My journey as an ADHD coach began with my own experiences navigating the unique challenges and strengths of ADHD. With a passion for empowering others, I help others embrace their neurodivergent minds and unlock their full potential.
For over 20 years, I was an IT and Salesforce consultant, building databases to support businesses. But businesses are full of humans. I eventually realised the biggest issues were the mental and physical challenges we all face, alongside competing demands… not technology. Though I did find the technology fun!
During this time I went on my own journey and discovered that I am dyspraxic, autistic, ADHD and Gifted/High IQ. These are labels, nothing more and nothing less. They are search engine terms that I find useful as shortcuts for tools, but they don’t define who I am.
I am now an ADHD Life Coach, having trained with ADDCA, the leading global ICF and PAAC-accredited ADHD coaching college. As of August 2025, I am currently completing my initial coaching hours with the expectation that I will become ACC certified in the next few months.
At school, when I realised I was gay, family and friends said, “So this is the reason why you’ve not really fitted in”. Even then, I knew it wasn’t the answer.
I tried university, but quit after one year, because the classes weren’t practical enough for me. Looking at this through an ADHD lens, I can now see that this didn’t trigger my interest, which is usually a key driving factor for ADHD.
Also classroom-based learning isn’t a good fit for me, something I wouldn’t fully understand for years until I came across a teacher who was prepared to experiment, rebuild my confidence, and see what worked best.
After that learning experience, I entered the workforce and clocked up 100 jobs in two years. Fun fact: If you just list the job agencies you work for, people don’t question the individual assignments!
Here’s the thing. I clearly wasn’t the best member of staff, but the job agencies kept on finding me new assignments. Being willing and showing up paid off. My suspicion is that my autism meant that I didn’t always navigate workplace situations particularly well.
I gradually recognised the practical ways this showed up, even if I didn’t know the cause. I learned to articulate my needs better, as well as identifying the environments most likely to suit me.
Over the next few years my contracts got longer. I ended up as an office manager. Perseverance and learning in small manageable chunks are better than not learning at all.
In 2011, I discovered Salesforce (a type of database, for the uninitiated) and found a good use of my ability to ask “why”. My skill of getting to the core of an issue meant that I delivered sustainable solutions. Intense curiosity is a big feature across many neurodivergent categories, and here I stumbled across a constructive way to make use of this talent.
The pieces of how to have a satisfying work life were coming together.
A big moment happened in 2014, when I attended the first-ever Salesforce London Admin User Group meetup. Here I discovered a safe place, where I instinctively knew I could be myself.
In 2014 I also started volunteering for The Together Plan (where I would continue until 2022). This nonprofit showed me the true power of volunteering: that everyone involved in the process can benefit, and it can be fun. The founder taught me that no request to offer assistance should be ignored, as we all have qualities to give, although sometimes they need unlocking.
In 2017 I moved to Amsterdam, proving that what looks impossible isn’t always the case, if tackled in the right fashion. My more recent friends don’t believe that I previously didn’t like travelling outside the UK!
I ended up helping launch the official Amsterdam User Group. I wanted to pay it forward, learning from all that I had already been shown. But I did add my own unique spin. Apparently not everyone hugs each other as a form of welcoming at user groups 😅 These days I offer fist bumps as an alternative!
That wasn’t the only difference – everyone got a name badge. Nothing to do with security, but to do with my poor working memory. This helped create an inclusive environment so that newcomers could be on a similar par to long-standing attendees when it came to getting to know each other, meaning everyone benefited.
I’m not great at receiving compliments. I now understand that my brain wiring prioritises looking out for the negatives in order to try and mitigate them, but even I can’t ignore the unexpected sound of 4000 people applauding and cheering me on. Winning a very rare Golden Hoodie at Salesforce’s Amsterdam World Tour in 2018 finally made me realise that I was doing something right: that people really believed in the work that I – and the wider Salesforce community – were doing.
These days I capture such moments. They are a reservoir of evidence to draw on, to help my brain understand the importance of taking pride in myself, even when my brain occasionally misfires and wants to tell me other less important stories.
In 2021 I got my ADHD diagnosis, with Autism thrown in for good measure. This answered the 1997 question: “Why didn’t I fit in?” Because I was a neurodivergent person, trying to reshape myself for a world designed for neurotypicals, with all the friction that that causes. But the word “neurodivergent” hadn’t even been invented in 1997.
As part of my diagnosis, I was guided by a nurse who had ADHD. This laid the path for me wanting to pay it forward and help others on their ADHD journey. She showed me that you could be highly successful whilst having ADHD.
In 2023, I returned to the UK and started my ADHD coaching research, coming to realise that there’s a world of techniques to learn how to work with my ADHD, rather than fight against it.
I also finally accepted and embraced the term “Gifted” (High IQ), after some not-so-subtle hints from a friend, and that it’s simply a difference – not better or worse – from the mainstream.
At the end of 2024, I started my ADHD Life Coach practice, combining training and lived real-world experience. I no longer take on new Salesforce clients, although I remain involved with that world, particularly around neurodivergency matters.
I am also a member of BCS’ Neurodiversity Specialist Group as there is plenty of work to be done around neurodivergency advocacy. This group helps the IT industry access the unique talents of neurodivergent IT professionals, supports them in their work, and raises awareness of their contribution to broader society.
My path has not been straightforward, and I did not always know the direction I was heading. Every step is a step in the right direction however, as you always learn something.
As the Dutch say: you have to walk the metres to make the kilometres. Unless you start, you won’t get to the destination. And actually, as I’ve discovered, the journey is often the most interesting and exciting part of it all!
Any questions? Book a free 30 minute intro call to further your understanding and to see if I’m the right match for your coaching needs.