"All of those people trying to work hard to take these behaviors away when it's already a part of you makes you internalize it and feel more shame than necessary." Listen as your host, Eric Tivers, and his guest Abigail Dube talk about her waiting for a diagnosis because of COVID, the pain of hiding the challenges she's had, and not living up to her parents' expectations, plus much more on this episode of ADHD reWired. Abi is the owner of a small corporation and is also training for her first amateur fight. She has been boxing for almost two years and shares that she got into boxing because it called to her, and enjoys the challenge. Because of COVID, her event business has slowed to nothing, and she is hoping to branch out into content creation soon on a new podcast she and a friend are launching. Listen, as Abi shares how it felt when she realized she probably had ADHD, how it explained so much about her childhood, and the challenges she had in school. Abi discusses the job she held after college and why she felt like she was going to be fired. Abi speaks about her event business, boxing, and why she wants to launch a podcast. Once Abi started researching ADHD and recognized herself in everything she read, she wanted to cry and ask why no one took the time to figure this out when she was younger. School, college, and life would have made more sense if she knew why she was so different from everyone else. Does Abi's story resonate with you? Listen to find out more about Abi Dube' You'll learn: [02:01] Welcome to the show, Abi! [04:04] Abi shares how long she has been boxing and why she got into it. [06:20] Abi tells a story of when she was in first grade and was sent to the principal's office. [09:20] She has fidgeted and had issues in school since elementary school. [12:07] Abi shares some ways her father talked to her and reprimanded her about everything. [13:45] "Masquerading as normal is exhausting." [16:04] Abi discusses going to college in Canada, which is like a trade school in the U.S., and knew she needed something hands-on, so she chose Film/TV. [22:46] Abi speaks about the job she got out of college, and feeling like her life wasn't where it needed to be. [25:37] She constantly felt guilty because she didn't always function the way she should, so she quit her job and did contract work in event planning. [27:23] Abi shares that she started feeling like she had ADHD during COVID while searching on google. [29:20] How did you feel once you figured out that you probably had undiagnosed ADHD your entire life? [30:59] Abi discusses how her mom reacted to the news. [33:48] Abi asks, why wasn't I worthwhile enough or important enough for someone to recognize ADHD in her? [35:01] Eric shares some things that can be helpful when you hear the itty bitty shitty committee tell you you suck. [45:51] What does your brain feel like when you are in the boxing ring? [48:47] Abi speaks about her fear of driving, and long it took to get her license. [51:20] Abi discusses the podcast she is launching and what they will showcase on the show. [54:40] Eric and Abi share that paperwork and laundry are things they are allergic to. [57:05] "Don't feel ashamed and don't feel you have to fit into other people's expectations" are words that Abigail wants to leave the listeners with. [58:06] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron click on our Patreon tap at www.ADHDreWired.com Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups The 16th season of the ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability groups are ending soon. ArC 17 Summer Sessions run July 11th – Sept. 19th. We only have 9 spots remaining. Please visit coachingrewired.com to learn more and sign-up for our Last Scheduled Registration Event on June 11th at 3 PM CT. You don't want to miss it! Support the Podcast on Patreon Patreon allows listeners like you to support content creators like me. With a monthly contribution, you can get access to different levels of perks. One perk example is our Patron-only Group Coaching Sessions. Learn more at http://patreon.com/adhdrewired. ADHD reWired Facebook Group: If you would like to apply to join the ADHD reWired Secret Facebook group, go to https://www.adhdrewired.com/community and fill out the application. Productivity Q&A Get your ADHD questions answered live! These Q&A sessions take place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 12:30 PM CT. Go to https://www.adhdrewired.com/events Want to be a guest? Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you'd like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call here.