Sophie - ADHD Coach & Director of Squirrel to Success

First of all, thank you for taking the time to check out Squirrel to Success; I hope it's the start of something special on your ADHD journey.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD just before my 37th birthday, I wept with relief! It felt incredibly validating to know the reason why I struggle so much with the 'easy things' in life. Whilst I was just about holding down a 'good job' at the time, my mask was seriously slipping. Emotional burnout, a whirlwind of distraction and hyper focus, and a recent wobble in recovery from addiction had brought me to my knees. Diagnosis was my first light bulb moment.

Treatment with stimulant medication followed, and this felt like another breakthrough. But the impact soon plateaued, as I found myself more aware of my challenges but with no new skills to address them. The mess that I didn't really see before was now in glorious technicolour - I could focus better but what to do with the focus? Inevitably, I polished my DIY skills (I love DIY) and continued to avoid housework (I hate housework). Living in clutter and chaos was still my norm, and my frustration at 'seeing but not sorting' dragged me back into the pit of frustration, despair and self-loathing that characterises unregulated ADHD. Sound familiar?

It wasn't until I applied for Access to Work and got ADHD coaching that the game changed, and when I say it changed, it really changed. No quick fixes, no gimmicks, but real empathy from someone with a brain like mine, a new world of exploration of why I see the world as I do and react as I do, and the accountability to make the small changes that built up to managing ADHD on a daily basis and getting the success I wanted.

Six months later I took the leap to train as an ADHD coach myself and left my 'good job' to set up Squirrel to Success.