Combating Imposter Syndrome and Living a Successful ADHD Life

ByWomen's Business Club

Jun 29, 2020

I have been a member of the Manchester Tribe night since its launch in January 2020.

I stumbled upon the website and decided to attend. I am so glad I did. I have been a member of many business network groups.  couldn’t get over the positive vibes and vibrant energy from the women who attended. The Manchester Women’s Business Club just blew me away. From the moment I stepped into the room, I felt the overwhelmingly positive energy and positive vibes. By the end of the evening, I signed up on the spot!

Shortly afterwards I signed up to be the leader of the monthly Mocha mornings. I am so glad I did! Each month I meet creative, open-minded women. We are all focused on supporting each other, by finding clients for each other, and guiding each other through the maze to find our business success.

I recently signed up for the Liverpool Tribe night too as a visitor and had the pleasure of meeting the leader, Judi Hastings.  We instantly hit it off. I am so amazed at how I keep on meeting creative, warm and growth-minded businesswomen.

There is something special about the Women’s Business Club.  The women genuinely want to help each other succeed.

Building your business can be a lonely journey. Working within a company can be pressurising and isolating. The Women’s Business Club fills a gaping hole. It provides friendship, validation and business support.

I have gained a lot of business knowledge and support from the free resources in The Vault, which is a library of downloads and free courses available to the members.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a certified ADHD life coach and a Professional Organiser trainer. This is an unusual combination.

I live with the internal and external challenges of disorganisation, chaos and internal overwhelm on a daily basis, and I will tell you, it is really difficult. You see, I have ADHD. If that isn’t enough, I am married, and mum of 5 children, with more than 1 ADHD child.

I realised early on, that getting organised and learning to manage my time was the root of my personal and business success. I searched high and low for the answers to my disorganised inner and outer chaos. I couldn’t find those answers anywhere. I read so many self-help books on decluttering and home organisation. They did not resonate with me, they actually made me feel worse.

I was overwhelmed with the many demands from my job and my family. I wanted a career that I would find fulfilling, and that I would be making a difference to the lives of my clients. I wanted a career that would allow me to create my own hours that would work for my growing family. One day I was reading an online magazine, and I saw an advert for a Professional Organiser training program. I didn’t turn the page. My inner voice told me that even in my disorganised chaos, this is what I needed. I needed to learn this as a career and thereby help myself. I  impulsively signed up on the spot! (I lived with a terrifying fear of the unknown for two months until the program started…)

This 5 sessions basic training program was the springboard for my life change. In those 5 weeks I turned over my entire home, and filled a skip with my clutter… When my home was finally decluttered and organised, I felt so light, and focused. I felt liberated beyond belief.

I offer two services: Organise Pro, an online professional organiser training program, focusing on guiding ADHD clients to their organising success.

Focus with Faigy, ADHD coaching. I guide professional ADHD women to find their focus and clarity. I train and mentor ADHD coaches. Women with ADHD need specialist organising, and time management tools that are tailored for their brain. The regular tools just do not work.

I have written three self-help books for professional ADHD women.

I use tools that I learned along my journey to guide my clients and trainees to handle the internal overwhelm and manage their chaos. Through many years of hard work and sheer will power, I have turned my inner critic into my inner best friend. I live a successful ADHD life. Even with my busy family life, and the mess that is constantly being created, there is only ever one layer of mess in my home…I still live from one self-made crisis to the next, and they are many… I now use the tools I have learned to laugh at myself and move on. Quickly.

My mission in this world is to empower ADHD women to embrace their many-faceted roles and understand and celebrate who they are.

DOES ADHD IN WOMEN EXIST?

ADHD in the UK is seen as “the naughty boy syndrome.” ADHD in women is almost unheard of. Oh, but it is so real! The symptoms of ADHD in women differ greatly from ADHD symptoms in men.

Girls and women with ADHD tend to display fewer external symptoms. Girls and women with undiagnosed ADHD will usually suffer from low self-esteem and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. They are likely to suffer in school, in other social environments and in personal relationships well into their adult lives. Many do not get diagnosed at all. These problems if untreated worsen over time.  It’s really confusing since women with ADHD tend to be very talented and creative, yet their ADHD internal challenges hold them back from actualising their potential.

Common symptoms of ADHD in girls and women with ADHD are depression and anxiety that get worse with age.  Often sadly ADHD doesn’t even come in the picture. This is tragic, as the main ADHD condition needs to get treated first before the anxiety and depression, which are side effects of unmanaged ADHD.

MY BIGGEST CHALLENGES

I am a pioneer.  When I see a void I step up and fill the need. This can be incredibly rewarding. It is also terribly lonely. The self-doubt and worry have been the hardest. There is still a huge stigma around ADHD in the UK, especially ADHD in women. It has been incredibly difficult yet so rewarding.

The Women’s Business Club has been instrumental in helping me bring my career to the current stage.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY

“Successful people make the most mistakes.” Since I have pushed through so many FEARS and moved so quickly along my career path, I have probably made more mistakes than the average woman.  Success equals mistakes…

I don’t need to get my business to the perfect level, I just need to aspire to be good enough… (98% of my work with my clients is on combatting Perfectionism/Imposter Syndrome. It is a very strong ADHD trait.)

“The way you use your time equals your business success.” Your business success doesn’t happen in a flash of magic. It happens slowly, minute by minute by the seemingly small almost invisible choices that you make. Your decision to press the snooze button for that extra 10 minutes, means that you don’t manage to do your Yoga time that day. This directly impacts your productivity, creativity and overall mood. Yes, its not fair, but such is life…

To succeed in business, FEAR needs to become your constant companion. So many women mistakenly believe that if they experience FEAR then it is a sign that they need to back off. The opposite is true. If you are feeling fearful around a new business venture, and your FEAR is accompanied with some excitement, you are on the right track… FEAR is my best friend. I am constantly moving forwards in my career. I now put FEAR in my back pocket…and move through to the next stage.

Find out more at www.focuswithfaigy.com | www.organisepro.com

By Women's Business Club

Women's Business Club empowers women to succeed in business through awards, conferences, business support membership, and news. Find out more at www.womensbusiness.club or send your press release [email protected]. Articles and adverts are chargeable, see media pack at www.womensbusiness.club/media-pack