Do you have natural curiosity? Do you like a bit of variety? Are you interested in business as well as human stories? I’m reckoning the answer is “yes”, as otherwise you wouldn’t be reading my writings. So, with that in mind, I’ve written a diary piece which delves into those areas. Hope you enjoy!

What I’ll be covering

I’m going to share some recent mental blockers I had, because I think we’ve all been there and we don’t share enough of the hard work that it takes to move through these mental stages. I’m on a life-long mission to deconstruct the fact that many of us feel we shouldbe perfect, even though – checks notes– no one else is.

I’ve got a coaching storyfor you, because the human brain is fascinating.

I’m also going to share where I am at with my business. Primarily this is a note to friends and loved ones, but I don’t mind if other people want a peek!

And finally, I want to give a shout out to two inspiring people, in case you want to spice up your social media feed.

A recent mental blocker

For the last week I’ve been struggling to write. I love writing. It helps me process information and also it means I can pass information on to others who might not otherwise come across it. Currently I’ve got at least five different blog ideas bouncing around in my head, but none have quite jelled. I now realise that some of my my concerns have been:

• Am I slipping into a sales pitch, as I know I need to promote my new business? I know that coaching is great, but screaming that isn’t going to resonate, because most people hawking their own product think that it is great, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing that job. Realistically, the hyperbole makes for dull reading, and it’s not a realistic lived experience – not the sort of content I, or those I chat with, would want to be reading. The answer? Read my website if you want to see my advertising, but it’s not a suitable topic for my blog.

• Is my information of good quality? For this, I give a specific, deep, example: Someone recently messaged me and asked about how Autism and ADHD (AuDHD) co-present. I’ve been on an ADHD training course, but AuDHD? There are so few resources out there – it was literally onlyrecognised as “a thing” a little over 10 years ago. Previously you could have one or the other but not both autism and ADHD combined… and yet as of perhaps the last year it is thought that 40% of those with ADHD have Autism!

It’s absolutely new territory for everyone. So if I write something, my viewpoint is limited, even though I have lived experience… but typing that just reminds me of “imposter syndrome”, so I will contribute what I can, and simply provide the necessary qualifiers.

• Where to start? For one of my articles – about being gifted – I’m not even sure of the angle because it’s a large topic. I need to talk through the concept with a friend, and see where I get to. Staring at a screen hasn’t worked so far, so I need a new approach.

I share these because I want to emphasise that we are all human. We all have doubts, insecurities, and struggle to process some of the thoughts going on inside our heads. I am not perfect, nor a robot, and I am at peace with this these days, which does wonders for my mental health when I actually remember this!

All that said, this morning I had my epiphany. So I shall borrow from Sam Hoult’s playbook, which he used when building up Dataimporter, and simply tell you where I am at and hope you find it interesting, useful or both! If this inspires you to want a thinking partner, a coach, so much the better of course! But otherwise, if you just enjoy reading, then that’s not a bad thing either.

Coaching story

Shared with permission!

One of my coaching colleagues dives into every opportunity and course possible. So much so that I often wondered how she had time to do actual coaching.

Then, last week, my friend told me that she was worried that she would miss a catchup meeting with me, as they had a call with a prospective client. I had to point out that the reason we did the training course was to get clients and then she dropped the clanger: “I know you’re right but I have huge FOMO!”

I had never thought to ask whyshe dived into so many activities.

Now we had the surface reason and the coaching skill – of curiosity – kicked in. “Whatis driving your FOMO?”

I don’t know the answer. It may take time to uncover, and probably links to something deeper, but it’s a very interesting point to start. “What” is a very strong question to ask in the coaching world, as it doesn’t have the same defensive baggage that would be presented if the same question is started with “Why”.

Even for the simplest situations, the drivers can be complex, and they reveal deeper truths about our values, beliefs and needs, which combined make up our motivations.

Business update

1st February 2025 was scheduled for the Big Launch of Naturally Paul Ltd. It had been timed for when I finished my ADDCA ADHD training course. Then the date was adjusted because the 1st fell on a weekend. And then that date didn’t happen because my website simply wasn’t ready. A friend was helping me design the website and carelessly I gave him the actual deadline I wanted, rather than allowing time for unforeseen hiccups, distractions and work priorities. You would think I would know better after 15 years of running Salesforce projects, but no, optimism bias is still a thing. Also there was no sense of urgency as the deadline was initially three months away – not good for his flavour of ADHD. Hindsight is wonderful. 

Eventually, once the completely shockingly unexpected “final” technical bugs had been overcome, the website did launch and I’m proud of it, but it was 19 days behind. Erm, just 19 days. Really not too bad actually, although it was annoying at the time.

Growing the business has been a challenge. Three stories:

1. The Slump. I had a marketing plan, primarily based around LinkedIn, but when I pushed “send” on my first post, I found that I struggled to use the spare time that I regained, freed up when I completed my training and associated activities. There was an adrenaline rush that had helped push me through to the end of the course, getting me through my first sustained period of studies since I left school, but it had now gone. No doubt my body was telling me it needed recovery time, but it had caught me unawares. A month later and my energy levels are back however.

2. Which 90%?Much of marketing is wasted. But figuring out which 90% is the challenge. One lead came in via Salesforce’s Trailblazer Career Marketplace (though no way to share my own profile – presumably that’s an employer-only feature). They were looking for a partner for a Salesforce project, came across my profile and realised that my expertise could help them in other areas instead.

3. Seize the moment.That said, I have not been flooded with enquiries. A handful, leading to good results –  30% of my capacity is now fully taken which reallyisn’t bad at this stage – but I still have a decent chunk of time available.

Amusingly I’ve been contacted by more people wanting to learn about how to be a coach, than wanting to be coached! Possibly it particularly reflects my peer group, but I think this is also called “reality”. So for me it will be hard graft to build a business and generate completely new connections, rather than free flowing cash and a full calendar. The advantage is that if you just want a general call about autism, ADHD or neurodivergencynowis the best time to get in my calendar.I’m always happy to have these conversations and currently I literally have spare time, so you have nothing to lose. 

Here’s an honest sales pitch: Anecdotal evidence suggests that all ADHD coaches are fully booked within 18 months of starting up and then operate a waiting list – are you good at being patient? Skip some potential frustration, especially if you want to work with someone that really understands IT professionals, and book an intro call.

Inspirations

Here are people that I follow on social media that get me to think, or simply inform me of things I “ought” to know. Two candidates for today!

1. Parul Singh (LinkedIn). As far as I’m aware I don’t know this person but she posts loads of insightful content around ADHD. One was a post debunking the “ADHD is trendy” myth. The method? Highlighting how left handedness became “popular” between 1920 and 1960. No, it didn’t become popular, it’s just that the stigma was reduced, and awareness improved, so left-handers no longer struggled trying to be right-handed, and could instead use their left hand as nature intended. Eventually the curve leveled off as the real rate of left-handedness revealed itself. The same is now happening for ADHD, and other neurodivergences, just in a vastly accelerated fashion, courtesy of social media.

2. Tristan Lombard (Bluesky). Again someone I don’t really know, though clearly I should reach out to him and ask him for a random virtual coffee. What’s the worst that could happen? But the reason I follow him: Salesforce insights, light hearted takes on trending news, a thump of life experience to learn from, and he reinforces positive traits in a world that needs good (aspiring) role models. For example, recently he posted a pro tip on what to do when your potentially ADHD time-blinded friend is late yet again.

p.s. Not sure if Bluesky is worth it? Read my starter guide.

I write about neurodivergency matters, with a dash of inclusivity and tech. Subscribe directly to avoid missing out; you can have a nose through my back catalogue. Want even more? You can also follow me on Bluesky and/or LinkedIn.