160. My Neurodivergent Brain with Annie Ruggles

The Easily Distracted Entrepreneur

What happens to the business owner who has obsessive-compulsive disorder? They figure out how their brains work and end up growing an amazing business and hosting an informative and entertaining podcast.

Okay, not everyone does that but this week’s guest, Annie Ruggles, sure does.

This week’s episode is the first in a series called My Neurodivergent Brain, where I talk to neurodivergent business owners…diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. We talk about their experience in life and business, what their diagnosis looked like, how it’s impacted their business and life, and how they found their superpowers.

Annie has come to embrace her OCD and views her compulsions as grounding and self-soothing most of the time. She looks at her behavior and thoughts as sometimes self-protective and sees OCD as benefiting her client work.

I hope that today’s episode, and the rest in this series, help you to embrace your own neurodivergence and start to see ways you can embrace your uniqueness as a superpower that not everyone gets to experience.

About Annie Ruggles:

For over a decade, Annie has harnessed her Hulk-like disdain for hard-sales, tacky self-promotion, and overly competitive sleazeballs as inspiration to help people find better ways to grow their small businesses.

She has guided hundreds of people toward making deeper connections, lasting impressions, and friendlier, more lucrative transactions and conversations. Her pride and joy is her podcast, Too Legitimate to Quit: Instantly Actionable Small Business Strategies with a Pop Culture Spin. Visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Links and Resources:

• Episode 128: Stop Avoiding the Ask and Start Selling with Annie Ruggles
• Non-Sleazy Sales Academy
• Too Legitimate to Quit Podcast
• On Boundaries, Burnout, and So I Married an Axe Murderer
• The Coach Who Would Not Sell
• Join Inner Circle
• Foundations of Focus for Entrepreneurs: Focus on what matters to you without burning out

Time Stamps:

• [4:21] - Welcome to Annie
• [6:44] - Annie’s diagnosis and how she got there
• [9:49] - There’s a beating up of yourself because you think you’re not good enough
• [12:44] - Being OCD vs. a pain in the ass
• [15:50] - Stress exacerbate the symptoms
• [16:27] - When done right, compulsions are grounding and self-soothing behaviors
• [18:48] - Is it compulsion or impulsivity from ADHD
• [21:19] - How long ago Annie received her diagnosis
• [22:02] - “Unwanted thought syndrome”
• [22:40] - Self protective behaviors sabotage us
• [28:02] - The benefits of OCD in client work
• [30:35] - Ride the wave - when you’re activated you’re on fire
• [33:22] - How COVID impacted small business
• [34:28] - She can work next to people, but would not choose that
• [35:31] - leaning into energy
• [37:03] - We became entrepreneurs because we wanted that control
• [38:55] - what do you need today in order for your brain to work as an asset, not a hindrance
• [42:42] - If you’re resonating with these ideas, go to the doctor to get a diagnosis
• [44:05] - Caution is helpful as self-protection unless it starts to mess with your quality of life
• [44:31] - Give the thought a gentle kiss
• [47:05] - More about Annie