Podcast Episode - From Misunderstanding to Pride: One ADHD Coach's Career and Identity Journey

Original Content from organizinganadhdbrain.com/podcast/episode/80e7d614/from-misunderstanding-to-pride-one-adhd-coachs-career-and-identity-journey:

On this episode of Organizing an ADHD Brain, ADHD coach Megs [Crawford] reconnects with Lauren Goldberg to talk about internalized ableism, disability pride, career transitions, and what it really means to work with your ADHD brain instead of against it. Whether you're looking for ADHD coaching, a supportive ADHD community, or practical ways to get organized, this episode meets you where you are.

By the end, you'll have a new lens for understanding the shame many of us carry around disability and neurodivergence, and what it looks like to slowly, imperfectly trade that shame in for pride.

Lauren was diagnosed with ADHD at age eight, but it wasn't until an ADHD reassessment for college that she learned she also had hearing loss. She shares what it felt like to hide her hearing aids, why she initially resisted identifying as disabled, and the milestones that shifted things, ASL classes, learning about Deaf culture, and eventually decorating her hearing aids as a public act of pride. She also opens up about navigating the space between hearing and Deaf communities, and the ongoing messy middle of considering cochlear implants as her hearing continues to change.

A collage of photos of Lauren Goldberg wearing different-colored hearing aid decorations, bright colored glasses, and earrings. Photos by Polar Squared Designs.

On the career side, Lauren talks about how repeated industry shifts and COVID-era unemployment pushed her toward entrepreneurship and why she moved away from digital products to focus on deep one-on-one coaching for neurodivergent clients. She and Megs dig into internalized ableism, toxic professionalism, and what self-advocacy actually looks like in practice when you've spent years masking and shrinking yourself to fit in.

The good news? The messy middle of identity isn't a problem to solve. It's where the real work and the real growth actually happen.

This episode is for anyone with ADHD who has ever felt shame around who they are and is ready to start seeing themselves differently.

Lauren Goldberg is a Career Self-Discovery and Leadership Coach who specializes in helping neurodivergent changemakers move from self-doubt to self-trust, in their careers and beyond. Diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, and hearing loss (AKA “deaf gain”), Lauren brings lived experience and deep compassion to her coaching, helping clients unlearn toxic professionalism, advocate for their needs, and build careers that actually fit them. She describes herself as a disco ball, reflecting your light back at you so you can enjoy it and shine it on the world.


Listen on Spotify or Apple Playlists below and view transcript below:

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My public declaration, getting unstuck, & embracing our unique motivational needs

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Podcast Episode: Working With Your ADHD Instead of Against It, Leading Neurodivergent Teams, and When Overconfidence Is Insecurity in Disguise