Beyond Pills: Creating the Turbo Thinker Ecosystem
Sometimes we get caught in the weeds and lose sight of the big picture. It even applies to our own mental health. I see it all the time in my coaching practice – clients so focused on finding the right specialist for a specific symptom that they forget what they’re ultimately seeking: wellness in mind, body, and spirit. We get caught up doing research, consulting Dr. Google, and watching tiny videos that snatch our attention with other people’s stories, forgetting that one person’s lived experience is not the solution to everyone’s problems.
I call this “fixated gardening”. We can get so myopic on eradicating a single weed that we forget the whole landscape. We forget to nurture the other seeds we have planted. We forget to bring in others to complement them. For the garden to thrive—with any type of plants—the foundation of sun, soil, and water are essential.
The Fixation on One Solution
Who can best help us? If your cousin recently had knee surgery, you wouldn’t want him to operate on your knee, regardless of his enthusiasm about his personal experience. You would seek a board-certified orthopedic surgeon – one with qualifications and experience in finding the solution for your specific needs — and maybe a physical therapist, and possibly even a dog walker.
The same principle applies to our mental health journey. We forget the big picture sometimes: for many, it’s a combination of pills and skills. Some people need medication, some don’t, but we all need the skills to manage our health and navigate our unique brain wiring. It’s like some of us need glasses to see and some of us don’t, but we all need to learn how to read. And if we can’t see, then maybe we need a variety of people to help us. Maybe we need an optometrist to give us a prescription, then we need an ophthalmologist to find corrective lenses, or maybe we need a surgeon to help us. But what good are healthy eyes if no one has taught us how to read?
Building Our Support Ecosystem
Our wellness journey includes a variety of specialists working as a support team. As a coach specializing in ADHD and executive function skills, I work with a host of referral partners so that collaboratively we help our community of Turbo Thinkers in every way that we can. I help my clients build their supportive ecosystem that might include a clinical psychologist, therapist, prescriber, and of course, a coach.
Elena came to me with a new ADHD diagnosis. She was struggling at work and at home. She was getting negative feedback at every turn. Her partner told her to “fix her ADHD” and as the only female engineer on a leadership team, she was undermined and disrespected. In our work together, Elena was able to see that she did indeed possess many strengths. She was also able to identify what she needed to succeed and she developed better communication skills to advocate for herself. Her confidence grew and her role did too at work. After updating her resume and actively putting herself out there professionally, Elena was discovered by a recruiter and landed a new job that doubled her salary and offered a welcoming company culture. She decided that she wanted a couples counselor to help with her personal relationship. She also decided that she wanted a different psychiatrist—one that was understanding and up to date on the latest ADHD medications. The new medications made a world of difference in her emotional regulation as well as her sustained attention. The couples therapist also gave her the insight that she needed to walk away from her abusive relationship. Her journey was not easy but she did not go through it alone. She had a team of experts cheering her on and helping her create a life on her own terms so that she can now thrive with autonomy and authenticity. She also came to realize that she did indeed have many friends, only she was afraid to take the initiative and be the organizer of social events. She was able to see through coaching that her strengths at work—organizer, leader, one who brings people together to leverage their strengths and collaborate to lighten the load—were the ones she could use in her personal life. At work, she kept a giant whiteboard outlining processes to visually organize and stay on track. She could do the same with her personal life to visualize process and progress.
How do we know when to refer our patient to another partner? Each specialist brings unique value to the journey:
A clinical psychologist provides diagnostic insights. When they see ADHD or executive dysfunction, they might refer to an ADHD coach who can translate that diagnosis into practical daily strategies.
A therapist helps with emotional processing. When they see that a patient returns week after week stuck on the same issue – “I really need to work on finding a new job” – but unable to take any steps forward, they might refer their patient to a coach who can help them get clarity on what to do, when, and how.
A prescriber such as a psychiatrist or a nurse practitioner focuses on symptom management. Unfortunately, they often don’t have the time or ability to follow their patients and help them with medication compliance. A prescriber typically touches base with their patient at long intervals, whereas a coach can help ensure that the necessary skills are developed, seeing them weekly with daily accountability.
The ADHD Coaching Difference
What is an ADHD coach exactly? We create a specialized collaborative partnership with clients, empowering Turbo Thinkers to manage their attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity by providing a supportive, nonjudgmental environment. This helps clients understand their unique brain processing. The coaching focuses on creating positive personal and professional change by leveraging the client’s strengths, talents, and passions.
As a coach, I’ve seen the transformative power of this approach. Time and time again, I work with clients who’ve been in therapy and on antidepressants for years, but never had an accurate ADHD diagnosis. After just a few coaching sessions, they’re able to break through challenges that have gone unaddressed for far too long.
Even primary care physicians might not realize that their patient’s non-compliance isn’t due to stubbornness or laziness. It’s not that these patients don’t know what to do – it’s that they cannot make themselves do it. And this is precisely where a coach can help bridge the gap between knowing and doing.
The Foundation: M.E.D.S.
The mental health journey often begins with diagnosis followed by multimodal treatment with a team of experts, and then continues with maintenance. This maintenance will most definitely need to include M.E.D.S. – the non-negotiable foundation for our mental health:
Mindfulness means observing the present moment with kindness and curiosity. For Turbo Thinkers, our minds naturally wander – far and wide and often – and mindfulness is the practice of gently bringing our attention back. The objective isn’t perfect focus but rather being as mindful as possible as often as possible, which requires consistent practice.
Exercise is physical movement that releases the neurotransmitters making us feel good: norepinephrine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Even better when it’s joyful movement with friends and laughter.
Diet means providing the brain with the nutrients it needs to think clearly and regulate emotions. A well-balanced diet fuels our cognitive function, supports focus, and helps us access our executive skills.
Sleep means honoring the time and environment needed for our brain to rest and process all of the information and sensations we accumulate during waking hours. Quality sleep restores mental clarity, consolidates memories, and allows us to function at our best the next day.
As Turbo Thinkers, we often forget to honor the importance of M.E.D.S. We put our own needs last, or we have magical fantasies about how long tasks will take, forgetting to schedule time for meal breaks and movement. We may be able to put our kids to bed, but we struggle to put our own adult selves to bed.
Starting From Where You Are
Starting From Where You Are
We can begin our mental health journey by focusing on our M.E.D.S., as these are foundational to everything else. Working with a coach can help solidify this non-negotiable base. Once mindfulness, exercise, diet, and sleep become part of our daily routine, everything else starts to fall into place. It’s like tending to the essential needs of a plant—water, sun, and soil—before worrying about the details. When those basics are in place, growth becomes easier.
The path to wellness isn’t about finding the perfect specialist or the perfect medication—though these may be important for some. It’s about creating an ecosystem of support that addresses the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. For many Turbo Thinkers, this solution may involve medication, may not, but will always include developing the skills to thrive with your unique brain wiring.
Over time, we may discover something transformative: what we once viewed as a flaw or weakness might turn out to be a hidden strength. Just like in nature, what seemed like a weed might be a native plant that contributes beautifully to the total ecosystem, bringing in butterflies and other pollinators, attracting the right balance of support. Perhaps what we initially saw as a flaw might actually be a gift that enhances the beauty of our whole being when properly nurtured within the right community. The very traits that once caused struggle can, with the right care and environment, become our greatest assets, enriching the entire ecosystem of our lives.
Questions to Walk With
What would change in your approach to mental health if you viewed it as an ecosystem rather than a single solution?
How might your wellness journey transform if you built a team of specialists rather than searching for one perfect provider?
Where in your daily routine could you create space for the foundational MEDS (Mindfulness, Exercise, Diet, Sleep)?
Remember: Your mental health journey is uniquely yours. The right support ecosystem can help you not just manage symptoms, but truly thrive with your wonderfully unique brain.