What was the main challenge you had before starting coaching?
I had a long-term life plan. I had a gazillion ideas, my brain is constantly whirring. I also had energy and commitment, but no idea of the steps to get me there. I couldn’t focus or work out what was important and what was not.
What has been the biggest benefit you have gained from the coaching?
The biggest shift has been linking my life plan with blocks of activity. I need to feel that I am getting somewhere, that there is a reason for everything. We talked quite a bit about gameification, and it turns out that it actually works well for me. Competing against myself, setting artificial deadlines, and targets was really brilliant for me. I have read a lot about ADHD and dopamine hits, and this gets me mine.
At one point, we conducted an audit of my current activities. From this, I could see that some of the things I had been focusing on were not actually that useful in relation to my overall life plan. Incredibly, I felt able to finally drop some of the cr*p and get on with the important stuff.
Starting to recognise my body, the signals it is sending me when I am getting anxious, or things are starting to feel out of control, felt like one of the game-changers Leigh talks about. Understanding what I could do to regain energy or help myself cope with things that will always drain me has dramatically reduced my shutdowns.
What did you like most about the coaching relationship?
Leigh gave me space to work out what was actually important. This whole idea of removing the pressure of ‘should’ felt liberating. She introduced me to a matrix I could use to start thinking about important versus urgent while I was trying to prioritise more effectively.
She is so approachable and calm, which helped me feel calm in our sessions, too. Wonderful to meet another AuDHD person.
If you were to recommend Leigh to a friend, what would you say?
Leigh helps you step back and properly think about where you actually want to go in the long run. If you are bogged down in the details as I was, she helps you get that clear and, from there, work out simple, practical strategies to get you to that goal.
I have found her really helpful. She has a great understanding of how autism and ADHD can affect anxiety, which I found personally very reassuring in my situation.