One of the Hot Topic Sessions at this year's World Congress on ADHD, titled "Living with Adult ADHD Every Day," presented the latest research that validates what experienced ADHD coaches have recognized all along.

One of the most exciting pieces of research presented at this year's World Congress on ADHD shifts our focus from deficits and weaknesses to positive traits and strengths.

Since my return from Amsterdam, my head has been buzzing with ideas based on the information and conversations at the World Congress on ADHD. I learned so much about the latest research on ADHD, but also that we still have a very long way to go.

Exciting news! As a board member of PAAC - The Professional Association for ADHD Coaches, the only credentialing body for ADHD coaches and coaching programs in the world, I will be showcasing ADHD coaching at the World Congress on ADHD in Amsterdam this month. The aim of the World Congress is to disseminate education about ADHD and advocate for patients and their families by having world experts teach clinicians, researchers, and other ADHD stakeholders how to use scientific facts and clinical wisdom to create better outcomes for people with ADHD.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the coming AI revolution. The thing that I keep thinking is… thank goodness for Turbo Thinkers!As technological innovation advances, we may be left to wonder, “What is the point? What is the purpose of being human when artificial intelligence develops into artificial consciousness?” Fortunately, this is precisely the environment in which Turbo Thinkers thrive.

Most of my clients have achieved incredible success. Although the outside world sees them as high achievers, they often suffer from imposter syndrome. They feel that they do not deserve success because either it came too easily, “by sheer luck” they would say, or because they have masked the inordinate amount of effort, discomfort and even pain they endured to get there.

Woe is me, I have ADHD. I get it. Yes it’s hard... and? You've done hard things before. You can do them again. Yes. You may, at times, have been driven by the fear of consequence. But, if you think back to your most meaningful accomplishments, they were most likely driven by genuine interest and curiosity. Turbo Thinkers thrive on novelty, fun, and intrinsic motivation. They are turned on by just the right amount of challenge combined with a sense of intrigue.

In a world being transformed by automation and artificial intelligence, Turbo Thinkers will be the ones to succeed. We are the ones who ask questions. Driven by curiosity and a lifelong love of learning, Turbo Thinkers explore from a global and even universal perspective. We also dive into details driven by intense passion. Our turbo thinking minds go both wide and deep. We are wonderers and wanderers, and we are the ones who drive innovation to change the world. In comparison, the ones who only know answers are easily replaced by machines. 

In several of my sessions last week, my clients discovered the importance of communicating boundaries. Some are back in their childhood homes with their parents, some are visiting relatives, and others are expected to attend a plethora of holiday events while hosting a house full of guests. As Turbo Thinkers, we can get overwhelmed by these situations and fall back into automatic pilot, which feels like crisis mode.

As Turbo Thinkers, we spend a lot of time living in our heads. Because of our super creative imaginations, we fabricate fascinating fables and alternate realities that are just so believable. In fact, we are sometimes like floating heads, with no connection to our physical bodies, as our minds race into the future and experience catastrophe, rejection, and pain in all sorts of ways. We fly through different scenarios of doom, like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, only none of the endings are happy.

For us Turbo Thinkers, a little bit of meditation can go a long way. I like to think of my meditation practice like sitting with a cute, curious, cuddly puppy. The puppy sits in front of us, then wanders away. It can waddle or pounce or spring, but it’s so cute! It’s in its nature to wander off. We gently pick it up and bring it back. It will surely wander off again, and we simply pick it up and bring it back. Such is the Turbo Thinker’s mind. It wanders off.

Some of my clients thrive in social settings. They love to meet new people, spark conversations, and connect with others. Socializing is a mechanism that satiates their curiosity. However, some of my clients experience social anxiety instead. The idea of a holiday party gives them the heebie-jeebies from head to toe. The negative thoughts related to the event can become so intense that they can literally make themselves physically ill in order to not attend.

This time of year provides even the most disciplined of Turbo Thinkers with deadly distractions and temptations. There are so many delicacies to taste and sip, so many presents from which to choose! Our devices push content at us that convinces our brains that we should be spending money and lots of it… because look at how much we can save! Since when did Black Friday and Cyber Monday become a commercial bonanza starting the day after Halloween?

According to Dr. Russell Ramsay, anxiety is the #1 emotion experienced by people with ADHD. He defines it as: “the intolerance of uncertainty.” What can we do when our brain type is consistently inconsistent? We certainly don't enjoy the feeling of worry, so our #1 emotional issue is how to tolerate discomfort.

I just came back from the grocery store and I’m still reeling from the displays. The towers of cranberry sauce and stuffing mix one would expect, but also Christmas chocolates and eggnog! All of them are shouting at me, “The holidays are here! And you aren’t ready!” My Turbo Thinking brain has gone into overdrive: the meals, the parties, the presents, the travel, the people, the pets, the food, the drinks, the kids, the money, the house, the work, the things to fix, the things to buy, the exercise, my parents, their health, my doctor’s appointment, cancer….Bam!

I often notice common themes among my clients over the course of the week. This week, besides guilt over Halloween candy consumption, I have heard both panic and shame over not being productive enough. There are only two months left! The holidays are around the corner! I should be doing more! Where does that “should” come from? Who says so? How is that judgmental voice of your inner critic serving you? What do you even mean by “productive”? By whose standards?

As October draws to a close, so does ADHD Awareness month. Yet why limit ourselves to merely one month of celebrating our strengths? More and more studies reveal the benefits of neurodiversity for the entire community, be it at home, at work, in social circles or professional networks. The truth is that our unique Turbo Thinker wiring supports the people around us in a myriad of ways.