After working with Turbo Thinkers for years, we’ve come up with the Top 3 Reasons to Love Group Coaching.

As the year draws to an end, I like to reflect and spot patterns. Here are five common traits I’ve seen in Turbo Thinkers:We see endless possibilities.

Our turbocharged brains can come up with at least 1,000 things to do with a purple pipe cleaner. We can imagine 10,000 ways in which something can go wrong, but we can also envision just as many ways in which it can go right. We can think of hundreds of side hustles and have a plethora of projects that must be completed because of limitless opportunities for ourselves and for others.

I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Valencia, Spain, where I reconnected with friends from my time as an exchange student 30 years ago. The city has changed, for the better, in so many ways, and we have too, with more wisdom and laugh lines. I had initially thought that the trip would be about revisiting the past, but it turned out to be about deep connection and friendship. It was full of endless possibilities.

A Mind Coach NOLA client and friend, Kristin Sanders, recently wrote an article for The UAGC Chronicle and we’ve decided to feature it!“In 2017, I began teaching part-time at UAGC while simultaneously teaching part-time at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and getting my freelance copywriting business off the ground. Balancing these three part-time jobs—as well as my creative writing—was difficult at first. I used to be the kind of teacher who would bring a pile of English papers home from an in-person class, then proceed to stare at the pile in increasing anguish as the week slid by. I'd grade a few papers here and there, but the pile never seemed any less daunting…”

I am so stoked about the conference next week. I am even more stoked to be presenting with some of my favorite ADHD coaches on the planet. Here’s a sneak preview of our session:

Often in coaching conversations we end up discussing self advocacy. This includes knowing what our brain needs to succeed and the skills to ask for it.

Once you know that you are wired differently, that there is a neurobiological explanation as to why you think, act and feel differently than other people, you begin to understand. Once you know that there are others like you, you can practice self compassion. You can be empathetic towards others, perhaps they are Turbo Thinkers too, you can seek treatment to help you get over challenges. You can learn to appreciate your strengths because of your different brain wiring. You can understand that ADHD presents itself differently in every individual at every stage of their life. You can become more aware of your own brain, of how you process thoughts, feelings and actions.

Turbo Thinkers tend to be rebels in our own way, at least in our minds. When we are given a suggestion and presented with someone else’s idea, we often reject it automatically. We can poke holes in it, think of a way to improve upon it, we can think of alternatives, we can find endless possibilities...none of which are the other person’s idea. It is as if our brain takes another person’s directions as a personal affront and a challenge. “Nope,” it says. “I don’t wanna. I’m going to do it my way and I can think of a million better ways than yours.”

I was recently talking with another ADHD coach about a new idea and that I had to extend my reach and help even more Turbo Thinkers. I knew in my heart that it was a good idea, but the magnitude and execution of it all overwhelmed me. Could I let it go?

It was a tough decision for me, but at the last minute I had to cancel all of my appointments the week after Hurricane Ida hit. I evacuated, my family and friends were displaced, and I did not know the state of my home or how the city of New Orleans would recover, if ever. Flashbacks of Hurricane Katrina returned, along with the shock, sadness and anxiety of the unknown.

My cousin has once again, 16 years later, turned his home into a hurricane refugee center. As Cuban refugees, and survivors of Katrina, my family is no stranger to this situation. Yesterday, he walked into the kitchen early in the morning, bleary eyed, and asked me how I had slept. I was on my second cup of coffee and had been up since 4 am. “Well,” I began, and proceeded to rattle off all the horrible worries that plagued me without hardly stopping to breathe.

I just can’t do it. See? I’m back to my old self. I wasn’t meant to do this. I’ve failed yet again.Sometimes we have a brilliant insight and inspiration to turn an idea into a reality. We decide to start fresh and proclaim to begin a new habit. We begin with enthusiasm, full of energy and optimism. We start off great...and then we fail. How easy is it to fall into our black and white thinking! We can’t execute perfectly, thus we suck. Would we tell this to our best friend? To our loved ones?

Balance can be defined as, “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.” Many Turbo Thinkers already struggle with emotional regulation and executive function skills, and the chaos of today’s world exacerbates these challenges. “I need more balance,” they tell me. It’s all or nothing, though most of the time it’s nothing. It’s avoiding “the wall of awful”. However, does it have to be such black and white thinking? Are there not more than two elements necessary to create balance? Wouldn’t it be more like a spinning top than a see-saw? Moreover, what is the feeling we want? Isn’t that more important than what we need to do?

According to the APA, 62% of people feel a heightened sense of anxiety since the start of the COVID pandemic. Turbo Thinkers can be prone to anxiety because of emotional dysregulation, so it’s no surprise that it often arises as a topic in coaching sessions. When we begin to explore the source of anxiety, we usually discover a lack of clarity.

Even before the pandemic, I coached many Turbo Thinkers and digital nomads. As the meaning of the workplace continues to evolve, more and more people are embracing the digital nomad lifestyle. A digital nomad refers to individuals who earn a living working online in various locations of their choosing. They may work out of cafes, beaches, or hotel rooms, as they are not tied down to any one location. For Turbo Thinkers who no longer work at a fixed business location, many challenges can present themselves.

There are times when I catch myself in a tailspin of insecurity. I sink to a pool of self doubt and shame. I feel so inadequate and incompetent. The spinning seems to never end, engulfing me deeper into a dark hole of misery, like I am being sucked down the garbage disposal of the kitchen sink that is my brain. I need to grab hold of something to get me out of my own head because I know that only I am in control of my own thoughts. I engage in personal inquiry: What is my reality?

As Turbo Thinkers, we often struggle with patience. Our racing minds produce so many ideas and we feel like we must act on them immediately. We feel that our bodies need to move immediately. We anticipate the next move, the next activity, the next best thing, and have trouble simply enjoying the present moment for what it is. Sometimes we have a book, fidget toy, stress ball or other tactile distraction to entertain our brains. Sometimes we find ourselves unexpectedly forced to enjoy our own company with nothing to do but to wait.

After years of shame and self doubt, many Turbo Thinkers have developed a fixed mindset. This can take the form of negative self talk and absolutes such as, “I’m just lazy,” “I never finish what I start,” or “I am an anxious person.” These limiting belief systems prevent us from trying anything new.

A few Mondays ago, my AC gave out. We had typical New Orleans, subtropical weather during those days: highs in the upper 90’s, lows in the upper 80’s. Sunny skies with a daily afternoon thundershower and high humidity 24/7. Great for a dewy complexion but fierce for focused work. My house has a geothermal system, which only a limited few technicians in my area are qualified to service. I was placed on a waiting list and told to standby. Days passed.

As Turbo Thinkers, our minds can easily go down a road of negativity, regret, self shame or catastrophizing. In those moments when our emotions override all rational thought, our memories have trouble accessing what we know to be true about ourselves. Our minds can get stuck in a story told by the severe inner critic, the mean girl whispering in our ear, or the evil judge who deems us unworthy of any future success