Ever since my own ADHD diagnosis in my mid-forties, I’m on the lookout for other women who are talking about their later-in-life diagnosis. I stumbled across Sumur Williams on LinkedIn, and her posts on ADHD consistently resonated with me. So, I reached out to ask her to join me on the show to talk about high-performing women who have ADHD.

Sumur Williams is the founder of The Unpolished Brain, and an ADHD coach and AI strategist for late-diagnosed professionals. She helps newly diagnosed adults finally understand how their brain actually works and build systems that support their current needs. She is passionate about changing how ADHD is understood and helping people move from survival mode into intentional, supported growth.

As a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD at 47, Sumur didn’t fit the traditional narrative. She spent decades masking, overcompensating, and performing at high levels while quietly struggling underneath it all. Today, Sumur combines lived experience with practical tools, including AI, to help people reduce overwhelm, improve task initiation, and stop spinning their wheels. Her work focuses on building real-life scaffolding, systems that still work on hard days, not just good ones.

Listen in to hear Sumur share:

How she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 47, and the layers of grief that ensued after her diagnosis
Some of the misconceptions and common characteristics you see in high-performing women who have ADHD
Her experience in choosing to disclose having ADHD at work and her recommendations around workplace disability disclosures
What executive dysfunction looks like for middle-aged women
The importance of energy regulation and boundaries for neurodivergent women
How to use AI as a tool for task management, decision fatigue mitigation, and emotional regulation

Links Mentioned:

Free Workshop on April 16th: Trust Your Voice: Communicate with Courage When the Stakes Are High: https://saradean.com/trust
Connect with Sumur: https://theunpolishedbrain.com
Sumer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumurwilliams
Sumur on Instagram: @theunpolishedbrain
Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking
Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks

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