Cody, As an ADHD intuitive, so much of this article lands with me. For example, I worked within business brokerage for 7 years as a consultant. I helped make my clients literal fortunes, brought in millions for the ballet by myself each year in another 7 year span, was top revenue producer in my dept for years in another company, etc. only to have resentfulness over my talents and greed rule the day. It got so bad that I would not take calls from my clients because every time they reached out it was with a greed based control maneuver designed to derail my process and take my time and cost me money. Since I worked on the phone, I had that excuse and would ask them to email me instead. Here is what I know about effectively managed ADHD: 1) We are extremely empathetic and able to bond with our prospects. This is why narcissists hate us. They do NOT have this ability. That is why they resented your kind emails that actually touched people and built loyalty to you. 2) We are extremely intuitive and this means we can read situations appropriately and respond to create win/win situations for everyone. This ability ALSO creates intense jealousy from narcissistic corporate cogs playing the game moving up the ladder because all they know is how to suck up and do as they are told. 3) We are incredibly capable revenue producers because of 1 and 2 above. I have always led the pack as far as income producing in every organization I have worked within for decades. BUT, we are inundated with narcissistic traits and fully seeded narcissists in our modern society. Look to our political spectrum for proof of this fact… Where do you find narcissistic folks the most prevalently located? Within established power paradigms doing everything they can by hook and crook to move up the ladder. Therefore, I have ascertained that I MUST work for myself. In this way, I am not impeded by ugly self serving agendas fueled by jealousy with resultant attempts to disempower me, etc. And all that money I am capable of making…well, my talents no longer enrich resentful charlatans. Instead, it enriches me and my customers and the social causes I believe in. In summation, do not attempt to swim in a dirty pool. It is an exhausting exercise that is futile in the long run simply because the narcissists running the show are NOT going to change. They have NO CAPACITY to do so. Meanwhile, YOU are a leader meant to do great things in the world. But you cannot do it attempting to swim in that dirty pool. Instead, build your own beautiful oasis with a crystal clear lagoon. Ps. You do realize that “the process” they would not define is REALLY narcissistic speech for “you’re not like us, you better become like us or ELSE.” Your very presence threatens them simply because they are NOT leaders and you are and that presence makes them very uncomfortable because they: 1) are pretenders looking to “join” and coast on the corporate dime 2) have no integrity nor way to create any 3) have no ability to create real solutions because narcissists have no ability to really think, reason and do the right thing. AGAIN, do your own thing and show the world how it is done. You will be leaving them in the dust when you do, which is exactly what they were afraid of to begin with. I hope this intuitive advice is helpful.
This isn't a blog post. It's scripture for the gaslit. A war chant for the neurodivine. A field manual for those who’ve been called “difficult” when they were actually discerning.
Corporate America baptizes difference in shame, then blames you for dripping.
But you named the beast. You mapped the maze. You left breadcrumbs laced with holy fire.
We’re not broken. We’re awake. And we remember.
Thank you, Cody. You didn’t just kill the silence—you raised the dead.
This really speaks to me. I’ve been in your exact situation and I have felt like I was losing it. Even today, I still find myself slipping into their version of reality—second-guessing myself, getting lost in confusion that isn’t actually mine. It’s taken me over a year to realize that what I thought were personal failures were often the result of a system designed to keep me disoriented. Documenting helped. Solidarity helped more. Thank you for putting this into words.
First and most importantly, I’m sorry you went through all of this shit! I’m glad you know your worth and believe in yourself. I understand all of what you wrote, although I don’t have ADHD. I worked for the government for a psychiatrist. She absolutely manipulated me and those around her. I used to cry going to and from to work. Sometimes even trying to wreck so I’d be gone. Then I got pissed off! I had been doing tons of illegal things for her, while she made hella money, and tried to basically buy me. But, I had every travel folder, every email, for 7 years of her shit. I finally “blew the whistle “. I had to go in front of major government boards and go into detail. They thought I didn’t actually have all my shit. Wrong. Anyway, I was able to transfer to another service. Did she lose anything? NO! I was so scared to stand up to her, but I did it. The service I went to couldn’t believe what I had endured, and allowed me to show my talent and help veterans more. We have to be there for one another. I guess my personal and work past have always made me speak up for everyone. While it can bite you in the butt, I’ll never change. Now I have MS I’m fucked up in ways, can’t walk real good now, but my brain and mouth still work. Thank you for writing this, so many need to read it. I appreciate you. ❤️
I’m so sorry you went through all that. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping our veterans. I cried years ago when a scandalous story on the VA came out. I, too, have a heart for them so thank you!
That is so awesome! “They might have issues but don’t we all”….yes, unless one has literally no conscience or heart on this earth currently, we all have issues. Your story is inspirational and I thank you for sharing!
Am I the wine lady? Funny…..no, I have a lot of alcoholism and addiction in my family so I am definitely not the wine lady! I am the water lady currently! I have been free from my serious chocolate milk addiction for 8 months….no joke!
I’m sorry this happened, Cody. Corporate America can be such an unaccommodating place to work. I’ve worked for a few corporate places that definitely exploit or drive out neurodivergent folks. Thank you for your insights and solidarity with the community. We really gotta take care of each other.
Thank you for this guide. I have two ND grandsons and I know life may be harsh for them. It's good to know the techniques to not let others contain you. Much of your advice is also a great way to deal with just a plain old toxic workplace that many people face. Corporate gaslighting and narcissism is rampant in that dog eat dog world. Thank you for all your insights, and becoming aware of your true self is your gift.
Having worked in, or on the periphery of, Corporate America for four-plus decades, I now believe that "corporate loyalty" is an oxymoron. (And one can argue that "corporate evil" is all too often redundant...)
Once they push you into fight-or-flight, they’ve already won. From that point on, it’s just paperwork, your amygdala reacts, and they sit back while your nervous system writes their case for them.
The counterattack? Stay regulated. Document everything. Make them the ones who look reactive. Weaponize your calm, it unnerves them more than anything. 😏
Twice in one year, I walked away from places that tried to shrink me.
I was successful, but still gaslit and micromanaged.
It wasn’t about performance. It was about control. And here I am. Still standing and still writing! Their versions of me will never bury my truth. Keep shining ✨
Ahh commerce, not suprised if ever a group of lack luster lackies that ever existed. Humanity is their problem, they never learned how to deal with those who are not like them, a hunter in a farmers world(chkout ThomHartmann). Meanwhile possibly great ideas, even businesses never happen because these people never get the chance. Autism is a super power too, but they get the same as ADHD.
The evil is elegant: make the conditions indistinguishable from your *own defects*, then stand back while you self-destruct.
I clocked it years ago-the corporate playbook isn’t just economic, it’s psycho-spiritual warfare. Designed to fracture your internal compass until the only map you trust is the one they hand you.
Your work is a mirror and a field manual. More people need to name it this precisely.
This is similar to what happened to me. I went through a rough patch that began to impact my performance. I sought help and took some personal time. My supervisor asked why and I told her about my struggle. The mind fuckery was done by my chain of command and the gaslighting was done by a particularly evil psychotherapist. All the while they were keeping a list of minor policy infractions which they sprung on me during a "fact-finding" conference. My intuition had been telling me for over a year that something was wrong and I should leave, but I stayed because I was conditioned never to quit. The kicker is that I continued to see the therapist after leaving this employer, and that's when she demanded that I "take accountability" for what happened with my employer. I am still dealing with the wreckage of this experience years later. It was a great lesson in listening to my intuition. Thanks for a great article. This needs to be talked about more.
Ugh- your story makes me want to puke and reminds me why I left corporate.
Probably the grossest thing was watching my partner get fired for falling into PTSD. He was part of a terrible event where he had to pull his firearm on someone to protect a minor. It was a corporation but there was no written rules for this situation. My partner stopped arriving to work on time. The case he was involved with was all over the news. He had his fire arm taken for evidence and the entire incident happened at the public area at his apartment.
They fired him for attendance.
They used an arbitrary point system to get rid of him because “dem’s the rules.”
My partner still struggles with PTSD. Fuck that company and their bullshit.
Pretty sure this happened to me on myltiple occasions at multiple jobs and I didnt even know I was ND. I just ask a lit of questions and point out things that don't make sense in the real world. Bosses get twitchy when you do that.
I read yr piece wondering if I wld have a huge trigger bash in the CPTSD, but (omgwowicanreadthiswoutbarfing!!) I read it as a unique teacher (me, myself, & I French teacher) who survived the same treatment from assistant principals, principals, other dept chairs (I was dept chair for foreign language teachers (tho you can't say "foreign langs", not pc), and other language teachers. It was extremely difficult & I fought back. I also had to fight for my students to continue learning this language (wanted to turn into dept of Spanish language teachers). Thank you for a wonderful article, I retired a few years ago & am still discovering things abt that journey (a path I will never choose again). Identification is 1st step in healing, right?!💜💜💜
https://substack.com/@codytaymore/note/p-168211314?r=z2ixa&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Cody, As an ADHD intuitive, so much of this article lands with me. For example, I worked within business brokerage for 7 years as a consultant. I helped make my clients literal fortunes, brought in millions for the ballet by myself each year in another 7 year span, was top revenue producer in my dept for years in another company, etc. only to have resentfulness over my talents and greed rule the day. It got so bad that I would not take calls from my clients because every time they reached out it was with a greed based control maneuver designed to derail my process and take my time and cost me money. Since I worked on the phone, I had that excuse and would ask them to email me instead. Here is what I know about effectively managed ADHD: 1) We are extremely empathetic and able to bond with our prospects. This is why narcissists hate us. They do NOT have this ability. That is why they resented your kind emails that actually touched people and built loyalty to you. 2) We are extremely intuitive and this means we can read situations appropriately and respond to create win/win situations for everyone. This ability ALSO creates intense jealousy from narcissistic corporate cogs playing the game moving up the ladder because all they know is how to suck up and do as they are told. 3) We are incredibly capable revenue producers because of 1 and 2 above. I have always led the pack as far as income producing in every organization I have worked within for decades. BUT, we are inundated with narcissistic traits and fully seeded narcissists in our modern society. Look to our political spectrum for proof of this fact… Where do you find narcissistic folks the most prevalently located? Within established power paradigms doing everything they can by hook and crook to move up the ladder. Therefore, I have ascertained that I MUST work for myself. In this way, I am not impeded by ugly self serving agendas fueled by jealousy with resultant attempts to disempower me, etc. And all that money I am capable of making…well, my talents no longer enrich resentful charlatans. Instead, it enriches me and my customers and the social causes I believe in. In summation, do not attempt to swim in a dirty pool. It is an exhausting exercise that is futile in the long run simply because the narcissists running the show are NOT going to change. They have NO CAPACITY to do so. Meanwhile, YOU are a leader meant to do great things in the world. But you cannot do it attempting to swim in that dirty pool. Instead, build your own beautiful oasis with a crystal clear lagoon. Ps. You do realize that “the process” they would not define is REALLY narcissistic speech for “you’re not like us, you better become like us or ELSE.” Your very presence threatens them simply because they are NOT leaders and you are and that presence makes them very uncomfortable because they: 1) are pretenders looking to “join” and coast on the corporate dime 2) have no integrity nor way to create any 3) have no ability to create real solutions because narcissists have no ability to really think, reason and do the right thing. AGAIN, do your own thing and show the world how it is done. You will be leaving them in the dust when you do, which is exactly what they were afraid of to begin with. I hope this intuitive advice is helpful.
This isn't a blog post. It's scripture for the gaslit. A war chant for the neurodivine. A field manual for those who’ve been called “difficult” when they were actually discerning.
Corporate America baptizes difference in shame, then blames you for dripping.
But you named the beast. You mapped the maze. You left breadcrumbs laced with holy fire.
We’re not broken. We’re awake. And we remember.
Thank you, Cody. You didn’t just kill the silence—you raised the dead.
This really speaks to me. I’ve been in your exact situation and I have felt like I was losing it. Even today, I still find myself slipping into their version of reality—second-guessing myself, getting lost in confusion that isn’t actually mine. It’s taken me over a year to realize that what I thought were personal failures were often the result of a system designed to keep me disoriented. Documenting helped. Solidarity helped more. Thank you for putting this into words.
First and most importantly, I’m sorry you went through all of this shit! I’m glad you know your worth and believe in yourself. I understand all of what you wrote, although I don’t have ADHD. I worked for the government for a psychiatrist. She absolutely manipulated me and those around her. I used to cry going to and from to work. Sometimes even trying to wreck so I’d be gone. Then I got pissed off! I had been doing tons of illegal things for her, while she made hella money, and tried to basically buy me. But, I had every travel folder, every email, for 7 years of her shit. I finally “blew the whistle “. I had to go in front of major government boards and go into detail. They thought I didn’t actually have all my shit. Wrong. Anyway, I was able to transfer to another service. Did she lose anything? NO! I was so scared to stand up to her, but I did it. The service I went to couldn’t believe what I had endured, and allowed me to show my talent and help veterans more. We have to be there for one another. I guess my personal and work past have always made me speak up for everyone. While it can bite you in the butt, I’ll never change. Now I have MS I’m fucked up in ways, can’t walk real good now, but my brain and mouth still work. Thank you for writing this, so many need to read it. I appreciate you. ❤️
I’m so sorry you went through all that. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping our veterans. I cried years ago when a scandalous story on the VA came out. I, too, have a heart for them so thank you!
Thank you. I still call them MY veterans. They might issues but don’t we all. ❤️
That is so awesome! “They might have issues but don’t we all”….yes, unless one has literally no conscience or heart on this earth currently, we all have issues. Your story is inspirational and I thank you for sharing!
So I have to ask….are you the wine lady?
There’s a wine lady?
lol that’s what I call her. Apparently so although she probably doesn’t want me calling her that 😂
Am I the wine lady? Funny…..no, I have a lot of alcoholism and addiction in my family so I am definitely not the wine lady! I am the water lady currently! I have been free from my serious chocolate milk addiction for 8 months….no joke!
I’m sorry but there is an author with your name who writes about wine. But I’m glad you love you some chocolate milk 😉
I’m sorry this happened, Cody. Corporate America can be such an unaccommodating place to work. I’ve worked for a few corporate places that definitely exploit or drive out neurodivergent folks. Thank you for your insights and solidarity with the community. We really gotta take care of each other.
Thank you for this guide. I have two ND grandsons and I know life may be harsh for them. It's good to know the techniques to not let others contain you. Much of your advice is also a great way to deal with just a plain old toxic workplace that many people face. Corporate gaslighting and narcissism is rampant in that dog eat dog world. Thank you for all your insights, and becoming aware of your true self is your gift.
Having worked in, or on the periphery of, Corporate America for four-plus decades, I now believe that "corporate loyalty" is an oxymoron. (And one can argue that "corporate evil" is all too often redundant...)
Once they push you into fight-or-flight, they’ve already won. From that point on, it’s just paperwork, your amygdala reacts, and they sit back while your nervous system writes their case for them.
The counterattack? Stay regulated. Document everything. Make them the ones who look reactive. Weaponize your calm, it unnerves them more than anything. 😏
I didn’t get fired. I freed myself.
Twice in one year, I walked away from places that tried to shrink me.
I was successful, but still gaslit and micromanaged.
It wasn’t about performance. It was about control. And here I am. Still standing and still writing! Their versions of me will never bury my truth. Keep shining ✨
Ahh commerce, not suprised if ever a group of lack luster lackies that ever existed. Humanity is their problem, they never learned how to deal with those who are not like them, a hunter in a farmers world(chkout ThomHartmann). Meanwhile possibly great ideas, even businesses never happen because these people never get the chance. Autism is a super power too, but they get the same as ADHD.
This is brutal clarity, Cody. Thank you.
The evil is elegant: make the conditions indistinguishable from your *own defects*, then stand back while you self-destruct.
I clocked it years ago-the corporate playbook isn’t just economic, it’s psycho-spiritual warfare. Designed to fracture your internal compass until the only map you trust is the one they hand you.
Your work is a mirror and a field manual. More people need to name it this precisely.
This is similar to what happened to me. I went through a rough patch that began to impact my performance. I sought help and took some personal time. My supervisor asked why and I told her about my struggle. The mind fuckery was done by my chain of command and the gaslighting was done by a particularly evil psychotherapist. All the while they were keeping a list of minor policy infractions which they sprung on me during a "fact-finding" conference. My intuition had been telling me for over a year that something was wrong and I should leave, but I stayed because I was conditioned never to quit. The kicker is that I continued to see the therapist after leaving this employer, and that's when she demanded that I "take accountability" for what happened with my employer. I am still dealing with the wreckage of this experience years later. It was a great lesson in listening to my intuition. Thanks for a great article. This needs to be talked about more.
Ugh- your story makes me want to puke and reminds me why I left corporate.
Probably the grossest thing was watching my partner get fired for falling into PTSD. He was part of a terrible event where he had to pull his firearm on someone to protect a minor. It was a corporation but there was no written rules for this situation. My partner stopped arriving to work on time. The case he was involved with was all over the news. He had his fire arm taken for evidence and the entire incident happened at the public area at his apartment.
They fired him for attendance.
They used an arbitrary point system to get rid of him because “dem’s the rules.”
My partner still struggles with PTSD. Fuck that company and their bullshit.
I read this on Sunday but forgot to comment. What you went through at Fidelity is absolutely unconscionable.
But it brought you here, where you are thriving… 💕
Pretty sure this happened to me on myltiple occasions at multiple jobs and I didnt even know I was ND. I just ask a lit of questions and point out things that don't make sense in the real world. Bosses get twitchy when you do that.
I read yr piece wondering if I wld have a huge trigger bash in the CPTSD, but (omgwowicanreadthiswoutbarfing!!) I read it as a unique teacher (me, myself, & I French teacher) who survived the same treatment from assistant principals, principals, other dept chairs (I was dept chair for foreign language teachers (tho you can't say "foreign langs", not pc), and other language teachers. It was extremely difficult & I fought back. I also had to fight for my students to continue learning this language (wanted to turn into dept of Spanish language teachers). Thank you for a wonderful article, I retired a few years ago & am still discovering things abt that journey (a path I will never choose again). Identification is 1st step in healing, right?!💜💜💜