The Story Behind the Work
Robert Pal Executive ADHD Coach. Facilitator. Entrepreneur.
and leading companies
the people who do
Robert Pal is an executive ADHD coach based in Toronto, working virtually with entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals across the United States, Canada, and globally.
The Entrepreneur Who Understands the ADHD Brain
The gap I couldn't explain
For 25 years, I started, built, and ran companies. On the outside, it looked like success. But there was a gap I couldn't explain — between what I knew I should do and what I actually did. I assumed it was discipline, or stress, or the cost of running a company.
At 40, I found out it had a name. ADHD.
That changed everything, including the direction of my work.
When I finally learned to work with my ADHD brain instead of fighting it, everything shifted. I began seeing the same patterns in other entrepreneurs, executives, and high-performing professionals. That became my mission.
The Business Background
Built from the inside out
I founded and led Lapor Inc. and Illusions International Inc., growing them into international fashion businesses with major retail partners. We pioneered the first complete fashion line developed in Asia for our sector and earned Top Supplier Awards for innovation and leadership.
I served as President of the Toronto chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), growing membership from 25 to over 100, and later joined the EO International Board for Strategic Planning. I was also selected for the Entrepreneurial Masters Program at MIT Sloan — one of only 65 high-growth entrepreneurs from across North America.
That hands-on experience is not just background. It is why I understand the daily reality of running a company while your brain works differently: stalled projects despite real commitment, decisions that circle for days, and the exhaustion of knowing exactly what needs to happen but still not doing it.
The Approach
Direct. Practical. No slogans.
For the past ten years, I have worked exclusively at the intersection of ADHD, business, self-leadership, and sustainable behavioral change.
I'm direct and practical. No motivational slogans. No abstract theories.
You get a clear map of the specific patterns creating your execution gaps: chronic overwhelm, decision avoidance, inconsistent follow-through, and the internal friction that generic productivity systems are not designed to fix.
This is precise work grounded in how your brain functions, delivered by someone who has operated at the same level you do.
Time for a conversation?
A confidential 20-minute call about your situation — and an honest answer on whether this is the right fit.
Book a 20-Minute CallConfidential · Direct · No pressure
Why Forums Matter
I Spent Years Building Alone.
I started out working flea markets and grew that into a leading fashion business. It worked, but it had a cost. The hours pulled me away from friends and a social life, and no one around me was doing anything close to what I was doing. I was running hard, by myself.
My first EO event changed that. For the first time I was in a room full of people who understood the work from the inside, people I could connect with because they were living the same thing I was. For the first time, I had a community.
Forum took it further. The honesty, the willingness to be vulnerable, the way members genuinely care about each other's growth. There is nothing else like it. It is why I went on to moderate my own Forum and serve as President of EO Toronto, where I grew the chapter from 25 to over 100 members.
It is also why an important part of my work is the Self-Leadership Forum Retreat, which takes what makes a Forum work and uses it to go deeper.
Training & Influences
Where the approach comes from
My approach draws from real-world entrepreneurial leadership, more than ten years of coaching, and formal training across psychology, neuroscience, ADHD, and mindfulness-based behavior change.
Psychology, ADHD & Coaching
- Solution-Focused Coaching University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
- IFS Coaching for Self-Leadership Internal Family Systems (IFS) Institute
- IFS-Informed Therapist Training IFS Institute
- Cognitive Therapy for Adults with ADHD Mary Solanto, Ph.D.
- Adult ADHD as a Reward Deficiency Syndrome J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Hincks-Dellcrest Centre
- Narrative Therapy Hincks-Dellcrest Centre
- Positive Psychology Coaching Positive Acorn
Neuroscience, Mindfulness & Strengths
- Interpersonal Neurobiology Daniel Siegel, M.D.
- Hardwiring Happiness — Applied Neuroplasticity Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
- Strengths-Based Coaching VIA Institute on Character
Business & Leadership
- Founder, CEO & President Lapor Inc. & Illusions International Inc. (1983–2008)
- Entrepreneurial Masters Program (EMP) MIT Sloan School of Management
- President, Toronto Chapter Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
- International Board Member Entrepreneurs' Organization
- Trained Forum Moderator Entrepreneurs' Organization
Published Works & Media
In print and in conversation
Robert's work has been featured across leading ADHD and performance platforms, with a focus on practical execution, strengths-based growth, and real-world application.
New Series — Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Speaking — Della Leaders Club Forum Masterclass
Guest Speaker
Transformative Retreats, billed by DLC as the world's first business platform.
Podcast
Leaders of Tomorrow
ADHD in Executive Leadership: Turning Vulnerability into a Competitive Advantage
ADDitude Magazine — Featured Expert
- “A Deceptively Simple System for Getting More Done with ADHD” 2021
- “Using Strengths to Repair Self-Esteem After an ADHD Diagnosis” 2019
Attention Magazine — CHADD
- “Three Successes a Day: Change Your Brain's Negativity Bias” 2015
Ready to close the gap?
If you're an entrepreneur or executive with ADHD who's tired of the distance between what you know you can do and what's actually happening, this is where that changes.
Book a 20-Minute Introductory CallConfidential · No pitch · You'll leave with clarity