Defeat Distraction! How To Make ADHD a Powerful Creative Asset w/ Cindy Baker, Coach

Have you assumed that you're doomed to be distracted because you're a creative? Does your mind feel like it's running in a hundred different directions at once? 

Focus slips away, projects pile up, and even your strengths feel like they're working against you? Well, I'm Alan C. Paul, host of The Garden Gig Show, and in this episode, ADHD expert and coach, Cindy Baker will show you how your struggles can actually become your superpowers. 

She's going to share practical ADHD-friendly strategies for creators and entrepreneurs, the mindset shifts that will unlock your productivity without shame, and explain why the way you're wired is not an accident, it's a gift. 

Now, if you've ever felt overwhelmed, distracted, or like you're constantly behind, this conversation will give you hope and tools to finally work with your brain instead of against it. 

Stay with us. This episode could reshape the way you see your challenges and your Cindy Baker, welcome to the God and Geek Show. 

How are you? Thank you for having me. Doing well. Awesome to have you. And I always like to kind of let people in on kind of like the backstory before we jump into the bio and all the things that they probably already read. 

And let me just say, honestly, in my own distraction, I almost went past your comments when you reached out to me in the app that we use to find podcasts. 

I literally like went right past it. I was all over the place and I was like, wait, did she say ADHD? So even the way that I found it was kind of an example of, okay, maybe we need some help in this area because if you're not paying attention and you're distracted, you'll even miss the resource that you need. 

So since we have connected, I would love for you to share a little bit of what you do, but I try to do like this because everybody reads, as I mentioned, reads the bio. 

If no one finds out your bio or your expertise or any of the professional things, all the wonderful things you've done and the outlets I noticed that you've been featured on, if they only get a couple of minutes with you, what are the two or three things that you want them to know about you, the person, before they find out about you and your business or your expertise? 

wow. That's kind of a tough question. So I've always been in helping professions. And so I enjoy people. I worked with kids for many years. as a youth minister and then a teacher and school counselor, and now I work with adults and I'm to help if they need me. 

I love that. But no, see, that's why I appreciate that answer to the question because you immediately started to think of, okay, what are things about me that make my work matter? 

And when you said first, I'm a helping person, right? It immediately draws the through line between, oh, here's, things I've been gifted and blessed and taught and educated to share and help. 

unless I have the kind of like the gene or the, I guess what you call the operating system in me to actually want to help, it doesn't matter if I have the skill, like just the desire to help people and the fact that you did see a desire, a need, right? 

And a need that needed to be met in a certain way To me, that's one of the first things is that your passion meets your purpose is that you obviously have a passion help people. 

But then you also, I guess, in your personal life, which we'll talk about more in your experience, you saw a need your own life and then you saw other people with that same need. 

So I always like to see people as more than just what they do. Yeah. Yeah. And what we do and who we are kind of gets mixed up a little bit, but each one affects the other. 

Very true. Very true. So speaking of what you do and kind of how you came across this entire area, can you tell us a little bit about I guess, the beginnings of, you know, to go from childhood all the way to adulthood, but I'm pretty sure in reading your bio, there was a season in your education or season in the beginning of your life where you started to notice how you were wired. 

And I guess that's why I'm leading into this this way, how you were wired, how you thought whether it was in your profession or getting ready for school or whatever, what are some of those first instances you noticed about the fact that something about you made you unique maybe had a unique challenge? 

Yeah, that's a good question. I've always been creative, bright kid, but very creative, and even had an entrepreneurial spirit when I was a kid. 

I had a little business where I painted hair barrettes. Back in the day, that used to be popular. They were little metal barrettes. And you painted designs on them. And I would paint little designs and display them on a ribbon. 

And then my dad would drive me around to hairdresser beauty shops or whatever. And they would take orders. And then I would paint the barrettes. They would collect the money and I would deliver the barrettes. 

So, you know, that's so cool. Even then, I was always trying to think of, you know, creative things and, you know, a problem solver, I guess, as a kid. 

But I did kind of march to the beat of a different drum. I, you know, a lot of times you think of People with ADHD is struggling in school. 

That was actually in the gifted program. And so I did struggle, but you wouldn't know it from my grades because I was bright, but I was struggling because I had perfectionism and I would overthink everything. 

And so it would take me 10 times longer to do things as I look back. And I was also very athletic. and hyper and funny. Still, that is theirs. As I said, I worked with adolescents for a long time. 

Retired a year ago as a middle school teacher. And as I was working with a lot of students that had ADHD, I thought, you know, I really recognize these traits in myself. 

And it hasn't, It's only been, I think, recently that adults started getting diagnosed with ADHD. It used to just be something that you paid attention to with kids. 

And it does have to be present from childhood. But, you know, in recognizing those things in myself and then also kind of learning, oh, wait, there are people who are getting diagnosed as an adult. 

Maybe I could do this. And I went and got a regular diagnosis. diagnosis of ADHD and kind of fought the diagnosis for a while. I thought, well, I don't know, I'm pretty high achieving. 

But then I I learned more about it and I thought, you know, this, this really is how my brain is wired. 

And so I just started to look back at what were times that I really was productive and what was I doing and learned about different strategies and finally um practiced and perfected strategies that work with my brain instead of fighting against it. 

And then became very successful. So this kind of how I fell into the whole thing and started helping other people. I love this so much because number one, there's a key element in terms of your creative side, which I think, again, I'm going to be, I'm trying not to put myself on chopping block, I guess. 

of the example of ADHD in terms of being diagnosed as an adult versus a child. I wouldn't say ADHD. I want to be very specific. I was not diagnosed with ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADD. 

But however, it was the same thing. I was in gifted classes, the same situation where I was highly creative, but also highly, it's just a struggle to do things. 

But when I did them, I did them very well. My wife likes to call it perfectionistic procrastination. So you wait to the last second and try to do everything perfectly. 

The key thing that I would love for our listeners to hear is kind of your understanding that you just mentioned, which is a key one. 

Recognizing that you had the specific issues, but not seeing it necessarily as a obstacle or seeing that that's how you were wired. 

Because I think there's these two extremes right now, and I'm just going to share it the way I think it. 

It might be wrong. You tell me if I'm wrong. There's the extreme of this is bad. The way you're thinking is impossible handle in reality. modern society. You're too distracted. 

You're too hyper. You're too wired. You've got to change it. And then there might be the other extreme where people are like, this is the way I'm wired. 

There's no need for me to change anything. I can be exactly the way I am and I don't need to modulate or medicate or anything. 

You should accept me exactly how I am. I shouldn't have to change anything about my life. So these are two extremes. So how do you help people who feel like they're caught between the, should I change my entire life or should I embrace everything and not try to have any organization. 

Is there a happy medium for people like that? Yeah, that's a great question. Boy, there's a lot I could say about that, but just kind of in a nutshell, I do think there a lot of people who use ADHD as an excuse for poor decisions or bad social skills, you know? 

And I don't, agree with that. I believe as a believer that everyone is created on purpose for purpose. And there is a reason that my brain is wired the way it is. 

However, as a Christian, I'm responsible to find out what God's will is and fall under his authority. 

And so I can't use ADHD as an excuse we're not trying to move forward. I think the other extreme is not good either because there's a sense of entitlement where people feel like, well, you ought to understand me and you ought to accept me a certain way. 

No, they shouldn't. And even coming from the school system where there are uh, regulations about, um, accommodations that need to be put in place and, and, uh, different laws and things like that. 

There still needs to be a responsibility to adapt for our environment the best that we can and not expect everyone else to, um, you know, give us special privileges all the time. 

Um, so there, there does have to be that happy medium. Uh, and I think that, um, one of the things I don't like, like for instance, I'm in some of, I've joined some Facebook groups that are supposed to be support groups for ADHD. 

And they're just, there's a negative vibe there where they just, you know, and even TikTok videos that you see where they're saying, you know, here, here's me on ADHD. 

And then their life is a train wreck. And I'm like, no, you know, and, and, and complaining and whining and saying, you know, my ADHD is causing me to, you know, be a hoarder or whatever. 

And I'm like, no, that's, that's not your ADHD. That's, that's something else. And so I have a little phrase in my coaching program where I call it 3P power, positive, prepared, productive. 

And the positive is huge because I think that There are too many programs that just focus on strengthening the weaknesses or addressing the challenges and the symptoms. 

And I think that's fine. But there also needs to be a part where you identify your strengths and capitalize on those strengths. 

I mean, one of the best things. that you can do to help someone with ADHD is find out what they're really good at and then encourage that. 

Because for one thing, that builds self-esteem. And then once you're finding success in one area, by default, your challenges kind of get better, you know, as a side thing. 

So I think that's really important. I think that, I mean, back to entrepreneurship, there are lots of entrepreneurs ADHD. 

I read a statistic somewhere that said 60%. I don't know if that's, but you know, there's higher. Yeah. Yeah. There is something to being able to think outside the box, you know, see opportunities that other people miss, be a solver, be creative, a risk taker. 

Those are, those are things that you have to have to be sick. as successful entrepreneur. And there, there are lots of them like Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Airlines, you know, Virgin Voyages and all that. 

He attributes his success to having an ADHD brain. Same with, what's his name? David Nealman. He's the president of JetBlue Airlines and founder. And he was asked one time, if you could, take a pill that would erase your ADHD. 

Would you do it? And he said, no. He said, yes, there are challenges, but along with those challenges are these benefits that allow me to be successful. 

He could look out on an industry that's got all these problems, excuse me, and his brain just naturally looks for a better way to do you know? 

I love this. Yeah, it absolutely points to right back to where you mentioned about the creative side that you started with. 

the fact that basically it is very hard for to not equate creativity with these, I just say these attributes, right? 

Because even trying to give it, because even the last D is disorder. And that's something else, like you said, that I hate that negative connotation of the way that I'm wired is a disorder. 

Of course, psychologically or whatever, they had to come up with a name, I get it. But growing up myself with this mindset, realizing that, like you said, the way that I'm wired is actually helping me to be a musician. 

And so many creatives, you mentioned 60% of entrepreneurs has got to be probably 80 or 90% of creatives or people that are in the creative industries, right? 

So let's talk about kind of like your three Ps and specifically, how do these people who are aware of their diagnosis or whatever, aware of the way they're wired, but they still, like you said, have to function in productive and in organized ways to adapt their ability to actually get things done around other who are not ADHD, right? 

So that's the one thing, because we have to work with these other people, like you said. So what are some of those specific strategies that you'd say to someone, let's say like someone like me or another creative who is dealing with all the balls in the air, juggling work, juggling family, juggling creative products, projects, and they do feel that sense of, I'm just overwhelmed, even though I know I don't necessarily want to shut off. 

I still feel overwhelmed. So what's some of the strategies you do to help those kind of people? Yeah, I think the first thing to realize is that typical organizational strategies, time things like that are designed for neurotypical brains and they don't work. 

for somebody with ADHD. And so it's okay if you are struggling because you've tried to follow somebody else's advice. 

And so that's one thing is that I help people understand how their brain works. And there are lots of specific strategies that are ADHD friendly that I teach in my coaching and And it's not just learning strategies, but I actually walk with people, hold their hand, you know, kind of give them that accountability and that feedback that they need to implement the strategies. 

I think I just gave a talk this week, and one of the things that I mentioned that's helpful to me is to see your life as like a jar, your day as a jar. 

Maybe not your life. life, but your day. And you see the tasks that you have to do as rocks, pebbles, and sand. And you might have heard this illustration before, but if you think about the rocks as the big, important, high-impact tasks, things that are going to really move the needle in your business, make an impact in your life, those are the important big tasks. 

And then the pebbles are important but maybe not quite as urgent. And sand is the little stuff. I mean, it's emails and meetings and admin things. A lot of times it's easier to do. 

It doesn't take as much concentration, you know, kind of the low hanging fruit. And what people will do is they'll get their jar or their day and they'll fill it up with sand. 

And then they try to stick the rocks down inside of there and the sand starts spilling out. But if you put the rocks in First, and then the pebbles and the sand, they kind of fill in the cracks and everything that's important will fit and I think that's just an, it's a visual that helps me and I teach my coaching clients to have no more than three big rocks every day. 

And there's a temptation to want to, have this giant to-do list and that you would see everything is equally important. 

And that's where that overwhelm comes in. But instead, you know, pick, and I have them write it down the day before on an index card, clear your desk the night before because visual clutter is mental clutter. 

And then write it on an index card, those three things. And it may just be one thing, no more than three. And then when you come in and you sit down at your desk, you already know what your important things are. 

And you may have a to-do list somewhere else. That's fine. But your three things are what you should focus on first. That way, if the rest of your day goes haywire, then you've already won because you did your three important things, you know? 

And if they're really big, you break them down into smaller pieces. And we can talk about getting started. That's another issue. sometimes breaking things down into just laughably small steps is what we need to kind of lower that threshold. 

So we don't have that resistance and getting started because getting started is, that's what we, that's why we procrastinate because it looks big. 

It's scary. It's complicated. It's hard and we don't want to do it. And so we go, well, I'm just going to, you know, I'm just going to check by email for a few minutes. 

And then before you know it, you're, 30 into puppy yoga videos. Exactly. Or the cat videos or any of the other million things that social media was literally made. 

There's a couple of things that popped into my head as you were sharing, but I'm so, I'm so glad that you are taking your time to really flesh out what this looks like in a person's The actual card, the visual clutter is mental clutter. 

That's a huge one, right? Because again, I'm thinking of all of our fellow creators, entrepreneurs, creative artists, all of that mixed into one big ball of people who are Again, their livelihood is based on the ability to handle different things and think outside the box, as you just mentioned. 

Right, right. And yet there has to be some inside the box strategies that help you think outside the box so that when you have that desk free of clutter, now you can think of the amazing idea, the amazing dance, the amazing new business, the amazing landing page or whatever that is, right? 

Because you actually have the mental space to deal with it. And when you mentioned the small tasks that can sometimes distract you, the sand that you mentioned, I thought of the scripture verse that said, the small foxes the ones that spoil the vine. 

And it's so true that the Bible is even very clear that, hey, you gotta be aware that little things can create a lot of problems in your life. 

And unfortunately, we all, again, talking to the people who have this situation, and I think everybody else too, we get shiny object syndrome when it comes to our days. 

I would love for you to address, when you started to go into it, I think of it in terms of Atomic Habits. 

Obviously, that's the book that got super famous for everyone. Talking about making those small goals. But I think, especially as creators, we don't really celebrate those small goals. 

We look for the Grammys, the nominees, the being on the big stage, a big interview. And like you said, that kind of becomes where we think all of our focus goes to, but yet you don't ever get there unless you're able to regulate. 

So talk a little bit about, you know, do you, how do you tell people to celebrate small wins? How can you make these little adjustments important enough actually make them? 

Yeah. And when you were talking earlier, it made me think of Mary and Martha and how Jesus reminded us that our relationship with him is the most important thing. 

And it's so easy to want to, scurry around and do all this little stuff. But we really do need to step back say what's most important. And now I sing in an award-winning choir. 

My choir director won a Grammy. So I go to a big mega church and lots of creatives, lots of, I live in Memphis. And so lots of people play on Beale Street and that I know. 

And so I'm very familiar with the music creative brain. Um, and I think that, uh, you make a good point that so many times the world gives us, um, and, or emphasizes the big, the big wins, but, um, the little wins add up to the big wins. 

And if you, if you don't pay attention to that as you might miss the whole big win. Um, so for instance, you know, all those nights of rehearsals or all of those times that you're writing or whatever, you know, that has a ripple effect. 

And like you mentioned, Atomic Habits, all of the choices that we make add up. And one small choice to take action has a ripple effect. you know, just like throwing a rock into a pond and it has a big circle that shows up around it. 

And so I think that's important. Like for instance, on the Zoom calls in my group coaching program, every time we meet, we share wins, challenges, and goals in addition to other things that we do. 

And the reason that I have them share wins is because People with ADHD are just so used to beating themselves up for mistakes because we do make mistakes, you know? 

Oh, I forgot something again or I was late or I got in trouble or whatever. But they forget that they did 10 things right, you know? And I think that's important. And so I say, you know, a win can be little. 

It could be I hung my coat up every day I came in this week, right? I mean, that could be huge if your issue is clutter or, you know, anything like that. 

So another thing that I teach is what's called the focus sprint method. And I have a proprietary system called focus, and it's find your energy zone, organize your tasks, and then the last three are together. 

Commit to using sprints. And so you would take like one of those big rocks and you clear off all distractions. You tell everybody to leave you alone. You put noise canceling headphones on if you need to. 

Whatever you got to do. Silence notifications. Put your phone in the other room. And then you set a timer for 25 minutes. And I like to use a visual timer like a timer where you can actually see the passage of time. 

Because otherwise, like if I say, she's going to turn on if I say this, but if I say, Alexa, set a timer for 30 minutes when I'm cooking in the kitchen, then I never know when that time is up. 

And I'll have to keep asking her, much time is left on the timer? But if you can see it, it instills that sense of urgency. And ADHD brains respond to urgency. That's why we're notorious for waiting until the last minute to do things. 

And so you have to create that sense of urgency and the timer does that. And 25 minutes, you know, I have people work up to longer, but 25 minutes is short enough to keep your attention, but it's long enough that you can get something done. 

I mean, John Grisham, the novelist, and you might've read some of his books or seen movies based on his books. 

His first novel is, He committed to writing one page before work every day. He didn't have hours. He just had a little sprint. And then it became a best-selling career, you know? 

So you can do a lot in 25 minutes if you clear off the distractions. And if you know, I've only got 25 minutes, then you're not going to procrastinate. 

You're going to go ahead and get started. So there's a lot of little tricks like that that we use. Another one's the five-minute rule. just tell yourself, it's like a little brain tricks. 

You know, you tell yourself, I only have to do this for five minutes and it, it's like, okay, I can do anything for five minutes. 

And then what happens is you do it for five minutes and the momentum kicks in. And a lot of times you go longer, but if you don't want to go longer than five minutes, that's okay. 

You don't have to feel guilty because you only committed to five minutes and that's it. That's fine. You know? And little things like that help, but those are all ADHD friendly little tricks that you have to play on your brain because your brain, if it's ADHD, it wants dopamine and it wants novelty and urgency. 

And so you have to create that, know, I could go on and on. No, these are, I would let you go on and on because every single one of the things you're mentioning is literally an issue that I've either just dealt with, or I'm absolutely sure one of our listeners has. 

dealt with because these are the day-to-day decisions. On number one, I love the idea of the sprints. I'm reminded of the Pomodoro method, which you can imagine, like, again, having lived with this my entire life, I've also been on all sides of the, is it medication? 

Is it behavior modification? Like whatever it is, I'm reading it, I'm studying it, I'm trying to figure out how do I make myself work in the most optimal way possible in order to achieve things. 

I believe God has made me this way, right? But he's also given me tasks to do. So I've looked at all these things. And one of the things you mentioned about five minutes, I used to tell my parents of my piano students the very same thing. 

Because if you think about it, all the children have that same desire to just get the things over with. 

So instead of saying practice for five, 10, 30 minutes, I would say set the timer and make them practice only five and then make them stop. 

Because when they, it's like, that was it? And they start to realize like, wait a minute, I would rather keep going and turn it into reverse psychology. 

So there's so many things, again, I love how these integrate with practical strategies of time management. 

I don't even like calling it time management, but you know, a task management, let's say that, right? 

So managing how we work throughout the day, that like you said, leads up to these big wins, these big purposes that God has put inside each one of us. 

And I would love to know in terms of what you see your, and this is kind of like one of those tough questions, but I'm really curious, because you entered into this field of helping people, what are some of the big wins you see? 

Is it like individuals that have these big, I don't know, eureka moments where they're able to achieve things that they didn't receive or Is it something spiritual that you're really looking at in terms of like your grand goal and all of this? 

Because I'm just curious, because when you're working with individuals and such little things, sometimes I wonder if you get the reward of seeing the big things that you're doing by helping people with these little at the end of the day. 

Yeah, I mean, it is rewarding, and especially like when I ask them for a testimonial and sometimes they'll something or write something and I'm like, really? 

You know, I didn't even realize that I had that impact. I think one of the things that's the most fulfilling is just seeing hope, feeling hope in people. 

When they see that there's another way to live, then that, you know, the hope, you can see it in their eyes and they're like, wow, okay, I don't have to struggle for the rest of my life. 

I can actually do something about this. And, you know, my program's not a Christian program per se. I've had people from anywhere from an atheist to different faiths. 

However, I do let people know kind of subtly that I'm a person of faith and that, and I pray that God will bring the right people into my coaching program. 

I mean, I'd love to just have, tons of people and make lots of money and all of that. But I feel like, you know, there are certain people who are going to resonate with the way I am and other people who were not, you know, for instance, I don't, I don't curse in my teaching and a lot of people do. 

And they think, you know, like, Oh, I'm a bad ass coach and this and that. And I'm like, that's just not my personality. That's not my character. And, it's fine for you. I'm not judging, but, um, so it's, it's fulfilling to me to be able to be myself and let God bring the people that he wants me to help. 

Um, I mean, let's be honest. There are a lot of people who I think I could help that don't join my coaching that I think should, but I still think that, um, it's, it's, uh, It's just great to know that I'm being used in a way that brings hope to people. 

You know, a lot of people have depression and anxiety. And what happens is when they start to learn to manage their ADHD symptoms, all of a sudden, depression and anxiety get better by default, even though we're not treating that. 

Now, I do have a master's in counseling myself. And instead of I met the criteria to be a licensed counselor, but instead of taking the exam, I pivoted and went into school counseling, took some extra classes. 

So, but I have that knowledge. So I understand mental health issues, but coaching is not counseling. It's interesting that I can notice that they're getting better because I know what it looks like. 

And I'm thinking, you know, it's because anxiety was from being late all the time and forgetting things and all those things that had to do with ADHD. 

And once those got addressed, guess what? They weren't as anxious. They could sleep better. And like I said, that hope, that erases some of that depression. 

Now, you mentioned medication and I always tell people I'm not a doctor. I'm not qualified to give medical advice. But whether you're on medicine or not, some people in my program are, some aren't. 

Pills are not skills. You still have to learn those skills. And that's what we look at in the coaching. You know, they talk to their doctor about medicine. 

They talk to me about the behavioral part. So I think sometimes it to be both and. Oh, gosh, I wish I had that phrase so many years ago because I was the way I used to put it was the three legs of a table. 

There had to be the medical, there had to be the behavioral, and there had to be the spiritual, right? 

So I remember for years praying, God, deliver me from this thorn that I thought was a thorn. And then there was, like you mentioned, the medication for a time that I remember, again, this is kind of like where just to share with someone that this might help them in terms of that side, right? 

I don't think I've even shared this on the podcast after 300 episodes. I don't think I've ever shared this line, this discussion. But I did go on medication while I was ministering at my church as music minister. 

So I would be on medication. I'd be playing at church, right? And I remember distinctly, Cindy, feeling like I could not switch the controls on the remote of my brain as fast as I could, as I needed to. 

I couldn't flip from the pastor to the sermon, to the worship team, to the usher walking over here, and just have that ultra... 

Like, again, what seems to be hyper-focused, but the ability to switch channels as fast as I needed, that was a superpower that was literally something that helped me minister more effectively. 

And while I was on the medication, again, this is not saying medication is wrong, right? But in that environment, was a detriment. And I remember saying like, I can't do this because this is literally what I'm made to do. 

And if this medication makes it harder for me, now, when I got home, it made it easier for me to focus on my children. 

So it had a benefit. It had a benefit in my schoolwork in terms of working on my schools or my lesson plans. But in that environment, in a musical, specifically musically ministry environment, it was not helping me. 

So I love the fact that you put that out, that pills are not skills because the skills that I needed needed to be worked out no matter what. 

I needed the skill to be able to handle this. So just putting again, I don't like to make the podcast about me, but hopefully that helps someone to see that. 

Yeah, there's different answers, but they all come to the same purpose, which is living better. Yeah. Because a lot of your listeners that may have ADHD may have children with ADHD. 

Because a lot of times it's hereditary. And as teacher, it was so frustrating to me because parents would know that their child was struggling and they'd go get a diagnosis. 

And they'd ask the teacher to fill out a form, you know, what do you observe, blah, blah, blah. And they had to turn that into the doctor. And then they would just think, well, are the doctor... 

gave them some medicine. So now they're getting, they're fixed, you know, and I'm thinking, but they never learned study skills. 

They didn't, they don't know how, I mean, their locker looks like a nuclear waste dump, you know, and they can't find anything in their backpack, you know, things like that. 

Those still have to be addressed. And, and some parents were great. Some, some really worked well with their kids and, and knew what to do. 

But then there are some that just think that medication is going to fix it, just like a cold or something. 

And it has to be, it's more complicated than that, you know. And I'm glad you brought up the spiritual because, you know, the people who go through my program that don't have any kind of spiritual life are not going to get the same results as somebody who does, you know. 

Um, and of course, you know, offline, if they ever want to ask me about that, I share, but, um, you know, I, I do think that, um, it, the three-legged stool is a good, a good way to at it for sure. 

Awesome. This is, again, this is such a blessing for me. And I think again, for every creative mind, every person that has said what's wrong with right. 

Um, even though clearly in every, the, and all these artistic and entrepreneurial mindsets we just mentioned, it is a superpower. 

So before we close out, I would love for you to talk a little bit about that positive side, about just reaffirming for someone who realizes, okay, this is part of who i am. 

I can't pray it away. Neither should I. And medication is not designed to fix me. So they've kind of made that decision, right? So hopefully they're on, They're not going to the extremes, but they are kind of living with this kind of reality. 

Like, okay, I've got to manage this, but it can be a positive and not a negative. So just for a moment, can you kind of affirm for those who are struggling with it or feeling that it's a struggle on why it's worth it to continue to work on themselves and not themselves up, as you mentioned? 

Yeah. And it kind of goes back to what you said earlier about that middle ground, um, Because, I yes, there are a lot of positive aspects to having a creative brain. 

But there are also some liabilities. And those need to be looked at honestly. For instance, I'm married. I am impulsive sometimes. And I get excited and I interrupt my husband. 

And it irritates the heck out of him. And does me too when people interrupt me. So that's something that I need to work on. I can't say, and even though it is because of ADHD, that is something that I can try to work on that I can pray about. 

Um, of course, as a believer, any area that's that sin needs to be addressed because you can't use ADHD as an excuse to not, um, try to grow spiritually in those areas. 

So you have to find that balance. But I do think that it's important to remember that, you know, that we were fearfully and wonderfully made and that we were knit together in our mother's womb. 

And before we were born, all of the days were ordained for us. And God knew that you were going to be born in the place that you were, the gender that you are, the race that you are, with the brain that you have in the family that you were born in, and even the family you were raised in if you ended up being adopted or whatever. 

And none of that surprises him, and it doesn't negate the fact that he's got a plan. And so it's our responsibility to try to listen to him and say, okay, who do you want me to minister to today? 

And what do you want me to do? Give me wisdom in these decisions that I need to make and, um, take who we are and use it to the best of our ability to follow God's will. 

And it is going to be frustrating sometimes because not everybody's going to get us because we do march to the beat of a different drum. 

And so I love, um, Again, I keep talking about my coaching, but I love the group coaching program because everybody in there gets it. 

They don't all have an ADHD diagnosis, but they all really resonate with those symptoms. And some of them just think, I think I have it, even though I've never been officially. 

So they all get it. And so if someone gets excited and interrupts or if they're fidgety, like I'm doing right now, it's okay because they all get it, you know? 

And so again, If you work in an environment where people don't get you, make sure you find a support group and you find your people, people that do get you. 

Be careful who you marry. Be careful who you go in business with, any kind of partnerships like that. Make sure that it's somebody who lets you be you, you know, and I think that's important. 

But yeah, definitely. celebrate who you are, figure out what you're supposed to do with it. What are your gifts? Focus more on your strengths than your weaknesses. 

I think that's, I've mentioned that before, but I think that's one of the things that people, they get criticized so much for their weaknesses, especially growing up from parents and teachers and Coaches. 

And, and so they just internalize all that and think that, like you said, there's something wrong with me. 

Well, guess There's something wrong with everybody. You know what i mean? Something wrong with everybody. And if someone thinks that they're, there's nothing wrong with them and it's all you, then, then you just kind of roll your eyes and walk on because. 

Yeah. Yeah. They don't get it. You know, shake the dust off your feet kind of situation. I, I'm so thankful for you. bringing it back to the fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Because again, we're to, you know, generally our fellow believers who are also creatives and who are also understanding that there's a greater purpose and just reminding them that there is a tie into what their purpose is and how they were made because God would make you ill fit for the purpose that he called you to. 

And that includes the way you think. You also mentioned getting support and resources. I know that you have written a book. I know that you have, other resources that you share. 

And so this would be the time that someone's probably listened all the way to this moment. They are like, you're talking about me, Cindy. I need help. I have been following these, you know, all these different gurus and they all tell me the same thing. 

And I just keep spinning my wheels back and forth, trying these different things that don't fit. So can you talk a little bit about how your book was kind of like designed or, you know, speak to that situation so that they want to check it out. 

They can go look at, and then of course they're going to follow you. a show notes for all your other resources. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you can provide the, the link to order the book. 

And I also have a free, um, kind of a book resource pack that I will give you the link for. And when they opt in for that, they'll get on my email list. 

And I send, um, every Sunday, a newsletter with a lot of really tips, um, ADHD friendly things, um, And I get feedback that those are really helpful. 

And they'll also hear about other ways that they could get involved. So for instance, this next week, I have a masterclass and a workshop going on. 

And if you're on my email list, you hear about that. I also have a free Facebook group where they could get free training every week. 

And I'll give you the link for that. But if you follow me on social media, any of your listeners, Just reach out, DM me and say, I'm interested in coaching and you and I can schedule a Zoom call. 

It may not be for you. It might be, but you're never going to know until you talk to me and we just see together mutually, is this a good fit? 

It is not a good fit for everybody, but it might be for you. You know, that's what I usually do. Just kind of a free consult. It's not a, it's not a sales call. Let me ask you some questions, get to know you. 

And then if I think it's a good fit, then I'll tell you about my coaching and how much it costs and all that. 

And then you can decide. So that's of how that works. Beautiful. And it comes right back down to helping. Just what you started with. It's all about helping, serving and seeing, you know, what you would do for others as Bible talks about doing to others as you would have them do. 

We have experienced the negative of people not seeing things. And then when you get to the other side and you see people who see like you do, can be birthed in a person when they finally have that light bulb moment and they see the hope and they understand, hey, God can use the way I'm wired to be a benefit to my family, to my work, to my job, all these other areas, and they just fall into place. 

I appreciate you so much because you are truly doing work that blesses the kingdom overall, right? And then individual people specifically. So this has been a blessing. Please make sure you check out, send these links in the show notes. 

Everything has been laid out there right at this description. Cindy, I thank you so much for sharing time with us. I hope you'll be around more often. We can share some more tips and tricks and helpful things for our Guided Geeks community. 

But thank you so much for being a part of our show. This was a blessing. Thank you for having me. I enjoyed My friend, thank you for watching this episode. 

If that blessed you, you got to make sure that you stay connected with this community and this channel so that you can get more where that came from. 

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