If you've ever wondered why so many entrepreneurs have ADHD — or whether the way your brain works might actually be part of why you started a business in the first place — you're asking a question more research is finally catching up to.
On this day, May 17th, in 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its mental illness list.
Removing the stigma allows for change.
While same-sex marriages have existed since ancient times, the first country to sign it into law was Denmark in 2001. As of 2024, 37 countries have legalized same-sex marriage.
When I was an adolescent, people would whisper "on the spectrum" the same way they whispered "cancer" years before.
It's obvious, but whispering doesn't help.
The ability to understand something relies on the ability to first articulate it and view it neutrally without fear — even if others have disagreed and instilled fear about it.
This is especially important with ourselves, who are typically known to be the worst critics around (of ourselves).
Whereas in the past people whispered about autism or ADD/ADHD, this changed dramatically over the past 15 years as more and more people learned about neurodivergence being normal, so to speak.
So many high achievers — Greta Thunberg, Elon Musk, Tim Ferriss, Michael Phelps, Trevor Noah, Paris Hilton, Emma Watson, and many more — have shared that they have ADHD, OCD, or are bi-polar.
29% of entrepreneurs have ADD/ADHD, and 62% identify with ADHDish symptoms.
The more people learn about it, the less scared and ashamed they become. Help and support become available to support people for who and how they are.
This is also part of why House of Done exists. Most of our members are entrepreneurs who spent years suspecting their brains worked differently and now want to build a business that actually fits how they think. If that sounds familiar, you can learn how it works here.
In the meantime, and for always, here are some basic but oft-overlooked to-dos that really help humans (there are so many, but we're talking about ADHD here, so I'll keep it on the shorter side).
This boosts serotonin, an important feel-good neurotransmitter that promotes calm and also interacts with dopamine — responsible for many important functions. ADHD has no known "cure," but increased serotonin sure helps. Even a smile and a good morning nod with a stranger can boost serotonin.
I still remember one morning in London in 2005 I was walking with my friend to class and I dared her to say good morning to a man passing us. Nervous though she was, she did, and it made.his.day. He smiled hugely, wished her the same, and watched us walk away smiling. It still makes me smile to remember this.
I've been helping my clients do this for 22 years, and it's still so exciting to watch how easily they're able to complete hard things…and how delightful it is. I won't get into the neuroscience here, but your unfinished tasks are weighing on you and your brain and contributing to your anxiety and/or depression.
Connect with friends, family, coaches, neighbors, therapists, doctors, healers — about this, or that, or the important stuff. The rate of suicide in the US in 2023 was the highest it's been since 1941, or ever on record, depending on the source. It's not always easy to be a human, so please ask for help.
Whatever you're grappling with, you're not alone. There are 7.95 billion humans on this earth, and it's the information age. Most likely others have gone through what you're going through, and if not (super unlikely), be the one to bring it forward — because things change. When you ask for help (see #3), you not only hopefully receive it, but you also bring things to the surface that educate others and allow for change.
You're magnificent, and I believe in you.
Let's make history by living out your greatest dreams, no matter what anyone has told you is possible or not.
❤️ Leah
Leah Fisch is the Founder of CEO Rise and philanthropist co-founder of Cultivar Cartagena — otherwise known as the Jewish Mother Dominatrix.
A self-described messy kid with "lots of potential" she never seemed to live up to, Leah spent her first decade in business as a Professional Organizer specializing in hoarders threatened with eviction in New York City. She learned, very tangibly, how to help people cut what they don't need, get clear on what they do, and make change that actually lasts — even for the people everyone else had given up on.
Today she brings that same framework to ADHDish entrepreneurs — helping them build businesses that work in their weird and wild way.
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