Ian's journey on the road to ADHD acceptance

Ian Hacon is running Start your ADHD Upgrade: The Acceptance Retreat on September 19, 2025

Ian Hacon, Co-owner of Zaks American Diners in Norfolk, was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 55. Here, Ian explains how it has led him to organise an Acceptance Retreat which takes place next month

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Ian Hacon, I’ve led and owned a few businesses locally and currently co-own Zaks American Diners as well as Energise.me. I started working life as a Chartered Accountant. I was always seen as a quirky dreamer.

What led you to being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 55?

My daughter came home from college and said her lecturer thought she might have it. I did the research and found it was highly heritable and then saw the “inattentive” traits. It was like when you do a psychometric profile, it just described many aspects about me to a T. I’d always thought I was different. Now I understand why.

And what had led you to building the wellbeing and performance system before that? It’s now called the Energised ADHD Operating System?

I’d been coaching people for over a decade, and we’d build our own system. When I did an ADHD Coaching qualification it hit me that I’d been building a ADHD Coaching system all that time, I just didn’t know it. I guess I’d really been working on myself.

Who is it aimed at and how can the system help?

It’s aimed at entrepreneurs and leaders, as that’s my back story, so the group I can help the most. Later on we’ll try to widen who we can help to make it more accessible.

Ian Hacon is running Start Your ADHD Upgrade: The Acceptance Retreat next month (credit Matthew Potter Photography)

What’s the new Acceptance Retreat you are launching and when and where will it take place?

It’s all about really understanding how ADHD shows up for you. As with or without ADHD we are all different. It’s about unburdening the years of negative labels and shame you carry from not feeling good enough. It’s also about accepting and celebrating your unique strengths and how these help you and your world. It’s a one day retreat on the 19th September at “The Retreat”, Caldecott Hall, Fritton, Norfolk

Where can people find out more about that?

At our website energise.me or directly on Eventbrite where they can book. There’s an early bird discount until 15th August.

What would your message be to others diagnosed with ADHD in later life?

Be prepared for the wave of emotions from excitement, fear to grief for your younger self. Learn as much as you can about what ADHD actually is. Remember whilst a diagnosis is technically a disability, and if that’s how you see it that’s OK, but it’s really a difference. If Mother Nature didn’t want us in the gene pool for a reason, she would have sorted that already!

Will the retreat be the first of many?

Yes, we are hoping to run them monthly after this one. And we are hoping that for many of the delegates the retreat is a the start of the journey with us as it’s just Step 1 of our 4-step-plan.