Building a portfolio career that works for your brain

How I went from burnout to balance (and found my purpose)

Like many people with ADHD, I’ve never stuck to one path. But over time, I’ve found a way to build a career that energises me, rather than burns me out.

I have been a jobbing actor, writer, director and had a career as a producer, running a production company producing adverts and music videos. The skillset I picked up in these roles has helped me in my second career as a breathwork and mindfulness coach.

For many years I focused my energy solely on progressing in the entertainment industry with the view that digressing would fracture my focus. But in fact, the opposite has happened. The two worlds are inspiring each other and even beginning to integrate.

Due to changes in office culture post covid, remote working is on the rise as is the ‘side hustle’. If you are at a point where you want to take a giant leap of faith but are unsure where to start, this article will help.

We are living in a world where traditional working structures are rapidly changing. Technology means we can ideate, market and launch new products and services at a low cost.

Perhaps you want to launch your passion project or leave the corporate world to be of service. Whatever it might be, I’ll break down for you how I became breathwork and mindfulness coach and why I made the change.

At a low point

At the start of 2023 I was coming to the end of a relationship that wasn’t working and hadn’t been for a while. Meanwhile I had spent the past four years working in TV writing and developing shows but despite having some nearly’s, nothing got made.

My confidence had reached an all time low and I felt lost.

In 2015 I stumbled across Buddhism and throughout the years of uncertainty in the entertainment industry, it became an anchor where I could ground myself.

I enrolled in a four year study course learning about the dharma (the Buddhas teachings) and even moved into a Mens Buddhist community for six months.

Meditation and mindfulness helped quieten the internal noise and calm my ADHD symptoms.

So it should come as no surprise that at the start of 2023 I decided to retrain as a mindfulness coach and enrolled in a one year teacher training course.

At that point I had no idea if I would ever use the qualification, I just knew that I was burnt out from the entertainment industry and needed to find a new challenge.

Not long after my breakup I was invited to a breathwork workshop by a friend and it blew my mind, quite literally! Whilst meditation helped me observe my thoughts and internal chatter, breathwork regulated my nervous system.

Taking a leap of faith

And so after attending some more sessions, I decided to train to become a breathwork coach. I also needed to get away from London post break up, so finding somewhere exotic and far away was the perfect excuse to leave.

One of ADHD’s positive traits is the ability to deep dive on subject matters that are of interest to us. So I researched every breathwork course available in hot climates, until I came across one called Breathing Cold in Bali.

What stood out to me was that they also trained in how to facilitate ice bath sessions and authentic relating ( a practice that cultivates deeper, more fulfilling connections through structured exercises and open communication). The coach running it Alex Tsuk put a lot of emphasis on holding space, which appealed to me.

The course was intense and brought to the surface a lot of emotions for myself and others, but it was incredibly rewarding.

Over the next few months I travelled through Bali, giving sporadic and spontaneous free breathwork sessions to people I met, in return for a google review or testimonial.

Having a light bulb moment

It was towards the end of my travels that I realised how impactful breathwork had been in managing my ADHD symptoms. For the first time in my life I became aware of what a powerful tool it was in helping to regulate my nervous system. And that if i could master my breathing, I could control my state of mind.

The breath is ultimately the remote control to our emotions and thoughts, and once I realised its potential it sent me on a bit of a mission.

I knew that many others with ADHD also had busy minds and dysregulated nervous systems and thought if breathwork had helped me so much, then it could also be useful to others.

And that’s when Breathe with ADHD was born. So while I was in sun soaked Bali I began brainstorming company names, branding and a general plan. I returned to the UK in November 2023, but it wasn’t until February 24 that I officially launched the website and ran my first group workshop.

Admittedly there was a lot fear around outing myself as a breathwork and mindfulness coach. I worried what peers in the entertainment industry would think and my inner critic was coming in strong, which led me to self doubt.

If this part of the story has resonated and you’d like to see how I launched a mindful business with ADHD - plus the exact steps I used to gain clients, collaborate with brands and integrate creativity, become a paid subscriber to unlock the full post.

Tools and strategies I used to launch