Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Ip.
Hi Vivian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Tuesday Coaching supports high capacity, late diagnosed ADHD autistic professionals navigating burnout, while building confidence, communication skills, and career alignment. I’ve spent more than 20 years helping clients succeed: first as a talent agent and agency owner in commercial photography, then as a startup consultant across multiple industries, before moving into academia, tech, and now coaching for ADHD and autistic professionals.
Coworkers, friends, and mentors often encouraged me to be a coach but I kept dismissing the idea because it meant I would need to move from behind the scenes, to being center stage and directly selling my own services. But the tech industry was draining me with constant layoffs, so I decided this was my time. Given my own late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, I wanted to combine my extensive client experience, passion for education, and background in psychology research to support people like me. I may not have felt ready, but if stepping into the spotlight was my biggest challenge to date, I needed to do it. And I did.
In just over a year, and Tuesday Coaching has grown tremendously. I now have over 8k social media followers, several podcast interviews, and delivered the keynote ‘How Does Neurodivergence Alter Your Life Story?’ at the Social Connections Summit this month. My 1:1 coaching is currently at full capacity, with a waiting list. I’ll be offering group coaching soon, with various workshops to follow. I’ve also started taking on corporate speaking engagements, helping organizations support their neurodivergent employees.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge was making sure I did right by the disability community so that I was supporting rather than adding harm to what is already a targeted and vulnerable population. There are many online businesses and coaches selling services and products through the use of ableist language and non-evidence based information. I wanted to ensure I received proper training and did my fair share of reading so that I was responsibly converting my existing research and client skills into ethical support.
The other major challenge was being the face of the business. What does it mean to be the main character of your own life, let alone allow the world to see you as the leader of your brand?
Having spent my career supporting others, speaking up felt wrong to me for most of my life. As a kid, if I won something or did well, the attention made me shut down. Wanting to be seen felt selfish. That is the closest word I have for it: it felt like a lie to want attention, even when the attention was earned. Over time, I built a strong exterior to protect a sensitive interior to survive.
Starting Tuesday Coaching meant undoing that. And I chose to grow slowly on purpose. Many of the people I serve are often undiagnosed or late-diagnosed ADHD and autistic adults, and they have good reason to be skeptical of coaches. The coaching industry is unregulated, and a lot of people in it are careless. I was not going to be careless with people’s lives for the sake of becoming popular and growing faster.
That slowness created financial pressure, but the bigger pressure was internal. I needed to know I was doing this responsibly.
We’ve been impressed with Tuesday Coaching, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Tuesday Coaching was founded on the belief that we are people before we are pathologies. Labels can be part of our education, but they are not the entirety of our existence.
I work with highly capable, self-aware ADHD and autistic professionals who have gotten far using strategies they built themselves, until life changed and those strategies stopped working. From the outside, they may look fine, but internally, they’re often exhausted and finally ready to ask for help. Most arrive with a lifetime of experiences and a brand new diagnosis, hoping to better understand where their ADHD ends, where their autism begins, and who they are amidst all of it.
I’m known for quickly understanding a client’s unique patterns of thinking, then reflecting back the sublte contradictions they can’t see themselves so we can unlock their next step. My approach pulls from various techniques, research literature, and lived experiences to help lower shame, build confidence, sharpen communication, and align career with identity. Most of my clients arrive with a lifetime of experiences and a brand new diagnosis, and they are trying to figure out where their ADHD ends, where their autism begins, and who they are amidst all of it.
I am a coach, educator, and speaker. I currently offer 1:1 coaching, with group coaching and workshops launching later this year. I’ve also started taking on corporate speaking engagements, helping organizations better support their neurodivergent employees.
What I’m most proud of is building a brand that treats clients as whole people, not problems to be fixed.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
They can follow me on IG or Threads (@tuesday.coaching), where I share educational content.
To work with me directly, collaborate, or inquire about speaking engagements, visit my website at tuesdaycoaching.com or email me at hello@tuesdaycoaching.com. People can also support my work by sharing my content with someone who might find it useful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tuesdaycoaching.com
- Instagram: tuesday.coaching
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tuesdaycoaching
- Other: https://www.threads.com/@tuesday.coaching
