Hi, I’m Holly - founder of My Atlas, a healthcare company I created to make personalised health testing and clinical insight more accessible and easier to understand.
I’m an ADHD UK Ambassador because, like so many others, I was an atypical child with ADHD who went unseen for a long time. I did well academically, so there was little reason for anyone to look beneath the surface.
Internally, though, I was often overwhelmed, anxious and constantly trying to keep everything together.
I wasn’t diagnosed until my early twenties, privately after being misdiagnosed by the NHS. That diagnosis brought a huge sense of relief, clarity and self-understanding, but also grief for the years I had spent feeling misunderstood and for the support I might have benefited from much earlier.
That experience changed the way I understood myself, and it is a big part of why I want to be involved in advocacy. I want to help create a conversation in which people are recognised sooner, understood more fully and supported in ways that reflect how varied ADHD can actually look - particularly in women and girls, who are still too often missed because they do not fit the traditional stereotype.
Through my work and advocacy, I also hope to contribute to greater awareness and research around ADHD and co-occurring conditions, including PMDD, and to help bridge the gap between lived experience, healthcare and clinical understanding.
If sharing my story helps even one person feel less alone, recognise themselves sooner or feel more confident seeking answers, then it is worth sharing.
@_hollydevine
@holly-devine