ADHD-ish™

What if the problem isn’t that you’re too much—but that you’ve spent years trying to fit into environments that don’t understand your intensity? Diann Wingert and Imi Lo explore what emotional and intellectual intensity can look like, and why it often gets confused with ADHD, autism, giftedness, or other labels.
If you’ve ever felt misunderstood for feeling deeply, thinking intensely, asking too many questions, or struggling inside conventional systems, this conversation offers a different lens. You’ll learn how self-awareness, skillful communication, radical self-acceptance, and finding the right environments can help you work with your intensity rather than constantly judging yourself for it.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction to Emotional and Intellectual Intensity in Business
05:52 - Navigating ADHD Entrepreneurship and High-Stakes Decisions
11:45 - The Role of ADHD Executive Function in Business Strategy
17:37 - Managing Cognitive Load and Avoiding ADHD Burnout
23:30 - Scaling a Business with ADHD and Team Leadership Dynamics
29:22 - How to Build a Sustainable Systems and ADHD Business Operations
35:15 - Fostering ADHD Self-Trust and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
41:07 - Integrating Emotional Intensity for Long-Term ADHD Founder Success
‍ ‍
Key takeaways:‍ ‍
Intensity is multi-dimensional: Intensity can be emotional (feeling deeply and persistently), intellectual (a hunger for knowledge and depth), or moral (strong principles and sensitivity to injustice). These can be visible or invisible and are often misunderstood by others.
Context matters more than labels: Before seeking a diagnosis or label, ask yourself if the real issue is a misfit with your environment. As Imi Lo shares, "Nothing is wrong with a plant that’s not growing in the wrong soil."
Strength & struggle go hand in hand: Intensity can lead to profound levels of creativity, empathy, and insight—but also overwhelm, isolation, and shame if not recognized or managed. The solution isn’t to shrink yourself, but to find (or create) environments where intensity is seen as an asset.
If you have internalized the message that you are "too much," consider this: Maybe your environment - not you - is the problem. Radical self acceptance, and the courage to stop apologizing for your intensity—could be your first step toward thriving.
‍ ‍
Mentioned during this episode:
Imi’s article “The Compulsion to Correct”
Emotional Labor
Performative Humility
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Stoicism

Today’s guest, Imi Lo:
With three master's degrees in Mental Health, Buddhist Studies, and Global Cultures., Imi Lo has over fifteen years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist and art therapist. She has published three books: “Emotional Sensitivity and Intensity” (translated into seven languages), “The Gift of Intensity,” and “The Gift of Empathy.”
Connect with Imi:
Visit Imi’s Website
Contact Imi about working together
‍ ‍
Your ADHD-ish™ host, Diann Wingert
Diann Wingert brings decades of experience as a psychotherapist and serial business owner and is now a sought-after coach to entrepreneurs with ADHD traits. Her style is direct and strategic, with a dash of humor, and filled with the insights of someone who lives and breathes the neurodivergent experience.
Diann is the creator of the ADHD-ish™ Method and host of the top-rated ADHD-ish™ podcast.
Want to align your business with your neurodivergent intensity? Book a free consultation with Diann and let’s talk about how I can help.
‍ ‍
© 2026 ADHD-ish™ Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.

“Just be consistent” is frustrating advice for entrepreneurs with ADHD because capacity is anything but consistent. This episode examines why traditional marketing expectations can lead to overwork, burnout, or abandoning visibility altogether.
The Balanced Marketing Strategy introduces three complementary forms of marketing: algorithm-based, content-based, and relationship-based. Together, they create a more resilient visibility system that continues generating awareness, credibility, and opportunities during low-capacity weeks.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction: ADHD Business Strategy & Visibility Realities
04:30 - Breaking the Cycle: ADHD Burnout Prevention in Marketing
10:15 - Building Sustainable Business Systems for ADHD Entrepreneurs
15:45 - Executive Function in Business: Streamlining Content Creation
20:10 - Stepping Up as an ADHD CEO: Long-Term Growth & Self-Trust

Here’s the ADHD-friendly reframe: Stop chasing consistency through effort—and start building consistency through structure.
‍It’s all about setting up a system that keeps your business visible even when you’re having a low-capacity week with the Balanced Marketing Strategy which utilizes three types of marketing efforts:‍ ‍
1. Algorithm-Based Marketing: SEO, social media, and anything that’s discoverable through a machine. The beauty? Content you create once can keep working for you for months or even years.
2. Content-Based Marketing: Your podcast, newsletter, blog—this is where your voice and expertise shine. It’s the main way you build connection and trust, but it does require creativity and energy. ‍
3. Relationship-Based Marketing: Networking, referral partnerships, collaborations, guest appearances—the power of other people’s momentum carrying your visibility when you can’t.
‍How does it work?
These categories almost never all fail at once. If you're running low on capacity for content, your relationships or algorithmic assets can keep generating leads and visibility, and vice versa. Far too many business owners with ADHD find out the hard way that putting all their promotion eggs in one basket makes them vulnerable to complete visibility collapse during low-energy periods.
‍Your Redundant (Not Balanced) Safety Net
Despite the name, the "Balanced" Marketing Strategy isn’t about splitting your effort evenly. It’s about building in redundancy, so your visibility never hinges on you always being ‘on’. It’s like having a backup generator for your business.
‍Try This Mini Audit‍ ‍
● Look back at your last 90 days of marketing activities.
● Sort them into: algorithm-based, content-based, or relationship-based.
● Find your weak spot (the thinnest category) ‍
● Start building out the thin one - just to a functional minimum.
‍What’s a “functional minimum?” One evergreen asset, three referral relationships, one quarterly guest appearance
‍
Your ADHD-ish ™ host
‍Diann Wingert, MSW is the host of the ADHD-ish Podcast which ranks in the top 1% of podcasts globally (Listen Notes.)
‍Drawing from her own experiences as a serial business owner, former psychotherapist and fellow ADHDer, Diann challenges conventional business thinking, like the typical marketing advice "just be consistent,"
‍Through her podcast, email newsletter, webinars and blog, Diann supports entrepreneurs with ADHD to create an ADHD-friendly business and avoid both boredom and burnout using the framework she created -The ADHD-ish Method.
‍Need Help to Implement?
‍My digital coaching clone, Di AI, can walk you through this audit and help you create a plan to fill your gaps. It’s still free (in beta) but don’t wait. Sign up now and start chatting!
‍Want deeper support for implementing a balanced marketing strategy in your business? Schedule a free consultation to explore 1:1 coaching with ADHD business strategist and coach, serial business owner, and former licensed psychotherapist, Diann Wingert, MSW.
‍ ‍
© 2026 ADHD-ish™ Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.

What happens when explosive success turns your ADHD business strategy upside down? Dani Donovan returns to reveal the hidden reality of scaling a tool for neurodivergent communities and keeping up with sudden demand.
For every ADHD entrepreneur, founder, or business owner with ADHD navigating rapid growth, delegation struggles, and high cognitive load, this conversation offers actionable clarity.
Discover practical insights on ADHD business operations, accountability, and real-time decision-making when your business evolves faster than expected.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - How Viral Products Create Explosive Demand
06:00 - ADHD Product-Market Fit and Underserved Audiences
12:00 - Building and Launching a Viral Product
19:00 - Content Marketing, TikTok Virality and Storytelling
26:00 - Scaling Too Fast and Business Operations
33:00 - Perfectionism, Burnout and Entrepreneurial Growth
40:00 - Email Lists, Algorithms and Sustainable Business Growth
47:00 - Entrepreneurship, Autonomy and What Comes Next

3 Key Takeaways:
Find—and serve—the underserved audience. When you truly solve a need for people who’ve been overlooked, you can create explosive demand. Building something specifically for the ADHD community, with real-life empathy and nuance, was the game-changer
Prepare to adapt at warp speed. Virality can supercharge your business, but also breaks systems you thought could scale. Managing inventory, support, and planning for unpredictable spikes is a different beast
Don’t skip the foundations—even if you’re “too busy.” Invest in core systems you own—like email lists—not just social media channels. Otherwise, you’re at the mercy of algorithms or outside platforms.

About today’s guest, Dani Donovan:
Dani Donovan is an award-winning designer and creator of the viral hit product, "The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh*t Done When You Don't Feel Like It."
Known for her relatable ADHD comics, tweets, and TikToks, she's been helping shape the online neurodiversity community since 2018, and her work has helped thousands of people seek an ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
Connect with Dani:
Website - Instagram - TikTok - X
Dani's viral tweet:
"Finding out you have ADHD as an adult feels like being told you suck at Mario Kart your entire life and then finding out your game generates 40 times more banana peels than it's supposed to"

About the Anti-Planner:
Tapping into her own frustrations and the lived experiences of ADHD peers, Dani Donovan spent over 3,000 hours creating The Anti-Planner, calling it a “productivity spellbook.”
It is a lovingly designed, non-linear, highly personalized compendium of over 100 strategies for overcoming procrastination and building emotional resistance.
Dani obsessed over every detail: the comforting size, playful illustrations, durable faux-leather binding, gold foil, thick paper, pen loop, and rounded corners. It is gorgeous, practical, and nothing like all the planners you’ve bought and abandoned two weeks later.
Buy your copy of the Original Anti-Planner here. (Dani also has a Clean version if you are not so sweary…)
P.S. If you missed my previous interview with Dani Donovan episode (and The Anti-Planner’s original “theft” story!), it’s a must-listen! Ep #318_ Somebody Stole My Sh*t: Copycats, Counterfeiters and How to Protect What You’ve Built
Your ADHD-ish™ host, Diann Wingert
Diann Wingert brings decades of experience as a psychotherapist and serial business owner and is now a sought-after coach to entrepreneurs with ADHD traits. Her style is direct and strategic, with a dash of humor, and filled with the insights of someone who lives and breathes the neurodivergent experience.
Diann is a fierce advocate for self-acceptance and meaningful growth at the intersection of neurodivergence and entrepreneurship. She is the creator of the ADHD-ish™ Method and host of the top-rated ADHD-ish™ podcast.
Want to grow your business AND survive your own success while doing so? Book a free consultation with me and let’s talk about how I can help.

© 2026 ADHD-ish™ Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.

In this episode of the ADHD-ish™ Podcast, host Diann Wingert sits down with client Kim Van Lue, an executive development coach, to discuss relaunching a business with intention.
Many neurodivergent leaders struggle with generalist burnout and unstructured workflows. Kim shares how aligning with an effective ADHD business strategy and building sustainable entrepreneur accountability systems allowed her to transition from a generalist to a focused specialist.
By honoring her natural energy rhythms and leveraging tailored ADHD business coaching, she created a thriving, multi-six-figure business model.
Discover how custom ADHD business operations can bring lasting clarity, efficiency, and sustainable success to your venture.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS:
[00:00] Intro & Kim's Background: Executive Development Work
[09:55] The Swiss Army Knife Problem: Why Generalists Can't Charge Premium Prices (The Niche Conversation)
[11:15] Four Tendencies Obliger Wiring: Building Accountability Systems That Actually Work
[16:05] Planned Pauses & Pivots: Restructuring Your Business Around Energetic Patterns (The 5th Pillar of the ADHD-ish Method)
[20:25] The 10-Year Planning Conversation That Changed Everything
[26:10] Moving Forward: Book, Speaking, Leadership Programs (Taking Steps Now)
[30:45] Advice for Listeners Standing Where Kim Was
‍ ‍ ‍
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS: ‍
1. Niche Down, Even When It Feels Wrong:
Kim went from offering many services to three core offers. It felt like leaving money on the table. Instead, it freed her to charge premium prices, attract better clients, and build a recognizable brand. ‍
2. Accept Your Wiring, Don't Fight It:
As an Obliger with ADHD traits and justice sensitivity, Kim needs external accountability and clear boundaries. She stopped wrestling with who she isn't and built systems for who she actually is. ‍
3. Structure Your Business Around Energy Patterns, Not Just Targets
Kim's energy dips in winter. Instead of pushing through, she restructured which offers she promotes seasonally. Result: a sustainable business that honors her natural rhythms. This is the 5th pillar of the ADHD-ish Method™—Planned Pauses & Pivots.
‍ ‍ ‍
MENTIONED DURING THIS EPISODE: ‍ ‍
Ep #267 ADHD & Justice Sensitivity: From Overwhelm to Advantage in Business
The Four Tendencies Guide
‍ ‍ ‍
ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST, KIM VAN LUE
‍Executive development coach specializing in board/leadership diagnosis, executive transitions, and team development across higher ed and mid-sized organizations. Currently writing a book, building her speaking platform, and designing signature leadership programs. ‍
CONNECT WITH KIM: Website | LinkedIn
‍ ‍
YOUR ADHD-ish™ HOST, DIANN WINGERT
‍Diann Wingert, a former psychotherapist turned ADHD-informed business strategist, coach, works with neurodivergent entrepreneurs who want to build a stand-out, sought-after, profitable business based on their unique brilliance.
‍The 5th Pillar in The ADHD-ish™ Method coaching framework is: “Planned Pauses & Pivots” and it made all the difference in reimagining Kim’s business.
Is it time to experience the ADHD-ish Method in YOUR business? The first step is scheduling a free consultation to see if we’re a fit. Click here to book yours now.
‍Kim's story is just one example of what's possible when you accept yourself unconditionally and redesign everything around that acceptance. Need other examples of what’s possible? Check out more Client Success Stories episodes.
‍ ‍
WANT TO TRY ADHD-INFORMED BUSINESS COACHING FOR FREE ?
Check out my digital clone, Di AI —personalized ADHD-informed business guidance on-demand.
If you love the show, please leave a comment on Spotify (I personally reply to each one) or leave a review so more ADHD-ish business owners can find THE podcast full of real talk and real solutions for neurodivergent business brains.
‍ ‍
© 2026 ADHD-ish Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.

‍Kristina Flynn has had a psychiatrist since she was twelve, collected diagnoses like frequent flyer miles (anxiety, depression, OCD, bulimia, and more), and still didn't get an ADHD diagnosis until her thirties, after her daughter's birth blew up every workaround she'd been quietly running for two decades.
‍Now she runs Story EQ, where she helps people find the story underneath their work. Everybody tells you to stop overthinking. Kristina Flynn built a company on it.
‍We talk about why doing your own branding is a fool's errand (spoiler: your brain isn't primed for reality, it's primed for your perception of reality). We talk about the Mensa-level geniuses who sit across from her and say "I'm not that interesting."
‍We talk about the specific, weirdly universal terror of what your old colleagues will think. And we talk about AI — not as a voice replicator, but as something that can understand your context if you feed it properly.
‍Fair warning: if you're sitting on an abandoned rebrand, three different mission statements you don't believe, and a nagging sense that you should be further along by now — you're going to feel a little called out. Stay with us anyway. ‍
WHAT’S INSIDE: ‍
● Why Your Old Story Isn’t the Whole Story: How narrative identity, negativity bias, and corporate conditioning have shaped the way you show up ‍
● The 4 Stories Framework (Stealable Worksheet): Start mapping your old story, bridge story, and how to shift from “it’s about me” to “it’s about them”
● Radical Self-Acceptance Checklist: 5 mindset shifts to finally move past shame, imposter feelings, and waiting for permission ‍
● Overthinking as an Asset: Quick exercises to turn rumination into action, content, and connection (instead of procrastination) ‍
● Your First Move Blueprint: Micro-steps to start building story-driven content — without oversharing or burnout

FUN FACTS

Kristina and Diann are both pretty sweary and swear by the research that concludes swearing is a sign of intelligence. You decide!
‍Kristina & Diann met through Coach Vox - the platform where they both built their digital clones. If you haven’t signed up for Di AI yet - what are you waiting for? Here is the link to sign up for free.
ABOUT KRISTINA
Kristina (with a 'k') Flynn is an Overthinking High-Achiever (OHA) helping other OHAs turn their wild careers and stories into personal brands that feel like them and make sh*tons of money.
‍For 18+ years and across 11 roles in 8 industries, she's built brands for NBA All-Stars, Olympians, venture capitalists, Youtubers, founders, and executives.
The through-line across all of it: wildly capable people who are great at seeing other people's value, but can't see their own. In 2023, she built StoryEQ™ to close the gap.
‍
LINKS & RESOURCES
‍Kristina’s: ‍
WebsiteStory EQ Framework PDF LinkedIn ‍
The episode with Evan Sargent on branding ‍
20 Feet From Stardom (2013) — the backup singer documentary I mentioned
Brené Brown
Simon Sinek
‍ ‍
YOUR ADHD-ish™ HOST
‍Diann Wingert is a former therapist turned coach, speaker, and consultant who blends her expertise in entrepreneurship and neurodiversity to help others thrive.
‍Host of the top-rated ADHD-ish™ podcast and creator of The ADHD-ish™ Method, Diann works with ADHD-ish™ business owners who are ready to create stand-out, sought-after, profitable businesses based on their unique brilliance.
‍
WORK WITH ME
If this conversation hit a nerve — if you've been hiding behind your credentials and waiting to be discovered on the strength of good work alone — that's a strategy problem, not a character flaw. Let's fix the strategy problem together — schedule your call here.
ADHD-ish is hosted by Diann Wingert. If you got something out of this one, the single most useful thing you can do is send it to one person who needs it. Second most useful: leave a review.

© 2026 ADHD-ish™ Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.