A Solo Person's Guide to ADHD

I jumped on the Marie Kondo bandwagon completely — read the book, watched the show. I was fully ready to hold every item I owned and ask if it sparked joy. Then I actually tried it. My shirts do not fold like that. They do not fit in drawers like that. And the 40-book limit? Sweetheart, if I had my way I'd own forty bookshelves, not forty books. Have I read them all? No. Will I? Maybe! Do the...

Let's talk about how most people clean a closet — and how those of us with ADHD actually do it, which turn out to be two extremely different documents. One: set a wildly unreasonable timeline. Two hours, closet done, Goodwill pile sorted, all before my lunch meeting. Totally doable. (It was not doable.) Two: make it worse before you make it better — because apparently the plan was to drag eve...

It's Been a Rough Week For the first time in eighteen years, I'm a cat person without a cat. My business, Two Cats Coaching, is named for Remington Steele Cat and Laura Holt Cat — my soul cat and his companion of thirteen years. Remy's been gone fourteen months. And I put Laura down the same day Dolly Parton died. This episode is about both losses — what it's like to lose a pie...

Two years ago, at 61, I found out I have inattentive ADHD. In this episode, you’ll hear about the years I spent not knowing why relationships never stuck, why organization felt impossible, and why I'd mull over things for days when they went "wrong." But you'll also hear what changed once I understood the cause: how I built the coaching practice that didn't exist yet for s...

Travel can be exciting, freeing, and a little overwhelming—especially when you’re doing it solo and your brain has ADHD. In this episode, recorded from the middle of a two-week trip, I share some of my favorite ADHD-friendly travel tips. From packing lighter and planning for laundry to building in buffer time and giving yourself permission to change your mind, these are practical strategies that h...

From Doing to Done — How to Finish What You’ve Started Do you have unfinished projects everywhere? Half-done tasks, abandoned hobbies, paperwork piles, and things that are almost complete — but somehow never get finished? In this episode, Christine talks about why finishing is often harder than starting when you have ADHD. You’ll learn why motivation disappears mid-project, how executive functioni...

ADHD paralysis is when you want to do something—but can’t start. It’s not laziness or procrastination—it’s your brain getting stuck in a fear response. Key Shifts Drop the shame Stop asking “why?” → ask “what’s one step?” Focus on starting, not finishing What Actually Helps Get it out of your head (say it or write it) Break tasks into very small steps Try the Just Five Method (5-minute timer + sta...

Laundry and dishes are some of the hardest chores for people with ADHD because they’re repetitive, low-reward, and never truly finished—so there’s little dopamine payoff to keep you motivated. Add in executive dysfunction, difficulty getting started, and that familiar “out of sight, out of mind” thinking, and it’s easy for these tasks to pile up.  In this episode, Christine shares simple, ADHD-fri...

Making Life Easier Without Starting Over Again A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD In this episode, we talk about what comes after Structure. If you’ve been following along, you already know: Overwhelm isn’t a motivation problem. Staying functional matters more than staying calm. Most frustration comes from solving the wrong problem. Now we address the part that keeps breaking for so many people: The re...

Have you ever forgotten to pay a bill… paid the late fee… and then built an entire new budget system that still didn’t fix the problem? That’s not a motivation issue. It’s not a discipline issue. It’s a structure issue. In this episode, Christine Dunning introduces Structure — the second S in the ASSAP framework (Access, Security, Structure, Anchor, Pace). This is the step where you stop reacting...

Why Overwhelm Isn’t a Motivation Problem ASSAP Framework: Security Being told to “just calm down” when you’re already overwhelmed doesn’t help—it usually makes things worse. Especially if you have ADHD. Especially if you’re doing life solo. In this episode, Christine breaks down why overwhelm is not a motivation issue or a character flaw. It’s a capacity problem—and treating it like anything else...

Have you ever had a moment where everything feels wrong—but you can’t actually explain why? Nothing specific is broken. Nothing obvious is on fire. But you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or quietly panicked—and when you try to name the problem, your mind just goes blank. If you have ADHD, this experience is common. And if you’re single on top of that, it can feel even worse—because there’s no second bra...

As the year winds down, many of us feel pressure to “figure it all out” before January arrives. For solo adults with ADHD, that pressure often turns into shame, burnout, and yet another attempt to completely reboot life. This episode offers something different. Christine guides you through a gentle, ADHD-friendly way to reflect on the year—without beating yourself up. You’ll learn how to notice wh...

What if you didn’t need resolutions, vision boards, or a “word of the year” to move forward? In this episode, Christine introduces Selfisms — short, personal belief statements that act like mental shortcuts for decision-making, social situations, and overwhelm. Think: small rules you already live by… just made intentional. If you know what an elevator pitch is – it’s like that, but not necessarily...

If the holidays make you feel tired, frazzled, overstimulated, or “just done” before December even really begins — you’re not alone, and you’re definitely not broken. This episode breaks down why the holiday season hits solo ADHD adults so much harder. From sensory overload to time compression, emotional intensity to financial pressure, we take a compassionate, nervous-system-first look at what’s...

If the holidays feel like a group project you didn’t sign up for, today’s episode is for you. In Episode 24, we’re ditching “Pinterest perfect” and aiming for possible. ADHD brains + solo living + December = a lot. So here’s an episode full of shortcuts, hacks, permission slips, and some AI magic to make the season lighter. 🎁 What We Cover in This Episode ❤️ Part 1: 17 ADHD-Friendly Holiday Hacks...

Holiday Social Plans… Now What? Welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD ! I’m your host, Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and owner of Two Cats Coaching. Holiday socializing is hard enough — now add ADHD, winter fatigue, disrupted routines, and the fact that you’re doing this alone. Suddenly every invitation feels like someone assigned you a group project for a class you forgot...

Hey friends — welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD! I’m Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and founder of Two Cats Coaching. Today we’re breaking down the real reason the holidays feel overwhelming when you’re both ADHD and solo: the entire holiday workload defaults to you. No partner, no backup brain, no shared executive functioning. This episode focuses on the practical, phy...

(Part 4 and final of the Side Hustle Mini-Series) Hey friends, welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD! I’m Christine Dunning — Master Certified Life Coach, owner of Two Cats Coaching, and your caffeinated companion through the wild world of ADHD-friendly side hustles. If you’ve been following the mini-series, we’ve covered: 👉 Episode 18 – Finding the Right Side Hustle for You (and Your ADH...

Host: Christine Dunning — Master Certified Life Coach, cat enthusiast, and your friendly neighborhood reminder that side hustles can be a great thing. Series: Side Hustles, Part 3 of 4 A fast, honest tour of 15 ADHD-friendly side hustles, grouped by how your brain likes to work—structure, flexibility, creativity, or “please just help me pay for that trip.” You’ll get pros/cons, typical start-up co...

🎙️ Episode 19 — Side Hustles: Failures and Successes (My Story) A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD | Hosted by Christine Dunning, MCC ADHD brains love a new idea — that dopamine rush hits and suddenly we’re convinced we’re starting a dog-treat empire, buying overpriced craft machines, and signing up for every delivery app known to humankind. 🐶✨ In this episode — the second in our Side Hustles Mini-Se...

Being single and managing ADHD often means you’re the safety net . One unexpected bill, and it feels like your whole month unravels. That’s where side hustles come in — not just as a financial backup, but as a creative outlet, a confidence boost, and sometimes, the spark for something bigger. In this first of four episodes on ADHD-friendly side hustles, Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coa...

Host: Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach & founder of Two Cats Coaching Guest: Rev. Stacy Collins, MDiv, hospice chaplain & fellow late-diagnosed ADHDer In our finale for the Grief Series, we explore rituals —simple, personal, ADHD-friendly ways to honor losses of all kinds: loved ones, pets, and the life you didn’t get to live. No incense required (unless you like it!). Think...

Host: Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach & founder of Two Cats Coaching Guest: Stacy Collins, hospice chaplain & fellow late-diagnosed ADHDer Not all grief follows a funeral. Sometimes it shows up as a quiet ache for the life you didn’t get to live—children you didn’t have, a career that didn’t land, a relationship that never fit, an identity that never fully had space. For man...

Host: Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach & founder of Two Cats Coaching Guest: Stacy Collins, hospice chaplain & fellow late-diagnosed ADHDer For many single adults (and plenty of partnered folks, too), pets are family—routine-keepers, comfort-bringers, and steady companions. In this episode, Christine and Stacy talk about pet loss: anticipatory grief, saying goodbye, and rebui...