Overpowered ADHD-3 women share how to win it
For people living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, day-to-day life is made up of a series of challenges, where even simple tasks like getting out of bed and getting to work on time are achievements in themselves.
It is hard to imagine how classic ADHD traits like forgetfulness, impulsiveness, disorganization, and feeling overwhelmed can also have a silver lining leading to business success, but a growing number of women are saying ADHD is the reason they are killing it in business.
Angela Henderson, an international award-winning business consultant is a testament to the fact that ADHD can be a powerful tool for achieving aims and wants to help other women reach their full potential too. The mommy of two, business owner, and health clinician of fifteen years believes it is essential for women to learn to be successful by embracing their authentic selves and taking responsibility for their future.
“ Research shows the positive benefits of ADHD include determination, creativity, and innovation,” says Angela, “ People with ADHD tend to do well in stimulating, busy, fast-paced environments and bring a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm to their workplaces.”
Digital marketing expert Cherie Clonan is one illustration of how ADHD can be managed in a way that facilitates success. “ I am in a privileged position where how I am is not presented as a disability, it is only a disability when the right accommodations are not in place. When the right accommodations are there I feel able, just like anyone else,” says the founder of digital marketing agency Digital Picnic.
Cherie says planning is crucial for her to avoid common ADHD pitfalls but it comes at a huge cost.
“ I have to map out my life to avoid the things that would otherwise bring me down. Perfectionism is my Achilles heel in life. ADHD is forgetting things and losing things. I work so hard to just not do that. I have never been late to anything in my entire life, but I have to set up exhausting buffers to be able to achieve that.”
When we think of ADHD, we usually think of men. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects one in twenty Australians, but the true number could be even higher due to the underdiagnosis of women and girls. Compared to their male counterparts, women with ADHD are more likely to have other psychological disorders like depression and anxiety, are more likely to experience difficulties with memory and concentration, and often internalize their symptoms.
Women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also suffer from the same debilitating attention issues as men, but the lack of understanding of how the disorder presents itself in women means multiple receive the life-changing diagnosis much later on in life.
This is why they oft feel inadequate when it comes to tasks that involve organization and attention to detail, like planning a party or tidying up the house. A woman with ADHD may have a tough time remembering birthdays or other important dates and keeping on top of their to-do lists.
They can sometimes struggle with being the “ mommy”, the go-to person in the family that keeps track of schedules and takes care of everyone. Worst of all, multiple women may not indeed be aware of their ADHD symptoms, having successfully masked high-functioning ADHD for years until diagnosis.
“ Societal expectations make it redundant hard for women who have ADHD,” says Angela. “ Managing yourself when your brain has difficulty making decisions and remembering things is already tough, but the overwhelming pressure of having to fulfill traditional caring roles on top of that can push multiple women to the point of burnout. Feelings of failure and inadequacy are sadly too common but thankfully there are multiple resources out there to help them overcome their obstacles and accomplish their aims.”
On the flip side, studies show that ADHD people bring a lot to the table at work and home. They are great at brainstorming, intellectually curious, passionate, and highly capable. And ADHD characteristics like hyperfocus, the ability to intensely fixate on a single activity for long Menstruation of time, have been an unexpected boon for Money Mindset founder Denise Duffield-Thomas.
She calls her method “ batching”, using her hyperfocus to churn out tremendous amounts of work at a time. “ I made thirty-three episodes of podcasts in one go,” says Denise, who only recently received her diagnosis not long after her five-year-old son received his.
“ My ADHD was not obvious to me growing up because everyone in my family had it. I would lose my keys and bus pass every day at the academy but I would also learn to read a whole book in an hour or do a whole assignment on the bus. Indeed at work, I did not think it was a problem but a superpower that I could do all my work in three hours on a Friday afternoon.”
“ We were using our voices to make a bigger impact,” says Angela, “ We were educating our teams in the way we work. We were three amazing humans doing amazing things. I am a seven-figure business adviser, Cherie employs nineteen full-time staff and brings in millions of dollars. Denise just had her launch and made $1.2 million of the reverse of her five-day launch. We all have ADHD. The reality of it is you can still be successful, it is at your fingertips if you choose to embrace it.”