The Truth About ADHD Coaching — Beyond the Headlines
By Romaine (coach, consultant & lived-experience guide for women with ADHD)
Big claims, high prices, no regulation: The murky world of ADHD coaching — that was the headline in Metro this week (31 Oct 2025), and it certainly got attention.
As someone who specialises in supporting women with ADHD, with lived experience and professional training behind me, I want to offer a grounded perspective.
The Metro article painted ADHD coaching as ‘murky — high prices, big claims, no regulation. And yes, there are concerns in the industry. When you are supporting neurodivergent women at vulnerable points in their lives, there is a responsibility to do this work ethically and with depth.
But here is what the article missed: ADHD coaching is not just a skill-set — it is a lived-experience space.
Because you can learn tools.
You can read textbooks.
You can understand ADHD intellectually.
But if you have never lived inside an ADHD brain ………..the overwhelm, the identity shift, the invisible handbrake………… You do not fully understand what it takes to move through it.
Lived experience matters
I have walked this path myself.
I have supported women walking it.
And I invest in my own coaching and mentorship too — I have two coaches, all qualified, because as coaches we continue to do the work we ask others to do.
And a quick correction…
The article suggested that people awarded funding are left to find their own coach.
In reality, many are assigned via specific companies, and you do not get to choose. Let’s not confuse oversight gaps with freedom of choice that doesn’t always exist.
The ADHD coach I have via Access to Work does not have ADHD and doesn't understand what it feels like to live with ADHD; she only has strategies for time management, organisational help and mindset. Most of the tools she has can only help on the surface level. For me, you need to understand on a much deeper level, the internal feelings and struggles…….. and that comes with lived experience.
ADHD coaching is not a magic wand
No coach can ‘fix’ ADHD.
There is no waking up neurotypical tomorrow.
But you can minimise symptoms, regulate your nervous system, strengthen identity, build a structure that works for your brain, and reclaim clarity and confidence.
When people get disappointed, it is often because they were sold a quick fix — or expected one.
Coaching is a partnership
You bring courage, consistency and commitment.
I bring lived experience, proven tools, and a whole-person approach: mind, body, and who you are at your core.
No, “just time-block harder.”
No “be more disciplined.”
No pretending this is a neat, linear journey.
It is not fast, but with the right support, it can be faster, safer, and more aligned than figuring it out alone.
My stance
ADHD coaching done properly is not murky. It is transformational, grounding and life-affirming.
But only when it is:
✔ trauma-aware
✔ rooted in lived experience
✔ personalised, not cookie-cutter
✔ addressing mind, body, and identity
✔ honest about the work involved
And most importantly, when the client is ready to participate in their own growth.
This is not about neat systems or hustle culture.
It is about understanding how your brain works, honouring it, and rebuilding your life from that truth.
If you are a woman navigating ADHD and you want grounded support, honesty, and a coach who has ‘walked the path’ ……… choose someone who’s walked the path, not someone selling a shortcut they have never taken.
You deserve real support — rooted in understanding, not hype.
So — what I do (and why it matters)
Let me position this clearly. As you know, I, Romaine, serve purpose-led women entrepreneurs (late 30s to early 50s) who often suspect or know they have ADHD, may be burnt-out, overwhelmed, disconnected from their clarity, identity and energy. My coaching helps them:
Reconnect with their authentic self (mind + body + spirit)
Build ADHD-friendly strategies that actually align with how they think and feel
Create clarity, confidence and control in their business and life
Move from scattered and autopilot to purpose-led, energised, grounded
Why this matters: The mainstream coaching market often misses the neurodiverse nuance. And because many women have been told to ‘just use a system’ or ‘get organised’ — which does not cut it when your brain wiring, nervous system and identity are chaotic.
Also: my personal experience (raising neurodiverse kids, navigating neurodiversity myself, delivering training on neurodivergence) means I get it. I have walked it. I have come out the other side. That means I can walk with you, not just ‘tell you’.
Final thoughts (and an invitation)
The Metro article does a service in bringing attention to the risks in ADHD coaching: inflated claims, uneven regulation, and vulnerable clients. But remember: risks do not mean the field is illegitimate — they mean your choice of coach and the quality of the relationship matter more than ever.
Here are my closing takeaways for you, whether you are thinking of getting coaching or already working with a coach:
Ask the coach about lived experience. Has the coach been through what you are going through? If not, how do they compensate for that gap?
Educate yourself. Understand what real ADHD-friendly coaching looks like (brains, bodies, identity, not just time management, organisation and to-do lists).
Commit to the work. You are not paying for a quick fix; you are investing in transformation. Show up. Be ready.
Align with your values. Choose someone who resonates with your style, your worldview, your needs. If you feel safe and seen, you will go further.
Manage expectations. This is a journey. You will progress. You will have wins. But you’ll also face messy parts. That’s okay.
If you feel stuck, unclear about your next move, or ready to reclaim clarity, confidence and control, I would love to connect and see if we are a fit. Because I truly do believe you can thrive on your terms, using your brain the way it works rather than battling it.
Here is to stepping into alignment, to owning your story, and to thriving………… Not just surviving.
Romaine