10 Years of Gentle Persistence Taught Me How to Build a Digital Product Business With an ADHD Brain
If you’ve ever felt like you’ve tried everything to build a business — and nothing seems to stick — I want you to know: you’re not alone. The traditional paths often don’t work for those of us who are wired differently.
For me, it took ten years and a lot of false starts. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed ADHD later in life (at 63, no less!) that I began to realize why I was burning out every time I tried to follow the “normal” advice.
I’m not here to promise overnight success. I’m here to share what I’ve learned about building a gentle, sustainable, digital product business when your brain doesn’t follow the rules — and never did.
From Burnout to Blank Page
Fifteen years ago, my nursing career ended in burnout.
I had spent years giving everything I had — emotionally, physically, spiritually — until there was nothing left. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was already operating on borrowed energy, overcompensating for undiagnosed ADHD.
I remember the night it happened, so clearly. It was a normal-ish kind of shift, in a long-term care facility. I loved the residents. I loved my job. I was particularly skilled at gently ushering residents out of this world and into the next. This one night though, there was an emotional charge in the air. The care aides were a little frantic about a young woman who seemed to be taking a turn. Everyone was coming at me. While I held it together (I always do), I went home that night at 11 pm, collapsed on my bed, and cried. Hard cried. For three days straight, I kid you not.
I called in the first day of my next set to say I was unable to come in. I ended up taking my whole set off, saw my doctor, and took a year of medical leave. My world fell apart and I never went back.
I didn’t have a backup plan. I just knew I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing. I needed something different. Something creative, meaningful, and kind to my nervous system. And I had no idea of the next step.
Honestly, it was, and still is, a devastating loss in my life.
Ten Years of Trying Everything
What followed was a decade of learning, experimenting, and — yes — struggling.
I took courses, bought templates, watched webinars, started blogs, made Etsy shops, downloaded productivity apps, made reels and started multiple YouTube channels. I chased every promising new strategy… and then watched my interest fade or my energy collapse.
I learned after quite a while of this trial and error, that there MUST be some reason why I kept at this. I realized that I really enjoyed creating things on Canva. I really enjoyed making little videos. And I could not let go of the desire to write a newsletter. Still can’t.
It would have been easy to call all of this a failure. But deep down, I knew I was still moving forward — just not on the same timeline as everyone else. Something in me refused to give up. I just hadn’t found the right way for me yet.
The Missing Piece: My ADHD Diagnosis
Everything shifted when I was diagnosed with ADHD.
Suddenly, the years of disorganization, emotional exhaustion, and internal self-criticism made sense. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t flaky. I wasn’t incapable.
What first hit me was a tremendous amount of grief that I had to work through. Feel it, come to terms with it, and release it. I was so sad for about two or three weeks thinking about how my life would have been so much different and, yes, EASIER, had I been diagnosed when I was young. I will spare you all the mishaps in my adult life, but looking back, I can see how the lurking-in-the-shadows ADHD had affected my life.
Once I came through the grief, there was relief and eventually clarity. I’m still building on the clarity. It’s been so rejuvenating, as I find systems to support the way my brain operates that enable me to care deeply for myself.
I had spent years trying to build a business with systems designed for neurotypical brains. No wonder I kept hitting a wall.
The diagnosis wasn’t just a label — it was a lens. And through that lens, I could finally begin to build something that worked with my brain, not against it.
Working With My Beautifully Wired Brain
One of the most profound shifts I made was changing how I thought about my ADHD. I stopped seeing it as a flaw — and started seeing it as a different kind of brilliance.
I began designing my business around how I actually function:
- Dopamine-first workdays
- Gentle timelines with lots of space
- One-task-at-a-time workflows
- Permission to follow intuitive focus
- Visual tools and printable systems
- Rituals instead of rigid routines
One of the most helpful strategies I’ve learned is using my Google Calendar to schedule even small, repeatable tasks — like showering, skincare, dog park time, set to audible notifications — so I stay on track without overwhelm. This has been a game-changer. It freed up my mind. Instead of perseverating (thinking over and over) that I hadn’t taken a shower, I gotta take a shower, I don’t feel like taking a shower – I made a commitment to myself to do what my task list told me to do. This simple shift provides me with much more creative energy.
When I stopped trying to force myself to “stay on track” and started building a path I could actually walk, things began to shift. Slowly. But steadily.
How I Help Others Now
After years of trial and error, I realized I wasn’t alone — and that maybe, just maybe, I could help others walking a similar path.
That’s how Turn Your Shift Experience Into Income was born.
It’s a resource for women like me — women who gave everything to care work, who burned out, who are late-diagnosed, creative, overwhelmed, and still so full of value.
Burnout is hard. It’s demoralizing. And…without the experience, I would not have the empathy I have for others who have experienced it (or feel on the verge of) today.
I also write a newsletter, Dear Beloved, for neurospicy women like myself who want to build a digital product business (you can sign up below). I’ve written an ebook “Beautifully Wired” for the same. I made a Burnout Recovery Journal for my nurse girls, guys and they/thems. Coming up with ideas is not usually a neurospicy problem. There’s lots more to come.
I don’t teach hustle. I teach gentle, persistent creativity.
I don’t teach scale. I teach stability.
I don’t teach overnight success. I teach long-haul thriving.
If You See Yourself in My Story…
You’re not behind.
You’re not a failure.
You’re not scattered beyond repair.
You’re wired beautifully.
You’re carrying wisdom.
And you’re still becoming.
I would love to have you join my community. The best way is to subscribe below or follow on the socials (@creativehax). You may also want to check out my product page to see if this would be a fit for you.
Let this be the moment you stop forcing and start creating from the truth of who you are. There’s room here for your story, your style, and your beautifully wired brain.
Your words are a soft encouragement and validation that I am in my right time for everything… all is possible.
You are absolutely right. A big bottleneck for me has been in learning to trust and to release the fear that it is too late. How can it be? “Show me how good my life can be” and “How good is my life?” are two thoughts I allow to swim in my head as much as possible.