March 27, 2025 • 32 mins
Nella is the Executive ADHD Coach, renowned for her strengths based, high-level leadership coaching for Creatives, Professionals, Company leads and Executives. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional results, Nella is the go-to coach for discerning clients who value excellence and are wanting to invest in their personal and professional growth and through an ADHD lens.
Based between Ireland and Los Angeles, Nella understands a busy lifestyle while having ADHD and the challenges (and rewards) that presents. Her expertise lies in working with individuals who are driven to achieve unparalleled success in their fields. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a company lead, a creative professional, or an ambitious student, Nella’s unique approach will help you unlock your full potential and reach new heights whilst gaining a whole new rebirth of understanding yourself and how you can finally operate at your highest capabilities.
With her extensive experience as a Neurodiversity Consultant for esteemed NGO’s and Multinational companies, Nella brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to her coaching sessions. She understands the challenges and opportunities that come with ADHD, and she knows how to harness its strengths to drive exceptional results.
But coaching is just one facet of Nella’s multi-faceted life. She is also a highly accomplished Singer-Songwriter and Composer, with a passion for creating music that resonates with millions. Her exceptional talents have been showcased in blockbuster games like World of Warcraft, captivating players worldwide. It is Nella’s ADHD strengths that have propelled her to such extraordinary heights in the entertainment industry.
https://www.instagram.com/adhdiversity/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.
Based between Ireland and Los Angeles, Nella understands a busy lifestyle while having ADHD and the challenges (and rewards) that presents. Her expertise lies in working with individuals who are driven to achieve unparalleled success in their fields. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a company lead, a creative professional, or an ambitious student, Nella’s unique approach will help you unlock your full potential and reach new heights whilst gaining a whole new rebirth of understanding yourself and how you can finally operate at your highest capabilities.
With her extensive experience as a Neurodiversity Consultant for esteemed NGO’s and Multinational companies, Nella brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to her coaching sessions. She understands the challenges and opportunities that come with ADHD, and she knows how to harness its strengths to drive exceptional results.
But coaching is just one facet of Nella’s multi-faceted life. She is also a highly accomplished Singer-Songwriter and Composer, with a passion for creating music that resonates with millions. Her exceptional talents have been showcased in blockbuster games like World of Warcraft, captivating players worldwide. It is Nella’s ADHD strengths that have propelled her to such extraordinary heights in the entertainment industry.
https://www.instagram.com/adhdiversity/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
You are listening to I Am Refocused Radio with your
host Shamaiah Reid. This show is designed to inspire you
to live your purpose and regain your focus. And now
here's your host, Shamaiah Reid.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hey, welcome to all. We Focus Radio. Once again. We
are here today and just like the end of the time,
we have another show lining for y'all. Today, we're gonna
be talking to a a d HD executive coach and
international singer songwriter. Her name is Nellie Duwier. She gonna
share with us all about her business, everything that she
does for her clients, a little bit about her backstory
and what got her to what she's doing to today.
(00:40):
So first and foremost, Nelly Nella. I want to say,
Nellie Nella, thank you for any time this morning. How
you doing today.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I'm good, I'm good. I get Nellie all the time.
I don't worry.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I saw the imaginary why that's that's what I saw.
So again, I appreciate you being here. So starting out first,
tell us a little bit about your coaching expertise and
why you chose to specifically focus on ADHD.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Cool, thanks, SHAMAI So I guess my whole life I've
been a singer songwriter, so it's only in the last
sort of six or seven years that I started and
working as an ADHD executive coach neudiversity consultant. And it
all sort of happened by accident. So a family member
got diagnosed with ADHD. When it was suspected, I was like,
(01:30):
no way, you know, they are really intelligent and et cetera,
et cetera. So then when I looked up the symptoms,
I was like, Okay, this is me, and this explains
a lot, and it is them, and it's it's many
people in my family and and so from there I
sort of, you know, got an ADHD coach. That was
the recommendation. It changed my life in a very short
(01:51):
period of time. I finally sort of understood how my
brain works, and my whole life experience was sort of
validated good and but not just not just bad at all.
You know, I will say, it's a very different brain.
It's not a bad brain, just as different sort of
good and bad.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
But it explained a lot.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
And I sort of had never done anything other than music,
or never wanted to do anything other than music. I
never needed to, but I sort of well needed to
that's I shouldn't say that because anyway, it's the music industry.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
But you know, I said, sorry.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
I suppose from a emotionally spiritual level, I never needed
to do anything else, but this sort of was something
that changed my life to draft so drastically. I kind
of felt like I couldn't ate keep this information and
turned out I was pretty good at it when I started.
I did my training for a year and yeah, so
I work with really exceptional brains from around the world,
(02:43):
really really interesting people, and yeah, I now have both careers.
But it's yeah, it's been an incredible addition to my
life actually in so many ways, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So, yeah, that's a short story long hopefully.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I think some of the common challenges that not just
you facing personally, but the people that you work with,
executives and creatives who have to deal with ADHD, how
do you see those common challenges come to play and
what some of the things that you've seen help them
(03:22):
to overcome those challenges.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, again, I suppose, as I said, like, you know,
it's just a very different brain. So the operating system,
like when people say to me, you know, give us
some tips or tricks or some symptoms of ADHD. You know,
it's not me being smart or sarcastic. It's actually if
I said to you, well, give me some tips or
tricks or symptoms of the neurotypical brain, how would you answer?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Right?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
And there is that much information about the ADHD brain, right,
the same as our neurotypical you know, understanding your neurotypical brains.
And we spend years in school learning about how our
brains work. Right, So it really is very similar. Like
the annually when I did my training back then, it's
ten thousand pages, you know, so it's a very different
(04:05):
operating system, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
And so you know I have ADHD. Would I give
it back? I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Actually, it's you know, it's the reason for my hyper focus,
my resilience with the music career I've had, and you know,
and but also it causes a lot of challenges. But
I guess to sort of explain that a little bit further,
the one sort of example I always gave is, you know,
(04:32):
most people with ADHD.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Will be told otherwise, you know, why are you so sensitive?
You're too sensitive? You know?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And that's true, that's well, that's very true. You know,
we can have rejection sensitivity. It's called or SD rejection
sensitivity dysphoria. So any sort of received or perceived rejection
that we get feels like a physical pain. You can
see it in a brain scan, the same pain receptors
as if somebody was punched in the arms. So it
is a physical pain that we feel in our chest,
and we can often impulsively give back the same amount
(04:59):
of hurt as we just received, whether it was an
intentional rejection or just.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
A perceived rejection. So you know that hurts us a lot, right.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
However, on the other side of that symptom or trait,
if I wasn't that sensitive, which I am, But if
I wasn't that sensitive, I wouldn't be able to write
the songs cause people to be able to process their
own emotions in a crowd, you know, at a gig
or a show. How could I write those songs right
if I didn't have access to that depth of sensitivity.
So you know, it is a really just different blueprint
(05:30):
of how our brains work and operate. And I suppose
the challenges and difficulties that people with ADHD have is
that we've never been given the manual for how our
brains work, so therefore we're expected to kind of show
up as other people expect us to, and that can
cause us to have a lot more symptoms, so, you know,
like masking and showing up as we think people want
(05:50):
us to show up, and then sort of abandoning our
sense of self.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So my job when I work with people.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Sort of to validate their life experience, put names on
different things that have happened, or symptoms they have, or
challenges they have, so that gives them a lot of
validation that they're not broken or crazy. It's just called
this and it requires a different approach, but also to
sort of build them up from the ground up again.
You know, I call it building their personal operationals manual
for them for how they work, and that's understanding themselves,
(06:17):
understanding what their values are, what their needs are. Usually
we really abandon our own needs for somebody else's, you know,
and sort of fully understanding themselves so that they can
build back that confidence and trust in themselves. And I
work with a lot of very successful people, you know,
so it's not like eight people with ADHD can't be successful,
but we would rather get to that point without the overwhelm,
(06:39):
without the burnout without the sort of nervous system being
jacked you know, jacked up too much.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
But you know, if you.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Look at sort of all the top entrepreneurs in the world,
most of us are and ne're divergent, you know, So
how could that be bad?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Right, So it's not a bad thing.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
It's just in the current world of what our understanding
and education around how an ADHD brain might work, you know,
things can can be challenging. So so yeah, so I
suppose there's so many symptoms of so many traits.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
You know, good and bad.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Like I said, you know, overwhelm and burnout would be
really really common.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Reasons for that is because with ADHD, the h and ADHD.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Is hyperactivity, and that's usually hyperactivity of the brain, not
necessarily physically, most likely not physically, it's it's mentally. So
that would mean that we get lots of thoughts at
the exact same time at all times. And the challenge
for us is the risk of one which thought to
execute the function of so executive functioning. And so that's
why it can be very overwhelming number one. Number two,
(07:43):
that's why it can be a real asset, because that's
why we're natural problem solvers because our brains are naturally
good at that.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
We're naturally doing that in real time.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
We're natural idea generators, entrepreneurs, problem solvers, great.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
In a crisis. So again, do you see what I'm saying?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
For every symptom videog that can cause challenge, like real
challenges in real life, there is positives at the other side.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Of it, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So I think the missing pieces the education for all
of us to understand, you know, how to sort of
get the benefits out of people with an EG had
to have benefits, but sort of had to create an
ecosystem in the world where everybody is being raised up.
Even if we process things differently. As long as everybody knows,
then we're all having the right conversation rather than having
(08:27):
a lot of sort of challenges in relationships, you know,
in at work, et cetera. So are within ourselves anyway,
another short story on hopefully that answered somewhere in.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
That that's perfect And by the way, miss how we
focus ready in watching this online talking to our guests today, Nella,
do wire you follow Our only instagram is at adh
diversity on Instagram. So when going to my next question,
you mentioned the word hyper focus, And I think that's
(09:01):
that's something that's very intriguing when you think about hyper
focus or fast thinking. With some of the things that
you've seen, creatives be able to turn that natural trade
into their own advantage in high pressure environments.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, so really really good questions.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
So AHD can be described as a strength of hyper
focus and a deficit of interest.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Okay, so what does that mean? So with ADHD, if
we have got no.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Interest in something, then it's extremely hard, if not really impossible,
to be able to focus on something. So you know,
when somebody has a keen interest in something, we're usually
very very very good at it, and we often excel
more than the general population would at it if we
have the interest. Now it's so I suppose you know,
(09:53):
it's not about how do we make things more interesting
so we get them done. Often it's what's blocking your interest.
So I always kind of give this graph and it's
a bit of a you know, lots of acronyms, but
I'll kind.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Of say it slowly.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
I tend to talk very fast and thrue ADHD fashion,
So I'm trying to talk slowly. But often we have
the intention to do something and we need to have interest.
So if we have interest and intention, that's great. Then
we can have the attention to get the ignition to
execute the function or something, so to you know, take
action on something. Right, So I'll say that again. So
usually we have the intention, but often we don't have
(10:26):
the interest. Where that's the challenge of part. But if
we have those two intention and interest, then we can
have the attention to get the ignition to execute the
function or something. So it's about Often it's about, well,
while is blocking my interest? So somebody with ADHD has
a task that they need to do, it's you know,
if it's not interesting, Okay, well what would be blocking
(10:47):
your interest? Often that can be I don't have all
the information yet, okay, who can you ask?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Right?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
So often the step one that we often when we
think something is step number one. It's usually step number
three because our brains are very fast paced, so we
usually kind of go zero to one hundred and forget
all the steps right in front of that need to
be taken in order to get something done. So I
suppose how can we use hyper focus as an asset?
That's another part of what I do when I work
with people one to one or if I work with
(11:13):
some NGOs and multinationals, so from doing trainings with them
or from working with somebody one to one. That's part
of what I said about, you know, building their personal
operationals manual and building sort of understanding what their actual
interests are, what their past successes are, and what strengths
contributed to them, you know, having those successes, and how
do we take them and attach them to whatever their
(11:35):
goals are going forward. And that's usually where you get
seeing people being quite successful at whatever they're.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Trying to their goals are.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
So you know that hyper focus you know, shows up
when we have a keen interest and I suppose, like
you mentioned in the workplace. You know, that's what I
meant about sort of the education that if you know,
I'm doing some talks at the moment here in Ireland.
I live between here and can say in Ireland and
Los Angeles, and right now I'm in Ireland doing a
few talks and you know, I'm talking in a few
(12:06):
weeks to a couple of hundred HR professionals on understanding
ADHD so that when they have people in the either
in the hiring process or in the workplace that have
ADHD they can be able to identify the strengths of
somebody and put them in those roles because they're going
to exceed way more and probably twice as quick timing
(12:27):
as somebody else who doesn't have ADHD if the person
is interested in that. So if you can identify in
the workplace what mayor or Joe is really good, really
interested in, they're going to be really good at it
and they're going to excel far more than anybody else.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So why would it be wrong.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
To switch up roles right to take this person away,
put them in the more sort of getting the thing done,
like maybe the administration or the implementing of whatever the
task is, but the idea generation or the creative side
of it, for example, put the person with ADHD in
that role. And that's usually when you see everybody's sort
of excelling and the sort of overwhelmed going down and
(13:03):
the relationship challenges that can come up in the workplace
when people are just not having the right conversation because
somebody maybe looking at somebody's performance review in the wrong ways,
like in communication style, whereas maybe that person has a
very different communication style, And if you understood that, then
you would understood stand the way that you're maybe marking
that isn't actually sort of fully with full knowledge of
(13:29):
the real story. And I can give lots of examples
of that. But anyway, Yeah, so I'm going off on
attention a little bit. But you know, if somebody with
ADHD has an interest in something, they can absolutely hyper
focus on it. Just like I said with my music career.
You know, I really against all the odds. You know,
I had a baby when I was My daughter had
(13:50):
her when I was trying in a very creative course,
loving it, you know, so so I suppose when you
put somebody, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Sorry.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
The reason I mentioned that is because everybody said, God,
how did you focus on you know, have that resilience
with your music career despite lots of challenges and go
back to school and all that kind of thing. And
for me, it wasn't difficult because I had an interest.
I was so interested, you know, it filled me up.
It gave me that dopamine, you know, and I didn't
find it difficult. So it's kind of confusing when people say, God,
you did so well, I'm like, did you just did me?
(14:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
No, I didn't do great in administration or life at
admin or whatever.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
But we you know, we can delegate those things, or
we can you know, when we understand that our brains
don't work in that way, we can. You know, if
we have a good support system or knowledge of of
what's going on, then that can help. So yeah, there's
a there's a multifaceted answer for you.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Once again, you're listen we focused radio and watching this
online talking to our guests today, nella do Wired follower
our I g a dight diversity. Also, I will mention
my next question you you talk about working with multi
multinational companies andngls. My question for you is what trends
(15:08):
have you been noticing and how organizations are adapting to
neurodiverse employees.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Where would I start with that one? Honestly, I think
we're far more behind them. I realize, if I'm honest,
A lot of companies have great intentions, which is great,
and they have you know, they have adopted strategies, et cetera.
But I just don't think there's actually enough being done.
(15:38):
Think there's enough conversations. I think a lot of the
time companies can be afraid of sort of embracing this
too much because they feel like maybe it's going to
cost company money to provide more accommodations, And in my
experience it's truly the opposite because if you are constantly
having people also, I suppose the other thing is in
(16:01):
a company, if somebody who is hiring or somebody who
is at the top, and this is you know, I've
seen this so much is neurodiverse themselves, whether they know
it or not, They're going to hire a.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Lot of neurodiversent people.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So and just like any with anyone, if you're going
to hire somebody, you want to hire people who have
the same weakened art side, and you don't want to
hire with the same strengths.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You want to hire people who have strengths and things
you might be weaker and vice versa.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Right, So that's when then things can really you know,
if the education piece isn't there, the people, you.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Know, there can be a lot of.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
You know, sick days, time off, having to rehire all
the time. That's very expensive time wise, and you know,
just in lots of ways. So you know, I think
that embracing sort of an eco ecosystem in the workplace
that is neurodiversion, understanding, focused, friendly et cetera.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
It's it's just the beigin.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
And once companies do do that, I do training the company,
and when they really embrace that, then they actually, you know,
everybody is just thriving together because nobody's seeing it as
a bad thing. They just need to make accommodations for
and the conversation or end up being a negative thing.
So that gets lifted a bit because it's not a
bad thing. It is if you try and fit something
(17:20):
into a box that wasn't made for that thing, yeah,
of course that thing is not going to perform. Well,
I don't mean people are things, but you know, I'm
just trying to make a metaphor for the example. But
you know, so you know, you know a very quick example.
I used to work in a gym when I was
about nineteen and the manager, one manager got very frustrated
with me because I kept forgetting to do the admin.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know, there was a checklist. I was like, oh,
haydhders hate rules.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Unless we come up with them ourselves and we agree
with them because authenticity is also very important and usually
we can problem solve better than you know a lot
of people that have made the rules, and it can
be frustrating because we can think of better ways and
easier and more effective ways to do things.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Anyway. So I was crap at the admin, really really
bad at the admin.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
But I was great at chatting to the customers and
getting them to understand the benefits of them signing up
for memberships for the gym. So one manager would get
really frustrated with me and just keep giving me like
warnings and all that, and I was getting frustrated because
I knew I didn't deserve those warnings.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Et cetera.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
No I did for not doing the admin, I suppose,
but I just forgot about it and I was busy
get to be a memberships and to me, that was
more valuable for the company, right anyway, So and the
other manager was like, hey, you're really really good at
selling the memberships, and he put me out on the street.
And I was living in Dublin, the main city in Ireland.
He put me out on the main street, Grafton Street
selling memberships. And I saw so many memberships that day,
(18:40):
So how could that be wrong? Right? So I made
the company, you know a good bit of new custom
for you know, the foreseeable. Okay, I didn't get my
checklist done. But do you see what I mean? Like
if you can kind of recognize in somebody that you know,
it's it's if you're going to try and fit them
into that box, and it's like I sapase Einstein's you know,
we all know a lot of us will know that
(19:01):
sort of saying, yes, if you judge a fish by
its ability to climb a tree, it'll forever think it's stupid, right, So,
you know, I think the main thing is is that
you know, companies are really leaning into educating themselves because
they're only going to get benefits. They're going to get,
you know, really really innovative ideas. They're going to get
really you know, creative new ways to do things. They're
(19:24):
going to lower the wasted time and meetings of how
to you know, conflict resolution with different people. They're going
to be able to have environments so that everybody is thriving.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And if somebody is.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Feeling overwhelmed and they just need to transition time in
a room, they'll probably get more done in that room
for the hour if they can hyper focus, if you
give them a task that you know is really really
strong for their their brain works anyway, it's very hard
to answer in a very quick question, but I'm hoping
that that makes sense. Yeah, the yeah, I think I
think we need to move the conversation from just companies
(20:00):
providing more accommodations and having to give, you know, thinking
they're going to get less back, or that oh, they
have to do this to be inclusive. It's not that,
you know, people who are neurodivergent have a lot of
you know, a lot of what's the word innovation to offer,
and you know, it can change the entire scope of
(20:22):
a company. I've seen it happen, you know, and again,
how could that be wrong? So wouldn't it be sort
of unwise not to embrace that. It's certainly not about
you know, the shortsighted Oh we need to pay to
give more accommodations and then that's going to bleed the
resource of the company. No, that's not what actually happens
if you do lean into sort of really educating everybody
(20:42):
and what it is and what it is not. I
actually did a talk last week in Bilfast to about
one hundred and fifty female entrepreneurs, and I was going
to talk about different you.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Know, tools that you can do.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You can use with ADHD in the workplace, and I said,
you know, for the last two days people were asking me, oh,
you suffer with ADA and you know yourself, and I said, well,
I don't suffer with it.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I have it, and again not to glamorize it, but
you know I haven't. I use it to my change
a lot as well.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
So I just changed the entire slides and the talk
a few minutes before it and to just what ADHD
is and what it is not, because it's very misunderstood.
So I suppose I feel like it's great that the
conversation is starting and people are embracing it, but I
think we have a long way to go.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
You mentioned that you split your time between Ireland and
Los Angeles. How do you manage such a dynamic lifestyle
while staying productive and energized.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Well, I see that's the things I like.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
The you know, stimulation like that actually is really good
for adhders, you know. So for example, I have my
little four hundred year old college here and it's very
quite a small little fishing village.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
But that's not great for me actually.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Because if I'm in a very quiet environment with very
little stimulation, then my brain is going to make up
for that. So then my brain has just given me
so many different thoughts and that can get overwhelmed. Whereas
I if I'm in a sort of stimulating environment, so
if I'm traveling or if i'm you know, I've got
lots of things happening at the same time.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
That's what my brain is very calm.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
So actually that stimulation piece is really good for an
ADHD brain, having the kind of multiple things going on
at the same time that I'm interested in.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So I love I love that, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
And my idea of sort of you know, not in
my life would be just doing the same thing every day,
and you know, having the same kind of form of
stimulation and that I can expect to have every.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Day, I just can't think of anything worth, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So I actually really thrive with having the you know,
the sort of multiple homes and travels and you know,
traveling a lot, and the unpredictability of the music business
and you know, working with new interesting clients around the world.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
And yeah, so I really love that.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
And you know, I suppose most of my work with
my ADHD businesses online on zoom via Zoom, and then
most of my work in the music business would be
in real life. So you know, I guess I kind
of I suppose my computer comes with me. Have you
read no matter if I'm here in Los Angeles. But
then you know, in Los Angeles, I have a lot
of stuff going on with different composers, and yeah, and
(23:14):
then I'll do recordings here as well.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
So and then I toured in China.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Most years with video games Live and in China for
about a month or two. So yeah, it's it's really diverse.
But actually that that really helps my brain. It stimulates
my brain and that, Yeah, that's I'm more productive actually
when I'm when I'm sort of I've got that kind
of juxta position of being in different places all the time.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
You know, I'm traveling once again, listen, I'll be focused
runing and watching this online. Talked to her yesterday, Nella,
do our go follow on our Instagram? Is at Ada's diversity?
As I asked the last question, so, how how can
people listen to music? Is someone's listening right now, like, well, shoot,
I want to I want to check out what kind
(24:05):
of song? So kind of in the last few minutes,
we have explained a little bit about your sound and
how people can check it out.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Yes, So I suppose my sen I suppose I always
say that, like my music always would have started out
in folk music, really like storytelling. And I suppose people
compare I do. I write multi genre stuff. I work
with lots of different, uh you know, genres. But then
I sing in video games. I could singing word of
(24:34):
Warcraft video game and that kind of changed my life
being the singer of that game. And so I suppose
kind of world music folk en Ya.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Esque, Shad O'Connor esque, that type of thing.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
So yeah, my website is www dot I am NLA
dot com, and then my Instagram for my music is
Nella's Music n E L l A S m U
S I C.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
And then my eighties HD Diversity Instagram.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
They're both linked in each other's, so whichever instagram you
go on, you'll find the other one. Yeah, and I'm
on Spotify and all the different places, but my website
is probably the best place. I am now at dot com. Yeah,
and I have lots of projects happening this year, so
there'll be a lot of music released, you know, kind
(25:22):
of further along in this year that I'm really excited about.
We can't really chat about, yes, but but yeah, it'll.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
All be updating on my socials and my websites and
stuff as well.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Last question, you did mention about China. I think that's
pretty interesting. What has been your experience being able to
travel around the world basically, and how was it being
able to have your presence around different cultures and what
have you been able to appreciate with you know, people
(25:54):
that are different man.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Yeah, yeah, I think as I mentioned, like getting that opportunity.
I had a number one record in Ireland called Revolution
a couple of years ago, in twenty seventeen, I think.
And then I met the composer of the Warcraft at
a random event here in the American Ambassador's residence that
I was just invited to, and then that kind of
changed everything. He listened to my music, he chose me
(26:15):
for the games, the one hundred and fifty million players
of that game. So it just blew up my life
in a good way, and so I get you know,
That's when I started going to Los Angeles and then
Video Games Live is the touring autfit that I tour with,
and they tour all Tommy Tallerico owns it, but they
tore all the Blizzard Entertainment video game music, so we
have like three or four thousand people a night, and
(26:37):
you know, it's pretty amazing. So yeah, I've got to
tour in Germany with the prag phil Harmonic Orchestra with
that music, and same in China and just traveling to
another city every night. It's amazing, especially like I had
no idea of the video game world. I'd never done,
need plans to be doing video game music, which I
thought was all beats and bloops, but it's actually beautiful
(26:57):
orchestral otherworldly music and and and so it gets I
get to explore different parts of my voice and everything,
which is fun. So yeah, I guess, yeah, it's amazing,
like touring with sort of Russell Brower is the composer
of Where the Warcraft and he's the conductor of the
tours at me and he's one of my best friends.
And he's producing one of my my next single actually,
and I'm co writing his album with him, so that's fun.
(27:20):
But yeah, so he would come and then we have
some American crew and then some Chinese crew as well
when we're doing China. So yeah, it's amazing. It's it's
I'm really grateful for the experiences. It's definitely different. China
is a totally different world, and yeah, it's it's it's
amazing to see the audiences in China respond to like
(27:41):
seeing the music and hearing music in real life from
the games that they play so much, and then we've
got like a screen behind us with developments of the
game that they wouldn't have seen, and you know, so
they're so fanatical. And like, when I got involved in
the video game music industry, like I learned that the
video game business is bigger than the music business and
the movie business put together. And we're the Warcraft for
(28:02):
a very long time, was the biggest video game. So
it's crazy to think that I'm the singer on one
of the biggest well arguably the biggest media in the world,
whereas it's not seen as kind of mainstream. It's mad
well in America, it is more in Ireland not so much.
But yeah, so it kind of yeah, it's crazy. It's
just this whole world I didn't really even knew it,
know that I didn't even really know existed, and so
(28:25):
that's given me so many opportunities with you know, a
lot of people I work with from Los Angeles, a
lot of well known kind of composers and everything, you know,
and made them open my email and I said, you know,
I sing in this game. They're like, oh, we know that,
you know. So it just gave me so much opportunity.
And whereas you know, they may not have even opened
the email if I didn't have that online at the
beginning to say, look, you may know me from this,
(28:46):
and then they're actually going to open and listen to
my voice of you know, so that that really exploded
my world. So, you know, really grateful that Russell Brogh
gave me that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
But yeah, it's amazing. I love like, I got a
love working people from over the world.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
I had a very well known composer reached out to
me last week from some music consultant in London. I
met ten years ago, met him at some Romanian conference
with music and he suggest He said he wanted a
female singer for something and he said he suggested me,
and then he got on to me and then I
had a zoom with him and now I'm going to
be flying to another country in the Middle East in
(29:20):
a month or two to do this massive, you know,
new song with him. To celebrate his twenty five years
in the music industry, and he does a lot of
Netflix scoring and all that. So, yeah, you just never
know what's going to happen, you know, from one interaction.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
You know, you really don't.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
So I suppose if anyone's listening that sort of ever
gets to just, you know, invite it to a networking event.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
You have no idea where it's going to lead to,
you know, And I know.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
That, you know, and I think every interaction you have
with anybody can lead to your entire life changing, you know,
so we all must appreciate each other, you know, for
that for sure, and it's usually in the most unexpected ways,
you know. Anyway, I'm getting very philosophical.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
That's great, because I don't think people really understand what
you're saying is actually big time, Like that's big. I mean,
we went from your business to like potentially a whole
another episode, and of courtunately, we had to wrap it up,
but I would say mine had to have you back
(30:21):
on so we can talk about the video game world,
because it's a lot of people in the United States
that are big on video games period, so that would
be a very interesting topic. We can have maybe in
the future. Yes, you have like a Netflix documentary style story,
like you should document your old journey going to the
(30:45):
Middle East because that will be very good counting.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Yeah, there was a documentary done on me a few
years ago on my website.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
I am now do you can work? But I think
it's due for an update.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
It's been like China and or that didn't happen, like
that wasn't included because I think we did that documentary
in like twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
So yeah, it was definitely.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
You're giving me inspiration to kind of maybe yeah, get
another one up and running or something, because yeah, you
forget when you're living your own life that it's it's
it might be kind of interesting for other people to too.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Everything I heard so far, it's like, Wow, I should
be watching this on Netflix right now because I would
literally bans watch this because the way it just flows,
it's very interesting, and I think a lot of people
they miss out on just flowing because we have this
rigid society and it's like do this, do that, do this?
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Do that?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
A B C D E FG. And sometimes as a
creative person, like you said with your job at the Gail,
it's like nah, Like there's some easier paths to make
that close for that person to be a member. So
with all that said, talking to our guests today, never
do our go follow her on Instagram. You can find
(32:02):
all her music stuff there as well as at ADS Diversity.
Like always, for all times that we say on the show,
one say to you, thank you for your time.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Thank you, it's good pleasure.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Thanks.
You are listening to I Am Refocused Radio with your
host Shamaiah Reid. This show is designed to inspire you
to live your purpose and regain your focus. And now
here's your host, Shamaiah Reid.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hey, welcome to all. We Focus Radio. Once again. We
are here today and just like the end of the time,
we have another show lining for y'all. Today, we're gonna
be talking to a a d HD executive coach and
international singer songwriter. Her name is Nellie Duwier. She gonna
share with us all about her business, everything that she
does for her clients, a little bit about her backstory
and what got her to what she's doing to today.
(00:40):
So first and foremost, Nelly Nella. I want to say,
Nellie Nella, thank you for any time this morning. How
you doing today.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I'm good, I'm good. I get Nellie all the time.
I don't worry.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I saw the imaginary why that's that's what I saw.
So again, I appreciate you being here. So starting out first,
tell us a little bit about your coaching expertise and
why you chose to specifically focus on ADHD.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Cool, thanks, SHAMAI So I guess my whole life I've
been a singer songwriter, so it's only in the last
sort of six or seven years that I started and
working as an ADHD executive coach neudiversity consultant. And it
all sort of happened by accident. So a family member
got diagnosed with ADHD. When it was suspected, I was like,
(01:30):
no way, you know, they are really intelligent and et cetera,
et cetera. So then when I looked up the symptoms,
I was like, Okay, this is me, and this explains
a lot, and it is them, and it's it's many
people in my family and and so from there I
sort of, you know, got an ADHD coach. That was
the recommendation. It changed my life in a very short
(01:51):
period of time. I finally sort of understood how my
brain works, and my whole life experience was sort of
validated good and but not just not just bad at all.
You know, I will say, it's a very different brain.
It's not a bad brain, just as different sort of
good and bad.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
But it explained a lot.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
And I sort of had never done anything other than music,
or never wanted to do anything other than music. I
never needed to, but I sort of well needed to
that's I shouldn't say that because anyway, it's the music industry.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
But you know, I said, sorry.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
I suppose from a emotionally spiritual level, I never needed
to do anything else, but this sort of was something
that changed my life to draft so drastically. I kind
of felt like I couldn't ate keep this information and
turned out I was pretty good at it when I started.
I did my training for a year and yeah, so
I work with really exceptional brains from around the world,
(02:43):
really really interesting people, and yeah, I now have both careers.
But it's yeah, it's been an incredible addition to my
life actually in so many ways, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So, yeah, that's a short story long hopefully.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I think some of the common challenges that not just
you facing personally, but the people that you work with,
executives and creatives who have to deal with ADHD, how
do you see those common challenges come to play and
what some of the things that you've seen help them
(03:22):
to overcome those challenges.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, again, I suppose, as I said, like, you know,
it's just a very different brain. So the operating system,
like when people say to me, you know, give us
some tips or tricks or some symptoms of ADHD. You know,
it's not me being smart or sarcastic. It's actually if
I said to you, well, give me some tips or
tricks or symptoms of the neurotypical brain, how would you answer?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Right?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
And there is that much information about the ADHD brain, right,
the same as our neurotypical you know, understanding your neurotypical brains.
And we spend years in school learning about how our
brains work. Right, So it really is very similar. Like
the annually when I did my training back then, it's
ten thousand pages, you know, so it's a very different
(04:05):
operating system, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
And so you know I have ADHD. Would I give
it back? I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Actually, it's you know, it's the reason for my hyper focus,
my resilience with the music career I've had, and you know,
and but also it causes a lot of challenges. But
I guess to sort of explain that a little bit further,
the one sort of example I always gave is, you know,
(04:32):
most people with ADHD.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Will be told otherwise, you know, why are you so sensitive?
You're too sensitive? You know?
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And that's true, that's well, that's very true. You know,
we can have rejection sensitivity. It's called or SD rejection
sensitivity dysphoria. So any sort of received or perceived rejection
that we get feels like a physical pain. You can
see it in a brain scan, the same pain receptors
as if somebody was punched in the arms. So it
is a physical pain that we feel in our chest,
and we can often impulsively give back the same amount
(04:59):
of hurt as we just received, whether it was an
intentional rejection or just.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
A perceived rejection. So you know that hurts us a lot, right.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
However, on the other side of that symptom or trait,
if I wasn't that sensitive, which I am, But if
I wasn't that sensitive, I wouldn't be able to write
the songs cause people to be able to process their
own emotions in a crowd, you know, at a gig
or a show. How could I write those songs right
if I didn't have access to that depth of sensitivity.
So you know, it is a really just different blueprint
(05:30):
of how our brains work and operate. And I suppose
the challenges and difficulties that people with ADHD have is
that we've never been given the manual for how our
brains work, so therefore we're expected to kind of show
up as other people expect us to, and that can
cause us to have a lot more symptoms, so, you know,
like masking and showing up as we think people want
(05:50):
us to show up, and then sort of abandoning our
sense of self.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So my job when I work with people.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Sort of to validate their life experience, put names on
different things that have happened, or symptoms they have, or
challenges they have, so that gives them a lot of
validation that they're not broken or crazy. It's just called
this and it requires a different approach, but also to
sort of build them up from the ground up again.
You know, I call it building their personal operationals manual
for them for how they work, and that's understanding themselves,
(06:17):
understanding what their values are, what their needs are. Usually
we really abandon our own needs for somebody else's, you know,
and sort of fully understanding themselves so that they can
build back that confidence and trust in themselves. And I
work with a lot of very successful people, you know,
so it's not like eight people with ADHD can't be successful,
but we would rather get to that point without the overwhelm,
(06:39):
without the burnout without the sort of nervous system being
jacked you know, jacked up too much.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
But you know, if you.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Look at sort of all the top entrepreneurs in the world,
most of us are and ne're divergent, you know, So
how could that be bad?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Right, So it's not a bad thing.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
It's just in the current world of what our understanding
and education around how an ADHD brain might work, you know,
things can can be challenging. So so yeah, so I
suppose there's so many symptoms of so many traits.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
You know, good and bad.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Like I said, you know, overwhelm and burnout would be
really really common.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Reasons for that is because with ADHD, the h and ADHD.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Is hyperactivity, and that's usually hyperactivity of the brain, not
necessarily physically, most likely not physically, it's it's mentally. So
that would mean that we get lots of thoughts at
the exact same time at all times. And the challenge
for us is the risk of one which thought to
execute the function of so executive functioning. And so that's
why it can be very overwhelming number one. Number two,
(07:43):
that's why it can be a real asset, because that's
why we're natural problem solvers because our brains are naturally
good at that.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
We're naturally doing that in real time.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
We're natural idea generators, entrepreneurs, problem solvers, great.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
In a crisis. So again, do you see what I'm saying?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
For every symptom videog that can cause challenge, like real
challenges in real life, there is positives at the other side.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Of it, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So I think the missing pieces the education for all
of us to understand, you know, how to sort of
get the benefits out of people with an EG had
to have benefits, but sort of had to create an
ecosystem in the world where everybody is being raised up.
Even if we process things differently. As long as everybody knows,
then we're all having the right conversation rather than having
(08:27):
a lot of sort of challenges in relationships, you know,
in at work, et cetera. So are within ourselves anyway,
another short story on hopefully that answered somewhere in.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
That that's perfect And by the way, miss how we
focus ready in watching this online talking to our guests today, Nella,
do wire you follow Our only instagram is at adh
diversity on Instagram. So when going to my next question,
you mentioned the word hyper focus, And I think that's
(09:01):
that's something that's very intriguing when you think about hyper
focus or fast thinking. With some of the things that
you've seen, creatives be able to turn that natural trade
into their own advantage in high pressure environments.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, so really really good questions.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
So AHD can be described as a strength of hyper
focus and a deficit of interest.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Okay, so what does that mean? So with ADHD, if
we have got no.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Interest in something, then it's extremely hard, if not really impossible,
to be able to focus on something. So you know,
when somebody has a keen interest in something, we're usually
very very very good at it, and we often excel
more than the general population would at it if we
have the interest. Now it's so I suppose you know,
(09:53):
it's not about how do we make things more interesting
so we get them done. Often it's what's blocking your interest.
So I always kind of give this graph and it's
a bit of a you know, lots of acronyms, but
I'll kind.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Of say it slowly.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
I tend to talk very fast and thrue ADHD fashion,
So I'm trying to talk slowly. But often we have
the intention to do something and we need to have interest.
So if we have interest and intention, that's great. Then
we can have the attention to get the ignition to
execute the function or something, so to you know, take
action on something. Right, So I'll say that again. So
usually we have the intention, but often we don't have
(10:26):
the interest. Where that's the challenge of part. But if
we have those two intention and interest, then we can
have the attention to get the ignition to execute the
function or something. So it's about Often it's about, well,
while is blocking my interest? So somebody with ADHD has
a task that they need to do, it's you know,
if it's not interesting, Okay, well what would be blocking
(10:47):
your interest? Often that can be I don't have all
the information yet, okay, who can you ask?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Right?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
So often the step one that we often when we
think something is step number one. It's usually step number
three because our brains are very fast paced, so we
usually kind of go zero to one hundred and forget
all the steps right in front of that need to
be taken in order to get something done. So I
suppose how can we use hyper focus as an asset?
That's another part of what I do when I work
with people one to one or if I work with
(11:13):
some NGOs and multinationals, so from doing trainings with them
or from working with somebody one to one. That's part
of what I said about, you know, building their personal
operationals manual and building sort of understanding what their actual
interests are, what their past successes are, and what strengths
contributed to them, you know, having those successes, and how
do we take them and attach them to whatever their
(11:35):
goals are going forward. And that's usually where you get
seeing people being quite successful at whatever they're.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Trying to their goals are.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
So you know that hyper focus you know, shows up
when we have a keen interest and I suppose, like
you mentioned in the workplace. You know, that's what I
meant about sort of the education that if you know,
I'm doing some talks at the moment here in Ireland.
I live between here and can say in Ireland and
Los Angeles, and right now I'm in Ireland doing a
few talks and you know, I'm talking in a few
(12:06):
weeks to a couple of hundred HR professionals on understanding
ADHD so that when they have people in the either
in the hiring process or in the workplace that have
ADHD they can be able to identify the strengths of
somebody and put them in those roles because they're going
to exceed way more and probably twice as quick timing
(12:27):
as somebody else who doesn't have ADHD if the person
is interested in that. So if you can identify in
the workplace what mayor or Joe is really good, really
interested in, they're going to be really good at it
and they're going to excel far more than anybody else.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So why would it be wrong.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
To switch up roles right to take this person away,
put them in the more sort of getting the thing done,
like maybe the administration or the implementing of whatever the
task is, but the idea generation or the creative side
of it, for example, put the person with ADHD in
that role. And that's usually when you see everybody's sort
of excelling and the sort of overwhelmed going down and
(13:03):
the relationship challenges that can come up in the workplace
when people are just not having the right conversation because
somebody maybe looking at somebody's performance review in the wrong ways,
like in communication style, whereas maybe that person has a
very different communication style, And if you understood that, then
you would understood stand the way that you're maybe marking
that isn't actually sort of fully with full knowledge of
(13:29):
the real story. And I can give lots of examples
of that. But anyway, Yeah, so I'm going off on
attention a little bit. But you know, if somebody with
ADHD has an interest in something, they can absolutely hyper
focus on it. Just like I said with my music career.
You know, I really against all the odds. You know,
I had a baby when I was My daughter had
(13:50):
her when I was trying in a very creative course,
loving it, you know, so so I suppose when you
put somebody, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Sorry.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
The reason I mentioned that is because everybody said, God,
how did you focus on you know, have that resilience
with your music career despite lots of challenges and go
back to school and all that kind of thing. And
for me, it wasn't difficult because I had an interest.
I was so interested, you know, it filled me up.
It gave me that dopamine, you know, and I didn't
find it difficult. So it's kind of confusing when people say, God,
you did so well, I'm like, did you just did me?
(14:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
No, I didn't do great in administration or life at
admin or whatever.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
But we you know, we can delegate those things, or
we can you know, when we understand that our brains
don't work in that way, we can. You know, if
we have a good support system or knowledge of of
what's going on, then that can help. So yeah, there's
a there's a multifaceted answer for you.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Once again, you're listen we focused radio and watching this
online talking to our guests today, nella do Wired follower
our I g a dight diversity. Also, I will mention
my next question you you talk about working with multi
multinational companies andngls. My question for you is what trends
(15:08):
have you been noticing and how organizations are adapting to
neurodiverse employees.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Where would I start with that one? Honestly, I think
we're far more behind them. I realize, if I'm honest,
A lot of companies have great intentions, which is great,
and they have you know, they have adopted strategies, et cetera.
But I just don't think there's actually enough being done.
(15:38):
Think there's enough conversations. I think a lot of the
time companies can be afraid of sort of embracing this
too much because they feel like maybe it's going to
cost company money to provide more accommodations, And in my
experience it's truly the opposite because if you are constantly
having people also, I suppose the other thing is in
(16:01):
a company, if somebody who is hiring or somebody who
is at the top, and this is you know, I've
seen this so much is neurodiverse themselves, whether they know
it or not, They're going to hire a.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Lot of neurodiversent people.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So and just like any with anyone, if you're going
to hire somebody, you want to hire people who have
the same weakened art side, and you don't want to
hire with the same strengths.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You want to hire people who have strengths and things
you might be weaker and vice versa.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Right, So that's when then things can really you know,
if the education piece isn't there, the people, you.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Know, there can be a lot of.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
You know, sick days, time off, having to rehire all
the time. That's very expensive time wise, and you know,
just in lots of ways. So you know, I think
that embracing sort of an eco ecosystem in the workplace
that is neurodiversion, understanding, focused, friendly et cetera.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
It's it's just the beigin.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
And once companies do do that, I do training the company,
and when they really embrace that, then they actually, you know,
everybody is just thriving together because nobody's seeing it as
a bad thing. They just need to make accommodations for
and the conversation or end up being a negative thing.
So that gets lifted a bit because it's not a
bad thing. It is if you try and fit something
(17:20):
into a box that wasn't made for that thing, yeah,
of course that thing is not going to perform. Well,
I don't mean people are things, but you know, I'm
just trying to make a metaphor for the example. But
you know, so you know, you know a very quick example.
I used to work in a gym when I was
about nineteen and the manager, one manager got very frustrated
with me because I kept forgetting to do the admin.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know, there was a checklist. I was like, oh,
haydhders hate rules.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Unless we come up with them ourselves and we agree
with them because authenticity is also very important and usually
we can problem solve better than you know a lot
of people that have made the rules, and it can
be frustrating because we can think of better ways and
easier and more effective ways to do things.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Anyway. So I was crap at the admin, really really
bad at the admin.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
But I was great at chatting to the customers and
getting them to understand the benefits of them signing up
for memberships for the gym. So one manager would get
really frustrated with me and just keep giving me like
warnings and all that, and I was getting frustrated because
I knew I didn't deserve those warnings.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Et cetera.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
No I did for not doing the admin, I suppose,
but I just forgot about it and I was busy
get to be a memberships and to me, that was
more valuable for the company, right anyway, So and the
other manager was like, hey, you're really really good at
selling the memberships, and he put me out on the street.
And I was living in Dublin, the main city in Ireland.
He put me out on the main street, Grafton Street
selling memberships. And I saw so many memberships that day,
(18:40):
So how could that be wrong? Right? So I made
the company, you know a good bit of new custom
for you know, the foreseeable. Okay, I didn't get my
checklist done. But do you see what I mean? Like
if you can kind of recognize in somebody that you know,
it's it's if you're going to try and fit them
into that box, and it's like I sapase Einstein's you know,
we all know a lot of us will know that
(19:01):
sort of saying, yes, if you judge a fish by
its ability to climb a tree, it'll forever think it's stupid, right, So,
you know, I think the main thing is is that
you know, companies are really leaning into educating themselves because
they're only going to get benefits. They're going to get,
you know, really really innovative ideas. They're going to get
really you know, creative new ways to do things. They're
(19:24):
going to lower the wasted time and meetings of how
to you know, conflict resolution with different people. They're going
to be able to have environments so that everybody is thriving.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And if somebody is.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Feeling overwhelmed and they just need to transition time in
a room, they'll probably get more done in that room
for the hour if they can hyper focus, if you
give them a task that you know is really really
strong for their their brain works anyway, it's very hard
to answer in a very quick question, but I'm hoping
that that makes sense. Yeah, the yeah, I think I
think we need to move the conversation from just companies
(20:00):
providing more accommodations and having to give, you know, thinking
they're going to get less back, or that oh, they
have to do this to be inclusive. It's not that,
you know, people who are neurodivergent have a lot of
you know, a lot of what's the word innovation to offer,
and you know, it can change the entire scope of
(20:22):
a company. I've seen it happen, you know, and again,
how could that be wrong? So wouldn't it be sort
of unwise not to embrace that. It's certainly not about
you know, the shortsighted Oh we need to pay to
give more accommodations and then that's going to bleed the
resource of the company. No, that's not what actually happens
if you do lean into sort of really educating everybody
(20:42):
and what it is and what it is not. I
actually did a talk last week in Bilfast to about
one hundred and fifty female entrepreneurs, and I was going
to talk about different you.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Know, tools that you can do.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You can use with ADHD in the workplace, and I said,
you know, for the last two days people were asking me, oh,
you suffer with ADA and you know yourself, and I said, well,
I don't suffer with it.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I have it, and again not to glamorize it, but
you know I haven't. I use it to my change
a lot as well.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
So I just changed the entire slides and the talk
a few minutes before it and to just what ADHD
is and what it is not, because it's very misunderstood.
So I suppose I feel like it's great that the
conversation is starting and people are embracing it, but I
think we have a long way to go.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
You mentioned that you split your time between Ireland and
Los Angeles. How do you manage such a dynamic lifestyle
while staying productive and energized.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Well, I see that's the things I like.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
The you know, stimulation like that actually is really good
for adhders, you know. So for example, I have my
little four hundred year old college here and it's very
quite a small little fishing village.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
But that's not great for me actually.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Because if I'm in a very quiet environment with very
little stimulation, then my brain is going to make up
for that. So then my brain has just given me
so many different thoughts and that can get overwhelmed. Whereas
I if I'm in a sort of stimulating environment, so
if I'm traveling or if i'm you know, I've got
lots of things happening at the same time.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
That's what my brain is very calm.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
So actually that stimulation piece is really good for an
ADHD brain, having the kind of multiple things going on
at the same time that I'm interested in.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So I love I love that, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
And my idea of sort of you know, not in
my life would be just doing the same thing every day,
and you know, having the same kind of form of
stimulation and that I can expect to have every.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Day, I just can't think of anything worth, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So I actually really thrive with having the you know,
the sort of multiple homes and travels and you know,
traveling a lot, and the unpredictability of the music business
and you know, working with new interesting clients around the world.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
And yeah, so I really love that.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
And you know, I suppose most of my work with
my ADHD businesses online on zoom via Zoom, and then
most of my work in the music business would be
in real life. So you know, I guess I kind
of I suppose my computer comes with me. Have you
read no matter if I'm here in Los Angeles. But
then you know, in Los Angeles, I have a lot
of stuff going on with different composers, and yeah, and
(23:14):
then I'll do recordings here as well.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
So and then I toured in China.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Most years with video games Live and in China for
about a month or two. So yeah, it's it's really diverse.
But actually that that really helps my brain. It stimulates
my brain and that, Yeah, that's I'm more productive actually
when I'm when I'm sort of I've got that kind
of juxta position of being in different places all the time.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
You know, I'm traveling once again, listen, I'll be focused
runing and watching this online. Talked to her yesterday, Nella,
do our go follow on our Instagram? Is at Ada's diversity?
As I asked the last question, so, how how can
people listen to music? Is someone's listening right now, like, well, shoot,
I want to I want to check out what kind
(24:05):
of song? So kind of in the last few minutes,
we have explained a little bit about your sound and
how people can check it out.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Yes, So I suppose my sen I suppose I always
say that, like my music always would have started out
in folk music, really like storytelling. And I suppose people
compare I do. I write multi genre stuff. I work
with lots of different, uh you know, genres. But then
I sing in video games. I could singing word of
(24:34):
Warcraft video game and that kind of changed my life
being the singer of that game. And so I suppose
kind of world music folk en Ya.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Esque, Shad O'Connor esque, that type of thing.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
So yeah, my website is www dot I am NLA
dot com, and then my Instagram for my music is
Nella's Music n E L l A S m U
S I C.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
And then my eighties HD Diversity Instagram.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
They're both linked in each other's, so whichever instagram you
go on, you'll find the other one. Yeah, and I'm
on Spotify and all the different places, but my website
is probably the best place. I am now at dot com. Yeah,
and I have lots of projects happening this year, so
there'll be a lot of music released, you know, kind
(25:22):
of further along in this year that I'm really excited about.
We can't really chat about, yes, but but yeah, it'll.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
All be updating on my socials and my websites and
stuff as well.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Last question, you did mention about China. I think that's
pretty interesting. What has been your experience being able to
travel around the world basically, and how was it being
able to have your presence around different cultures and what
have you been able to appreciate with you know, people
(25:54):
that are different man.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Yeah, yeah, I think as I mentioned, like getting that opportunity.
I had a number one record in Ireland called Revolution
a couple of years ago, in twenty seventeen, I think.
And then I met the composer of the Warcraft at
a random event here in the American Ambassador's residence that
I was just invited to, and then that kind of
changed everything. He listened to my music, he chose me
(26:15):
for the games, the one hundred and fifty million players
of that game. So it just blew up my life
in a good way, and so I get you know,
That's when I started going to Los Angeles and then
Video Games Live is the touring autfit that I tour with,
and they tour all Tommy Tallerico owns it, but they
tore all the Blizzard Entertainment video game music, so we
have like three or four thousand people a night, and
(26:37):
you know, it's pretty amazing. So yeah, I've got to
tour in Germany with the prag phil Harmonic Orchestra with
that music, and same in China and just traveling to
another city every night. It's amazing, especially like I had
no idea of the video game world. I'd never done,
need plans to be doing video game music, which I
thought was all beats and bloops, but it's actually beautiful
(26:57):
orchestral otherworldly music and and and so it gets I
get to explore different parts of my voice and everything,
which is fun. So yeah, I guess, yeah, it's amazing,
like touring with sort of Russell Brower is the composer
of Where the Warcraft and he's the conductor of the
tours at me and he's one of my best friends.
And he's producing one of my my next single actually,
and I'm co writing his album with him, so that's fun.
(27:20):
But yeah, so he would come and then we have
some American crew and then some Chinese crew as well
when we're doing China. So yeah, it's amazing. It's it's
I'm really grateful for the experiences. It's definitely different. China
is a totally different world, and yeah, it's it's it's
amazing to see the audiences in China respond to like
(27:41):
seeing the music and hearing music in real life from
the games that they play so much, and then we've
got like a screen behind us with developments of the
game that they wouldn't have seen, and you know, so
they're so fanatical. And like, when I got involved in
the video game music industry, like I learned that the
video game business is bigger than the music business and
the movie business put together. And we're the Warcraft for
(28:02):
a very long time, was the biggest video game. So
it's crazy to think that I'm the singer on one
of the biggest well arguably the biggest media in the world,
whereas it's not seen as kind of mainstream. It's mad
well in America, it is more in Ireland not so much.
But yeah, so it kind of yeah, it's crazy. It's
just this whole world I didn't really even knew it,
know that I didn't even really know existed, and so
(28:25):
that's given me so many opportunities with you know, a
lot of people I work with from Los Angeles, a
lot of well known kind of composers and everything, you know,
and made them open my email and I said, you know,
I sing in this game. They're like, oh, we know that,
you know. So it just gave me so much opportunity.
And whereas you know, they may not have even opened
the email if I didn't have that online at the
beginning to say, look, you may know me from this,
(28:46):
and then they're actually going to open and listen to
my voice of you know, so that that really exploded
my world. So, you know, really grateful that Russell Brogh
gave me that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
But yeah, it's amazing. I love like, I got a
love working people from over the world.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
I had a very well known composer reached out to
me last week from some music consultant in London. I
met ten years ago, met him at some Romanian conference
with music and he suggest He said he wanted a
female singer for something and he said he suggested me,
and then he got on to me and then I
had a zoom with him and now I'm going to
be flying to another country in the Middle East in
(29:20):
a month or two to do this massive, you know,
new song with him. To celebrate his twenty five years
in the music industry, and he does a lot of
Netflix scoring and all that. So, yeah, you just never
know what's going to happen, you know, from one interaction.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
You know, you really don't.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
So I suppose if anyone's listening that sort of ever
gets to just, you know, invite it to a networking event.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
You have no idea where it's going to lead to,
you know, And I know.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
That, you know, and I think every interaction you have
with anybody can lead to your entire life changing, you know,
so we all must appreciate each other, you know, for
that for sure, and it's usually in the most unexpected ways,
you know. Anyway, I'm getting very philosophical.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
That's great, because I don't think people really understand what
you're saying is actually big time, Like that's big. I mean,
we went from your business to like potentially a whole
another episode, and of courtunately, we had to wrap it up,
but I would say mine had to have you back
(30:21):
on so we can talk about the video game world,
because it's a lot of people in the United States
that are big on video games period, so that would
be a very interesting topic. We can have maybe in
the future. Yes, you have like a Netflix documentary style story,
like you should document your old journey going to the
(30:45):
Middle East because that will be very good counting.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Yeah, there was a documentary done on me a few
years ago on my website.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
I am now do you can work? But I think
it's due for an update.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
It's been like China and or that didn't happen, like
that wasn't included because I think we did that documentary
in like twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
So yeah, it was definitely.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
You're giving me inspiration to kind of maybe yeah, get
another one up and running or something, because yeah, you
forget when you're living your own life that it's it's
it might be kind of interesting for other people to too.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Everything I heard so far, it's like, Wow, I should
be watching this on Netflix right now because I would
literally bans watch this because the way it just flows,
it's very interesting, and I think a lot of people
they miss out on just flowing because we have this
rigid society and it's like do this, do that, do this?
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Do that?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
A B C D E FG. And sometimes as a
creative person, like you said with your job at the Gail,
it's like nah, Like there's some easier paths to make
that close for that person to be a member. So
with all that said, talking to our guests today, never
do our go follow her on Instagram. You can find
(32:02):
all her music stuff there as well as at ADS Diversity.
Like always, for all times that we say on the show,
one say to you, thank you for your time.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Thank you, it's good pleasure.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Thanks.
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