There are two key questions I ask ADHD women during Discovery Calls.
(In case you’re not quite sure what a discovery call is:
“Discovery calls“ are the calls I have with ADHD women who are considering hiring me as their coach.
Two things are happening during those calls – I’m finding out about their situation so that I can ascertain whether or not I can help them.
And they are figuring out whether or not they think I’d be a good coach for them!
We’re doing a fit check, we’re seeing if we have rapport, whether we think we can do good work together.)
The ADHD women who get on the phone with me are generally pretty unhappy about some aspect of their relationship to their ADHD.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have called me.
First thing I do on the call, is explain what they can expect from the call.
Then I invite them to “empty the sack.”
I picture a big, empty conference room table between us, one whose edges slope up like a tray, so that nothing will fall off. As they describe all their ADHD woes, I imagine they’re emptying out a big sack.
The stories I hear are so compelling.
These women are compelling!
They are extraordinarily competent, talented,
passionate, brilliant, FRUSTRATED women.
Often they are quite sad.
They are frustrated and sad because
they are trying to manage their incredibly complex modern lives
WITH AN A.D.A.-RECOGNIZED DISABILITY.
So the two big questions I ask are:
1. “How comfortable are you with the idea that ADHD is a disability?”
AND
2. “On a scale of 1-10, how much is your life set up to accommodate that disability? Let’s say that 1 is Totally Not Set Up, and 10 is Totally Set Up.”
Often, I don’t even get to ask number two, because the answer to number one tells me the answer to number two, i.e.,
👉 If you are extremely uncomfortable with the idea that ADHD is a disability, it’s very unlikely that you will have set up your life to accommodate that disability. 👈
So I’ll ask question number 1, and there will be a big pause.
Sometimes the woman at the other end of the phone doesn’t even know that ADHD is a disability.
Sometimes she knows vaguely that it’s a disability, but isn’t aware that it’s a disability to the extent that it is recognized as such by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Often, she knows vaguely that it’s a disability, but she has shoved that awareness into a dark cobwebby corner of her mind, and has been living her life as if ADHD is no big deal.
In these circumstances, I find the phrase “ADA-recognized disability” to be very clarifying, grounding, and sobering.
If you’re reading this, please know that your ADHD is a big f$cking deal!
If you’re an ADHD woman, and you have not arranged your life to accommodate your ADHD, chances are good, life feels unbelievably difficult.
This is what I help people with!
If you’re ready to get help with this, reach out to me.
You can just reply to this email if that’s easiest.
Or, you can go ahead and book a Discovery Call with me right here.
And tell me YOUR answers to those two questions in person.
I can’t wait to meet you 😘
Warmly,
Emma