Feb 23
Join Tracy as she welcomes guest Isabelle Baker to Episode 92 of her podcast ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Tracy interviewed Isabelle as one of four students who completed her Your ADHD Brain is A-OK! program. That episode aired last week but Tracy didn’t include Isabelle because she felt that Isabelle needed her own episode. In this episode Isabelle talks about trauma, never fitting in, giving up, thinking it was too late for her because she was too old. She also talks about AOK and ultimately falling in love with her ADHD brain.
Isabelle Baker is from Lakeland, FL. With over 25 years of business development, C-suite partnerships, and enterprise training; Isabelle is now her own CEO. Today she combines her professional experiences along with her love of problem solving, listening to understand, and relentlessness, to serve her clients whom she loves to see succeed. Some of her best successes are personal though: she is passionate about helping children in the foster care system and looks forward to being a coach to those who age out. Isabelle shares: Her childhood trauma Her struggle with school Her struggle with social problems and always feeling different Her discovery of ADHD Her experience going through the A-OK! Program Her new found love and appreciation of her ADHD gifts The key to living successfully with a non-linear brain Her number one workaround.
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"I've always struggled in when I finally learned though, later in life that if I can stand up, I can learn anything. sitting in the chair, because what I cannot do."
- Isabelle Baker
"I really believe something was terribly wrong with me. And I did have a lot of shame. Because I grew up in a very poor environment. I was abused. And I went through trauma. And I was very neglected, which I think is the worst part of the whole thing."
- Isabelle Baker
"Every thing opposite. When I say this is an amazing experience. I just mean like, when you go down the flume ride at Busch Gardens of Florida and the sun shines on you in the water splashes on you."
- Isabelle Baker
- Isabelle discusses her experience with ADHD and how it has impacted her life.
- Isabelle struggled in school due to ADHD symptoms, including difficulty sitting still and learning.
- Isabelle discovered that standing up or walking around helped her learn faster and more effectively.
[09:17 - 14:16] ADHD, Trauma, and Self-Perception
- Isabelle shares her experiences with ADHD and how it affected her in school, including difficulty staying in her seat and completing homework.
- Isabelle reflects on her childhood experiences with ADHD and trauma, struggling to fit in and find support.
- Isabelle's friend suggests that ADHD may have been exacerbated by unhealthy family dynamics, rather than solely being a neurological disorder.
[14:16 - 29:40] Coping Strategies
- Isabelle shares her experiences with ADHD and how it affects her work, including her ability to accelerate projects and need for clear goals and endpoints.
- Isabelle struggled with shame and stigma surrounding her ADHD diagnosis, which led her to hide her symptoms and navigate her environment in ways that masked her challenges.
- Isabelle discovers unexpected positive aspects of her identity through a course, leading to emotional relief and new perspectives.
