October can be, at times, an emotional month for me. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a survivor, this triggers frustration with “race for the cure”, when I feel that it should be “race for the cause”. Why did I, and hundreds of thousands of other healthy, young women get breast cancer in the first place, in just one year? And why do the numbers continue to grow? But I digress. Lol. There goes my Turbo Thinker brain again.

This month, I allow myself to go down the rabbit hole of this website: https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/As a board member of ACO, I know the monumental effort that has gone into curating the material within. This has been a worldwide task with coalitions in various continents to educate the public about ADHD by disseminating reliable information based on the evidence of science and peer-reviewed research. ADHD is a serious public health issue on a global scale.

Last month I got to catch up on a lot of reading, both fiction and nonfiction. I finally got around to reading Circe, by Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an adaptation of various Greek myths, most notably the Odyssey, as told from the perspective of the immortal witch Circe. In case you didn’t notice, our society seems to be obsessed with the idea of immortality too, as we seek eternal youth. But we are human and we are mortal. Fortunately, with wrinkles comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes gratitude. We can be grateful for every moment that we do have on this Earth.

We are Turbo Thinkers! This means that our racing brains can produce an incredible variety and quantity of thoughts in quick succession. It also means that we are prone to burn out. What is the equivalent of a smoking engine for us? Like a race car, our brains can feel like they are exploding, we feel overwhelmed and want to scream, cry or hide.

Which is best for me? Individual or group coaching? Hmmmm. Both!Both are coaching for Turbo Thinkers and both are a magical and transformational experience where ADHD strengths are included as a backdrop for dynamic performance.

I am one of those people that does not like to buy clothes online. To be honest, I do not have the spidey-sense of knowing what will look good or not, unless I try it on. Sometimes it works the same way with a coach/ client match. You’re just not convinced until you try it on, look at your reflection and feel good about it before you can commit to it.

I've had many clients share their favorite ADHD TikTok videos with me. Some are hilarious and relatable. Others make me cringe. The best and most useful ones do not go viral. Some ADHD TikToks destigmatize mental disorders by normalizing certain symptoms and building community. The platform makes accurate information and research accessible to a new demographic.

ADHD coaching is not therapy, nor is it me sending reminders to clients and nagging them to get things done. ADHD coaching is a creative and collaborative process that empowers my clients to manage their attention, hyperactivity (physical, mental or emotional), and impulsivity while strengthening their executive function skills. These skills can include sustained attention, task initiation, time management, organization, planning, prioritization, working memory, intrinsic motivation, and metacognition.

We Turbo Thinkers tend to be an impulsive bunch. A moment of passion seizes us and we dive head first into action. Our brains light up with the stimulation of novelty and we feel the rush of excitement. When we recognize that pure fervor drives the action, we can pause to identify which specific emotion ignites the fire.

We, Turbo Thinkers, have a love / hate relationship with change. On the one hand, we love it! It’s something new! It’s bright and shiny! It gives me hits of dopamine! Yay! Give me anything to break the boredom! Let’s shake things up a bit! Woohoo!

Last Sunday afternoon, driving back from a perfect summer day of kayaking in the cool waters of the creek and river, I was asked, “If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?” My friend didn’t even pause to let me answer, but just continued, “You’d do what you do. Right?” Yep. He knows me. Why do I love my job so much? Let me count the ways. There are so many reasons to list, and here are my top 5 pieces of motivation.

In today’s Turbo Think Tank, the topic of a morning routine came up for discussion. Our Turbo Thinker shared that starting her day with a morning walk put her in a fantastic mood and set a positive and energetic tone for the rest of the day. With a consistent morning routine, she could ride the momentum throughout the week. In exploring how to make that happen, she discovered that the key to success was actually sticking to an attainable evening routine!

A friend recently asked me for advice on how to balance social activities while still staying productive. I paused and told her that I did not have a one size fits all solution. Now that we are past the lockdowns of winter, summertime brings a desire to get outside & socialize more with an abundance of novel activities to bedazzle and stimulate Turbo Thinkers.

Self-care is not the same as self soothing. Turbo Thinkers deserve just as much care as anyone else. What happens when you not only give yourself permission to practice self-care, but when you actually PRIORITIZE self-care? What if you could plan and schedule self-care FIRST? How would that impact your mood and energy?

It is not uncommon for my Turbo Thinker clients to discover that often their inability to execute a task is rooted in their lack of self-worth. Feeling that they do not deserve success, love, or recognition creates a limiting belief that stops them in their tracks. Together we explore that. We wonder, “If your best friend told you that she was not worthy, what would you tell her?”

In one group, a client shared that her key to success was the realization that she could choose to put her own needs first. She had been taking care of loved ones and literally making herself sick by skimping on sleep and exercise. By seeing herself as the sole caretaker, she had neglected her true self, made herself miserable in the process and put on a “fake it till you make it” facade.

"If we don’t get enough sleep, it makes us feel lonelier, and it fundamentally messes with the way we perceive other people, and how we interact with them." Shuka Kalantari from The Science of Happiness episode 116.I have read so much research regarding sleep, especially with regards to Turbo Thinkers. We already know so much about how sleep affects our bodies and our brains, how it affects us physically and cognitively.

My family and close friends know that I regularly need to get my nature fix or I will go crazy. Like mindfulness, nutrition, exercise, sleep and human connection, I prioritize my need to spend time outdoors in a natural setting. While many studies have shown that time in nature improves ADHD symptoms, I personally need it, and will create time for it in my schedule.

I just had a client that raised such a great question: How do I know when I am honoring my needs or avoiding something? She had been allowing herself to sleep and rest at home a lot, but was also feeling a bit guilty about it. As the coaching conversation flowed, she decided to write two columns with the headings: Avoidance and Active Rest.

In one of my Turbo Think Tanks today, a client realized that she wanted to keep track of what she HAD accomplished, rather than beating herself up for what she had not done. By shifting to a celebration of positive progress forward, she could focus on her strengths and her secret sauce. She could build a bank of evidence, proving to her inner critic that, “Yes! I can get things done!” We call this a Ta-da list, and I find that it is just as important or even more important than a To-do list.