about  [00:50:23] What is Chris most excited about with Shimmer?  [00:54:49] “What are you nerding-out about lately” and the importance of having something fun to do outside of business  [00:59:58] Chris gives listeners her final thoughts Resources & Honorable Mentions: Tool: (also an editor’s favorite!) Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network: with Brendan Mahan with Will Curb with MJ Siemens