Anette Jacobsen: Assessments, stigma & workplace accessibility

Women & ADHD

Episode 178 with Anette Jacobsen.

“A lot of women don’t pass the autism tests the first time because the questions are designed with young boys in mind. ‘Do you collect trains, planes, or information about birds?’ No, I don't. But right now my special interest is autism and ADHD, and you should see how many Trello boards I have.”

Anette lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anette never suspected she had ADHD until she lost her flexible job as the administrative manager of the largest language school for adult immigrants in Denmark due to extenuating circumstances. She went from having her own office to having to work in open-plan offices, and she found that she really struggled with focusing. After reading an article about ADHD, she started to connect the dots in her own life and was officially diagnosed at age 51.

Anette is currently looking for the right career path for her, and we discuss some of the challenges she has faced while trying to advocate for herself both in the workplace and during the interview process.

Anette is also one of my former group coaching clients, so we catch up on how she’s been doing. We also talk about the chronic self-doubt that comes along with ADHD, especially after a lifetime spent undiagnosed, and how important it is for us to feel trusted and accepted, especially in the workplace. And we talk about some of the difficulties she encountered when seeking an autism diagnosis, as well as the drawbacks of autism assessments for adult women.

Links & Resources:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/anette-jacobsen/
• Episode 170 with Lotta Borg Skoglund
• It's Not a Bloody Trend: Understanding Life as an ADHD Adult by Kat Brown
• Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
• How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis

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Episode Sponsor:

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Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

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Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

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Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

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Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

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If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

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