MY STORY
From survival mode to something that actually works
I'm Melanie Carr. I spent a good portion of my adult life working hard, caring deeply, and quietly wondering why everything felt so much harder for me than it seemed to for everyone else.
My ADHD diagnosis came in 2020, during the pandemic, later than it should have, as it does for so many of us. And while that moment brought an enormous sense of relief and recognition, it also opened up something more complicated: a reckoning with all the years I'd spent masking, overcompensating, and burning myself out trying to fit into environments that simply weren't built for how my brain works.
"Diagnosis was just the door opening. What I needed next was someone to help me figure out what to do with everything on the other side of it."
That's what coaching gave me, and it's what I now offer others. Not a quick fix or a rigid system to follow, but a genuine, human process of understanding how you're wired, what gets in your way, and how to build something that fits your actual life.
Before all of this, I had a career in marketing, print, and advertising. I understand the business world and I've worked inside it. I also left it because it wasn't working for me, and because no one at the time thought to ask why.
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That experience matters enormously in the work I do with businesses. I know what it looks like when a workplace fails its neurodivergent employees, not because they didn't care, but because nobody taught them what to do differently. I also know that with the right knowledge and a willingness to understand, things can change. My role is to help with both.
HOW I WORK
What you can expect from me
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Dignity first, always
Every person deserves to be treated with respect and to have their needs genuinely considered, not as a legal obligation, but as a basic human right. That belief runs through everything I do, with individuals and with businesses.
02
Practical and forward-moving
I'm here to help you make real progress, not just to have a supportive conversation. We'll explore what's getting in the way, build on what's working, and find approaches that are genuinely useful in your day-to-day life.
03
Honest and straightforward
I'll give you my honest perspective and I won't dress things up unnecessarily. At the same time, I'm not here to tell you what's wrong with you. I'm here to help you understand yourself and figure out what comes next.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The knowledge behind the work
Lived experience is central to what I bring, but it sits alongside professional training and a genuine commitment to doing this work properly.
Professional qualifications
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BA in Psychology
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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Foundation Accredited Coach
Universal Coaching Alliance
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Certificate and award in ADHD Coaching​​
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​Barrett Coaching & Training
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Certified through
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Universal Coaching Alliance
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Association for Coaching​​
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Certified ADHD Works Coach 2025
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Certified Trauma-Informed Coach
Recognising the overlap between trauma and neurodivergence
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Level 3 Certificate in Neurodiversity Coaching and Mentoring
ADHD Foundation, UK
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Level 2: Autism Awareness
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Level 2: Mental Health Awareness
Lived experience
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Late ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. I understand the relief, the grief, and everything that comes after.
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Personal experience of masking, burnout, and rebuilding, from the inside out.
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Career in marketing and advertising. I understand business environments and the pressures within them.
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Direct experience of workplaces that got it wrong, which is exactly why I care so much about helping businesses get it right.
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Fluent in the unspoken language of neurodivergent experience: the patterns, the loops, the things that are hard to explain to people who haven't felt them.