Emily McDonald

So I switched my major to it, took the first class, got a 100 on the first exam.

And my professor reached out to me and was like, congratulations, you couldn't have done better.

And I responded back and I said, I love this.

Get me in the lab.

And so I started doing research super early on, working in the lab, studying learning and memory and the perception of time and scanning brains, doing fMRI.

And

Learning about the brain and neuroplasticity just kind of gave me hope for change that I didn't know was even an option.

You know, in my experience, it was this is what's wrong with you.

This is your diagnosis.

You're sucks to suck that you're just going to have to deal with this for the rest of your life.

Yeah.

And I had no one had ever told me your brain is changeable.

You can change the wiring and, you know.

I still have ADHD for sure, but I don't struggle with all of the things that I used to struggle with.

And now I'm able to, you know, direct my focus and sustain that.

And I understand how my brain and nervous system works so that I can actually use that knowledge to my advantage.

And so, yeah, I think just learning about the brain, it made me so passionate, but that's, you know, when you say I could never tell by your content, I think that's why I am so passionate about sharing all of this on social media and just

to everyone that will listen because it at least back in the day was not popular knowledge that hey yes this might be something you're struggling with but you do have the power to change and no one had ever told me that and if someone would have told me that earlier maybe i wouldn't have struggled for so long um but everything that i talk about that everything that i talk about online here on social media is is everything that i've personally done to change my life

The belief system that supports me in becoming the best version of myself, I think, is a combination of belief in myself and belief in my capabilities and the power of my mind, which I've built over time through practice and those small reps of just showing myself, hey, you can do this and writing things down and then going and doing it and proving myself right.

And I think also my spirituality has been huge.