I'm Maura Aronsmeli and this is The Anxious Achiever.

We look at stories from business leaders who have dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges,

how they fell down, how they pick themselves up and how they hope workplaces can change in the future.

Last season, we spoke with a military combat pilot, a famous entrepreneur, and a professor about their journeys managing ADHD and their intense careers.

We dove into what it was like being an entrepreneur with this issue

and why, in fact, according to research, having ADHD might even advantage you if you're an entrepreneur.

It was one of our most popular episodes.

However, everyone on the episode was a white man. And I got feedback from listeners, which was great saying, hey, women have ADHD too. So today I want to address

the fact that we have bias. Of course we have bias when it comes to neurodiversity

and addressing mental health. We have ideas of who exactly faces certain issues. And I bet

if you picture someone with ADHD, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, you probably picture

a child, a kid. You might picture a man and a white man at that.

The anxious achiever is about destigmatizing all that goes on in our brains and how all that goes

on in our brains helps us succeed at work. And it's about breaking down preconceptions.

Shante Joseph has written

the ADHD stereotype of young, white, hyperactive boys

is doubly damaging for black women in particular

who find it impossible to see themselves in the narrative.

Failing to see themselves represented,

they then hesitate to seek out adequate support.

Well, today I'm excited to speak with Stephanie Oswald.

She's based in the UK, and she's a career advisor.

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