Working with your ADHD for Your Next Chapter in Business
I had no idea it was ADHD.
If your business journey feels more like a frustratingly winding path than a straight line, you’re not alone - and I truly understand.
At 53, my ADHD diagnosis shifted everything for me. Suddenly, the twists, turns, and impulsive pivots that had shaped my life and work finally made sense. The patterns I had struggled to understand - self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and constant restless shifts in focus - weren’t failures. They were signs of a brain wired for novelty, creativity, innovation, and connection.
I want to highlight that I had absolutely no idea ADHD was a part of the picture.
I knew my default speed through business and life was 100 miles an hour - I thought fast, spoke fast, drove fast, ate fast, acted fast.
I knew I was driven by curiosity, that my interest flared and faded just as quickly, and I seemed incapable of consistency
I knew my emotions were volatile, that I was prone to intense self-criticism and comparison regardless of screeds of evidence of my capabilities (think teflon for the good and velcro for the bad)
But I had absolutely no idea that these, and many other pieces of the puzzle added up to a brain that’s wired differently and thrives when we stop trying to push ourselves into boxes that were never designed for us.
It’s why I use the term “Sparky Brained” - to encapsulate the way we tend to think, work, and show up, even if we never seek or want an official diagnosis.
The dual reality
of ADHD in business.
My accreditation as an ADHD Informed Coach (I trained with the Goldmind Academy in the UK) along with being in business for myself since 2003 when I know for sure that ADHD isn’t a flaw.
It’s a different way of thinking that, when understood, accepted and embraced, can unlock extraordinary growth and fulfilment.
ADHD brings real challenges and unique gifts.
Challenges: Overwhelm, scattered focus, decision paralysis, hyperfocus traps, perfectionism and over-editing, procrastination and avoidance, difficulty with follow-through, and emotional disregulation.
Gifts: Rapid ideation, out-of-the-box problem-solving, boundless energy, unmatched creativity, big-picture thinking, intuitive problem-solving, high empathy and emotional insight, adaptability, magnetic charisma, and admirable courage.
The key isn’t to ignore the hurdles or focus only on the benefits - it’s first to understand the what, why, and how of your brain wiring and how that has impacted you, and then to build strategies that work with your brain, not against it.
The Late-Stage ADHD Diagnosis Cycle
Receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life (in my case, much later in life!) can feel like a rollercoaster. I created the Late Stage ADHD Diagnosis Cycle© to capture the emotional journey I went on - perhaps it will resonate with you too:
Surprise: “Oh! Really? This explains SO much!”
Relief: “So there was an actual reason I felt and did XYZ…”
Sadness: “Things might have been so different…”
Anger: “Why the HELL wasn’t this picked up earlier?!”
Acceptance: “Ok, I need to let go and move forward.”
Adjustment: “What changes will I make, and what support do I need?”
Wherever you are in this cycle, I see you. Lets create a unique map for your next chapter in business.
Your Next Chapter in Business through an ADHD Lens
Once I’d navigated the Late-stage ADHD Diagnosis, I realised I needed revisit the book I’d written in 2020 with this new knowledge. This revised and updated editon is now infused with a sparky-brained lens and awareness I've lived into since.
“Angela has created something truly special with this updated edition of Your Next Chapter. When I first read the original book, long before Angela understood her brain through the lens of ADHD, I remember thinking, “This woman understands me.” So much of her insight spoke directly to my own experience as a late-diagnosed ADHD businesswoman. Now, with the benefit of her diagnosis and a deeper understanding of her “sparky-brained” wiring, Angela’s wisdom lands with even more clarity, compassion, and resonance”.
Patricia Falcetta - OAM
Speaker, Trainer & Founder of Social Living Solutions
The Potential Gap - where growth begins
The world often talks about the “pain gap” - what’s broken or needs fixing. I choose to focus on the “potential gap” instead.
This is the space between where you are now and what's possible when you embrace and leverage your sparky-brain strengths. ADHD isn’t a detour or a roadblock - it’s part of the map itself. We’ll navigate and map this new territory together.
My approach: Strengths, Self-leadership & Positive Psychology
I combine three powerful lenses to help late-stage diagnosed ADHDers understand your world through a new Sparky-Brained lens, equipping you with the knowledge, practices, and tools to help pause, reframe your thinking, and integrate this new aspect of your identity into your next chapter.
Working with what comes easily to you
Harnessing Your Strengths
Redesigning my business to leverage my strengths was one of the most transformative moves I made after my diagnosis.
When you focus on what you naturally do well, you'll:
Build confidence and agency
Develop strategies and systems that are a far better fit for you
Feel more energised and fulfilled
This is why we start with your Edge Advantage Profile - my proprietary process that combines multiple insights (including the Cappfinity Strengths Profile) to reveal your unique edge. It shows:
Your Zone - where you shine and feel most energised
Your Presence - Your personal lens and leadership style that makes you uniquely valuable
Your Traps - the patterns that drain your energy or plunge you into doubt and overwhelm
This becomes the foundation for everything we build together - your business model, positioning, services, and marketing all designed around how YOU work best.
A Self-leadership lens can transform your perspective
I’ve found (retrospectively) that one of the central challenges of ADHD is a lack of self-trust, which manifests itself in believing someone or something “out there” has the right answers for us.
Meeting ADHD with Self-leadership
ADHD, especially when we’re not even aware of it until later in life, often leaves us searching for external validation, thinking someone outside ourselves has the answers that we’re “obviously missing or we would have got it together by now”.
Self-leadership helps you to notice and challenge that and other conditioned thinking patterns, so you can gently unhook yourself and begin to:
Understand what makes you and your sparky brain tick, and work with this appreciation at the centre of all you do - making sure you spotlight your priorities, values, and capacities
Navigate your emotional triggers with lashings of self-compassion as you build new informed resilience
Unhook from the common black and white thinking and other patterns that can sneakily sabotage your growth
Create intentional action plans that have you and your style at the centre, not some perfect concept of how you’ve been told things should happen in business
Honour your fluctuating energy levels with a flexible calendar and working rhythm
When you practice self-leadership, your fabulous sparky brain will take you to your growth edges rather than holding you hostage to a playbook that was never written for you.
The power of
Positive Psychology for ADHD'ers
Positive Psychology isn't about toxic positivity or pretending challenges don't exist. It's a research-backed approach that’s grounded in what helps an individual to thrive, beginning with leveraging your strengths.
For ADHD businesswomen, this is a transformative approach, especially because negativity is literally like kryptonite to us, draining our energy and enthusiasm.
Using a Positive Psychology Lens
Here's just some of the ways Positive Psychology helps you work WITH your ADHD brain:
Spotlight and leverage your strengths:
Harness your rapid ideation ability for innovation. Channel that hyperfocus into major project progress. Use your pattern-spotting brain for problem solving.
Build resilience with mindfulness:
Our Sparky brains are constantly scanning for novelty and threat. Mindfulness practices help you pause, notice your thoughts without judgment, and respond intentionally rather than reactively.
Celebrate progress over perfection:
Perfectionism and overthinking are classic ADHD stressors. Positive Psychology helps you recognise small wins and quiet the nasty inner bully that tells you nothing's ever good enough.
Work with what excites you:
When you understand what energises you and build your business around that, rather than what you think you should do, it’s like releasing a handbrake you no longer need.
A Positive Psychology lens doesn't ignore the challenges of ADHD - it helps you harness your uniqueness and free your business potential.
Conversations I’ve had about having
a Late-Stage ADHD Diagnosis
If you're ready to embrace your strengths, step into self-leadership, and build a business that works WITH your sparky brain, you can read more about my ADHD Informed Business Coaching here.
Or book a complimentary call so we can connect, chat and see if my approach is the right fit for you.
Ready for Your Next Chapter?
Patrcia Falcetta OAM – Keynote Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator and Founder of Social Living Solutions.
“I have worked with many coaches, strategists, and mentors throughout my decade in business, but none have had the grounding impact that Angela has had on me, both professionally and personally.
Her guidance is not loud or forceful. She doesn’t preach. She doesn’t demand. Angela walks beside you. She carries you gently when needed, and she offers tools and insights so seamlessly that you only realise later how much your life and business have shifted because of her presence.
I believe every female business owner who is neurodivergent needs her kindred spirit. I've invested so much in the past and have never moved or progressed as far as I have with Angela. She’s worth every cent!"
Kelly White – ADHD Self-leadership Mentoring
“I first heard Angela speaking as a guest on an ADHD podcast, and I was instantly inspired. I felt stuck in my busy life and thought she could guide me into a deeper understanding of myself and where I wanted to go.
Angela has exceptional listening skills and an incredible ability to get to the heart of things. Through our work together, I’ve gained so much. My vision is clearer, and I now have more self-compassion and self-understanding. I feel more confident and positive, no longer stuck in a rut. I’m kinder to myself, which has allowed me to achieve more without feeling frazzled.
I highly recommend Angela to anyone looking for greater self-understanding or guidance in navigating a new direction in life. Thank you so much, Angela, for your unwavering commitment and support!”