Navigating entrepreneurship with neurodiversity and mental health challenges is a double-edged sword.

For those who struggle with mental health and neurodiversity

Navigating entrepreneurship with neurodiversity and mental health challenges is a double-edged sword.

For some context, I found out at the age of 42 (almost six years ago) that I have ADHD. I’ve also struggled with anxiety and at times depression throughout my adult life.

Many qualities that make you an excellent entrepreneur come with related challenges and deficits.

Entrepreneurs also deal with mental health issues at a higher rate than the average population.

So how can you thrive?

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How Queen and A-Ha can rock your course marketing

Let’s play a musical mini-game! It’ll be fun and teach a key principle about selling more courses and programs.

Ready? Here we go!

A-Ha & Queen Will Rock Your Marketing

What comes to mind when you think about each of the following songs?

  1. A-Ha: Take on Me
  2. Queen: We Will Rock You
  3. Pharrell: Happy

I’m willing to bet a bag of sour gummies (my favorite!) that you immediately had a specific line of the song come to mind for at least one, if not all, of them.
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4 Ways to Survive a Messy Transition in Your Business

“I feel like I’m swimming in uncertainty. I’m not sure of anything I’m doing right now. I need help finding motivation and figuring out what I should be doing next.”

I was facilitating a mastermind recently when the person in the hot seat shared that they had been feeling stuck.

We all have those moments where the path ahead for our business feels unclear. Sometimes these periods are brief and sometimes they last months or longer. The hot seat question got me thinking about a messy transition I went through several years ago.

When I stepped away from my last business, I felt untethered. I didn’t know who I would be without the sense of identity and purpose my business had provided me.

“Who am I if I’m not Jason Van Orden of Internet Business Mastery?!”

 

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Let's talk about anxiety, depression, and entrepreneurs #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Let’s talk about anxiety, depression, and entrepreneurs

“There’s something you should know about our family.”

I was 25 years old when my dad said those words to me. What he said next would reframe my life.

“I’ve been taking medication for anxiety and depression for the past few years. It’s helped me to feel more like myself. I have more resources for responding to life’s challenges. Your grandpa dealt with this, and so have other extended family members.”

He had my attention. I found myself relating to everything he said as he described his experience with anxiety and depression.

I decided to talk to my doctor about it. He prescribed medication. Within a few weeks, I felt better…more optimistic. I started enjoying things again. Stress and vicious inner chatter no longer derailed me so quickly.

I didn’t tell anyone about my diagnosis other than my parents and partner. I didn’t want others to think I was broken, undependable, or on the edge of breaking at any moment.

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Your unique genius and the far reaches of the universe

On December 25, 2021, one of the most ambitious human pursuits in modern history reached a significant milestone.

Spanning 30 years.
Costing 10 billion dollars.
Involving 1200 scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched from French Guiana, beginning a journey to a point one million miles from earth.

(Set your inbox to display images if you can’t see the photo below. Trust me, it’s worth the impressive sight.)

With 100 times the power of the Hubble Telescope, it set out on a mission to look farther into space than we’d ever seen, peering into the origins of our universe.

Tens of thousands watched nervously over the following weeks, praying none of the 344 potential points of failure would occur, any of which would render the telescope useless with no possibility of repair.

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