Ageless Careers

I help Gen X and Baby Boomer job seekers to thrive in their careers through:
* 1:1 Coaching (Resumes, LinkedIn profile recommendations, Executive Bios)
* Ageless Careers Toolkit (courses designed to help you land a job faster)
* Ageless Careers Insider Weekly (weekly newsletter with actionable tips)

I've delivered webinars and in-person presentations on resume and LinkedIn best practices to corporations and universities including Asurion, the Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Association, and Point Park University.

I've been cited as a Top Resume Writing Voice on LinkedIn and a Career Expert in online and print resources including Fast Company, Forbes, LinkedIn News, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg Businessweek, FlexJobs, and Best Colleges.

I've also delivered customized career coaching as part of the Pennsylvania Conference for Women.

Partnership opportunities: I also partner with companies looking to hire Gen X and Baby Boomer talent. Feel free to reach out if you have opportunities that you would like to share with the Ageless Careers community.

Sponsorship opportunities: Are you looking to gain awareness with Gen X/Baby Boomer executives? Reach out to discuss opportunities to sponsor the Ageless Careers Insider Weekly newsletter and/or reach my 65K+ LinkedIn followers through sponsored posts.

Founder | Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profile Upgrades | Executive Bios

Colleen Paulson Consulting

I have generated 32M+ LinkedIn impressions since January 2023, adding 60,000+ LinkedIn followers, and was named one of the Top 200 LinkedIn Creators in the US and Top 200 Female LinkedIn Creators in the World.

I use the same strategies to help clients grow their presence on LinkedIn, optimizing client LinkedIn profiles, ghostwriting posts, and introduce posting strategies to maximize reach.

LinkedIn Consultant for Businesses & Executives

I've helped 1000+ executives and job seekers advance in their careers through insightful resumes, executive bios, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters with a 99.9% client satisfaction rate.

I've delivered webinars and in-person presentations on resume and LinkedIn best practices to groups including the Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Association and Point Park University.

I've been cited as a Top Resume Writing Voice on LinkedIn and a Career Expert in online and print resources including Forbes, LinkedIn News, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg Businessweek, FlexJobs, and Best Colleges.

I've also delivered customized career coaching as part of the Pennsylvania Conference for Women.

Career Consultant | Resumes, LinkedIn, Cover Letters, Interviewing Expertise

I have published work in a variety of newspapers, magazines, and online resources including The Motley Fool, Investopedia, Businessweek.com, Ivy Exec, Thrive Global, Ellevate, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Multichannel Merchant magazine, and Woman Engineer magazine.

I've been cited for my career advice and investment analysis in top websites including Yahoo Finance, LinkedIn News, MSN, CBS News, and The Australian.

I've also delivered ghostwriting expertise to small businesses across topics including finance, investing, and career/workforce development.

Freelance Writer | Business Ghostwriter

The ABplatform

The ABplatform is a suite of services that help companies and industry experts find each other and create high performing Advisory Boards.  We offer recruiting, onboarding, coaching, tools, and templates that you can use to build your Advisory Board, and build your business.

Advisory Board Member

Glassdoor

I wrote weekly posts for Glassdoor's Technology Bowl, sharing market trends and discussing current events with tech professionals.

Content Creator

Randstad USA

Randstad RiseSmart is the leading provider of outplacement and talent mobility services for organizations in more than 40 industries and 80 countries. 

As a Randstad RiseSmart Career Coach, I expertly coached clients on their job search strategy and provide mock interviews, interview preparation, video interviewing, offer evaluation, salary negotiation coaching, as well as information on networking best practices and LinkedIn. Coaching was provided through a customized 1:1 approach with full support throughout their job search journey.

Career Coach | Job Search Consultant

CEO Connection

I built relationships with Mid-Market CEOs, understanding their goals and connecting them with potential board roles. I also curated networking opportunities including Board Connection Receptions, and cultivated strategic alliances with Private Equity firms, start-ups, and other advisory contacts.

Board Connection Director

Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business

I evaluated 1000+ applicants on 6 continents for a Top 20 MBA program, reviewing resumes, work experience, test scores, undergraduate grades, and essays to identify top candidates and forecast student success. I interviewed global candidates remotely and in-person utilizing behavioral interviewing techniques.

I was also part of the team establishing admissions standards for MSPM (Master of Science in Product Management) degree offering.

External Reader / Interviewer

The Motley Fool

I contributed 175+ articles with a focus on the consumer products industry, predicting trends and conducting in-depth financial analysis of top companies.

Contributor / Analyst

FedEx

I served as an instrumental part of the team driving global air/ground transportation revenue and volume growth through strategic pricing programs for Fortune 500 customers with shipping revenues exceeding $100 million.  Key accomplishments include:​

* Established price points and created cost-based analysis model for new FedEx Express (Last Mile) product offering

* Developed strategic pricing programs for current and potential customers, evaluating shipping metrics of customers and determining margins for pricing programs using excel-based models

* Elevated corporate revenues and profits, collaborating with sales directors to develop customer prospects and pricing strategies for 20+ Fortune 500 customers

* Owned major intranet-based pricing system, enhancing level and quality of pricing data in corporate databases, and expanding system capabilities to include new business units

* Recipient of FedEx Global Marketing Rising Star award and two Bravo Zulu awards for outstanding contributions

* Proficient in various pricing methodologies, including market and cost-based pricing methods

Senior Marketing Analyst, Strategic Pricing & Business Analysis

Procter & Gamble

I directed all aspects of production for 2 manufacturing lines making over 1.5 million cases of consumer products per year, leading a team of 30. Accomplishments include:

* Improved overall profit margin by 10% through increasing line production speed while concurrently reducing maintenance and personnel expenses, with an emphasis on lean manufacturing principles

* Generated cost savings of $1 million through improving existing processes and consolidating product manufacturing to one North American site. 

* Reduced level of quality defects by 50% while increasing equipment speed by 30%

* Increased brand production capacity by 10% through directing installation and start-up of production equipment

Manager/Technical Engineer

Want to up your game on LinkedIn?
Need an new resume or executive bio?
How about an expert presentation on ageism in the workplace?

I can help with all of that!

I deliver a wide range of services including:
* Executive resumes, executive bios, and LinkedIn profile upgrades
* LinkedIn strategies for small businesses and executives
* Business writing about ageism, workforce trends, and job search strategies
* Presentations/webinars on a variety of topics including ageism and LinkedIn/resume best practices

A little about me: I'm a 5x career changer who has skill-stacked my way from engineering into career consulting.

I started my career with Procter & Gamble as an Engineer/Production Manager, learning not only about consumer products, but also gaining key insights into leadership and career development. 

In my early 20s, I helped P&G move its manufacturing operations from Greenville, NC to Belleville, Ontario. I lived in Canada for 3 years and managed multi-million dollar projects and operations, managing a team of 30 in my Production Manager role. After earning my MBA, I worked in strategic marketing for FedEx, setting prices and forecasting profits for Fortune 500 customers and establishing price points for a new transportation product offering.

After my time in Corporate America, I pivoted and launched my own writing/consulting business. I served as a Contributor/Analyst for The Motley Fool for 4 years and have been cited as an industry expert by major news organizations and job search sites including Fast Company, Forbes, CBS News, Yahoo Finance, MSN, LinkedIn News, and FlexJobs. 

I have remained on-trend for career development best practices through my additional consulting work including:

* External Reader / Interviewer for Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business for 7 application seasons, evaluating 1000+ applicants on 6 continents

* Board Connection Director for CEO Connection, connecting Mid-Market CEOs with board seats and participating in our "How to Get on a Board" Workshop

* Career coaching/outplacement services with Randstad RiseSmart

* Advisory board member for TheABplatform

* Glassdoor Expert/Content Creator Program Manager

My proudest professional accomplishment is my involvement in saving our local pool. As Board President of the Brook Park Swim Club, I worked with our community to turn a projected $70K deficit into a surplus within 12 months, protecting this community asset for our children. 

Reach out (colleen@agelesscareers.com) and let me know how I can help you to reach your goals.

Colleen Paulson

"I'm 62 & have at least 5 good years of work left."

I've heard from 1000s of job seekers in their 50s, 60s, and beyond within the past few years. Folks often lead with their age when they reach out, as if they should apologize for wanting to work.

Listen, you don't have to apologize to anyone if you want (or need) to keep working into your 60s and beyond.

Most of us don't have a guaranteed pension and won't be retiring in our 50s. My data shows that 90% of us plan to work into our 60s and 25% of us plan to never retire.

However, if you're 50+ and navigating the job market, you’re not imagining it: ageism is real. 66% of workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace according to a 2025 AARP survey.

With that said, I'm seeing folks in their 50s and 60s land great jobs (even in this challenging market). I recently had a client in his late 60s land his "dream job" as an IT analyst, countering the ageism that can be so prevalent in tech - so yes, you can position yourself as the leading candidate, regardless of age.

Here's how to get started:
* Keep networking (let people know you are looking)
* Write an "ageless" resume (with quantified results)
* Build a LinkedIn presence (so recruiters find you)
* Stay confident (you can do this - I promise)

Focus on what you can control. And please, don't lose that confidence. Any company would be lucky to have you.

ps: If you are hiring, please review your practices. Are you interviewing candidates over the age of 60? How about candidates over the age of 50? If not, why?

#ageism

Advising 50-plus executives on career & LinkedIn strategy | 87K+ going ageless | Ex-P&G, FedEx | Featured by CNBC, Business Insider, Forbes, & Fast Company

Workers ages 65+ spend an average of 7 more weeks unemployed than those 25-34, according to recent BLS data. That's nearly 2 extra months of searching based on age alone. 

Why? Ageism and outdated assumptions about experienced workers are still part of the narrative, unfortunately. 

AARP and LinkedIn are trying to bust these myths with real data demonstrating that hiring workers who are 50+ is a true strategic advantage.

Here's what they found: workers who are 50+ have increased their disruptive tech skills by 25% over the last 5 years. So, we're continuing to learn and adapt to all of the new technology that's coming down the road (not a surprise - we've always adapted in the past, why wouldn't we keep doing so?).

When it comes to retention, the data is even more striking. Among employees hired in June 2024, 85.4% of workers 50+ were still with their employer one year later compared with just 70.6% of younger hires. 

Workers who are 50+ also have 20% larger (and more senior) networks, which means more mentorship, expertise, and opportunity flowing into businesses.

Despite all of this, experienced workers still face longer job searches. 

Here's the thing: many of us want (and need) to work into our 50s, 60s, and beyond. My polls here on LinkedIn show that 90% of workers plan to work into their 60s and that 25% plan to never retire. 

So, if you're hiring, you've got to ask yourself: Are you interviewing people older than 60? How about candidates over 50? If not, why?

#ageism #futureofwork

Pathfinder Coaching

Traditional career advice wasn’t built for ADHDers—especially mid-career professionals navigating pivots, identity shifts, and burnout.

They’re handed rigid frameworks.
Told to “network more.”

They’re left overwhelmed by:

— Tabs.
— Dumb to-do lists.
— Advice that never sticks.

I created the Core 4 Framework™, a system designed for clarity, momentum, and sustainable job search success.

Together, we focus on:

• Clarity – Clarifying strengths and direction
• Cohesion – Building a brand that feels authentic
• Connection – Making networking natural, never forced
• Communicate – Creating original content that builds authority

Wins include:

• 100+ ADHDers coached through mid-career pivots
• LinkedIn profiles that draw leads and recruiter outreach
• Clear personal brands that open doors to roles that finally fit

This isn’t about fitting in—it’s about finally aligning with what works.

📅 Book a free chemistry call: www.pathfinder.coach/connect
✉️ david@pathfinder.coach

Career Coach

White Path Search

At White Path Search I leveraged an extensive network of professionals to help talented executive-level support find their way to the right career path. 

Through building deep relationships with my clients, I helped employers find and connect with top executive-level talent. My recruiting approach was relationship-centric, which was essential for building long-term, trusting, and open relationships.

Executive Recruiter

Green Key Resources

I led Green Key Resource's IT Division and, as Director, assisted in defining the firm's broader strategy for continued growth of the team in NYC.

Director

Career Group Inc.

Vice President, Full Time Division

Strategic Moves

Staffing firm specialized in placing telecommunications professionals with manufacturers, re-sellers, ISPs, and the financial services industries.

Recruiter

Royal Air Force (RAF)

Human Resources

ADHD Career Coach | Founder of Momentum — the 8-week coaching program built to get ADHD brains off the overthinking line and into a rhythm of task execution (even on low-energy days)

Starting was always the hardest part. I could see the work in front of me and knew what needed to get done. 

But getting off the line always felt impossible.

The more tasks piled up, the heavier it got.
I’d stall, not because I didn’t care, but because I wasn’t sure I could finish.
That stall cost me a promotion.

They gave it to someone from the outside.
I smiled through it, but inside, I knew I hadn’t done enough.
I didn’t know how to change it.

I spent 20 years in recruiting and HR. Running a full desk. Building teams. Closing searches from kickoff to offer.

Edtech. Martech. Hedge funds, PE, and asset managers who expected results yesterday.

That pace? I could handle it.
Last-minute scrambling was my superpower.

But longer timelines and steady execution?
Total kryptonite.

Then in my 50s, I got diagnosed with ADHD.
And suddenly, everything made sense.

Once I stopped trying to “just focus” and started building around my brain, everything shifted.

✅ Timers
✅ Systems
✅ Boundaries
✅ Automation

Not hacks. Just stuff that works.

Now I coach mid-career professionals with ADHD who are stuck at the starting line.

That’s why I built Persona™ — the world’s first AI job search engine for ADHDers.

It takes 80% of the work off your plate so you can get off the line, into motion, and all the way to completion.

For most of us, the real stall isn’t starting. It’s the dread of not finishing.
That fear is rooted in past failures and impostor syndrome.

Persona changes that. 

It builds in structure and support to see things through.
Small wins stack up, the dopamine hits, and finishing becomes the new normal.

And here’s the part that matters most. Persona is built around your actual speaking voice.
Everything you touch — your resume, LinkedIn profile, comments, content — it all sounds like you.

By the time interviews roll in, they already know what it’s like to talk to you.
You’re not walking in cold.

Through my 8-week Momentum program, I combine Persona with one-on-one coaching to help you get clear, get visible, and off the line — without burning out or pretending to be someone you’re not.

Because ADHD isn’t a flaw.
It’s just a different operating system.
Once you learn how to run it, momentum feels possible.

📩 DM me "Momentum" if you’re ready to stop staring at the starting line and finally move forward.

David Hannan

Just crossed 60,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Want to know what I'm actually proud of?

I didn't buy a single one of them.

No engagement pods. No $200/month growth gurus. No trading reach through 'mutual' comment spam.

And still, every month...

Someone with a big following slides into my DMs with an invitation to some exclusive club to '10x my reach.'

Latest one? 

Claimed they went from 2K to 155K followers in 15 months. Had the balls to call it 'authentic visibility.'

They all lead with follower count like it matters.

It doesn't.

You can't control who follows you. 

But you can control who you connect with. 

You can control the quality of what you create. 

And you can damn sure control where you show up and who you engage with every day.

Took me four years to go from 5,000 to 60,000. 

Four years of being real, showing up, and writing what I actually think instead of what performs.

- No hacks. 
- No shortcuts. 
- And no bullshit.

Just consistent, organic, human content.

If you're building something that matters, you don't need a pod to prop it up. 

You need patience. 
You need clarity. 

And you need to trust that quality compounds faster than tricks ever will.

The followers came because the work was real.

That's the only metric worth celebrating.

P.S. Who's still doing this the real way?

I help senior leadership build clarity, visibility, and authority for their next career move | Founder of Momentum | Ex-recruiter | Girl dad

"I can't say no to people who need me."

That's what he told me during our second call.

Smart guy. Former VP. Built teams. Coached juniors.

Always the guy people called when things got hard.

And now?

Six months into his own job search.

Still hasn't finished his resume.

Here's what was happening:

Every week, someone would reach out.

→ "Can you review my LinkedIn profile?"
→ "Can you hop on a call to discuss my search?"
→ "Can you intro me to someone in your network?"

And every week, he'd say yes.

Because that's what good leaders do, right?

Except now he wasn't leading a team.

He was unemployed.

And his "helpfulness" was costing him momentum.

If you've got ADHD, you know this pattern. 

You feel people's pain like it's your own.

Someone asks for help, and your brain absorbs the urgency. Suddenly their problem is your problem.

So you say yes.
Again. And again.

Until you realize you've been everyone's coach, connector, and therapist…

…but you haven't sent a single application this week.

Here's the lie your brain tells you:
"If I don't help them, I'm selfish."

But here's the truth:
You can't pour from an empty cup.

Every time you put someone else's career first?

You're practicing self-abandonment.

The boundary phrase that changed everything:

"I want to help you, but I need to finish this round of my own search first. Can we reconnect next week?"

That's it.

→ Not "no." 
→ Not "I'm too busy."
→ Just honest resource allocation.

Most people said, "Of course. Good luck."

A few disappeared.

The ones who respected his boundary stuck around.
The ones who didn't were just looking for free labor.

Here's your permission:

→ You're allowed to prioritize yourself.
→ You're allowed to safeguard your energy.
→ You're not selfish for choosing yourself first.

Because the best way to help people long-term?

Get yourself across the finish line first.

Where are you still helping before you heal? 

Drop it in the comments... or just sit with it.

Either way, you already know the answer.

——
♻️ Share if someone in your network needs to hear it.

Follow me, David Hannan, if you're done sacrificing your own career to fix everyone else's.

I got something wrong this past year, and it's been sitting heavy for a while.

A lot of people who need help never reach out.

Not because they don't want support.

Because they don't want to label themselves to get it.

Some are dealing with ADHD, but it's not the same for everyone.

Some aren't.
Some aren't sure.
Some never want to say it out loud.

I've shared a lot about my recent diagnosis, and I'm comfortable talking about it.

But that doesn't mean everyone else is.

That's something I didn't fully appreciate until recently.

I used to think narrowing my focus to ADHD was the inclusive move.

I see now that I was wrong about that.

It ended up having the opposite effect.

And for that, I'm deeply sorry.

Over the last few weeks, I've had long conversations with clients, coaches, and people in the ND space.

Some of those talks were heavy.

They made me realize something I should have understood from the start.

For a lot of people with ADHD, the struggle isn't the brain.

It's the label.
It's the stereotype.
It's the fear of being boxed in.

It's the pressure to explain yourself before you can even ask for help.

The last thing I ever wanted was to add to that.

So I'm widening the front door.

The work isn't changing. 

My clients still get the same structure, support, clarity, and steady path forward.

The shift is simple.

People shouldn't have to decide what to call themselves before they ask for help.

Nobody should feel boxed in by a label just to start a conversation.

That's the part I'm fixing.

This isn't about turning away people who don't have ADHD.

It's about making sure people with ADHD aren't forced into a corner just to get help.

They deal with enough already.

Widening the doors makes the room bigger so people get to ask for help without feeling boxed in.

More people get to feel safe.

That's the goal.

Let me be honest. LinkedIn can mess with your head if you're not careful.

You scroll long enough and it starts to look like:

— Everyone else has their sh*t together
— Their week seemed to make sense
— You're the only one stuck in the drafts

I see this every week with ADHD clients.

They look at somebody's clean, final version and forget there was a messy middle.

Probably the same kind of week you just had.

The real pressure isn't posting, it's:

— Trying to make your week look "cleaner"
— Worrying the finished draft won't "succeed"
— Feeling like you need to polish the whole thing

That's usually the moment everything tightens and you stop sounding like yourself.

Here's what helps when the overthinking kicks in.

One-Line Audit:
"Is this real, and does it help?"

If yes, that's enough.

❌ You don't need shiny.
❌ You don't need clever.
❌ You don't need perfect.

You just need something honest and useful to the next person who thinks the way you do.

Authenticity isn't a brand play. 
It's authority.

People trust what feels lived, not polished.

PS: What kind of post feels most real for you lately?

The one thing that gets my ADHD brain into a dopamine loop isn't what you think.

Some people meditate or journal in the morning.

But I needed something with guaranteed results.

The best way I've found isn't some fancy hack.

It's posting insightful comments on LinkedIn.

— The thing is, good comments get answered.
— Because I'm adding value people can use.
— And that's my built-in feedback loop.

That loop hits every switch in my head.

Connection. Movement. A quick win.

And it's enough to get me going.

— After school drop-off, I'm 20 comments in.
— And by late morning, I'm closer to 100.
— All from my phone, just my thumbs.

People think this is discipline.

It isn't.

— It's me giving my brain something that works.
— Most ADHDers wait for motivation.
— I can't do that.

I built a loop that rewards me before anything slips.

And here's why commenting feels easy for me.

I stick to posts that matter to me.

— Stuff I relate to.
— Stuff I can actually add value to.
— That's when ideas flow, even on low-energy days.

The question that keeps it simple?

"What opinion can I share, and how can I add something useful to the thread?"

That's the whole thing.

— One question.
— One intention.
— Zero pressure.

And that's enough.

— Some mornings I'm sharp.
— Some mornings I'm cooked.
— But that tiny prompt still works.

It warms up the quiet parts of my brain and turns LinkedIn into a place where I show up, not hide.

If you want visibility without the overwhelm.

Don't worry about posting content.

Start by posting comments.

— Make it light.
— Make it daily if you can.
— Let it feel good enough to repeat.

Consistency comes from the reward.

Not the grind.

P.S. What gets you moving?

She made more progress on Tuesdays than the rest of her week combined. 

I didn't notice it at first.

But when we charted her week during our weekly Momentum check-in, the pattern was unmistakable.

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆? 
☑ Comments left.
☑ Applications sent. 
☑ Conversations started. 

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆? 
☒ Total collapse.

Here's what struck me:

She wasn't inconsistent.
She was predictably consistent.

Her energy had a rhythm. She just didn't know it yet.

Most people with ADHD think they're chaotic.

They're not.
They're 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱.

The brain craves certainty. 

When you can't predict your own capacity, you assume you don't have any.

But the second you start tracking momentum instead of tasks, something shifts.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺?"

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"

Here's what we did.

I told her to stop logging what she accomplished.
Instead, log days in motion.

Not hours worked. Not tasks completed.
Just: Did I move forward today? Yes or no.

No judgment. No shame spirals.
Just data.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭: 3 days in motion.
𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮: 4 days.
𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟯: 5 days (one of them was a Friday)

By Week 4, she wasn't asking me for motivation.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"

That's the shift.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺:
"I'm broken and unpredictable."

𝗧𝗼:
"I have patterns I can work with."

Quantifying momentum doesn't just reduce self-doubt.

It replaces guessing with evidence.
And evidence is calm.

Here's my challenge for you.

Stop tracking tasks for one week.

𝗔𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
"𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺?"

Yes or no. That's it.

By the end of the week, you'll know more about your actual capacity than any to-do list ever told you.

What would you learn if you tracked motion, not minutes, for a week?

Drop a comment. I'm curious.

And if this hit ♻️ repost it.

Someone in your network needs permission to stop lying to themselves about "consistency."

Three days before Thanksgiving, and I’d make the same list four times.

Couldn’t find any of them.

Monday, I felt ready. Wrote it out.
Tuesday, it disappeared. Started again.
Wednesday, back to ShopRite for the 2nd time.
Thursday morning, arrival texts lighting up my phone.

It came together. Sort of.

The turkey was okay. The sides were fine.
Everyone said it was good.

I nodded along even though the cranberry sauce sat in the fridge until someone asked where it was.

This is the part I didn’t understand for years.

Holiday chaos is grim because the whole week is built for people who plan three steps ahead. 

That setup burns through anyone whose brain runs hot or needs more space to ramp up. 

I’m in that camp. You might be too.

So stop trying to feel ready.
That feeling never shows up.

Prep one dish the night before. One.
Take a break when you need it.

Even if that means hiding in the guest room for ten minutes so your brain can have a bit of a breather.

One thing I’m thankful for this year?

Having it at someone else’s house.

What’s one thing that gets you through holiday prep?

Most weeknights used to follow the same pattern in my house. 

Olivia would walk over with glitter nail polish in her hand and say, “Can you play with me, Daddy?”

And there I’d be, still trying to knock out something work-related I should’ve finished earlier.

— I’d tell myself it’d take a minute.
— Then another minute.
— Then another.

My brain grabbed onto whatever I was working on and refused to let go. 

I was off the clock, but I was still “finishing” things. 

Meanwhile, she’d stand there, glitter ready, already deciding what color she wanted to paint my nails.

(blue, every time)

And after a bit, she’d skulk back to the living room.

By the time I finally closed my laptop, she’d be curled up on the couch, convinced I didn't want to play.

That sat with me longer than anything in my inbox.

After-work hours can get messy with ADHD because your head keeps running long after the day’s over. 

If you stop too fast, you lose your place, and that jump between tasks can be absolutely brutal. 

Which makes it far too easy to stay stuck. 

You think you’re trying to protect tomorrow, but you end up stealing from the moment right in front of you.

I saw that pattern more clearly the more it happened.

The drifting, the coming back, all those moments where my body was in the room but my mind wasn’t.

And I hear this from a lot of other parents with ADHD. 

— You want to be present. 
— You’re trying to be in the moment. 
— But unfinished tasks follow you around the house.

And remote work only amplified this nonsense.

Home ends up being as noisy as your job. You close your laptop, but the work sticks around if you let it.

I don’t live in that pattern anymore. 

Dad time comes first now, and nothing in my inbox wins over glitter nails or Barbie doll pool time.

That shift didn’t happen overnight, but it changed everything about how we spend our weeknights.

Yesterday, I went deeper into why this hits harder for ADHD brains and how easy it is to get pulled away from the moments you care about most.

I also shared the 3 things that help me let go without getting pulled back into the day’s leftover noise.

If you’d like to dig in a bit with me and 5,126 others who read it, I’ll drop the link in the comments.

Success opened more doors than I ever imagined.

That's when things went sideways.

After recruiting, I saw four clear paths ahead of me.

– I could stay in the game with in-house recruiting
– I could go the Learning & Development route
– I could slide into a corporate training role
– I could build a coaching practice

All four looked doable, something I'd be good at.

But that's what made it harder.

It wasn't confusion. 

Just too many options at once.

So I tried to think my way through it.

– Pros and cons
– Writing out two columns
– Even walking around the block with it

None of it moved anything.

What helped was a question I didn't see coming:
"Name the one part of your career you'd miss most."

My answer was immediate:
"Working with job seekers."

It told me more than any spreadsheet ever could.

And it made the path in front of me clearer.

Coaching wasn't some grand idea, but it was the only lane that kept the part I cared about most.

And once I saw that, I could move again.

Nothing dramatic.

Just a quiet sense of "this feels real enough to start."

If you're staring at a few different versions of your next move, shrink the question.

What's the one thing you'd actually miss if you lost it?

Start from that.

PS: What’s the one part you’d miss the most?

Every Friday around 2pm, my brain starts narrating my life like David Attenborough.

"And here we see the coach. Staring at his laptop. Cursor blinking. Zero thoughts happening."

Yep. Friday.

All week I'm fine. 

- Sharp.
- Making sense. 
- Juggling six things at once.

Then Friday rolls around and I'm reading the same email three times like I've never seen words before.

I used to think something was wrong with me.

Nope. Just what happens when your ADHD brain spends five days running on fumes.

Here's the deal.

When you have ADHD and work with people all week, you're not just doing your job.

You're also doing this whole other job in the background:

- Manually staying on topic every 90 seconds
- Not blurting out the weird thing mid-meeting
- Pretending your brain isn't playing the Bluey theme

That takes energy.

So by Friday you're not tired from work. 

You're tired from managing your brain 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 you work.

Eventually you just stop.

I used to fight it. Now I just let it happen.

I do three things:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗸.
Just clear it. Two minutes.

𝟮. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱. 
That's the win.

𝟯. 𝗟𝗼𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜'𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳. 
"Didn't bail on anything" counts.

Five minutes total, and it keeps me from spiraling.

The Friday fog isn't you failing, it's your brain going: 
"We worked hard. Can we stop now?"

Yeah. You can stop.

Brain running at 40% and beating yourself up? 

Stop.

People with ADHD burn hot all week just to keep up with a world that wasn't built for us.

By Friday the tank's empty.

Let it be empty.

Mine showed up on schedule today. 

- Cleared my desk. 
- Wrote my sentence. 
- Logged my tiny victory.

Done. 

Not because I finished everything, but because I'm allowed to be done.

So are you.

P.S. How does your brain tell you it's Friday?

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The Battle

Colleen Paulson

David Hannan

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taplio

The Battle

Colleen Paulson

David Hannan

Followers

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colleen Paulson's LinkedIn Performance

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