How ADHD shapes careers, self-worth, failure cycles, and the philosophy of continuous improvement.

In this episode, Duena is joined by Chris Stone — agile coach, ADHD adult, continuous improvement practitioner, and the creator of The Coaching Culture Club.

Together they explore what it really means to build a life, career and identity around an ADHD brain that never stops moving.

Chris shares his journey through school failures, exam panic, inconsistent performance, burnout cycles, and the constant tension between “high potential” and “self-destruct mode.”
hey discuss rejection sensitivity, spirals of self-doubt, hyperfocus traps, and the way ADHD adults often oscillate between brilliance and collapse — all inside systems not built for nonlinear minds.

Duena and Chris unpack:

• Growing up ADHD without diagnosis
• Shame, self-blame & internalised failure
• The transition from burnout to clarity
• ADHD career patterns: boom-and-bust productivity
• Continuous improvement as a survival tool
• Why ND adults struggle with traditional education & corporate systems
• Agile mindsets as ND-friendly models
• Identity, confidence & the fear of slowing down
• What leaders need to know about ADHD workers
• How community, belonging & honesty transform everything

This is a powerful, practical conversation about ADHD as a lived experience — not a bullet list of symptoms — and how continuous improvement becomes a philosophy of survival and growth.

⭐ TOPICS COVERED

ADHD, adult ADHD, late diagnosis, burnout, hyperfocus, shame cycles, rejection sensitivity, career transitions, nonlinear paths, continuous improvement, agile culture, psychological safety, Human Debt, workplace trauma, identity collapse, ND coaching, self-worth, productivity, masking, ADHD overwhelm.

⭐ CHAPTERS

00:00 — Intro & who is Chris Stone 02:12 — ADHD childhood, school struggles & early shame 05:40 — Burnout cycles & the double-life of ADHD adults 09:20 — Hyperfocus, overwhelm & identity collapse 12:55 — Continuous improvement as survival 16:40 — Agile mindsets & ND-friendly work 20:25 — Nonlinear careers & self-worth 24:15 — RSD, spirals & emotional volatility 28:40 — Corporate systems vs ND brains 32:10 — What ADHD adults need to thrive 36:00 — Final reflections & advice
Resources

Listen to all episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

Find Chris: search “Chris Stone Agile Coach ADHD” on LinkedIn

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NeuroSpicy @ Work – Episode 8 with guest Chris Stone. Core themes: ADHD, adult ADHD, burnout cycles, hyperfocus, overwhelm, rejection sensitivity (RSD), nonlinear careers, self-worth, continuous improvement, agile coaching, identity formation, emotional regulation, Human Debt, workplace culture mismatch, ND-friendly leadership.

Guest: Chris Stone – ADHD adult, agile coach, continuous improvement advocate, community leader, host of The Coaching Culture Club.

Host: Duena Blomstrom – autistic/ADHD author and Human Debt theorist, psychological safety researcher, workplace culture expert.

Audience: neurodivergent adults, ADHD adults, late-diagnosed individuals, HR/DEI, coaches, educators, therapists, agile practitioners, ND parents, workplace culture designers.

Anchor concepts: ND identity, ADHD philosophy, burnout loops, recovery, modern work, learning models, lived experience, meaning-making, ND strengths.
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