Pillar Three: Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs and Executives

Neurodivergent and Mentally Ill Entrepreneurs and Executives- examining how we persevere and succeed despite our constant challenges
Entrepreneurs and executives live day to day in a hectic, stressful environment and those who are also neurodivergent have heightened stress daily due to their conditions.
But what does neurodivergent mean?
Neurodivergent means that an individual’s brain is wired differently from what is expected in a “normal” person.
Here normal means a person that does not have any neurodiversity.
The “normal” person is called a “neurotypical” in this context.
There are several conditions which are considered to be neurodiversities; among them are: autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, sensory processing disorder, and tourette’s syndrome, et cetera.
They have different symptoms, but they all have the strength of out of the box thinking.
When given tools to minimize the struggles these individuals face, we can succeed and even surpass our neurotypical peers.
Some well-known people with neurodiversity include:
Bill Gates- dyslexia and ADHD
Richard Branson- ADHD and dyslexia
Barbara Corcoran- dyslexia
Charles Schwab- dyslexia
David Neeleman (founder of Jetblue)- ADHD
Zee Ali (founder of Zswag) ADHD
Delphine Genin (founder of Delphine Genin Atelier)- ADHD
Tim Burton- autism
Simone Biles- ADHD
Andy Warhol- ?autism and ?dyslexia
NIkola Tesla- ?autism
Ingvar Kamprad (founder of Ikea)- ADHD and dyslexia
Dan Harmon (writer, creator of “Community”)- autism
Emma Watson- ADHD
Thomas Jefferson- ?autism
Giselle Mota (principal consultant for work team at ADP)- dyslexia
Emily Dickinson- autism
Caroline Stokes (author, thought leader on organizational emotional intelligence and exec coach)- ADHD
Ryan Gosling- ADHD
Michael Phelps- ADHD
Many people are mentally ill.
And of course some of us are entrepreneurs and executives.
We persevere daily even when the symptoms become more than we can bear.
At those times we rely on our support team comprised of both professionals, such as therapists, psychiatrists, case managers, and peer support specialists; and close friends and family who serve as confidants, accountability partners, and listening ears.
Some notable people with mental illness include:
Selena Gomez- bipolar
Demi Lovato- bipolar
Chrissy Teigen- post partum depression
Adele- post partum depression
Lady Gaga- PTSD
Dan Reynolds- depression
Kendall Jenner- anxiety and panic attacks
Ryan Reynolds- anxiety
Michelle Williams- depression
Patty Duke- bipolar
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.- ?bipolar
Zelda Fitzgerald- schizophrenia
Buzz Aldrin- depression and alcohol abuse
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson- depression
Kristen Bell- depression and anxiety
Carrie Fisher- "chemical imbalance"
Mariah Carey- depression
Shawn Mendes- anxiety
Billy Joel- depression
Camila Cabello- ocd
Catherine Zeta-Jones- depression and bipolar
Emma Stone- anxiety
Lena Dunham- anxiety, depression, and ocd
Lili Reinhart- anxiety
Miley Cyrus- depression
Virginia Woolf- depression
Neurodivergent and mentally ill entrepreneurs and executives can benefit from viewing nature photos for stress relief.
They can find a photo that speaks to them and get it on a shirt or tote or mug.
Getting a physical item with a nature photo on it helps to not only reduce their stress some,
but also brings up the same emotions every time they view that photo.
And the nature photo can help you to express yourself and spark conversations about nature or at least why you chose this particular photo.