Description

In this episode, Ron sits down with Jessica Poli, an LVT turned regional leader who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. Together, they unpack what a late diagnosis changes, how ADHD shows up in real leadership work, and why “productivity” is often a misleading label for what’s actually sensory load, executive function friction, and constant context switching. Jessica shares how she rebuilt her calendar around her brain, why clear expectations are not the same as a job description, and how psychological safety plus autonomy can transform a team’s trust and performance.

What you’ll hear in this episode
• Jessica’s path from technician to management to regional leadership (and why “no two days are the same” matters)
• Late diagnosis insights: hyperfixation, energy crashes, and the hidden cost of mundane tasks
• Calendar design for an ADHD brain: slow mornings, meeting prep, buffer time, and strategic blocks
• Cognitive load: why exhaustion isn’t always about the work, it’s about working against your nervous system
• Leadership masking and the “different versions of me” required in different rooms
• A real moment of authenticity: “This sucks… let’s struggle bus together” and what it did for trust
• Psychological safety vs psychological autonomy: letting people pause, step away, or hang up mid call without fear
• Executive function in clinic life: the checklist system, losing your place, and why “helping” can backfire
• Moral and ethical sensitivity as a drain: when you can tolerate a hard job, but not unethical treatment of people
• Sensory regulation and focus: silence vs chaos, and why both can be true depending on the moment
• Clarity needs: why “expectations” questions get misunderstood and how leadership can miss the nuance
• Strengths: hyperfocus, drive, survival mode momentum, and why neurodivergence can be a real advantage
• Jessica’s “flavor” of neurodivergence: she’s more approachable than she looks when she’s locked in thought
• 2026 intention: balance, reconnection, and supporting colleagues doing big things

Notable quotes
• “I can hyperfixate on one project and get it done in a day, but the mundane tasks… I just can’t.”
• “Restructuring my calendar in a way that works for my brain has been huge.”
• “This isn’t fun… let’s struggle bus together. I don’t know everything. You don’t know everything.”
• “I might not see the red flag today, but I hold onto it until the next one.”
• “I’m more approachable than I seem. Sometimes I’m just lost in thought.”

Key takeaways

1. A late diagnosis often turns “personality flaws” into patterns you can actually design around.
2. The calendar isn’t a time tool, it’s a nervous system tool. Buffers are not indulgent, they’re functional.
3. Psychological safety helps people speak up. Psychological autonomy lets them pause, reset, and protect capacity.
4. Clear expectations are not the job description. Leaders need to articulate the “how” and “what good looks like.”
5. Sensory needs can flip depending on the task. Silence and chaos can both be regulation, context matters.
6. When ethics are violated, it’s not just stress, it’s identity strain. That’s a different kind of burnout.

Resources mentioned
• Ron’s workbook: What’s Left Unattended https://www.syn-apt.me/playbook

Connect with Jessica
• Find Jessica on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/polijessicalvt/