ADHD Essentials

Today, we're beginning our annual episodes from the International ADHD Conference.  This episode, and the following two are all quick, minimally edited group debriefs of ADHD Con 2022.  My guest for this chat are Anne Marie Nantais, Keith Gelhorn, Keith Griffin, and Zach Gershon.   ADHD Essentials Links:   Learn about & Register for the  The ADHD Essentials Online Parent Coaching Groups   Join Our...

Today, we’re talking to Dr. Norrine Russell. Dr. Russell is a former psychology professor, and the founder and owner of Russell Coaching for Students .  Russell Coaching is one of the largest student coaching practices in America, and works with complex students to help them develop executive functioning skills and social emotional skills. Norrine talks to us about lying and ADHD.  She shares reas...

Today, we’re talking to Shane Thrapp of “Creating Order from Chaos”.  Shane is an ADHD coach, sits on the board for the Inattentive ADHD Coalition, and moderates the largest men’s ADHD group on Facebook.  Shane shares his ADHD diagnosis story, and the role his son played in it.  He talks about how his parenting journey - the ways that our parents, for good or for ill, set the bar for us as parents...

Today, it's just me.  I'm discussing a metaphor I've been sharing for years in my workshops, but somehow haven't brought to the podcast yet.  It's a way to pay more attention to the things that are going smoothly, rather than the things that are getting in the way and causing trouble.  It's an important skill to develop, so we can reinforce the things we want, and have a better outlook on our live...

Today, we’re talking to Dr. Elizabeth Kilmer . Dr. Kilmer is a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of education and training at Game to Grow .  In this outstanding interview Elizabeth shares a brief exploration of the ways Dungeons and Dragons supports social growth, and then for the bulk of the interview we examine the SPARK model from Game to Grow’s Critical Core program, and how par...

Today, we’re talking to Alex Gilbert of Capeable Consulting.  Alex is a New Yorker (Go Mets), a yogi, and a brunch enthusiast.  After spending her career in leadership development, Alex has moved into the coaching and consulting with people with learning disabilities and ADHD. In this excellent, wide ranging episode, Alex talks to us about ADHD and careers.  She shares what our favorite games can...

Today, we’re talking to Holly Blanc Moses.  Holly is a psychologist who helps neurodiverse kids, adults, and families.  She’s also one of the hosts of the upcoming ADHD Summit that I mentioned earlier.  You can find my link in the show notes. In this episode, Holly talks to us about ADHD in girls. We discuss how cultural expectations influence the way ADHD symptoms affect girls, the importance of...

Today, we’re talking to Cathy Rashidian of Ready Set Choose Coaching.  Cathy is an executive and ADHD coach to emerging leaders, and the host of the Proudly ADHD podcast. In this episode, we discuss the importance of moving beyond structure, routine, and productivity when it comes to managing ADHD, why we should take more care in looking at home much time we actually have to do things, menstruatio...

Today, it's just me, your host in abstencia.  In today’s episode, I share a little bit about the family stuff I've been going through that led to the podcast being so intermittent of late, pledge to return to weekly posting moving forward, and share a lesson of two about parenting (and just being human) that I've learned as a result of all this. Learn about & Register for the  The ADHD Essentials...

Today, we’re talking to Amanda Morin. Amanda works in print and digital media as a writer and editor, empowering parents and educators to affirm the pivotal roles they play in children’s education. She played an integral role in launching Understood.org  in 2014. In today’s episode, we discuss what Understood.org is and why it’s so valuable, learning loss during the pandemic, masking, and the impo...

Today, we’re talking to Brandon Tessers of Effective Artistry .  Brandon is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC), trained professional actor, amateur singer/songwriter, former schoolteacher, and a self-described “enthusiastic if sometimes ill-prepared husband and father”. He’s been helping children and adults with their executive functioning for over a decade, and has been doing so as...

In this episode we’re talking to therapist and author, Claire Bidwell Smith.  Claire is a grief expert, and her latest book is “Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief”.    In this episode, Claire talks to us about grief.  She discusses the interconnections between anxiety and grief, a few different models and perspectives on the subject, it’s cyclical nature, the importance of making space for grief,...

Today, we’re revisiting an episode from May of 2020 with Richard Tedeschi.  Richard originated the concept of posttraumatic growth with his colleague Lawrence Calhoun during their years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. More recently, he has been applying the posttraumatic growth concept in the development of innovative programs for combat veterans and first responders. The success...

In this episode we're talking to Alex Gilbert of Capeable Consulting.  Alex has ADHD and dyslexia.  And after spending her career working in leadership development, she decided to start a consulting and coaching business to help adults with learning disabilities and/or ADHD who are struggling in their careers.  In this episode, Alex talks to us about navigating jobs, careers, and employment with A...

Today, host Brendan Mahan explores why ADHD is poorly named in response to some of the things talked about in the recent episode featuring René Brooks, Inger Colzie, and Stacey Machelle.   >>>The ADHD Essentials Online Parent Coaching Groups

In this episode of the podcast we are talking to my friend Coco Stanback.  Coco is an ADHD and parenting coach whose family is, unsurprisingly, affected by the disorder. In this episode, Coco discusses effective co-parenting.  She talks about why we should first seek to understand when things get challenging, the importance of knowing and honoring each others’ skill sets, and her three core C’s of...

This episode of the podcast was commandeered by René Brooks of Black Girl Lost Keys.  I thought we were going to have one-on-one interview and catch-up, but René had other plans and brought along some friends!  So it’s me, René, ADHD coach and mental health clinician Inger Shay Colzie, and the Stacey Machelle of ADHD is the New Black on YouTube.   In this episode, we discuss and demonstrate the im...

Today, we’re talking to Cindy Goldrich, the founder of Pathways to Success Coaching .  Cindy is a mental health counselor and ADHD coach who has been working in the field for over 15 years.  She is the author of two books on parenting children with ADHD, and books and training programs have been translated into multiple languages.  In addition to working with parents, Cindy also trains ADHD coache...

In today's episode, I share how I responded to a guy who didn't like my supportive, and encouraging approach to parenting.  He tried to crush my positivity by saying, "I don't believe that everyone deserves a trophy".  So, I thought about it and came back to him with a clearer perspective.  The gist of which is that ADHD is a developmental disorder, so kids with ADHD might not meet the same standa...

In today’s episode, we’re revisiting a conversation I had with Monica Hassell.  Monica is an ADHD coach based in Australia.  She and her husband Jon make up ConnectADHD .  Monica has presented at the International Conference on ADHD several times, and her work is outstanding! In today’s episode, we discuss Executive Function, why ADHD rarely travels alone, and the various layers that underlie prob...

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Renee Crook .  Renee is a veteran ADHD coach who works with adult clients both one-on-one and in groups.  She sits on the board of directors for ADDA and is the chair of their virtual support groups.  She also teaches for RenaFi , a financial education program for ADHDers, and trains coaches as part of the faculty of the ADHD Coach Academy . In this episode, Re...

In today's episode, I share a strategy I use to help kids get their homework done.  (I use it to help adults get stuff done, too!)   It involves assessing in advance the time and effort/energy required to do each homework assignment (or part of the task) and then using the information to make decisions about prioritization and sequencing.  So, not only dies it help kids attack the task at hand, bu...

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Dr. Sharon Saline.  Dr. Saline is a friend of the pod, a licensed, clinical psychologist, and the author of “What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew”. In this episode, Dr. Saline and I talk about the effects of the pandemic on children and families.  We discuss the data on mental health pre- and post-pandemic, moral injury, the effect it is having on social skills...

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Dr. Randy Kulman.  Dr. Kulman is the founder and president of LearningWorks for Kids. He coordinates their team of psychologists, educators, and digital designers in a quest to make video games good for kids. As a licensed clinical child psychologist, Dr. Kulman has been working directly with kids and families for the past 30 years, and has become a leading exp...

Today, we're talking to Dr. Robert Gruberman. Robert is the director of his school district’s gifted and talented program.  He has been assessing and teaching gifted children for nearly two decades, and has been a public educator for even longer. In today’s episode, we discuss ADHD and giftedness through the lens of an academic expert in the field.  We talk about the various components of giftedne...