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There was a time in the U.S. - not all that long ago - when all of us fell into one of very few homogeneous groups.\\xa0You were either an employer or employee - there was no such thing as a \\u201cgig economy worker\\u201d or \\u201cstartup entrepreneur\\u201d. Very few people were openly members of any of the categories L, G, B, T or Q. And nobody referred to themselves as \\u201cneuro-divergent.\\u201d\\xa0\\xa0

If you go back to your own memories of childhood, do you remember a time when you thought you didn\\u2019t fit in?\\xa0You probably do. Because, in reality, there is nothing objective to fit into. We learn to become what is expected of us. Or we did.

Today, we have far greater freedom to become the person we truly want to be.\\xa0Instead of trying to beat creativity and idiosyncrasies out of people, we see the wisdom of equipping atypical individuals with skills that will let them function, while retaining their individuality.

That is Adela Baker\\u2019s job.\\xa0Adela is CEO of a company called Mind Coach NOLA. Mind Coach NOLA provides individual and group sessions to people Adela calls, \\u201cTurbo Thinkers.\\u201d

Turbo Thinkers are folks who struggle with executive function skills and impulse management.\\xa0A lot of Adela\\u2019s clients are entrepreneurs and creatives.

Growing up in Slidell, Gabriel Flores followed his own path. He started down the road to the million-dollar business he owns today when he was arrested - for spray painting on the walls at Slidell High.

Today, Gabriel is owner of The Inkwell Press.\\xa0The Inkwell Press designs and produces screen-printing and embroidery on a multitude of items, including T-shirts, professional work wear, promotional items like flags, koozies, glassware, and much more.

An even greater connection to Gabriel\\u2019s less than illustrious entr\\xe9e into the art world is his allied company, New Orleans Paint & Design.\\xa0It\\u2019s acronym, NOPD, is a tip-of-the-hat to his origin story, and, even more ironically, the business itself is a mural painting company.

You can see NOPD\\u2019s murals all around New Orleans, including at Whole Foods, the ACE Hotel, Marjie\\u2019s Grill, and in locally shot movies and TV shows.

Talking with Adela and Gabriel brings to mind a two-word saying: \\u201cBe You.\\u201d\\xa0Unfortunately, sayings like \\u201cBe you,\\u201d \\u201cYou do you\\u201d and \\u201cLive your best life\\u201d have become social media cliches and memes. But for good reason.\\xa0We keep encouraging each other with these bits of advice because being your authentic self and living the life you want to live with only a minimal amount of necessary compromise is an extraordinary challenge.

Adela is devoting her professional life to giving people the tools to simply be themselves. And Gabriel is a textbook example of the kind of success a person can achieve by having the courage to simply do what makes you happy.

Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at\\xa0NOLA Pizza in the\\xa0NOLA Brewing Taproom. You can find photos from this show by Jill Lafleur\\xa0at itsneworleans.com.\\xa0

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