There's a J In there… Somewhere!
A blog about all sorts of things!
Blogging for fun
Melissa Gijsbers
I love books, stories, chai tea, and more
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Inclusivity at business events
Categories: BusinessContinue Reading: Inclusivity at business eventsThis morning, I was reminded of a post I made in a Facebook group in March of 2021. I wrote: I have a chronic illness, and I’m starting a business. This weekend, I went to a business bootcamp and it was fantastic, however I made the mistake on day 1 of being like everyone else…
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Concept of Independence
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Concept of IndependenceI’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of independence and the idea that we should be able to do everything ourselves. This is often used around housework, but I also see it a lot in the workplace. I am autistic and ADHD, only diagnosed a few years ago. Growing up, I was told…
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Parenting is a learned skill
Categories: ParentingContinue Reading: Parenting is a learned skillThere are many people who say that parenting comes naturally and that when you have a baby, you will simply know what to do. This may be true for some people, but for me, and many others, parenting is a learned skill. This is why people such as health nurses, lactation consultants, parenting experts, and…
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My Breastfeeding Story
Categories: ParentingContinue Reading: My Breastfeeding StoryOver the weekend, I saw a reel on Instagram from Toren Wolf’s mother talking about her experience with breastfeeding. You can see the reel here. I thought I would share my story. Please remember, I was undiagnosed autistic & ADHD, though was diagnosed with post-natal depression (PND) when my first was three months old, and…
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I was an undiagnosed AuDHD parent
Categories: ParentingContinue Reading: I was an undiagnosed AuDHD parentBack in January 2002, I became a parent for the first time. I had a gorgeous baby boy. I was also an undiagnosed autistic and ADHD parent. When that boy was 20 years old, I received my diagnosis, and his younger brother was 18. I navigated 20 years of parenting not knowing I was AuDHD,…
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Me and business…
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Me and business…I think I’ve finally worked out why so many business programs, and business coaches, don’t work for me… No business mentor has ever taken me as a whole entity. They have all wanted me to pick one thing and focus on that… whether it’s my workshops, Junior Writers Club, books, administration tasks, or whatever. They…
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Christmas Day Reflections
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Christmas Day ReflectionsI have never enjoyed Christmas Day. It’s been a day of people, food, noise, and food I don’t enjoy. It’s always been a struggle for me. Over the last few years, I’ve realised how much of that is because I’m autistic and ADHD. The complexity of the noise, the unfamiliar food, change of routine, being…
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Can being a parent cause trauma?
Continue Reading: Can being a parent cause trauma?There is a lot of information about trauma caused by being a child, especially an undiagnosed AuDHD child. However, not many people are talking about what it’s like being an undiagnosed AuDHD parent of undiagnosed AuDHD & ADHD children… One thing I’ve been wondering lately is – can being a parent cause trauma to the…
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Business Plans & Pattern Recognition
Categories: BusinessContinue Reading: Business Plans & Pattern RecognitionI had a realisation over the last 24 hours why so many things like business planning, and even goal setting, don’t work for me. It comes down to pattern recognition… This all started yesterday when I met someone who is doing something similar to what I want to do… only with crafts instead of creative…
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Vision boards don’t work for me…
Categories: BusinessContinue Reading: Vision boards don’t work for me…Almost every business coach or coaching program I’ve seen encourages participants to create vision boards. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a visual representation of where you see yourself in 5 years or whatever timeframe they set. When I was growing up, these would be created by cutting pictures out of magazines and greeting…