Phenomenally ADHD

When you have ADHD, you might feel that becoming more self aware of your distractible brain is like fighting a losing battle. ADHDers pretty much live in their head which means they’re not paying attention to their bodies, patterns and behavior. Fortunately, there’s an explanation for that and it resides in those two words: executive functioning. Self-awareness is one of the most important keys in...

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the simplest tasks or found yourself lost in the clutter, this episode is your beacon of hope and humor where we tackle the chaotic world of house chores through the unique lens of ADHD. Join us as we dance through strategies, stories, and a sprinkle of ADHD magic to transform your approach to chores. We kick off the episode by diving into why chores can feel lik...

The saddest thing about ADHD is the narrative that focuses more on the pain and struggles than the strengths and abilities. Of course, it's an undeniable fact that there is a long list of symptoms that create a heavy burden of challenges. When everything that doesn't work gets all the attention, it's hard, if not impossible, to see what does. As an ADHDer, you have the power to choose the lens thr...

Do you find that living with ADHD feels like living life at high speed where fast is the only way to go? Do you have a hard time knowing how to or what to say no to because you don’t want to miss out on anything? If you’re under the impression that you’re missing out on the fun when you can't attend an event or didn't get an invitation and you feel left out/rejected , it could be FOMO (fear o...

Do you have a fraught relationship with your mom with your fair share of arguments, conflicts, misunderstandings, fights, and the chain reaction of negative emotions and trauma? Zarina sure has, and for the longest time, she wished her mother would change and be what she wanted her to be instead of accepting her as she was. At 18 years old, she felt that the only way to break free from her co...

Believing there is only one way of doing something and no other option possible to do certain tasks or chores such as folding laundry or reading a book. Thinking that you might as well do it yourself because you will have to re-do it anyway. Having to feel 100% ready before being able to take action for a new project or challenge you're passionate about. Any of this sound familiar? As many of the...

How does lack of clarity show up when you have ADHD and what are the impacts in the personal, professional and love life of folks with a uniquely wired brain? This episode is inspired by a challenge Zarina experiences and that's  the inability to express feelings, thoughts, emotions. ideas and needs, so that they are understood. Because everything is going fast in the ADHD brain, with informa...

The ADHD brain is uniquely wired, which makes it hard sometimes to know if what you experience is ADHD-related or not, especially if you are new on this journey. Beginning something new is exciting, even more so if something of high interest. Your brain fires up and when boredom doesn’t get in the way, levels of attention, focus and concentration are high. The shadow side of it is when something c...

What makes hyperactivity an advantage rather than an ADHD trait that gets in the way of your personal, professional and social life showing up as excessive talking, restlessness and always being “on the go”? This episode explores ways in which you can channel the abundant energy that comes with hyperactivity and how creating some distance between yourself and unwanted behaviors will help prevent i...

Are you aware of, recognize and honor all the advantages ADHD brings in the workplace? Yes, there a many upsides to having a brain that functions differently. Looking at ADHD differently changes the way you see yourself and allows you to start or focus even more on your strengths. In this episode, I share the benefits you have at work, thanks to ADHD, the contradictions we face and how to overcome...

Does connecting with the little girl or boy you once were something you find challenging or are uncomfortable with? f your answer to that question is yes, know that it is a challenge for most of us. We get busy with life, work, family, take ourselves too seriously, have responsibilities and we’ve been taught that’s what it is to be an adult. That’s bull because it creates a huge gap between the ad...

Do you find it hard to keep a structure and follow your routine in the summer time? This might be a challenge no matter what season it is, but for some ADHDers (read me here LOL) this time of year makes it even more challenging. How do you manage to not have your good habits fly out the window without skipping the fun? In this episode, I am sharing what I'm struggling with right now, how I deal wi...

Travelling can be fun for some and a hassle for others living with ADHD but in either case, what’s the most challenging is the getting ready part because it requires executive functions that are not all that cooperative when you have a unique brain wiring. Planning, organizing, decision making and time management can make it extremely hard to pack a suitcase. And it doesn’t matter if the trip or v...

Whether it comes from low self-esteem, fear of being judged or criticized, lack of confidence or limiting beliefs, minimizing what you are great at and talented in is stealing away your brilliance. For the 30th episode of the Phenomenally Podcast, I’m going up close and personal with what it’s been like to stay focused, committed and dedicated to the ongoing goal to help change the way you see ADH...

In some contexts, pressure is one of your ADHD brain’s enemies. If you find yourself in a situation where there’s too much pressure OR that creates it, your symptoms can go haywire, without you even knowing it. That’s without mentioning the pressure you put on yourself as an ADHDers and sometimes, it’s for all the wrong reasons. But how do you know you’re being ambushed by more pressure that you c...

  Is eating something challenging for you? From deciding what to eat, to grocery shopping and preparing meals, people with ADHD often face multiple challenges in the kitchen. What you eat has repercussions on symptoms like attention, concentration, behavior, emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity. Not to mention that people with ADHD metabolize sugar differently, are prone to be more sensitiv...

This week I invite you on a road trip to find out what are the important things you’ve accomplished since the beginning of the year because with an ADHD brain, it’s easy to lose sight of all the great and wonderful things we have done. It’s a simple step by step exercise that will also bring clarity and help you find the adjustments needed to bring you closer to where you want to be at the end of...

Holy smokes…the end of the school year. How challenging it can be. Can you remember how it was for you as a kid? For me it wasn’t always easy. There are a lot of transitions and endings happening at the same time when the school year ends. It’s as if the intensity in the energy is greater, emotions are conflicting and kids with ADHD tend to have a more difficult time than other kids do. If this is...

How many books have you bought and not read yet? How many books have you started and read a little bit of one, a little bit of another one and so on? Do you have different books in different places in your house? Maybe you have one on your bedside table that you read before going to bed, one in the bathroom and another one in the living room. We’re definitely lifelong students that never get tired...

The coaching process for ADHD is designed as a pause where the coach and the client explore together just what your particular reality is so that you can identify and employ strategies and skills. One way you benefit from it is that it helps minimize the effects of ADHD symptoms on your daily life and allows you to achieve your personal and professional goals with less struggles or feeling of not...

If you suspect you may have ADHD or it’s a recent thing in your life, knowing what’s up next can feel as if you’re in a scavenger hunt and feeling confused because you don’t understand any of the clues. It’s easy to get lost with all the information that is available to you and in this episode, I decided to put my journalist hat on to help you gain clarity so you have a better idea of the directio...

Masking and compensation ADHD symptoms is a coping mechanism that can develop as early as childhood and you might hide inattention or impulsivity challenges without even knowing it. ADHD is a big puzzle to try and assemble. It is complex, full of paradoxes and it can be confusing even though knowing you have a uniquely wired brain answers a lot of questions. In this episode, you'll discover the ma...

«I don’t feel like I am living up to my full potential» is something I often hear in coaching and it’s also something that I’ve been struggling with as a woman living with ADHD. Such a belief takes a toll on our self-esteem, impacts our sense of accomplishment and feeling of not being enough. It can also make us feel useless because we somehow believe that what we do is not what we know we are cap...

Highly sensitive persons (HSP’s) get overwhelmed faster by stimulation and they need to take frequent breaks throughout the day to ensure they don’t exceed the capacity of what they can take in. Reading the generic at the movie theater or needing some alone time after a music concert to bring down the arousal level is sometimes required for HSP’s to let out what they’ve taken in. In this episode w...

When something gets to us and the response comes from impulse, because it collides with our values or we feel it’s wrong, we communicate in a different way than when we take the time to step back. That can be the case when responding to an email or commenting on a social media platform. In this episode, we look at how the four communication styles can help us improve and elevate our communication....