Lessons from navigating Multiple Sclerosis and ADHD

Vanessa I. Martinez (Ve; she/they) is a queer, first-generation, Mexican and Peruvian Latina living with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Vanessa was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ and obtained her B.S. in electrical engineering from Arizona State in 2015. She lived in Amherst and Boston, MA while pursuing MS and PhD in industrial engineering, with a focus in human factors in healthcare, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She obtained her MS in industrial engineering in the spring of 2018 and became ABD in the winter of 2018.  In 2019, Vanessa was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and took a break from her PhD to tend to her health. In 2020, Vanessa started an accountability coaching program for women of color and nonbinary people of color to help her clients identify their physical, mental, and emotional blocks, so they may honor themself and their capacities while they achieve their goals. In 2022, she choose to leave her PhD to continue to pursue her passions and interests more aligned with how she wants to impact her communities. Today, Vanessa offers accountability coaching and supports multiple sclerosis clinical research as a Data Manager at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ.

In this episode, Vanessa emphasizes her journey managing ADHD and Multiple Sclerosis. For her this involved, listening to her body's needs rather than forcing herself to meet societal expectations, engaging in activities that brought enjoyment or fulfillment, and using coping strategies such as therapy, journaling, and having a supportive community. She also discusses the benefit of having a pleasure coach.