As we do every July, business manager extraordinaire Cj and I took a long hard look at the background in the business.
What’s running well and what’s not?
Where do we need to add, delete, make improvements?
We realized that most of my clients are midlife diagnosed women.
So let’s really talk about this - midlife and ADHD.
If you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD in midlife or you’re standing at the edge of that realization, you already know this isn’t just a label.
It’s a remembering.
It’s a reckoning.
And if you’re anything like me, it’s also a huge emotional unraveling.
Let me tell you what no one tells you about being diagnosed in midlife.
I grew up wondering why I was different.
Why was I so stupid?
Why couldn’t I just turn my work in on time?
Why was school so stick-pins-in-my-eyes boring?
And why was math such an epic struggle?
I spent years in therapy grappling with anxiety and depression.
It’s not unusual for women to be diagnosed with anxiety instead of ADHD.
While I haven’t struggled with depression in a long time, I still have to manage my anxiety.
But managing my ADHD tamps down a lot of that anxiety.
Even my therapist who HAS ADHD told me I was too smart to have ADHD.
I had to learn to love myself — in spite of my differently wired brain.
But it wasn’t easy.
At 49, I got cancer.
Chemo brain hit me hard.
Then came the chemical depression.
I could barely function. My business faltered.
I couldn’t remember words like lumber (I used to be a commercial interior designer).
That was a PROBLEM.
After years of making sure I was on time (hello anxiety), I was now late to everything.
And I kept asking myself:
Why do I always lose my keys, phone, wallet, glasses?
Why can’t I get it together?
I HAD working systems.
Until I didn’t.
The wheels were off.
No way this was just chemo brain.
For 5 years I mumbled about executive function challenges and slowly rebuilt my business and my life.
I kept telling myself, “I’m managing OK again… right?”
But deep down, I knew.
And as an ADHD coach, I realized I wasn’t honoring my clients if I didn’t honor answering the questions.
So I took the damn test.
I found out I was ADHD, combined type.
No surprise, really.
Just confirmation.
Suddenly, the struggles — from childhood through adulthood — made sense.
I wasn’t broken.
Just different.
And for the first time, I could start loving myself because of my ADHD brain — not in spite of it.
But I’m not gonna lie.
There was grief.
The big fat ugly kind.
To take the test I had to pull out my old report cards.
From middle school. A time I really had no plan to revisit. EVER
Here’s what they said:
- Talks too much.
- Interrupts too much.
- Bright but inconsistent.
- Easily distracted.
- Lacks preparation.
- Loses notes.
- Needs to improve quality of concentration.
- Doesn’t retain material learned.
- “With concentrated effort, could be an astounding student.”
That last one hit like a knife to the heart.
Because I knew I could be a great student.
My dream was to be in the National Honor Society.
But I wasn’t.
And I’m not.
I cried.
It was all there — in black and white.
The childhood adulthood struggles - those pieces fell into place.
It all made sense.
I wasn't broken.
Just different.
I learned to love me BECAUSE of my ADHD brain.
Guess what?
I’m doing just fine — even without the fancy academic achievements.
Even without the validation I craved for so long.
I’m not broken.
And neither are you.
If you’ve spent years feeling like you’re failing at life…
If you’ve been pushing through burnout, masking your struggle, constantly trying to “catch up”…
You are not too late.
You’re just now getting the full picture.
And now that you have it?
You can grieve - yes it’s ok to get sad and angry. Just don’t hurt anyone. Punching a pillow is pretty effective.
Give yourself grace. It’s not your fault.
And really back in the dinosaur age when we were growing up “girls” didn’t have ADHD. So no one knew.
But now you do.
And now you can build something beautiful.
Something that fits your brain.
Something that works with — not against — your attention, your creativity, your empathy, your energy.
That’s the shift.
You’re not behind.
You’re returning to yourself.
You’re finally building a life that fits.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
I’m here to hold space while you unlearn the shame and start loving your beautifully wired, neurozesty brain.
Because the goal at this stage?
It’s grace over grind.
I’ve worked with women just like you who came to me feeling completely stuck — not lazy, not broken, just... disconnected from themselves.
Here’s one client’s story
“I was not feeling like myself — stuck in a fugue of grief, unproductive, and feeling overwhelmed by so many decisions. I chose Catherine because we had a common bond. I knew she would understand my life experiences.”
“Coaching helped me prioritize the long to-do list and get things done, so that I could come back to life. I organized many of the details, streamlined my business systems, and became much more selective about my clients — all while making more money.”
That’s what this work is about.
It’s not just about getting things done — it’s about coming back to life.
It’s not about hustling harder.
It’s about slowing down enough to hear yourself again.
To find the energy underneath the overwhelm.
To remember who you already are.
Because getting things done isn’t the goal.
Getting your life back is.
Let’s build a rhythm that honors your energy, your story, and your truth -
one tab at a time.
You’re not late.
You’re just getting started.
