Interview: Professional gravel racer Chelsea Bolton – staying focused with ADHD

Skye: 0:05

Hi, we are the ADHD skills lab podcast. My name is Skye.

Sarah: 0:10

And my name is Sarah.

Skye: 0:11

And we will be your hosts chatting to you about practical ADHD strategies you can use, the research behind some of these strategies, as well as interviewing other professionals with ADHD about how they've developed skills in working through struggles in their lives.

Sarah: 0:25

You might know us from Unconventional Organisation,where we talk about this kind of stuff all day long. So we're super excited to have you along and we're gonna chat through it together.

Skye: 0:39

Okay, so Chelsea, who we're chatting with today, I'm really excited to be chatting with her. She's actually a previous client of mine, she was diagnosed with ADHD in 2022. And we worked together pretty much exactly after that time, with some strategies and ADHD at Unconventional Organisation, I got to know Chelsea, and then when she stopped being a client,I really wanted to reach out to you and just talk to you because Chelsea is an off road cyclist.She specializes in gravel and mountain bike racing, she started her athletic career as a long distance runner. And she ran track and cross country in college, as well as double majoring in Spanish and sociology, getting a double Master's in Public Affairs and environmental science. So very busy.And when she's not riding, her favorite activities include volunteering at her local animal shelter, which I know because you adopted a dog for a while,which was really cute, and also very interesting in terms of ADHD and ADHD strategies. So it's so wonderful to have you on the podcast. Chelsea, thank you so much for coming on, and being willing to share your story because I know that's not something that you've done too much, especially the ADHD side in a public platform. So thank you so much for agreeing to chat to us.

Chelsea: 1:54

Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Skye: 1:57

Awesome. So let's start just by letting me know where are you based?

Chelsea: 2:02

Yes, I am currently based in the western part of the United States in a state called Utah. I've lived here since2020.

Skye: 2:11

Awesome. Yeah. And obviously, that's kind of an interesting question, because one of the things we often talk about is how much traveling you end up doing for racing?

Chelsea: 2:20

Yes, definitely. Yeah.Part of the the move to the western part of the country is that most of my racing happens out in the western states. So it's been great to be based out there, which is really nice.

Skye: 2:34

Yeah, no, definitely. And I mentioned specifically that you are a professional, full time, gravel and mountain bike racer. So can you tell me a little bit about what it is that you do? What is a professional racer? What does that look like?

Chelsea: 2:48

Yeah, that's a great question. So my, my usual routine definitely consists of training. And that includes both getting out on the bike and doing my long training efforts and getting those hours of riding my bike in. But also,because of this off road cycling that I do, I do a skill work. So getting used to riding over different kind of rocky terrains, we call them rock gardens, where you kind of have to look at a trail and pick a line that you think, go down best or go up as depending on if it's downhill. And really working on body positioning and the different techniques involved with body position on the bike when you're doing certain maneuvers such as going over a drop, or going down the rock garden or cornering. Taking all of those kind of pieces of the cycling puzzle into play.And as someone who does not have great body awareness and he's fine,

Skye: 3:53

Same. Yep.

Chelsea: 3:55

The skillwork is imperative for me, because I find it to be super tough. And with getting overwhelmed very easily, I often have to break down sections in order to be able to complete them. Because if I look at initially looking at a section of a trail that I'm supposed to do a race on, for example, I initially look at it and think oh my goodness,there's no way I can ride this.But you know, breaking it down starting at the top and kind of looking over.

Skye: 4:27

So it's very tactical. I noticed that. I did some research into gravel racing specifically for this podcast.So yeah, that did come across.

Chelsea: 4:36

Yes. And coming from a running background where running is pretty straightforward. The hardest running I did was on trails where you just have to make sure you don't roll an ankle and watch the terrain. But learning how to make sure that I'm having all the things necessary to not fall, so body position and looking far enough ahead at the trailed in my line,make sure I can get over a rock or something has required that hyper focus, because I've learned with all of my mountain bike crashing, I crash when I have been thinking about something else or my mind has drifted, and all of a sudden I'll hit the rock wrong and be on the ground.

Skye: 5:17

Yeah, that's a real difference between Yeah, whether you're in, you're in or you're out, because it's a huge difference for you in terms of what you're actually doing. It's quite an immediate response in that way. So you were diagnosed pretty recently. So tell me a little bit about what that means for you. Because you will have had a huge period of time and a lot of people who are late diagnosed have this, where you had to look back through your experiences and go, Oh, that was me maybe experiencing ADHD, and I didn't realize it. So what was your diagnosis story? What caused you to get that diagnosis?

Chelsea: 5:53

Well, for most of my life, I've always had that,like, there's something wrong with me, like I don't seem to be normal. I have always been super unorganized. I live in a constant state of clutter, I lose everything multiple times.And I have that constant worrying about things. I always felt like I was thinking about a million things at the same time and couldn't figure out like,How do I stop all this chatter in my head? And it kind of came to a head last summer when that was, last summer was really the first summer that I thought that professional cycling could be a viable career path for me.

Skye: 6:34

Interesting. Why was that?

Chelsea: 6:36

I had done pretty well,the previous summer. So 2021went pretty well in terms of race results and kind of gaining momentum. And then 2022 is kind of like my year of okay, I'm gonna do even more races, bigger races and see where I stack up.

Skye: 6:54

And you stacked up pretty well, I was looking through your, you won at least one of them. That was all over the papers and all over the websites.

Chelsea: 7:02

Oh, thank you. Yes,yeah, that's the one that jumpstarted my career. And that was in August, which was great.And so it was like early on in the summer, I hadn't quite figured out that I was going to make the transition to gravel racing, I was still trying to go for the shorter cross country mountain bike races. And I just found that that was not my strong suit, both in terms of the technical ability, and there'll be many times I'd be on training rides with my partner,and I would almost have these panic attacks, because I would get so mad at myself for messing up a line or not being able to clear a rock garden and I would just beat myself up and like,this is not normal, like I'm yelling and cursing at myself.And he'd be like, it's okay, try again, and I'll try again. But I would just that rage that I'd get at myself for messing up and not being perfect really prevented and stalled my growth in mountain biking. And that was kind of just that feeling of like, lost, hopeless. Like is this a right career path? Like I really wanted to, not having that success initially that I thought I would. And so I ended up going to see a therapist for depression and anxiety because mountain biking can be a very scary sport. And so I thought maybe it's anxiety. It's really holding me back. And so if I could figure out how to be less anxious, because I would start my rides, even if I was doing the trail I'd done a million times before I would just, like white knuckled and just be so nervous on the bike. After riding a little bit, I could like be like, okay, like, I got this, like, I'm okay. But it was just so anxiety inducing just getting out the door sometimes.

Skye: 8:44

Yeah, and that's rough,when that's, you know, the thing that you need to do, literally again and again and again, as part of your job.

Chelsea: 8:51

Definitely. Like, I know, you're logically trying to tell yourself, it's gonna get better. You're okay, like,you're gonna be okay. But there's that part of you that's like, Ahh. So, yeah, I ended up going into therapy, hoping to get some help with the depressive thoughts and the anxiety. And after a few sessions with my therapist, she kind of diagnosed me with major depressive disorder based on some questionnaires that I filled out. And that referred me to a psychiatrist who ended up being absolutely amazing. I'm still working with this psychiatrist. I think I got really lucky that my first psychiatrist was amazing. And after a couple of sessions with her and like getting on some antidepressants, that wasn't really seeing much results from that she started asking me more questions about my life, you know, getting to know me after a few sessions. And she kind of even said, she's like, you know,even just the way that you talk and like your, the way that you move and stuff she's like, you know, based on everything you've told me and how I see you, and like your demeanor and everything, you might have ADHD.

Skye: 9:57

How did you feel hearing that? Were you surprised?

Chelsea: 10:00

I was a little surprised because I didn't know much about ADHD. During my like depressive states, I had been trying to look up how to help myself with depression. And so down my research rabbit holes,which I over research everything.

Skye: 10:16

It's a common trait.

Chelsea: 10:18

Yeah, yeah. Which is fun to learn that that's yeah.

Skye: 10:21

Our first known hyperfocus is what is ADHD?

Chelsea: 10:25

I want to know everything about it. Yeah. So in learning everything I could about depression, I came across so many articles about overlap with ADHD, and anxiety and all of these, like, compounding diagnoses. And so in speaking with her, I took some of the diagnostic exams. And once I then focused that research dive into ADHD. I couldn't believe how many of the symptoms and the descriptions fit me to a tee.And it was kind of that weight off my shoulder of like, Oh, my goodness, I think this has been my my issue all along. And it was so so relieving. And then it was also in that like, first week of like, you know, being diagnosed learning about it,researching that I discovered the Hacking Your ADHD podcast.

Skye: 11:17

Oh, yeah. Will, yeah.That's such a good podcast.Yeah.

Chelsea: 11:21

Yeah. And you were a guest on there. And I loved listening to you. So then I signed up to get personalized coaching. And so that two pronged approach with your help,and then continuing with my therapist, and kind of going over the emotional side of things, because emotional regulation was not very great,has been monumental in helping me. And I honestly don't think that I would be where I am without your help, and all of the things I learned with my personalized coaching with you,and the therapy, so I'm eternally grateful for that.

Skye: 11:55

Aw thank, Yeah, no worries at all, it was really great to work with you. And really great to see the growth from where,where we started. And we'll talk a bit more about the ADHD side in a minute. But just in terms of like, I remember when you first came in, it was I think I want to do this, I might want to do this, and by the end you're like, I'm doing this, like I have sponsors, like this is what I'm doing. And it was really cool to see that confidence in yourself. You know, and, and maybe that's one of the benefits. And you'll be able to speak to this, in your experiences of being able to say, this is what I have, this is how to fix me, this is what it means for my life. So this is what I want to do with my life and bring all those pieces together.

Chelsea: 12:37

Definitely. Yes, yeah.

Skye: 12:39

So we were talking a little bit about the gravel racing. So tell me what was that position like for you? Because obviously, we were working together. But from your perspective, what was that shift for you from going like, do I want to do gravel racing? Like,is this my thing to being somebody who's now you know, I'm a gravel racer, and that's what I'm doing. What happened to make that shift for you?

Chelsea: 12:59

I think what really made that shift was I won a pretty large gravel race in2022. August 2022.And so having that win,not only built up my self No, that makes a lot of sense.You know, I think a lot of times

Skye: 13:07

Yeah.confidence, and made me think,okay, like, maybe I can do this.I can point in in my own life,and I'm sure listeners have as But it also put me on a level with other athletes who were well, you know, that feeling of like, somebody just taps you and already doing this professionally. And opened the says, Hey, you could do this.And here's some support and some door for sponsorship opportunities. It was actually at that race where my current bike sponsor sponsored the race.And immediately upon me finishing, they like grabbed me over for an interview, which was my first interview ever about racing. So I'm talking about the race I just finished. And then immediately, they're talking to me about wanting to sponsor me if I if I want gravel racing.And so having that positive encouragement. It's such a huge thing.encouragement, feedback, and knowing that I did have support It's yeah, it was like we believe in you. We think you can do this. We think you can be a darkhorse. You can be great. And if I wanted, it was, It sounds silly, but it was life changing that excitement, just Yeah, I feed off other people's energy and their feelings. And so when they were so excited for me, it at the moment for me.was like, I'm really excited too.Yeah, definitely. And then from there, how did you transition from being a general racer to doing it professionally? You had that one sponsorship. So did they offer you a sponsorship in that moment, or?

Chelsea: 14:48

Yes, we started I guess it wasn't like official in that moment, but after the race, I ended up connecting with a bunch of the individuals who worked for the bike company and we, you know, kind of emailed back and forth. And they kind of gave me their terms of agreement and in the contract, and they were also super great at connecting me and putting in a good word for me for other sponsors for like my helmet and clothing. So it was super great because it was like,well, we can offer you a bike,we can offer you all these bonuses and like this monetary structure, but we don't have clothing. So like, here's this clothing person I'll connect you with and like, Oh, here's a helmet company. And so it was super great, because it really did, like that one opportunity opened the door to then, like 10other opportunities, and that,it made choosing gravel a lot easier, because it was like,wow, I have all this support. So I may as well, I've only done one gravel race, I may as well try gravel racing for 2023 and see how it goes.

Skye: 15:53

Yeah, no, that is so interesting. Because you know,the idea of how do sponsorships work? This is something we talked about at the beginning of your sessions when we were still figuring it out. And to hear that it's often that you know,sponsors are not necessarily like just interested in exclusive, they might even help you find more sponsors, because they want you to succeed at the end of the day. And, and they know what that means. That's really interesting to hear.

Chelsea: 16:17

Yes, yeah, you put it perfectly. And that was something that was really cool to learn about the industry. And yeah, like you and I had talked about, I was so clueless when this all first started happening. It was overwhelming.And then it was neat to kind of see the cascade effect of Yeah,like this helmet company is great. And like, they'll help you and like, if you get connected with this clothing company, they also have a deal with these tires and this tire companies. So like that would be a good fit. And then like everybody's on the same page of like, we want to help this athlete be as successful as she can be. And that's really good.

Skye: 16:51

Yeah, no, 100%. That's awesome. So in terms of the ADHD of it all, you know, we talked a little bit about where you were,you were diagnosed, you were just learning. Were there any ADHD strategies that you had to develop? Or maybe strengths that you really realized you were using, as part of this move into gravel racing? What, And we'll break this down because it's a big question, but what were some of those, some of those strategies?

Chelsea: 17:17

Some of the strategies that were super helpful were most of the other strategies that you and I discussed in our coaching sessions, definitely like establishing a routine. I had never utilized my calendar before I worked with you. And so setting calendar appointments and reminders and even little things of like, eat breakfast at this time and like respond to emails at this time and your social media posts on this day and then reply to social media posts on this day.

Skye: 17:46

Yeah, we talked about social media a lot in those first few weeks. I remember.

Chelsea: 17:50

Yes, yes. Which is great. Because at first, I think part of the reason we were talking about it was I wasn't utilizing my social media because it was so overwhelming,and I didn't know what to do.And I would get so anxious about sharing anything and so worried that I'd get negative feedback or I wouldn't get likes on my posts and so the analysis paralysis kicked in, that was like, Well, I'm just not gonna post. And as I'm learning as a professional athlete, social media is integral to the job and so it is something that you have to learn how to get comfortable with and find a way for it to work for you. And you were instrumental in helping me with that.

Skye: 18:30

Definitely. And you talked a little bit about your routine as well, I just want to touch on the fact that for you, your routine also shifts a lot so you know, you might be away training so how do you manage that because your daily life can look very different depending on whether you're in a racing space or a non racing space, what were the kind of systems you had in place to help with that? Did it just end up all going on the calendar?

Chelsea: 18:55

Yeah, the calendar in terms of organizing daily routines for when I'm in town and with normal daily training races. And then probably even more important having all those calendar additions for when I am traveling to a race and Skye was great about helping me organize,even just putting in like okay,I check into my hotel on this day, you might need to leave at this time to take into account travel time for the, to arrive at the hotel and then there's practice on the course you know,at this time and kind of putting those blocks onto my calendar.It not only was helpful in terms of making sure I was where I needed to be at the right time,but also I used to carry all that in my head and not have it written down anywhere and it was so stressful trying to remember and trying to just like make sure that I had everything memorized before I left on a trip so that I didn't mess up and it was so nice to kind of have that peace of mind with like, okay, it's on the calendar.

Skye: 19:58

Well, our working memory,as you said, like at the beginning, losing things,forgetting things, it's not the best. So having some way to externalize time is so helpful for ADHD but then also for you,because your mental space is such a big part of your racing,like you said, you have to do so many other things, you have to think about the track and what it's going to be like and who you're going to encounter and what that's going to be like,and the weather. And there's all these other things to think about.

Chelsea: 20:25

Yes, exactly. Anytime we can offload that so it's not in our brain, and it's somewhere that we'll be able to follow through is super helpful.

Skye: 20:33

Yeah, definitely. 100%.Was there anything else that was a helpful one in terms of the strategies?

Chelsea: 20:40

Yes, another great one,and applies more to when I'm training at home, but because I'm a more visual person, we got a Dakboard.

Skye: 20:50

Yes, I remember that.Yeah.

Chelsea: 20:53

Yeah, it's still, I still look at it multiple times a day, it's this large screen in my kitchen. It's where I frequent the most. And it has my entire day. So I can see every single appointment or commitment on my day, also has the weather at the top, which is nice,because I can see like, Okay,well, I'm supposed to train at9am. But it's storming. Like, I need to shift my day around. And that also includes my partner's commitments to different colors.So I can also know like, if I need help with bike stuff, or I need, you know, help with anything I know when he's in a meeting, or when he's unavailable, or when he is available, where I can talk to him or troubleshoot ideas. And so that's been nice, not only for me, but for him too. And I think it helps us navigate our days a lot better.

Skye: 21:43

Yeah, definitely. And for those people who don't know,what is a Dakboard?

Chelsea: 21:47

A Dakboard is this large computer screen that syncs with your email calendar, and it displays like a large version of that on the large screen. And you can change the settings. So you can include your personal calendar, if you live with a partner, you can include your partner's. You could also include your children if they have a calendar, and it's basically an electronic whiteboard, where anything you put on your computer you can display on that large monitor to make it a very visual space.

Skye: 22:25

Yeah, I have to admit it.It was very, very cool. I think you're one of the first clients I have who got one, so I looked it up and I was like do they ship to New Zealand? I don't think so. Not quite yet. But yeah, very, very cool.If you like what you're listening to, then please subscribe. It really helps other people find out more about the ADHD skills lab podcast.And speaking of your partner,you know, one of the things I remember we talked about a little bit with the ADHD side is that team and that accountability, we started talking about who's on your team, who's a part of your group of people who are supporting you, especially at the beginning. Because you don't,you know, just bike alone, you have a trainer, you have lots of supports, how has that accountability support been helpful to you?

Chelsea: 23:12

It's been immensely helpful. And I think part of what helps me with not knowing I had ADHD later in life is now that I have a partner and I have like a trainer and I have the ability to work with a therapist and I had you as a skills coach,I had these other individuals who are helping me with life's problems. And when I was younger and like gone through,especially those college years where I'm on my own and just totally overwhelmed and completely lost and didn't have an accountability partner in any sense. It was super nice to like have someone who, like my partner is very neurotypical and very good at all the things that I'm very bad at. And that has been a such a saving grace for me because there'll be so many times where I would miss like paying my bills or remembering rent or any of those executive functioning tasks that I really struggle with that he's just on.And the same thing with my coach is so great about like all of my workouts and I think he has come to realize that because of my perfectionist tendencies if I don't do a workout exactly as prescribed, I would get really mad at myself and defeated. And so he's kind of changed how he structures my workouts and gives me workouts so that I have a couple options where okay, if you're not feeling well like do this or racing like the power,these power and cycling and so increasing those power zones so that I have a greater bandwidth for error. And so yes, being able to have each, like accountability in those different parts of my life has been just really...

Skye: 25:05

Yeah, no, definitely.That's awesome. And it's interesting that you should talk about that because it sounds like yeah, what your coach is doing is introducing that structured flexibility that we talked about, that idea of, we have a plan, we're just kind of adding flexibility, you know.We're going to do a workout, but which one are we going to do today? That's really interesting to see that coming through in that training as well.

Chelsea: 25:26

Yes, yeah. It's fun, I think. And like also for like our ADHD brains, I think it's fun when we see change, and like

Skye: 25:33

Oh, yeah. You do not want to do the same thing. Week in,week out, for sure. Yeah. Do you have much difference then in your training? Do you have kind of that newness to kind of keep things fresh?

Chelsea: 25:46

Yes, yeah. My coach is really good about, you have a few key workouts that I'll do.They're kind of staples. But then he, depending on the different races I'm doing so I'm in this lifetime Grand Prix series for this year. It's five gravel races and two mountain bike races. And the way the races are, they vary both in like terrain and distance. And that makes it nice, because then each race is like, it's like one a month for this series. And so each month is kind of tailored to the next race. And so the training is a bit different for the month leading up to the race. For example, that race I have this coming Saturday is the longest race, it's 200 miles.And so the previous training block, or the month leading up to this June 3 race included a lot more volume and less intensity, because I need the volume to like sustain myself over the distance. And so that yeah, that is really nice. I do appreciate that.

Skye: 26:57

Yeah, definitely. Yeah.And good luck, because I need to say this now so I don't forget,but good luck on Saturday. But yeah, that's that's crazy. Doing the longest one so far, that's pretty interesting. How are you feeling? Are you nervous about

Chelsea: 27:11

I am very, very nervous. Yes. And actually, this it?race, it's also the most like self sufficient, I'll have to be because there's two aid stations over the entire race. And so I'm learning like, I was just practicing, how to plug a tire and like all these mechanical things that could possibly pop up. So it's been fun, but also very difficult to learn these skills, trying to remember,okay, what are the steps like if you get a flat tire, you have to like, try to plug it and then like, grab your plug, plug it with your plug, got the co2,open it up, put it on, as you know, like our memories for this. I like I've had to do it so many times, just try to streamline the process now. I remember how to do it, but because it's during the race have to do it quickly.

Skye: 28:00

Definitely. Yeah, just as a note, because this is, we haven't talked about this topic.But do you have like a flashcard or something? I don't know if you'd even be able to have it on you. But is there something that you have where, you know, you know it, but if you forgot, in the moment, if you just had that like mind blank, where you could just pull out a card that has like the steps on it? Do you have anything like that?

Chelsea: 28:26

No, but now that you mention that, that's a great idea. And I could definitely utilize it.

Skye: 28:29

I would definitely recommend it like just and then just hope you don't need to use it. But like, even just a little laminated thing in your pack of like stuff. So you can just look at it and just kind of send yourself if you need to, might be helpful, because there'll be a lot of pressure

Chelsea: 28:48

Yeah, no, that's great.And I have, that's such a good idea, because I have found that when I'm under pressure, that's how I get lost on like my home trails. If I do a race in my trails, I'll sometimes get lost,and be like, I don't even know where I am. And I'm so flustered. And I'm in that frantic state that like all logic goes out the window.

Skye: 29:08

Yeah. And I mean, that's part of ADHD as well, right? We have that emotional dysregulation we have that you know, rejection, sensitivity,all these things that can come in and really just flood us in the moment. So you know, I know we talked a little bit about the grounding routine and things like that. And we've talked about a pre and post show grounding routine, but it's almost like, especially with these longer races. It's almost like a tiny little in the moment grounding routine where you just need to, you know, figure out what that looks like. Do you just like breathe, read the things go, I have a minute and then just do it, you know,something like that, depending on what works for you?

Chelsea: 29:44

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.And that gratitude routine has been super helpful. I even found, it's helped when, I have this tendency when I make mistake. I sometimes will like yell at myself like out loud.And it's helpful to just Yeah,take that deep breath. I often try to like, think about dogs or things that make me super happy,like bring my emotional down.

Skye: 30:07

Definitely, it does sound like having something like that for the race is going to be helpful as well. But yeah, and for those of you who want to know about the grounding routine, I'll put the article in the show notes where we kind of go through it in more detail. So if we were to flip over to the strength side of it, because I don't want to forget those because those are a big part of it, too. Did you find once you learned about your ADHD that you realize a little bit like, Oh,this is a strength, this might be why I'm going for this gravel racing job, essentially.

Chelsea: 30:39

Yes, yeah, quite a few.I think the first one is that the novelty it's, since gravel racing is new to me. So I did my, it's a little hard to explain. But I did my first gravel race in 2021. But I did it on a mountain bike. And then that big gravel race I won in August of 2022. I also did it on a mountain bike. And so I actually only did my first gravel race on a gravel specific bike in April of 2023, when I got sponsored by the gravel bike company, so there's quite a bit of difference between a mountain bike and a gravel bike, the way the geometry is set up, gravel bikes have much thinner wheels,they have the curly handlebars,you're like on what's called the hoods when you're on top, and then in the drops when you're on the curly part of the bars. And so it's more like a road bike than a mountain bike. And so your arms are more in a narrow position. And therefore learning how to get in that arrow body position is instrumental in trying to win one of these races. And coming from a mountain bike only background,all of that was so new to me.And I think when learning how to do something, or trying something new, it can be super exciting for a lot of us.

Skye: 32:07

Yeah.

Chelsea: 32:08

And so learning this,you know, it's still a form of cycling, that's a brand new form of cycling for me, was a really like, exciting part. And I think, like having my brain be situated in a way that I just love new things. Like I'm always seeking all the new experiences and new trails, new routes, new everything. That was a huge strength for me. I think the other one is that hyperfocus ability, both in just whether it's hyperfocusing on getting like through a rock garden or a turn, you know, better to the best of my ability to like fixating on my intervals, if I'm supposed to do six by a minute fast, making sure that my like fast minutes are as good as they can be. And really, focused in with that. And after I got diagnosed with ADHD, my partner was saying, perhaps he thinks that that's my biggest strength,because he'll be prescribed similar workouts, or he'll try to do the same workout that I do. And if he misses the mark,he gets defeated, and then just will sometimes just skip the workout.

Skye: 33:19

Yeah, right.

Chelsea: 33:20

I'm like, I'm gonna get it like now.

Skye: 33:24

That's interesting. So it's almost like three things going on there. There's like,there's the hyperfocus. There is the interest in learning, and learning new things, learning new skills. And it sounds like gravel racing is a particularly good space for that, because there's lots of new things to learn. And then there's also a bit of resilience. You know,something that there is some research to indicate might be linked with ADHD experiences,because we do have to try things and do things differently. So often, that's coming through as well.

Chelsea: 33:53

Yeah. And I think it goes hand in hand with wanting to be perfect. I always want to get the best out of myself. And so if I know I've hit this power number four minute interval once before, that's the new standard,and I want to hit that next time. Yeah.

Skye: 34:10

Yeah. And then it's just the balance being kind to yourself versus punishing yourself. Which I can imagine is hard for a racer.

Chelsea: 34:18

Yes, yes, definitely.

Skye: 34:20

Awesome. So we kind of touched on this a little bit,but I wanted to just dive into it specifically, what is your sort of average weekly routine?Is there anything you need to do every week to keep focused? You know your priorities, if you will.

Chelsea: 34:35

Yes, definitely. I always start like my weeks by looking at my calendar, I've done a pretty good job of syncing all of my like training and any appointments they usually get in my calendar right away. And so then they go on to that dashboard, where it's a big week visual for me to look at Yeah, the different workouts that I have to do the different commitments whether it's like sponsor obligations, or having to post about a certain thing on social media for like a new product launch or something. And then something that is, I think a more ADHD specific routine is when I'm doing certain trail or skills work, I have to kind of mentally prepare myself for that ahead of time and myself know that, okay, I'm doing this, I'm on this trail, that's going to be really tricky or really difficult for me, and so I have to what my partner calls a single trask. And so it's a single task on a single track.And I find that if I'm letting my thoughts wander, or I'm thinking about like, the next thing on my to do list, I'll not ride as smoothly or as efficiently as I should. And so it's kind of helping me get into that hyperfocus of like, okay,I'm doing this trail, and I'm only thinking about this trail.For the next, however long I'm out there for, I'm not gonna worry about anything else, like,I'm totally present for this.And it's like those, I think that's when I really learned that I can't always do group rides or ride with a partner.Because if someone's trying to talk to me, or my focus is on someone else, it doesn't turn out well. So yeah, yeah, I think it's, that's been something that has been eye opening, since being diagnosed is like, Okay,well, you found, you're finding what works for you, you found a system and a process. And so just knowing okay, like on Tuesday, you're doing this trail work, so you're not gonna ride with anybody, you're on your own, and you're gonna focus,it's going to be good.

Skye: 36:44

Yeah, definitely. So it's figuring out, like you said,where there's too much distraction, where there's not enough building in those routines and that flexibility now. Very, very cool. And having the accountability around you as well like having the trainer because you see your trainer every day or a couple of times a week at this point?

Chelsea: 37:03

So actually, I don't see him in person at all.Everything is just on the calendar, but I tend to ride with my partner most days,except on those days where I can't have any distractions.

Skye: 37:15

Yeah, no, definitely.

Chelsea: 37:17

It's nice now that he knows that. Okay. Okay, so it's okay. She can ride on her own.

Skye: 37:24

Yeah, he's got a reason.No, definitely. So I'm interested to know, we've talked a lot about gravel racing. We've talked in a lot of detail about being a racer, partially because I think this is such an interesting space. It's something that a lot of people don't know about, like we ourselves initially talking about it, there was a sense of like, what is this? What does this look like? How do you do this? If somebody else with ADHD was thinking about taking on a big physical project, you know,gravel racing, mountain biking,track running, but they were worried about sustaining momentum developing the skill,what advice would you have for them?

Chelsea: 38:02

My biggest advice is to try to figure out why you're doing something in the first place. And hopefully it comes from you're really interested in it, you really love it, you have some sort of passion for it,because I found that I'm most successful at the things that I'm really interested in and that I find meaningful. And so I think that's kind of the first step. I have so many, so many friends who've tried mountain biking, and they just don't like it. They want to like it, but they just don't. Like it's okay.There are other sports, like you don't have to like mountain biking, you can. There's so many other great ways to be outside.And I think especially as, as we get started on something, it's so helpful to like, see that progress, and that seeing yourself grow, whether it's, you couldn't do a rock feature on a trail one day, but then the next day you get out and you clear it. That feeling of accomplishment is so wonderful.And it kind of is what gets you to be like, Okay, well I can do that rock on this trail. So now I can try you know, going over this rock on that trail. And that keeps it exciting and fun.And then that helps you progress to because now you're practicing more and I also think that anytime you can combine certain interests. So like for me, I love dogs and for me because whenever I get outside to ride I always see dogs and so I used to be so focused on my training that I would see a cute dog and be like, Oh, I just want to stop and pet but I can't, I'm training and now if I see a dog,I did set the boundary where after I've done my like my intervals or my work, usually I'm on the way back from my ride when I'm coming home. That's when I'll stop and pet a dog,but really if there's a cute one at some other time, I will stop

Skye: 39:54

If it's cute enough, you know.

Chelsea: 39:55

Cute, unique, a dog I haven't seen before you might catch me stopping. But I try to have a little boundary with my training. And so that keeps it really fun too, because then it's like, anytime I go for a ride, I'm like, I wonder what kind of dog I'm gonna see today.And that's yeah. Or it's always fun doing activities, especially as you're new, with somebody else. And even better if that person's like a little bit better than you at that activity, because then they can give you tips and advice and kind of, you know, show you the ropes on something. And especially with these physical endeavors, it can be a daunting task to start. And so having somebody to help show you the way is nice.

Skye: 40:35

Yeah.

Chelsea: 40:37

Just like having like,I often will, like, either meet up with a friend afterwards for like coffee, or I'll stop at a local bakery after my ride and get myself a pastry. And that helps.

Skye: 40:51

Yeah, that's so interesting. So you really, you know, when you're talking about it, my ADHD coaching brain goes like, Oh, that's so interesting.You're adding a lot of dopamine to your ride, like you're adding that additional dopamine.

Chelsea: 41:04

My dopamenu.

Skye: 41:05

Yeah, you're literally,your dopamenu is petting dogs getting you know, a pastry. And it works. It works for you. And that's really awesome.Especially because like there is that level of why should I go out today? Well, because I might pet a dog that I didn't know was there when I started this day.So there's kind of that, that level of like excitement. And you're, even though like you said, it's so important to love this and to do it. And to find it really interesting. There is still that level of like, and if you can find a dog that you like to pet, then it's good as well.

Chelsea: 41:41

I think that's what's been so fun lately. I've actually started doing a dog of the day on my Instagram. And I've gotten a lot of good feedback from people. Yeah,because that helps me like you said, it helps me get out the door and it, during those times,like if I'm doing a hard interval. I'm like, Okay, well finish this interval. And then you can go find a dog. And it's really fun.

Skye: 42:02

Yeah, no, definitely. I'm actually amazed there's that many dogs. It's pretty cool.

Chelsea: 42:07

It is. I'm lucky.

Skye: 42:09

Yeah, no, definitely. No,that's so great. And then I also wanted to just touch on like,you mentioned at the beginning that there was a hard time where you were doing mountain biking,and you thought maybe that's what you were going to do. And there was a sense of like, where am I now? I'm not hitting the goals that I was planning on doing. What do I do? What about that moment? Because I think there's often a fear of that moment, because that moment happens a lot. You know, when somebody is trying to go for a big project and reach a big goal. Do you have any advice for sort of ADHD people listening to this? Who are saying, but what about that? What do I do in that moment? You know, how do I keep going? What would you say? I mean, you obviously don't have to have all the answers. But you know, what advice would you give?

Chelsea: 42:53

Looking back, I think my biggest advice would be that we can often get, and maybe it's a part of hyperfocus, often fixated on like, Okay, there's one path to do one thing. And,like straying from this path,I'm never gonna get to where I want my end goal where I want.And it's really difficult, or I find it really difficult when I'm in those anxiety, like overwhelmed moments to kind of take a step back and look at the big picture. But often, when you do, you can see oh, wait, well,maybe if I just pivot a little bit and try, try this. So like,if mountain biking, just gravel racing is different, you know,it can be different. But I was able to find a gravel race that I could do on a mountain bike to get a taste for gravel racing without fully committing by like buying a new bike and trying something and maybe not liking it, and so finding a way of like, okay, well, maybe I can do, I can like step off my path a little bit and do something slightly different. But it will slowly get me to like my overall goal of being like, for me, my goal has always been to be a professional athlete. And so I have many different sports I love and I've kind of just spent my 20s and 30s Figuring out like, well, what can I be a professional in? And I tried so many different things and formats and gravel racing seems to be like, the best so far. And so it's giving yourself that grace that okay, like, I'm doing good. I'm gonna keep trying, but I'm also gonna try something new. And just see what happens.And often that can make a big

Skye: 44:35

That's so interesting.Yeah, you're totally right. So difference.there's like this fit. You know,it's like you're going in this direction, and you're still going in that direction, the professional athlete direction,but it's like, do we need to adjust the fit to you know, what your skills are and what you're interested in, and what you're succeeding in. And so again,there's that, you're moving in a direction but there's a flexibility around what you call it or what it is exactly when you get there.

Chelsea: 45:02

Yeah, I love how you put that. And it reminds me of like mountain biking, if you were to watch like cross country style mountain bike racing they have, the courses have an A line, a B line and a C line. And all these lines, you know, spit you out to like the rest of the race. But in the A lines, most direct, also the scariest and hardest and then B is a little like meanders a little bit, a little less difficult. C is the least difficult but the longest.And so every time you do a lap on that course, you have the option of taking one of those three, and kinda like that with a lot of our life goals. Like,yeah, some people might start with A line. But some people have to take the C line and then work their way up. And so that kind of helps me too with that life analogy.

Skye: 45:51

I love that. That's amazing. I think that's awesome.Great. Yeah. So I just have a few sort of quick questions,before we go, questions I ask everybody. Tell us about the one professional achievement that you are the most proud of.

Chelsea: 46:05

I'm definitely the most proud of being able to call myself a professional bike racer or cyclist. Achieving that childhood dream is just super rewarding.

Skye: 46:14

Yeah, no, that's so cool.It's awesome. And then what about a professional failure that you have that, you know, is embarrassing? We all have this,you know, how have you dealt with whatever that is?

Chelsea: 46:26

I have quite a few. And this was my favorite question.Because when I look back at this, it really helps shed light on the fact that I had ADHD and just didn't know it. The one that is the biggest and the most embarrassing for me was, I was a fundraiser. And as part of my job, I would travel at least once a month. And I had my, had to use my personal credit card.And then I would submit expense reports to get reimbursed. And I would go on these trips. I would lose receipts. I end up using receipts as bookmarks. I lose receipts in like every blazer pocket, in the bottom of my work bag, I carried a planner that I never written or never used. But I thought it made me look organized.

Skye: 47:16

Yeah, we've all got one of those.

Chelsea: 47:18

Yeah, I get them every year and can never stick to them. And I would get back. And just, I was like, well, it's my money, it doesn't matter when it gets reimbursed. So like I just put it off, put that on the backburner. And for my reviews,every single, every single fundraising job I had, the biggest negative feedback was you cannot complete the simple task of submitting an expense report on time. And it was so frustrating and so humiliating for me because I would just get so overwhelmed by, Okay, I have to find all the receipts, I have to organize them, I have to figure out like which day was what and who I met with. And because it took so long to do the expense reports, I have to scour through all my emails to figure out okay, you know, Jane Doe at Starbucks on April 23,and have that receipt ready to go. And it was just so overwhelming and exhausting that I never, to be honest, never got a hold on my expense reports. It was always this monster on my back. But I finally would just take all my stuff home and do it like in the evenings or on weekends, because I felt like I was so frantic and flustered in my office. And my office was of course very cluttered. And that is something that is still to this day, I like, I hear the word expense report. I'm like,oh.

Skye: 48:45

Yeah, well, I think, I mean you know, it's interesting that you should say that,because I know that that is a very common experience with ADHD. And you're right, it really does speak to that moment where you're like, maybe there's something, maybe something different. But, you know, at the time, it's hard to know. And you know, and if somebody's telling you, it's hard to really get a grip on it. And, you know, I appreciate you sharing that,because one of the reasons that I asked that question is because we spend, you know, often the whole hour or so talking about what we've done with ADHD and how you've achieved and so it can be easy for people to listen to it and be like, oh, this person just doesn't have any of those struggles. And the answer generally is no, they're there.They're definitely there. It's just, it's just part of the journey. And part of figuring it out. And I imagine now you probably have somebody else doing the expense reports or you have a system for it that you've developed with ADHD.

Chelsea: 49:42

Yeah, utilizing strategies that I've talked about with you, even just like having things on my calendar so I don't have to go back through all the e-mails. Yeah, I had a supervisor at one of my recent fundraising positions who she actually asked me in one of our one on ones What is wrong with you? Why can't you do this simple task, like you should be able to do administrative tasks.And because you are so terrible at administrative tasks, you are not going to get a promotion.And she also had said, you know,this is your money, I don't understand why you don't want to get reimbursed. And in the moment thinking you don't understand, like, of course I want my money back. But I can't even figure out how to submit this, like, report properly. So I can't get my money back until I can get the steps in order to do the report.

Skye: 50:32

Yeah, no, 100%, I often say to clients, because it comes up, this comes up so much. And obviously we're working through it as part of that is just that with ADHD, often it feels like hard things are easy and easy things are hard. And so that concept of this easy, executive functioning multi step task,versus this complex, deep work hyperfocus task, and you're sitting there going I know which one I'm going to do, let's go be a professional gravel racer. I do not want to fill in this document.

Chelsea: 51:05

I fail at administrative tests, so I can't do anything.

Skye: 51:09

And that's not true. It just means that you know,there's certain areas which are much harder than others. And yeah, more strategies that are needed. But at the end of the day, professional gravel racer,turns out, didn't need that. So that's kind of, it is interesting, but I really appreciate your honesty on that.That is one of the toughest questions in this list for sure.So what is, I'm going to ask you, but I think we already have the answer. What is your favorite dopamine activity? Is it petting dogs?

Chelsea: 51:35

It's petting dogs.Yeah.

Skye: 51:38

Definitely, yeah. And if you had an ADHD life motto, it doesn't have to be perfect, but what would it be?

Chelsea: 51:45

It would definitely be embrace your enthusiasm. As a young kid I was super enthusiastic about things and then I remember being in elementary school and kind of getting you know shushed by the teacher, and like, oh, control your excitement, like, basically suppress your feelings or suppress your emotions. And so I kind of became like a turtle in my shell. And like, I just didn't want to share, like, I didn't talk. And I'm learning now that I love enthusiastic people. Like I love being around people who are happy and like,smiling and like are a joy to be around. And so I am learning that that's like, we can be in these really emotional states.And like, when we're in the good happy ones, like embrace that,because it's amazing.

Skye: 52:32

Yeah, yeah, no, definitely you get those highs. It's wonderful. Yeah. And being asked to suppress, that can be very dampening, to say the least.Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on Chelsea. It's been amazing to talk to you and just really dive into this stuff all in more detail and find out your story sort of from beginning to end. I know there's going to be so many people who listen to this who are fascinated by you,fascinated by your story, and take a lot of comfort and a lot of helpful strategies as well in terms of the things you've talked about. So I really appreciate you coming on. And if other people want to follow you on your Grand Prix tour or follow you, follow your story,how can they find you?

Chelsea: 53:15

Thank you so much Skye.And like, I know I may have mentioned it before, but the personalized coaching that I did with you was the best thing that I've ever done. And I am totally eternally grateful for that because everything I learned with you I use on a daily basis now, and it just helps me feel way less overwhelmed. And I feel like more confident in my ability. So thank you again and yes, if you want to follow me I am Chels, c-h-e-l-s dot Bolton b-o-l-t-o-n on Instagram.

Skye: 53:49

Yeah, definitely go follow Chelsea. And yeah, thank you so much. I really appreciate that.I'm just like, how do I respond to that, but I really, I really,really do appreciate it. I love helping people. And I love seeing people grow and develop and then go and do their thing,which is exactly what you're doing now. And before we go, I love that your last name is Bolton, by the way. It's just so connected to what you do now.It's pretty cool.

Chelsea: 54:14

Thank you, my nickname in high school was lightning Bolton so yes,

Skye: 54:18

Yeah. And there you go.And there you go. Awesome. Well,thank you so much, Chelsea.Wonderful to chat to you today.And yeah, if you guys want any more information about Chelsea or anything that we've talked about, you'll find her information in the description and more information on the show notes on the website. I'm sure there'll be lots of people following you and seeing all your different dogs that you pet on a daily basis.

Chelsea: 54:41

Thanks so much, Skye.

Skye: 54:46

Thanks for listening. If you'd like to reach out or connect with us, you can leave us a message at admin@unconventionalorganisation.com

Sarah: 54:53

You can also find out more about our ADHD coaching organization, read our free articles or sign up for our online courses at unconventionalorganisation.com That's organization with a Z or an S, they both will get you there.

Skye: 55:07

If you'd like to learn more about what we discussed here today or you want to read the transcript, you can find that on our show notes page at unconventionalorganisation.com.

Sarah: 55:16

If you've enjoyed this podcast and think someone else might find the strategies and stories helpful, the best thing you can do is share episodes using the share button in the podcast player or leave a five star review on Apple or Spotify or your podcast player of choice, letting them know why you've benefited from this podcast.

Skye: 55:33

Thanks so much for listening. And we'll see you back in the ADHD lab next week.