Personal Journey with ADHD
I was branded ‘the worst behaved student’ in school and at the time, I had undiagnosed ADHD (mix that with teenage hormones and you’ve got a lovely little cocktail of chaos!).
Through all my years in the school system, I was met with constant bullying from both students and teachers, and I was usually getting suspended, shouted at, or berated.
I actually ended up being removed from school to do my exam studies at home because the school environment was impossible for me.
And funnily enough, I got the qualifications I needed because I wasn’t trapped in the system.
I remember so vividly on the last day of high school, hearing the words “you’ve scraped through this, but you’re a sad little girl who won’t ever amount to anything” from the school’s deputy headteacher at the time (nice guy, huh?).
When I left school, I tried myriad things I was interested in. I joined and dropped out of music college more than a few times, and along with that, I got into some pretty sketchy situations with the wrong crowds and I was even more lost than before.
I had no idea what my place in the world was at 16/17, wondering if I would ever change my corner of the world in some way like my rebellious soul dreamed of, or whether I was destined to live out the story that I was told on my last day of school.
I had no money, no stability, and I was living in a run-down apartment with an abusive ex-partner at the time, unable to even eat most days.
By my 18th birthday, I had clawed myself out of those situations and managed to find some stability again.
I was going through a lot, but I knew the one thing I wanted to do was work. I had the dream of making it big and earning great money so I could give myself the life I wanted.
So, I took my drive and passion and I went into sales. It wasn’t anything special, it was a tiny little company selling loft insulation.
But I got headhunted again and again, and I ended up in corporate sales and marketing, learning a lot and earning money that I’d never had in my bank account before.
Fast forward a few years into adult life and trying out various corporate roles, I had an epiphany.
The older I was getting and the more I was falling in love with life again, the more I was realizing that I had a mission to share beyond working for someone else.
Transition to Coaching
Working in employment was also starting to burn me out, and this was the time I started recognizing symptoms of what I know now to be my ADHD.
So, I decided to listen to my heart, re-train, and start my first coaching business in the personal development space.
And about a month after I committed, I was made redundant from my job. Now, call me ‘woo-woo’ but I’m pretty sure the stars aligned on that one!
Terrified doesn’t even cover it. I was freaking out, but also excited because this way, I had no choice but to commit.
As I settled into being a full-time coach, I started to feel like I was able to breathe for the first time in my life.
– I didn’t have someone hovering over me and micro-managing my every move.
– Or talking at me about updates I had no interest in whatsoever.
I was forging my own path and changing my little corner of the world, just like teenage me had dreamed of.
And that’s the thing, isn’t it? As ADHDers, what we really need is the space to create our own systems to thrive rather than squeezing ourselves into rigidity because it’s ‘normal.’
That’s what business was, and still is for me.
Challenges and Solutions in Business for ADHDers
Does the online business world have its issues that make business and marketing feel incredibly hard for ADHDers?
You bet! And that’s exactly what got me into the work I do now, years later, as a Marketing & Sales Mentor for coaches, educators, and practitioners with ADHD.
I work closely with every one of my students individually on marketing and sales strategies that are not only effective, but are in flow with how they naturally work best, their energy and capacity, and their personal goals.
This is what I mean when I say that ADHDers succeed in business (and in life) when given the chance to do it our way.
That’s what turned me into a published author by the age of just 24, and has led me to be a successful founder today.
A thought I’ll leave you with today: maybe you don’t need to ‘fix yourself’ to succeed, maybe you need to change the environments and systems you’re trying to fit into. Keep shining your light.
Name: Polly Pollock
Professional Title: Marketing & Sales Mentor For Coaches With Adhd
Bio: Polly Pollock is a Marketing & Sales Mentor for newly qualified and blossoming coaches with ADHD and AuDHD who want to turn their coaching skills into consistent clients and take their business full-time without relying on constant social media posting. She is a published author, the founder of Neuropreneur Rising and is best known for her signature program, the Neuro-Friendly Sales Accelerator.
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