Originally posted on May 3, 2024
“Speak from the scar, not from the wound”
This quote has been on my mind for a while now.
I’ve been fortunate in my career to have a good amount of success. Ego and energy were my two pillars I could rely on to push myself to be the hardest working and busiest person in whatever organization I worked for.
Over time I realized that this was not enough and that the collateral damage done to myself and loved ones was not worth it. I noticed a cycle of burnout that seemed to get shorter and shorter as I got older. The failures of the past seemed to have common themes. The echo of past managers ran through my head constantly.
“You need to learn better time management”
“You get overwhelmed easy and need to control your emotions better”
“You need to organize yourself better”
“We gave you projects that you never completed”
“You have problems remembering and following directions”
I used to think that it was the organizations and managers I worked for, that they were the problem. But it was hard to ignore that the same feedback being given at work was true throughout all facets of my life. I felt doomed to keep repeating the same cycles over and over again.
I knew something had to change
It was at this point that I decided to get a formal ADHD diagnosis and seek professional help. I never imagined the road this decision would send me on.
While getting professional help gave me the ability to manage my ADHD a little better, it also presented another dilemma. For the first time I was able to see the ways it affected me, both good and bad more clearly than ever and that the way I had viewed myself, my strengths, how I worked, what I truly wanted out of life and my career was not quite the same. I needed something else to guide me through this process.
The gift of ADHD Coaching
It was at this time that I discovered ADHD coaching. From the first moment I heard about it through listening to the Translating ADHD podcast, I knew this was the missing piece and that I had to experience it.
It was through coaching that I am now able to speak from the scar. The biggest gift coaching has given me is to see my life with a totally different perspective. One where I’m not any less of a person, or a failure because I couldn’t overcome my challenges due to ADHD, but one where I can accept myself for who I am and see just how much I had overcome to get where I am at.
Coaching has given me the tools to learn about myself and my unique brain wiring. It has enabled me to understand what my true strengths are and how they ignite passion in my life. It has given me an awareness of what processing modalities and environments work best for me. It has taught me mindfulness techniques that help me become aware of when my ADHD might be getting the best of me and to stop it before it does. It has given me a community where I’m supported and accepted fully for the person I am.
The Journey to becoming an ADHD Coach
Since discovering ADHD coaching, I knew that it was something I’d love to do and had the skill for. I’ve always been able to create safe spaces where people feel free to share their experiences even if it means being a bit vulnerable. As time went on that knowing turned into a calling I could not ignore. During the summer of 2023, I decided to enroll in an Basic ADHD & Life Coach training course at ADDCA (ADD Coach Academy). In early April 2024, I graduated from the course and I am now ready to work with clients.
If all this has resonated and you are interested in whether ADHD Coaching is right for you contact me at carlos@bayareaadhdcoach.com. Consultations are free and I’m offering sessions at a “pay what you can” sliding scale model as I build hours towards certification from PAAC (Professional for ADHD Coaches).
I also have a website now which is something I never thought I would say. It’s still under construction and I’ll update as much as I can and when I can but for now I’m ready to release it into the wild.
Looking forward to meeting and supporting fellow ADHD’ers out there. As they say in my coaching circles, don’t do ADHD alone.
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