About Me & My Approach
I’m Ellie Kay, ADHD and AuDHD coach, speaker, workplace mediator and neurodiversity trainer.
I work with women who have spent years doubting themselves, feeling like they should be coping better, when actually no one ever showed them how their brain works.
At 45 I received a late ADHD diagnosis that finally made sense of a lifetime of intense highs and lows. It helped me move from frustration, guilt and shame to self compassion and, in turn, self worth.
I’m also married to an autistic man who thrives on routine and predictability, has strong special interests and an incredible ability for pattern recognition. That lived experience gives me a real understanding of how different brains work together, and helps me support my AuDHD clients in making sense of themselves in a practical, grounded way.
I understand how neurodiversity shows up in the workplace too. I spent over twenty years building and running businesses in recruitment and construction, scaling one business to £1.8 million turnover and leading teams through growth, recession and change. I’ve employed many neurodivergent people over the years and seen both the strengths and challenges first hand.
I’ve also had life experiences that forced me to face self doubt head on and lean into resilience.
At 29 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which left me infertile.
In 2011 I appeared on BBC One’s The Apprentice, where I experienced intense pressure and scrutiny from Alan Sugar and millions of viewers. That experience taught me more about resilience, rejection and self belief than any qualification ever could.
All of this shapes how I coach, speak, train and mediate today.
Professional Background & Training
You get three things with me:
• Lived experience of ADHD and Autism
• Professional accredited coach and mediation training
• Over 25 years business and leadership experience
I was initially trained by ADHD Works as an ADHD coach before completing further training with Optimus Coach Academy as an ICF and EMCC accredited coach.
I also have over 200 hours of coaching experience supporting ADHD and AuDHD women through both personal and workplace challenges.
Alongside coaching, I am a CMC accredited workplace mediator specialising in neurodiversity related workplace conflict and communication.
I value lived experience. I also value standards. You get both with me.
How I Work
People often describe my style as calm, grounded and easy to talk to, but I also bring humour and honesty because life is too short to sit in shame and seriousness all the time.
I create spaces where people can talk openly without fear of judgement.
I’m compassionate, but I’m also direct where it matters. I will challenge you when it’s useful and bring insight from real business and life experience, not just coaching theory.
I believe:
• Clarity and acceptance reduce anxiety
• Curiosity reduces stigma and assumptions
• Progress matters more than perfection
Most workplace tension grows in silence. Most self doubt deepens when it is never spoken about. My job is to bring those conversations into the open in a way that feels psychologically safe and genuinely useful.
In talks and training I use humour carefully, not to distract from difficult subjects, but to make them easier to connect with and remember.
Working With Organisations
I understand the pressure of leadership because I’ve lived it.
Leaders are trying to balance performance, people and culture all at once, often without enough support or training around neurodiversity.
My work with organisations includes:
• Conference and keynote speaking on neurodiversity, resilience and my journey as an ADHD business owner
• Neurodiversity management training to help managers communicate, support and lead with confidence
• Workplace mediation, especially where one or more people are neurodivergent
• Individual, group and co coaching for both leaders and neurodivergent employees
This work is practical, grounded and based on real life experience.
The aim is better conversations, fewer escalations and teams that function well under pressure.
Working With Individuals
I also work with ADHD and AuDHD women, especially those who feel like they’ve spent their whole lives swimming upstream.
I understand what shame, guilt, rejection sensitivity and emotional overwhelm can feel like. I also understand what it feels like to be capable, intelligent and still struggle with things other people seem to find easy.
Through one to one and group coaching I help women:
• Understand and use their strengths
• Make sense of the harder parts
• Build confidence and boundaries
• Create work and life structures that genuinely support them
By understanding yourself better, we can build practical workable strategies that help life feel calmer, clearer and far more manageable.