Most of my clients have achieved incredible success. Although the outside world sees them as high achievers, they often suffer from imposter syndrome. They feel that they do not deserve success because either it came too easily, “by sheer luck” they would say, or because they have masked the inordinate amount of effort, discomfort and even pain they endured to get there.

Woe is me, I have ADHD. I get it. Yes it’s hard... and? You've done hard things before. You can do them again. Yes. You may, at times, have been driven by the fear of consequence. But, if you think back to your most meaningful accomplishments, they were most likely driven by genuine interest and curiosity. Turbo Thinkers thrive on novelty, fun, and intrinsic motivation. They are turned on by just the right amount of challenge combined with a sense of intrigue.

In a world being transformed by automation and artificial intelligence, Turbo Thinkers will be the ones to succeed. We are the ones who ask questions. Driven by curiosity and a lifelong love of learning, Turbo Thinkers explore from a global and even universal perspective. We also dive into details driven by intense passion. Our turbo thinking minds go both wide and deep. We are wonderers and wanderers, and we are the ones who drive innovation to change the world. In comparison, the ones who only know answers are easily replaced by machines. 

In several of my sessions last week, my clients discovered the importance of communicating boundaries. Some are back in their childhood homes with their parents, some are visiting relatives, and others are expected to attend a plethora of holiday events while hosting a house full of guests. As Turbo Thinkers, we can get overwhelmed by these situations and fall back into automatic pilot, which feels like crisis mode.

As Turbo Thinkers, we spend a lot of time living in our heads. Because of our super creative imaginations, we fabricate fascinating fables and alternate realities that are just so believable. In fact, we are sometimes like floating heads, with no connection to our physical bodies, as our minds race into the future and experience catastrophe, rejection, and pain in all sorts of ways. We fly through different scenarios of doom, like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, only none of the endings are happy.

For us Turbo Thinkers, a little bit of meditation can go a long way. I like to think of my meditation practice like sitting with a cute, curious, cuddly puppy. The puppy sits in front of us, then wanders away. It can waddle or pounce or spring, but it’s so cute! It’s in its nature to wander off. We gently pick it up and bring it back. It will surely wander off again, and we simply pick it up and bring it back. Such is the Turbo Thinker’s mind. It wanders off.

Some of my clients thrive in social settings. They love to meet new people, spark conversations, and connect with others. Socializing is a mechanism that satiates their curiosity. However, some of my clients experience social anxiety instead. The idea of a holiday party gives them the heebie-jeebies from head to toe. The negative thoughts related to the event can become so intense that they can literally make themselves physically ill in order to not attend.

This time of year provides even the most disciplined of Turbo Thinkers with deadly distractions and temptations. There are so many delicacies to taste and sip, so many presents from which to choose! Our devices push content at us that convinces our brains that we should be spending money and lots of it… because look at how much we can save! Since when did Black Friday and Cyber Monday become a commercial bonanza starting the day after Halloween?

According to Dr. Russell Ramsay, anxiety is the #1 emotion experienced by people with ADHD. He defines it as: “the intolerance of uncertainty.” What can we do when our brain type is consistently inconsistent? We certainly don't enjoy the feeling of worry, so our #1 emotional issue is how to tolerate discomfort.

I just came back from the grocery store and I’m still reeling from the displays. The towers of cranberry sauce and stuffing mix one would expect, but also Christmas chocolates and eggnog! All of them are shouting at me, “The holidays are here! And you aren’t ready!” My Turbo Thinking brain has gone into overdrive: the meals, the parties, the presents, the travel, the people, the pets, the food, the drinks, the kids, the money, the house, the work, the things to fix, the things to buy, the exercise, my parents, their health, my doctor’s appointment, cancer….Bam!

I often notice common themes among my clients over the course of the week. This week, besides guilt over Halloween candy consumption, I have heard both panic and shame over not being productive enough. There are only two months left! The holidays are around the corner! I should be doing more! Where does that “should” come from? Who says so? How is that judgmental voice of your inner critic serving you? What do you even mean by “productive”? By whose standards?

As October draws to a close, so does ADHD Awareness month. Yet why limit ourselves to merely one month of celebrating our strengths? More and more studies reveal the benefits of neurodiversity for the entire community, be it at home, at work, in social circles or professional networks. The truth is that our unique Turbo Thinker wiring supports the people around us in a myriad of ways.

As the days get shorter, I wish they felt longer, especially in the month of October. This month, my inbox fills with daily nuggets of research, knowledge and shared stories of ADHD experiences around the world. I feel honored to be a leader in this worldwide community of Turbo Thinkers. We now see the growing appreciation of neurodiversity in the workplace and in homes.

October can be, at times, an emotional month for me. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a survivor, this triggers frustration with “race for the cure”, when I feel that it should be “race for the cause”. Why did I, and hundreds of thousands of other healthy, young women get breast cancer in the first place, in just one year? And why do the numbers continue to grow? But I digress. Lol. There goes my Turbo Thinker brain again.

This month, I allow myself to go down the rabbit hole of this website: https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/As a board member of ACO, I know the monumental effort that has gone into curating the material within. This has been a worldwide task with coalitions in various continents to educate the public about ADHD by disseminating reliable information based on the evidence of science and peer-reviewed research. ADHD is a serious public health issue on a global scale.

Last month I got to catch up on a lot of reading, both fiction and nonfiction. I finally got around to reading Circe, by Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an adaptation of various Greek myths, most notably the Odyssey, as told from the perspective of the immortal witch Circe. In case you didn’t notice, our society seems to be obsessed with the idea of immortality too, as we seek eternal youth. But we are human and we are mortal. Fortunately, with wrinkles comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes gratitude. We can be grateful for every moment that we do have on this Earth.

We are Turbo Thinkers! This means that our racing brains can produce an incredible variety and quantity of thoughts in quick succession. It also means that we are prone to burn out. What is the equivalent of a smoking engine for us? Like a race car, our brains can feel like they are exploding, we feel overwhelmed and want to scream, cry or hide.

Which is best for me? Individual or group coaching? Hmmmm. Both!Both are coaching for Turbo Thinkers and both are a magical and transformational experience where ADHD strengths are included as a backdrop for dynamic performance.

I am one of those people that does not like to buy clothes online. To be honest, I do not have the spidey-sense of knowing what will look good or not, unless I try it on. Sometimes it works the same way with a coach/ client match. You’re just not convinced until you try it on, look at your reflection and feel good about it before you can commit to it.

I've had many clients share their favorite ADHD TikTok videos with me. Some are hilarious and relatable. Others make me cringe. The best and most useful ones do not go viral. Some ADHD TikToks destigmatize mental disorders by normalizing certain symptoms and building community. The platform makes accurate information and research accessible to a new demographic.