My Audio World
Estelle Rose
I’m an author and an empowerment coach for women with ADHD, which, in layman’s terms, means I help them build confidence, overcome ADHD challenges, and unlock their potential to achieve their goals.
I’m also someone who knows firsthand the wild ride of a late ADHD diagnosis - it’s like finally getting the instruction manual but discovering it’s in a foreign language. I grew up in Paris (yes, baguettes and all), but 18 years ago, I swapped smelly cheese for the salty air of the English coast.
I’ve had more careers than a cat has lives - mostly in the performing and visual arts. Before my own ADHD diagnosis hit me like a plot twist, I was coaching creatives, helping them turn their big, dreamy ideas into actual, tangible careers. Now, I’m using that experience to guide women with ADHD as they reclaim their power and rewrite their stories.
I live by the sea with two kids, a husband, and a little ginger cat, who decided to move in with us one day. I’m also a productivity nerd, which is just a fancy way of saying I’m obsessed with finding ways to get things done without losing my sanity - or my sense of humor.
Start with self-awareness. It’s the secret sauce. For many of us, that awareness comes with a diagnosis or a self-diagnosis (cue the “Aha!” moment).
The first step is recognizing your specific sensitivities and figuring out which environments crank up the overwhelm.
For example, like so many of us diagnosed later in life, I spent years thinking my sensory struggles were personal failings. I’d beat myself up wondering, Why can’t I just talk to people at dinner parties? Why do I feel like a deflated balloon after a day in an open-plan office? Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a character flaw.
Acknowledging that these challenges come from sensory sensitivities - not a lack of resilience or capability - is a game-changer.
Next, it’s all about tracking and reflecting. Keep a journal, if that’s your jam, or just track what environments felt draining, what felt good, and any patterns you notice. Over time, you’ll start connecting the dots.
Talking to others who experience similar challenges can be a revelation, too. Sure, their triggers might be different (maybe they’re cool with noisy cafes but can’t handle the hum of fluorescent lights), but these conversations can help you discover new insights about your own sensitivities. We’re all learning together, one “Oh, me too!” moment at a time.
With ADHD, I’ve written four books on the subject, so I’ve picked up a thing or two about focus and productivity.
For me, it all starts with what I call “covering the basics”: good food, quality sleep, and staying hydrated. Sounds simple, right? But trust me, when those things slip, everything else unravels faster than a cheap sweater.
Once the basics are in place, I lean on routines that actually work for me - keyword: me. Self-awareness is my compass here again, helping me figure out how I operate best and balancing my energy levels accordingly. I’ve also got a toolkit full of strategies, tools, and hacks that I share in my books.
APD, on the other hand, has been a different beast to tackle. Before I found Calmer, I wasn’t managing it as well as I could’ve. My go-to strategy was radical honesty. If someone invited me to my personal nightmare - a noisy sit-down dinner at a big table - I’d explain that I wouldn’t be able to follow the conversation and suggest something more manageable.
When avoiding loud environments wasn’t an option, I’d limit how long I stayed and make sure to schedule some recovery time afterward. Learning to advocate for myself and set boundaries has been a total game-changer.
The Empowering ADHD Workbook for Women felt like a natural next step after my previous book, Empowered Women with ADHD. I wanted to take things a step further and create something practical - a hands-on workbook that not only introduces tools but helps women actually apply them.
The inspiration for writing books for women with ADHD was my own winding journey. I was diagnosed later in life, after years of feeling like I was playing a game where everyone else knew the rules, and I didn’t even know I was meant to kick the ball.
On the outside, I might’ve looked like a high achiever, but inside, I was holding myself to impossibly high standards and constantly feeling like I was falling short. I’d swing between hyperfocus and hyper-fatigue, and overwhelm was basically my default setting. Oh, and for years, I was convinced I was D/deaf. I can’t tell you how many trips I made to my GP, sure that I was losing my hearing, only to have my tests come back perfectly fine. Turns out, I wasn’t imagining things - I also have auditory processing disorder, which often tags along with ADHD.
After my diagnosis, I realised the only official support out there was medication. My psychiatrist suggested some lifestyle changes, but there was zero guidance on how to actually make them work. So, I did what any overwhelmed ADHD person would do - I dove headfirst into research. Pretty soon, I was buried in more information than I could process, all while trying to make sense of the coping strategies I’d unknowingly built over the years.
I wrote the book I wish I’d had back then. So many resources felt clinical or out of touch - they didn’t speak to the lived experiences of women, especially those diagnosed later in life. It’s why I started writing and coaching, to help women not just understand their ADHD but figure out the “how-to” of managing it day to day. With my books, I’m offering a shortcut, because efficiency is my love language. I want women to move past the overwhelm and find clarity faster. And that clarity? It’s a game-changer. It brings calm, confidence, and the kind of empowerment that makes the ADHD journey not just manageable but transformative.
Honestly, Calmer has been a total game-changer for me - the missing puzzle piece I needed to manage my auditory processing disorder. I don’t wear Calmer all day, every day, but I absolutely rely on it in challenging environments with lots of background noise where I also need to engage.
Take trains, for example. If I’m just zoning out with a book or working, I’ll throw on overhead headphones. But if I’m on that same train having a conversation? That’s where Calmer comes in. It’s the same for noisy restaurants, bars, or parties with friends - places that used to make me want to crawl under the nearest table. I’m a naturally social person, and I thrive on connection, so being able to actually enjoy conversations without constantly straining to hear? Game. Changer.
Before Calmer, I’d tried other earplugs, but they felt isolating. Sure, they helped me focus on tasks, but good luck trying to have a normal conversation. Calmer is different. I can hear the person I’m talking to without all the background chaos, and I don’t have to deal with the amplified echo of my own voice.
One of the biggest wins has been at multi-day conferences. Those things are draining even without ADHD and APD in the mix. With Calmer, I don’t feel like I’m wearing anything at all, so I can use them all day. Networking, breakout sessions, casual chats - they used to feel like an endurance test. Now that I can understand what people are saying, I can fully engage. Cherry on top: I don’t hit a wall by the end of the day.
And let’s talk about the capsule accessory. Total lifesaver. Since I don’t wear Calmer 24/7, it’s crucial to have them on hand when I need them. Keeping the capsule on my keyring ensures I don’t lose them (because I’ll share a little secret: I’ve lost so many earplugs over the years). For someone with ADHD, that kind of convenience is everything.
Start with self-awareness (again). Take the time to notice your triggers and pinpoint which environments or situations feel overwhelming or unmanageable. From there, embrace your inner scientist. Approach it with curiosity - try different strategies, tweak your environment, adjust your behavior, and see what works. Treat it like an experiment, not a pass/fail test. If something doesn’t work right away, it doesn’t mean the strategy itself is useless; it might just need a little tweaking.
Take my Calmer earplugs, for example. They’re great, but the real game-changer? The capsule accessory. Keeping the capsule on my keyring solved the very ADHD problem of forgetting or losing them. Without it, I might’ve written them off as impractical, even though they’re fantastic in the right situations. Sometimes, it’s the small adjustments that make a tool or habit fit seamlessly into your life.
The key is to keep experimenting and refining until you’ve built a toolkit that works for you. Be patient with the process - it’s a journey, not a sprint. And as you learn more about yourself and evolve, don’t be afraid to adapt.
Calmer® is a life-changing product worn in the ear to gently reduce annoying noises. It doesn't block sound or make you feel isolated.
Splash proof aluminium keychain capsules to keep everything safe and sound.
