A bit about me
I am a woman with ADHD living near Vancouver, BC Canada. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I feel most myself in the great outdoors. I’m an avid disc golfer, enjoy travelling, and (luckily, since this is Raincouver..) staying in with a good book!
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a teenager, but the lack of resources and information I received gave me no understanding or clarity about my symptoms. Even though I was a smart kid and had always done very well in class, my grades suffered because I did not have the right strategies to focus outside of class; completing homework, thinking I had more time to complete assignments than I really did, or simply forgetting to turn in my work were constant sources of frustration for myself and my parents.
Stressors multiplied in my mid-teens; impulsivity and emotional dysregulation being a large part of my symptoms, managing basic functioning seemed impossible when constantly overwhelmed with the current feeling I was in. This onslaught of reactivity, guilt, and feelings of helplessness combined with a brain geared for dopamine-seeking behavior, I easily became dependent on drugs to cope, entering addictions treatment when I was 19.
Still believing my ADHD traits were personality defects and that I was just “bad at life”, I continued to struggle with shame, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and unhealthy relationships. I never realized that ADHD was at the root of much of these issues until many years later. I began to research in-depth about ADHD and found the understanding I gained to be incredibly helpful and empowering. It was a game-changer.
Spreading awareness and helping others understand ADHD became a passion. Since passion and interest is the best motivating fuel for an ADHDer, I chose to make a career out of mine, pursuing my education with ADDCA; the oldest, most reputable, and most intensive ADHD Coach training program.
