Want to fall in love with your ADHD brain and make it work for you? Learn more about my patented program, Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy here.
February 17
Some people see retirement as slowing down—Emily Ransdell saw it as a chance to finally do what she was meant to do.
After a career in tech marketing, she walked away at 59 and went all in on her lifelong love of writing. At 60, she enrolled in a Master’s in Creative Writing, and by 67, she had published her first poetry collection, which won the Lewis Award from Concrete Wolf Press. Now, she teaches writing workshops, gives public readings, and continues to build a life centered around creativity.
But Emily’s story isn’t just about reinvention—it’s about understanding herself in a way she never had before. Diagnosed with ADHD in her early 60s, she finally made sense of the struggles she’d faced for decades: disorganization, perfectionism, and the feeling that she was always working harder than everyone else just to keep up. In this conversation, Emily shares how she managed school and career before her diagnosis, how ADHD affected her creative process, and why getting diagnosed later in life changed everything.
She also talks about breaking free from the idea that it’s “too late” to start something new. Whether you’re considering a career shift, exploring a creative passion, or just wondering if there’s more out there for you, Emily’s story proves that it’s never too late to start.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"I didn’t want to just retire—I wanted to step into something that truly felt like me."
- Emily Ransdell
"No one thing leads to another—it’s like a door opens, and then another one, and another. The key is just to start walking through them."
- Emily Ransdell
"The past is the past. I did some great things. And now, I’m doing exactly what I was meant to do. That’s what matters."
- Emily Ransdell
"Success breeds success. I’ve learned to celebrate what’s working instead of focusing on everything that isn’t. That’s made all the difference."
- Emily Ransdell
"I spent years asking, ‘Am I good enough?’ Now I know—the answer was always yes."
- Emily Ransdell
"If there’s a passion you’ve had on the back burner, turn up the heat. See where it takes you."
- Emily Ransdell
- Emily Ransdell grew up in a chaotic household with an undiagnosed ADHD mother who worked as a newspaper editor, experiencing firsthand the impacts of untreated ADHD on family life and daily routines.
- As a child, she struggled with isolation as an only child but excelled at imaginative play, developing early signs of the creativity that would later fuel her poetry career.
- Despite having academic challenges and friendship difficulties in her youth, Emily maintained good grades through determination to be "a good girl," though she often felt different from her peers.
[20:00 - 40:00] Journey to Diagnosis and Career Transition
- After her husband's serious illness triggered severe anxiety and PTSD symptoms, Emily finally received her ADHD diagnosis in her early 60s, giving her what she calls "a playbook to my life."
- At age 59, she retired from her tech marketing career to pursue her passion for poetry, using her newfound ADHD understanding to navigate this major life transition.
- The combination of ADHD treatment and retirement allowed her to embrace her creative talents fully, leading to a master's degree in creative writing and eventual publication of her poetry collection.
[40:00 - 58:00] Creative Success and Personal Growth
- Emily used her ADHD traits of creativity, sensitivity, and deep thinking to enhance her poetry writing, while medication helped her maintain focus and persist through rejection.
- Her poetry collection won the Lewis Award from Concrete Wolf Press in 2022, validating her decision to pursue her passion later in life.
- She now finds purpose teaching writing workshops and helping others discover their creative voices, demonstrating how understanding and embracing ADHD can lead to profound personal transformation at any age.
