We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandra Gilbert. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandra below.

Alexandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I am a New Yorker, a Mets fan, a speaker, a mom, and a brunch enthusiast. I also has dyslexia and ADHD. Because of my learning disabilities, I’ve had to explore and navigate a world that is not all that accommodating. Hurtle after hurtle, succeeding in school, at work, and in life continued to be a challenge. I thought differently, I worked differently, and I am just made differently— but the expectations are the same. I was often misunderstood and thought of as stupid because I didn’t fit the mold. It was frustrating that my effort didn’t always equal positive results. I was ridiculed endlessly which fueled my motivation. It also forced me to continue to adapt and create new ways to succeed.

At the same time, I recognize that I have tremendous privilege. I had endless resources in a highly regarded school district and two parents who could provide for my well-being and invest in my education with tutors and support. I absolutely recognize that this is not the case for many people who struggle with learning disabilities and/or ADHD.

And yet, having endless resources didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t read and I couldn’t spell. I often joke that I’m extremely resilient, I just don’t know how to spell it. But hey, I actually just aced it without having to spell-check. That’s a first.

Eventually, I got into a rhythm in school and found the right resources to help me keep up with my peers. But in the workplace, I realized those resources didn’t exist and my self-advocacy skills really needed to put to the test. I not only struggled with my daily tasks, but my mental health suffered as well. It was physically and mentally exhausting keeping up and I was always terrified that I would fail.

As I climbed the ladder in different organizations, the tasks grew more demanding and the visibility was that much greater. I succeeded beyond expectations almost every time but it was so frustrating that no one really knew how much effort it took for me to do something simple. And I was burning out quicker than everyone else.

While not everyone is comfortable doing so (and understandably so), I spoke openly about my disabilities and ADHD because I feel like it gives me superpowers. I think out of the box, I can create programs out of thin air, and I can see the big picture and tiny details all at once. My instincts with leadership development are spot on. However, what I struggled with the most was not being supported in the way I needed. Partially because I didn’t know what my needs were in these new environments, and partially because I didn’t know I could ask. I always felt my employers only saw part of my best work because I wasn’t set up to succeed to my highest potential.

Fast forward to 2020: I was among the millions of people who were laid off from their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of jumping back into a different corporate role that might have the same obstacles, I took the time to re-evaluate and go back to my roots. I have always had a passion for helping people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD succeed. It seemed like the right next step.

While getting my undergraduate degree at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!), I created the Peer Undergraduate Mentor Program (P.U.M.P.) which is a mentor/retention program created for students with disabilities to alleviate the effects of their disabilities adjusting to college and increasing the graduation rates.

Now, a little over a decade later, I feel the need to support people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD is that much more important. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, everyone has had to make adjustments, and people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD face additional challenges in work/life balance and accommodating their needs.

I started Cape-Able Consulting because I wnt to change the stigma surrounding learning disabilities by showing people what they Cape-able of.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the founder of Cape-Able Consulting, Alex Gilbert. Here are a few other important details about me:

I love NY. Born and bred.

My perfect day would involve the following activities: yoga class, brunch, ordering a cold brew coffee, collapsing on the couch with the Met’s game on

I can recite every line of every episode of Friends

My astrological sign is a Cancer and… well, it makes a lot of sense

I’m a wife, mom, daughter, aunt, sister, and friend

I have several learning disabilities and ADHD

Because of my learning disabilities, I’ve had to explore and navigate a world that is not all that accommodating. Hurtle after hurtle, succeeding in school, at work, and in life continued to be a challenge. I thought differently, I worked differently, and I am just made differently— but the expectations are the same. I was often misunderstood and thought of as stupid because I didn’t fit the mold. It was frustrating that my effort didn’t always equal positive results. I was ridiculed endlessly which fueled my motivation. It also forced me to continue to adapt and create new ways to succeed.

At the same time, I recognize that I have tremendous privilege. I had endless resources in a highly regarded school district and two parents who could provide for my well-being and invest in my education with tutors and support. I absolutely recognize that this is not the case for many people who struggle with learning disabilities and/or ADHD.

And yet, having endless resources didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t read and I couldn’t spell. I often joke that I’m extremely resilient, I just don’t know how to spell it. But hey, I actually just aced it without having to spell-check. That’s a first.

Eventually, I got into a rhythm in school and found the right resources to help me keep up with my peers. But in the workplace, I realized those resources didn’t exist and my self-advocacy skills really needed to put to the test. I not only struggled with my daily tasks, but my mental health suffered as well. It was physically and mentally exhausting keeping up and I was always terrified that I would fail.

As I climbed the ladder in different organizations, the tasks grew more demanding and the visibility was that much greater. I succeeded beyond expectations almost every time but it was so frustrating that no one really knew how much effort it took for me to do something simple. And I was burning out quicker than everyone else.

While not everyone is comfortable doing so (and understandably so), I spoke openly about my disabilities and ADHD because I feel like it gives me superpowers. I think out of the box, I can create programs out of thin air, and I can see the big picture and tiny details all at once. My instincts with leadership development are spot on. However, what I struggled with the most was not being supported in the way I needed. Partially because I didn’t know what my needs were in these new environments, and partially because I didn’t know I could ask. I always felt my employers only saw part of my best work because I wasn’t set up to succeed to my highest potential.

Fast forward to 2020: I was among the millions of people who were laid off from their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of jumping back into a different corporate role that might have the same obstacles, I took the time to re-evaluate and go back to my roots. I have always had a passion for helping people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD succeed. It seemed like the right next step.

While getting my undergraduate degree at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!), I created the Peer Undergraduate Mentor Program (P.U.M.P.) which is a mentor/retention program created for students with disabilities to alleviate the effects of their disabilities adjusting to college and increasing the graduation rates.

Now, a little over a decade later, I feel the need to support people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD is that much more important. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, everyone has had to make adjustments, and people with learning disabilities and/or ADHD face additional challenges in work/life balance and accommodating their needs.

I started Cape-Able Consulting because I want to change the perception around having learning disabilities and/or ADHD, and I want to empower those who have them. As someone who has navigated school and a busy career with learning disabilities/ADHD, I feel I am uniquely qualified for the job.

At Cape-Able Consulting we offer 1:1 Coaching services for adults with ADHD & learning disabilities and corporate consulting and workshops to help organizations better support their teams and make workspaces more accessible and inclusive.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have a love hate relationship with the word resilience. To be resilient means that you’ve had to go through A LOT and potentially means you were not supported in the way you should have been supported. With that being said, I believe my resilience grew to a new height when I entered college and the resources and support I had access to were no longer there. I had a class with a tenured professor who had a strange policy: even if you completed your homework, you only got the credit for it if you answers were correct.

As someone with a learning disability and ADHD this was a nightmare. Generally for anyone this is a nightmare. But rather than cave in to this horrible policy, I mustered up the courage to approach my professor directly and explain to him that his policy was completely unsupportive and does not actually aid in learning, which is the point of school. Even though the process of this was frustrating in scary, I was so proud of myself for being resilient and standing up for what I believed in. My professor ended up taking what I had to say seriously and changed his policy indefinitely.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Since I frequently consult organizations on what it means to manage a team so that all employees feel supported and can thrive, I have to put my own advice into practice.

I think it’s really important to be accommodating and provide employees with resources they need to succeed. This includes accommodating to work hours (working earlier/later), accommodating to different work spaces (working from home/coffee shop/office/etc) and providing assistive technology softwares that aid people with anything they may be struggling with (reading, writing, etc)

By being understanding and providing resources, you naturally keep morale high as it will be much harder for your employees to feel burnt out or misunderstood. It gives them the freedom and space to have the lines of communication open with you and feel comfortable and satisfied in their job.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.capeableconsulting.com/
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