Jul 5
ADHD women constantly amaze me with their brilliance and fearlessness, and my guest this episode, atmospheric scientist Natalia Bliankinshtein, is no different. Natalia works in a flight research laboratory in Canada, where she collects data for climate research by flying a ‘flying laboratory’ aircraft directly into storms and treacherous weather–talk about fearless!
Natalia may refer to her risk-taking as ‘craziness,’ but I call it a huge ADHD strength and one of the keys to her success. Join our conversation to hear how Natalia went from being a gifted kid to hitting a wall in her early 20s, and how understanding and working with her ADHD helped her to get un-stuck and discover a career and life she’s passionate about.
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Quotes:
"When you’re learning about ADHD, sometimes you learn about executive functions and emotional regulation and this kind of stuff and it’s like the puzzle suddenly makes sense because these are the things that you understood all along intuitively, but you just didn’t have the words to describe it."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
"Early on, I tried theoretical physics, but it was not exciting enough, not stimulating enough for me."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
"I think now that I’m going through this journey learning about my ADHD, it also really helps to develop some compassion for other people’s struggles."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
"When you’re learning about ADHD, sometimes you learn about executive functions and emotional regulation and this kind of stuff and it’s like the puzzle suddenly makes sense because these are the things that you understood all along intuitively, but you just didn’t have the words to describe it."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
"Early on, I tried theoretical physics, but it was not exciting enough, not stimulating enough for me."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
"I think now that I’m going through this journey learning about my ADHD, it also really helps to develop some compassion for other people’s struggles."
- Natalia Bliankinshtein
[00:00 - 22:29] ADHD, Self-Esteem, and Textbook Struggles
[22:29 - 34:49] ADHD and Career Changes
- Natalia shares her experience with ADHD, including struggling with focus and productivity during the pandemic and realizing she needed help after completing a report in two days instead of three weeks.
- Natalia found structure helpful in school, especially in science problem solving competitions, where she could hyper-focus and do well.
- Natalia struggles to read textbooks due to a lack of interest, finding it difficult to sit down and read through an entire book.
- Natalia discusses her job as a researcher collecting data for climate research by flying into bad weather, including heavy snowfall and hurricanes.
- Natalia discusses her work in atmospheric science, explaining why it's important and interesting to her.
- Natalia discusses her journey from theoretical physics to atmospheric science, including struggles with ADHD and impulse control issues.
[34:49 - 54:23] Coping Mechanisms, Workarounds and Productivity
- Natalia discusses coping mechanisms for ADHD, including grit, resilience, and risk-taking, as well as developing compassion for others' struggles.
- Natalia shares her ADHD workarounds, including using her hands while talking to keep her brain entertained and focusing with the help of a group for smart women.
- Natalia discusses the importance of task management and breaking down large projects into smaller, actionable steps.
Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.
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EPISODE #167
Resources:
Instagram: @prosto_blank
Facebook: Natalia Bliankinshtein
Linkedin: Natalia Bliankinshtei
Website: brenebrown.com
gettingthingsdone.com
Instagram: @prosto_blank
Facebook: Natalia Bliankinshtein
Linkedin: Natalia Bliankinshtei
Website: brenebrown.com
gettingthingsdone.com
