Episode
Late-Diagnosed Autism + ADHD: Sridhar on Focused Curiosity, Calm & Growth – Ep 128
- Published
- Jan 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2703
- Processing state
processed- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/9be8a7da
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Summary
Time isn’t your greatest resource. Focused curiosity is. In this episode, Sridhar Dhanapalan shares how being late-diagnosed with autism and ADHD reshaped his approach to focus, motivation, emotional regulation, and productivity at work. We talk about “focused curiosity” as a core resource, hyperfocus as both a gift and risk, the role of purpose-driven alignment, and practical strategies like focus modes, yoga rituals, and Gmail Priority Inbox to reduce overwhelm and protect deep work. Sridhar Dhanapalan is an Enterprise Agile Coach at IBM Consulting and a mindset coach who helps teams and individuals align purpose, values, and execution. He brings a “thinking-first” approach to productivity and leadership, with lived experience as a neurodivergent parent and late-diagnosed autistic + ADHD adult. Episode Highlights: 00:01:00 — Late diagnosis as an opportunity for growth Sridhar shares that he was diagnosed with autism under 12 months ago, and ADHD about 10 months ago. Instead of treating it as a setback, he frames it as a curiosity-driven opportunity to grow and better support his neurodivergent children. 00:04:00 — Screeners missed ADHD… but the full assessment didn’t He explains how ADHD screeners showed “nothing,” even though something clearly felt missing. He took a chance on a full ADHD assessment anyway, and it revealed ADHD, which clarified patterns he’d struggled to explain for years. 00:06:00 — “Time isn’t our greatest resource. Focused curiosity is.” Sridhar challenges the common idea that time is the most valuable resource. For him, the key is turning curiosity into a laser: compartmentalizing attention and focusing curiosity is what unlocked sustained growth and confidence. 00:09:00 — Hyperfocus: superpower AND kryptonite He describes hyperfocus as incredib…