Focus Forward: An Executive Function Podcast

Hi everyone! I have something to tell you and I don’t really know how to say it, so I’m just going to say it like it is. I’ve decided to end my time as part of the marketing team at Beyond BookSmart and sadly, that means that I’ll no longer be hosting Focus Forward. Today’s episode is not our last, we’ll be dropping one more at the beginning of February, so I hope you come back to listen to that....

I’m so glad you’re here for this conversation, because today we’re diving into a topic that is personally very close to home for me and I’m guessing many of you: the intersection of ADHD, womanhood, and self-love. My guest today, Kristen Baird-Goldman, is a licensed mental health therapist who specializes in working with neurodivergent women, especially those over 40. She brings such clarity and c...

In today’s episode, we’re revisiting obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. If you’ve been listening a while, you may remember that in episode 47, I interviewed Dr. Anthony Bram about OCD. wanted to return to this topic because OCD is both more common and more misunderstood than most people realize. And even though awareness has grown in recent years, stigma and shame still keep so many people from...

Today’s episode is a fascinating look at the connection between our guts and our brains. This powerful two-way communication between our digestive system and our mind influences everything from mood and sleep to focus and decision-making. My guest is Dr. Anastasia Galanopoulos, is a developmental psychologist and parent coach who is passionate about teaching people about how our gut health shapes...

Today we’re wrapping up ADHD Awareness Month with something a little different — and a lot of fun. This episode is all about creativity, self-expression, and the power of play in adulthood. We’re diving into Expressive Arts Coaching - a unique, creative approach that helps people with or without ADHD strengthen their executive function skills through art, creativity, and imagination. My guest, Sha...

Hi everyone! Today we’re exploring the connection between ADHD and bullying. Research consistently shows that children with ADHD are more vulnerable to bullying than their neurotypical peers. For instance, a study utilizing data from the National Survey of Children's Health found that 47% of children with ADHD reported being victims of bullying, more than double the prevalence in the general popul...

Learn More About Dave Krasky Website https://www.raisingfutureadults.com/ Raising Future Adults - his book https://www.raisingfutureadults.com/books Read more about other topics mentioned in this episode FAFO Parenting - “F*** Around and Find Out” https://www.parents.com/what-is-fafo-parenting-unpacking-the-trend-11678790 Autonomy-Supportive Parenting by Emily Edlynn https://www.emilyedlynnphd.com...

Believe it or not, this is the last episode of our fourth season of Focus Forward! We normally take off all of August and September, but I just had to get one more episode in. After reviewing the topics & guests we featured this season, I realized there were some key themes that came up again and again across a whole variety of conversations. To wrap the season up, we’re reviewing 5 key lesson...

In today's episode we’re diving into the world of ADHD through the lens of Tyler Mitchell. Tyler is a strategy consultant (whatever that is!), a husband, a father of five, and a passionate advocate for awareness around ADHD and the workplace. If you’re active on LinkedIn at all, you may have come across Tyler’s thoughtful and popular posts. As we all know, adulting is hard enough, but throw in ADH...

In this episode, I had three experts come on the show, but they’re not the typical experts I have on Focus Forward. I got to sit down with three incredible teens, Eliza, Mark, and Sam, to talk honestly about conflict and how to manage it between teens and adults. This episode is one I’ve been wanting to do for so long and I’m thrilled to bring it to you today. We covered everything from communicat...

Today’s guest is one of my executive function coaching clients, Helena Bowen. Helena is a speaker coach and speechwriter and supports speakers for TED, TEDx, and other major events. She has ADHD and came on the show to share her experience and what she’s learned about herself and her brain over the years. We talk about how Helena is learning to move beyond the frustrating and self-critical thought...

I’m so happy to be able to bring this conversation to you today! My guest is Lizzett Cuervo - a first-generation Cuban American, executive function specialist, and co-founder of the nonprofit Circle Match. I first connected with Lizzett over LinkedIn and then we got to meet in person when she attended my presentation on college students and executive functioning at our local public library. Lizzet...

Okay, so this week we’re talking about one of the most powerful tools we have out there for our focus, our mental health, our community, our families, our children, ourselves - music! We don’t even realize how much music plays a role in our lives. And luckily, gone are the days of believing we must work in sterile, silent environments - many (or dare I say most?) brains, including those with ADHD...

This week, we’re revisiting a topic & conversion that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I had the opportunity to speak to the public at our local library about Executive Function skills for four different age groups, ranging from early elementary students to adults. In all four groups, we talked a lot about the importance of self-regulation and coping skills to get through challenging tim...

Have you heard the saying “research is me-search”? It means people often explore topics they personally need or want to understand better. Well, that’s exactly what today’s episode is for me. I’ve had migraines since I was a teenager, and after being diagnosed with ADHD a couple of years ago, I started noticing how closely the two seem to be connected. Conversations with clients, colleagues, and o...

Today’s episode is one I’m especially excited to share with you. Whether you’re an Executive Function expert or you’re just starting out learning about these essential life skills, you’ll want to listen because we have not one but *two* Executive Function leaders featured. First up, I’m so happy to have been joined once again by the OG of Executive Function awareness, Ellen Galinsky, who sat down...

In today’s quick 15-minute episode, we're exploring strategies for breaking down large tasks into manageable steps - a crucial skill for enhancing productivity and reducing overwhelm. From brain dumping to time mapping, learn new practical techniques that are designed to help initiate tasks, reduce decision paralysis, and maintain momentum. These methods are particularly helpful for anyone with AD...

Today, I am so excited to share this conversation I had with Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg. If you are a parent, a caregiver, an educator, a coach, a therapist, a human who interacts with children, young and old, this episode is for you. We all have something to learn from Dr. Ginsburg’s insightful and engaging interpretation of these decades of research on what works in parenting. Dr. Ginsburg practices a...

As a person with ADHD or Executive Function challenges it can often feel like society - you know, people at work, in our homes, anyone we encounter during our day, expects you to think, work, and communicate the same way as everyone else. It can be exhausting and can often require that you advocate for yourself and your needs more than you would like! And the first step of advocacy is figuring out...

Today’s episode is especially important for people to find - we’re covering the topic of eating disorders - it’s a tough one but so important to talk about as eating disorders are so much more than you may realize. Beyond simply affecting what someone does or doesn’t eat, they also impact brain function, emotional regulation, and the other critically important executive functioning skills we use e...

In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. John Randolph - a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, brain health consultant, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. He’s the past president of both the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the New Hampshire Psychological Association, and his research focuses on cognitive healt...

In this week’s episode, we’re talking all about routines. If you’ve ever tried to make a lasting change in your life, then you know how hard sustaining new habits can actually be. However, there are proven strategies that you can use to solidify habits into routines. In this short episode, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite practical strategies for building and sustaining routines. Thorugh the sc...

Today, I’m joined by the one and only Tyler Moore, AKA “Tidy Dad.” Tyler is a New York City Public School teacher, a husband, and a father of three. He creates content based on his own experience with tidying that he hopes will help others find joy and order in what he calls, “the beautiful mess of life”. Tyler came on to Focus Forward to share his new book, Tidy Up Your Life, which was just relea...

Happy holidays, everyone! It’s such a special time of year and I’m grateful to all of you for choosing to spend some of it with us here at Focus Forward! Don’t forget to check out Beyond BookSmart’s New Year’s discount on our new monthly coaching subscription, which offers 2 of our 45-minute one to one coaching sessions per month for a more accessible price of $252. You have the choice to add more...

Something I love about executive function skills is that when you host a podcast all about them, you will literally never run out of topics because EF skills impact every aspect of our lives. In today’s episode, we’re talking about romantic relationships and executive functioning. I’m joined by Dr. David Helfand, a licensed psychologist specializing in neurofeedback and couples therapy. Dr. H, as...