sue-jan noreiga (she/they)
From my very first job at 16/17 I felt like I wasn't made to do a typical job. I was always tired and overworked and anxious even if I liked the job. But society says you need to work 40h weeks so I just tried to fit in.
For a while I felt unemployable because I didn't fit neatly into the boxes employers wanted, so I just made my own box. And it's not even really a box? It's a container just for me that allows me to grow and change and more comfortably be the next iteration of me.
Building a career that supports my brain (vs trying to squeeze myself into the status quo) is probably the most impactful and selfish thing I've ever done for myself. I stopped trying to force neurotypical productivity and ways of doing business and started trusting my own rhythms and intuition — and my business grew because of it!
And this is what I want for every neurodivergent founder I work with. Because you deserve to do work that's exciting, fulfilling AND earn more than just a livable wage.
