I Am Not My Job, I Swear.. But I'd Like To Be

May 22, 2021 10:38 AM

I'm looking for an online career or life coach who works with autistic & ADHD adults. I highly prefer they are neurodivergent themselves!

I realized I was on the spectrum last year and well.. it explains a lot. I've struggled my whole adult life to live stably and independently, bouncing from city to city, quitting jobs or scraping by with gigs and favors, and dropping out of educational programs four times. I'm smart and well-liked but it's not enough to keep me housed. My ability to mask has really worked against me, as my struggles go unseen, I burn out quickly and it's difficult for me to find appropriate help. I need a top to bottom overhaul of my life trajectory.

I already have a therapist and I've read about a million books, blog posts and twitter threads by other neurodivergent people. Is there someone out there who can help me put it all together? Specifically, I need to:

– evaluate my actual strengths and weaknesses, which my mask cloaks
– deal with clashing sensory, social-emotional and executive function needs
– find a career niche that could suit me, and figure out how to get on track

Thanks MeFites!

posted by lloquat to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Autism/Aspergers Network (AANE) has a one-on-one coaching program called LifeMap. They'll do a very thorough intake to see if their services can help you. They are based in the Boston area but are offering all their services virtually.
posted by primate moon at 2:54 PM on May 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

You don’t specify a location / time zone, so this might be a stretch, but I highly recommend Jonathan at Connect ADHD (Brisbane, Australia). Someone close to me met with a dozen ADHD coaches in Australia, and Connect was the most structured, supportive practice out there. Working with Jon has been life-changing. I believe their coaches fit your neurodivergent criteria too.
posted by third word on a random page at 3:12 PM on May 22, 2021

This person does peer mentoring. No personal experience with that—I just follow their blog and read some of what they write, but seemed relevant enough to pass on. :)
posted by Gymnopedist at 3:43 PM on May 22, 2021

From Twitter and Instagram I am familiar with Asiatu coach but I don’t know if they focus too much on career stuff. You’ve probably already seen the resources on Autastic, but I don’t know if Diane does one on one coaching, although I did see her say she’s got a new project coming up. Watching the answers here closely.
posted by matildaben at 6:41 PM on May 22, 2021

I don't know if you're open to working with a UK-based coach (you didn't specify location in your post), but if you are, I used to work with Anna Granta (as a coworker rather than as a coaching client) and I've enjoyed watching her grow her neurodiversity-focused coaching business since she left the company where we worked together. She's pretty active on Twitter too.
posted by terretu at 12:13 AM on May 23, 2021 [3 favorites]