Trust Your Brain: ADHD as a Superpower with AnnMarie Espina

062  Whether you have ADHD or not, this episode will help you create a strategy to take back your day by listening to your brain and giving it what it wants and needs.  As entrepreneurs we are lucky enough to be able to design our days - consider the advantages of knowing how best to do that!

Today’s special guest is AnnMarie Espina.  AnnMarie is an ADHD Coach and Life Enthusiast with a Bachelors in Health Promotion.  She is on a mission to create a global movement where those with ADHD can use it to the best of their ability and believes that ADHD can be a superpower. 

In today’s episode you will learn…

1. Why it’s so important to start with what AnnMarie calls “the inside work.”
2. What ADHD is
3. How to go with the flow and what works for you - and why this is an essential skill for entrepreneurs

More info <<HERE>>

Connect with AnnMarie:
Check out her Course <<HERE>>
Instagram

Transcript

Ellen Leonard: 0:00

Hello, and welcome to the healthy, happy and mostly sane entrepreneur podcast. I'm your host national board certified health and wellness coach and Ayurvedic practitioner, and mostly sane entrepreneur, Ellen Leonard. Each week, I share my obsession with helping you build a healthy life that works for you, your family, and your business. Because I don't think you have to sacrifice your own health and well being to be successful. So please stay tuned. For today's episode full of ideas to make staying healthy just a little bit easier. Don't forget to hit subscribe, so you don't miss out on future episodes. So we've got a lot of new listeners to the podcast, and I wanted to take a minute and explain the title of the podcast. I myself am healthy, happy. And sometimes I am saying and sometimes I am a classic entrepreneur who is overwhelmed. I feel like I'm losing my mind a little bit. So I'm mostly sane. And I feel like that is my listener as well. My listener is also an entrepreneur who wants to prioritize her health, her happiness. But I think entrepreneurs are a little crazy at heart for quitting their full time jobs for even thinking about it. And leaving their the security of that for something that they're so passionate about something that they're so excited about, and something that they really, really want to do with their lives and really want to offer out into the world. And I think that makes us a little bit crazy. I in a good way. So we are mostly sane. And that's where I came up with the title. So let's get into this episode. Today's episode is about a topic. I didn't know that much about Intel, our guest Amery. Espina came on and taught me so much about it. And I'm so glad I learned about it. Because even though I don't have ADHD, I can certainly relate to some of the challenges. And I can definitely use all of the advice that our guest shares with us today. So, Emery is an ADHD coach and life enthusiast with a bachelor's and health promotion. She's on a mission to create a global movement, where people are using their ADHD to the best of their ability, she really wants people to see ADHD as a gift because she has found that to be true for herself. And that's what she helps her clients do. So in today's episode, you're going to learn about why it's so important to start with what Amery calls the inside work. And this goes for all of us. Again, I want to emphasize that this episode, if you have ADHD is definitely for you. And if you don't, it's still for you. Because when we start with that inside work, that's where the real work begins, as entrepreneurs, and that work is so essential. And she also teaches us what ADHD is. So if you really kind of think you know, but aren't really sure, you're going to be able to understand it more deeply. And then you're also going to learn about how to go with the flow, and what works for you. And why this is so important for entrepreneurs, because we are so lucky to be able most of us who are working for ourselves to construct our own days. And there's a beauty in that and hairs as you know, a challenge in that. And Emory has some great ideas about how we can really work with what works for us and build our days around that. And it's just such a lovely way to approach building not only your day, but your life. So let's get started. Thank you so much for being here with us today. Emory. I'm so excited to finally get you on the podcast.

AnnMarie Espina: 4:07

Thank you so much for having me. I'm honestly so excited. I love your bio.

Ellen Leonard: 4:12

Thank you and we just managed to stop laughing long enough to start recording. So just a little sneak preview as to what you listeners are going to have to deal with the rest of the podcast. But we've managed to pull it together right?

AnnMarie Espina: 4:27

We did we did just

Unknown: 4:29

just

Ellen Leonard: 4:32

so I'm Emery I love hearing about how other entrepreneurs got started like their origin stories. So tell us a little bit about what inspired you to start your own business.

AnnMarie Espina: 4:42

I think I always kind of knew I wanted to do my own thing because I was always an employee and I was seeing how things are operating and it would drive me insane because I was like there's more that you can do. There's, you know, all this opportunity and I was getting frustrated that things I couldn't do that. above what my level was. So yeah, I, I have always been really passionate about helping other women like feel more confident and appreciating themselves. And I think earlier in my life, I was really frustrated that, you know, these women were saying, like, I'm not confident, right, I can't do that I can't do this. And I used to get really frustrated, because like, you can do anything you want, you can have anything that you want. And it was, at the time, I didn't know how to convey that message. So through working on myself, and all these things, I got in touch with a business coach and I started working with her. Everything kind of started to fall into place, I just started part time coaching. And then COVID. And then I ended up actually getting laid off, which was the biggest gift I have ever been given in my life. So I could go full time into my business, which was everything that had to happen. So yeah, it's been amazing so far. And then as soon as I got laid off, it was just everything fell into place. And it's been so much fun, I'm so glad to happen.

Ellen Leonard: 6:12

And you you can't see her, but she just totally lit up like just this huge smile on her face talking about that, what do you love most about what you get to do?

AnnMarie Espina: 6:20

Honestly, just helping, like I am a huge life enthusiast, I love life so much. I have always gotten really excited about a lot of things. And I think I finally have just fallen into alignment with it. And I get to connect with other women and I have the skills now to totally help take them from a place where they're feeling really scattered, not as competent, and sometimes almost hopeless, and moving into a place where they actually can manage their ADHD and manage their life and all of that kind of stuff. And they're at a place where they're thriving. You know, I use a method that's called working from the inside out. So we don't focus on anything external, we really go inwards, and really focus on the things that are within inside of inside of us and creating this beautiful relationship where your life just gets easier. I work with a lot of women, for their ADHD, but they actually report back to me all the time, like my relationship with my husband's better my relationship with my partner is better. My friendships are getting better. I actually talked to my mom now and told her things that I'm learning in the course. And she realized that, you know, she could change things in her life as well. So it's had this huge ripple effect. And it's been so amazing. Isn't that

Ellen Leonard: 7:45

so cool that when we go deep and do that, that deep inner work, that not only does it usually help with whatever it was we started that journey for, but it has, I love how you put it this ripple effect and starts to impact all these different parts of our life.

AnnMarie Espina: 8:01

Yeah, totally. It's, as soon as you start doing the inside artwork, literally everything on the inside starts to change. And then everything in the outside world just like starts to kind of fall into line with it. And everything is easier. You know, I say to a lot of my clients, when they sign up, you know, you don't get once you finish with me, you don't get impacted by whatever is going on in the external world anymore. COVID here, that doesn't matter. Because at your core, you feel confident you're grounded in who you are, and in your own two feet. So the world could literally be crumbling. But it's okay, because you've got your own back.

Ellen Leonard: 8:39

Yeah, I love that night. I'm guessing a lot of people are finding that helpful, especially right now.

AnnMarie Espina: 8:44

Yeah, totally. It's been a lot of my clients, you know, have been laid off because of COVID or had things change. And they even came to me when they were in a really last place. And then we finished working or we haven't even finished working together some of them and, you know, the transformations that they had in just week three, they're like, wow, I doesn't really matter. I'm like, grateful that this stuff happened because I have so much more to look forward to and you know, they can start seeing the gifts and in the hardships that we're all experiencing right now. So it's awesome.

Ellen Leonard: 9:18

Yeah, it sounds sounds amazing. And, you know, for those of us that are unfamiliar with ADHD or think we know things about HD ADHD that may or may not be true. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

AnnMarie Espina: 9:31

Yeah, so ADHD is typically characterized by issues with executive function so such as time management, time blindness, so you know, you lose track of time. You can show up to appointments late hyperfocused is another thing so if you find something that you're interested in, you zone in and you are in the zone. Sometimes you know you forget to eat or you forget to do all the things. Let require doing. So it shows up very differently for everybody. But typically it's executive function. You know, things like daydreaming, we're really creative, can be impulsive, which I think it's such a gift. And yeah, that's probably the basics of ADHD. And some emotional. We can like interrupt people when they're speaking or our emotions can sometimes get out of control. But, you know, I, I work on a strengths based approach. So I always say that you're at a, you know, your ADHD is the side of ketchup that the server forgot to bring. You are the five star serving serve at a Michelin resort Michelin restaurant. So it's very much, there's so much more to you. And I think, because we struggle with a lot of other things in our lives. And, you know, it can be challenging. But I like to place the focus on other things like what can we make work for us? So? Yeah, that was a roundabout way of answering your question.

Ellen Leonard: 11:06

No, that that was the perfect way of answering my question that was 100% answering my question. And, you know, I know you love to reframe ADHD as a superpower. And you just spoke a little bit about it. But tell us more how that can be a superpower specifically for like entrepreneurs and business owners, like how could they use ADHD to their advantage to be more successful?

AnnMarie Espina: 11:30

Totally. So I think some of the huge things in terms of having ADHD is the creativity so I love getting, you know, clients back in touch with their creativity, especially in terms of being impulsive. So typically, people you know, can interrupt in conversation or they find their impulsivity. Sometimes they try and shut it off. But I actually like to say like, let's open it up in the creative ways, because Dr. Halliwell is a very famous ADHD psychiatrist, psychologist, and he works in that space. And he's strengths based too. And he says, What is creativity? Except impulsivity, gone? Right? which I love. Which is so true.

Ellen Leonard: 12:16

Oh, see that again?

AnnMarie Espina: 12:18

80. Or sorry, impulsivity. What is creativity? Besides impulsivity, gone? Right? Yeah, I

Ellen Leonard: 12:29

love that reframe. And, you know, can do you have any examples of either yourself or other clients that you've have that have used this to their advantage to help them be more successful in their business and what that kind of looks like for them?

AnnMarie Espina: 12:47

Yeah, so in for myself, specifically, I know when I sometimes have an idea about some content that I need to create. And it just comes out of nowhere. And sometimes I have other things that are put into my schedule, and you know what I'm like, I'm gonna go with the flow, I'm going to rearrange my schedule, because I am in that zone. So it's very much about finding ways but that works. Like creativity is so important, especially about making our businesses unique, and what works for us so hugely in terms of content Now that everything is so online. So I see a lot of entrepreneurs with ADHD in that realm, just totally taking off with the content that they create, which is really cool.

Ellen Leonard: 13:29

It sounds like it's almost like when you allow it to do its thing. It's, that's a superpower in itself. Because the creativity and the gifts that you get from it, make it so worth just, instead of resisting to allow,

AnnMarie Espina: 13:47

yes, allowing completely like I have so many clients, and when they first come to me, I always related to, you know, society has this box that we're expected to fit in. And this goes for everybody, not just people with ADHD, but you know, there's this box that we're expected to fit in and be perfect. And this is how we're supposed to operate our business. And this is how, you know, everything is supposed to look and we're supposed to be all put together. And you know, I always say like, just let it flow. Like just be who you are. Just let your mind work the way that it wants to work, stop trying to construct it to these, you know, ways of how you think it's supposed to work and how it's supposed to operate and what the literature says about what the problems and symptoms are associated with ADHD and totally just allowing it to work the way that it wants. I have a client she has a carpentry business. And she was saying, you know, she was really feeling really deflated before she started working with me and I said just trust your brain. It's very much about trusting and allowing, like trust your brain is going to figure it out. Just let your brain knows how to show up for you just allow it to, you know, maybe run its course maybe it's not in the completely ordered fashion that you want it to but just chill like it's going to get the Job done. And she actually said that she was like I, she came so excited to report to me, she's like, I just let my brain do what it had to do. And honestly, my day was so much better, my activity was 100 times higher. She's like, maybe it wasn't in the systemized way that I typically would have done it. But she's like I had, we got the project done in like, no time. And so she was so happy, it was awesome to see because it's, that's what's inside of you. Those are your gifts. That's what you've been given. Just allow your brain and body to function as it needs to.

Ellen Leonard: 15:33

Yeah, I love that trust your brain. And and trust yourself. I feel like so many entrepreneurs and me included. So often, I'm second guessing myself, and my thoughts and my emotions, and just kind of like, Is it the right choice? Like, the part of entrepreneurship is certainly risk. But I wish I had less self doubt I wish I, you know, did trust myself and my brain a little bit more.

AnnMarie Espina: 15:59

Totally. Yeah, I think we all start to second guess ourselves, especially on social media. If you are online, I am online too sometimes. And I will totally start comparing myself to other people. And it's like, hang on, this is my journey. This is the reason why I got here and it, it happens to everybody, you know, it's just checking yourself getting back in your lane. And one of the mantras that I use, especially when I was very, very first starting out was I trust my brain and heart to get what I need. And I just say that over and over.

Ellen Leonard: 16:29

I love that I trust my brain and my heart to get what I need. I'll be writing that one down, by the way.

AnnMarie Espina: 16:36

Yeah, honestly, I tell it to my clients all the time, too. It's like, you know, we we try and analyze our way through life and do all of these things and we take away so much power that is in your subconscious mind that it is 95% of your brain function, your analytical mind is five, you know, we try and analyze our way through life, it's like, you can't do that it's exhausting. Just start to trust yourself. And like, surrender to the fact that you have educated yourself, you have given yourself all of the tools that you possibly can, you know, make a decision, you know, kind of move on with it once, if the decision doesn't work out, make another decision, you know, so having a bit more compassion and space for yourself. And it always works out. When you trust yourself more, everything works out so much easier.

Ellen Leonard: 17:23

Yeah, and trust, trusting ourselves more. And I think giving ourselves space and time to do what we need to do to be successful in our businesses. Because again, so often, we're told, you need to do X, Y, and Z. And then it's like, oh, but I don't like xy and z, or that doesn't work in my life, or that doesn't work in my schedule. And something inside of us needs to be strong enough to stand up for ourselves and be like, yeah, that's not how I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna do it this way.

AnnMarie Espina: 17:52

Yeah, totally. And that's why we get into entrepreneurship, too, you know, is because we have another way to do it. We're like, I have a better way. I'm gonna do it this way. And so it's like, okay, you did it. There's, there was something inside of you at that point that wanted you to do that. And it's just kind of surrendering to the fact and letting your brain do it.

Ellen Leonard: 18:11

Right. So funny, we so many of us got into entrepreneurship, or owning our own business, or whatever, to get away from having somebody tell us what to do. And then we get into that space. And we're like, oh, but this is what I'm supposed to do. And he tried to, like, follow all these rules, like, no, but my email funnel should be like this. And my website has to be like that. And I just, I guess I never thought of it that way. That's really funny.

AnnMarie Espina: 18:37

It's true. Like we were suffering, you know, all entrepreneurs are a little bit stubborn, because you know that there's a quote, unquote, better way to do it as well.

Ellen Leonard: 18:47

It's interesting. I'm one of the women I interviewed. Last year, Aaron Cantwell, she said to me, you know, you're allowed to schedule your day, any way that you want, like, part of the reason so many entrepreneurs got into it was for flexibility and freedom. And then we get into it, and all we do is work. We work, work, work, work, work, and we don't necessarily work in the ways that work best for us or work best for our families or for our brains and our emotions and in what actually serves us and supports us showing up as our best selves. And so I think it's so good and important to remember that that's, that's why we started doing this. And we should maybe, like, get back to that, like trusting ourselves and what we need.

AnnMarie Espina: 19:35

Yeah, totally. And, you know, that's part of the reason why I left when Well, you know, left the nine to five because I like to get up and walk around a lot. Like I have to have breaks. I can't just sit there like a robot. You know, when I remember being in my nine to five, I was like, Oh my god, I just need to get up and walk around just for like 15 minutes, you know, and now it's like I have the freedom to get out. walk around the block, talk to myself. like a crazy person as I'm walking around the block, and then sit back down and continue, continue working, you know. So I think we, we know ourselves so much you know what you want, there was a reason that you dove into this. So start trusting that instinct and even when you're making your schedule, you know, like, look at your schedule, and I always teach my clients, does this make me feel light? Or does this make me feel heavy? If it makes you feel heavy? Run, that is not the option for you. If it feels light energetically, then that is the right option for you.

Ellen Leonard: 20:30

Yeah, and I was just about to ask you for an action step that listeners could take if they wanted to start using ADHD as their superpower as one of their superpowers, you know, because I'm guessing all of our listeners have have several multiple superpowers. But is that the action step? You want to go with the heavy and light? That's a pretty good one, or I'm guessing you have a lot of them, though. what's what's one thing that they could do today?

AnnMarie Espina: 20:55

Oh, my gosh, I have so many, it's kind of hard to say. But a huge foundational piece of what I like to teach is, just trust yourself. Like, trust yourself, and keep reminding yourself, I trust myself, I trust myself, I trust myself. And then yeah, linking in that light and heavy. So you know, it's just sometimes if you can't figure out the answer to something, you can even start practicing light and heavy for what you want to eat for lunch, like, you know, whether it's like a pizza or Burger, close your eyes and think, Okay, which one makes me feel like which one makes me feel heavy, you know, where it sits in your body. So listen to that, listen to that, with your scheduling, listen to that, when you are taking on a new client, if something inside of you is saying, I don't know, doesn't feel right. There's a reason for that.

Ellen Leonard: 21:40

So So listening to ourselves warranted it sounds like that works for everybody in, in entrepreneurship, or, you know, just general humans in the world, in addition to people with ADHD is, is listening to ourselves more and, and giving ourselves more of what we need on a day to day basis. And being more intentional about that and not getting so lost and what we think we should be doing or what other people think we should be doing. I think that that word is such a dirty word should

AnnMarie Espina: 22:12

is dirty. I totally agree with you. We put so much pressure on like, yeah, the same thing fitting into that box. Like, who cares what the box says? Like, write your own book, make your own box, you know, be a little bit rebellious, and like what works for you. Right?

Ellen Leonard: 22:31

Yeah, and work with that with my clients a lot to like, what works for you? Because if it doesn't work for you, why are you doing it?

AnnMarie Espina: 22:36

Yeah, totally. And like there is no one size fits. All right. And that's like, why I find, you know, majority of my work is essentially working on like the mindset and your perception about life and how you interpret the world. Because, you know, I can give you every single strategy, I can give you every single scheduling strategy, I can give you every single ADHD strategy. But it's just like piling on more things to do on to something where you already know the answer with inside of you, I would rather way rather get you to a place where you're connecting with yourself so intensely, that you know, where you can find a strategy that if you find a strategy that doesn't work for you, that you're resilient enough to try something else. Right. So it's, yeah, it's all like nurturing that part of yourself before you do the strategies. And cultivating

Ellen Leonard: 23:32

awareness around how you're interacting with the world, how it's affecting you like what things cause this reaction in you and what things help with that and how your day is gonna go and just noticing instead of just powering through,

AnnMarie Espina: 23:47

Totally, yeah, I completely agree with that. There. I have been in a place in my life when I was just like pushing, pushing, pushing so hard. In my nine to five and I was in a sales role and things were just not working out. I was like, Oh my gosh, what is going on? Like, why am I not selling anything? And then it was like, Okay, hello. Take a look at yourself. You're like a hot mess. Get together get like, calm down, like calm down. People can read your energy, you know, and it was just like, if you push too hard, and one way if something's not working for you, there's a reason for it not working. scale back, stop for a second.

Ellen Leonard: 24:23

Totally and and pay attention to staying healthy, happy and sane, which leads me into my next question. As a business owner, as an entrepreneur, what are you doing to keep yourself healthy, happy and sane, like on a regular basis? What are your secrets? Tell us everything.

AnnMarie Espina: 24:38

There's a one secret that everybody tells me I'm literally crazy for I go to the gym at least four days a week during the week. 5am so I'm up at 430

Ellen Leonard: 24:52

I don't think that's crazy at all. We get up super early in this house too. And everybody thinks we're nuts.

AnnMarie Espina: 24:57

You understand? It's so much nicer though. It's like the best way to start the day.

Ellen Leonard: 25:05

What do you What? What do you love about being up that early and getting your workout in that early?

AnnMarie Espina: 25:11

Oh, to be honest, okay, so I just like it because you get there everybody there isn't the same vibe. Everybody's happy because it's like, you know at 5am if you finished your workout you have the entire rest of the day. I don't have to worry about working out after I've just had the most exhausting day maybe the day went completely haywire. I know that if I workout in the morning I've just set my day up to be friggin awesome. I've given myself those endorphins and you know just nurtured my body because it's not so much always about physical for me it's about the mental benefits as well with like the ADHD, the exercise really, really helps and benefits the ADHD brain so yeah, and then I have time once I get home from my workout, I have been finding just silence honestly, like sometimes I just honestly so my couch and stare at the wall for like an hour just really fine. Set my intention for the day. Really think about how I want my day to unfold. And that's where I get majority of the answers. And my guidance is in that hour when I'm stopped when I literally stopped no phone, no nothing, just chilling.

Ellen Leonard: 26:23

It's almost like you listen to yourself and then decided what was right for you like you tell your clients to do.

AnnMarie Espina: 26:31

All right, practice what I preach.

Ellen Leonard: 26:36

It's almost like what you're telling people to do works. It's so weird.

AnnMarie Espina: 26:41

All right. I was I was honestly like a chronic, like, I was a completely different person. I was a chronic, like, I used to go to the gym at 430. Before I made the switch into like business and improving myself. I would go to the gym at 430 and I would be sitting at my desk at 730 in the morning. into it going typing and all my god what a disaster. I'd work 12 hours every single day. I was exhausted.

Ellen Leonard: 27:04

Yeah, sounds exhausting. I just made a horrible face. That just sounds awful.

AnnMarie Espina: 27:08

It's awful. And it was like, Okay, let's just I actually had to teach myself how to slow down and stop at points throughout my day. Like if I get anxiety, it's like, okay, I just sit on the couch for five minutes. Just breathing. Just stop. Just honestly stop. I think so many people need to do that an entrepreneur is like learning how to find a moment in your day where you're not going, you know, I hear the saying all the time we are human beings, not human doings.

Ellen Leonard: 27:36

That's one of my favorites too. Because you're like, Oh, yeah,

Unknown: 27:39

I am.

Ellen Leonard: 27:41

I always feel like oh, they're on to me.

AnnMarie Espina: 27:44

Somebody is watching and they know.

Ellen Leonard: 27:47

They know the truth of what's actually going on in my house.

Unknown: 27:51

Like chaos. Yeah.

Ellen Leonard: 27:55

Well, so if people want to work with you, or learn more about you, where can they find you? And what kind of things do you offer?

AnnMarie Espina: 28:03

So I right now I'm mainly on my Instagram. So if you could share that would be amazing and read Espina. And then also I have this incredible, incredible two day free course that I am offering on March 24, and 25th of 2021. Crazy. And I have run it once already. And the feedback was insane. It was really incredible. So it is open for women who majority of them have ADHD. But I also had a lot of women last year who were attending who didn't have ADHD. And the reviews from both ADHD and non ADHD ears was amazing. So that is a course for you to get back in touch with your beyond say level competence, step into you know who you really are, and finding how to get in touch with your inner guidance system so that you can start listening to yourself and find what works for you and find what doesn't work for you. So I would love for your listeners and all the entrepreneurs to come in there. And it's suitable for everyone.

Ellen Leonard: 29:06

Yeah, that that sounds like so much fun and such a great way to check in with ourselves. And I will definitely be linking to all of that in the show notes. So if you're interested, you can check that out. And Emory, thank you so much for being with us today. I had such a good time today.

AnnMarie Espina: 29:21

Thank you honestly so much for having me. I love connecting with you and I am really excited to be in your circle now.

Ellen Leonard: 29:28

Well, I mean, there's no escape now. That's it.

AnnMarie Espina: 29:36

I can't handle that. I love your energy. This has been so much fun. So thank you for having me.

Unknown: 29:41

Thank you.

Ellen Leonard: 29:43

I hope you enjoyed listening to the podcast as much as Anne Marie and I clearly enjoyed making it I hope you found some useful actionable tips. I know I did. And if you want to connect with Emory, be sure to look in the show notes for have links to all of her details. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, please be sure to leave a review either on Apple podcasts or by clicking the link in the show notes for a podcast love to leave a little podcast love. I appreciate and value all of the reviews but they also help my podcast to reach more people and help more people be healthy, happy and a little more sane. Thank you so much for listening and I wish you a healthy, happy and mostly sane week. I hope to see you next time.