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EP. 353: Why Career Clarity Is Non-Negotiable for ADHD Brains with Shell Mendelson

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Manage episode 512302357 series 2559759
Content provided by Tracy Otsuka. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Tracy Otsuka or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup

_____

What happens when doing everything "right" still leaves you miserable? You start asking better questions.

Shell Mendelson was a successful CEO of KidzArt, an international children's art franchise she founded, when everything fell apart. Despite looking accomplished on paper, she was disconnected, dysregulated, and drowning in work that no longer fit. At her lowest point, she found an ADHD book a therapist friend had sent years earlier, opened it, and finally understood why she'd always felt like an outcast. Diagnosed in her fifties, Shell realized the masking, hypervigilance, and constant feeling of being "off" had been ADHD all along.

Now, after 35+ years as a career coach, Shell helps ADHD and neurodivergent adults stop job-hopping and start building careers that actually fit. She's the author of Unlock Your Career Path and creator of the Career Galaxy framework—a process that helps people define their must-haves in writing so they never forget what they need to thrive. In this conversation, Shell and Tracy explore why career assessments fail neurodivergent people, how DEI rollbacks are pushing ADHD professionals into hiding, the rise of workplace surveillance, and why people who need accommodations are often just in the wrong job.

Shell also shares her recent move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she's building a life by the beach with her two dogs—a story about reinvention, clarity, and refusing to stay somewhere that doesn't serve you, even when it looks successful from the outside.

Resources:
Website: www.careercoachingwithshell.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareerCoachingwithShell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourpassiontocareer
Website: https://unlockyourcareerpath.com

Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next?

ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.

That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy

Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.
Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/book2
Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok
Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

  continue reading

361 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 512302357 series 2559759
Content provided by Tracy Otsuka. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Tracy Otsuka or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup

_____

What happens when doing everything "right" still leaves you miserable? You start asking better questions.

Shell Mendelson was a successful CEO of KidzArt, an international children's art franchise she founded, when everything fell apart. Despite looking accomplished on paper, she was disconnected, dysregulated, and drowning in work that no longer fit. At her lowest point, she found an ADHD book a therapist friend had sent years earlier, opened it, and finally understood why she'd always felt like an outcast. Diagnosed in her fifties, Shell realized the masking, hypervigilance, and constant feeling of being "off" had been ADHD all along.

Now, after 35+ years as a career coach, Shell helps ADHD and neurodivergent adults stop job-hopping and start building careers that actually fit. She's the author of Unlock Your Career Path and creator of the Career Galaxy framework—a process that helps people define their must-haves in writing so they never forget what they need to thrive. In this conversation, Shell and Tracy explore why career assessments fail neurodivergent people, how DEI rollbacks are pushing ADHD professionals into hiding, the rise of workplace surveillance, and why people who need accommodations are often just in the wrong job.

Shell also shares her recent move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she's building a life by the beach with her two dogs—a story about reinvention, clarity, and refusing to stay somewhere that doesn't serve you, even when it looks successful from the outside.

Resources:
Website: www.careercoachingwithshell.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareerCoachingwithShell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourpassiontocareer
Website: https://unlockyourcareerpath.com

Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next?

ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.

That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy

Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.
Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/book2
Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok
Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

  continue reading

361 episodes

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