내 이야기

20세에 양극성 장애를 앓은 후 시간이 지남에 따라 그것을 관리하고 대처하는 법을 배웠지만 여전히 너무 힘들었습니다. 내가 수년간 만성 우울증과 불안과 싸워 왔다는 것을 나중에서야 깨달았습니다. 나는 심각한 수면 문제가 있었고, 최악의 경우 오전 10시에 자고 오후 6시에 기상했습니다. 자가면역 질환(하시모토 갑상선염)이 갑자기 발병하여 모든 에너지가 고갈되어 생산적인 기능을 수행하기가 어려웠습니다. 늘 몸에 만성적인 통증이 있었고, 좌골신경통으로 일을 하거나 사회생활을 하기가 어려웠습니다. 몇 년 동안 나는 술에 의존했습니다.

20대 후반이 되어서야 정신과 의사가 나에게 ADHD가 있을 수 있다고 말했고 내 삶이 의미가 있었다. 나는 ADHD에 관한 책을 샀지만 진정한 ADHD 방식으로 읽는 것을 미루었습니다. 이 단계에서는 ADHD가 일상 생활에 얼마나 영향을 미치는지 알지 못했습니다.

30대에는 ADHD에 대해 더 많이 배웠습니다. 나는 약물을 복용하고 ADHD를 수용하기 위해 내 삶에 많은 조정을 했습니다. 나는 내가 전혀 이해하지 못한 부분에 대해 더 많이 배웠습니다. 내 ADHD에 대해 더 많이 배우고 이해함에 따라, 나는 연민으로 나 자신을 더 많이 받아들이기 시작했습니다. 나는 ADHD가 매일 너무 많은 죄책감과 수치심과 관련되어 있다는 것을 깨달았습니다. 나는 나 자신에 대한 이야기를 재구성했습니다. 나는 게으르지 않았습니다. 대조적으로, 나는 열심히 일하는 사람이었습니다. 매일 ADHD 문제에 직면했기 때문에 일을 시작하고 끝내는 데 어려움을 겪었습니다. 속도를 늦추는 법을 배우면서 나는 바쁜 삶에서 얼마나 많은 스트레스와 불안을 느꼈는지 깨닫게 되었습니다. 나는 훨씬 가볍고 행복했으며 ADHD와 함께 번성하기 시작했습니다. 내 파트너도 자신이 ADHD를 앓고 있다는 것을 깨달았고 함께 ADHD가 관계에 미치는 영향을 다루기 시작했습니다.

ADHD 코칭에 대해 알게 되었을 때, 나는 그것이 나에게 아주 잘 맞는다는 것을 깨달았습니다. 나는 다른 사람들이 내가 가진 변화를 겪을 수 있도록 힘을 실어주고 싶었습니다. 저는 최근 ADDCA(ADD Coach Academy) 에서 교육을 마치고 현재 인증을 위해 노력하고 있습니다. 저는 ADHD가 있는 다른 사람들을 지원하고 권한을 부여하기 위한 개인적인 여정을 통해 계속 성장하는 것을 목표로 합니다.

유색 이민자 여성으로서 저는 모든 사람에게 자신을 표현하고 ADHD와 정체성의 교차점을 탐색할 수 있는 안전한 공간을 제공하는 것을 목표로 합니다. 제 임무는 사람들이 ADHD의 독특한 강점을 활용하여 번성할 수 있도록 하는 것입니다.

개인적으로 저는 한국에서 왔고 한국, 영국, 미국에서 살았으며 현재 시카고 지역에 거주하고 있습니다. 저는 이전에 대학 준비 강사, 교사 및 대학 입학 컨설턴트로 10년 동안 교육 업계에서 일했으며 제도 업계에서는 제도자로 일했습니다. 저는 한국어와 영어로 이중 언어를 구사하며 스페인어를 사용하고 있습니다. 나는 여행, 자전거 타기, 춤, 식물 및 DIY의 모든 것을 좋아합니다.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

In my 30s...

I learned more about ADHD. I went on medication and made adjustments to my life to accommodate my ADHD. As I learned and understood more about my ADHD, I began to accept myself more with compassion. I realized that having ADHD is associated with so much guilt and shame on a daily basis. I reframed the narrative I had about myself - I was not lazy; in contrast, I worked almost too hard - I just struggled to start tasks and finish them because I faced invisible ADHD challenges and blocks every day.

As I learned to slow down, I also became aware of just how much stress and anxiety I had been feeling in my hectic life (nervous system disregulation). I was living inside a rice cooker. After self-coaching myself and making adjustments to my life, I felt much much lighter, happier and started slowly thriving with ADHD. My partner at the time also realized he has ADHD and together, we started addressing the effects ADHD had on our relationship. I have since realized that nearly all of my romantic partners are neurodivergent - naturally. I am always learning from them and our relationships.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

About a year and a half ago, I discovered that I am autistic, making me AuDHD. I have been learning more about neurodivergence and the concept of 2e (twice exceptional: gifted + disability). Along with this, I also realized that I am queer, as many autistic individuals are.

(once I realized I was like..."wait, that was so obvious, why/how did I not realize 😂") Apparently, usually, people who are not autistic or queer do not spend too much time wondering about it - oh, duh? I have been exploring and learning so much since then.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𓋼

The Last 4 years...

of creating a career and online business

When I first found out about ADHD coaching, I intuitively recognized it would be a great fit for me as a career. I had known I have a lot of talent and passion but did not know what career I could channel it into. I had a feeling this was it.

I wanted to empower others to undergo transformations as I had. I completed my training with ADDCA (ADD Coach Academy) in 2022 and am AACC certified. I am also in the process of obtaining a PCC with ICF (International Coaching Federation) - its not a disability friendly process.

Fast forward 2 years,

as of April '24, I have a thriving online business supporting neurodivergent people come into their powerful selves. I get to do work on my terms, with flexibility, and work with people that bring me joy. Its unbelieveable that I have made a career out of having multiple disabilities and "mental illnesses." I get to travel and do fun things. It feels a bit cliched to say, but honestly it feels like a dream, still.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𓋼

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

On a more personal note,

I’m from Korea and have lived in Korea, the UK, and the US, currently residing in Los Angeles. As a third culture kid, and avid traveler, I have been shifting through different cultures, often navigating spaces I don't feel I inherently belong in.

I have previously worked in the education industry for a decade as a college prep instructor, tutor and college admissions consultant, and in the manufacturing industry as a drafter. I am bilingual in Korean and English and working on my Spanish. I love traveling ✈️, cycling 🚴‍♀️, everything outdoors ⛰️, dancing 💃🏻, plants 🪴, exploring psychedelics 🍄 and all things DIY 🔨.

Proud )'(

Some of my current special interests are learning about trauma, different modalities of somatic healing (movement, fascial maneuvers etc), and polyvagal theory. I completed a Somatic Experiencing professional training in March '24. I have been realizing that I have a powerful intuition (as many of us do) and have been trying to lean into intuitive ways of doing things (instead of getting caught up in the all the thinking). I incorporate my learnings into my coaching and my intuition is a powerful tool that guides our work.

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As a queer immigrant woman of color, I aim to give everyone a safe space
to express themselves and explore the intersection of their neurodivergence and identities.

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

The work I do with clients can be distilled into :
Supporting in Neurodivergent adults create balance, safety and control in their lives,
so they can bloom and cultivate more fun, play, joy and creativity ✨💫

My signature program is called Neurodivergent Magic ✨

My Approach to Coaching

Some indications we would be a good fit

Conventional (white man) Productivity™️ Isn't for You

You are craving gentler, softer, more supportive productivity.

You want to combine productivity solutions [outer work] with working through the tough emotional experience of being neurodivergent [inner work].

You resonate with my story

You struggle with getting things done (being "productive"), mental health, chronic illnesses, and addiction.

You resonate with my identity and neurodivergences

You are BIPOC, queer, autistic, ADHD, bipolar, 2e (gifted + disability).

You are like my other clients (and me!)

My clients tend to be creatives, small business owners, work in non-profit or tech, are graduate students.

Many of my clients are BIPOC and/or queer.

You are looking for a coach who...

Understands neurodivergent struggles first hand, is : empathetic, non-judgemental, honest & direct - bold, encouraging, provides a lot of accountability & support, solutions oriented, invested in your success, knowledgable & has cultural sensitivity, non transactional...and most of all, believes in you (even when you are struggling to)

You are a resistance against colonialism + patriarchy

You leaning into your disabilities and neurodivergence, unmasking and being authentically you is a radical resistance against colonial and patriarchal systems (Western norms of time and extractive productivity / ideas about what neurodivergence should look like vs what it actually looks like in marginalized communities). You and your life are a political statement.

Holistic

I balance the tools of ND coaching (tips, hacks, strategies) with holding and working through the very difficult, complexed lived emotional experience of being neurodivergent.

In short, we would be balancing inner work with outer work.

Tailored

Each person has a unique brain, unique needs with different circumstances, and a different way of receiving coaching.

To honor this, I let my intuition guide me in taking an individualized approach for every client and do not use one-size-fits-all tools.

Client-Centered

I empower the client to come up with what works for them and keep themselves accountable with my support. (we all know - no one can really make ND people do things)