Kirsty Holden – ADHD Business Coach & Mentor
ADHD-Friendly Strategies for Entrepreneurs
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The Story Behind the Systems
From School Refuser to Entrepreneur
I didn’t choose this path. I designed it – one system, one survival strategy, one ‘what if’ at a time.
You're not broken. You're brilliant. You don't need more discipline. You need different systems.
Hi, I’m Kirsty. I help neurodivergent founders untangle the chaos, simplify their business, and build sustainable success that doesn’t come at the cost of their energy, identity, or peace!
Only the systems I teach weren’t born in a strategy textbook. They were forged in school corridors, cardboard boxes, and moments of pure ‘what the hell is wrong with me?’ panic.
This is the story of how I stopped forcing myself to fit and started building businesses that fit me.
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School Wasn’t Built for Me (But I Found My Way In Anyway)
I was the kid who had to be peeled off her mum to go to school.
Who went home at lunchtime every day just to survive the sensory overload.
Who couldn’t sit still, drew on rubbers and got the same report every year (‘easily distracted, has potential’), and still managed to get B grades in English by listening rather than reading!
I didn’t thrive because the system worked. I survived by quietly hacking it.
And it was those early adaptations They taught me:
I need structure that’s flexible
I need autonomy inside guidance
I need environments I can trust
I didn’t know it then, but I was building the exact self-led systems I now help others create.
The Career That Wasn’t Meant to Be (But Still Taught Me Everything)
I wanted to be a lawyer. But more classrooms, lectures, more sitting still, more silent reading. My brain screamed no.
So I chose an apprenticeship instead – and by 19 was working in the Criminal Justice System for 15 years. I rose to team leader, built visual processes for my team, and quietly redesigned the way we worked.
Only my leadership didn’t come from a textbook. It came from knowing what I needed to succeed, and creating it for others too.
Looking back, that wasn’t a failure. It was proof that Plan B can be the perfect fit.
The Box I Wasn’t Meant to Fit In (So I Built a New One)
When I became a mum, I felt I had to choose… career or kids.
My flexible working requests were denied ‘because they didn’t want to set a precident’…
(Later granted – but the damage was already done.)
I was floating between desks, filling gaps, living out of a box, no longer offered promotions, and essentially made to feel like a problem to be managed.
That was my turning point back in 2018.
I gave myself 6 months to match my part-time wage.
I did it. And then some!
Because entrepreneurship wasn’t just a career move. It was a reclamation of my space, my brain, and my future.
I Wasn't Just 'Particular' - I Was Neurodivergent
It wasn’t until 2024 that I got my ADHD and autism diagnosis.
And suddenly, it all made sense:
The systems I created that didn’t look like anyone else’s
The hyper focus, the burnout, the social anxiety
The way I saw patterns where others saw overwhelm
What I thought were quirks were actually clues. What I thought were workarounds were actually frameworks.
Turns out, I’d been building ADHD-friendly businesses long before I knew that’s what I was doing!
And Now? I Help You Do the Same.
Because you don’t need to become someone else to succeed. You need to understand how you work best – and build a business around it.
That’s what I do. Through strategy, systems, and support that doesn’t require masking, pushing, or burning out.
If you’re ready to:
Feel in control without becoming rigid.
Grow your income without growing your overwhelm.
Make decisions from your nervous system, not your notifications.
Then you’re in the right place.
Let’s build a business that fits you. Not the other way around.
"What has my support given you the opportunity to do that you felt you couldn't do previously?"
“Continue to grow my business, I was hitting a ceiling before because I was trying to do everything myself. Now I know I have great automations in place and I can rely on Kirsty any time I need to. It’s created a lot more time for me to focus on doing what I do best.”
– Sophie Angell Marketing