Lauren Goldberg on Working With Your ADHD Instead of Against It, Leading Neurodivergent Teams, and When Overconfidence Is Insecurity in Disguise
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey everyone, Dan here. Welcome to another episode of Forward Looking Leadership. Today, I'm honored to be joined by Lauren Goldberg. Lauren is a career self-discovery and leadership coach for changemakers working with their ADHD instead of against it. Lauren, thanks so much for joining me on Forward Looking Leadership.
Thanks for having me.
Why is the ADHD label considered bad branding and how can leaders support neurodivergent team members?
Excited to have this conversation and get into some juicy leadership questions.
Likewise. So first, what non-obvious things do leaders need to know about working with people with ADHD?
So ADHD is often perceived negatively because of its name, the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But that's just bad branding, basically. So ADHDers have hyperactive brains, which can appear outwardly or not. And I think that the biggest thing that leaders can do is, well, a few things. So first is education. There are some folks who are not open to sharing having ADHD. So it's important not to focus on getting a diagnosis or identifying. Some people don't even have a diagnosis. It's just a suspect or assume that they have it because it's really hard to get a diagnosis. That's a conversation for another time. But basically, it's important to just focus on what folks... have what their needs are and how to get those needs met.
I think being open to exploring different ways of working, trying different things so that your team members feel comfortable figuring out a way that works for them and not putting so much energy into trying to fit themselves into a box. that does not set them up for success. So allowing them to be open and exploring like other ways of working, other ways of working together. And yeah, I think just being flexible is the first thing. And the second thing I'll say is for somebody who is, I mean, this isn't just ADHD or this is like any team member, right? Like when you genuinely believe that this person is amazing, has a You have confidence in them. You can see their potential. You just have that deep belief in them.
That comes out in your energy when you talk to them. And that is something that your team members absorb from you. As a leader, you want to empower people, but it's just some of that comes from the energy that is absorbed from you. And there are a lot of people who... like don't believe in themselves until they have somebody who believes in them and shows them like what that confidence in them can look like. So I think that's like, incredibly impactful as a leader. And so that's not just ADHDers, that's like any team member, any colleague. And that's something, if you don't feel that way about somebody, I think that's actually some internal work that can be done before working with and communicating with those people.
So... And you talked about the bad branding with ADHD. What does it really look like to work with your ADHD rather than against it?
So first of all, there's a lot of internalized ableism. So ableism is this idea or this belief that being non-disabled is a superior way of being. And That comes up in so much of our culture, so much of our language, so much of the way the world has been designed, the way our workplaces are designed, how we run meetings, or just lots of ways that ableism comes up. And internalized ableism is like, I don't believe I'm good enough because of my ADHD. Or for me, I also am partially deaf. So for a long time, I told myself, my inner voice, inner critic was saying, you know, you're broken because your ears don't work the way they're supposed to. And that was all internalized ableism. So being able to excavate that and shift that voice or rather turn down the volume on that voice and shift to more self-compassion is what it looks like to not work against
your natural tendencies, your natural conditions, but working with it, understanding it, knowing what your needs are, knowing how to advocate for yourself and knowing what your strengths are. So all of that is really like the magic of not putting all this effort trying to fit into a box, but rather recognizing what unique shape you are and carving out
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:25
2
Why is the ADHD label considered bad branding and how can leaders support neurodivergent team members?
0:25–8:04
3
How does internalized ableism affect people with ADHD and what does working with your natural wiring look like?
8:04–18:09
4
Why do over‑confidence and under‑confidence often stem from the same place and how can leaders cultivate healthier confidence?
18:09–27:02
5
What is the hidden cost of masking for neurodivergent people and how can embracing one’s unique shape bring freedom?
27:02–31:58
6
How can the ‘Kind, Bold, Badass’ framework help clients shift from an inner bully to an inner best‑friend?
31:58–33:13
7
What new frontiers is Lauren exploring in her practice, from non‑violent communication to decolonizing frameworks?
33:13–33:47
8
What are the core components of Marshall Rosenberg’s Non‑Violent Communication and why is it a leadership game‑changer?
33:47–34:25