ADHD & Self Awareness of your own capabilities | Guest: @ADHDCoach_

In this episode, the owner of Organize365 – Lisa Woodruff –  joins Eric on the podcast!  Organize365 has conducted academic research, establishing the definitions of house work, home organization, and the weight of paper in the American home.  This ongoing research is making the invisible work at home visible to all, so we can eliminate it, free people from the monotonous tasks of daily living, and unlock our time for what we are uniquely created to do!  Lisa is also a natural tinkerer and a lover of puzzles, a kindergarten teacher, used to organize people’s homes when she used to babysit, and even used to organize teachers’ classrooms.   If you’re wondering how you can get your home organized, then this is the episode to listen to, because today, Eric and Lisa will discuss the idea that organization is a learnable skill!  You’ll hear some of Lisa’s rules for taking on new projects and her 24-hour rule, visual clutter, what to do with incomplete projects, where piles come from, and breaking down the Sunday Basket.   Find Lisa’s book, her research and her podcast at organize365.com! Find Organize365 on YouTube @organize365 Questions/Topics:  [00:01:51] Introducing Lisa  [00:03:11] What was the “why” for Lisa to get into becoming organized?  [00:07:11] What are the helpful questions that Lisa asks her clients?  [00:10:09] A brief discussion on (perceptions of) minimalism   [00:10:38] How do we live more through having less? (And is “less” the “right” answer?)  [00:12:26] “So what?” and a discussion about visual clutter and accumulating projects and hobbies  [00:16:20] Clutter, piles, and what to do with purchases and returns  [00:19:43] ADHD and home ownership  [00:23:27] What is the Sunday Basket? And Lisa’s thoughts about “being behind” when organizing  [00:27:03] What are the Four Binders? [00:31:51] Questions to ask yourself when utilizing your calendar and staying organized  [00:34:53] Taking care of financial documents  [00:41:57] Lisa shares her ADHD story and a discussion on executive function and working memory  [00:47:22] Diving into Lisa’s academic studies about organization as a skill  [00:51:18] How many people care about being organized?   [00:55:12] Lisa on investing in our household and what’s in our control  [00:56:58] Closing thoughts  Resources & Honorable Mentions: “If you have something that’s working for YOU, absolutely do not change it!” – Lisa  “Stop trying to get an “A” in your housework.” – Lisa  🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community and want some real-time accountability? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired’s award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

In this episode, I open up about my personal story about seeking support to further manage my ADHD through Trauma Therapy.  I knew that this method of therapy was going to be effective and I have always been a huge advocate of therapy but what I didn’t expect was the rapid results that I experienced.       

“In total, some 20–50% of children with a history of Childhood Trauma have clinical levels of ADHD (Glod and Teicher 1996; McLeer et al.1994).” 

Receiving support for mental health is a journey, from long waits to getting the right doctor to finding the right treatment and medication that will work and also the energy that it takes to keep at it.  But once we do get the right support, magic can happen.  I am beyond grateful to have found the right support team to move through this stage of my life.  If you relate to this post and also to this episode, please don’t give up on your healing journey, keep going! I am cheering for your success. 

One of the most effective ways for ADHDers to manage their intense emotions is to pause and pay attention before reacting. Easier said than done, and this is a skill that does not come naturally. So how can we sharpen this skill? Yoga is one way to do this. Paying attention to our breath and creating movement in the body to get the energy flowing so that it’s not bottled up in one place in our body.

In this episode, my guest Esther Nagle, Yoga Teacher, shares her own struggles with ADHD, Addiction, and how Yoga transformed her life and managing her ADHD.

She shares a few tips on how to get started, why it is so beneficial to slow down and pay attention to your breath, and how to manage overwhelm with breathwork.

I hope you will be as inspired as I was by listening to her story and make small changes to get your body moving and manage your emotions by paying attention to your breath.

About Esther Nagle:

Esther Nagle is a sober, tattooed, single mother, rock chick Yoga teacher with ADHD. Sober for 6 years, and diagnosed with ADHD just last year at 46, Esther has had a ‘colorful’ life, spontaneous and adventurous even in sobriety.

Esther has written a book about her recovery and the Yoga that guided her there and now focuses her teaching and writing on helping women with ADHD calm the emotional storms and find inner peace. Using, you’ve guessed it, the same tools that helped her to achieve sobriety!

Esther loves her ADHD, even when it makes life challenging, and loves to share how Yoga helps her to manage the worst of her symptoms, and bring out the best that ADHD has to offer!

The 5 Minute Breath – Coming Soon https://stillwildmind.com/5-minute-breath

Chaos to Calm – one to one sessions at https://stillwildmind.com/chaos-to-calm-emotional-regulation-adhd/

I would love to hear from you:

Would you do me a favor? Please take a few minutes, rate this show, or even better it would mean so much to me if you wrote a quick review, I thank you in advance. The more reviews and ratings this show gets the more you help me in spreading the message of Adult ADHD and helping others increase their knowledge on how to manage it. Having an ADHD brain does not have to be a struggle.

Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Or do you have a question about a challenge you are facing with your ADHD? Leave me a voice mail https://www.speakpipe.com/Coachcathy super easy todo, Record, Listen and push Send. I will respond in an upcoming episode.

In this episode, Eric is joined by Kimberly McColl, a recovering academic living in Nashville, which is where she was diagnosed with ADHD in February 2021.  Kimberly was also diagnosed with bipolar II in 2008.  Her recent diagnosis has caused her to rethink the narrative she has told herself her entire life.  Currently, she is learning more about ADHD and trying to give herself more grace and forgiveness.  You’ll hear Eric and Kimberly talk about her journey as a recovering academic, some of the key differences between bipolar I and II, the ways she experiences her ups and downs, and shares her insights about hyperfocus. Then, Kimberly shares the ways she distinguishes her experiences with dopamine-seeking with ADHD and bipolar, racing thoughts and mania, what shows up externally for her, and the positive impact community has had in her life.   Finally, she shares what a person could do if they are considering support or getting diagnosed with bipolar, how stories and narratives may be connected to memory, and the importance of being kind to yourself.  Other Questions & Topics in this Episode:  How did Kimberly get through school without being diagnosed?  What was the experience of getting diagnosed with bipolar II?  What are some of the most frustrating myths about bipolar disorder for Kimberly?  What is an experience that people without bipolar disorder may not understand?  How could a person capture the lost experiences of a period of time?  What is the first step to take if I am considering seeking support about bipolar?  Resources & Honorable Mentions: App:  –  Self-Care Bullet Journal with Goals – Mood Diary & Happiness Tracker Mentioned: Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network: with Brendan Mahan with Will Curb with MJ Siemens The Executive Function Online Summit is happening on August 5-7!  Join 75,000+ families and teachers worldwide with one of the best ways to prep for Back 2 School!  Access is free from August 5-7 – Or go to to get registered!   

What is ADHD coaching? how does it work? how can someone with ADHD benefit from coaching? These are some of the questions I had when I was diagnosed and I now see it come up often in the ADHD community online.
In this episode, I share a snippet of an actual ADHD coaching session that I facilitated. Pls note that this person has ADHD , is not a client of mine, they agreed to be on the show/recording and wanted to experience ADHD coaching.
The session starts with her wanting to address her lack of motivation – as the session progressed we talked about her values, then in the middle of the call you hear a shift in her energy as we got deeper into her values. She has a shift in perspective when she realizes the root of lack of motivation is that she has been avoiding what truly makes her happy which are tied to her values.
As you listen to this coaching session, do you relate to what she is going through (I know I did)?
This is just a short snippet of how coaching can really bring out the best in you and help you realize what is the root cause of what is holding you back. ADHD or not, we all have our stories/reasons/excuses until you take the time and dissect what is really holding you back, you will continue to get in your own way of success and even management of your ADHD.
I am so honoured to be part of these shift in perspective with my clients and in this call it was my pleasure to help and witness this young lady experience a shift in mindset.  I want thank my guest for sharing her story with us, she was such a star and so open to seeing new possibilities.
My coaching is a partnership where I design a plan based on the your agenda – coaching takes what’s inside and translates it into outer goals that you accomplish step-by-step.
I hope this snippet gives you more insight into the endless possibilities of how ADHD Coaching can benefit you.
p.s. When you feel unmotivated, direction less, chances are you are not fully living by your values. Grab my free values assessment workbook and find your true north. https://www.readysetchoose.com/adhd-free-tools

In this episode, Eric is joined by Vanessa Gorelkin! Vanessa is an east-coast transplant to Arizona where she lives with her son and husband (who both have ADHD)!  She graduated with a B.A. from Brandeis University and has a masters degree in Occupational Therapy from New York University.  Vanessa is also a Licensed Occupational Therapist in Arizona, and her career spans nearly 30 years!  She has served in both clinical and executive leadership roles, works with people all over the world, and is passionate about bringing out the best in all the people she works with! Learn more about Vanessa by visiting her website at vanessagorelkin.com & find her on Instagram at @humanist_therapist  In today’s show, you’ll hear about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment based therapy (ACT).  Then, you’ll hear about deep breathing, using spicy food or sour candies to help regulate, setting boundaries, practicing self-compassion and resilience.  Finally, you’ll listen to ways to work on activation, sensory processing issues and the nervous system, sensory accommodations, and the importance of breaking down activities into smaller steps.   Questions/Topics:  [00:02:18] Introducing Vanessa [00:04:00] The importance of emotional self-regulation  [00:04:51] What is an Occupational Therapist (OT)?  [00:06:19] How does an OT help people with ADHD around emotional regulation skills?  [00:07:30] What is acceptance and commitment based therapy (ACT)? What about radical acceptance?  [00:08:23] What is dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)?  [00:09:50] Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) [00:10:52] A discussion on rejection sensitivity, BPD, ADHD, and trauma  [00:17:28] Eric asks Vanessa about the common “chief complaints” she experiences in her practice  [00:18:48] What are some examples of the skills Vanessa helps clients work with, and how does she help them do that?  [00:20:34] What do I do when my brain gets “hijacked?” and TIPP skills [00:24:59] Vanessa talks about sour and spicy for regulation  [00:27:14] Proactive skills vs. responding in-the-moment  [00:31:18] The intersectionality between anger, boundaries, and boundary violations [00:32:26] ** You need to hear this.  [00:33:03] External pressures, checking your calendar, and your right to say “no”  [00:35:15] Saying “no” when it feels bad, and therapy vs. coaching  [00:37:26] What is the OT approach for activation? [00:43:18] Sensory processing issues being missed with ADHD  [00:45:24] Does sensory processing get worse with age?  [00:49:34] Closing Thoughts  Resources & Honorable Mentions: “People sometimes get really hung up on a diagnosis… What my attitude about a diagnosis is:  It helps us understand what tools we can use, but it does not define you as a human being.” – Vanessa  “Masquerading as ‘normal’ is exhausting.” – Eric  🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired’s award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!