345: Stop Apologizing and Start Asking with Lucia Kanter St. Amour


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August 11

You know that feeling when someone tells you you're "too intense" or "ask too many questions"? Lucia Kanter St. Amour has built an entire career on exactly those traits.

Lucia is a negotiation expert, law professor, and the kind of ADHD woman who writes Amazon reviews so detailed she got invited to their exclusive Vine program. She's the author of For the Forces of Good, a guide to everyday negotiation that flips traditional power dynamics, and The Covert Buccaneer, a nonlinear novel that mirrors how her ADHD brain actually works. With a background in global law and leadership at UN Women, she combines strategy with a genuine understanding of how women navigate the world.

Diagnosed with ADHD at 54 after a friend casually mentioned she'd known for decades, Lucia finally understood why she'd always felt like a "disco ball" in a world of dimmer switches. Her childhood was marked by misdiagnosed seizures (likely panic attacks from severe bullying) and years on experimental medication that left her struggling academically. But she found her superpowers in foreign languages, piano, and tennis, activities that naturally regulated her nervous system.

In this conversation, she and Tracy explore how the traits that make us feel "too much" actually become negotiation superpowers. Our intensity, emotional intelligence, and hyperfocus are assets, not liabilities. They discuss why women avoid negotiating (it's costing us over a million dollars by retirement), how to practice with everyday situations like getting your toddler to eat dinner, and why deep listening transforms every interaction. Lucia also shares her journey from hating rigid law firm work to creating negotiation tools designed specifically for ADHD brains.

Whether you're asking for a raise, navigating family dynamics, or simply wanting to be truly heard, Lucia shows that being "too much" isn't something to manage. It's your greatest strength.






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Quotes:

"Negotiation is opportunity. Negotiation is deal making. Negotiation is creativity. Negotiation is powerful. Negotiation is storytelling. Negotiation is bonding."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

"Rapport, rapport, rapport — it never goes out of style."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

"Listening to someone like they have never been listened to before is the number one negotiation skill."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

"All those things that make you 'too much'—your hyperfocus, your intensity—those are the things that are going to make you just the bomb of a negotiator."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

"If an ADHD individual decides they are interested in something, bar the door. We will not be stopped."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

"You go slow to go fast. Take time to reflect back on the “why”, and the pieces will fall together."
- St. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

[00:00:00 - 00:25:00] Late ADHD Diagnosis and Childhood Struggles 
  • Lucia was diagnosed with ADHD at 54 after Tracy suggested it, confirmed by her special education expert friend who said she'd known for 20 years and thought Lucia already knew.
  • Her childhood included misdiagnosed "epilepsy" (likely panic attacks from bullying), years on experimental medication causing brain fog, eating lunch in bathroom stalls to avoid having garbage thrown at her.
  • She found her strengths in foreign languages and tennis, which helped regulate her nervous system, leading to academic success in high school and admission to UC Berkeley.

[00:25:00 - 00:45:00] Career Journey and Discovering Negotiation Expertise 
  • After struggling in rigid law firm environments that stifled creativity, Lucia realized she'd been teaching negotiation for 20 years using only white male authors, sparking her mission to write an inclusive book.
  • She designed "For the Forces of Good" specifically for ADHD brains—visual, story-driven, accessible in multiple ways with charts, illustrations, and quick-hit tips rather than dense text.
  • Her approach connects ADHD traits like storytelling, emotional awareness, and pattern recognition as "stealth negotiation tools" rather than deficits to overcome.

[00:45:00 - 01:05:00] Negotiation as Everyday Skill and ADHD Superpower 
  • Lucia reframes negotiation from elite business skill to everyday practice, using examples like getting toddlers to eat peas through understanding power vs. leverage and offering choice illusions.
  • She emphasizes listening as the #1 negotiation skill—listening "like they've never been listened to before" for emotional facts and meta-messages, not just content.
  • Her core message: ADHD traits like hyperfocus, pattern recognition, curiosity, and intensity make you "the bomb of a negotiator" when practiced daily in low-stakes situations.

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EPISODE #345
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    Hi, I'm Tracy

    I teach Smart Ass ADHD women how to use their brilliant brains to build the life they want by embracing their too-muchness and focusing on their strengths.