Is 9-5 Why Your Career Feels Soul Destroying for Your ADHD Brain? Why Quitting Is Not for Losers With Dr Miguel
Mon Dec 15 2025
I’m yet to meet an ADHDer who isn’t deeply affected by meaningless work.
When there’s no meaning, it can feel like trying to run on empty you’re pushing, pushing, pushing… and then wondering why you’re burnt out and blaming yourself for it.
This week I am back with everyone’s favourite neuroscientist and mental health expert, Dr Miguel, to untangle ADHD in the workplace, purpose, meaning, job hopping, and why quitting is not a character flaw.
Together we untangle:
🧠 Why 9-5 can feel genuinely soul destroying for an ADHD brain, from masking to boredom to open-plan overload
⏰ ADHD time, “BBC clock” culture, and why being ten seconds late can trigger a full body stress response
🌙 Chronotypes, delayed melatonin, and why so many ADHDers get a second wind later in the day
🔥 Hyperfocus productivity, burnout, and the truth about “inconsistency” when you are actually running on nervous system fumes
🧩 ADHD and autism together, how they can clash, how they can support each other, and what it can look like to build a work life with more space
Why listen?
If work has left you carrying that deep, sticky shame… this one’s for you.
Maybe your CV looks like job hop after job hop, and you’ve been labelled a “jack of all trades” because you can’t seem to settle.
Maybe you’ve started things, stopped things, restarted… and blamed yourself every time.
Or you’re constantly caught up in workplace drama, politics, misunderstandings… and it always somehow ends with you feeling like the problem.
Over time it’s so easy to start believing the story:
I’m lazy. I’m inconsistent. I’m too much. I’m not built for adulthood.
But this episode is here to pull that story apart.
To de-shame the patterns.
And to help you see what’s actually going on when an ADHD brain is trying to survive inside systems that don’t fit.
Because you’re not broken.
You just need a way of working that works with your brain… and feels meaningful to you.
Want to dive deeper?
🧡 Join the free Untangled Community → click here
🎓 ADHD Coach Training → click here
🧘 Retreats → click here
✨ Follow us → @adhd_untangled
🧠 Follow Dr Miguel → @drmiguelmateas
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I’m yet to meet an ADHDer who isn’t deeply affected by meaningless work. When there’s no meaning, it can feel like trying to run on empty you’re pushing, pushing, pushing… and then wondering why you’re burnt out and blaming yourself for it. This week I am back with everyone’s favourite neuroscientist and mental health expert, Dr Miguel, to untangle ADHD in the workplace, purpose, meaning, job hopping, and why quitting is not a character flaw. Together we untangle: 🧠 Why 9-5 can feel genuinely soul destroying for an ADHD brain, from masking to boredom to open-plan overload ⏰ ADHD time, “BBC clock” culture, and why being ten seconds late can trigger a full body stress response 🌙 Chronotypes, delayed melatonin, and why so many ADHDers get a second wind later in the day 🔥 Hyperfocus productivity, burnout, and the truth about “inconsistency” when you are actually running on nervous system fumes 🧩 ADHD and autism together, how they can clash, how they can support each other, and what it can look like to build a work life with more space Why listen? If work has left you carrying that deep, sticky shame… this one’s for you. Maybe your CV looks like job hop after job hop, and you’ve been labelled a “jack of all trades” because you can’t seem to settle. Maybe you’ve started things, stopped things, restarted… and blamed yourself every time. Or you’re constantly caught up in workplace drama, politics, misunderstandings… and it always somehow ends with you feeling like the problem. Over time it’s so easy to start believing the story: I’m lazy. I’m inconsistent. I’m too much. I’m not built for adulthood. But this episode is here to pull that story apart. To de-shame the patterns. And to help you see what’s actually going on when an ADHD brain is trying to survive inside systems that don’t fit. Because you’re not broken. You just need a way of working that works with your brain… and feels meaningful to you. Want to dive deeper? 🧡 Join the free Untangled Community → click here 🎓 ADHD Coach Training → click here 🧘 Retreats → click here ✨ Follow us → @adhd_untangled 🧠 Follow Dr Miguel → @drmiguelmateas