Neurodiversity Unboxed: Insights and Strategies for Inclusive Workplaces

Calendar Management I’m working with a client right now who’s juggling a lot: -Primary caregiver of two kids -Starting a new leadership role -In grad school -Building a passion project that could become a business It’s a lot. And it requires her to find time to do all these things without dropping the ball. And, she also has ADHD. She’s had coaching before through her employer’s contracted provider. But it was traditional coaching. Lots of open-ended questions with the goal of “uncovering your own solutions.” And like many of my clients, that approach didn’t work for her. When you’ve been trying to “figure it out” for decades and you’re still struggling, insight alone isn’t enough. That’s not how I work. I’m a teacher. I teach strategies that I think will help. We’ll try them out, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), revise the system, and try again. And we’ll keep going until we land on something that works for you. So what are my clients working on? -A retired person burning out from a cause they care deeply about -Someone newly promoted and overwhelmed by meetings and competing priorities -A client with decades of therapy who still doesn’t feel emotionally regulated -“Successful” people who struggle with basic daily tasks -Professionals stuck at a certain level because of social or communication challenges -Employees on PIPs because traditional “in-house” coaching hasn’t helped Back to my client… The strategy we landed on? Make it visual. And consciously spend time looking at it. She hung three large calendars on her wall: one for work, one for school, one for personal life. And 2–3 times a week, she schedules a few minutes to do nothing except stare at those calendars. Just look. See what pops up. Her results? She says it almost feels indulgent, like a mini break (sounds lovely). And, she’s more aware of what’s coming up, she spots holes in her schedule to plan ahead, and she’s caught things she otherwise would have missed. (Like an appointment for her son she’s certain she would have forgotten.) If you’ve tried all the productivity hacks and nothing sticks, maybe it’s time to try something different. Coaching doesn’t have to be vague or abstract.  Let’s find what works for your brain. Schedule a free consult to see if coaching with me is the right fit. Book time with Genie Love: Personal Discovery Call Or just reply and tell me what you’re juggling right now. I’d love to hear.

The lists you make. Sticky notes around your computer. Notebooks and apps intended to keep you organized. I give you permission to let go of all feelings of failure with the failed organizational systems. If you have an ADHD brain, you’re likely collecting thoughts and notes and to-dos everywhere. You’ve tried all kinds of systems and tools and hacks, and they haven’t worked. I give you permission to be ok with and embrace your scattered systems. Organization may never be your thing, no matter how hard you try to follow the “rules.” You have all the tabs open because of all the small things you need to do: read an article save a doc (but you’re not sure where) record notes from a meeting follow up with someone... Here’s what I suggest: Make your piles. Sticky notes, random papers, tabs, notes from your phone, just gather them. Collect everything into one notebook. Keep the tabs open. Block an hour (or more) twice a week to deal with all of it. During that time, sort through: Emails sitting in various inboxes Your sticky note piles Your open tabs Your notebook Your ever-expanding to-do list Move anything urgent into your calendar. Start your next to-do list with things that can wait. Revisit old notes and ask: What still needs action? What’s already handled? What just resolved itself without me? This works because ADHD brains love to move fast. One thing ends, and we’re off to the next. Pausing to close tabs and tidy up notes is not motivating. So set aside the time. Turn on your favorite focus music. And deal with the piles. And, if this is one of your colleagues...it may look crazy, but it doesn't mean it doesn't work. Let me know how it goes.  P.S. Yup, I was on a Zoom without a pen and took notes with a highlighter. Yes, I'm 48 years old and this happened. The struggle is real. The note is now going in the pile to be dealt with later this week. Want to learn more about my work? Website: https://neuroautonomy.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ciMlkbqElTXqRZLLWWGg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genielove_coaching/

We all know what it feels like to be overwhelmed and stressed. We are less patient, less creative, and less capable of solving problems. Now imagine feeling that kind of stress every single day, because of the clothes you’re expected to wear, the lighting in your environment, the sounds of the office, or the smells in the break room. For some people, it's not just discomfort, it’s sensory overload. And it’s not “being dramatic.” It’s real. It’s neurological. It often goes unnoticed. And it's very much misunderstood. Your most reactive employee might also be your most valuable. They may be highly sensitive and neither of you knows it. I’m sharing this article from ADDitude Magazine (my favorite resource) because it breaks down what hypersensitivity looks like and where it comes from. Read the article here If this resonates, whether it’s about you or someone on your team, reach out. I can help you identify strategies that support the way their brain and body actually work. Want to learn more about my work? Website: https://neuroautonomy.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ciMlkbqElTXqRZLLWWGg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genielove_coaching/

"To be more than you are means you have to let go of who you were." I’ve heard some version of this quote many times. It sounds important, right? I want to become more than I am... but what the hell does it even mean? I saved it in my Obsidian notebook of inspirational quotes, journaled about it, let it roll around in my brain for months...and still couldn’t quite connect with it. Until recently. I was explaining my NeuroAutonomy Method of coaching to someone, and when I described the “Inner Compass” part of the method, she said: “It’s like re-understanding yourself.” And, it was a total lightbulb moment. YES. That’s it. People with ADHD and/or autism need to re-understand themselves . They’ve spent their entire lives trying to conform to neurotypical standards set by parents, teachers, friends, supervisors, and society. Then, they find out they’re neurodivergent. And suddenly, can start to revisit all those old patterns of thinking and behaving. That’s when they come to coaching. (Really, we all should go through this process at some point.) Through the Inner Compass work, we discover the “characters” that show up in times of stress. They came into our lives when we were young to protect us from bad things: social mistakes, failure, embarrassment, losing control, being “too much,” falling behind...(it's kind of an endless list). And while they helped us back then, they now run the show too ofen in ways that no longer serve us. Here are a few I've found: A 1950s housewife A concrete wall The White Rabbit from the old Alice in Wonderland cartoon And, what’s great about re-understanding yourself is that you can see these parts of you. You can get to know them. Understand they're there. And slowly, it quiets them and you can begin to release their control over you. It doesn't mean losing yourself. It means getting more time in the calm, capable version of you. You become more than you are by letting go of who you were. I created a tool to help you start this exploration. The "Inner Compass Starter Kit". You can find it here: https://stan.store/GenieLove Give it a try and let me know what characters you find. P.S. A few characters my clients have found: A hyper-achieving dog A stinky avoider trash pile A cowboy with a lasso One of those vacuums with giant eyes (yes, it's real, we looked it up) Want to learn more about my work? Website: https://neuroautonomy.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ciMlkbqElTXqRZLLWWGg  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genielove_coaching/

IWe live in a culture that embraces busyness. We want our people to look like they’re working. As long as we’re answering emails, attending meetings, taking thorough notes, and keeping up with messages, we feel productive. But what happens when the appearance of busyness gets in the way of the deep work that needs to be done? For most of us, shifting into deep work can feel like an uphill battle. According to Andrew Huberman, this resistance is something most of us experience and we need to work through. But for employees with executive function challenges, this resistance can be significantly more intense. The initial inertia to get started can feel like a mountain of effort. This is real. And it really is due to the way their brain works. Externally, this might look like: Procrastination Laziness A lack of motivation or work ethic Someone keeping up with emails and meetings but not making progress on deep work How Managers Can Help Fortunately, there are strategies to support employees who experience this kind of resistance to deep work. Here are a few: Provide a quiet, reliable space to work. Having a consistent, distraction-free environment makes it significantly easier to transition into focus mode. Help them develop an “opening” routine. This is a deliberate, mindful process of setting up the workspace and minimizing distractions. Encourage them to say “I’m ready to start this task.” (I actually will say this out loud.) This can help signal to the brain that it’s time to focus. Support structured transitions between tasks. When moving from one task to another, reverse the opening routine. "Close" the previous task before "opening" the next. A short movement break between tasks can also help reset focus. Be explicit about which meetings are required. Employees with executive function challenges may default to attending every meeting because it’s not always clear which are essential. Too many meetings can create unnecessary workflow disruptions for someone who already struggles with this. If you’re interested in better understanding executive functions and how they impact your employees, check out this week’s Neurodiversity Insights in 20 recording. I also dive into how sensory overwhelm affects productivity and what you can do to help.

Am I the only parent who feels like summers are a bit (or a lot!) more chaotic? Maybe it’s because I work from home and now there’s another human around who needs my attention. I feel this constant pressure to balance work, be available, be present with work and with my daughter, to limit screen time. It’s like an emotional tug-of-war. It feels a little out of control. Each year, I try to mentally prepare for the seismic shift that is having a kid out of school. But it still gets me. Whatever age your kids are, if they spend 9 months out of the year at school outside of your house, having them home is a big adjustment . Whether you’re: juggling daycare pickups and drop-offs, organizing summer camps, helping them navigate their first job, trying to limit tech use, or squeezing in lake trips and pool days... It’s a lot. And all of that is on top of the regular household responsibilities you manage and the work you do outside (or inside) your home. If this sounds a bit like your world, here’s a thought: Let’s pause for mid-year resolutions . Or, more specifically, summer resolutions . I’ve been doing this quietly for a few years now without really realizing it, and I think it helps. I take a little time to re-prioritize. Ask myself: What do I want from this summer? What do I want more of? And maybe more importantly, what can I let go of? Because if you're like me, the days may be longer, but the time somehow feels shorter. For me, this summer’s resolutions look like: Simpler dinners (I love to cook, but good, healthy food does not need to be complicated) A messier house (so I won't be hosting, sorry...) Starting work earlier in the morning (I’m a morning person and lucky to have a flexible schedule) Prioritizing screen-free fun with my daughter in the afternoons Active family weekends So, if you're heading into a wild summer too, take a pause and try writing your own summer resolutions. And, please share, what are you choosing to let go of? We need to support each other. Want to learn more about my work? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genie-love-beyond-coaching/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ciMlkbqElTXqRZLLWWGg

I've had this conversation a few times recently, so I thought I’d share it here with you too. Do you ever just talk to ChatGPT about what’s going on in your brain? For me, it’s kind of like journaling (which I do in the mornings), but with feedback. I often have way too many ideas spinning around in my head , and I struggle to prioritize or figure out where to start. It all just feels so big. So, I’ve created a little ChatGPT “notebook” just for brain dumping. First, I just brain dump. Then I ask it to: Pull out the big ideas Help me prioritize Suggest first steps Create a timeline (if that’s what I need) I’ve been doing this for a while now, so it “knows” me and what matters to me. It can pull from previous conversations to help guide me forward. What about your oppositional defiant brain? You know...the part of you that immediately says no to anything someone suggests? Try bringing that to ChatGPT. Let it generate ideas without triggering the emotional response that sometimes comes when another person gives you feedback. No judgment. Just ideas. What about supporting emotional regulation? Sometimes it helps just to make a list of your stressors and get them out of your head, so you can see them. Because when they stay inside, your brain thinks it has to solve all of them right now. But once they’re on paper (or screen), you can start to: Notice which stressors are smaller than you thought Realize which ones you’ve already handled Identify what can wait Decide what to tackle today You can even check in with ChatGPT regularly to update your list, letting go of the things that have been resolved and adding new ones as they arise. These are just a few ways I’ve used this tool.  Give me some other ideas! What have you tried that has worked?

I've had this conversation a few times recently, so I thought I’d share it here with you too. Do you ever just talk to ChatGPT about what’s going on in your brain? For me, it’s kind of like journaling (which I do in the mornings), but with feedback. I often have way too many ideas spinning around in my head , and I struggle to prioritize or figure out where to start. It all just feels so big. So, I’ve created a little ChatGPT “notebook” just for brain dumping. First, I just brain dump. Then I ask it to: Pull out the big ideas Help me prioritize Suggest first steps Create a timeline (if that’s what I need) I’ve been doing this for a while now, so it “knows” me and what matters to me. It can pull from previous conversations to help guide me forward. What about your oppositional defiant brain? You know...the part of you that immediately says no to anything someone suggests? Try bringing that to ChatGPT. Let it generate ideas without triggering the emotional response that sometimes comes when another person gives you feedback. No judgment. Just ideas. What about supporting emotional regulation? Sometimes it helps just to make a list of your stressors and get them out of your head, so you can see them. Because when they stay inside, your brain thinks it has to solve all of them right now. But once they’re on paper (or screen), you can start to: Notice which stressors are smaller than you thought Realize which ones you’ve already handled Identify what can wait Decide what to tackle today You can even check in with ChatGPT regularly to update your list, letting go of the things that have been resolved and adding new ones as they arise. These are just a few ways I’ve used this tool.  Give me some other ideas! What have you tried that has worked?

I love to occasionally circle back to one of my favorite tools: energy blocking . And, it aligns well with last week’s newsletter on defining what a baseline successful day looks like...