Think Exceptionally is the new name for Consulting with Kerr and ADHDbrain.Coach
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You know, there's a phrase that’s haunted people like me – and possibly like you – for years.
“Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Oof.
It’s usually flung at someone who dares to be good at more than one thing. Or someone who can't quite fit into a single box. Like, heaven forbid you're both strategic and creative, both people-focused and commercially minded. The horror!
But what I found out recently is that most people don’t know the full quote. The original version. I didn’t. And this version is the gamechanger.
Are you ready for this?
“Jack of all trades, master of non, but oftentimes better than master of one.”
Thank you. I rest my case.
That second half? It’s the plot twist. The redemption arc. The truth. It reframes the phrase from a slight to a badge of honour. Because what it really says is: there’s power in versatility.
Now, let me take you behind the scenes for a moment.
In the five years that I’ve had my business, I’ve received some very well-meaning advice from marketing experts – and I’m using “well-meaning” here the way you might use “bless your heart” when someone’s being a bit of a numpty.
People said:
“You really need to pick a lane. Is it business consulting? Is it neurodiversity? Is it coaching? You’ll confuse people otherwise.”
I thought, "Great. I’ve spent my whole life being too much of everything and now, apparently, I’m doing it professionally as well."
But here’s the thing: I’m not confused.
And neither are the people I work with.
In fact, Think Exceptionally came about because I couldn’t separate those threads. Business, neurodivergence, coaching, systems thinking, professional speaking – it’s all connected.
To ask me to “just focus on one thing” is like saying, “Sure, your brain’s great… but could you switch off half of it?”
Let’s be honest: this idea that we should all narrow ourselves down to one thing is based on an outdated model. The industrial-era idea of expertise. One job. One role. One path.
But the world we live in now? It rewards the integrators. The dot-connectors. The ones who can zoom out and zoom in. Who can hold complexity without falling apart – because, let’s be real, we’ve spent our whole lives navigating complexity, both internally and externally.
Being a Jack (or Jill) of all trades doesn’t mean you’re scattered. It means you’re adaptable. It means you’ve got range. It means your brain can do the equivalent of spinning plates, herding cats, and solving a Rubik’s cube – sometimes all before lunch.
A lot of people use the word ‘holistic’ to describe the service they offer, but don’t deliver in such a manner.
I once had a client say, “Lisa genuinely provides a holistic service.”
Which, honestly, I’d put on a T-shirt if I could get the right font.
What they meant was: I bring strategy, structure, empathy, and neurodivergent insight all into one space. And sometimes what makes the biggest difference for a client isn’t one big intervention, but the fact I can switch lenses – from business model to mindset to team dynamics – without breaking stride.
That’s the power of a well-integrated “Jack of all trades.”
You see things specialists miss.
And look, I won’t sugar-coat it – a lot of us who are neurodivergent have been trained to believe that our broad interests, non-linear thinking, or tendency to leap between ideas is a flaw.
When in fact, it’s often a strength.
We can’t always explain how we know what we know – it’s just there, connected through a thousand invisible threads. And while that might look chaotic from the outside, inside it’s often deeply intuitive and strategic.
So when someone says “Just do one thing,” we’re not being demand avoidant when we resist – we’re being honest.
I remember a workshop I once ran – a mix of founders, and a few “accidental entrepreneurs” (you know the ones who started a side hustle and suddenly had a VAT number).
Partway through, someone asked me what I actually do. (Which is code for “I can’t pigeonhole you and that’s making me uncomfortable.”)
So I smiled and said:
“I help people and businesses stop trying to be what they’re not, and start making the most of everything they are.”
They blinked. Then they grinned. Then they wrote it down.
That’s when it clicked. We don’t need simpler selves. We need more sophisticated ways of talking about the richness of who we are.
So what if we stopped seeing "Jack of all trades" as a cautionary tale…
…and started seeing it as a compliment?
What if we said:
“Yes, I’m multi-talented. Yes, I’ve had more than one career. Yes, I care about people and profits. Yes, I want to coach, consult, and speak. And no, I’m not confused. I’m integrated.”
What if your unique combination of interests, skills and identities is exactly what’s needed in a world that’s crying out for more nuance, not less?
Think Exceptionally exists because I think exceptionally – and so do my clients. And I know my community is full of people who have been told to shrink, simplify, or “pick one lane.”
So let me be the first to say:
You don’t have to choose one thing to be taken seriously.
You can be focused and flexible. Strategic and empathetic. Deep and broad.
That’s not a flaw.
That’s the future.
So the next time someone tries to box you in, give them your best smile and say:
“Actually, I’m a Jack of all trades.
Master of none.
But oftentimes better than master of one.”
And then walk away like the brilliant multi-dimensional legend you are.
Thank you.
Are you a multi-dimensional legend but struggling to fit in?
Let me help!
Whether you're looking for ADHD Coaching, Autism Coaching, or Coaching to support any other neurodivergent condition, I'll work with you to develop strategies and tools to draw on your strengths and manage your challenges so you can be your best self.
I'm ADHD, Autistic and gifted myself – twice exceptional – but I've often just felt like the exception, so I truly get the challenges that neurodivergence can present in your personal life and in the workplace. This is my Why for becoming a neurodiversity Coach – so I can give others the support I didn't even realise I needed but so wish I'd had.
Find out more about coaching with me here.
I'm a Neurodiversity Coach, Professional Speaker and Business Consultant. That might sound like three completely different roles, but they all fit together through my varied background, training and experience.
I'd like to share my story with you, the journey I've been on that has culminated in an exciting new rebrand as Think Exceptionally.
I set up Consulting with Kerr in 2020, specialising in the systems, processes and information that create and maintain value for owners considering exits in a 3 to 5-year horizon.
Why did I choose this niche?
Because I'm a Chartered Accountant with a Corporate Finance and HR background. For more than 20 years I held senior financial and operational roles from global professional services firms to regional SMEs, so I wanted to use all of my knowledge and experience in business to help others.
Find out more about my Business Consulting services here.
I was diagnosed Autistic and ADHD in my 40s, around the time that I set up Consulting with Kerr. Both of these significant life changes happened in early 2020, around the time that Boris Johnson announced our first Covid-19 lockdown, so I had quite a few things to process there.
So I didn't share my diagnosis publicly until a few years later when I wrote a blog about it on World Mental Health Day 2022. You can read the blog here: 931 days
Understanding how my brain works, where my strengths and struggles lie, led me to a new purpose – to give others the support I didn't even realise I needed but so wish I'd had.
I spent all of 2023 running Consulting with Kerr while training as a Certified ADHD Life Coach, followed by Certification with the International Coaching Federation and additional training in Understanding Autism and Neurodiversity-Inclusive Coaching.
In July 2023, I launched ADHDbrain.Coach.
Find out more about my Coaching services here.
I chose to keep the two businesses separate and run two brands as I viewed one as a B2B consulting offer and the other as a B2C coaching offer. I didn't want to confuse either audience by talking about my different service offerings on one site.
In early 2023, I received an invitation to take part in a video project called Hacking Neurodiversity. The brainchild of the wonderful Graeme Lawrie MBE of ACS International Schools, in partnership with inrehearsal. Hacking Neurodiversity is a boxset of videos put together with the help of students, teachers, parents and specialists, who all gave their time freely to attend, sharing insights on what it's like to live with, and love, neurodiversity. You can find all of the videos here.
I was pretty terrified being in a film studio for the first time – so many lights and cameras! But I realised I felt confident talking about my neurodivergence. For once, the imposter syndrome didn't get a look in because who could suggest my experiences as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent adult were incorrect?
The fab team at inrehearsal were convinced too and invited me to deliver a community webinar about neurodiversity for the corporate members on their learning platform. Over 300 L&D Leaders joined the webinar and my Professional Speaking offering escalated from there (thank you so much for believing in me Ben!).
Find out more about my Professional Speaking here and Neurodiversity Services for Business here.
In marketing, we're told to define our niche and be clear on our offering. So I've been worrying that I can't be all of the things and must choose an area to focus on.
Then I learnt the term 'multipotentialite' – a person with multiple interests, passions, and talents across different fields, rather than a single, specialised focus. The term was popularised by Emilie Wapnick in her TED Talk "Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling."
So what are the key traits of a Multipotentialite (according to ChatGPT at least)?
This is me!
After running a business for five years, I've finally managed to bring everything together.
My brain is wired differently. Neurodivergence makes me an exception to the rule. I don't fit in because I think exceptionally.
I bring my unique neurodivergent thinking to create innovative solutions in my business consulting work.
My broad business skills and lived experience of neurodivergence mean I can relate to almost any scenario my coaching clients are experiencing. Autistic empathy makes me a great listener.
And as a professional speaker, I'm supporting businesses to empower neurodivergence in the workplace, combining my corporate and HR background with my Coach training and neurodivergence.
So, for the first time in my life, I'm proud that I don't fit in. I don't want to fit in. I think exceptionally.
Welcome to Think Exceptionally!
