Your Coaching Partner

My August newsletter is now live 🌿
This month I’ve been thinking about what it means to feel understood, and how understanding ourselves can sometimes be the starting point.
Inside:🧠 Someone I think you should know about💭 A conversation that got me thinking about The Great ADHD Myth?♿ Reflections on Disability Pride🐈‍⬛ A little bit of joy from Bandit and Pirate📚 Some people and resources I’ve been enjoying
And a tribute to Professor Jason Arday. 🖤
👉 Take a look here: https://mailchi.mp/2c6cac614be3/happy-august
📨 If you’d like the next one straight to your inbox, you can sign up here: https://www.yourcoachingpartner.co.uk/

Home Coaching and training for neurodivergent and creative minds. Founder Morwenna Stewart (Your Coaching Partner Ltd): Autistic, ADHD, writer, editor, trainer. Home page.

⚠️ Content warning: this post discusses difficult times and su***de.

Never Give Up Day can sometimes feel like it's telling us to keep pushing, no matter what.

But sometimes persistence is proving someone wrong, sometimes it's achieving something you didn't think you could, and sometimes it's resting, asking for help, or simply getting through the day.
I've had some days that made me want to quit. But I haven't yet experienced a day that I didn't survive. ❤️

What have you achieved despite being underestimated?

The assignment still isn't finished… but the oven's never looked better. 🧼
Anyone else suddenly become incredibly productive at everything except the thing they're actually meant to be doing? 😆

Happy International Cat Day from Bandit, Pirate and me! 🐈‍⬛

Do you think there's something special about the connection between neurodivergent people and animals?

Describe your cat in three words in the comments - photos welcome! 🐾

I haven't watched this documentary yet, so this isn't a judgement on the programme itself.

But I have read the press release, and I think it's fair to question the way it's being framed.

ADHD is already widely misunderstood. Many people spend years waiting for an assessment, doubting themselves, or being told they're lazy, careless or simply "not trying hard enough."

So when a documentary is promoted around the question of whether ADHD is "a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct", it's understandable that many people feel concerned.

We absolutely should have conversations about diagnosis, support, medication and the environments people grow up in.

But those conversations need to be handled carefully, because the way we frame disability and neurodivergence has real-world consequences for the people living with them.

I'd be interested to hear what others think about the way this has been promoted.