Jolanda Kieda

 

As a child I was always late, always losing things and messy. Boisterous and talked too much. Always said things I later regretted. Written off by teachers as “smart but lazy and immature” with no desire to work hard at anything, no concern about my future. Deemed a disappointment by family members and close friends for not pursuing my potential. 

No one considered that anything was wrong with me because I was smart and because I was a girl. 

High school was way too easy.  But when I got to college I crashed and burned.  No discipline.  No study skills. No one to hold me accountable.  I barely graduated.

After college I worked in retail for 14 years and then entered a bank manager training program. I was promoted to branch manager halfway through, but between overwhelm and imposter’s syndrome, I sabotaged my job and was fired.

Right before that, I found out what adult ADHD was, and that I probably had it. I was 37.  I spent months reflecting on all those years I wish I had back.  I spent the next 15 years spinning my wheels trying to figure out how to successfully manage my ADHD, with and without meds, while trying to be a good wife, mother and employee. I couldn’t find the right therapist that could help me. They either focused on “underlying issues”, imposed strategies that didn’t work, or straight out didn’t believe in ADHD.

That’s when I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people like me.  Educate and help them with well-advised information and let them know that THEY ARE OK. I wanted to make the world aware of ADHD and that THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.
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