Catherine Avery: Productivity, biorhythms & how to avoid burnout

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May 2, 2022

Catherine Avery, an ADHD & productivity coach, talks about productivity, biorhythms, and avoiding burnout. She shares her personal journey of a late ADHD diagnosis and the grief that comes with it. Catherine emphasizes the need to recognize what's already working for neurodivergent individuals. She also discusses strategies for managing productivity, setting boundaries, and shares her experience with TMJ and teeth grinding.

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ANECDOTE

Catherine's Late ADHD Diagnosis

Catherine Avery's ADHD diagnosis at age 56 was triggered by chemo brain after cancer treatment.
The combined effects of chemo brain, hormone shutdown, and undiagnosed ADHD led to severe cognitive challenges.

INSIGHT

Brain Fog's Multiple Causes

Brain fog can result from chemo brain, hormone fluctuations, or ADHD symptoms.
Estrogen helps mask ADHD symptoms, and losing it reveals cognitive challenges more clearly.

ANECDOTE

Grieving Missed ADHD Support

Catherine Avery experienced grief looking back at her report cards reflecting missed ADHD diagnosis.
She mourned the lost potential but now celebrates her daughter achieving what she couldn't.

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Episode 83 with Catherine Avery.

“With neurodivergent folks, we need to recognize that if it’s already working, don’t try to fix it.”

Catherine is an ADHD & productivity coach and the CEO of Productivity by Design. She believes that in order to be truly productive, you need to learn how to be intentionally unproductive.

Catherine coaches her clients through proven strategies that help them master their time, space, and information so they can be more productive, more profitable, and have more time to spend doing the things they love.

Catherine is a former “queen of clutter,” a recovering Type-A Wall Streeter, and a cancer survivor/thriver who was officially diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s.

We talk about her own deep dive into her “chemo brain” and brain fog, and how that ultimately led to her ADHD diagnosis. We also talk about the grief that occurs to many of us diagnosed later in life when looking back over our lives with this new lens.

And we talk about burnout, how to lean into our natural biological rhythms of productivity, and knowing when to hit pause.

And finally, we compare our crazy TMJ stories — and I rehash my own story about teeth grinding and vertigo! If you grind your teeth at night, you definitely want to stick around and hear more about our experiences.

Website: Productivity by Design

Instagram: @catherine_j_avery

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As a Women & ADHD listener, you’ll receive 10% off your first month of BetterHelp when you use this link: betterhelp.com/womenadhd

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