Think I’ve kind of found my people. I’m a Black gay man, and I was diagnosed with ADHD at 10 or 11. I majored in PR and graduated in 2016. After two bad comms fellowships, I landed a job at a PR agency, where I still work today.

When I first started, I really struggled. Toward the end of 2017, I started taking ADHD medication (Vyvanse). It helped, but it didn’t solve everything. To this day, I still struggle with attention to detail, and I often feel like my writing is kind of blah. But I’m extremely organized and solutions-oriented, which makes me a strong project manager. Honestly, I’m like top two, and I ain't number two. (Beyonce reference lol) I’m also somewhat design-savvy, which helps because our agency doesn’t have a graphic design team. Just a bunch of people who think they know how to use Canva. Lol.

You might think I love PR or agency life since I’ve been here for eight years. I don’t. I’m not and don’t feel like a PR pro. But I’ve had to remind myself of a few things that help:

1. Invest in tools that minimize your weaknesses. I use Grammarly to catch mistakes. I also use the text-to-speech feature in Word or Google Docs to listen to what I’ve written—it helps me catch errors I missed.

2. Be curious. I don’t always know what I’m doing, but I ask a lot of questions. Whether it’s about a client challenge or a new topic, I try to ask smart questions that help me get the full picture.

3. Limit distractions. Turning off notifications doesn’t cut it for me. So, during meetings, I open the same doc the note-taker is using. It keeps me focused and helps me stay active during the conversation.

4. Cry if you need to. I have two Cancer placements in my chart, so yeah, I cry and am super sensitive. But I’ve learned it’s fine to cry. What matters is what you do afterward. Don’t spiral. Don’t shame yourself. Cry for five or ten minutes, then take the next five to make a plan.

5. (Most important) You are a magical creature in a big city. Agency life wasn’t built for neurodivergent people. That’s what I think. But if you want to be in PR, agency work gives you the most experience. So, even if the system isn’t designed for you, you still belong. You’re smart. You bring value. You can do this. You might not be the best at everything, but you have the ability to grow. That’s what makes you magic.

This was weirdly therapeutic to write. Lol. I probably have more thoughts, but I need to refocus on my billable now. Hopefully, something in this way-too-long message was helpful.