February 17, 2025 • 43 mins
Connect with Sam: PODCAST
Sam's Instagram: CoulditbeADHD_thepodcast
Sam's Marketing Instagram: Sam.Milburn.Digital.Marketing
Host Megs interviews Sam, the creator of the podcast 'Could It Be ADHD?', to delve into their ADHD diagnosis journeys and experiences. They discuss the disparities in healthcare systems between the UK and the US, particularly focusing on the UK's NHS. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding ADHD brains for personal growth and organization. Sam shares insights into her diverse career background, her challenges in the UK healthcare system, and her strategies for coping with ADHD in both personal and professional contexts. They also explore the high prevalence of ADHD among marketers and the unique challenges that come with neurodivergent brains. Both Megs and Sam discuss their personal struggles and coping mechanisms, emphasizing acceptance and adaptation. They also touch on the difficulties of seeking a diagnosis for children and the potential impact on education and accommodations.
03:42 Interview with Sam: Background and Podcast Journey
08:14 Sam's ADHD Diagnosis Journey
10:56 Challenges and Realities of ADHD Diagnosis in the UK
13:41 Comparing Healthcare Systems: UK vs. US
17:00 Life After Diagnosis: Acceptance and Moving Forward
19:34 Opposites Attract: Navigating Differences in Marriage
20:16 ADHD and Communication: Strategies for Better Understanding
21:25 The Struggles and Solutions of Forgetfulness
23:56 Embracing ADHD: Acceptance and Self-Love
28:32 The Digital Marketing Journey: Finding a Niche
34:24 Marketing to Neurodivergent Audiences
37:58 Parenting with ADHD: Challenges and Insights
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
WH-1000XM5-1 (00:00):
Hey, beautiful people.
(00:01):
Welcome back to organizing anADHD brain.
I am your host Megs and I amsuper excited to be bringing you
a special interview I did withmy friend Sam who hosts the
podcast Could It Be ADHD?
WH-1000XM5-2 (00:13):
I originally started interviewing people last
year about their diagnosisjourney, because I felt like it
was really important for us tostart seeing similarities and
other people to truly understandthat we're not alone out there.
And if we're not alone in thesediagnosis journeys and
understanding our brain, thenwe're certainly not alone in
finding organization and findinga way to get decluttered in a
(00:34):
way that works for us and notagainst us.
So a couple of things that Ireally love about this podcast
is first, we talk about the UK'spublic health system called the
NHS.
I don't know a ton about it, butI learned so much in this
interview about how thehealthcare system works
overseas.
It was pretty fascinating tounderstand that journey versus
(00:54):
the journey that so many of ushave sought out here in the
United States.
what I love about theseconversations and what I love
about the people that I've metthrough this podcasting journey
is that I know people now in theUK and in New Zealand, and I see
people listening in Italy and inFrance and thank you, I'm so
darn honored.
(01:16):
when you meet new people fromdifferent places, it's so
incredible to have conversationsabout how things work because it
allows you to gain newperspective and understanding
about how different the worldis.
Different and amazing, much likeour ADHD brains, if you will.
What I also absolutely loveabout Sam is her love for all of
the different things that shehas her hands in.
(01:39):
So she is not only a mom, butalso a wife and a wife trying to
understand her diagnosis so thatshe can communicate better with
her husband.
But then she's also a certifieddog trainer, and she comes from
digital marketing, but she hasquite a diverse background when
it comes to her working history.
And what's incredible about thatis so do many of you.
(02:00):
So many of us have so manydifferent interests, and
sometimes we put ourselves downfor it, but truly, it's what
gives us a leg up on life,because we have had so many of
these different experiences.
What's hard is we know how goodwe can be at so many of these
different things that sometimeswhen we do take a step back and
narrow down our hobbies to justa few instead of quite a few too
(02:23):
many, there's so much more thatwe can build on in those spaces,
which is really neat.
This is important to theorganizing journey, because I
want you to see how otherpeople's brains work and how
they're so similar to the waythat you think, not that we have
the same brains or we're thesame people, but the way that
they operate, right?
The way that we are sointerested in so many different
(02:44):
aspects of the world and.
We want to try so many differentjobs, and we want to be really,
really good at so many of thethings that we do.
And so just understanding thatthat is a normal thing is so
important.
Because once you understand hownormal that is, you accept these
different ways that your brainworks so that you can adapt to
(03:05):
them, instead of allowing themto take over.
Let's go ahead and dive intothis interview because I'm so
excited for you to hear it.
I did experience some technicaldifficulties when I was
recording this, so please keepthat in mind as you're
listening.
I have fixed that going forwardfor future interviews, but
definitely keep that in mind.
(03:25):
It's progress over perfectionwhen it comes to editing and
podcasts, and I'm still doingall the editing myself, and so
thank you for your grace andsupport as we continue to work
through this.
Enjoy.
Megs (03:39):
Welcome back to organizing an ADHD brain.
I'm so excited to introduce youto Sam.
She's from the UK and I've beenfollowing her on social media
and we became just immediatefriends, here.
So, Sam, tell us a little bitabout you and a little bit about
what you do.
Sam (03:54):
On.
Massively, massively appreciateit and a big fan as well.
I've been following you for alittle while.
tell you about me.
Oh my gosh.
Where do, where do I start?
have a, I have a big backstory,but basically at the moment
right now, what I'm doing is Iset up a podcast called, Could
It Be ADHD?
Back in May.
very impulsively when I got mydiagnosis.
(04:16):
I thought, right, what can I dowith this information?
I know I'm going to talk aboutit and I know I'll just put it
online because, because I'm adigital marketer and this is
what we do.
We have an idea.
and we think, okay, how, whatcan I do with this information?
I can't keep it in.
I've got this idea, thisbrilliant idea.
And so it turned into a podcast,even though I'd never, well, I
tell a lie.
I had done a podcast before.
(04:36):
I'd done a little mini podcastlast year.
little podcast series.
I was like, okay, I know how todo this now.
So I'll do that.
and just started talking aboutmy ADHD diagnosis journey and
experience.
I found it quite difficult.
and wanted to share that withother people and then thought,
you know what, I'll interviewother people about their
diagnosis journey.
especially in the UK, it's very,it's a struggle to get a
(04:59):
diagnosis here, on, on the NHS.
privately as well.
There's like a stigma aroundgetting a private diagnosis.
There's so many things to coverand talk about.
I wanted to sort of share thatand explore that more, online
and also kind of battle some ofthose stereotypes that we see
around ADHD.
because ADHD is so broad, right?
It's a real spectrum of traitsand we only see tend to see a
(05:22):
lot of the hyperactive side ofit.
And I'm in attentive ADHD.
So I wanted to share a littlebit more about that so that
other people could seethemselves and, you know, feel
empowered to go, do you knowwhat, okay, I'm, I'm going to go
and get diagnosis or selfidentify by having access to
broader sort of information.
So.
I did that for a little while.
I said, I did that for a littlewhile.
I'm still doing that now.
(05:43):
and then, then also, I'm digitalmarketer and I've done that for,
a number of years now.
I used to work in the corporateworld.
lots of stories around that,worked in lots of different
businesses, doing lots ofdifferent things.
and then eventually wanted towork for myself so that I could
be more present for my son.
And also because I just foundall of that.
(06:05):
struggle for many reasons,being, there's nothing better,
right, than being your own boss.
Not having it, it's just nothaving those rules and
limitations on what you can andcan't do.
you know, or you want to dosomething, well, okay, we'll
talk about it at the teammeeting, like, in a month's
time.
Well, no, we need to action thisnow, I had a few, employed jobs
(06:27):
in between, but generally, yeah,I'm, I'm an online marketer now.
working with, with small onlinebusinesses, people like me who
just want to be able to work forthemselves and not have to have
someone else telling them whatto do.
Usually with like a passion orsomething amazing and usually
neurodivergent people as well,
Megs (06:45):
Oh my gosh.
It doesn't mean thatneurodivergent people can't
thrive in the corporate worldbecause I come from the
corporate background as well.
And gosh, you know, it's sofunny because sometimes I think
about the, just the familiaritythat you get from the corporate
world or like the sustainabilityor that comfort feeling.
And then the other morning Ibrought my car to the shop
(07:06):
because I needed to get an oilchange.
And I brought all my work withme.
And This is why this is why I'man entrepreneur because I don't
have to tell anyone about this.
I just got to put it in myschedule and do it.
And there's so much freedom whenit comes to that, not living.
In the box, right?
no one can put us in a box isreally what it comes down to.
Sam (07:25):
Absolutely, there are some really good businesses out there
doing really, really good thingsfor neurodivergent people.
There was, one business that Iused to work for and we were all
remote.
We all worked remotely and wedidn't have to fill in
timesheets and also whenprojects came up, we didn't have
to stay within our departments.
So if someone expressed, anexcitement about being able to
(07:47):
take on a certain part of theproject, you could say, I would
love to take part in this areabecause that's, although it's
not my normal expertise, I thinkI'd be really good at it and I'd
like to try it.
And you kind of could like mixaround a bit and really make use
of people's skills.
I thought that was brilliant.
Brilliant.
I really liked that.
It felt very Apple like.
I can imagine that's what it'slike working at Apple or Google
in that it's very like, youknow, collaborative.
(08:10):
So I think things like that workreally, really well.
Megs (08:12):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your diagnosis journey?
I think it's so fascinating tohear, especially as women, we're
seeing so many women getdiagnosed with ADHD later in
life.
That was my story too.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat that was like.
Sam (08:28):
Yeah.
So it really only came aboutbecause my son had an autism
diagnosis and ADHD was notsomething that I ever knew
about.
All I knew about ADHD was thatit was a hyperactive disorder.
I know that when my son had hisautism diagnosis, I was told
that they'd looked for ADHD, butcouldn't see any sort of traits
(08:50):
for ADHD in there, but he hadn'tgone for an ADHD diagnosis.
So I hadn't even considered thatanyway.
Obviously when you, as a parentstart digging deeper into these
things, like, well, I mean, I'mgoing to become an autism expert
now, you know, and anything thatcomes into your life, you become
the expert.
Is that right?
Megs (09:07):
Absolutely.
Yes.
Sam (09:09):
This is the same with my dog.
My dog is reactive.
So I got a dog trainingqualification because I needed
to know how to train my dog.
Like this is the kind of thingsthat I do.
So I was like, I must becomethis autism expert.
So in all the research I wasdoing, obviously ADHD kept
coming up into my social mediafeed and, you know, Typically
Instagram, I'd listened tosomeone's podcast and there was
(09:31):
a lady on there who had ADHD andshe was talking, she was late
diagnosed, and she was talkingabout her traits and I thought,
oh my god, this, this is me andI've been medicated for anxiety
and depression for a number ofyears now on antidepressants and
I've suffered with anxiety foras long as I can remember.
When I was a small child I wasvery anxious.
I didn't like going tosleepovers.
(09:52):
I didn't want to leave my house.
I wanted to be at home with mybooks, in my bed, surrounded by
my cuddly toys, under thecovers, in my daydreams.
I loved being in my daydreams.
And anxiety was there throughoutmy life and just kind of getting
worse and never really having agrasp on where that anxiety was
(10:15):
coming from.
And so as I was listening to allthese traits, I thought, Oh my
God, that's me.
That's me.
especially with the, theoverthinking and the just not
being able to finish things,having a million ideas and
losing steam, starting up lotsof little mini businesses, going
from job to job, so manydifferent things.
(10:36):
and I thought, okay, I need toexplore this a bit more.
So then I started to look upmore reputable information.
I started to do the screeningquestionnaires, look at all the
ADHD websites, and look at alltheir difference.
So I think I must have done fouror five screening questionnaires
like you do because I wanted tocheck, is that right?
Is it right?
Does it, does it, what does thisone say?
What does this one say?
and thought, okay, well, I'll gofor the diagnosis.
(10:56):
So I went to see over here inthe UK, And tell them and they
will, send your application off,to, an NHS provider.
and then you go on a waitinglist for 10 years.
That's pretty much how ithappens, works here, yeah.
Yeah, the waiting list, thewaiting, they've actually closed
three waiting lists in the UK inregional areas because they've
(11:19):
got too many people.
The NHS in one area.
I put this on a reel on myaccount the other day.
They only do six assessments amonth.
They've only got NHS funding forsix assessments a month.
So there's no way they're goingto get through the 4, 000 people
they've already got on theirwaiting list and they're getting
about 200 people a month.
Megs (11:37):
my gosh.
that's, crazy.
Sam (11:40):
And obviously NHS is something that we, we pay for
with our, you know, our taxesand stuff.
when I found this informationout and I wasn't getting a reply
about how long this diagnosiswould take, I then decided to go
through something called Rightto Choose.
And that's where under the NHSyou have a right to choose where
you have your treatment.
(12:00):
And there are about, I thinkthere's about 10 right to choose
NHA centers across the uk andthey're huge.
They've got capacity to, to dealwith diagnosis.
So I asked my GP to send me toone of those instead.
there was a big mess up with thepaperwork.
So I was getting so anxious andso panicky because I needed to
(12:20):
know this information.
I couldn't, I do think that wasmy ADHD.
I was having panic attacksbecause I needed to know the
information and I needed to knowyesterday.
Like I couldn't think aboutanything else.
It was really, really horrible.
So I said to my husband, look,we need to pay privately.
I need to, I need to get thisinformation.
So I need to know.
Am I on the right medication?
(12:41):
Is this anxiety?
what do I do next?
for me, I needed that bit ofpaper.
I needed that because, yeah, mybrain was not braining properly.
so I paid privately, but then atthe same time, I got the right
to choose to go through at thesame time, and then I got my
diagnosis.
It wasn't the best experience.
but I'm pleased that I wentthrough it.
(13:02):
I would do it again.
I absolutely would do it again.
but also in the UK, I can seewhy people are so put off by it.
especially when they find out, Ispeak to a lot of people who are
on a waiting list.
They're like, well, I've been onthe waiting list for two, three
years.
Surely I'll get an appointmentsoon.
and you're like, well, actuallyyou, you're probably not, you're
better off going through rightto choose, but then you have to
go and fill out a mountain ofpaperwork all over again and go
(13:23):
through that same process ofdigging up all of that, history
and all those things that youfound really uncomfortable
talking about in your past, likeputting those all up again.
So I can see why people don'twant to do that.
But yeah, it was for me, Idefinitely needed that
Megs (13:38):
What a mess of craziness to go through.
And we've got our own mess overhere, too.
I know I would like to get adiagnosis for both of my girls.
I do believe my 5 year old hasautism and my 7 year old has
ADHD.
And I, like, yeah, you become anexpert into it.
Like, you recognize what'shappening.
But then in order for them toget a lot of the accommodations
(14:01):
they need in school, they needthe diagnosis to be able to move
forward with that.
And being an entrepreneur, Ican't get the best healthcare.
And so I'm paying into thesedifferent services for like
catastrophic incidents, but thenI'm also paying into like
getting a primary care doctor.
So to get a, to get a diagnosisor to even get them screened for
(14:23):
it, it's 2, 000 each.
And then.
Sam (14:26):
God.
Megs (14:27):
Yeah, and then you have to pay up front like there's no
payment plan because they wantto ensure that you're going to
stay like, you know, that youpay for it.
and in some cases, if if youcan't show proof of insurance,
they're like, we're going tocancel your appointment.
Sam (14:39):
So even children, so children have to have healthcare
plans as well.
Megs (14:44):
Yeah.
And it's frustrating.
That's one thing I do miss aboutthe corporate world is that I
was provided with greathealthcare.
I still paid for it.
And so I think that's like acommon misconception that you
get healthcare with work, butyou don't, I probably was paying
around 800 a month for myfamily.
so, but then luckily my husbandgets it for free through his
(15:04):
work.
They actually pay for him, whichis really, really nice.
But then I pay probably about.
Actually about 800 for me andthe two girls now.
So it's, and then I'm afraid touse it because, oh my God, we
could totally go down thisrabbit hole.
Cause I've been thinking aboutthis a lot, but like.
That I'm afraid to use itbecause I still have to, like,
it's just a co pay.
It's not like they'll pay forthe whole visit or anything like
(15:24):
that.
I still have to pay for itadditionally.
Yeah, it's so frustrating.
And then of course the shortageof medicine and things like
that.
It's been frustrating.
Sam (15:34):
It's frustrating and especially when your children
need that, that information forthe educational setting so that
they can get thoseaccommodations.
I know here, They, they shouldget accommodations anyway, with
or without a diagnosis.
Um, but it's still, it helps tohave the diagnosis.
Obviously, they have access to,to more things, and it's almost
(15:56):
like access to more, betterunderstanding.
Because it's, it's almost likeyou can't go, well, actually,
they do have a disability.
It's, yeah, that's, thatdoesn't, that doesn't seem fair.
Megs (16:07):
On the positive note, I feel like that's why we're
having these conversations.
To bring more awareness so thatwe can affect that change
Sam (16:14):
Yeah.
And I think self-identifyingwith A DHD obviously in the US
is probably even more importantthan in the UK because of the,
the, the access.
You know, at least here I'mvery, very grateful for the NHS.
It's a wonderful institutionit's incredible.
you know, and I've got familywho work in the NHS, And at the
moment that there is massivewaiting lists all over the
(16:36):
place, but at least we havesomething, you know, at least we
have got these centers that wecan go to that will take a year,
you know, to get an assessmentrather than 10 years.
That's still not going to costanything.
You know, it's still, you know,and the same for our kids, you
know, they still have thataccess that just going to take
longer.
It shouldn't take so long.
but it, but it does.
So, yeah, I'm, I'm truly, trulythankful for the NHS.
(16:59):
They're wonderful.
Megs (17:00):
So you got your diagnosis then what?
Right.
So I know you have your podcastand of course you are a digital
marketer.
I love the way that you movedyour digital marketing into more
of an ADHD perspective.
Like if your clients are ADHD,how do you market to them?
And then in the same breath, youknow, I'm curious just how, how
you started to approach lifeafter getting a diagnosis.
(17:23):
Cause I know I was in denial.
I was like, they don't know whatthey're talking about.
What?
Sam (17:29):
if anyone's listened to my podcast, in one of my early
episodes, I go into this aboutgreat detail the day after,
because the day after mydiagnosis, I had a full blown
meltdown.
Exactly that.
I was like, no, no, they've gotthis wrong.
I've convinced them that I'mADHD.
I've just been thinking aboutthis for so long.
(17:49):
I'm sure I've convinced them.
So I wrote this huge long emailto my clinician and said, Can
you please just double check thenotes?
This is what I said.
You did get it right, didn'tyou?
Because it's okay.
Sometimes people get thingswrong, and that's absolutely
fine.
I really won't be upset.
Like, I was like, I'm talkingmyself out of this diagnosis.
I was like, if you need it out,here it is.
(18:10):
Honestly, it's fine.
And she came back, and she said,she said, I've got your email,
but I've got lots ofappointments today, so I can't
review this now.
I'm gonna have to review it nextweek.
And I was like, oh my god,
Megs (18:23):
Oh, no.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Sam (18:27):
like another 4 or 5 days to get re confirmation of my
diagnosis, during which time I'msaying to my husband, oh my god,
I panicked and I sent thisemail, and he's like, it'll be
fine, honestly, just chill, theyknow what they're doing, it's
all good, but You're doing yourusual overthinking and taking it
too far.
(18:47):
she did come back the next weekand she said, no, I've reviewed
your notes or reviewed youremail.
I am still very happy with thediagnosis that i've given you.
So once I got over that hurdle
Megs (18:58):
Yeah.
Sam (18:59):
then I then was like, okay, right.
What do I what do I do now?
So I thought the first thing Ido is I i'm gonna publish the
podcast.
I'd already started recording itBut I hadn't decided whether or
not I publish it You Because Iwasn't sure, if I didn't get the
diagnosis and I'd have said,okay, well What is it then?
I probably would have carried onthe podcast.
I would have maybe changed up,you know what it was anyway, so
(19:22):
I published the podcast and thenI started to interview other
people and I did start to thinkright okay, well what I do now
and I did lots of research onSort of strategies for ADHD.
So I started to make a note oflike, what are the things that
firstly, what are the thingsthat me and my husband argue
most about?
Cause we are polar opposites ofeach other.
Like it is the known thing we'vebeen together for 20 years and
(19:44):
all of our friends and familyjust would never have put us
together in a million years.
We are completely the opposite.
he's, he's historically, he'sbeen a solicitor for a number of
years.
He's now a coroner.
He is like.
As balanced and grounded as youcan find me.
I am one of the scattiest peopleyou'll ever meet.
(20:05):
So we are opposite and we'rereally good because like he
grounds me.
But I also, I think kind of pushhim out of his comfort zone a
little bit.
So we, we work really, reallywell together.
so yes, I thought, okay, well,you know, some of the things
that we argue about is, Me notlistening, me not, like,
apparently I don't listen.
(20:26):
Um, when he sort of says, youknow, I'm going to go and do X,
Y, and Z this afternoon, I'mlike, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah.
And then he's like, right, I'mgoing out now.
I'll see you later.
And I'm like, Hmm, going where,where are you going?
Megs (20:38):
ha,
Sam (20:39):
or I told you yesterday of this.
So, you know, I told you to putthis in your calendar.
Why is it on your calendar?
So anything like that, like anyimportant, so we had this
conversation and I sort of said,I don't do these things on
purpose, this is ADHD, my mindis not listening, it's
completely somewhere else, sohow can we stop this, can you
(21:00):
grab my attention, can you getme to repeat it back, what
things we can do to make surethat I am listening, and you're
not treating me like a child,it's absolutely fine, I know it
sounds like you're babying me,but you're not, I just, I need
you to do this, because then Iwill remember, or, you know, I
will remember to put a note inmy calendar or say, Sam, pull
your calendar up on your phonenow.
Let's put it in now.
(21:21):
Just little things like thatthat you can help me because it
will stop us arguing later on.
So having those like difficult,awkward conversations with maybe
friends, family, like, friendsnow whose birthdays I forget all
the time.
Megs (21:37):
my gosh.
Yes.
Sam (21:39):
The amount of birthday books I've had with my friend's
birthdays in.
And then I lose the birthdaybook, you know, it's, it's, it's
awful.
But now I feel like, okay, now Ihave a bit of a reason for it.
And there's a little bit moreunderstanding maybe in a little
bit more leeway.
because the thing is my friendsknow that when I do remember
(21:59):
their birthdays, they always getthe most cracking presents, like
Megs (22:03):
Yeah.
Sam (22:04):
really well thought out, you know, especially at
Christmas, like, People get somereally good stuff from me, so
it's not that I'm a horribleperson, it's just that my brain
is off braining doing somethingelse.
so the, yeah, the biggest thingfor me was like, Hey, what
strategies can I put in place tomake things easier for myself to
(22:26):
decrease my anxiety?
Because I know now all thesedifferent things of what have
caused my anxiety and panicattacks over the years.
And I've tried to kind of, I'mstill working on it.
Like I think it's a lifelongprocess.
I love that you do like helpingpeople with clutter and
organizing because that's amassive thing as well.
(22:48):
Like that's another thing I'venoticed that I've always done is
my husband going, Sam, where'smy keys?
I put my keys down over here andnow they've moved.
I am constantly moving thingsbecause I'm constantly clearing
things away into little dunepiles, call them dune piles,
like you just scoop everythingup Because it's just annoying me
and just like chuck it in adrawer out of the way Yeah, I
(23:11):
did that.
Megs (23:12):
Did you know what it stands for?
Sam (23:13):
No
Megs (23:14):
Doom is didn't organize only moved.
So yeah, though doom piles areso real.
Yes
Sam (23:22):
Love it.
Love it.
Yeah, so things like that andand trying to know losing losing
the car key and I, I kind ofhate that one because that's a
real stereotypical ADHD thingand you see that, see that, I
did a thing on it the other day,but the sad thing is that it's
so true, like even though I havea special place by the front
door to leave my key, it, itdoesn't always go there.
(23:45):
So I now have two places that'shelping by having two places,
not restricted to one, I canhave two.
but yeah, it's just, it's a workin progress all the time and,
and.
not trying to fix myself,because I do actually quite like
myself, which is quite nice.
And I think that's a difficultthing, is to get to some sort of
(24:06):
like acceptance on your ADHDtraits.
And I go, do I am quirky, and Iam a bit scatty, just me.
so yeah, I'm not trying to fixmyself.
I'm just trying to find ways tomake life a bit easier.
Megs (24:22):
I love the way you say that too.
I you know in the beginning I IStarted to analyze all of my
behaviors right and like say isthat ADHD that ADHD and like
then I was like I am just ADHDlike it's it's me I thought I'm
all all of it is me and it isall of me right like all of
these things You Mesh together.
(24:43):
There was this guy who reachedout to me one time.
This is totally a squirrelmoment, but it's so important to
say, because
Sam (24:48):
it.
Yeah.
Megs (24:49):
he reached out to me.
He's like, Oh, I've got thisreally cool thing.
I think you could use incoaching.
And I was like, okay.
And I made this meeting with himand he was telling me all about
this, this invention where theylike put, they like train your
brain to not be so ADHD anymore.
And the more he talked about it,I was like, don't know, so much
(25:11):
of this feels so weird, and Idon't know what parts of me
would change in a way that Iwould then have to get used to,
like, I love, I just likeunderstanding certain things
that I do, and then modifyingthe way that I live.
To meet the needs of my brainand the already quirkiness of my
(25:32):
life.
Sam (25:33):
Hmm.
Megs (25:33):
I love the way that you say, like, you don't have to
change and you figured it out.
And honestly, like I talk aboutorganizing, but in the sense
that nothing is perfect and Istill lose my damn keys all the
freaking time.
But I also have an Apple air tagon it because I know that like,
that's where I'll go.
And it's funny because when Iput them away.
(25:54):
That's when I, like, lookeverywhere else for them first.
Like, I've put them in a way, inthe spot that they go, and then
I'm like, looking on the couch,and looking on the counters, and
then finally I go back to wherethey actually go, and I'm like,
Sam (26:08):
That was so funny.
That was so
Megs (26:09):
Right.
But,
Sam (26:11):
Yeah.
Megs (26:12):
I do find that life has become easier now that I
understand my brain, but easierin the sense that it's still,
there's a lot of struggles thatcome along with it.
Sam (26:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And like you did it the otherday, like I was.
I was talking to my husbandabout something and I'd already
talked about it like half anhour before.
I was very excited aboutsomething and I was sharing and
sharing and sharing again.
And isn't this amazing?
And isn't this, he said, you'rereally overdoing it now, Sam.
You've told me this X times.
I said, that's just me.
I'm not going to change thatabout me.
(26:41):
Like there's lots of thingsabout my ADHD or about me in
general, that might cause meanxiety, but I appreciate that
sometimes you might finddifficult, other people might
find difficult.
and I will, you know, adapt andhave a level of awareness around
some of those things, but I'mnot going to change everything
about me.
I'm only going to change thethings that are going to better
(27:02):
me, not actually dull me down.
Like.
It's that whole thing of like,if you're too much for other
people, that's their problem,not yours, not yours to change.
Megs (27:12):
and so many people need to hear that Cause I do feel like
sometimes I silence myself and Iwant, like, when I get excited
about things, all I want is forsomeone to ask me more questions
so that I can like elaboratemore.
I'm like, I have so much more toshare.
I've even told my husband, causemy husband has ADHD as well.
and, but he's not great atasking questions.
(27:33):
He's good at listening.
but I'm like.
Maybe I could give you somequestions that you could ask me
when I'm talking about some ofthese things, and then that way
we can work a little bit better.
Sam (27:45):
Oh my God.
My brain is like, I need to havea list of questions now.
I'm going to go and give them tosomeone.
Megs (27:50):
Yeah.
Could you, could you pretendyou're interviewing me for a
podcast?
Cause I've got a lot of things Ihave to get off of my brain
right now.
Yeah.
Sam (27:59):
I think this is, this is where having ADHD for like
friends who are that wayinclined comes in really useful
and having that community ofpeople, isn't it?
Because you get each other andyou'll, you'll do that and
you'll celebrate each other.
because you know that you just,you're so excited and you just
want to keep going on and onabout it and sharing everything.
Megs (28:18):
then they're like, Oh, sorry, sorry, squirrel moment.
And you're like, no, no, no, I'mfollowing.
This is how my brain works.
Like I'm on this squirrel momentwith you.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
Sam (28:27):
Tell me more, tell me more.
Megs (28:29):
Exactly.
Oh,
Sam (28:30):
it.
Megs (28:32):
Okay.
So tell me a little bit aboutyour digital marketing journey
and how you discovered that youreally wanted to put your
passion well, you know, like Ithink it's interesting because
you literally have a podcast forpeople with ADHD.
So naturally, you're going to bespeaking to people with ADHD.
so yeah, tell me about thatjourney and how you found your
sort of niche in the market.
Sam (28:51):
so I, I left school, at 16.
I don't know what age you canleave school in the US, but we
could, it has to be 18 now, butI left at 16.
And I went to college for threemonths, decided I didn't like it
because I felt like they stilltreated me like a child.
And as far as I was concerned, Iwas an adult.
So I went out into the big wideworld and found myself a job.
(29:14):
I managed to somehow get myselfa job at a law firm at the age
of 17.
in the admin department.
and I, I feel very lucky that Iactually got in there cause it's
really difficult now to get ajob in a law firm because there
are so many trainee solicitorsthat will go into admin jobs in
law firms so that they're readyfor when the training contact
(29:37):
contracts come out.
So it's not always that easy nowto get into law firm.
So yeah, I worked there for avery long time and I worked I
worked in lots of differentdepartments.
I worked on reception.
I worked in finance.
then I ended up working inmarketing.
Marketing job came up.
And I was studying at the time,business and finance because, I
was interested in marketing andthere was a big marketing module
(30:00):
in that.
And when I finished, I startedmaking loads of suggestions to
the senior partner aboutimprovements they could make to
their website.
This is like, Oh my God.
Okay.
So I'm 42 so I was 25 about 15,15 plus years ago.
So I'm talking about, like,adjustments they can make to the
(30:22):
website to better their SEO, youknow, this is like 15 years ago
when
Megs (30:26):
Yeah, heck yeah.
Sam (30:27):
become like a real thing.
and internet marketing, I thinkit was, the module was actually
called internet marketing at thetime.
I absolutely loved it.
So when a job came up in themarketing department, I went for
it and I got it and I workedthat for a few years and
realized that that's what Iabsolutely adored because it was
so varied.
I then ended up studying designas well.
(30:50):
So I love drawing.
I love painting.
so that kind of comes intodigital marketing as well,
because it's very creative.
I love, Writing, I love talking,that was all in there as well,
but you're quite restricted incorporate, you've got your brand
guidelines, everything has tolook a certain way, and I, I, I
(31:11):
left, not because of that, Ileft because my son was quite
young, we were obviously inthose early years of
understanding that he could beautistic, and I was working, you
know, Almost full time.
And it was, it was becomingquite difficult.
So I then left and I, I wentthrough a range of part time
(31:31):
jobs.
I worked at an estate agents.
I went in as an admin assistant,just for like a few hours a
week.
Within two months, I was theoffice manager.
And
Megs (31:40):
Oh, my gosh.
That's amazing.
I
Sam (31:44):
They were like, so we're, it was a very small, very small
firm.
They're just two estate agentsand me, the office assistant.
I've been there for one day.
And they said, right, we'regoing out to do viewings.
Are you okay looking after theoffice?
And I was like, yeah, awesome.
Let's do it.
Megs (31:59):
love it.
Sam (31:59):
Just pretending to be an estate agent for the day.
I worked at a site loss charityas an office manager.
what else have I done?
And I've also, more recentlyworked, for a big online
training business for about ayear and a half.
And so marketing, peopling,creative have always kind of
(32:20):
been there.
And I've got a reallyinteresting statistic for you
because I saw this on LinkedInlast year.
Go Amplify found that a highpercentage of marketers have
ADHD.
they found that the marketersthat they interviewed, the
percentage, do do do do do, 38percent of the respondents who
(32:42):
work in marketing reported tohave ADHD.
38 percent
Megs (32:47):
Oh my God.
Sam (32:47):
compared to, the average of the general population, which is
three to 4%.
And I think this is because it'ssuch a varied role.
No one goes, okay, I'm going tobe a marketer.
Generally you end up, all thesepeople ended up just falling
into that role because you justend up drawn to it.
Like you might be in a businessand you end up drawn into that
department or drawn into thatposition, or you see it online,
(33:10):
like digital marketing, you'redrawn into it because I feel
like it ticks all of thosecreative, boxes that you kind of
crave, that ADHD craves.
generally, if you're lucky, youget a lot of freedom with
creativity.
so yeah, I thought that wasfascinating and it makes so much
sense.
In the online space, my husbandhates that term when I say that
(33:31):
I'll be in the online spacewhere I am.
Where are you?
In the cloud somewhere.
there is a lot ofneurodivergency.
There is a lot ofneurodivergence in there.
And because I've got traditionalmarketing qualifications.
I'm sort of, qualified to sortof graduate level.
It is very traditional, it isbased on, a lot of old
(33:53):
information and probably a lotof neurotypical way of thinking.
Whereas, if you have an onlinebusiness, a large proportion of
your clients, if they havebusinesses, they're potentially
a large portion of them aregoing to be neurodivergent.
If they're, if they'reentrepreneurs, a large portion
(34:14):
of them, we, we know from lotsof reports and statistics that
are coming out lately, a largeportion of neurodivergent.
And so.
That kind of crept into themarketing.
I thought, okay, well, hang on.
Are we, are we missing a trickhere?
Are we missing something?
Because how many of us go on awebsite to buy something from
someone and get distracted?
Megs (34:35):
Right.
Sam (34:35):
many of us go to the, to the, to the checkout box, can't
see when it's going to bedelivered.
go and try and find theinformation on another page
somewhere else.
And then get distracted andleave completely and go
somewhere else.
Megs (34:47):
Oh my gosh.
Totally.
Sam (34:49):
there's lots of these other things that were maybe not taken
into consideration with theneurodivergent brain when it
comes to marketing.
You know, how many peopleactually like reading through?
PDF lead magnets.
How about you provide your leadmagnets, which for anyone that's
listening who doesn't understandthat term, it's something that
(35:09):
you give to people in return foran email address, like a free
kind of download or something.
How about you provide that as anaudio file, you know, in your
voice, for example, so they can,they can listen to it as a
podcast on the go.
It might not improve the amountof downloads you get, but it
might improve the people thatare actually going to consume
(35:30):
that information.
Cause again, when you thinkabout all the freebie leave
magnets that you've signed upfor and you get the email
saying, here's your free PDF onhow to do 10 things.
Like it's like, how many of themdo you actually look at and read
through or read a page or readtwo pages?
Whereas if you know, you've gotan audio and you just stick it
on and you've got your earphonesin and you're walking around and
stuff, you're probably morelikely to consume it and then
(35:50):
you're probably more likely toget to know that person.
And so you start to build thatrelationship a little bit
quicker.
So I think there's lots oflittle things that we could be
missing out on when it comes tomarketing, to neurodivergence.
So I've started to put those twothings together and concentrate
more on that in my digitalmarketing to make information
more accessible, but alsoinclusive as well to everybody,
(36:13):
kind of goes quite nicely.
Megs (36:15):
I love that so much.
And what I think is fascinatingis.
You're saying like, what if wehad an audio file?
And I'm like, yeah, that's whatI want.
But because I, because I'mthinking so much about
organizing, right.
And doing my podcast, I'm notthinking about all of these
other ways that I can speak tomy audience.
And so as an entrepreneur, Ifind that I've had to take off
(36:37):
some of the hats that I feellike I need to be an expert at
to trust and rely.
On the other people that areexperts.
Like I finally, I hired abookkeeper and he's incredible.
He is audie HD and I freakinglove him.
He created a, flow chart.
So that I could easilycategorize the things I'm
working with.
And then my assistant is ADHDand she's like so brilliantly
(37:01):
creative Sam.
Thank you so much for being aguest on the podcast.
I'm so excited for people toconnect with you, follow you on
social media.
Everyone go follow Sam, get intouch with her.
And thanks again.
WH-1000XM5-3 (37:13):
as you can see the interview cut off toward the end
there, but I hope you enjoyedthat recording just as much as I
did.
I just really enjoyed theconversation.
I learned so much.
if you want to go follow Sam,her Instagram is at, could it be
ADHD underscore the podcast onInstagram and her podcast, I'll
(37:34):
link all of this in the shownotes below is could it be ADHD.
I also subscribed to her emailnewsletter, and I love it.
It's great.
I learned so much from herbecause it truly feels like she
cares about the ADHD audience.
And I just want you all to knowthat I am constantly looking for
ways to improve myself andimprove the way that I can show
(37:56):
up for you.
And of course for myself.
It's so fascinating to relivethe diagnosis journey every time
I not only listen as I'm editingthese podcasts, but also When
I'm actually doing theinterviews themselves It almost
feels like something else newcomes up each time I listen to
it that I start to discoversomething new about myself in
(38:17):
Maybe the way that I react tothings but then also my
acceptance journey and how farI've come Since getting that
diagnosis over three years agonow we also talked about our
kids getting a diagnosis, I feelvery fortunate in our journey so
far.
Each and every teacher thatwe've worked with has been very
receptive to trying new anddifferent things that might be a
(38:39):
little outside the box whenworking with our kiddos, I am
sometimes concerned about whatit might look like as they get a
little bit older.
I already see my five year oldhaving perfectionist tendencies,
and that she hates being wrong.
And I think some of us do too,but I just wonder what it looks
like to actually have theconversation to help her
(39:00):
understand that it's okay tomake mistakes, and in fact, that
is how you learn.
That is one of the mostimportant things about learning
is making the mistakes, havingthe failures so that you can
look back on them for theevidence on what you should try
differently next time.
That has definitely been animportant and interesting
journey when it comes to being amom.
(39:21):
But I bring that up because inthis moment, it's not as if
we've gotten a diagnosis andwe're not seeking out medicine
in that case.
But I am looking to.
therapists and people thatspecialize in ADHD and coaches
as well for different ways thatyou can approach certain
situations that you can show upa little bit differently as a
(39:43):
parent.
it's quite fascinating thisjourney that we are on together.
Also, forgetting birthdays.
Oh my goodness.
It's so shameful, it's soembarrassing, and especially
when Facebook is not remindingyou to wish someone a happy
birthday.
And side note, I have decided totake myself off of Facebook.
(40:04):
I am actually leaning towardsnot being on social media as
much because I do feel like itcan take up some of my time and
I wanted to limit the amount ofscreen time I have unless it's
for deep learning and trulyUnderstanding how I can elevate
myself to the next level.
Lastly, I just want to leave youwith this.
I love how Sam talks about howshe likes herself.
(40:28):
And how she genuinely just likeswho she is and her quirks and
her idiosyncrasies and all ofthese beautiful things about
her.
And I appreciate that she saysthat because you're allowed to
love those things about yourselfas well.
All of it.
And for the things that don'tfeel as good, like having so
(40:51):
much clutter around, or maybefeeling like you do need some
support in figuring out whereyou've left everything, in those
cases, you're allowed to seekimprovement.
That's where you look at thefailures and say, what's causing
this?
How is my brain affecting methat I can't remember where
things are?
But you're allowed to love thatabout you.
(41:12):
And you're allowed to acceptthat about you, too.
this Friday, the 21st in thecommunity, we're having our Q
and a or monthly group coaching.
I'm really excited for that.
So if you decide to join mycommunity before Friday, then
you're welcome to join in aswell.
This is where we all cometogether as a community, talk
about some of the things thataren't working well, and I
(41:33):
answer different questions thatyou have about some of the
spaces that you're trying totackle in your home.
I would love to meet you.
I would love for you to meet theother incredible people that are
part of the community as well.
I hope you're having anincredible week this week.
I'll see you next week.
Hey, beautiful people.
(00:01):
Welcome back to organizing anADHD brain.
I am your host Megs and I amsuper excited to be bringing you
a special interview I did withmy friend Sam who hosts the
podcast Could It Be ADHD?
WH-1000XM5-2 (00:13):
I originally started interviewing people last
year about their diagnosisjourney, because I felt like it
was really important for us tostart seeing similarities and
other people to truly understandthat we're not alone out there.
And if we're not alone in thesediagnosis journeys and
understanding our brain, thenwe're certainly not alone in
finding organization and findinga way to get decluttered in a
(00:34):
way that works for us and notagainst us.
So a couple of things that Ireally love about this podcast
is first, we talk about the UK'spublic health system called the
NHS.
I don't know a ton about it, butI learned so much in this
interview about how thehealthcare system works
overseas.
It was pretty fascinating tounderstand that journey versus
(00:54):
the journey that so many of ushave sought out here in the
United States.
what I love about theseconversations and what I love
about the people that I've metthrough this podcasting journey
is that I know people now in theUK and in New Zealand, and I see
people listening in Italy and inFrance and thank you, I'm so
darn honored.
(01:16):
when you meet new people fromdifferent places, it's so
incredible to have conversationsabout how things work because it
allows you to gain newperspective and understanding
about how different the worldis.
Different and amazing, much likeour ADHD brains, if you will.
What I also absolutely loveabout Sam is her love for all of
the different things that shehas her hands in.
(01:39):
So she is not only a mom, butalso a wife and a wife trying to
understand her diagnosis so thatshe can communicate better with
her husband.
But then she's also a certifieddog trainer, and she comes from
digital marketing, but she hasquite a diverse background when
it comes to her working history.
And what's incredible about thatis so do many of you.
(02:00):
So many of us have so manydifferent interests, and
sometimes we put ourselves downfor it, but truly, it's what
gives us a leg up on life,because we have had so many of
these different experiences.
What's hard is we know how goodwe can be at so many of these
different things that sometimeswhen we do take a step back and
narrow down our hobbies to justa few instead of quite a few too
(02:23):
many, there's so much more thatwe can build on in those spaces,
which is really neat.
This is important to theorganizing journey, because I
want you to see how otherpeople's brains work and how
they're so similar to the waythat you think, not that we have
the same brains or we're thesame people, but the way that
they operate, right?
The way that we are sointerested in so many different
(02:44):
aspects of the world and.
We want to try so many differentjobs, and we want to be really,
really good at so many of thethings that we do.
And so just understanding thatthat is a normal thing is so
important.
Because once you understand hownormal that is, you accept these
different ways that your brainworks so that you can adapt to
(03:05):
them, instead of allowing themto take over.
Let's go ahead and dive intothis interview because I'm so
excited for you to hear it.
I did experience some technicaldifficulties when I was
recording this, so please keepthat in mind as you're
listening.
I have fixed that going forwardfor future interviews, but
definitely keep that in mind.
(03:25):
It's progress over perfectionwhen it comes to editing and
podcasts, and I'm still doingall the editing myself, and so
thank you for your grace andsupport as we continue to work
through this.
Enjoy.
Megs (03:39):
Welcome back to organizing an ADHD brain.
I'm so excited to introduce youto Sam.
She's from the UK and I've beenfollowing her on social media
and we became just immediatefriends, here.
So, Sam, tell us a little bitabout you and a little bit about
what you do.
Sam (03:54):
On.
Massively, massively appreciateit and a big fan as well.
I've been following you for alittle while.
tell you about me.
Oh my gosh.
Where do, where do I start?
have a, I have a big backstory,but basically at the moment
right now, what I'm doing is Iset up a podcast called, Could
It Be ADHD?
Back in May.
very impulsively when I got mydiagnosis.
(04:16):
I thought, right, what can I dowith this information?
I know I'm going to talk aboutit and I know I'll just put it
online because, because I'm adigital marketer and this is
what we do.
We have an idea.
and we think, okay, how, whatcan I do with this information?
I can't keep it in.
I've got this idea, thisbrilliant idea.
And so it turned into a podcast,even though I'd never, well, I
tell a lie.
I had done a podcast before.
(04:36):
I'd done a little mini podcastlast year.
little podcast series.
I was like, okay, I know how todo this now.
So I'll do that.
and just started talking aboutmy ADHD diagnosis journey and
experience.
I found it quite difficult.
and wanted to share that withother people and then thought,
you know what, I'll interviewother people about their
diagnosis journey.
especially in the UK, it's very,it's a struggle to get a
(04:59):
diagnosis here, on, on the NHS.
privately as well.
There's like a stigma aroundgetting a private diagnosis.
There's so many things to coverand talk about.
I wanted to sort of share thatand explore that more, online
and also kind of battle some ofthose stereotypes that we see
around ADHD.
because ADHD is so broad, right?
It's a real spectrum of traitsand we only see tend to see a
(05:22):
lot of the hyperactive side ofit.
And I'm in attentive ADHD.
So I wanted to share a littlebit more about that so that
other people could seethemselves and, you know, feel
empowered to go, do you knowwhat, okay, I'm, I'm going to go
and get diagnosis or selfidentify by having access to
broader sort of information.
So.
I did that for a little while.
I said, I did that for a littlewhile.
I'm still doing that now.
(05:43):
and then, then also, I'm digitalmarketer and I've done that for,
a number of years now.
I used to work in the corporateworld.
lots of stories around that,worked in lots of different
businesses, doing lots ofdifferent things.
and then eventually wanted towork for myself so that I could
be more present for my son.
And also because I just foundall of that.
(06:05):
struggle for many reasons,being, there's nothing better,
right, than being your own boss.
Not having it, it's just nothaving those rules and
limitations on what you can andcan't do.
you know, or you want to dosomething, well, okay, we'll
talk about it at the teammeeting, like, in a month's
time.
Well, no, we need to action thisnow, I had a few, employed jobs
(06:27):
in between, but generally, yeah,I'm, I'm an online marketer now.
working with, with small onlinebusinesses, people like me who
just want to be able to work forthemselves and not have to have
someone else telling them whatto do.
Usually with like a passion orsomething amazing and usually
neurodivergent people as well,
Megs (06:45):
Oh my gosh.
It doesn't mean thatneurodivergent people can't
thrive in the corporate worldbecause I come from the
corporate background as well.
And gosh, you know, it's sofunny because sometimes I think
about the, just the familiaritythat you get from the corporate
world or like the sustainabilityor that comfort feeling.
And then the other morning Ibrought my car to the shop
(07:06):
because I needed to get an oilchange.
And I brought all my work withme.
And This is why this is why I'man entrepreneur because I don't
have to tell anyone about this.
I just got to put it in myschedule and do it.
And there's so much freedom whenit comes to that, not living.
In the box, right?
no one can put us in a box isreally what it comes down to.
Sam (07:25):
Absolutely, there are some really good businesses out there
doing really, really good thingsfor neurodivergent people.
There was, one business that Iused to work for and we were all
remote.
We all worked remotely and wedidn't have to fill in
timesheets and also whenprojects came up, we didn't have
to stay within our departments.
So if someone expressed, anexcitement about being able to
(07:47):
take on a certain part of theproject, you could say, I would
love to take part in this areabecause that's, although it's
not my normal expertise, I thinkI'd be really good at it and I'd
like to try it.
And you kind of could like mixaround a bit and really make use
of people's skills.
I thought that was brilliant.
Brilliant.
I really liked that.
It felt very Apple like.
I can imagine that's what it'slike working at Apple or Google
in that it's very like, youknow, collaborative.
(08:10):
So I think things like that workreally, really well.
Megs (08:12):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your diagnosis journey?
I think it's so fascinating tohear, especially as women, we're
seeing so many women getdiagnosed with ADHD later in
life.
That was my story too.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat that was like.
Sam (08:28):
Yeah.
So it really only came aboutbecause my son had an autism
diagnosis and ADHD was notsomething that I ever knew
about.
All I knew about ADHD was thatit was a hyperactive disorder.
I know that when my son had hisautism diagnosis, I was told
that they'd looked for ADHD, butcouldn't see any sort of traits
(08:50):
for ADHD in there, but he hadn'tgone for an ADHD diagnosis.
So I hadn't even considered thatanyway.
Obviously when you, as a parentstart digging deeper into these
things, like, well, I mean, I'mgoing to become an autism expert
now, you know, and anything thatcomes into your life, you become
the expert.
Is that right?
Megs (09:07):
Absolutely.
Yes.
Sam (09:09):
This is the same with my dog.
My dog is reactive.
So I got a dog trainingqualification because I needed
to know how to train my dog.
Like this is the kind of thingsthat I do.
So I was like, I must becomethis autism expert.
So in all the research I wasdoing, obviously ADHD kept
coming up into my social mediafeed and, you know, Typically
Instagram, I'd listened tosomeone's podcast and there was
(09:31):
a lady on there who had ADHD andshe was talking, she was late
diagnosed, and she was talkingabout her traits and I thought,
oh my god, this, this is me andI've been medicated for anxiety
and depression for a number ofyears now on antidepressants and
I've suffered with anxiety foras long as I can remember.
When I was a small child I wasvery anxious.
I didn't like going tosleepovers.
(09:52):
I didn't want to leave my house.
I wanted to be at home with mybooks, in my bed, surrounded by
my cuddly toys, under thecovers, in my daydreams.
I loved being in my daydreams.
And anxiety was there throughoutmy life and just kind of getting
worse and never really having agrasp on where that anxiety was
(10:15):
coming from.
And so as I was listening to allthese traits, I thought, Oh my
God, that's me.
That's me.
especially with the, theoverthinking and the just not
being able to finish things,having a million ideas and
losing steam, starting up lotsof little mini businesses, going
from job to job, so manydifferent things.
(10:36):
and I thought, okay, I need toexplore this a bit more.
So then I started to look upmore reputable information.
I started to do the screeningquestionnaires, look at all the
ADHD websites, and look at alltheir difference.
So I think I must have done fouror five screening questionnaires
like you do because I wanted tocheck, is that right?
Is it right?
Does it, does it, what does thisone say?
What does this one say?
and thought, okay, well, I'll gofor the diagnosis.
(10:56):
So I went to see over here inthe UK, And tell them and they
will, send your application off,to, an NHS provider.
and then you go on a waitinglist for 10 years.
That's pretty much how ithappens, works here, yeah.
Yeah, the waiting list, thewaiting, they've actually closed
three waiting lists in the UK inregional areas because they've
(11:19):
got too many people.
The NHS in one area.
I put this on a reel on myaccount the other day.
They only do six assessments amonth.
They've only got NHS funding forsix assessments a month.
So there's no way they're goingto get through the 4, 000 people
they've already got on theirwaiting list and they're getting
about 200 people a month.
Megs (11:37):
my gosh.
that's, crazy.
Sam (11:40):
And obviously NHS is something that we, we pay for
with our, you know, our taxesand stuff.
when I found this informationout and I wasn't getting a reply
about how long this diagnosiswould take, I then decided to go
through something called Rightto Choose.
And that's where under the NHSyou have a right to choose where
you have your treatment.
(12:00):
And there are about, I thinkthere's about 10 right to choose
NHA centers across the uk andthey're huge.
They've got capacity to, to dealwith diagnosis.
So I asked my GP to send me toone of those instead.
there was a big mess up with thepaperwork.
So I was getting so anxious andso panicky because I needed to
(12:20):
know this information.
I couldn't, I do think that wasmy ADHD.
I was having panic attacksbecause I needed to know the
information and I needed to knowyesterday.
Like I couldn't think aboutanything else.
It was really, really horrible.
So I said to my husband, look,we need to pay privately.
I need to, I need to get thisinformation.
So I need to know.
Am I on the right medication?
(12:41):
Is this anxiety?
what do I do next?
for me, I needed that bit ofpaper.
I needed that because, yeah, mybrain was not braining properly.
so I paid privately, but then atthe same time, I got the right
to choose to go through at thesame time, and then I got my
diagnosis.
It wasn't the best experience.
but I'm pleased that I wentthrough it.
(13:02):
I would do it again.
I absolutely would do it again.
but also in the UK, I can seewhy people are so put off by it.
especially when they find out, Ispeak to a lot of people who are
on a waiting list.
They're like, well, I've been onthe waiting list for two, three
years.
Surely I'll get an appointmentsoon.
and you're like, well, actuallyyou, you're probably not, you're
better off going through rightto choose, but then you have to
go and fill out a mountain ofpaperwork all over again and go
(13:23):
through that same process ofdigging up all of that, history
and all those things that youfound really uncomfortable
talking about in your past, likeputting those all up again.
So I can see why people don'twant to do that.
But yeah, it was for me, Idefinitely needed that
Megs (13:38):
What a mess of craziness to go through.
And we've got our own mess overhere, too.
I know I would like to get adiagnosis for both of my girls.
I do believe my 5 year old hasautism and my 7 year old has
ADHD.
And I, like, yeah, you become anexpert into it.
Like, you recognize what'shappening.
But then in order for them toget a lot of the accommodations
(14:01):
they need in school, they needthe diagnosis to be able to move
forward with that.
And being an entrepreneur, Ican't get the best healthcare.
And so I'm paying into thesedifferent services for like
catastrophic incidents, but thenI'm also paying into like
getting a primary care doctor.
So to get a, to get a diagnosisor to even get them screened for
(14:23):
it, it's 2, 000 each.
And then.
Sam (14:26):
God.
Megs (14:27):
Yeah, and then you have to pay up front like there's no
payment plan because they wantto ensure that you're going to
stay like, you know, that youpay for it.
and in some cases, if if youcan't show proof of insurance,
they're like, we're going tocancel your appointment.
Sam (14:39):
So even children, so children have to have healthcare
plans as well.
Megs (14:44):
Yeah.
And it's frustrating.
That's one thing I do miss aboutthe corporate world is that I
was provided with greathealthcare.
I still paid for it.
And so I think that's like acommon misconception that you
get healthcare with work, butyou don't, I probably was paying
around 800 a month for myfamily.
so, but then luckily my husbandgets it for free through his
(15:04):
work.
They actually pay for him, whichis really, really nice.
But then I pay probably about.
Actually about 800 for me andthe two girls now.
So it's, and then I'm afraid touse it because, oh my God, we
could totally go down thisrabbit hole.
Cause I've been thinking aboutthis a lot, but like.
That I'm afraid to use itbecause I still have to, like,
it's just a co pay.
It's not like they'll pay forthe whole visit or anything like
(15:24):
that.
I still have to pay for itadditionally.
Yeah, it's so frustrating.
And then of course the shortageof medicine and things like
that.
It's been frustrating.
Sam (15:34):
It's frustrating and especially when your children
need that, that information forthe educational setting so that
they can get thoseaccommodations.
I know here, They, they shouldget accommodations anyway, with
or without a diagnosis.
Um, but it's still, it helps tohave the diagnosis.
Obviously, they have access to,to more things, and it's almost
(15:56):
like access to more, betterunderstanding.
Because it's, it's almost likeyou can't go, well, actually,
they do have a disability.
It's, yeah, that's, thatdoesn't, that doesn't seem fair.
Megs (16:07):
On the positive note, I feel like that's why we're
having these conversations.
To bring more awareness so thatwe can affect that change
Sam (16:14):
Yeah.
And I think self-identifyingwith A DHD obviously in the US
is probably even more importantthan in the UK because of the,
the, the access.
You know, at least here I'mvery, very grateful for the NHS.
It's a wonderful institutionit's incredible.
you know, and I've got familywho work in the NHS, And at the
moment that there is massivewaiting lists all over the
(16:36):
place, but at least we havesomething, you know, at least we
have got these centers that wecan go to that will take a year,
you know, to get an assessmentrather than 10 years.
That's still not going to costanything.
You know, it's still, you know,and the same for our kids, you
know, they still have thataccess that just going to take
longer.
It shouldn't take so long.
but it, but it does.
So, yeah, I'm, I'm truly, trulythankful for the NHS.
(16:59):
They're wonderful.
Megs (17:00):
So you got your diagnosis then what?
Right.
So I know you have your podcastand of course you are a digital
marketer.
I love the way that you movedyour digital marketing into more
of an ADHD perspective.
Like if your clients are ADHD,how do you market to them?
And then in the same breath, youknow, I'm curious just how, how
you started to approach lifeafter getting a diagnosis.
(17:23):
Cause I know I was in denial.
I was like, they don't know whatthey're talking about.
What?
Sam (17:29):
if anyone's listened to my podcast, in one of my early
episodes, I go into this aboutgreat detail the day after,
because the day after mydiagnosis, I had a full blown
meltdown.
Exactly that.
I was like, no, no, they've gotthis wrong.
I've convinced them that I'mADHD.
I've just been thinking aboutthis for so long.
(17:49):
I'm sure I've convinced them.
So I wrote this huge long emailto my clinician and said, Can
you please just double check thenotes?
This is what I said.
You did get it right, didn'tyou?
Because it's okay.
Sometimes people get thingswrong, and that's absolutely
fine.
I really won't be upset.
Like, I was like, I'm talkingmyself out of this diagnosis.
I was like, if you need it out,here it is.
(18:10):
Honestly, it's fine.
And she came back, and she said,she said, I've got your email,
but I've got lots ofappointments today, so I can't
review this now.
I'm gonna have to review it nextweek.
And I was like, oh my god,
Megs (18:23):
Oh, no.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Sam (18:27):
like another 4 or 5 days to get re confirmation of my
diagnosis, during which time I'msaying to my husband, oh my god,
I panicked and I sent thisemail, and he's like, it'll be
fine, honestly, just chill, theyknow what they're doing, it's
all good, but You're doing yourusual overthinking and taking it
too far.
(18:47):
she did come back the next weekand she said, no, I've reviewed
your notes or reviewed youremail.
I am still very happy with thediagnosis that i've given you.
So once I got over that hurdle
Megs (18:58):
Yeah.
Sam (18:59):
then I then was like, okay, right.
What do I what do I do now?
So I thought the first thing Ido is I i'm gonna publish the
podcast.
I'd already started recording itBut I hadn't decided whether or
not I publish it You Because Iwasn't sure, if I didn't get the
diagnosis and I'd have said,okay, well What is it then?
I probably would have carried onthe podcast.
I would have maybe changed up,you know what it was anyway, so
(19:22):
I published the podcast and thenI started to interview other
people and I did start to thinkright okay, well what I do now
and I did lots of research onSort of strategies for ADHD.
So I started to make a note oflike, what are the things that
firstly, what are the thingsthat me and my husband argue
most about?
Cause we are polar opposites ofeach other.
Like it is the known thing we'vebeen together for 20 years and
(19:44):
all of our friends and familyjust would never have put us
together in a million years.
We are completely the opposite.
he's, he's historically, he'sbeen a solicitor for a number of
years.
He's now a coroner.
He is like.
As balanced and grounded as youcan find me.
I am one of the scattiest peopleyou'll ever meet.
(20:05):
So we are opposite and we'rereally good because like he
grounds me.
But I also, I think kind of pushhim out of his comfort zone a
little bit.
So we, we work really, reallywell together.
so yes, I thought, okay, well,you know, some of the things
that we argue about is, Me notlistening, me not, like,
apparently I don't listen.
(20:26):
Um, when he sort of says, youknow, I'm going to go and do X,
Y, and Z this afternoon, I'mlike, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah.
And then he's like, right, I'mgoing out now.
I'll see you later.
And I'm like, Hmm, going where,where are you going?
Megs (20:38):
ha,
Sam (20:39):
or I told you yesterday of this.
So, you know, I told you to putthis in your calendar.
Why is it on your calendar?
So anything like that, like anyimportant, so we had this
conversation and I sort of said,I don't do these things on
purpose, this is ADHD, my mindis not listening, it's
completely somewhere else, sohow can we stop this, can you
(21:00):
grab my attention, can you getme to repeat it back, what
things we can do to make surethat I am listening, and you're
not treating me like a child,it's absolutely fine, I know it
sounds like you're babying me,but you're not, I just, I need
you to do this, because then Iwill remember, or, you know, I
will remember to put a note inmy calendar or say, Sam, pull
your calendar up on your phonenow.
Let's put it in now.
(21:21):
Just little things like thatthat you can help me because it
will stop us arguing later on.
So having those like difficult,awkward conversations with maybe
friends, family, like, friendsnow whose birthdays I forget all
the time.
Megs (21:37):
my gosh.
Yes.
Sam (21:39):
The amount of birthday books I've had with my friend's
birthdays in.
And then I lose the birthdaybook, you know, it's, it's, it's
awful.
But now I feel like, okay, now Ihave a bit of a reason for it.
And there's a little bit moreunderstanding maybe in a little
bit more leeway.
because the thing is my friendsknow that when I do remember
(21:59):
their birthdays, they always getthe most cracking presents, like
Megs (22:03):
Yeah.
Sam (22:04):
really well thought out, you know, especially at
Christmas, like, People get somereally good stuff from me, so
it's not that I'm a horribleperson, it's just that my brain
is off braining doing somethingelse.
so the, yeah, the biggest thingfor me was like, Hey, what
strategies can I put in place tomake things easier for myself to
(22:26):
decrease my anxiety?
Because I know now all thesedifferent things of what have
caused my anxiety and panicattacks over the years.
And I've tried to kind of, I'mstill working on it.
Like I think it's a lifelongprocess.
I love that you do like helpingpeople with clutter and
organizing because that's amassive thing as well.
(22:48):
Like that's another thing I'venoticed that I've always done is
my husband going, Sam, where'smy keys?
I put my keys down over here andnow they've moved.
I am constantly moving thingsbecause I'm constantly clearing
things away into little dunepiles, call them dune piles,
like you just scoop everythingup Because it's just annoying me
and just like chuck it in adrawer out of the way Yeah, I
(23:11):
did that.
Megs (23:12):
Did you know what it stands for?
Sam (23:13):
No
Megs (23:14):
Doom is didn't organize only moved.
So yeah, though doom piles areso real.
Yes
Sam (23:22):
Love it.
Love it.
Yeah, so things like that andand trying to know losing losing
the car key and I, I kind ofhate that one because that's a
real stereotypical ADHD thingand you see that, see that, I
did a thing on it the other day,but the sad thing is that it's
so true, like even though I havea special place by the front
door to leave my key, it, itdoesn't always go there.
(23:45):
So I now have two places that'shelping by having two places,
not restricted to one, I canhave two.
but yeah, it's just, it's a workin progress all the time and,
and.
not trying to fix myself,because I do actually quite like
myself, which is quite nice.
And I think that's a difficultthing, is to get to some sort of
(24:06):
like acceptance on your ADHDtraits.
And I go, do I am quirky, and Iam a bit scatty, just me.
so yeah, I'm not trying to fixmyself.
I'm just trying to find ways tomake life a bit easier.
Megs (24:22):
I love the way you say that too.
I you know in the beginning I IStarted to analyze all of my
behaviors right and like say isthat ADHD that ADHD and like
then I was like I am just ADHDlike it's it's me I thought I'm
all all of it is me and it isall of me right like all of
these things You Mesh together.
(24:43):
There was this guy who reachedout to me one time.
This is totally a squirrelmoment, but it's so important to
say, because
Sam (24:48):
it.
Yeah.
Megs (24:49):
he reached out to me.
He's like, Oh, I've got thisreally cool thing.
I think you could use incoaching.
And I was like, okay.
And I made this meeting with himand he was telling me all about
this, this invention where theylike put, they like train your
brain to not be so ADHD anymore.
And the more he talked about it,I was like, don't know, so much
(25:11):
of this feels so weird, and Idon't know what parts of me
would change in a way that Iwould then have to get used to,
like, I love, I just likeunderstanding certain things
that I do, and then modifyingthe way that I live.
To meet the needs of my brainand the already quirkiness of my
(25:32):
life.
Sam (25:33):
Hmm.
Megs (25:33):
I love the way that you say, like, you don't have to
change and you figured it out.
And honestly, like I talk aboutorganizing, but in the sense
that nothing is perfect and Istill lose my damn keys all the
freaking time.
But I also have an Apple air tagon it because I know that like,
that's where I'll go.
And it's funny because when Iput them away.
(25:54):
That's when I, like, lookeverywhere else for them first.
Like, I've put them in a way, inthe spot that they go, and then
I'm like, looking on the couch,and looking on the counters, and
then finally I go back to wherethey actually go, and I'm like,
Sam (26:08):
That was so funny.
That was so
Megs (26:09):
Right.
But,
Sam (26:11):
Yeah.
Megs (26:12):
I do find that life has become easier now that I
understand my brain, but easierin the sense that it's still,
there's a lot of struggles thatcome along with it.
Sam (26:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And like you did it the otherday, like I was.
I was talking to my husbandabout something and I'd already
talked about it like half anhour before.
I was very excited aboutsomething and I was sharing and
sharing and sharing again.
And isn't this amazing?
And isn't this, he said, you'rereally overdoing it now, Sam.
You've told me this X times.
I said, that's just me.
I'm not going to change thatabout me.
(26:41):
Like there's lots of thingsabout my ADHD or about me in
general, that might cause meanxiety, but I appreciate that
sometimes you might finddifficult, other people might
find difficult.
and I will, you know, adapt andhave a level of awareness around
some of those things, but I'mnot going to change everything
about me.
I'm only going to change thethings that are going to better
(27:02):
me, not actually dull me down.
Like.
It's that whole thing of like,if you're too much for other
people, that's their problem,not yours, not yours to change.
Megs (27:12):
and so many people need to hear that Cause I do feel like
sometimes I silence myself and Iwant, like, when I get excited
about things, all I want is forsomeone to ask me more questions
so that I can like elaboratemore.
I'm like, I have so much more toshare.
I've even told my husband, causemy husband has ADHD as well.
and, but he's not great atasking questions.
(27:33):
He's good at listening.
but I'm like.
Maybe I could give you somequestions that you could ask me
when I'm talking about some ofthese things, and then that way
we can work a little bit better.
Sam (27:45):
Oh my God.
My brain is like, I need to havea list of questions now.
I'm going to go and give them tosomeone.
Megs (27:50):
Yeah.
Could you, could you pretendyou're interviewing me for a
podcast?
Cause I've got a lot of things Ihave to get off of my brain
right now.
Yeah.
Sam (27:59):
I think this is, this is where having ADHD for like
friends who are that wayinclined comes in really useful
and having that community ofpeople, isn't it?
Because you get each other andyou'll, you'll do that and
you'll celebrate each other.
because you know that you just,you're so excited and you just
want to keep going on and onabout it and sharing everything.
Megs (28:18):
then they're like, Oh, sorry, sorry, squirrel moment.
And you're like, no, no, no, I'mfollowing.
This is how my brain works.
Like I'm on this squirrel momentwith you.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
Sam (28:27):
Tell me more, tell me more.
Megs (28:29):
Exactly.
Oh,
Sam (28:30):
it.
Megs (28:32):
Okay.
So tell me a little bit aboutyour digital marketing journey
and how you discovered that youreally wanted to put your
passion well, you know, like Ithink it's interesting because
you literally have a podcast forpeople with ADHD.
So naturally, you're going to bespeaking to people with ADHD.
so yeah, tell me about thatjourney and how you found your
sort of niche in the market.
Sam (28:51):
so I, I left school, at 16.
I don't know what age you canleave school in the US, but we
could, it has to be 18 now, butI left at 16.
And I went to college for threemonths, decided I didn't like it
because I felt like they stilltreated me like a child.
And as far as I was concerned, Iwas an adult.
So I went out into the big wideworld and found myself a job.
(29:14):
I managed to somehow get myselfa job at a law firm at the age
of 17.
in the admin department.
and I, I feel very lucky that Iactually got in there cause it's
really difficult now to get ajob in a law firm because there
are so many trainee solicitorsthat will go into admin jobs in
law firms so that they're readyfor when the training contact
(29:37):
contracts come out.
So it's not always that easy nowto get into law firm.
So yeah, I worked there for avery long time and I worked I
worked in lots of differentdepartments.
I worked on reception.
I worked in finance.
then I ended up working inmarketing.
Marketing job came up.
And I was studying at the time,business and finance because, I
was interested in marketing andthere was a big marketing module
(30:00):
in that.
And when I finished, I startedmaking loads of suggestions to
the senior partner aboutimprovements they could make to
their website.
This is like, Oh my God.
Okay.
So I'm 42 so I was 25 about 15,15 plus years ago.
So I'm talking about, like,adjustments they can make to the
(30:22):
website to better their SEO, youknow, this is like 15 years ago
when
Megs (30:26):
Yeah, heck yeah.
Sam (30:27):
become like a real thing.
and internet marketing, I thinkit was, the module was actually
called internet marketing at thetime.
I absolutely loved it.
So when a job came up in themarketing department, I went for
it and I got it and I workedthat for a few years and
realized that that's what Iabsolutely adored because it was
so varied.
I then ended up studying designas well.
(30:50):
So I love drawing.
I love painting.
so that kind of comes intodigital marketing as well,
because it's very creative.
I love, Writing, I love talking,that was all in there as well,
but you're quite restricted incorporate, you've got your brand
guidelines, everything has tolook a certain way, and I, I, I
(31:11):
left, not because of that, Ileft because my son was quite
young, we were obviously inthose early years of
understanding that he could beautistic, and I was working, you
know, Almost full time.
And it was, it was becomingquite difficult.
So I then left and I, I wentthrough a range of part time
(31:31):
jobs.
I worked at an estate agents.
I went in as an admin assistant,just for like a few hours a
week.
Within two months, I was theoffice manager.
And
Megs (31:40):
Oh, my gosh.
That's amazing.
I
Sam (31:44):
They were like, so we're, it was a very small, very small
firm.
They're just two estate agentsand me, the office assistant.
I've been there for one day.
And they said, right, we'regoing out to do viewings.
Are you okay looking after theoffice?
And I was like, yeah, awesome.
Let's do it.
Megs (31:59):
love it.
Sam (31:59):
Just pretending to be an estate agent for the day.
I worked at a site loss charityas an office manager.
what else have I done?
And I've also, more recentlyworked, for a big online
training business for about ayear and a half.
And so marketing, peopling,creative have always kind of
(32:20):
been there.
And I've got a reallyinteresting statistic for you
because I saw this on LinkedInlast year.
Go Amplify found that a highpercentage of marketers have
ADHD.
they found that the marketersthat they interviewed, the
percentage, do do do do do, 38percent of the respondents who
(32:42):
work in marketing reported tohave ADHD.
38 percent
Megs (32:47):
Oh my God.
Sam (32:47):
compared to, the average of the general population, which is
three to 4%.
And I think this is because it'ssuch a varied role.
No one goes, okay, I'm going tobe a marketer.
Generally you end up, all thesepeople ended up just falling
into that role because you justend up drawn to it.
Like you might be in a businessand you end up drawn into that
department or drawn into thatposition, or you see it online,
(33:10):
like digital marketing, you'redrawn into it because I feel
like it ticks all of thosecreative, boxes that you kind of
crave, that ADHD craves.
generally, if you're lucky, youget a lot of freedom with
creativity.
so yeah, I thought that wasfascinating and it makes so much
sense.
In the online space, my husbandhates that term when I say that
(33:31):
I'll be in the online spacewhere I am.
Where are you?
In the cloud somewhere.
there is a lot ofneurodivergency.
There is a lot ofneurodivergence in there.
And because I've got traditionalmarketing qualifications.
I'm sort of, qualified to sortof graduate level.
It is very traditional, it isbased on, a lot of old
(33:53):
information and probably a lotof neurotypical way of thinking.
Whereas, if you have an onlinebusiness, a large proportion of
your clients, if they havebusinesses, they're potentially
a large portion of them aregoing to be neurodivergent.
If they're, if they'reentrepreneurs, a large portion
(34:14):
of them, we, we know from lotsof reports and statistics that
are coming out lately, a largeportion of neurodivergent.
And so.
That kind of crept into themarketing.
I thought, okay, well, hang on.
Are we, are we missing a trickhere?
Are we missing something?
Because how many of us go on awebsite to buy something from
someone and get distracted?
Megs (34:35):
Right.
Sam (34:35):
many of us go to the, to the, to the checkout box, can't
see when it's going to bedelivered.
go and try and find theinformation on another page
somewhere else.
And then get distracted andleave completely and go
somewhere else.
Megs (34:47):
Oh my gosh.
Totally.
Sam (34:49):
there's lots of these other things that were maybe not taken
into consideration with theneurodivergent brain when it
comes to marketing.
You know, how many peopleactually like reading through?
PDF lead magnets.
How about you provide your leadmagnets, which for anyone that's
listening who doesn't understandthat term, it's something that
(35:09):
you give to people in return foran email address, like a free
kind of download or something.
How about you provide that as anaudio file, you know, in your
voice, for example, so they can,they can listen to it as a
podcast on the go.
It might not improve the amountof downloads you get, but it
might improve the people thatare actually going to consume
(35:30):
that information.
Cause again, when you thinkabout all the freebie leave
magnets that you've signed upfor and you get the email
saying, here's your free PDF onhow to do 10 things.
Like it's like, how many of themdo you actually look at and read
through or read a page or readtwo pages?
Whereas if you know, you've gotan audio and you just stick it
on and you've got your earphonesin and you're walking around and
stuff, you're probably morelikely to consume it and then
(35:50):
you're probably more likely toget to know that person.
And so you start to build thatrelationship a little bit
quicker.
So I think there's lots oflittle things that we could be
missing out on when it comes tomarketing, to neurodivergence.
So I've started to put those twothings together and concentrate
more on that in my digitalmarketing to make information
more accessible, but alsoinclusive as well to everybody,
(36:13):
kind of goes quite nicely.
Megs (36:15):
I love that so much.
And what I think is fascinatingis.
You're saying like, what if wehad an audio file?
And I'm like, yeah, that's whatI want.
But because I, because I'mthinking so much about
organizing, right.
And doing my podcast, I'm notthinking about all of these
other ways that I can speak tomy audience.
And so as an entrepreneur, Ifind that I've had to take off
(36:37):
some of the hats that I feellike I need to be an expert at
to trust and rely.
On the other people that areexperts.
Like I finally, I hired abookkeeper and he's incredible.
He is audie HD and I freakinglove him.
He created a, flow chart.
So that I could easilycategorize the things I'm
working with.
And then my assistant is ADHDand she's like so brilliantly
(37:01):
creative Sam.
Thank you so much for being aguest on the podcast.
I'm so excited for people toconnect with you, follow you on
social media.
Everyone go follow Sam, get intouch with her.
And thanks again.
WH-1000XM5-3 (37:13):
as you can see the interview cut off toward the end
there, but I hope you enjoyedthat recording just as much as I
did.
I just really enjoyed theconversation.
I learned so much.
if you want to go follow Sam,her Instagram is at, could it be
ADHD underscore the podcast onInstagram and her podcast, I'll
(37:34):
link all of this in the shownotes below is could it be ADHD.
I also subscribed to her emailnewsletter, and I love it.
It's great.
I learned so much from herbecause it truly feels like she
cares about the ADHD audience.
And I just want you all to knowthat I am constantly looking for
ways to improve myself andimprove the way that I can show
(37:56):
up for you.
And of course for myself.
It's so fascinating to relivethe diagnosis journey every time
I not only listen as I'm editingthese podcasts, but also When
I'm actually doing theinterviews themselves It almost
feels like something else newcomes up each time I listen to
it that I start to discoversomething new about myself in
(38:17):
Maybe the way that I react tothings but then also my
acceptance journey and how farI've come Since getting that
diagnosis over three years agonow we also talked about our
kids getting a diagnosis, I feelvery fortunate in our journey so
far.
Each and every teacher thatwe've worked with has been very
receptive to trying new anddifferent things that might be a
(38:39):
little outside the box whenworking with our kiddos, I am
sometimes concerned about whatit might look like as they get a
little bit older.
I already see my five year oldhaving perfectionist tendencies,
and that she hates being wrong.
And I think some of us do too,but I just wonder what it looks
like to actually have theconversation to help her
(39:00):
understand that it's okay tomake mistakes, and in fact, that
is how you learn.
That is one of the mostimportant things about learning
is making the mistakes, havingthe failures so that you can
look back on them for theevidence on what you should try
differently next time.
That has definitely been animportant and interesting
journey when it comes to being amom.
(39:21):
But I bring that up because inthis moment, it's not as if
we've gotten a diagnosis andwe're not seeking out medicine
in that case.
But I am looking to.
therapists and people thatspecialize in ADHD and coaches
as well for different ways thatyou can approach certain
situations that you can show upa little bit differently as a
(39:43):
parent.
it's quite fascinating thisjourney that we are on together.
Also, forgetting birthdays.
Oh my goodness.
It's so shameful, it's soembarrassing, and especially
when Facebook is not remindingyou to wish someone a happy
birthday.
And side note, I have decided totake myself off of Facebook.
(40:04):
I am actually leaning towardsnot being on social media as
much because I do feel like itcan take up some of my time and
I wanted to limit the amount ofscreen time I have unless it's
for deep learning and trulyUnderstanding how I can elevate
myself to the next level.
Lastly, I just want to leave youwith this.
I love how Sam talks about howshe likes herself.
(40:28):
And how she genuinely just likeswho she is and her quirks and
her idiosyncrasies and all ofthese beautiful things about
her.
And I appreciate that she saysthat because you're allowed to
love those things about yourselfas well.
All of it.
And for the things that don'tfeel as good, like having so
(40:51):
much clutter around, or maybefeeling like you do need some
support in figuring out whereyou've left everything, in those
cases, you're allowed to seekimprovement.
That's where you look at thefailures and say, what's causing
this?
How is my brain affecting methat I can't remember where
things are?
But you're allowed to love thatabout you.
(41:12):
And you're allowed to acceptthat about you, too.
this Friday, the 21st in thecommunity, we're having our Q
and a or monthly group coaching.
I'm really excited for that.
So if you decide to join mycommunity before Friday, then
you're welcome to join in aswell.
This is where we all cometogether as a community, talk
about some of the things thataren't working well, and I
(41:33):
answer different questions thatyou have about some of the
spaces that you're trying totackle in your home.
I would love to meet you.
I would love for you to meet theother incredible people that are
part of the community as well.
I hope you're having anincredible week this week.
I'll see you next week.
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