The CEO Who Understands the ADHD Brain

For 25 years, I ran companies under real conditions , not consulting on them, not studying them.

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.

The Business Background

I founded and led Lapor Inc. and Illusions International, building them into international fashion businesses with major retail partners. We innovated the first complete fashion line developed in Asia for our sector, earning Top Supplier Awards for leadership and innovation.

I served as President of the Toronto Entrepreneurs' Organization chapter, growing membership from 25 to over 100, and was appointed to the EO International Board for Strategic Planning. I completed the Entrepreneurial Master's Program at MIT Sloan — selected as one of 65 high-growth entrepreneurs from across North America.

That experience isn't background. It's why I can sit across from an entrepreneur or executive and understand — without explanation — what their day actually demands.


Robert has walked the walk — as an entrepreneur. His supportive, nonjudgmental touch allows me to be more comfortable, creating a space for breakdowns leading to breakthroughs.”
— James F. Kenefick, Managing Partner, Working Excellence | Past Chair, YPO International Source

From Experience to Practice

I lived the patterns I now work with.

Projects that stalled despite real commitment. Decisions that should have taken an hour, circled for days. The particular exhaustion of knowing exactly what needed to happen — and still not doing it — while running a company that depended on me showing up fully.

When I finally understood that ADHD was driving that gap, and learned to work with it rather than against it, everything shifted. I started seeing the same pattern in other entrepreneurs, executives, and high-performing professionals. That became the direction of my work.

For the past 10 years, I've worked exclusively at the intersection of ADHD, business, self-leadership, and behavioral change.

My training spans evidence-based psychology, neuroscience, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and ADHD-specific behavioral strategy. My work has been published in ADDitude Magazine and Attention Magazine, and presented at the International Conference for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. I am also the co-author of Mindful Intelligence: A Ten-Week Mindfulness Training Workbook.


Robert has a unique gift in his ability to easily relate to people and create an environment of trust where true openness and learning occurs. He brings humor, sensitivity rooted in personal experience, and a caring approach that make him a great coach.
— Sean Magennis, Past International Chairman, YPO/EO

The Approach

Robert Pal, ADHD Executive Coach for Entrepreneurs, Executives & Professionals in USA and Canada.

I'm direct and practical. No abstraction, no motivational language.

What you get is a clear understanding of the patterns driving your execution gaps — chronic overwhelm, decision avoidance, inconsistent follow-through, and the internal friction no productivity system ever quite fixes. From there, we build the structure, awareness, and behavioral changes needed to close those gaps sustainably.

Not through willpower. Not through another system. By understanding how your brain actually works and designing your leadership around that.

This is precise, practical work with someone who has operated in your world — and knows the difference between insight and real change.


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.

No pitch. Just an honest 20 minute conversation about where you are and whether this is the right fit.

Working one-on-one with entrepreneurs and executives across the US and Canada. Virtually and in person.


Training & Influences

My approach draws from real-world entrepreneurial leadership, more than 10 years of coaching, and formal training across psychology, neuroscience, ADHD, and mindfulness-based behavior change.

Business & Leadership

  • Founder, CEO & President — Lapor Inc. & Illusions International Inc.

  • Entrepreneurial Master's Program (EMP) — MIT Sloan School of Management

  • President, Toronto Chapter — Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)

  • International Board Member — Entrepreneurs' Organization

  • Trained Forum Moderator — Entrepreneurs' Organization

Psychology, ADHD & Coaching

  • Solution-Focused Coaching University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) Coaching for Self-Leadership — 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

Published Works & Media Features

Strategic Leadership Media

  • Podcast: Leaders of TomorrowADHD in Executive Leadership: Turning Vulnerability into a Competitive Advantage. Robert discusses how top-tier entrepreneurs can leverage unique brain wiring to drive innovation while maintaining operational stability.

Articles & Features

  • ADDitude Magazine:

    • Featured Expert: [Link to Author Profile]

    • "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)

 


Graduate of the EO/MIT Entrepreneurial Master’s Program