Celebrating 300 Substackers at The ADHD Alchemist! Join me LIVE Thursday, January 9
+ Introducing The Creative Pulse: Live Creative Sessions with Monica
This morning, I celebrated a milestone: 300 Substackers who have joined me on this journey of decolonial healing for neurodivergent minds at The ADHD Alchemist! Every single one of you is deeply, deeply appreciated.
When I launched my Substack 10 days ago, I looked up metrics to set realistic expectations (because you know how we are). The data said the average growth for a new Substack was 10–50 subscribers in a month. I was good with that—really. Honestly, I was just excited to just be back in a creative flow and writing again for myself. As a journalist and editor, I’m usually writing for someone else, so simply doing me on my own terms just feels good. Starting a new platform during the holiday rush and travel season felt like a risk, but I trusted the process and just wanted a landing space to get some of the things out that have been swirling in my head.
And today, we surpassed that y’all! BY LEAPS! Here we are, just 10 days in, with 300 of you affirming, celebrating, and supporting this work. (excuse me for a second while I ugly cry.)
Side Note: May this be a testament to YOU—don’t sleep on your dreams! Get that idea out: someone is listening, someone is watching, someone will resonate with it. And if no one does—at least you created space for new ideas to come through. Reclaim this year as the year you start believing in yourself again.
What started off as personal reflections has blossomed into a growing community of people just like me: misdiagnosed, never diagnosed, late diagnosed, and self-diagnosed folks looking to discover deeper levels of self-awareness and reclaim our healing while rejecting the colonial systems that place productivity over well-being. That doesn’t mean I won’t share tools on navigating those systems—wellbeing also looks like knowing how to navigate within the systems and learning how to thrive in a world that wasn’t built for us. But it’s with the knowingness and understanding that we do so by creating our own rules while reclaiming the sacred that I approach these topics. It’s about understanding the world we live in and finding our ways rather than fitting into their approaches.
As someone late diagnosed with ADHD eight years ago, my creative process isn’t linear—it ebbs and flows. I’ve had to create systems after masking for 30 years of my life and creating my own coping tools. I struggled with perfectionism for years because I could never do things “right.” The more I’ve leaned into listening to my body and unlearning perfectionism, the more I’ve been able to build habits that feel nourishing instead of draining.
If you’ve been joining me on the 7 Days of Healing Challenge, you may have noticed I’ve been writing—A LOT. Writing has been a cathartic expression for me, an outlet to finally get the thoughts swirling in my head out into the world, creating space for new ideas to come through. (if my creative process has been inspiring you in your own creativity—read on.)
On Day 3 of the challenge, we discussed honoring the process and not just the end goal through the Vedic teachings and the story of Krishna. It’s a lesson I return to often, especially as someone who tends to overanalyze and get stuck in cycles of perfectionism. That analysis paralysis has led to bouts of writer’s block throughout my life, but the more I’ve embraced my neurodivergence, the more I’ve learned to move through it.
2024 was a year of discovery for me. I became an ADHD coach, developed tools to better support myself and others, and found ways to integrate practical strategies like habit stacking, time blocking, and building dopamine-friendly systems with the intersectionality, ceremony, and decolonial teachings that guide me as I break free from perfectionism, hustle culture, and systems that weren’t designed for neurodivergent minds like ours.
Introducing The Creative Pulse
When you become a paid contributor to The ADHD Alchemist, you’re not just supporting this platform—you’re investing in a growing community and making it possible for me to create more free offerings like the 7 Day Wellness Challenge. Your support allows me to keep showing up with tools, reflections, and insights designed so we all can win.
As a paid subscriber, you’ll gain access to:
Full Archive Access: Dive into the complete collection of in-depth guides, tools, and strategies crafted specifically for neurodivergent creators.
Monthly Resource Drops: Downloadable templates, routines, and frameworks to help make life more manageable and meaningful.
Special Discounts: Enjoy exclusive pricing on workshops and trainings tailored for our community.
Monthly Live Drop-Ins: Connect in real-time on Zoom as we explore a new topic each month.
To celebrate reaching 300 subscribers and thank you for your support, I’ll be hosting a 90-minute facilitated discussion via Zoom for paid contributors:
WHEN: THIS Thursday, January 9, at 5 PM PST
In this session, we’ll explore:
Understanding situational variability and how it shapes our creative rhythms
Working with time instead of feeling like it’s working against us
Building sustainable habits that support our creativity and consistency in 2025
A body doubling session where we’ll map out our creative roadmap to success
The session will be recorded for those who cannot attend live.
It’s $11 to become a paid contributor, and your support means so much to me. I’d love to see you there and share this space with you.
Wherever you’re at on this journey with me, I appreciate each and every one of you for your support.
In community and sacred solidarity,
Monica
How do you access the Zoom?