The ADHD Expert's Trap: Performing Your Value Instead of Owning It
When many leave traditional employment to start their own business, they dream of freedom, creativity, and fulfillment. Yet the reality often looks eerily familiar.
Even after making that bold leap, it’s easy to recreate the same patterns and pitfalls from corporate life—scope creep, burnout, and that ever-present sense of chasing moving goalposts.
For today’s guest, Jabari Allen, a tech consultant specializing in AI reliability, the early entrepreneurial road was filled with the same energy-draining dynamics he’d hoped to escape.
But what makes Jabari’s story so unique is the intersectionality at play: building a business while navigating the realities of being Black and neurodivergent in the predominantly white tech industry. Jabari shares what it feels like to be “the only one” in the room, and how owning every facet of his identity—rather than hiding or compensating—becomes the most radical business strategy of all.
This Client Success Story is a vulnerable and inspiring conversation about evolving your entrepreneurial identity and what is possible with a thought partner who challenges you to move beyond proving your worth into owning your power.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Trusting Your Intuition Matters: What it really means to listen to your gut in business, especially when everyone else seems to know better
People-Pleasing Isn’t Always Obvious: Discover the sneaky ways people-pleasing shows up for entrepreneurs—and why setting boundaries is actually better for you and your clients
Intersectionality & Self-Advocacy: Gain insight into what it’s like to navigate tech as a Black neurodivergent professional, and how those layers shape confidence and communication
Embracing Your Thought Leadership: Learning how to shift from “technician” to “expert”—and how the simplest offer can be both disruptive and profitable
Fun Fact from the Episode
There’s a term in the tech industry for endlessly fussing with tiny details called “yak shaving.” Turns out, it’s not just about perfecting code—but can be a major sign you’re avoiding a bigger decision. Jabari calls it circling the drain, and I refer to it as fluffing the pillows.
Whether it's the obsessive nature of ADHD perfectionism, anxiety about feeling we need to prove ourselves, or keeping ourselves too busy with the small stuff to confront the big stuff, or a combination plate of all of the above, set a limit on this tendency to keep from holding yourself back while feeling productive.
Connect with Jabari Allen: Website - Substack - LinkedIn
Is it time to redefine your success as a business owner with ADHD, and shift from proving your value to owning your expertise?
The first step is scheduling a free consultation where we talk about your goals and see if we are a good fit. Click here to book yours now.
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© 2026 ADHD-ish Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.
