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Episode 61: Katriona Lee
Episode 61
Welcome to episode #61 We’re thrilled to be joined by Katriona Lee today.
Kat is the Co-Founder of Kaya, Australia's first strategy-as-a-service platform built for entrepreneurs. Kat forged a successful career in corporate as a neurodivergent professional, leaning heavily into fitness and habit stacking as key tools for emotional regulation.
Welcome to the show Kat!
Questions
- Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity?
- When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical?
- What challenges did you face?
- What is it like now?
- What neuro-exceptional strengths are you leaning into now?
Early Signs and Challenges:
- Early childhood observations by parents indicated unusual developmental patterns, such as speaking and swimming before walking. This hinted at a different learning and communication style.
- During the teenage years, emotional regulation and social comprehension were significant struggles, leading to disproportionate reactions to routine disruptions or misunderstandings in communication.
- Professional life highlighted these challenges, particularly in understanding and managing social interactions and conversations.
Diagnosis and Personal Struggles:
- Following difficulties in emotional control and understanding social cues, a diagnosis was made, including depression and being on the autism spectrum (previously referred to as Asperger's).
- The diagnosis brought mixed feelings about intelligence and self-worth, leading to extensive personal research and a reluctance to share this information with social circles for fear of judgment and loss of opportunities.
Current Situation and Embracing Neurodiversity:
- Transitioning from a corporate environment to running a personal business has allowed greater freedom to be authentic and redefine leadership and business practices.
- Recognizes and values neurodiverse strengths such as exceptional memory and pattern recognition, which enhance capabilities in strategy consulting and anticipating risks.
- Uses unique cognitive abilities to develop innovative solutions and technologies, addressing pain points effectively.
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
Kat Developed a one-stop "anti-consulting" platform to provide integrated, accessible business solutions for underserved entrepreneurs, fostering growth and authenticity without traditional
barriers.
Kat addresses the challenges of managing diverse business functions like IT, marketing, and sales through two main strategies:
- Partnerships: She partners with experts who respect her unique approach, enabling effective collaboration.
- Technology and Automation: Kat automates repetitive tasks to enhance efficiency and minimize errors, supporting her business's growth.
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
- Kat enjoys outdoor sports like hiking, running, and tennis.
- She takes regular breaks in nature to manage hyper-focus and safeguard her health.
- Social and leisure activities, such as discussing movies with friends, help balance her life.
4. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you?
- Productivity Through Fitness: Kat uses her cardio sessions to brainstorm solutions to business challenges, assigning specific tasks to intervals in her running sets.
- Idea Generation During E
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago