ADHD in academia: why capacity swings, and what actually helps
If you’ve just watched my session at the
Global ADHD Conference,
welcome, and thank you for being there.
If you’ve found this page another way, welcome!
What the talk was about
I spent more than a decade building an academic career without understanding why I was so often overwhelmed and exhausted. What confused me most was the inconsistency. I was on a seesaw. One day I was at the top, and could produce great work and love it. The next day, I’d be at the bottom and barely functioning.
Capacity for an ADHDer isn’t a fixed quantity you draw down each day. It’s produced by the interaction between your unique neurodivergence, the situation and environment you’re in, and the identities you carry into your work. Change the environment and your capacity changes with it.
That’s why advice to try harder or get more organised so often misses, and why there’s often relief with the realisation that you were never the problem — the conditions you needed to flourish at work weren’t being met.
You can watch the presentation ADHD and demanding work environments: lived experience from inside academia online.
Where to next?
If you’re interested in working with me, or finding out more:
Join the waitlist for my small group coaching program for high-achieving, late-identified neurodivergent academics and professionals. Launching in 2027.
Book a free Meet & Greet call to chat about about one-to-one specialist ADHD coaching
Read the blog — where I write about ADHD, burnout and academic work
If you’re here on behalf of a university, find out more about how I work with institutions on researcher resilience and neurodiversity training, career and leadership coaching, and keynote speaking.
A newsletter for high-achieving neurodivergent academics and professionals
