When Your Challenge Becomes Your Calling: My ADHD Journey
Dr Darren O’Reilly, Guest Contributor, shares his unique personal and professional perspectives as a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Founder of ADHDdegree and person with lived experience of ADHD.
I was deep into preparing for an important client presentation when my phone buzzed with a calendar reminder. My stomach dropped as I realised I was supposed to be in that meeting—not preparing for it—and it had started 15 minutes ago. Despite being a psychologist specialising in ADHD and the founder of a company dedicated to helping others navigate similar challenges, I had fallen into a classic ADHD trap: hyperfocus had completely dissolved my sense of time.
These moments of disconnect between my professional knowledge and lived experience highlight the complex reality of navigating Neurodivergence. As someone who both studies ADHD and lives with it daily, I occupy a unique position at the intersection of clinical understanding and personal challenge.
The daily balancing act
Running ADHDdegree while managing my own ADHD creates a fascinating paradox. The very condition that inspired me to create resources for others presents constant challenges in building those resources.
On productive days, my ability to make unexpected connections leads to innovative coaching approaches that neurotypical minds might miss. My natural empathy helps me deeply understand client struggles, and my tendency to think outside conventional boundaries creates unique solutions.
Yet the administrative side of entrepreneurship—the emails, bookkeeping, and scheduling—often feels like navigating an obstacle course designed specifically for my weaknesses. Forms go half-completed, important messages get lost in overflowing inboxes, and deadlines approach unnoticed until they’re dangerously close.
This isn’t just occasional disorganisation—it’s the daily reality of an ADHD entrepreneur. The challenge lies not in understanding what needs to be done, but in executing those tasks when my brain’s executive function and motivation systems operate differently.
Building systems that work with my brain
After years of trying to force my Neurodivergent mind into neurotypical workflows, I realised the key was creating systems designed specifically for how my brain actually functions. This shift in perspective transformed both my personal productivity and ADHDdegree’s approach to supporting clients.
Time management through environmental design
Traditional time management advice often fails those of us with ADHD because it rarely accounts for our different relationship with time. Instead of relying on internal time awareness, I’ve externalised it through:
Visual timers that show time as a disappearing quantity, making the abstract concept concrete
Location-based task triggers where I associate specific spaces with specific types of work
Transition routines between activities to help my brain shift from one focus to another
Working with (not against) my energy patterns
I’ve mapped my natural energy and focus patterns, scheduling work accordingly:
Creative tasks and client sessions happen during morning hours when my focus is strongest
Administrative work is batched for afternoons with frequent breaks and external accountability
Brief physical movement between tasks helps reset my executive function when switching contexts
Tools that extend my executive function
Carefully selected tools now serve as external scaffolding for my internal executive function challenges:
A customised project management system that breaks work into concrete next actions
Voice memo capabilities always at hand to capture ideas when they arrive
Simplified documentation processes that reduce cognitive load
Turning challenges into strengths
The strategies I’ve developed haven’t just helped me manage challenges—they’ve revealed unexpected strengths. Many ADHD traits that create friction in conventional settings become assets when properly channelled.
My divergent thinking generates creative solutions that might never occur to someone whose mind follows more linear paths. The hyperfocus that sometimes disrupts my schedule also allows me to develop deeply innovative approaches when directed toward meaningful work. Even my familiarity with struggle has enhanced my ability to connect authentically with clients facing similar challenges.
These realisations transformed how ADHDdegree approaches neurodivergence. Rather than focusing exclusively on symptom management, we help clients identify and leverage their unique cognitive strengths whilst building supportive systems around areas of challenge.
Finding your path forward
If you’re navigating a similar journey—whether diagnosed or just suspecting you might be Neurodivergent—I encourage you to consider these principles that have guided my path:
Work with your brain, not against it. Sustainable success comes from systems that accommodate your natural tendencies rather than fighting them.
Externalise what doesn’t come naturally. If traditional memory, organisation, or time management techniques don’t work, create external systems that compensate.
Recognise your unique advantages. Neurodivergent minds often excel at pattern recognition, creative problem-solving, and empathetic understanding—strengths that can become professional assets.
Embrace iterative improvement. Finding what works is an ongoing experiment, not a destination. Give yourself permission to adjust as you learn.
The challenges of ADHD are real, but they exist alongside genuine strengths. By understanding both, we can build lives and careers that don’t just accommodate our Neurodivergence but actually thrive because of it.
Living with ADHD whilst helping others navigate similar challenges has taught me that our greatest struggles often become our greatest sources of insight. The very traits that once seemed like obstacles have become the foundation of both my personal fulfilment and professional impact.
Our Neurodivergent minds aren’t broken—they’re different. And in a world that needs innovative solutions and diverse perspectives, different is exactly what we need.
