Why Masking ADHD is Hurting You — and How to Stop People Pleasing and Start Living Authentically with Georgia Zentrich (Ep. 10)

ADHD Educator, Speaker & Peer Worker Georgia Zentrich joins Sky Maree Steele on Confidence Unfiltered to challenge misconceptions about ADHD and unmask the power of neurodivergent brains.

With over two years of research and lived experience, Georgia teaches how ADHD brains actually work — debunking the myth that ADHD is broken or disordered. From peer support at Headspace to launching their ADHD education business, Georgia shares their journey of ditching people pleasing, embracing their whole self, and setting boundaries that honour their needs.

Get ready for raw, real, and unapologetic conversations about confidence, unmasking, boundaries, and owning your power. If you’ve spent your life feeling “too much” or “not enough,” this episode will remind you that your ADHD brain is your strength — not a flaw.

Connect with Georgia: @theadhd.educator

👉 Hit play, take the challenge at the end, and tag @skymareesteele on Instagram to share what you’re finally giving yourself permission to do!

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FREE 3-Day Masterclass: From People Pleaser to Powerhouse

Break free from the 'Nice Girl' rules, set strong boundaries, and reclaim your power to achieve meaningful results in 2025.

👉 Sign up now at: uniquelyyoupsychology.com/freemasterclass

Transcript

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Welcome to Confidence Unfiltered. I'm your host, Sky Maree Steele, a clinical psychologist, business owner, A DHD, and recovering people pleaser. If you spent your life trying to keep everyone else happy while feeling like you're never quite enough, you're in the right place. Here we ditch the people pleasing, silence, the self-doubt, and have real unfiltered conversations about confidence, boundaries, and building a life that feels unapologetically yours. No fluff, no perfection, just raw, real talk To help you trust yourself, show up fully and own your damn power. Let's dive in. Hello. I'm excited to talk with you. I'm so excited too. So good to see you. You too. So welcome to another episode of Confidence Unfiltered. So this is the podcast where we strip away the rules, we ditch the pleasing, and we just do some real talk. So I'm your host, Skye, and on today's episode, I am joined by Georgia. And one of the things I think that drew me to you, Georgia, was one. Sentence that I hear you say all the time, and it's that your A DHD brain, it isn't broken or disordered. It's actually powerful. And for me as an A DHD, I think that statement can just be such a, a life changing statement for so many people with A DHD. So before we kind of dive in, I would love for you to just share with people like, who are you? What do you do? Like, let us know about you in your words. Yes. I love that. So, hello, my name's Georgia. My pronouns are she, they. I feel like I do so much. You do. It's like, how do we contain me in one sentence? I'm on a band. I'm literally on a band from starting new businesses. I'm not allowed, I'm allowed to. Um, day, I'm a peer worker at Headspace, which is a youth mental health organization. For those of you who don't know. Basically in my peer worker role, I'm employed to share my lived experience of mental health challenges with people, to just be that safe person for them. I'm also an A DH ADHD educator, which I'm sure we're gonna talk about today, which is really teaching people how their brains work, because when I realized I had it myself, I didn't have that. I'm also a DJ is I just love it so much like my A DHD hyperactivity, impulsivity. It just gets to thrive in that environment. And a little bit about me. I love running. I love the gym. I love the beach and GYG. You'll probably find me at the beach most days, but it's getting into winter now, and I'm like, no, I need to stop. I love that. So I guess what I wanna kick it off, um, could you talk a lot about like unmasking and if somebody would go to your Instagram, like there's so many beautiful, I think, reels of you kind of sharing your experience of that. So I guess for you, like what was your turning point with either people pleasing or masking, like in terms of just unveiling yourself, how did you kind of like support yourself through that? That's a good point. I feel like in, I was thinking about this question in terms of people pleasing, just generally. There was a big point where throughout like my twenties, I used to like party a lot, take drugs, do all of that kind of thing. And I think it got to a point where I realized that wasn't serving, serving me anymore. I was feeling very depressed, which obviously, and drinking all the time, that doesn't help me feeling depressed. And then. This is when I sort of started running businesses and also doing self development. And in that process I really realized, okay, like these connections that I have, they're actually not fulfilling me. I don't really feel like I can be myself around these people. And so that was a really hard decision to just be like, okay, I'm going consciously. Choose. I need to find new connections. I need to find people who actually I can connect with without those things. So that was definitely, I think the first element of not people pleasing and just saying, I'm gonna go against that. I would say for me, starting my A DHD educator business obviously has been like another initiation. Into that because I've had so many narratives and beliefs about a h adhd, what it is. Oh my gosh, psychologists aren't gonna like me. I'm gonna get canceled. I'm gonna be sued. Literally, all those things that I told myself, I'm like, no. But all of those things I was taught in my degree, that reinforced this belief that I was broken and everyone ADHD is broken. Yes, starting my business and doing it by also sharing my story as well as the research. Like I think that was me. That has been a big process for me. Like it's taken me years to actually just say, you know what? I don't care. So that has been me breaking away from that. People pleasing, and something that I also try to remind myself is. Like, sure. Like some psychologists might not like it. I don't care. I don't, we connect over it and I love that because I think our relationship has been so healing for me because I always thought, oh, they're not gonna like me, and we are just like, bye the first time we met. But I think I also have to remind myself like, my work is not for. Psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists who are so closed off and not open to it. My work is for people with a DH, ADHD that wanna understand who they are that wanna learn, and it's not for like the trolls online because I would rather share my truth and change someone's life than hold back and just not. So that's a really pivotal shift though, isn't it? That focus from like, oh my God, what? Are they gonna judge me? Are they gonna like me too? Almost like how am I of service to the people who like I need to be and I want to be? Absolutely. And I think that's just been like my own journey. It was like, oh, I'm comfortable doing it on Instagram and then doing it on LinkedIn was an edge, and I put that off for. Do that on LinkedIn. I had this idea, this fear, and then I remember I changed my LinkedIn, I got like professional photos in the Blazer and then I don't know, a few weeks later a teacher from the UOW Psychology school like reached out and was like, Hey, I wanna do a feature on you for our Facebook page for students. And I was like, holy shit. Like that's the evidence that when you actually start to own that, people see it. Sure. There might be some people that like judge me. I, I don't care. Like it's not for them, but it's really like, who can I impact by being myself and sharing what is the truth? What is my truth? Mm. I love that. So if we kind of go into the stories that we tell ourselves, like what's something that previously you've maybe seen as a weakness about, like whether it be something to do with being too much or not enough or different about you. That previously that was like, no, that's bad. I have to mask. I have to hide that. That now you actually have taken ownership and see that as a strength. I love that. I feel like it's a lot of things. It's like my A DHD being autistic being weird, but I think A DHD is probably the biggest one because I know for so many of us, we've grown up, we, we can't be too loud, we can't be too sensitive. As soon as we show our emotions. Sensitive. Like, why? Why are you crying? That has been something that I have learned to embrace. Sorry, what was the question again? I feel like I just, I love when I talked to another, a adhd, I'm like, we, you are my person. Like, I think you nailed it. It was just like something before that you've seen as a weakness that now you were just embracing as part of who you are. And I can say to that too, muchness, right? Like I've always been like, put yourself in the box. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Definitely, I think obviously A DHD is a big one and now that's what I teach. And it's even in the little things like in the relationship where like I've had partners say to me like, you know, can you just like be quiet? And I'm like, yeah, I can. But like there's a way to like ask those things of me, like, and have those conversations and being told I'm like, too sensitive or too emotional. Like, yes, I'm very sensitive and I. Emotional. Like my emotions can be very intense when I'm feeling them, but also at the same, in the same way. Like that's also so beautiful that I feel things so deeply, and I know that for people with a DH, adhd, we've been told 20,000 negative or corrective messages by the age of age 10. So they're so sensitive. You're too loud, you're too much, sit down, shut up, be quiet. All of those things. So almost like. Teaching this and sharing my story with like wiring all of these things and just saying to me like, it's actually okay to share this. You're not gonna die. And yeah, that's actually a beautiful segue in into the next question because I, I guess as a ADHD is, I don't know about you, but growing up my B, like I didn't have boundaries, basically. Like I was just people pleasing, giving to everybody else. And I'm curious, like is there a boundary that you now. Do or that you've like changed, that's actually set the tone for your life and like what, how did you know it was time to set boundaries? Very good question. I was reflecting on this and I feel like one thing for me, which I have changed really within the last year and being really conscious of is that like I'm very pathetic studied psychology. A lot of my roles in what I do is holding space to people, but I can't be the unpaid friend, the unpaid therapist friend that's on call 24 7 when someone needs support. And so how, like how I realized this is I had certain friendships where people would lean on me for support without like checking in first. And it felt like for me, and I. About to go on stage. I was thinking this to myself, like I could be about to go on stage to deliver a speech and I get a text from a friend who really needs support or dump something onto me that doesn't feel good for me.'cause yes, I wanna support my friends and support my people, but I also have to have my own boundaries. So I think I had to reflect upon the relationships. I had like friendships with family and say, okay, like how, like how is this? This is like easy, but like how is this feeling in my body? Is it feeling heavy? Am I feeling anxious? Because I would say now I'm not as much of an anxious person like I can be, but I was like feeling very anxious about a certain friendship and I just had to say like, this is like not. Okay for me, and I tried to set the boundary and say like, Hey, like I can support you, but I really need you to check in with me first. But I still wasn't feeling listened to, so I just had, okay, like I'm really sorry, but I can't, I can't be that friend for you anymore. And that was hard because obviously I get it. I get it. I have a DHD. I've also been on the other side being that friend where a few years ago. Like when I was going through a really tough time with my mental health, um, depression, suicidal thoughts, before I realized I had A-D-H-D-I was that friend. I would message people in suicidal crisis and not check in with them first. And back then I didn't actually realize how damaging that was my friendships because. My friends were also weren't my unpaid therapists. So like I can see it from both sides now because I've been there myself. But I also know that I want relationships where they understand that they respect that.'cause I can't be giving all of myself to everyone else. I need to have my own boundaries. So that's been a tricky, a tricky one to navigate. And I think those of us. A DHD. We are so empathetic. We don't wanna offend anyone, we don't wanna upset anyone. But sometimes we actually have to look at, okay, like if I don't set this boundary, is that actually gonna not offend me? But how's that gonna impact me? Mm. Do you know what I love? And if people are listening to this, they're not gonna see. But when you were talking then, you were talking a lot about like connection to self and your hands were actually, I've seen it like your heart space and like your gut, your instinct. And I think like irrespective of whether we're a DHD or not, like when we're anxious or we're not confident, we are very stuck in our head, aren't we? And the overthinking. And so I think what you said then is really important about connection to the whole self when we're checking in and setting that boundary. Yeah, exactly. And I think. It's so simple, but how does it feel in your body? Because if you're like anxious, you have thoughts racing, or if you get a message from someone and your body tenses up, like if that's your body communicating with you that like, hey, something, something isn't feeling right. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. So I guess, um, in this podcast we talk a lot about fear, and I know anyone on their growth journey, like you can't get away from fear, right? Like it's gonna show up. Mm-hmm. And so I'm really curious, like, as you've kind of gone through your, your growth journey, like what lies has fear told you about who you get to be in this world? Hmm. Good question. I. It's a lot of things, but I guess like thinking about like A DHD, it's that like, I can't share my A DHD online or that it's gonna be stigmatized, or I'm gonna receive hate or go to jail if I share about my opinions. And I think a big one for me that I had to work through was this idea that I had to be a qualified psychologist to teach on A DHD. And obviously my role is very different. I'm not necessarily. Claiming to like treat depression and anxiety. It's like I teach people how their brains work, but I think with that, a big part of me was almost afraid of being seen as less by psychologists or maybe looked at as if like, you are not qualified, you are gonna have someone come to your door and take you to jail. Like it was like so many weird narratives. So I think I had to work through my own fear of actually embracing who I am. And how, why I can teach what I teach. And I know that like that imposter syndrome is very real and I don't know, I think it's a danning Kruger effect or something where it's like the most qualified and competent people actually doubt themselves the most. They think that's what it's called. Yeah. So what is one thing in life business that you've actually. Like just given full permission to do your way and when you've actually chosen that for yourself, what's actually happened or what's come from that? I would say just deciding to actually follow my passions probably in. I love that it's so simple. Sometimes it's simple, right? Is like the most powerful. I look back at the last year, so I don't, listeners might not know me, like I've started five businesses in four years, and this is also, I've been working in youth work for like the last five years, on and off in different roles. So I feel like while I've been in full-time, part-time or casual roles, I've also basically always been running businesses. On the side. So the first one I started was gco, my yoga mat spray business. Basically my yoga mat sprays and that with that business, I won my first business award at 25 years old and got stopped. My product stopped in local stores, then I became a yoga teacher, then a mindset coach and a teacher, and now an ADHD educator. And part of me was like always wondering like. Why do I do this? Like why do I just keep on starting these businesses? But when I look at the common thread in all of those, like it's always been following my passions and what I'm passionate about, and I think what I really had to navigate is not making myself wrong or closing down a business because I remember when I closed down my first business. GI think I held so much shame around it because in my mind I thought, I've won this business award. People are expecting me to keep on running this business and doing this, and I guess I didn't know how normal it was and how okay it was to actually close down a business that I wasn't passionate about anymore. So I think really like giving myself permission to say, yep, this business has served me. It's been great. I've learned a lot. Okay, I'm ready for the new passion now. And something that my mentor, Sarah, that you know, she told me for long is she's like, gee, this was when I was doing mindset coaching. She said, gee, you really need to teach on queer on Neurodivergent. Advocacy education, something in that lines. And it took me a long time to come around to, because by actually teaching that I had to own parts of myself that I was afraid to express and really own online because I knew, okay, well if I teach this, I'm gonna have to, I don't have to, but it's going make sense if I share my own experience. So that was an edge and it. Time to come around to, but I think now that I'm in a DHD education in this business, like it's the one that I'm most, most passionate about because it comes from my own lived experience of not being believed by psychologists and psychiatrists. And like when you find, especially when you have a DHD, like for anyone, but especially for those of us who are A DHD autistic or neuro divergent, when you find that thing that you are passionate about. Whether it's a business, a job, or just a hobby, like do more of that because that is what's gonna actually like light you up and bring you so much joy and you can just like pour your heart and soul into it. Mm. That light there is why I think I just love your work. So much because it's about own, not only owning who you are, but allowing yourself to live and do life according to how your brain works versus trying to fit some shitty, I'm gonna swear, fucked up mold that that just, it doesn't align. Right? Like I, I love that sentence. Yeah. And. Like nine to five jobs. Sure they work for some people, but I would say for a lot of like neurodivergent people, like full time, nine to five jobs probably do not work and that's actually okay. And I think the moment I accepted that and changed to part-time, it allowed myself to have that space in my business. Obviously it depends upon someone's finances and you know, where they. When you can actually create a life that works for your brain, that's when you are going to be more fulfilled, because you're not just gonna be like slamming out 40 hours in a job that you're not passionate about without having that time. The things that you do love doing. Yeah. So one final wrap up question, if that's okay. And then I would love you to share like how people can find you and what you do, but what is one unfiltered truth or just a powerful takeaway that you, you really want listeners to walk away with today? I would say probably the most important thing is to live a life on your terms. Like don't look to the neurotypical standards that say you have to do this this way. Like even just, okay, this is gonna sound so basic, but even in the simple things. I hate going out for dinner at loud restaurants. I could not think of anything worse. There's like conversations here, conversations here, and I feel like it's hard for me to be present with the other person. That even comes down to like the basic things of saying like, Hey, I actually wanna go somewhere that's quiet, or somewhere that I can be more present with you. Really figuring out, okay, what do you actually need for your brain, who you are? So it comes down to like those everyday decisions, but it also comes down to what do you want to do with your life? Because maybe you're someone who wants to start a business or do something that's different to your family or what you've seen in friends. Give yourself that permission slip to say it's actually okay to do that. Because I think when we are surrounded by people that are doing the same thing or in the same mindset, of course you're gonna think I'm so different, like no one gets me. But when you actually look to other people, like if you have a role model or a mentor that can show you that kind of thing is possible, look to them and don't. Don't live a life on other people's standards because if you do, you're probably gonna get to your deathbed and say, shit, I regretted that so much. So live like so cheesy, but like live every day, like it's your last, and think about, okay, what decisions like can I make tomorrow that if I was on my deathbed, I would say, I'm so. Fulfilled. It could be as simple as like, I went to the beach today, or I did some self care, or I spoke up for myself and set a boundary, even though that scared me. But looking at those things and saying, what is that like one decision I can make today that I wouldn't regret tomorrow because like it's true, but we don't know when it's gonna be our last, and this is something that my mentor, Sarah. I've also had like two friends from high school that died very young. They died around like 19, 20 years old, like unexpectedly. And it was like very, very sad. But that just, yeah, reminded me that like even if you are young, life isn't guaranteed. So thank you for sharing that with us. So let us know, like if people, how do they find you? What are you or like offering in this beautiful world at the moment? Yes, absolutely. So you can find me on Instagram. I'm at the ADHD educator. I'm also at DJ Synergy, but mainly the ADHD educator. So what I am currently offering is my Unmasked a d ADHD program, which is. Psycho educational program. What that means is it's a complete handbook on how your A DH ADHD brain works. So I cover a lot of things like what is in the DSM, but also what isn't in the DSM because what I want people to feel is actually like empowered by this knowledge because. There is so much research out there, it's very dense, also not very neuro affirming, and what I do is teach you about how your brain works in this program in a way that actually makes you empowered and like you can achieve the things that you wanna achieve. I also have my Takeup Space event, which is an online, it's not online. It's not online. It's in person. It's it's in person. You made me dance. You dance, you took up face. I did. Um, so it is an in person sober dance and healing event. So basically what I do is I guide people through a musical journey and encourage people to dance and explore movement to actually release. Emotions that are there, anger, frustration, sadness, grief, and then basically take you on a journey into empowerment of, okay, how do you actually wanna take up space? In your life? Is it feeling more confident to go out dancing with a friend? Is it speaking? Um, I don't know, building your confidence to dance at an audition? So really like helping you build that confidence in who you are to just like take up space and not only in your body physically, but also just own who you are as a person. Yeah. Beautiful. Thank you so much for joining me today. I've really enjoyed talking to you. Thank you.