Come join me this Saturday, January 6th, at 9 a.m., at Monkey Monkey Coffee and Tea in New Orleans for a meet-up hosted by the NOLA chapter of CHADD. 

It’s the end of the quarter, the end of the semester, the end of the year. How did you do this year? Take some time to reflect on what you were able to accomplish. Celebrate everything that you did! Do you keep a planner, agenda or calendar? Look back at all that those tasks you crossed off, all those meetings, all those appointments, all those fun activities that made you you.

Have you heard of phubbing? It's a recently coined term—a combination of "phone" and "snubbing"—that describes the act of turning your attention to your phone in the presence of others. "Phubbing" is always a bad idea, but, like slot machines in a casino, our phones are designed to attract our attention.

The holidays are hectic enough, but when it comes to the members of your family diagnosed with ADHD, the holidays can feel incredibly overwhelming. And maybe not all of your family gets it. The article "Stop Unsolicited Advice From Family In Its Tracks," by Carol Brady at ADDitude Magazine, has some great tips on how to prepare your extended family, your immediate family, your child, and yourself for holiday visits.

The holidays are almost here! Are you prepared? Jessica at How to ADHD has some funny, helpful advice on what not to get people with ADHD this holiday season.

When you've been sitting for too long studying for the exam or working on that final paper, try two minutes of mindful movement. By aligning your body and your mind with breath and movement, you can focus even more.  Watch this short video by Cara Bradley and Mindful.org for a two-minute break that will get your blood flowing and your brain working.

The article "Four Steps to Independence: How to Support (Not Enable) a Child with ADHD" by Elaine Taylor-Klaus and Diane Dempster at ADDitude Magazine has some excellent tips on how to support your child's independence. 

Your innovator brain hides yet another superpower that the neurotypicals lack: Super Intuition! Many of my clients have a sixth sense. They can sense the emotional state of another person, and in many cases, any living creature. They have a much stronger sense of empathy and compassion that the average person.

With technology changing so rapidly, it has been challenging for scientists to create studies about screen time. However, one conclusion has been unanimous…

Hey! Did you know Mind Coach NOLA has a weekly newsletter? Sign up now to receive the week's blog posts, full of tips, techniques, and recommended reading, along with information on upcoming Mind Coach NOLA events.

Here is an interesting trait you may not have yet discovered: Sometimes you want something to be so perfect that you are afraid of getting started. Or maybe you have to think it through first and have the perfect plan and all of the perfect materials before you get started. Or maybe, you actually got started (woohoo!) and you have been in hyperfocus mode for many hours and now you can’t get back into the real world because what you're working on is just not perfect yet and you can’t let go, so it’s never finished.

"How We Decide: The Neuronal Reward Signal" by Wolfram Schultz is an interesting article that highlights the importance of dopamine receptors in reward systems and how they affect decision making. The innovator brain functions differently, and so you can see how this important neural activity (or lack of it) can affect so many aspects of everyday life.

To "fail forward" means every failure is an opportunity for growth. Michael Jordan says, "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Do you truly understand how your brain works and why? Why is it zipping around happily sometimes, but dragging and sucking you into the depths of negativity at others? Maybe you've learned a few skills to control your thoughts and your actions, but can you stick with them to create habits? Yes, you can! It's not easy, but I know you can. 

Since Mind Coach NOLA is still on Thanksgiving break, I wanted to do a little throw-back to my first blog post ever, "Why I Do It," written a little over a year ago.

Thanksgiving break. Since I’m sure you’ve got the gratitude thing down, so let's focus on the “break.” This is a holiday, a vacation, a break from daily work. We plan our work schedules, and Thanksgiving break also ought to have a place in the planner. For me, it’s a time to spend with my family relaxing.

ADDitude Magazine has great suggestions for parents of all teens, not just those with ADHD. Check out "Hormones, High School, and ADHD: A Parent's Guide," by Peter Jaksa, for a number of helpful techniques. But don't just read articles; Mind Coach NOLA has a whole toolbox of helpful tips and techniques to put into practice, and works with parents one-on-one to develop a deeper understanding of how your teen's brain works! Mind Coach NOLA also works with teens, to help them understand their own brains and to develop stronger executive function skills, guiding them toward becoming successful young adults.

Do you ever watch videos from The School of Life? The School of Life is an educational organization devoted to teaching emotional intelligence. It was founded by British philosopher Alain de Botton, author of a number of books on philosophy, culture, and psychology. 

This past weekend, Mind Coach NOLA was at the 2017 Annual International Conference on ADHD in Atlanta. I can't wait to share with you all the new tips and techniques I learned for making the most of an ADHD diagnosis! I heard amazing speakers, met with fellow ADHD/life coaches, and attended panels on all the latest ADHD- and brain-related research. Get ready for more exciting blog posts from Mind Coach NOLA, and get in touch with me if you'd like to talk in person about how an ADHD or life coach can change your world!

I saw this sign near the railroad tracks and immediately thought of transitions. Some of us fear them. Change can be difficult, but if you know it’s coming, it’s doesn’t have to feel like a rough crossing. It can be smooth sailing. In fact, just having a positive mindset can make a huge difference already. Something different is coming. Woohoo! Adventure awaits! Bring it on! What do I need to do to get ready?