Hi, I’m Kate, and like so many people with ADHD, especially women, I was diagnosed late in life. For decades, I lived with a constant sense I was doing life wrong. I couldn’t seem to get things to stick. No matter how hard I tried, I was always running just to stay still. My diagnosis finally gave me a language for things I’d spent years blaming myself for. Things like chronic overwhelm, time blindness, cognitive disengagement, and motivation struggles that weren’t laziness, but part of a brain wired differently.

From the outside, I looked capable. I earned qualifications in social work, psychology, linguistics, and built up a colourful, diverse career. But behind the scenes, I was exhausted. I bounced between jobs, desperate to find somewhere I could just be. The problem wasn’t my ability, it was the invisible pressure of trying to fit into environments and expectations which didn’t make sense to my brain. I now know these challenges were driven by executive function deficits: a difficulty with task-switching, working memory, emotional regulation, and understanding unspoken social dynamics. But at the time, all I knew was that I didn’t seem to get life right, even when I worked harder than anyone else.

There were some tough chapters. Being a single parent for over 20 years. Periods of homelessness. Misdiagnoses. Starting again…. over and over. I often felt like everyone else had been given a manual that I’d missed. But I kept going. One step at a time, sometimes crawling, sometimes sprinting, often firefighting. And eventually, that journey led me to something which made sense: building a business where neurodivergence wasn’t a hurdle, it was the whole reason it worked.

Today, I’m the co-founder of Brainwaves and Blueprints Ltd, a company I run with my son, who also has ADHD. Together, we help neurodivergent entrepreneurs untangle the overwhelm of running an online business. We focus on marketing, tech, and strategy. But more than that, we help people find clarity and calm in a world that often feels chaotic. We also created Funnelcraft®, where we run ND-inclusive business events thoughtfully designed for real human brains, not just the “ideal attendee” imagined by the neurotypical world. And I co-host the podcast ADHD Founders Unfiltered, where we have honest, unpolished conversations about life, work, and neurodivergence, because we’re done pretending we’re just like everyone else with a few quirks.

Being an Ambassador for ADHD UK matters deeply to me. I know what it feels like to grow up thinking you’re too much, too messy, too inconsistent. I know what it feels like to be told you’re capable and should be doing better. I know what it feels like to have a deep sense of never being good enough. I want to raise awareness of what ADHD really looks like, beyond the stereotypes. I want to shine a light on the hidden struggles: the missed deadlines, the forgotten birthdays, the emotional dysregulation, the fractured relationships; not because we don’t care, but because our brains are wired to work differently in a world that rarely adjusts.

Most of all, I want people who feel lost to know they’re not alone. ADHD doesn’t mean broken. It means ‘different’. And with the right understanding and support, it also means creative, driven, passionate, and full of potential. Because when we are safe enough to be ourselves and finally accept who we are… WE ARE AMAZING!

It took me time, but I got there. Since embracing my ADHD, I’ve won a Woman Who Achieves Award, completed a six-week stand-up comedy course and performed live at a London comedy club, and become a keynote speaker in demand for my honest, unfiltered perspective. These aren’t just achievements, they’re proof it’s never too late to reconnect with who you really are and start thriving, not just surviving.

If you’re still figuring yourself out, or trying to recover from years of masking, know this: you are not the problem. You are not behind. You’re just building a different kind of life, and that’s not only okay, it’s powerful.