Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids: Recent Episodes
Katelyn Mabry
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids is designed for children with ADHD to listen to and feel understood. It will educate, empower, and encourage listeners to understand their uniquely wired, neurodivergent minds. The challenges will be discussed, mindset growth will be encouraged, and strengths/gifts will be celebrated! ADHD will grow from an excuse to a reason that we need to face challenges head on and become an advocate for the incredible strengths that we have!
School is starting up again, and if you're feeling a little nervous, excited, or even a little mixed up inside- You are NOT alone!! In this episode, we are kicking off our back to school Rhythm & Reset series by talking about why getting back into school routine can feel extra tricky for ADHD brains.
Starting a new school year is a lot like learning the beat of a brand new song. At first, it might feel a little wobbly, but with time and practice, your brain will find it's rhythm. We'll talk about simple ways to make mornings feel easier, build new routines one step at a time, and remember that you don't have to be perfect to have an amazing school year!
So let's take a nice deep breath, give yourself lots of grace, and let's find your school rhythm together.
Takeaways from today's episode:
- Your brain needs TIME to find its school rhythm- It's okay if it doesn't happen on the first day.
- You don't have to be perfect to have a great school year.
- Small routines can HELP mornings and school days feel a little calmer.
- ADHD brains often need extra time to adjust to changes, and that's completely okay.
- Give yourself GRACE and celebrate the little wins along the way!
Thank you for listening friends! Lets keep learning, growing, and journeying together through ADHD together! Have a blessed day! Make sure you follow to stay tuned into the rest of this series and share with friends who this may be helpful for too!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources. I would love for you to reach out to share episode ideas or to learn more about my 1:1 coaching program!
Music isn't just something we listen to- it can become one of the most powerful tools in your family's ADHD toolkit! I know it is ours!
In this final episode of our Regulating Through Music series, we explore how to intentionally weave music into our everyday life to make routines feel easier, transitions feel smoother, and family connection feel stronger! Speaking of family, I have my little man with me in this episode, helping me share some of the ways music helps our family on a daily basis!
Music can provide our ADHD brains predictability, momentum, emotional regulation, and an overall sense of calm when things feel overwhelming! Guess what the best part is!? You don't have to be "musical" to use it! A simple playlist, a favorite song, or even a quick dance break can make a HUGE difference.
In this episode, we will share practical ways you can use music throughout the day, including:
- Starting mornings with an energizing "hype song."
- Creating a clean up playlist that makes chores more fun.
- Turning car rides into moments of family connection.
- Using dance parties to reset big feelings and busy bodies.
- Building stronger family memories through shared music.
- Create playlists for different moods, routines and activities to have set and ready to play any day!
You will also learn why music can help the ADHD brain find steady rhythm- just like a drumbeat helps musicians stay together. When life feels busy or overwhelming, music can help your brain know what comes next and make the day feel a little easier to follow.
This week's target: You don't have to create a perfect routine overnight. Start with ONE song, one playlist, or one family dance party! Small rhythm repeated overtime can make a HUGE impact!
Take away: Music is like giving your busy brain a steady beat to follow. It won't make every hard moment disappear, but it can help life feel smoother, calmer, and a whole lot more fun!
Thank you for joining us on this regulation through music series! If you like what you hear make sure you subscribe and share this podcast with a friend who is on this ADHD journey too! We are all in this together! Please reach out with future episode ideas or if you'd like to know more about my 1:1 coaching services www.katelynmabry.com! I love and appreciate each one of you!
Have you ever felt like your feelings were so BIG they almost felt like a storm inside your brain? Sometimes happiness makes you want to jump up and down. Sometimes sadness feels too heavy for words. The good news is that your feelings aren't bad- they just need a safe place to go.
In this episode of Journey With Me Through ADHD, we're exploring how music can become one of your brain's favorite regulation tools. Whether you love to sing, dance, drum on a table, write songs, or simply listen to your favorite playlist, music can help your emotions move instead of staying stuck inside.
Together we'll discover:
- How music gives big feelings somewhere safe to go.
- Why moving your body to rhythm helps calm your nervous system.
- Simple dance breaks and drumming activities can be great emotional regulation strategies.
- How songs can help you recognize and name your emotions.
- Fun ways to create "big feeling playlists" like happy, calm, brave, or even frustrated.
- Why many ADHD kids feel deeply understood through music.
Remember this: Feelings are like storms inside your brain, and music can help the rain come out safely. You don't have to keep your emotions bottled up. Music gives them a healthy, creative way to be heard.
So grab your headphones, turn up your favorite song in the car or kitchen, and let's discover how music can help your amazing ADHD brain express those big feelings in healthy ways!
Because every feeling deserves a safe place to go- and sometimes that place is a SONG!
If this episode encouraged you and your family, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and SHARE it with other families you know who are on this ADHD journey! Every share helps more children discover that their ADHD brain is wonderful, capable, and never alone!
Until next week, keep growing, keep learning, and keep journeying with me through ADHD! Love and appreciate each and every one of you!!
www.katelynmabry.com
Does music actually help your brain find focus? The answer is yes for me and my kiddos too, how about you!?
In this episode, you will become a "focus exploror" as you learn to discover which kinds of music might be helpful, powerful tools to find your focus, stay productive, engaged and find calm in different situations! We will activate the power of noticing too! Because you may find that your brain works better with a little backgroung music instead of complete silence. If this is a reality for you, it's SO true!
We will talk about how the right kinds of music can help quiet some of the extra "brain chatter" that makes it hard to focus. Instead of silence feeling distracting or uncomfortable, music can give your brain just enough background noise entertainment to help you stay on task. Think of it like giving your busy brain a gentle rhythm to follow while you work.
In this episode, you will discover...
- Why many ADHD brains focus better with music then with complete silence.
- How music can help calm the feeling of overwhelm.
- The difference between instrumental music and songs with lyrics.
- Ways to use music during homework, reading, chores, or creative projects.
- How to create your own "focus beats" playlist.
- Why everyone's brain is differetn- and it's okay to experiment to find what works best!
Music isn't JUST something we listen to- it can be a regulation tool that helps our brains feel organized, steady, and ready to learn! So grab your headphones, press play, and let's discover how the right beat might help your amazing ADHD brain find focus!
Remember: Your ADHD brain isn't broken- it just works differently. Sometimes the right song is exactly what your brain needs to help you do your best!
If you've enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another family raising amazing ADHD warriors too! Every episode helps you better understand your incredible one of a kind mind- one journey at a time! Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to contact me! I would love to hear from you! Have a blessed day!
Do you find yourself overstimulated, feeling anxious, irritable, or have a hard time focusing in different day to day scenerios!? If so, you are not alone and this is the episode is for you.
In this episode, you will discover how different types of music can help regulate different moods and your nervous system in different situations. The right music can help your brain feel safer and calmer. I share how I use music to move through different tricky tasks and transitions, as well as give tips on how you can embed music in so many different ways too! Creating different safe playlists to go along with your daily routine of to dos is a great idea too!
- Calming playlist for overwhelm
- Using music during transitions
- Music for morning or bedtime routines
- Using music for activation and momentum when a task feels tedious
You will discover that lyrics and tempo affect emotions and use music to regulate your mood. This is a great jumpstart to heighten your self-awareness around how music affects you. We even use the analogy of music being like a dimmer switch for our busy brains, instead of the on and off switch we tend to have.
I would love to hear how music affects you! Send me a message on my website at www.katelynmabry.com so I can hear more about your ADHD journey and I would love to hear some future podcast episode ideas too! I love and appreciate you all so much! Have a blessed day!
You are all in for a musical treat with this episode! Do you ever feel stuck or have a hard time creating better habits as you work on exercising those executive functions skills that feel tricky!? I know I do, and have found that music is my favorite momentum maker and memory tool too, how bout you?
For many ADHD brains, music can be a powerful tool for focus, memory, emotional regulation, and getting started with every day tasks! In this fun-filled episode, we're joined by JP and Kat, who are an amazing married duo, whose music has been featured on beloved shows like Seseme street, Gabby's Dollhouse, Blaze and the Monster Machine, Pigeon Finds a Hotdog, Blues Clues, and MORE. They are Emmy award winners and parents to two kiddos who have busy brains just like you and I do! They share how they create songs that help kids learn, remember important skills, and build memory throughout the day!
We're also joined by our new 8 year old friend ADDEE, who shares how music helps her ADHD brain move throughout her daily routines, manage big feelings, abd stay regulated when life feels overwhelming.
Together we explore,
- Why music is such a powerful tool for ADHD brains.
- How songs can improve memory and help us remember routines, or to simply put things away.
- Using music to build momentum when it's hard to get started.
- How music can help move through big emotion moments.
- You will hear three fabulous jingles written by Kat and JP that you can start using right away...
- "Anything Else", "Put It Away", and "Learning More Everyday" from "ADDIE'S WORLD"
Whether you are getting ready for school , cleaning your room, calming down after a busy day, or just looking for a little extra momentum, this episode is full of practical ideas from a child's perspective and joyful music to help your brain thrive! Remember, you don't have to force your brain to work like everyone else's. Sometimes it needs the right rhythm to feel it's best! Let's keep moving, keep singinng, and journeying together through ADHD!
You can find Aidee's world on YouTube & IG= @aiddeehd_official
What if the internet felt less like a giant candy store and more like a place designed to help your brain do what it wants to do in a safe and fun way?
In this episode, I sit down with the creators of "Notsus", Jim and Adam, who designed a kid-friendly web browser built to help kids stay creative, curious, and productive online without getting pulled into endless distractions.
We talk about why many browswers are designed like candy stores filled with the ultimate treats, making it hard for the ADHD brain to stay focused on what actually needs to get done. Creators, Jim and Adam, share how they created a safer digital space where kids can walk past the distractions, get where they want to choose to go, and keep creating along the way.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why ADHD brains are epecially vulnerable to online distractions.
- How the internet is often designed to grab and keep your attention.
- The "candy store" analogy that makes screen habits easy to understand.
- Ways to build a more regulated digital environment.
- How "Notsus" helps kids stay focused on creativity, learning and exploration.
Whether you're a kids with ADHD or a parent looking for tools to support healthier screen time habits, this conversation shares practical ideas for creating a digital home that works with your brain- not against it.
Episode challenge: Think about one online distraction that feels like candy for your brain. What could help you walk past it and get to what you really want to accomplish online? It takes small reflective change to make the biggest long term impact!!
You can download the web browser for free at http://notsus.net/
Be sure to also download our June sponsor's app at www.storymii.com where the possibility for creating stories you love are endless! Type in the code: "adhdjourney" to recieve a free month of exploring and creating on the app! Story Mii is a fabulous tool for every kiddo with ADHD's toolbox! Not only can you use those amazing imaginations to create any type of story you dream up, but you can also connect with friend's and create quizzes to amp up the educational experience, while keeping the joy alive! Research shows that kids read more when it's something that they have come up with! So what better way to ignite a love for reading this summer then with Story Mii! Check it out and enjoy!!
You can visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to reach out with questions! I would love to hear from you! You are loved, valued and seen! Have a blessed day!
Hey there! Who was able to do the technology fast alonside my family and I last week!? If you took a break and would like to share how it went, please reach out to me @ www.katelynmabry.com so I can hear about your journey too! If you aren't sure what I am talking about, take a look at episode 252 and consider taking some sort of screen time fast that would fit your family best as a means of resetting and then revisiting what tech time looks like each day...
Meanwhile, have you ever wondered WHY screens feel SO hard to put down? In this episode, we explore a differnt way of thinking about screen time. Sometimes screens aren't just entertainment- they become a safe place when something in life feels difficult! It's super important to raise self-awareness of this truth, so that you can best respond to it!
Using the metaphor of a fort, we will talk about how kids may retreat into screens when they are feeling lonely, socially stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, or trying to avoid difficult emotions. When we can name it, then we can tame it and reframe it! We will also explore whey screens can feel especially comforting for ADHD brains and how curiosity can help us better understand our needs.
Shed any shame of "too much screen time makes me bad" and instead ask, "what is my screen time helping me with right now and how can I respond to it in a different, healthier way!?"
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why screens can feel like a safe hiding spot.
- How lonliness, stress, and overwhelm can increase screen use
- Why ADHD brains are often drawn to screens
- Questions to help you understand what your brain really needs
- How to build support on and off screens
Key takeaway: The goal isn't to get rid of the fort- it's to make the world outside of the fort feel safer too!
As you are exploring a new normal with regulating healthy amounts of screen time, make sure you check out our June sponsor, Story Mii @ www.storymii.com where your child's imagination will be brought to life with these AI generated stories!! Creativity is ignited and characters are created to come up with a one of a kind story that your kiddos will fall back in love with reading! And if you have summer reading to do, this is a great tool to use that also has the capacity to create quizzes for comprehension and kids can even interact to build off of each other's story creations!! My kids love it and I know it will ignite a newfound love for reading in your kids too!
I look forward to being with you next week! Have a blessed day! Love you all!
This coming week, my family is doing something different- We are taking a "technology fast" and we'd love for you to join us! Before you check out, hear us out! This is NOT a punishment, but it IS a gift for your brain! In this episode, we will talk about why screens can be especially tricky for our ADHD brains to regulate, how dopamine plays a role, and what happens when we take a break!
We will share what a tech fast looks like in our home, what we're replacing screentime with, and why the first few days can feel uncomfortable. You will even hear from my son who shares his raw feelings about it all! We will keep the conversation honest, realistic, and completely shame- free.
What you will learn in this episode:
- Why ADHD brains love screens
- What dopamine withdrawal can feel like
- What a technology fast looks like for our family and ways you can customize it to fit your own family!
- Screen-free activities to try instead
- What to do when it gets hard
- Why slipping up doesn't mean you've failed
Kid friendly analogy/reminder:
Taking a break from screens is like letting a sore muscle rest- it may feel uncomfortable at first, but your brain comes back stronger!
We would LOVE for you to JOIN us!
Try your own version of tech fasting this week and when the fast in over, send a message to share...
- What's been hard
- What surprised you
- What you've done instead of screens
- Your tech-fast WINS!
This is not about perfection. It's about giving your brain a chance to breathe, reset, rewire, regulate, reignite deeper creativity and discover new ways to have fun!
As your plan for reintroducing tech time after the fast, make sure to check out our June sponsor's App...StoryMii www.storymii.com is a brilliant AI story generating program set up to make reading fun for all ages! Is reading a battle in your home too!? With Story Mii, kids can turn their imagination into actual stories that they dream up! With StoryMii, kids don't just read stories, they create their own custome adventures, while using their imaginations to write anything they think of, with unique images that match the story every step of the way!
Story Mii is especially great for kids with busy, creative brains because it makes reading feel fast moving, interactive, and fun! Instead of forcing kids to fit into one way of learning, Story Mii taps into their natural curiosity and imagination to help reading really click!
They also have exciting features like personalized quizzes, and add chapters to their friends stories, so kids can keep exploring, creating, and learning in ways that match their interest and imagination. It's a science backed reading tool designed to help kids stay engaged, think bigger, and enjoy the learning process while building confidence along the way.
Ignite a newfound love for reading and story creating with Story Mii!! It will transform your summer reading for sure!!
Make sure you visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to sign up for my monthly newsletter, check out my book, or reach out to learn more about 1:1 coaching! We are on this journey together! Have a blessed day! Love you all!
HAPPY JUNE ALL!! Welcome to the beginning of our Summer series! Let me be SUPER clear that I am not promoting more screen time through this series (I am even doing a screen fast to start our Summer off), BUT we will be looking at the ways we can regulate screen time throughout the summer months and use screen time in beneficial ways when/if it is used!
I am super excited for you to hear from our guest on this episode, Nancy Sun! She is the founder of the incredible app called "StoryMii." She shares all about her personal love for technology and how she came up with this brilliant platform. This science-backed reading platform brings your kids imaginations to life, while also igniting a new love for reading!! StoryMii helps kids become creators instead of just reading, by allowing them to customize thier own adventures with unique images that match their story every step of the way!
Your busy, creative, ADHD brains will be lit up by this app in the most positive ways. It is interactive, fast moving, and fun!!! Instead of forcing one style of learning, the platform taps into curiosity, imagination, and creativity to help reading finally click!
You will love to hear all of the updates StoryMii has made since her last episode with us a year ago!
- Creativity supports confidence and learning to read
- Personalized storytelling helps kids stay engaged
- There are interactive features like quizzes
- You have the ability to add friends and share stories
- There are so many ways StoryMii encourages you to think bigger and enjoy the learning process.
This is a fabulous tool for those Summer months with down time, road trips, and a desire to keep the skill of reading alive and active! If you love adventure, storytelling, creativity, or making imaginative worlds of your own, this is an espisode you will love in every way!
You can learn more about our June podcast sponsor, StoryMii @ www.storymii.com . Gain a month of free access through their website by using the code, "adhdjourney." This is a great opportunity to check it and see if it's a helpful, fun reading tool for your family!
Sign up for my newsletter @ www.katelynmabry.com so that we can stay in touch and I can share upcoming episode and more resources!!
AHHH! We made it to episode 250 and I could not be more grateful for each of you to be listening and coming back each week so that we can be on this ADHD together!!
Guess what!? Not everybody feels better doing the same kind of movement and that's completely OKAY! That's why it's so important for you to listen to this episode of our Regulation Through Movement series, where we explore how different types of movement help different brains find calm, focus, and become regulated. Some kids like fast movement like running or dancing, while others feel best with slow stretching, swinging, walking, or quiet solo movement. There is no "right" way to move your body.
In this episode, you will also learn how to notice what kind of movement helps your mind, body, and emotions feel better, while giving yourself permission to try new moves too!
This episode also encourages you to become that detective as you get curious about...
- Fast vs slow movement
- Solo (on your own) vs. movement with others
- Big energy activities vs. calming movements
- How movement changes how your body and brain feels
- Find what works for YOU!
Key Take away: The best movement is the movement that helps YOU feel better overall! You do not have to move like everyone else. Your body is allowed to like what it likes! Let's build that unconditional confidence and name what works best for you!
I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you! Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to sign up for my newsletter, check out resources or reach out with future episode ideas! Love and appreciate each of you!!!
Did you know that sometimes the best reset is as simple as stepping outside!? It's true! How cool is that for me and you!
In this episode of the regulation through movement series, we will explore how fresh air, nature, movement, and open space can help our ADHD brains find calm, feel more clear and more focused. You will learn that when your brain feels busy, overwhelmed, wiggly, or stuck, outside time can help your nervous system reset and recharge.
Using the idea that "outside time helps your brain breath and reset," we talk about how even a few minutes outdoors can make a world of difference! We also use a fun metaphor that with help you understand: just like phones need to recharge when their battery is low- outside time is like plugging your brain back in!
Key messages to lean into:
- Exploring how nature and fresh air can help the body and brain find calm.
- Outdoor movement can improve focus and emotions.
- Gamifying outside time, like naming the sounds that you hear in nuture!
- There are so many simple ways to get outside: Take a walk, run around house, swing, shoot hoops, sit in the sunshine, run, jump and stretch as you use your imagination with what you have outside!
- Pairing movement with fun helps regulation feel easier and more natural!
Key Takeaway:
Outside time isn't extra- it's a support for your brain and body that is a neccessity to thrive with a busy brain each day.
This episode is a great reminder that you don't need to stay stuck when you feel overwhelmed. Sometimes the reset you need is waiting right outside the door!
I would love to hear from you at www.katelynmabry.com and for you to gain more resources! Love you all and appreciate you being here! Have a blessed day!
Have you ever been told, "sit still," or "can't you just stop moving?" And you think, "my body needs to move!" If so, you are not alone and I have good news for you...YOU ARE RIGHT!! Your brain was made to move!
This episode will jumpstart our series this month called "Regulating Through Movement." We will start by exploring a super important idea: Movement isn't a distraction- it's actually how the brain helps itself find focus, regulate and feel better.
We will gently reframe our movement experience to shed the shame and shine a light on the benefits of movement. When you feel wiggly, restless, or simply overwhelmed, it's not a sign that something is wrong-it's a signal that your brain and body are trying to work together!
Get your imagination caps on as we think about it like a shaken up soda bottle. Imagine energy and emotions building up inside the body, just like soda in a shaken bottle. Without a way to release that pressure, it can feel like everything might EXPLODE! Movement helps release that pressure little by little, making it easier to find calm, focus, and stay in control.
Sitting still can feel especially hard for our busy ADHD brains. Movement supports your attention, emotional regulation, and helps you think more clearly by helping the brain organize what's going on inside!
So let's just get started raising that self-awareness flag and notice your body signals- those early hints like fidgeting, bouncing legs, or restlessness-and start pausing to respond with movement instead of fighting against it. This exercises that self-awareness muscle and builds confidence in understanding what your body needs to succeed.
You will take away simple, accessible ways to move throughtout the day, whether through small movements like stretching and tapping or bigger movements like jumping, dancing or walking!
Key Takeaways:
- Movement is NOT a problem-It's a helpful brain tool to pull out of your toolbox.
- Feeling wiggly or restless is your body trying to help.
- Movement can improve focus, calm big emotions, and organize thinking.
- Sitting still can be challenging because the brain may need movement to function well.
- Listening to your body's signals is an important skill to exercise,
- Small or big movement can both make a difference.
Your brain loves to move. Movement helps you feel better, find focus faster, and be the best version of yourself.
This episode will empower you to understand your brain/body connection with compassion and curiosity. It will help you replace shame with confidence and see movement as a strength, not a struggle!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to reach out with questions and future episode ideas! I would love to hear from you! Have a blessed day!
Do you feel your energy go up and down throughout the day!? Does this effect you in every way!? If you do, me too!
Our energy often matches the many intense emotions we rollercoaste through in different situations and environments. In this episode, we will hear from communication and emotions expert, Elizabeth Sautter, who encourages us all to become energy detectives! When we can discover when our energy rises and falls, that's when we can truly discover the best tools and strategies to add to our toolbox.
You can visit Elizabeth's website http://elizabethsautter.com for some incredible free resources, including a "Focus & Flow Workbook" (website + /focus-flow-toolkit) to track your energy and a daily regulation check in tool to use. You will also find a link to check out her most recent workshop replay to learn more about what it actually means to build emotional regulation and resilience!
You can reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to stay connected or check out my resources too! Always here for you! Love you all!
Have you ever been told, "You are just being too sensitive!"? If so, you are absolutely not alone! In this final episode of our Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) series, we bring everything together by focusing on self-compassion and a powerful thought reframe: Your sensitivity is not a flaw-it's a strength!
After learning what rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is and how it can show up in your thoughts, feelings, and reactions, this episode will help you take the next step- understanding yourselves in a kinder, more empowering way. Instead of seeing big feelings as "too much," we explore what those feeling actually mean!
Key Takeaways:
- Feeling deeply is NOT something to fix: You may feel more intensely, but that doesn't mean there is something is wrong with you, it means that you care deeply!!! That's beautiful gift!
- Sensitivity and empathy often go together: Yes, our ADHD brains often feel things strongly: However, we are also incredibly empathetic, aware of others emotions, and passionate about fairness, kindness and connection . These are powerful strengths!
- RSD awareness gives you power-not labels: Understanding RSD helps you recognize what's happening in your brain so that you can respond with more control and self-compassion. It's all about gaining the tools for your toolbox to help your thrive in your thoughts and emotions day by day!
- You can learn to pause and name what's happening: When those big feelings strike, practicing skills like pausing, intentional deep breathing, and naming the emotion can help you respond with control instead of reacting right away.
- Mistakes and criticism don't define you: Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you respond to them. Failure is fuel- and rememebering that your worth isn't based on the moment or a feeling...your thoughts aren't always telling you the whole story!
Put your imagination caps on and visualize your emotions like a volume dial on a speaker. Sometimes you feel like the volume is turned up to a 8,9, or even a 10! The goal isn't to turn the volume off, it's to learn how to gently adjust it!
With practice and continued self-awareness, you will begin to notice when your volume is getting too loud and use your tools to bring it down to a level that feels more manageable!
Remember this... You are NOT "too sensitive." You are someone who feels deeply, and with the right tools, that sensitivity becomes one of your greatest strengths-helping you connect, care, and understand the world in a powerful way!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey toward learning more about naming and combatting RSD in a mighty way! Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out to learn more about 1:1 coaching as a means to dive deeper into exercising these skills with a coach that can help! I would also love to hear from you if there is a episode topic idea you'd like to share too!
If you are overwhelmed NOW and would love a masterclass to help you explore next steps, click to register now for "Navigating ADHD Chaos," lead by master ADHD Coach, Tyler Dorsey, who is also the founder of Focus Forward ADHD Coaching. You will walk away from this 5-day masterclass with a deeper understanding of what's going on beneath the surface of the behavior seen, why things feel so hard, and what true progress looks like. You will also leave with a renewed hope and a clearer path forward for you and your family! You don't want to miss it! I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day! Love and appreciate you all! I look forward to being with you again next week as we explore all that ADHD energy!!!
Big feelings can show up FAST! Especially for those of us with ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). In this episode, we will continue to explore this very important topic together. Bottom line... your feelings are always real and important...but the story your brain tells you in the moment, isn't always complete!
Get ready to put your imagination cap on as we relate playing the thoughts in our head like a movie... if we fastforwarded to the end of the movie, we wouldn't have all of the information, so we would need to pause and go back to gather all of the info before coming to a conclusion. We too, want to practice pausing before reacting.
In this episode, we will add this tool to our toolbox= Pause--breathe--check the story!
You will learn how to...
- Practice pressing the pause button when emotions feel overwhelming.
- Use simple deep, slow, intentional breathing.
- Give your brain time to gather more information.
- Ask helpful questions like, "what else could be true!?"
We also will discuss how important it is to practice self compassion and be reminded that it's ok to have big feelings while exercising the skill of responsing in a thoughtful way.
Key takeaway: You don't have to believe every thought right away. You can pause, check the story, and choose what happens next!!
Please reach out to me anytime through my website @ www.katelynmabry.com. Check out my book, take a look at other resources I have to offer, or schedule a consultation to learn more about 1:1 ADHD Life Coaching! I look forward to hearing from you!
ONE MORE IMPORTANT REMINDER... if you are feeling like you need a class now to help you in the state of frustration or overwhelm you are in to help navigate your child's uniquely wired mind... "NAVIGATING ADHD CHAOS" is a 5-day masterclass disigned to help you understand what's really going on beneath the surface of the behavior, why things feel hard, and what progress truly looks like. You will walk away with a deeper understanding, renewed hope, and a clearer path forward for you and your family. More details and registration opens April 20th. You don't want to miss it! http://focusforwardadhd.com/katelyn
Bottom line, RSD can be one of the most painful parts of ADHD, so let's keep exploring how we can name it to tame it!! In this episode of our Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria series, you will learn how to recognize and start to name big feelings and pain points in the moment, especially when those feelings show up fast and feel overwhelming!
To recap, RSD is when the brain reacts strongly and the body experience different intense feelings when experiencing different forms of rejection. It may be real, possible, or just something the brain is guessing, but the emotional response remains intense either way!
This episode with help you spot common signals that RSD might be happening, including:
- Sudden shame or embarrassment
- Quick bursts of anger
- Wanting to shut down or hide
- Feeling exposed or judged
- Wanting to quit somthing right away
(You will even hear examples from my son who also has ADHD and often experiences RSD)- This is scripted, but honestly rings very true for him too! You will even hear him sharing some silly voices and that goes along with the character analogy I share! Giving our intense fixed thoughts silly voices is a strategy to de-stress and shine light on the fact that we can talk back to those voices...
The key is to NAME THE FEELING...
I use the metaphor of putting a name tag on emotions as an imaginative visual of identifying what they are feeling- like, "this is shame, or this might be RSD." the feelings become less confusing and easier to manage.
Naming the feeling helps:
- Slow down the brains reaction
- Take away some of the mystery
- Create space for reacting
The goal isn't to fix everything instantly, but to build awareness in the moment.
This week's challenge:
Try to notice just ONE big feeling and put a name tag on it! Because when you start to name it, then you CAN tame it!!
TRUSTED ADULTS: DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MASTERMIND CLASS!? Check it out if you are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or constantly wondering why nothing seems to be working when trying to help your child with a uniquely wired ADHD brain? Here is the most ideal masterclass that will speak straight into the struggle... "NAVIGATING ADHD CHAOS" is a 5-day masterclass designed to help you understand what's really happening beneath the behavior, why things feel hard, and what process actually looks like. You will walk away with a deeper understanding, renewed hope, and a clearer path forward for you and your family. More details and registration opens April 20th...http://focusforwardadhd.com/katelyn
Check out my website for more resources, order my book, or to reach out about being a guest on my podcast! I would also love to hear your future episode ideas too! www.katelynmabry.com
Do you ever feel left out, ignored, or like someone doesn't like you? You feel it to your core, but not sure why or how to respond to it!? If so, you are not alone my friend!
In this episode, we are going to put on our investigator hats to solve a tricky mystery: Was that real rejection, or is my brain just guessing!?
Our busy, colorful, ADHD brains tend to work super fast and try to fill in the blanks- especially in social situations with peers. If a friend doesn't text/respond back, a teacher gives a stern look or harsh tone, or someone laughs nearby, our brain might jump to conclusions like, "they don't like me." but just like a detective, we need evidence before solving the case!
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why ADHD brains sometimes "guess" instead of waiting for all of the clues.
- Practice becoming a "thought detective" instead of jumping to conclusions.
- Spot the difference between real rejection and percieved rejection.
- Try simple questions you can ask yourself to check the facts.
- Start to build confidence by strengthening the breaks of your thinking and giving others benefit of the doubt.
Your brain is like an investigator trying to solve a mystery- but sometimes it tries to solve the case too quickly. Let's practice pausing, gathering information/evidence, and become a wise, careful detective rather that rushing through a guessing game!
Not every feeling of rejection means you were actually rejected. Does this make rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) go away? NOPE! I still struggle with it as an adult. But it sure helps with starting to move through it more quickly and not feeling stuck in the thoughts and feeling that flood in. Remember that you have the power to check the facts.
Lets practice this takeaway: Next time you have the feeling of rejection flood in...after regulating with your tools and strategies, once your thinking brain is back online, ask yourself, "am I solving this mystery with all of the clues...or just guessing? What do I know to be true?"
You have a beautiful, brilliant brain! Your brain just needs some help coming up against those big, intense emotional experiences sometimes! Tackle one moment at a time! You will continue to grow stronger and wiser! I believe in you and love you just the way you are! Thank you for being on this ADHD journey with me!
HEY PARENTS, GUESS WHAT!? Are you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or consistently wonderin why nothing seems to be working when trying to help your child with a uniquly wired ADHD brain? Here is a perfect masterclass for you..."NAVIGATING ADHD CHAOS" is a 5 day masterclass designed to help you understand what's really happening beneath the behavior, why things feel so hard, and what progress actually looks like. You will walk away with a deeper understanding, renewed hope, and a clearer path forward for you and your family. More details and registration opens April 20th...http://focusforwardadhd.com/katelyn
I would love to hear from you through my website at www.katelynmabry.com to hear feedback of how these episodes are helpful for you, hear your topic ideas for future episodes, submit an audio clip to share on an episode, or just to say hi and see if 1:1 coaching could be something you'd be interested in! I look forward to hearing from you! Have a great day!!
Are they mad at me? Did I do something wrong? They must hate me! I feel sick to my stomach (in response to a tone of voice) They don't think I'm good enough. What does that look mean? Do these narratives sound familar? If so, you are not alone...
In this episode, I introduce this beast called "Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria" (RSD)- This is a common intense, even painful and overwhelming emotional experience when faced with internal, external, or percieved rejection.
We will stay creative and curious as we use the metaphor of a microphone and speaker to explore how your brain may be turning up the volume in certain emotions- making small moments seem HUGE!
"I am not too sensitive- my feelings might just be amplified!"
This episode helps kids understand:
- How their brains turns up the volume on rejection
- Why small moments feel much bigger then they are.
- That these feelings are real- but sometimes louder than the situation itself
- That their inner voice isn't always telling the truth
Please remember that your feelings are not wrong- Your brain is just using a powerful sound system. And with the right tools and strategies, you can learn how to turn that volume down.
I look forward to being with you all next week as we continue to explore RSD! Always remember that you are never alone in how you think and feel! You are loved just as you are!
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about the opportunity to move through 1:1 coaching with me as your next step! I offer a free consultation to learn more! I would also love to hear from you about different episode topic ideas for the future or if your kiddo would like to share part of his or her ADHD journey by submitting an audio clip that I can share on a future episode! Have a super blessed day!
YIKES! This last episode really hits home! "I'm too much" was a fixed thought that I ALWAYS struggled with growing up and still to this day it creeps in and I have to talk back to that false belief! Does "I am too much..." creep up on you too!?
In this final episode of this emotional regulation series, we focus on identity, confidence, and self-compassion for kids with ADHD and big feelings. You were created for a beautiful purpose! Sometimes you hear that you are "too loud", "too sensitive", "too emotional", etc... This episode reframes those experiences and reminds you that having a fast, powerful brain simply means you need the right tools and support to strengthen breaks and adjust steering in life!
Using the metaphor of a race-car engine, we drive into a conversation about how some brains have a lot of power and energy. When kids learn and exercise skills like pausing, choosing actions, and getting support from trusted adults, that powerful engine can be guided with stronger breaks and steering.
We also talk about how traits often be labeled as "too much" can be strengths- like empathy, creativity, passion, and determination. The episode races to the finish line with a short self compassion practice and a recap of what you've learned throughout the series! If you missed past episodes, I would encourage you to go back and listen to go on the entire emotional regulation learning journey together! We connect on understanding feelings, regulating bodies, repairing after big emotional storms, and remembering that tough moments do not define who you are!
Big takeaway- Big feelings don't mean something is wrong with you. There are too many things right with you to even name! With support and practice, your powerful brain can learn how to steer in the direction you would like to go!!
I would love to hear from you! Check out my website at www.katelynmabry.com, where you can find a link to my children's book or send me a message to inquire about my 1:1 coaching package, or give a future podcast idea! I would love to hear more about your child's ADHD journey too! Love you all! Have a blessed day!
Did you know that your feelings are not your enemy!? I know sometimes it feels like they are! But in this episode, we will talk about how feelings are messengers that is giving you a signal that your mind and body may need help in some way.
In this episode, we will explore the idea of feelings being like mail being delivered to your brain and body. Every feeling carries a message that is trying to tell you something important. Feelings aren't good or bad, they are simply information.
We will look at what anger, worry, sadness and anxiety are trying to tell us and ideas of how we can practice responding. Maybe anger is delivering a message that something is unfair. Maybe worry is dropping off a note that your brain needs reassurance or a plan. Even BIG stormy feelings are just messages asking to be noticed.
This episode will help you see that you don't have to ignore, hide, run away or explode feelings. Instead, you can practice pausing, reading the message, and then deciding what to do. This is NOT easy and takes a lot of intentional practice!
When you learn how to read your feelings like mail, you start to understand yourself better- That is a SUPERPOWER! Let's continue to build that emotional toolbox together as we understand our brains, bodies and big feelings better!
I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you at www.katelynmabry.com. Check out my resources and reach out if you would like to be a future guest on my podcast or if you have a fun future episode topic idea! I also offer 1:1 coaching and will have more openings come Fall for the start of your new school year! You can book a FREE consultation to learn more about through my website too! Thank you for being here! You are loved and appreciated!!
Big emotions can feel like a tornado tearing through the house. Doors slam. Words fly. Feelings crash. But here is the truth: The storm is not the end of the story!
In this episode, we talk about what happens after emotional dysreguation strikes- when the wind dies down and everyone is standing in the quiet. Because after every storm, we can rebuild.
What you'll take away from this episode:
- Why dysregulation isn't misbehavior- it's a nervous system overload
- Why repair and reset are an important next step.
- How to reconnect after everyone is regulated
- What a healthy apology sounds like
- How to release shame
- Why "you are not your hardest moment" is a powerful reset!
Imagine your relationship is like a house-
When the storm hits: Things get messy, something might break, everyone feels shaken...BUT, the house is still your HOME!
Repairing dysregulation is like:
- Picking up debris (naming what happened)
- Fixing what is cracked (apologizing and reconnecting)
- Turning lights back on (restoring safety)
- Remind each other (we still belong here!
Repair process steps:
- Regulation before communication : Repair cannot happen in the middle of the storm!
- Reconnection before correction: Start with safety- "I love you", " That was a hard moment", "we are okay!"
- Name without shame: Example- Replace "you were so bad" with " your body was overwhelmed."
- Model accountability (adults go first)- "I raised my voice. I'm sorry." "That wasn't how I wanted to handle big feelings." Modeling is the best way to learn repair so they can mirror it!
- Clean up together: If something was knocked over- physically or emotionally fix it together- This builds responsibility without humiliation
- Reset the house: A hug, a shared laugh, return to your daily rhythm
The goal isn't pretending nothing happened. The goal is showing: We can come back from hard things!
Dyregulation is a storm. Repair is rebuilding and rebuilding is teaching resilience!
Your child is not thier meltdown. You are not your hardest parenting moment! The house is still your home and your are doing the best you can with what you know as you continue to grow!!! You are seen and loved!
Please reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com with any future episode topic ideas or if your child would like to share their voice on a future episode! We are all on this journey together!! Have a blessed day!
Episode focus: Practical ADHD friendly regulation tools!
Core message: Different tools work at different times and that's ok!
Do you have BIG feelings too!!? I know I do and all 4 of my own kiddos with ADHD do too! They all look a little different and show up at different times, but we can all agree that the term, "just calm down never has and never will work! Do you agree!?
The goal is learning how to REGULATE through using different tools in our toolbox!
In this episode, I will introduce the idea of builing a regulation toolbox- because not every tool fits every job! Just like you wouldn't use a spoon to fix a bike, you won't use the same strategy for every feeling! And that's totally OK!
You'll learn in this episode...
- Why big feeling aren't bad- they're signals!
- Different categories of tools that can be helpful: Including- movement, breath, sensory input, words, and connection!
- How to build a small, practical menu of go-to tools
- Why it's OK if a tool works one day and not the next...
Movement helps the nervous system reset (wall pushes, jumping jacks, animal walks, quick sprints, etc...
Breath that is slow and intentional- This is an internal tool that we can always turn to when our body feels safe to slow down (box breathing, balloon breaths, smell pizza and blow on it if it's too hot, etc.)
Sensory input tools help your brain organize itself! (squeeze stress ball, weighted lap blanket, cold water on wrist, listening to calm music, etc...)
Words- naming what's happening will lower the intensity ( "I'm in the yellow zone. I need a break, my brain needs help."
Connection is key! This creates safety and helps the brain come back online to think of the next best step to take. (Sit next to trusted adult, ask for a hug, co-regulate before problem solving.)
Key Takeaways-
- Not every strategy works in every moment.
- Different feelings need different tools
- What works today might not work tomorrow!
- That doesn't mean you fail, it just means you're continuing to learn your brain a little better every single day!
Remember that big feelings are NOT bad behavior, they are information. Practice makes progress and the more confident you will become in using your toolbox! You don't need every tool, you just need a few that fit YOU!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to share a future episode topic or series idea! I would love to hear from you!
You are SEEN, VALUED AND lOVED!
Hello my fabulous friends! I have a super special treat for you in this episode as my daughter Evi, who also has ADHD and her friend join us to share the difference between cooling down and calming down, as well as how it shows up for them in their lives!
We will share the difference between cooling down= suppressing big, intense emotions. Where calming down is the process of regulation. Your body has to feel safe before it's ready to think!
Pressure cooker analogy- When steam builds up, we let it out safely...
Cooling down= holding feelings inside, forcing stillness, looks calm outside, but stormy inside..
Calming down= Helps nervous system feel safe, letting your energy move through your body, and use tools to match your feelings!
Calm is something you feel, not something you fake!
When steam builds up- Heart beats fast, muscles tighten, thoughts get loud, thinking brain goes offline during big emotions! Our body needs safety signals before problem solving!
Big feelings need body help first and brain help second!
How do we let out the steam safely!? Here are some ideas:
First identify which level of steam is coming out...
High steam (angry/overloaded)= wall pushes, jump or shake arms, fast animal walk, sensory swing
Medium steam ( frustrated/anxious)= squeeze pillow, hug trusted adult and talk about feelings, draw or journal feelings to release them...
Low steam (sad/drained)= Intentional slow breathing, cozy blanket reset, gentle stretching...
You don't stop the steam, you release it safely!
Now it's your turn to practice with your trusted adult or even you and a trusted green light friend can practice together! Great job practicing!!
Remember this... Your feelings aren't too big- Your body just needs the right tools!
This is our last week with our fabulous sponsor "Inflow!" This amazing APP is a helpful tool for the whole family to use to learn and grow! They have made it their mission to bring the right solution to individuals 13+ years old ( ADHD is VERY hereditarty- this is where learning and modeling as an older sibling or adult who also has a busy brain can be helpful.) Are you tired of your untamed ADHD owning you? This app is designed for those who have tried countless strategies and contiue to hit roadblocks!
To make it even easier, Inflow starts with a quick quiz that creates a personalized plan tailored to your brain- so you can finally connect with strategies that work for your uniquely wired mind.
I am thrilled to have Inflow as our sponsor this month, so that your whole family can feel seen, supported, and even more in control of your beautiful, brilliant brains!
Visit http://getinflow.io/adhdjourney to discover how you can get started using this helpful tool today!
Then you can visit me next at my website www.katelynmabry.com and let me know if your child would like to be a guest on a future podcast episode! I would also love to hear your kiddos topic ideas too! I am here to serve you! love you all!
Your body starts to tighten, your breath gets heavy, your mind is racing, senses are overwhelmed and your dysregulated emotions just burst... Sound familiar!? This is called a MELTDOWN...Your brain has had "too much" body is giving information that it needs HELP! It's when your brain is overloaded. This is not a misbehavior issue, it's a regulation struggle- a neurological response!
So what is a TANTRUM then?
"I want this...I don't like that...you need to do what I want... give me that...NOW"= Desire for control leading to emotional outburst...
It can be tricky to tell the difference as a trusted adult, which is why staying curious and helping kids raise self-awareness is key!
In this episode, you will discover the difference between a meltdown vs a tantrum and even hear a little from my 8 year old child with ADHD who struggles with this too. We will talk about how how brain is like a computer, at first it's doing great. Tabs open faster and faster, then suddenly it freezes up! The computer isn't being bad, it's overloaded...That's when a meltdown happens.
My son shares some helpful self-talk tips :
"My brain's not broken."
"I wasn't being bad."
"My system is overloaded."
Meltdown brain is saying, "I need support, I need quiet, I need space, I need help!"
Make sure you check out our February sponsor "Inflow!" This helpful resource has made it their mission to bring the right solution to individuals 13 + years and older, who are tired of dealing with the daily untamed struggles of ADHD. This app is designed for those who have tried countless strategies on their own, but they just aren't sticking.
To makes it even easier, Inflow starts with a quick quiz that creates a personalized plan tailored to your brain- so you can finally get connected with strategies that work for your uniquely wired mind. I am thrilled to have Inflow as our sponsor this month so that your whole family can take even more control of your beautiful, brilliant ADHD brain!
Visit http://getinflow.io/adhdjourney to discover details and get started with this great tool today.
This tool works great alongside 1:1 coaching as well. Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about coaching, discover my book for kids, or just message to share a future episode topic idea!! I would love to hear from you!
Do you ever feel like your emotions go from 0-100 in about 2.2 seconds!? I know I do and my own kids do too! This is super common for those of us with busy brains and big emotions! The good news is that we don't have to live in the choas of red and we can recognize the reactivity so that we can become better responders through practice!!! Just like other skills, emotional regulation is a skill that needs to be exercised in order to help it grow stronger!
In this episode, you we will connect on how it feels to blow up like a ballon and pop into the red zone! We will talk through practices we can put into place to find the yellow zone, while our thinking brain is still online to choose a healthy way to regulate (younger kids may need co-regulation (this is when your child borrowed your calm through a hug, matched breathing, rocking, or even jumping and crossing the midline together) to name a few, while their ability to regulate on their own grows stronger!)
We will discuss the "dashboard of colors": None are BAD, only information to explore and stay curious about!
Green- Regulated, calm mind and body that feels in control
Yellow- Sirred up emotions, racing negative thoughts, body might feel tense, heart may begin to race...This is what we want to practice becoming more self aware of and responding to...
Red- Emotions are now in full control of words and action, completly hijacking the thinking brain that is now officially offline!
Did you know that ADHD is extremely hereditary and the first step could be to get your own brilliant, busy brain understood, so that you can better connect with and understand your child's colorful brain too...
Check out our February sponsor "Inflow!" This brilliant app has made it their mission to bring the right solution to people who are tired of dealing with the daily struggles of ADHD. This app is designed to those who have tried countless strategies on their own and they just didn't work.
It makes it even easier, Inflow starts with a quick ADHD quiz that creates a personalized plan tailored to your brain -so you can finally get connected with strategies that work. I am thrilled to have inflow as our sponsor this month to take even more control of your beautiful, brilliant ADHD minds!
Visit http://getinflow.io/adhdjourney to discover details and get started with this great tool today!
You can also use this tool alongside coaching as well! Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about 1:1 ADHD life coaching! It could be a wonderful next step for you and your kiddo too! Always here for you!
"Sometimes my feelings go up and down, that's when my head spins round and round!" This is a page in my book and it rings so true for the February series we are going to do! "Sometimes I feel happy, sometimes I feel sad, sometimes I feel jumpy, other times I feel mad!" Another page of my book that speaks to the emotional rollercoaster that we often feel like we are on living with an ADHD brain!
In this episode we will jumpstart our February series where we dive into the topic of emotional regulation. You will discover WHY our emotions tend to get big really fast and how the waves of emotions can show up after allowing our balloon of emotions to blow up with worry, fear of failure, feeling too much or not enough, and how when it gets too big, it POPS! We will also touch on becoming surfers to ride those waves and then revisit the balloon analogy at the end of the episode to scratch the surface of ways to deflate the balloon before it pops! Come ride with me as we swim through the sea of emotional regulation!
Im SUPER excited to introduce you to our February sponsor "Inflow." Are you continuing to struggle to manage your ADHD? Inflow has made it their mission to bring the right solution to people who are tired of dealing with the daily struggles of ADHD. Their app is designed to help those who've tried countless strategies that don't quite work yet.
To make it even easier, inflow starts with a quick ADHD quiz that creates a personalized plan tailored to your brain-so you can finally get connected with strategies that work.
I am thrilled to have inflow as our sponsor this month to help you all take even more control of your beautiful, brilliant ADHD minds!
Visit http://getinflow.io/adhdjourney to get started today!
This app is a great resource to consider alongside coaching as well! Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com if you'd like to explore how ADHD coaching could be helpful for you too!
Do you ever notice that your first tendency when things get hard, new or uncomfortable is to either freeze, get frustrated or fly away!? If so, you are not alone, BUT the great news is that you can practice charging at these things with a reframed mindset to build a resilience and confidence you didn't know was possible!
In this episode, you will meet my newfound friend and brilliant ADHD mind, AMINE, who is from Moraco and the incredible content creator for "ADHDoers" on Instagram (almost 2M followers!) and he has a fun, animated show at www.neurodivers.show. Amine shares his childhood stories of how he was once said to be shy, but really he was feeling shame and how he would practice building resilience by facing the "uncomfortable" head on and moving into a more confidence mind and emotional space by doing so!
Visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to share your journey toward resilience! I would love to hear from you!!
Now that you've created your New Year targets and have had some time to shoot for them, let's refocus on the celebration of any amount of progress on your journey of aiming for targets made!!
In this episode, we will celebrate hitting the target and the resilience built when missing the target and trying to aim again. We want to pause and celebrate how far you've come- not just where you landed. Wheather you hit your target, got close, changed your aim, or learned something new along the way, this episode is all about progress over perfection!
As ADHD warriors, we often put in a lot of progress that goes unnoticed. Today, we will slow things down and shine a light on the growth that happens inside. Learning how to refocus, trying again, adjusting plans, and keep going even when things feel tricky or sticky!
We will talk about why trying matters just as much as finishing, how noticing small wins builds confidence, and how every effort helps build momentum for the rest of the year! This episode will remind you that aiming takes practice- and that practice is something to be proud of!
Let's practice those intentional breaths, give yourself credit, and celebrate the journey you are on! You are learning to aim with courage, kindness, and curiosity- and that's a BIG win!
Please reach out at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to share future episode topic ideas! I would love to hear from you!
Sometimes living with an ADHD brain can feel lonely! This is why discovering your team in different environments at a young age is important. These are those trusted adults you can safely turn to when things feel tough, or problem solve with when we make a mistake and need support/encouragement! These are individuals who love us for who we are and they are in our corner when we feel misunderstood, unseen or unloved in different situations. A target team helps us find success on different days and in different ways.
In this episode, we will talk about what a target team look like at home, at school, at activities/in sports, and within community or social outings/events! How in each environment, safe adults can help you stay focused, find calm for big feelings, and try again when things don't go your way! We will discover how a target team can help set one clear target at a time and why effort matters, because practice makes progress!
Remember, ADHD is NOT something to fix, it's a brain to figure out and understand better! And with the right team cheering you on, you can keep aiming, adjusting, and growing!
I would love for you to visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to share some episode ideas for this coming year!! I am here to serve you! Love you all!
Living with an ADHD brain is often accompanied by negative self-talk and if we don't stay on top of it, then that bully can speak louder than the truth of the incredible creation that you were created to be in all of your amazing strengths and gifts!
You may notice that I continue to circle back to the same message of becoming self-aware of the inner voice and what it is speaking to you! That is because, this is the key to moving forward and growing through each moment of challenge we face when shooting for tricky targets!!
In this episode, we will make it crystal clear how missing a target never means failure, but it does mean that you have an opportunity to re-aim and become even stronger through trying again! It also grows our resiliance and perserverance in the process as we strive for progress, NOT perfection! It means your flexible thinking muscle is being stretched and you are learning how to adjust! Mistakes are information, not proof! Learning happens because of misses!
Here is your GENTLE re-aim challenge: Pick one tiny next try and even choose to give space, grace and time to try again the next day! Missing a target doesn't mean you failed. It means you are brave enough to keep going!
I absolutely love spending this time with you all and I would love for you to reach out to me through my webside www.katelynmabry.com so we can continue exploring your targets together! Love you all!
HAPPY NEW YEAR my fabulous ADHD warriors!!! Let's charge into this year with purpose and start the year off zooming into the targets you create!
In this episode, I will recap the difference between a goal and a target, as well as the different between motivation and momentum! Our busy brains need targets to practice shooting for and momentum maker to keep us refocusing on that target you've made! Practice makes progress every time!
Be ready to talk to your trusted adult about a target you want to create and how you want to shoot for that target! Is it the target of getting to school one time in the morning? Or finding your calm when a sibling is bothering you? Or creating a bedtime flow routine that you can move through so that you can get better sleep and feel the best in your mind and body? It could even be a target of being a better active listener when spending time with friends and family!
Once you identify the target, then you can practice shooting for it with tools and strategies you've built in your toolbox? Do you need a visual morning flowchart, alarms set, grounding bedtime strategies, thought reframing/positive self-talk practice, etc... What does your brain need to success at hitting that target!?
The beauty of a target is that you don't get a bullseye every time and it's what you do when the shot falls short... We will talk about that next week!
Please reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to share your targets for the new year! Always here for you! Love you all!
Are you putting your oxygen mask first before helping others!? I LOVE how your BIG feelings comes with a compassion compass that can be such a gift to others! Let's pause and talk about how we need to be sure that we are actively regulating our own big emotions in order to have the capacity to use the gift of helping others with their big emotions!
In this episode, you will meet my dear friend and ADHD brother, Coach Ryan Mayer! He has a super fun way of talking about the importance of putting your oxygen (regulation/self-care) mask on, how to choose friends wisely, and how to be mindful of who and what you are choosing to spend your time and energy with/on!
Coach Ryan's Free Productivity Guide Link:
https://guides.ryanmayercoaching.com/?which_resource_are_you_most_interested_in=Productivity&_gl=11bfrz3p_gcl_au*NzM0NzM0ODcuMTc1ODExOTQ4MA
Coach Ryan's Free Coaching Session Link
https://book.ryanmayercoaching.com/networking
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for to connect or find more resources on your journey!
Tis the season of SO much fun and often SO much frustration at the same time! That's why we are going to lean into cozying up to the idea of celebrating the gift of trying again when things feel tricky or sticky throughout this season of changes, mistakes, BIG feeling that burst, the many transitions that triggers many emotions too! You are not alone my friends!
In this episode, we will unwrap the topic of trying again. Imagine that you walk outside and your boot makes a muddy, messy print in the snow, but then a fresh snow falls that night and the next day, the messy footprint is covered with a fresh layer of snow! That's whay we are talking about...trying again is like a fresh snow on a messy moment!
Starting over takes courage! It might sound like: "Can I reset please, let's take a doover, I'd like to try that again,
Tiny words open up BIG possiblity- Choosing a gift of a fresh start!
Cozy Target= 3 Step reset gift-
- Unwrap a breath slowly
- Say try again words
- Do 1 tiny action to move forward
Forgiveness is our holiday superpower! We discuss how forgiveness is a gift you give yourselves and others- it's a powerful present that you can unwrap anytime!
Connect with the ones you love about a "try again" cozy target that you can practice during this holiday season! It will be the best gift anyone will recieve, including you!!
Be sure to check out our December sponsor, Renee Marie, who is the author of "The Secret Playbook of Life." This incredible book is chalk full of 50 amazing mini stories that help kids like you build confidence, grit, and social skills- all while having a good laugh and learning what it means to grow, try again, and keep going! It is written for kids ages 6-12 and helps kids tackle tough days and celebrate wins along the way! It has awesome targets and takeway too! The Secret Playbook of Life helps you see that every challenge is really just a chance to grow stronger! Get your copy on Amazon today!
You can also connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!
Music credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
Do you ever feel like you have one "ugh" moment after the next!? On our ADHD journey, we are often faced with many frustrations and feelings of failure...this is WHY celebrating little WINS is so very important on the path toward thriving with ADHD!
In this episode, I want you to cozy up and connect with the ones you love to talk about how you too can create tiny targets to shoot for during this big season of holidays, transitions, and a whole new year coming up!
What is a cozy target? It's a tiny , kind goal- something small and doable that helps your ADHD brain feel calm, focused and proud. It's that ONE thing that you can pause and say, "good job me!" For example: Helping with a chore without being asked, saying something kind to a siblings, taking a breath and a break when a big feelings strikes, using a memory tool to remember to pack something for school! What is your cozy little target this season?
Here is the truth...little wins build big confidence. It tells your brain, "I can do hard things!"
Always remember that your big seasons come and go, but your little wins add up to something amazing! Each cozy target you practice and progress at helps your bright brain shine a little brighter!
I am so happy you are here to learn and grow with me! We are on this journey together! Please reach out to me @ www.katelynmabry.com or you can directly email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share your ADHD journey with me too! I love all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
With love and gratitude,
Katelyn Mabry
ADHD Life Coach
Make sure you also check out our December sponsor, Renee Marie, who is the author of the incredible book and resource, "The Secret Playbook of Life!" This book is chalk full of 50 mini stories that help you build confidence, grit, and social skills - all while having a good laugh along the way and relating to each and every story in some way! Check it out on amazon or at http://mysecretplaybook.shopify.com
Music credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
You all are in for a treat with this episode! Have you been looking for a book that helps build confidence, grit, taming that inner voice and strengthens social skills!? If so, look no further! The Secret Playbook of Life is a book filled with 50 short stories that speak straight to day to day struggles we face and sometimes have a hard time knowing how to navigate through!
In this episode, you will meet author and December podcast sponsor, Renee Marie, who has become an expert in the area of developing confidence, grit and social skills through the younger years. Even I have taken some valuable lessons and take aways to try from these brilliant, relatable stories! My 7 and 9 year old kiddos absolutely love reading and applying what they take away from each story! It's an excellent conversation started as we strive to grow that emotional intelligence through life's experiences!
"The Secret Playbook of Life" is geared towards kids ages 6-12, and is full of "aha" moments for trusted adults too! It woukd be a great addition to a classroom library and a must have at home! Order your copy today at https://mysecretplaybook.com/myshopify.com. You can also follow her super helpful account on IG @secretplaybook. Her page is packed full of great content to soak in!
I would love to hear from you too @ www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share your journey! Thank you for being here! Love you all!
Hold UP!? Thankful for a mess!? YEP, I did type that right!! In this episode, we are going to talk about how we can find gratitude, even when life, and/or our brains feel a little messy...
Let's be honest, Having ADHD can feel like a living in a world of post-it notes, racing thoughts, and ideas that zip around! We forget things, our attention drifts, and our feelings get super big, really quickly! BUT, guess what? Inside that beautiful mess, there are some pretty incredible gifts too! Let's say a BIG "thank you to our differences! You might notice that your brain works differently from others- maybe you think faster, dream bigger, or feel deeper. That is not something to hide, but rather something to celebrate!
Let's pause and practice thanking our support superheros too, who love us exactly as we are! Say, "thank you for believing in me-even when my brain feels messy!" A simple "thank you" will fill their heart and your bucket too!
Next, let's say thank you for...second chances! Because when we make mistakes- which I know I do daily- we get to try again...that's how our brain learns and grows BEST! Forgot homework- You can make a plan to remember next time. Get distracted during chores? You can put a momentum maker in place to get back on track. Said something without thinking? Yikes, this one hits home- We can apologize and reconnect, making the relationship stronger! That's something to be thankful for!
Finally, let's say it together, "thanks for the mess!" Because inside the mess are moments of blessings.
Messy means you're curious
Messy means you're growing
Messy means you're human with a brain full of color, energy and brilliant ideas!
If you lean in, you will always find beauty in the chaos! Like a pile of Fall leaves all different colors and shapes, but together, they make something beautiful!
Let's practice gratitude with these prompts:
"I'm thankful for my brain, because it helps me __________."
"I'm thankful for the chances that I get to _______________."
"I'm thankful for the mess, because it reminds me that I'm ______."
Practice these daily and watch your mindset and attitude be transformed!
Remember to check out our November sponsor, Sara Lewis Hartley, who is a neurodivergent coach, who helps families nuture emotional awareness, self-acceptance, and connection- all while celebrating uniqueness in every child. She is the author of "The Purposefully Me Series"- A social-emotional series of books that speak straight to your kiddos hearts and minds! Sara is also the creator of the incredible ALIGN Parenting Method, which is a powerful 5-step framework that helps find calm in the chaos throught Awareness, Listening & Labeling, Indentifying triggers, Grounding techniques, and Nurture practices. Visit www.saralewishartley.com to start your journey toward mindful, heart-centered parenting today!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to connect, ask questions, or check out my other resources!! I would love to hear from you!
Imagine when you feel the coziest!? Is it cuddled in a blanket? Is it sitting by a warm fire with a blanket? Or is it just cuddling up with someone you love? Now let's hold that cozy feeling while we start talking about cozing up to CONNECTION!
In this episode, we will talk about how our brilliant brains have a special circuit that lights up when you feel connected. It helps us find calm, focus, and feel cared for. When we talk, listen, or share feelings with a trusted adult or friend, our connection circuit gets stronger!
Our ADHD beautiful, colorful brains also feel big feelings, which means we can connect in big, beautiful ways too! You will hear a story about my friend Mason who comes up against conflict with a friend, but finds connection when he resolves the conflict with an apology and forgiveness! Every blanket that is used a lot, needs some stitches sometimes, just like we need to stitch up our connections too!
We touch on 3 simple "cozy up" tools to help us stay connected to others:
- Ask for help kindly: "I'm having a hard time staying focused, can you please help me with this?"
- Practice being an active listener: "Use your eyes, ears and heart to engage in conversations. Repeat back what someone says to show you are listening, "oh , you're saying you felt left out!?" Others love to feel heard too.
- Apologize, show kindness and forgive others: "I'm sorry I interupped, I got excited." "I forgive you. We all make mistakes sometimes!"
We will revisit green light, yellow light, and red light friendships to get clear on how to BE a green light friend to connect with.
Let's practice breathing together and repeat after me:
- "I can ask for help. I can listen."
- "I can reconnect!"
- "Cozy hearts connect the best!"
Thank you for listening and I would love for you to reach out at www.katelynmabry.com or email directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share how you cozy up to connection in your different environments!? I look forward to hearing from you!
Remember to check out our November sponsor, Sara Lewis Hartley, who is a neurodivergent coach, who helps families nurture emotional awareness, self-acceptance, and connection- all while celebrating uniqueness in every child. she is the author of "The Purposefully Me" Series- A social-emotional series of books that speak straight to the heart and mind of your child! Sara is also the creator of the incredible ALIGN Parenting Method, which is a powerful 5-step framework that helps parents find calm in the choas through awareness, listening & labeling, identifying triggers, using grounding techniques, and nurture practices. Visit www.saralewishartley.com to start your journey toward mindful, heart-centered parenting today!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
Just like the leaves change on the trees change colors in the Fall, we ALL go through changes too! In this cozy and encouraging episode, we explore how change is a normal, healthy, and even powerful part of growing up- especially with a beautiful, brilliant ADHD brain!
We will use the beauty and changes of Fall as a reminder that letting go, learning new habits, and growing in new directions are all apart of becoming the best version of you!
In this episode, you'll learn...
- Change doesn't have to be scary- It can be beautiful and exciting!
- Our thoughts, feelings, and even struggles can shift and grow over time!
- Just like leaves, we can "let go" of things that don't serve us anymore- like unhealthy thoughts, habits, or worries.
- Every new season brings a fresh start!
This episode will encourage you to embrace change with curiosity and hope! Growth is something to truly celebrate!
Check out our November sponsor on your journey of change... Sara Lewis Hartley, who is a neurodivergent coach, who helps families nurture emotional awareness, self-acceptance, and connection- all while celebrating uniqueness in every child. She is the author of "The Purposefully Me Series"- A social-emotional series of books that speak straight to your kiddos hearts and minds! Sara is also the creator of the chaos through awareness, listening & labeling, identifying triggers, grounding techniques, and nurture practices. Visit www.saralewishartley.com to start your journey toward mindful, heart-centered parenting today.
I would love to hear from you to! You can check out my website www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share your ADHD journey with me! Love and appreciate each of you for being here!
Have you ever tried to start a fire and you can't seem to get it to catch or it quickly burns out? That is sometimes how our focus feels! In this episode, we are going to connect on how we can build a focus fire that will burn bright with practice.
Imagine motivation is the firewood and your energy and attention are the flames that keep it burning bright! Some days, your focus fire is strong and glowing -whoosh! You are full of energy, ideas, and excitement! Other days, though, it feels like your brain is out in the cold, with wood that is damp, the spark is tiny, and it's super hard to get it going! Sound familiar!?
Our brains need momentum to get started on these cold days, because sometimes our brains to make enought spark- dompamine! It's not that you don't want to get something done, it's just that your brain needs a little more kindling to catch fire!
How do I spark my focus fire, you may ask!?
- Tiny twigs first- Start with something small. Like, instead of cleaning your WHOLE room, just pick up three things and then-whoosh- the momentum catches and your focus fire will start burning!
- Add some oxygen- Your body is made to MOVE: Energy generates more energy...jump, stretch, dance, shake...it's like fanning your flame with fresh air!
- Cozy up with a fire buddy (body double)- Sometimes it's easier to get started when someone else is with you, like a parent, friend, or sibling. Their presence is like sitting by another warm fire-it helps your own flame grow.
- Use fire fuel you love- Add music, color, or something else fun and interesting to your task that feels boring! Our brains LOVE novelty and gamifying things, like tossing on a sparkly piece of wood!
Now that your fire is burning, it still needs care! Celebrate wins big or small, take short breaks, and watch your fire regulate it's flame and then burn brighter!
Remember, even when your motivation feels cold, it's NOT gone! The embers are always there waiting for you to spark them again! Let's go out there and practice building our focus fires as the cold weather hits! It's a fun way to remember to start small, add a spark, and feel the warmth grow! Keep shining bright my beautiful, brilliant friends!
Check out our November sponsor, Sara Lewis Hartley, who is a neurodivergent coach, who helps families nurture emotional awareness, self-acceptance, and connection- All while celebrating the uniqueness in every child. She is also the author of "The Purposefully Me Series"- A social-emotional series of books that speak striaght to your kiddos hearts and minds! Sara is also the creator of the incredible ALIGN Parenting Method, which is a powerful 5-step framework that helps parents find calm in the chaos through Awareness, Listening &Labeling, Identifying triggers, Grounding techniques, and Nurture. Visit www.saralewishartley.com to start your journey toward mindful, heart-centered parenting today.
Reach out to me with any questions at www.katelynmabry.com. I would love to hear from you!!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYB10YF2HHNY3YO
Let's wrap up our Fall series talking about how we can come up against "scary feelings" with intention and take the scary right out of them with a purposeful plan to respond!
In this episode, you will meet, Neurodivergent Life Coach, Sara Hartley from Colorado. She and her son are also on an ADHD adventure, just like you and I are! Sara is not only a coach, but also the author of a brand new series of books called, "The Purposefully Me Series," which are social-emotionally themed stories that speak to your heart and mind! Sara will also share with us the ALIGN method she teaches parents to help us find our calm too!
Aware- Self-awareness is always our first step
Listen /label- Stay curious
Identify- Name the feeling/experience
Grounding techniques- Practice techniques that will calm that mind and nervous system
Nurture- Self-love and compassion in hard moments
Sara dives deeper into each of these 6 steps to better responding to our own scary feelings so we can come alongside our kiddos as we model responding to their feelings too!
You can find sara @saralewishartley on Instagram or on her website www.saralewishartley.com to learn more or get connected with her awesome work!!
You can visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with questions or share your story!! I look forward to hearing from you!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Let's pause together and imagine a pumpkin patch, filled with pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and textures! Some are smaller and struggling to thrive and others are big and bright, ready to thrive! Now put a name to each pumpkin based on how you feel your strengths and struggles are!? The little bumpy one might be your working memory pumpkin that needs to be watered and cared for more, while the big, round, orange pumpkin is your creativity pumpkin filled with brilliant ideas to share!
Each one of us has a pumpkin patch of skills that look a little different. In this episode, we will explore a variety of skills that may need to watered and strengthened, while also celebrating the skills that we are strong at and can use to shine bright!!
I want to encourage you to connect with each other about what your patch looks like, even draw a picture for fun! Find the pumpkins that may need a little extra care and come up with a plan to take care of those pumpkins, but then celebrate the growth of those thriving pumpkins that you've been putting effort into and they are progressing every day in different ways!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share what your pumpkin patch looks like and how you are taking care of your patch!? I look forward to hearing from you!
Many of our pumpkins could use some sensory tools to grow! Check out our sponsor, www.sensorytoolhouse.com to find the sensory tools that could work best for you! They strive to connect inclusivity with innovation as their team of specialists are available to navigate this road to fufilling your sensory needs with you!!
Intro Music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code:
BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
During this ADHD awareness month, I want you to PAUSE and practice this effort to harvest your strengths!!? How do you do that, you may ask!? Well, you will be recharged after listening to this episode as you are encouraged to brainstorm all of your own ADHD superpowers!
Creativity, imagination, boundless energy to name a few. But I want YOU to discover and celebrate which strengths you personally posess and how they can truly be your superpower at home, at school, with friends, and beyond!
Let's really put this into practice by creating your own Fall scene of strengths. Use that creative mind to draw a Fall scene where there is a patch of imagination, stalks of brilliant out of the box thinking ideas, and colorful leaves falling with your energetic, creative thoughts flowing down!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share your ADHD strengths with me! I would love to hear from you!
Absolutely check out our October sponsor too! Sensory Tool House- Where inclusion meet inovation @ www.sensorytoolhouse.com,is a resource to meet all of your sensory needs in this season and beyond! They have a physical location to check out in Washington and online you can discover a team of experts that will help you navigate which sensory tools could work best for you!
Intro/promo music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Happy ADHD Awareness month my friends! Do you ever feel like pausing feels impossible for your ADHD brain!? Well, in this episode, you will discover that it is absolutely possible by using your brilliant imagination and putting the pause into practice daily. You have the super power of pause inside of you too!
Does your brain too often feel like a race car with bicycle breaks? Dr. Ned Hallowell describes it this way and I feel it's so true, don't you!? Today we are going to learn a strategy to strengthen the break system. Close your eyes and image a leaf floating on the wind. Now imaging you are that leaf when you feel an urge to blurt out...use your power of pause with a breath and the thought, "what is the next best thing to say or do?
Practicing a PAUSE can feel SUPER tricky, but YOU abolutely have the super power within you, so with time and practice it will become easier as the skill gets stronger! It will help you make more mindful choices with friends, in the classroom, and even at home with those we love the most!
Make sure you check out our October sponsor at www.sensorytoolhouse.com, where "inclusivity meets innovation!" You will find resources for all of your sensory needs. Not only do they have sensory tools, but they have experts that will help you find what may work best for you!
You can also visit me at www.katelynmabry.com or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to let me know how your ADHD journey is going or even to check out my 1:1 coaching program! I hope to hear from you soon! Love all of you!
Music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi-seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHN3YO
Happy Fall Y'all! Im super excited to enter into this new season with a new Fall themed series! This is a great opportunity to celebrate the ADHD awareness month of October with falling in love with your ADHD brain by gaining a deeper understanding of all things ADHD!
In this episode, we talk all about how so often our busy brains have a hard time with new things and its tricky to create routine, but man do our brains CRAVE routine and thrives when you can find a flow that works best for you! Our brain loves to be entertained with music, movement, and visuals can be helpful for our working memory!
Pick a time of day that feels extra tricky and think about how you can put tasks in an order that feels best for your brain. When we give our day rhythm and order that flows, you will find yourself more confident, independent, and creating healthy routine habits that will be helpful in so many ways!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share what routines work best for you! If you'd like to explore 1:1 coaching to create routines together, you can schedule a free consultation from my website too! I look forward to hearing from you!
That lonely feeling can be a huge contributer to emotional dysregulation, because we a built for and crave CONNECTION! This is why teaming up with a tribe of people who love you, encourage you, and help you grow in different areas is key! Do you have a tribe of people who love you for you and believe in you!? If not, let's set out on an adventure to team up with your tribe!
In this episode, we talk about WHAT a tribe is and who would be good members of your team/tribe such as family members, teachers, coaches, green light friends, teammates, etc. We also discuss WHY identifying your tribe is an important part of your ADHD journey! At times we can fall into feeling like nothing we ever do is good enough or that we are hearing so much more negative feelback than positive affirmations from day to day. This is when we need to reevalute WHO we are surrounding ourselves with and who we are turning to when things feel tough!
I encourage you to reflect on and talk to trusted adults/friends in your life to discover who your tribe is and how you can become the best member of the tribe too! Remember that you can't control how others treat you, but you can control how you respond and how you treat others too! Practice that unconditional confidence as you team up with your tribe to loves you for you, celebrates your strengths and encourages you through the struggles! You are never alone!
Thank you for being a part of my tribe and know that you can always reach out for connection anytime at www.katelynmabry.com or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com. Love you all!
Oh my goodness you guys! I am so excited to share this brilliant movie with you! It was an honor and pleasure to meet and interview Nicola Rose, the writer and director of the film "Magnetosphere." She also has a beautiful busy ADHD brain Which is a movie about a 13 year old girl who has a condition called "Synesthesia" where senses blend into each other. This young teen who is neurodivergent is navigating through many changes with a recent move across the country
Nicola shares the storyline of the movie and the messages being taught, including, being kind to others, no matter their differences and to see the world from other people's point of view! Let's step into the shoes of others to see the world through their eyes and have compassion for what they may be going through just like you and I do. We all have a story to share and support each other through!
You can find the movie primarily on Prime video an Apple TV or you can google "Magnetosphere" to find it on a different platform you'd prefer!
You can also find Nocola and her crew on Instagram @magnetospheremovie- Send a review of what you thought of the movie too!
You can also send me a message at www.katelynmabry.com or katelynmabry4@gmail.com to let me know how you liked the film and maybe share some book or movie ideas you might have! Let's ignite those amazingly creative minds!
I want to start by saying that I will never forget 9/11 and the impact it had on our country and the families impacted by the devistation. Praying for all who were touched by this tragedy and I encourage you to give each other an extra long hug today as a reminder of how blessed we are to live and love one another each and every day!
You are in for a treat with this episode as you will meet 14 year old Maddie, who lives in Nashville and loves life! She has learned a super valuable lesson about being "brave, not perfect" that she would like to share with you all! I am so excited for you to hear her story!
There is so much power is celebrating progress over perfection and leaning into effort over outcome. I encourage you to continue this conversation about how the tendency for "perfectionism" shows up for you and how you can come up against it with a reframed mindset of becoming brave, not perfect. Let's celebrate our "oops", our "mistakes, all of the beutiful messes in life, and remember that flowers grow most in the valleys!
You can reach out and connect with me through www.katelynmabry.com or katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you want to share your story!!! I would love to hear from you!
I know this is a topic I bring up often, but that's because it is that important to talk about and practice continually! Self-advocacy is a skill that doesn't usually come naturally, but is neccessary to explain what we are experiencing those those around us for a deeper understanding and in hopes of others responding with compassion and connection.
In this episode, I share some ways in which you can self- advocate in your home and school environment! Please create family connection time to talk about how the whole family can respectfully put this into practice. Giving one another space and time to regulate, reset, and rejoin is the greatest gift you can give!
Come visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to check out my book to add to your classroom or home bookshelf, or to connect with me and share your own ADHD journey! I would love to hear from you! Have a great day! love you all!
LONGER EPISODE WARNING! Listen to this episode in chunks if needed! The interview was too rich with great information to shorted it any more!! ENJOY it in digestable amounts!
Now that we have packed our backpacks of strengths and tools, built survival kits, and covered all of the topics that come with transitioning into your new school year, let's dive deeper into the topic of taking care of our sensory systems too! Let's discover how we can master the skill of recognizing the need to regulate, reset and rejoin a task or activity at school, at home and in other social settings using sensory tools and other strategies too!
In this episode, you will meet my new found friend and founder of "Sensory Tool House," Katie Mc Murray! Katie resides in Washington with her husband and 4 children, who have neurodivergent brains just like you and I do! She came up with the most brilliant idea to create a place and space for people to come try out all sorts of sensory tools to see what fits them best! Even though many of us can't go to the physical location, she also has a team of experts that can respond to your needs with suggestions of tools that may help in different environments!
Katie shares a beautiful analogy of riding a wave when it comes to recognizing the need to regulate, choosing to reset with tools (customized to your individual needs- might be different every day) and then riding the wave up to rejoin and enjoy the next part or moment of the day! Whether something becomes too much, overwhelming, or your nervous system starts to tell you a different story, it is never too late to regulate, reset and rejoin!
You can find Katie and her incredible resources at http://sensorytoolhouse.com. Check out all of her amazing resources and share with educators as she provides classroom kits as well!
I would love to hear what works best for you too! Connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all!
Speaking up for what we need can be SUPER hard sometimes, BUT it's such a BIG part of finding success in all settings, especially school. Practicing the art of self-advocacy and navigating how to do so in a respectful way, is a valuable life skill that will carry with you into adulthood.
In this episode we will talk about how you can put on your super-hero armor, knowing what you need and speaking up for yourself like the warrior you are! I share some examples of what that may sound like in that setting and even give some prompts where you finish the sentence to practice your own advocacy! Examples( " I learn best when I ______, Something that helps me is _______, can I please have _______.") I encourage you to practice self-advocacy at home too ( "I feel _____, I need ______."
Let's build your advocacy armor together...
Helmet of self-knowledge- knowing what your brain needs to succeed and what makes things harder. Example: "I work and listen better when I can move and fidget."
Gloves of bravery- "speaking up can feel scary, but I am brave and can do hard things!"
Cape of calm- Take a deep breath before asking for help!" You've got this!
Backpack of tools- Use the tools from the executive function toolbox you've built- Fidgets, visual timers, movement breaks, etc. ( go back and listen to the building my executive toolbox series if you aren't sure what that means!)
Reach out and share your self-advocacy growth stories with me!! You can reach me through my website at www.katelynmabry.com or you can email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com. I hope to hear from you! Love you all!
Intro music credit to http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
ADHD Warriors need rest to recharge each and every day, but especially during the school year when that busy brain is working overtime!! We need rest to be our best!
In this episode we are going to talk about the value of intentional rest throughout our day. We need to practice listening to our minds and bodies to respond with rest when our mental load feels too heavy and our emotions are feeling funky!
As important as sleep is, we are talking more about the rest that we need to give our minds and bodies in between homework assignments, between classroom tasks, after school, ect. This might look like, listening to calming music, doodling, daydreaming, spending quiet time doing something you love, cuddling with a pet or family member, or even laying outside to watch the clouds go by (nature has it's added benefits with rest time!)
I want you to take time to build your very own "recharge routine." This is a routine you can build at home and at school with your trusted adults!
- Pick a quiet interest driven activity that feels good
- Find a spot that is calm and cozy
- Set a visual timer (even 10 minutes of rest helps)
- Practice intentional breaths to get oxygen to your brain and find calm in your body...
Remember that rest is not quitting, it is powering up so you can pause, reset, and rejoin; taking care of your amazing brain.
Reach out at www.katelynmabry.com or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share how your recharge routine! I would love to hear what's working for you! Have a great day! Love you all!
Intro music credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
Do you ever wish you had a secret backpack in your classroom that you could pull from if things felt tricky or sticky during the school day!? Well, maybe we CAN! Let's build a kit that helps your beautiful, brilliant brain shine bright each day!
In this episode, I want to help you build your very own ADHD survival kit for the school setting...
Tool #1- A visual clock/timer for your space to keep track of when you need to do what (combat time blindness)
Tool#2- Fidgets or those calm strips we were talking so much about! (Find your focus with the fidgets that work best for you! Hint- You don't always have to go out and buy one! Use your creativity and what is around the house!)
Tool#3- Break Pass- Create a card to use when things feel like too much and you need to reset, regulate and then rejoin the activity you are doing! (walk in the hall, trip to the fountain, visit a trusted adult or a sensory room if available.)
Tool #4- A notepad or whiteboard- Write down brain dumps, ideas or reminders! Release your thoughts so you can refocus on the learning ahead. Use for doodling as a method for better listening and engaging in the content as well! We don't have to look to be listening!
Tool #5- Calming Strategies- Add a breathing trick or calming word as a thought reframe to your kit! Practice breathing strategies to investigate and find what works best for you so you can add it to your kit for school!
Tool #6- A Comfort Item or Drawing- Choose something that makes you feel safe, loved, or happy when things feel hard. ( A drawing, journal page, family photo, or even your favorite squishy!)
Remember that some days you might need different tools. You can always change out your tools and add more when needed too! Continue to practice the art of flexibilty and personalize things to make them more desirable to use too!
Talk to your trusted adult about creating a picture of what your ADHD survival kit would look like. This would be fun to do as a class when school starts too! Please reach out and send me what you create as well so I can include your brilliant ideas in future episodes! You can connect with me either on my website www.katelynmabry.com or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all!
Intro music credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
What's in your backpack!? So often, the school year starts off with an orderly backpack, including all of the essentials we need for school! Then...executive function funk hits and we find ourselves with a messy backpack filled with unnessisary items, which mimics how we sometimes are feeling on the inside too!! Negative self talk creeps in, confidence dropping, friendships fractured, and grades creeping down...this can leave us forgetful of all the amazing gifts and strengths we hold!
In this episode, you will hear from my son, who was most recently told he also shares a brilliant, busy brain with us. We discuss what we actually carry in our backpacks, as well as what we can choose to carry into school with us each day interally too! woohoo! Boundless energy that can be channeled in positive ways, creativity, compassion, and sponteneity to name a few! Which strengths are you going to choose to carry with you this upcoming school year. We also talk about how we can regularly "clean out" the junk from our backpack to be sure that the strengths are shining through!
When we lead with strengths, as we navigate the struggles, that is where we can find pure unconditional confidence and thought reframing each day to combat the tough stuff!
www.katelynmabry.com is where you will find me and more resources to support you and your family on this wild ADHD journey! Have a fabulous new year where you gear up, show up and shine bright! Love you all!
Intro credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
One of the trickiest things about starting a new school year is the transition to all that is NEW! Transitioning to a new classroom, new teacher, new schedule, new set of peers, ect. This can ignite a variety of intense emotions that are often hard to name when the time comes to get started! This is WHY we are going to get those emotional shields up now to be more prepared for the upcoming year!
In this episode, we talk about how it is absolutely ok and safe to FEEL all of the feelings... it is what you choose to do with those feelings that counts! We what to show vs. stuff and practice regulating before communicating in the new environment of learning!
We know that practice makes progress, so let's practice these 4 things now so that you are better prepared for the learning year ahead...
F ollow a plan (talk to your trusted adult and collaboratively problem solve a plan for when those big feelings show up.)
E ngage in conversation to name the feelings ( "I feel ____, "I need ____."
E nergy gage on? Sometimes our energy level spikes and drops quickly when making these new changes, so we want to have that gage on in case it needs to be adjusted (self-awareness)
L evel regulation with tools and strategies that work best for your beautiful brilliant brain!
Keep up the great effort growing these skills each day and you will find yourself set up for a successful year of learning to show up, emotionally shield up, and shine bright!
Please reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to connect and share your ADHD learning journey with me! I hope to hear from you soon!
FOCUS! That word can be so haunting to those of us with busy brains! We can't "just focus...." BUT here is the crazy part... it's not that we have an inability to focus, it's actually a superpower that we need to learn how to tame and control in different environments!
In this epsiode, you will hear about a formula for focus as you take ownership of your focus on a new level as you enter a new school year!
F ind a space that fits your focus bubble...
O wn your focus goggles by recognizing and responding what you need to refocus...
C uriosity is key to refocus in class
U nderstand what your brain and body need to succeed in that environment
S ay something- Self-advocacy is your best bet in your classroom environment so you can get the support you need. (Use "I feel ____, I need _____" statements!
Here is the most important part... PRACTICE now! We know that practice makes progress and if you practice putting on and owning your focus goggles in the comfort of your own home during the summer, you can find what works and be more confidence in what to advocate for when school starts! You've got this! I believe you that it's tricky and I am here to support and guide you along the way!
You can reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to connect with me about my 1:1 coaching program, future episode ideas, or to simply share your ADHD journey with me! Love you all!
Intro music credit-
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
We need to arm ourselves with preparation for this upcoming school year! One great way to do that is putting on the armor of solid routines that help you FLOW through your day successfully!
In this episode, we talk through the letters of FLOW and how they can help us create the routines that our busy brains crave...Whether you have routines in place or you are eager to create some, this episode will help you get clear on which routines need to be addressed, adjusted, or made!
Follow a plan morning, noon, and night (sounds simple enough, BUT when your brain leads you on a wild goose chase of "to do's" we need to be ready with a more predictable plan of tasks to flow through!
Live by the rhythm of your routine- Consistency is key to creating healthy habits that will help with your working memory and make other challenges feel less tricky!
Own your routine! This one is SO important! Often when we are given a routine to follow, we throw it to the wasteside, but if you have a hand in identifying your own flow and creating your unique routine, you will be more likely to carry it out!
Wonder how you can adjust the routine if needed- stay curious before furious and practice flexibility!
You can also check out the "Building Your Executive Function Toolbox" series that I did to refresh what's in your toolbox that you could use for your fresh routines that are unique to you for the flow of your day!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to stay connected or to learn more about how I could come alongside your family 1:1 to help build routine and walk on your journey with you! Have a blessed day! Love you all!
Intro credit- http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
I KNOW it's only the beginning of July, BUT we need to prepare NOW for when school starts back up in a few months! Have you ever heard "Mindset Matters!?" Well, there is so much truth to that statement and I want to jumpstart my new Back-to-School Series with it! Sometimes we try to jump straight to "have a growth mindset!" And I wish it were that easy!! BUT your inner script is built over time and if it is built with nagative self- talk, criticism, and false beliefs about yourself, then it's hard to just change that script! It takes time and a lot of intentional practice!!!
So before the next school year gets started, lets gear up, show up, and shine bright with the armor we need to succeed in that school environment!
In this episode, we talk all about externalizing those negative thought cycles and intentionally practicing on a regular basis reframed thoughts that drive you in a direction of hope, joy, peace, and unconditional confidence. Again, this take practice, but research shows that our brains CAN be rewired with daily thought control, redirection and a daily sprinkle of gratitude!
Stick with me as we adventure through this back to school series, where we will continue to collect the armor needed to fight any battle ahead, while finding peace and joy in the process! Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with your own experiences and I would love to have you featured on a future show! Kids love to hear from other kids! Have a great day! Love you all!
Living with an ADHD brain can feel HARD and frustrating sometimes. We often become our own biggest inner bully with negative thoughts flying through our head throughout each day! This is why it is SUPER important to be very intentional about finding joy each day on your ADHD journey!
In this episode, you will meet Jessie Hewitson, who is a mama of 2 wonderful boys with neurodivergent brains, and an author the book titled, "ADHD: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Happy Child with ADHD." She shares with us some of her own journey towards joy and gives awesome tips on how to find happiness through collaborative problem solving, shining light on your strengths, and self-advocating for tools and strategies that help you thrive when things like "interrupting" feel tricky! A doodle pad so you don't lose those thoughts can go along way for her son and may work well for you to listen and respond better too! It's all about finding what works best for your beautiful, brilliant, busy brain and staying curious before furious along the way!
You can find Jessie's book on Amazon!! You can also connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with questions or to hop on a connection call to learn more about my 1:1 coaching as a next step on your ADHD journey! I am here to help you learn, grow, and ultimately thrive as you find joy on your own day to day adventures!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Summer can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time, especially for our busy brains! Let's continue to talk about tools that we can collaboratively talk about with our trusted adults to come up with the best structure without stress, to make it the best summer yet!
In this episode we will..
- Reconnect on time tools
- Talk routine without rigidity
- Come up with sensory regulation tools
- Encourage accountability and external daily structure
- Ignite the use of that incredible creativity of yours while encouraging the use of emotional outlets throughout your day...
- Introduce a few helpful ADHD driven apps to spice up chore time and help with daily routines!
Please reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to share the summer tools that are working best for your family! We are all on this journey of discovering how to thrive best each day with that beautiful, brilliant, colorful brain we've been given! Love you all!! Thanks for listening!
Intro music credit:
https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
WOW! Woohoo it's about TIME we made it to 200 episodes!! I am not slowing down either!! Join me on this episode where we continue our Summertime series by practicing taming our time with the letters TIME...
Let's stay curious and put these into practice...
Time tools- Which tools do you currently have in your toolbox and which tools could you put into place during your summer days!?
Intentionally look at the time throughout your day! I highly recommend investing in some analog clocks to put up in your home as a way to watch time pass by and help combat that time blindness that is often fed by digital clocks!
Mirror routines that work during the school year or on a regular basis (create a special summer routine if needed- consistency is key to build habits and create a sense of autonomy from one day to the next. (check out the power of habit stacking too!)
Express the feeling of overwhelm/rushed or express creativity in the face of feeling bored with "too much time!"
Collaboratively you can create a summer that is filled with fun and find that time that often gets lost!
Reach out and connect to share your experience with TIME at www.katelynmabry.com. I look forward to hearing from you!! Have a blessed day!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.oi/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
WOHOO Summer time is here! It's a great time to keep our bodies moving and our mind calm! BUT wait, sometimes we are faced with day to day battles and that is why I am coming to you with a brand new Summer series with tons of tips, tricks and strategies to make this the best summer yet as you defeat the giants you may come up against...
In this episode, we are going to start with the biggest battle in many of our homes... TAMING TECHNOLOGY! Whether you like video games, have a favorite show or get sucked into YouTube shorts...this is a SUPER important topic to talk about to come up with a way to thrive day by day in your mind, body and emotions! Technology has it's benefits, but for those of us with ADHD, it's also a huge trigger for dysregulation and the overstimulation of it can quickly throw us into fight or flight mode. Too much tech time can also turn off our creativity and kindness...which gets replaced with reactivity by our big emotions. It can increase impulsivity, make it hard to decision make, and causes a battle in tackling day to day tasks because our executive function skills are even weaker due to overstimulation!
I have good news for you though, there are ways to tame it and have a much happier, healthier relationship with it this summer! Colloboratively problem solve what these 3 L's could look like in your day to day routine...
Limit: Create clear expectations and boundaries on technology use each day. Be sure there is more movement/outside time and the time spent has purpose...
Leverage: Use technology to help you learn and grow a skill, spend time on it connecting with friends, or use it as an incentive after working on other tasks throughout your structured day!
Leave: Reflect on the apps and games that you have on your different types of technology. Are they helpful or at all hurtful. What do you need to leave to be sure you are feeding your mind with things that will exercise your thinking vs. cause overstimulation and addictive tendencies.
Parent Resource: Check out "Reset Your Child's Brain: End meltdowns, raise grades, and boost social skills by reversing the effects of electronic screen time" by: Dr. Victoria Dunkley
Connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com to check out my kids book, or to reach out and learn more about my 1:1 coaching program. I would also love to hear from you if your kiddo would be interested in sharing some of their ADHD journey on a future episode! Kids love hearing from other kids! Love you all!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10F2HHN3YO
"I just can't pay attention!" Is that a thought you find frequently racing through your busy brain!? If so, I am super excited for you to listen to this episode to learn about your loads of attention that simply needs to be understood, so you can learn how to adjust your spotlight of attention by adjusting the environment you are in!!
In this episode, you will meet Psychologist and author, Gemma Goldenberg, who wrote the incredible book, "Take Action on Distraction." Dr. Gemma shares how there are two different types of attention and the one our busy brains struggle with the most should be seen as a spotlight that can be controlled by taking action steps in your different environments!
Decluttering, sound reduction, and taking breaks outdoors are just a few of the ways we can take action on your distraction in all settings! You can learn to refocus that spotlight on the task at hand by making changes to your environment!
Your trusted adult can find Dr. Gemma on Instagram @phd_and_three where you can follow her journey through sharing awesome research based resources. You can find her book, "Take Action on Distraction" on Amazon too! This would be a great teacher gift as well!
Don't forget to check out our May sponsor's website, www.calmstrips.com to grab your set of sensory strip tools that you and your family can stick in all of your different environments for support in finding calm! These non-resedue, water resistent sensory stickers have calming prompts and can be customized to meet your needs wherever you go!
Then come visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with questions, share your story, or check out any of my resources too! Always here for you!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Have you ever heard that we need to stay CURIOUS before FURIOUS!? If not, you have heard it now and I want you to write it down as a daily reminder in both responding to others and being more kind to yourself!
In this episode, we will explore this whole idea of calming your mind by maintaining a posture of curiosity in the face of bordom or other situations that trigger that nervous system or make those thoughts race!
Listen in as we practice self-reflective questions that will ignite curiosity and curb bordom!
Have you checked out our May sponsor yet!? CALM STRIPS is a fantastic sensory tool for the whole family that your curious mind can use to find calm. It's residue free, which is great for every surface and it's water resistent, so you can take them with you on your waterbottle too! They continually have new colors and styles to choose from, while also offering an option to customize a unique sensory tool just for you! It would make a wonderful teacher gift too!! Visit www.calmstrips.com to learn more!
You can also visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, or to connect with me if you're interested in a FREE coaching consultation! I LOVE working 1:1 with kiddos two while we take transformational steps that are helpful for the whole family!
Intro music credit: http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
"We are hard-wired to connect with others, it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, without it, there is suffering." ~Brene Brown (social worker, world renowned speaker). This is how God desiged us, we are created for CONNECTION!
Do you agree!? Sometimes we CRAVE connection, but have a hard time creating it! I know I do and have a daily experience with this too! When I feel connected, I feel more regulated, when I feel disconnected, I start to spiral into dysregulation!
Bottom line, disconnection leads to dysregulation in all areas of life!
The good news is that we CAN takes steps toward more intentional connection...Let's practice these three steps...
FIGURE out if you in fact are disconnected...
Are you feeling distant from others? Are you feeling irritable or just plain funky at home or at school? Are your grades dropping? If so, throw up the red flag of disconnection...
NOW WHAT?
FIND a way to connect...
Ask trusted adult or green light friends to hang out, email teachers pictures from your weekend to connect with when you get back to school, invite others to do something your intereste drived brain loves to do with you!
FALL into the HABIT of intentionall connecting with others...
Make plans with green light friends or trusted adult ahead of time to create playful opportunities throughout the week.
When we are intentional with connection, we can stay on top of our regulation and just overall feel better from day to day!!
Reach out to me through my website www.katelynmabry.com to share your connection story.
Also check out our sponsor Calm Strips @ www.calmstrips.com. These fantastic calming tools are a great addition to your household and classroom settings. They are residue free and water resistant, so they are create for all surfaces. These sesory tools are great for your whole family to use! I know we love them and I know you will too!
Intro music credit: #uppbeat
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Do you have thoughts that race like a really fast car and you find yourself worried about things near and far!? If so, you are not alone and so many of us have these thoughts and feelings too!
In this episode, we will practice capturing that first thought that is spiraling us into a state of worry! We will practice speaking truth to that thought, regulate to find calm, and then release the thought so that it can be reframed to a thought that will take us down a road of less worry and more hope for the future! I also share a sneak peek of some pages from a book I am working on...
Practice makes progress and I know all of us have different levels and experiences with this thing called Anxiety, but I also know that you can intentionally take steps to grab hold of control over those thoughts driving those intense feelings! Let's do it together, one step at a time!
Some great tools to embed into this practice are CALM STRIPS! These residue-free, water resistant sensory strips are great for the whole family to use on any surface and in any space. You can put it on your favorite water bottle, on a desk, i-pad, phone, in your car, or anywhere else worry may strike! You can even customize them to meet your thought needs! Check them out at www.calmstrips.com to start your collection at home and school!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about the current book I have available, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD." You can also contact me if your kiddo would like to share some of their ADHD journey with their peers! Kids love hearing from other kids with beautiful, brilliant, busy brains! Have a great day! Love you all!
Intro music credit: #Uppbeat http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Do you love a good mystery!? I know I do, but sometimes it's hard to find a book that keeps meet engaged and wanting to read more...
I hope you will jump into this exciting book series with me, that was written for our busy brains and has a main character that shares a busy brilliant brain just like you and I do!
In this episode, you will meet Author, Diana Renn, who has a passion for bringing a good mystery to life and connecting with readers who may be struggling to be seen or understood! Diana shares some details of her first two books, "The Owl Prowl Mystery" and "Trouble at Turtle Pond." You will love the story line of both books and they act as great read alouds, bedtime stories, or even books to read to get more minutes in to grow your brilliant brains!
CONNECTION is what we all crave and it is what you will find with this book series! Go to www.dianarennbooks.com to learn more about this awesome book and find some fabulous follow up resources that will help you dive in even deeper!
I'm so excited for you to check out our May sponsor, Calm Strips! These handy sensory sensations can go with you anywhere as they are reusable and are safe to stick to water bottles, tablets, desks at school and home. Kids love to collect and trade these, while using them to both focus and find calm!! Visit www.calmstrips.com to find the pattern that speaks to you!!!
You can also visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to connect and share your journey with me too! I look forward to hearing from you!!
Intro music from #Uppbeat http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License Code: BYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Do you ever find friendships tricky or being in social settings sticky!? If so, you are not alone! In this episode, we will piggyback off of becoming more self aware in these social situations and we will talk about how to find our voice and self-advocate for what we need with friends and in other social settings!
We are bringing back the 3 R's when it comes to self-advocacy...
- Recognize when you have a need
- Regulate when overwhelmed/triggered
- Respond once thinking brain is back online to what you may need in that situation (space, a break, movement, quiet, etc...)
We also disuss the importance of being mindful and recognizing what your friends need...like active listening, space bubbles, space and an explanation to explore!? The more we can practice putting a voice to how we think and feel, followed by sharing our needs, the more aware our friends and others will be to help them be more prepared to respond best to support you too!
Let's continue putting on the armor of unconditional confidence in those social settings too! "WHAT CAN I CONTROL!? My thoughts, effort, attitude, and how I treat others!"
You can visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to connect with me to share future episode ideas. I would love to hear from you!
Make sure you check this month's sponsor, StoryMii! This soothing app will transform your reading experience!! It will open up the world of imagination and allow your child to create stories that they will get excited to read again and again as it's designed to entertain their beautiful, busy brain! Visit www.miiapps.com and plug in ADHD10 to experience 1 month of story creation for FREE!
Intro music from #uppbeat (free for creators)
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10F2HHNY3YO
Do you ever feel like "no one understands," or the feeling of not being seen or heard consumes you at home and/or at school!? If so, this episode is for you and you are not alone! Let me be clear...we are not giving excuses...we are giving EXPLAINATIONS to explore!!
This is episode 2 of our self-advocacy series! So go back and listen to last weeks episode for the intro to get the most out of the series! In this episode, we dive deeper into how to be your best self-advocate at home and at school with both words and actions. Now, please know that self-advocacy needs to come with an equal about of respect and kindness in your tone and attitude. Those you love are learning right alongside you! As you explain and explore what works best, do so with love and kindness!
Home is often our safe space to express, however, others ofter don't see the internal struggle, they only see the behavior!
- Practice listening to your mind a body!
- Practice using your words to express your need, " I am having a hard time!" "My brain needs a break, I am going to go outside!" "I need a snack and movement before I start my homework to refuel my mind!"
- If words are hard, practice with actions: Zip lips and move feet away space where big feelings are triggered. Play outside or find calm doing something you love in your room or other safe space to feel your feelings!
School can be tricky, but SUPER important to find your voice as so often your behavior or challenges are misunderstood!
- Identify which tools could be helpful in that classroom/school environment.
- Practice what to say, when to say, and how to say what you need to succeed at home so that you feel more comfortable doing it at school!
- Give a voice to your needs in that school environment: "I am having a hard time focusing, I NEED to move my body so I can come back and find focus again."
Self-advocacy is a skill that can be tricky for kids and adults! But if we practice at a younger age and more often, it will become easier and more of a habit!
Don't forget to check out our April sponsor, Story Mii @ http://www.miiapps.com and plug in the code: ADHD10 to enjoy one month free of creating all of the stories your heart desires!! This app will surely ignite your love for reading and bring to life your amazing imagination!! I would love to hear how you and your kiddos like it!!
You can also connect with me through www.katelynmabry.com . Oh and if you're interested in a signed copy of my book for you or your child's classroom, reach out, because I have some on hand that I would love to sign and send to you! Have a beautiful day! Love you all!
Intro music credit:
Music from #uppbeat (free for creators)
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code:
BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Do you ever feel like you wish others could look inside your brain to understand you better!? It's our deepest desire to feel seen, heard, and understood...this is why this self-advocacy series is so important!
What is self- advocacy? It's speaking up for oneself and what you need to succeed in different environments! Why is this so important?
- Because often others don't understand the way our uniquely wired brains work! Some of us look like sitting ducks, masking the day away and paddling like crazy under the surface trying to stay afloat! Others have behaviors that are misunderstood because the internal piece is misunderstood!
- Because others don't always know WHAT works best for us (what we need in our executive function toolbox or what to pull out of it when!)
- Because others need to know WHEN there is an internal struggle that needs a tool or strategy in the moment (i.e. taking breaks, breaking tasks into parts, or even a need for noise reduction because of the distractions the noises cause.)
Let's take some action steps toward self- advocacy together...
- Practice speaking up to those closest to you and safest for you!
- Provide EXPLANATION vs. any excuses
- Protect your heart and mind- Sometimes others will choose not to accommodate or hear you in your effort to self-advocate...this is when you put on your armor of unconditional confidence, leaning into what you CAN control... your thoughts, effort, attitude, and how you treat others!
If you enjoy this podcast and would like to learn more about my 1:1 coaching, reach out to me @ www.katelymabry.com . You can also check out my book and follow me on IG for more helpful content! ALSO, if your kiddo would like to practice self-advocating by sharing some of their ADHD journey on a future podcast episode, please reach out and let me know so we can set that up!
Make sure to check out our April Sponsor "StoryMii." This brilliant App was created for the neurodivergent mind to fall in love with reading! It is designed especially for kiddos who struggle with ADHD and dyslexia. This story app brings your child's imagination to life! My son LOVES it and I know you will too! Go to http://www.miiapps.com and plug in the code: ADHD10 to recieve free access for 1 month!! Let me know how you like it!
Intro music credit:
Music from #Uppbeat (free for creators!)
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Reading was always a battle growing up! I remember sweating at the thought of being called on in class to read out loud!! YIKES! Is reading a struggle for you too? OR do you enjoy reading like I do as an adult, BUT your interest driven brain has a hard time to find a book/story that holds your attention/interest!?
Well, look no further! In this episode, you will hear from CEO and founder Nancy Sun, who shares the brilliant App she built called Story Mii... After her own personal battle she had trying to find something her son would read without a fight, she shares how coupling his creative ideas with AI gave her the idea to build a calming App for kids to create a story of their own OR choose from a library of deliberately written stories that speak to the neurodivergent brain! You are able to create a profile and put stories together, choosing characters, settings, and storylines! My kids are absolutely loving this App and I think you all will too!
The extra cool part is that Story Mii is also our podcast sponsor for the month of April!! WOHOO! Nancy and her team have generously offered a code to give you a month of free App use so you can see if it's a good fit for your family too! Just plug in your email address with the discount code: ADHD10 to get started!
You can also reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com for questions or other resources. I would love to connect with you! Have a beautiful day! Love you all!
Intro music from #uppbeat http://uppbeat.oi/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Are you ever around friends or groups of people and find yourself overwhelmed, sometimes saying or doing things that later you think, oops!? Well, if so, you are not alone. It can feel overwhelming and overstimulating to be in social situations, often causing our big emotions to spiral or come out sideways! I've got you!
In this episode, we will talk about how being with friends and in social situations can be hard sometimes. We will discuss how we can fine tune that filter that often swings wide open and talk about three action steps we can take to help grow in these social settings!
4 reflective questions to ask to strengthen that filter before you say and do...
- Is it kind?
- Is it helpful?
- Is it true?
- Does it need to be said?
These are questions that strengthen that filter in your head!
Next, we explore 3 things to practice doing in social situations...
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Practice putting on a space bubble- Plan for the space you and/ or others feel comforable and pretend that there are built in glasses and help you practice looking at others (choose a comfortable facial feature if eye contact makes you feel uncomfortable.)
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Adjust ears to exercise active listening- Practice a breath and a break when talking with others and ask questions to allow for them to talk and you to listen.
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Become self aware of when Rejection Sensitive Disphoria (RSD) strikes: Check out podcast episode 9, "ADHD with "Rejection Sensitivity: Feeling deeply about what others think of me" to learn more about what RSD is! We will dive deeper into this topic once more self-awareness is established!
I hope these are helpful takeaways to practice as you enter into different social settings. Don't forget to check out our sponsor's brilliant product, the Gibbon Slackboard (Giboard), to use as a tool for family or friend, fitness and fun! We love it in our home, even at social events, and I know you'd love it in yours too! It will be a friends favorite! www.giboardus.com discount code: ADHD10
Connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to learn more about my 1:1 coaching experience! I would also love to hear from you if your kiddo would like to share an audio clip in a future episode! Kids love to hear from each other!
Intro music from #uppbeat
http://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Home is where the heart is! This is why we can let ALL of those big feelings out and navigate our many thoughts racing through our heads throughout the day!
In this episode, we will talk about Dr. Ned Hallowell's famous quote, "Living with an ADHD brain is like having a ferrari for a brain, with bicycle breaks! Can you realate!? I know I can! I ask reflection questions, and share some tools and strategies for the home environment to raise awareness in order to moving through your day with less frustration and more clarity!
How does your mind and body feel at home during different parts of your day?
What does my mind and body need to succeed at home?
Where do your thoughts take you?
How does your body feel if thoughts start to go in a downward spiral?
We discuss choosing to drive your thoughts in a direction that will help us learn and grow...
Follow a flow- Create visual routines that work best for you (Your brain craves structure, it's just tricky to create it sometimes.)
Figure in breaks (mind and body)- We need to be mindful of our need to refuel our brains throughout the day (rest, movement, nutrients)!
Find connections- This will help with regulation, finding calm, and collaboratively problem solving when things feel tricky!
If you haven't already, check out the Gibbon Slackboard! It really is a blast for the whole family, while also acting as a great tool for regulation and concentration! Go to www.giboardus.com and plug in the discount code: ADHD10 to add this fantastic tool to you and your family's executive function toolbox!
You can find me at www.katelynmabry.com to check out my resources or reach out if you are interested in exploring my 1:1 coaching experience! I would love to come alongside your family on your journey!
Intro music credit:
http://uppbeat.oi/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BYYN10YF2HHNY3YO
Do you ever find yourself sitting at school feeling lost or alone with your racing thoughts and big emotions? Do the questions, "where did I put that?" or "shoot, I wasn't paying attention" ring a bell!? If so, you are not alone and this is the episode for you!
Often times, school and even other learning environments can feel tricky to function in when you don't have the accommodations or tools in place to listen and learn in the given space. In this episode, we talk all about how the first key to success in a learning environment is self-awarenss, which will be followed by self- advocacy (speaking up about what you need to succeed).
First and always, we want to lead with strengths and start your day off by preparing your mindset with what your strengths, interests, and talents are! Then, I want you to lean in and look at what you need in a learning environment? What tools and strategies do you use? What helps me listen best? How do I refocus when that gets lost? When does my body need to move? How can I practice more unconditional confidence as I learn and grow through the tough stuff? Another question I am just thinking of is, "do I feel that rejection sensitivity during my school day or time of learning? All of these reflective questions will help you put on that self-awareness cap so that you can put practices into place that will help you know when and how to take out the tools you need to succeed!
Today's episode is brought to you by GIBBON, makers of the ultimate balance board designed for movement, focus, and fun for all ages! Whether you're looking to boost concentration, improve coordination, or just add an active twist to your day, the GIBBON Slackboard is a fantastic TOOL for ADHD brains and beyond! My family loves it and I think your family will to! Plug in ADHD10 at checkout to recieve a special discount! www.giboardus.com
You can connect with me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to reach out with questions and future episode topic ideas!! We are on this journey together! Love you all!
Hey friends! Do you have your self-awareness cap on? If not, then this series is just what you need to pick up that cap and fit it just right on that beautiful, brilliant brain of yours! If you do think self-awareness is your jam, that's fantastic to and I want you to still listen in as you may discover hidden areas or environments where you could use a little cap adjustment!
In this episode, I will introduce the importance and power in raising self-awareness so that you can best use the tools in your toolbox when you are entering into different environments. Becoming more aware of your words, actions, reactions, and even body awareness will help you discover what you need to succeed in different places and spaces! Please reach out to let me know about your own self-awareness journey!
You will notice a few NEW things in this episode as I have revised our intro and we have our very first podcast sponsors for the month of March! Wohoo!
This episode is brought to you by GIBBON, makers of the ultimate balance board designed for movement, focus, and fun for all ages! Whether you are looking to boost concentration, improve coordination, or just add an active twist to your day, the Gibbon (Giboard) Slackboard is a fantastic tool for ADHD brains and beyond! Go to www.giboardus.com and enter ADHD10 at checkout to recieve a special discount!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to share what you think about our new intro, give future episode suggestions or if you choose to get a Giboard, let me know if you and your family enjoy it as much as my family and I do! Have a great day! Love you all!
Music from #uppbeat https://click.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fandrey-rossi%2Fseize-the-day/vZub/epq7AQ/AQ/3800a4d8-72fa-44fd-98d7-d2bac9fabafd/4/_PxYAp0pB5
How do you feel about your brain?! Sometimes we are our own worst enemy and in this episode I hope that it gives you a fresh perspective on how you see the beautiful brain you've been given!
We will discuss how sometimes we can quickly spiral in a negative direction and our brain drives us bonkers! I feel ya! BUT, we can bounce back and in this episode we talk about how you can become friends with your brilliant brain. I want you to continue to lead and lean into your strengths as you navigate the struggles and build your toolbox.
Come on over to my website at www.katelynmabry.com to visit me and let me know how you feel about your busy, colorful brain! Next week we will start our self-awareness series for the month of March! Can't wait to spend more time with you soon! Have a great day! Love you all!
Do you feel like you are running on empty when you get done with school or working on something all day? Do your emotions quickly become in charge at the smallest things? Well, your busy brain is working extra hard all day to manage and maintain working through different learning experiences. This is why cognitive refueling is so important to endure and thrive for the rest of the day!
In this episode, you will meet Eileen Devine, who is a parent coach and also the mom of a teenager who is neurodivergent just like you and me! Eileen talks about what happens to our busy brains as the day goes on and how we often find it on empty by the time we get home! She shares some great ideas for cognitive refueling through intentional rest, taking a break from brain based tasks. Making sure you are moving your body and feeding our brains the nutrients needs to be refueled, like a protien snack! She also encourages kiddos to ask for help and self-advocate when their brain feels tired! She also highlights the importance of good, quality sleep as the most vital way to fill your cognitive refueltank back up! Lean into this brain based learning as you discover what your brain needs to be refueled each day!
Check out all of Eileen's amazingly helpful resources at www.eileendevine.com. I know she would love to get connected with you!
I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week! Let's keep on intentionally refueling our congitive tank! Love you all!
PLEASE NOTE: This is a LONGER episode that may need to be listened to in parts! BUT, it was full of so many great stories and so much great information that I didn't want you to miss any of it!
Hi friends!
Do you feel you are on the road of kindness toward others? Do you have a desire to spread kindness to others? Have you experienced bullying? Do you have any hidden talents? Do you feel alone in your struggles and want to feel seen or understood? If you said yes to any of these questions, this is the episode for you!
During this episode, you will hear from my newfound friends Tony and Cassi, who are founders of a non-for-profit called Anthony's Way- The Road to Kindness. Tony and Cassi spend time sharing Anthony's incredible life story with us as he faced challenges and had many successes through his continued resilience and by sharing his kind heart with others! Listen in and join the cause below either on your own or encourage your school to join in too! "TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE & TOMORROW WILL BE EVEN BETTER" is their family motto that they would like for us to take away each and every day!
You can connect with Tony and Cassi @ www.anthonysroadtokindness.com
Anthony's 2nd Annual Nationwide Walk A Mile for Kindness & ADHD, website: www.walkforkindness.com . One is for Individuals and Teams to Participate and the second one is for Schools and Youth Groups to Register and Join in. This is all about Raising Kindness to a Whole New Level, EVERYWHERE!
ADHD can present itself in many different ways, but one thing that most all of us can resonent to some degree with is the struggle to regulate our big, intense emotions!
Let's be clear, this is not only that outburst of emotions, but it can also take different forms such as internally shutting down, avoidance, silly behavior, or other behavioral signs of being in a funk, feeling out of control, or even reacting to that sense of overwhelm!
In this episode, we will talk about WHAT emotional dysregulation is, HOW it shows up in different environments, and the WAYS in which you can take action steps to recognize and respond to it!
Get your curiosity cap on as you learn and discover what tools and strategies might work best for your beautiful, brilliant brain to regulate those busy thoughts and rollercoster of emotions!
This episode is part of a series that you won't want to miss in order to best build your own personalized executive function toolbox for home and school to thrive and success! Check out episodes 178-181 to get the full series experience!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to check out more resources or reach out to me with questions, comments, and even a request to share your story on a future episode! I would love to hear from you!
"I'm thinking, I'm noticing, I'm wondering, I'm seeing, I'm feelings..." How is your metacognitive thinking? I know many of us with busy brains have a hard time with thinking about our thinking while on our path of learning day to day. We often get caught in each moment and don't intentionally practice the power of the pause! If this is you too, I've got you!
In this episode we will talk about what metacognitive thinking is, why it is important, and how you can put it into practice! Below are some examples of questions that you can put into practice at home, at school, and to prep for going out and about...
Reflective/metacognitive thinking questions to put in your face (write on mirrors, put on post-its, in school locker, etc....
Before: Is this similar to a previous task? What do I want to achieve? What should I do first?
During: Am I on the right track? What can I do different? Who can I ask for help?
After: What worked well? What could I have done better? Can I apply this to the other situation?
Putting metacognitive thinking into practice will also exercise other executive function skills such as impulse control, task switching, self-awareness, decision making, and more!
Please reach out if you have any follow up questions about this more complex executive function skill! I would love to connect with you! Go to www.katelynmabry.com to get in touch! I look forward to being with you again next week! Love you all!
Do you ever feel like a lost puppy? What to do when can feel tricky? Where to put things and organizing space feels overwhelming! Let's build your toolbox with tools and strategies to help you find order and prioritize your tasks!
In this episode, we will cover how to strategize entering a room, just doing ONE thing and putting momentum maker tools (music, incentives, body doubling) into place to begin organizing your space. We will talk about how to download tasks from your busy brain, PULL from the download time sensitive tasks and PUT then on your "in your face" routine chart/calendar/white board of choice! Stick with me as we continue to move through this executive function toolbox series! I look forward to being with you next week!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to check out my book, or reach out with podcast ideas or if you'd like to be a guest! You can also explore working with me as your coach in the future!! I look forward to connecting with you soon! love you all!
I am so excited for you to journey with me during this series all about building your executive function toolbox! Simply stated, executive function skills are those set of skills that help us function during our day to day tasks at home, at school, and in every other environment we find ourselves in. Those of us with busy, brilliant, colorful brains, sometimes find ourselves struggling in some of these areas and simply need a tool or strategy in place to both grow in the area of struggle and thrive in that area from day to day!
In this episode, you will hear about the first two types of executive function tools to add to your toolbox. Both time and working memory can feel funky as we move through our day! You will hear about some different time & working memory tools (some go hand in hand), as well as strategies that I have found personally helpful, as well as helpful for the kids I coach! You will also hear from my middle daughter, who will share a few time and memory tools that are helpful for her busy brain to be successful throughout her day (hint: beep beep & "let me think a minute..."
I would love to hear from many of you too! Visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with your story, share an audio clip for a future podcast, or to check out resources on my page, including my book for kids and opportunity for a free consultation to learn more about my 1:1 coaching experience! I look forward to connecting with you! Remember, you are never alone! We are on the journey together!
What do working memory, flexible thinking, emotional control, self-monitoring, time management, organizing, impulse control, initiating a task (getting started), planning and prioritizing have in common!!?
If you said these are all skills that we need to function from day to day, you are 100% correct! These are all of those executive function skills that can feel tricky for our busy brains sometimes! We don't all struggle with every skill, but I would love for you to highlight the skills above that may feel tricky for you to tackle from day to day!
In this episode, we are jumpstarting this conversation about tricky executive function skills that we need to build a customized toolbox for! These are skills that need to be exercised and trained to grow stronger! It will never be a one size fits all either. You must look at the challenge areas and build your toolbox based on trying different tools and strategies and discovering what works best for you personally!!
This series will help you begin your journey of discovering different tools and strategies in the different areas of struggle so you can begin to trial and error what works best for you from day to day! Practice make progress and it's super important to trial tools and strategies when you are regulated emotionally!
You will meet and hear from my newfound friend, Executive Function Coach, Carrie Bonnett. She shares ger expertise in this area as we get our series started! You can find Carrie at www.carriebonnett.com and discover all of the awesome resources/support she has to offer too!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to share your thoughts on this series with me or if you'd like to share a personal audio clip on the show to share which executive function tools are helpful for you too!
Below is an executive funtion wheel created by another ADHD Coachin who lives in Europe (hense the spelling differences;) This is a great, simplified resource to see each skill and identify which of them you'd like to practice use tools and strategies to grow in!
Executive Function Wheel
Hello friends!! Are you startled by loud noises? Do small sounds (tapping, breathing, humming, car noises) in your environment make your skin crawl and drive you bonkers!? If so, you may be experiencing sound sensitivity to different degrees!
In this episode, we will discover 3 different types of sound sensitivities, while talking about all of the ways it impacts us in different environments. We will then dive into different ways we can accommodate and advocate for our needs in the school, home, and other social settings!
The 3 different kinds of sound sensitivities include:
- Hypersensitivity-You are overly aware of sounds and easily distracted by sounds.
- Hyperacusis- You feel physical pain in your ear from different sounds.
- Misophonia- You feel triggered with an intense emotional reaction when faced with different sounds!
If any of these resonate with you, take time to reflect and build your environmental toolbox with sound tools (noise cancelling ear buds/headphones, play calming music to drown out triggering noises, ect.) and strategies that work best for you when at school, at home and even when out and about!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to share your sensory sensitivity story! I also have some coaching openings coming up in the New Year if you are interested in working 1:1 with me! I look forward to connecting with you! Love you all!
Welcome to episode 2 of our Sensory Sensitivity Series, where we will explore the sense of touch! This is a tricky sense as some of us experience sensory overload and others seek touch as a means of calming our overwhelmed sensory systems!! WOW! Do you struggle with one or both of these sensory sensitivities when it comes to touch? If so, this episode is for you!
In this episode, we will dive deeper into how touch can trigger big, intense emotional reactions and cause dysregulation. Different touch may include, hugs, hair brushing, teeth brushing, touching sticky things or other textures, tags and other clothes sensitivities, and even holding different items may drive you bonkers! I share some ideas to explore if you are experiencing this touch sensitivity.
ON THE OTHER HAND, where are my sensory seekers of touch!? You may relate to seeking touch to stimulate your sensory system to help feel more alert and focused! It can also act as a distraction from overstimulation or overwhelming emotions you are experiencing! I share how my kiddos use our sensory swing as a giant hug to calm their sensory systems down when emotions run high!! I do share some accommodations such as weighted blankets, fidgets, physical activities, heavy lifting (carry laundry basket;) as a way to fulfull that craving of touch, while also acting as self-regulating tools! I share ideas, however, the bottom line is that every child is different and you need to discover what works best for your child in the home and school environments!?
How can you create an environment that is sensitive to your sensory overload or craving for more touch!?
Send me a message through my website at www.katelynmabry.com to share your sensory story! I look forward to continuing to explore your senses with you as next week we move on to the sense of sound!! Love you all!
Are some of your senses sensitive!? If so, you are not alone and there are many of us who have sensory sensitivities too!! This episode is simply our intro into investigating and exploring how your senses are speaking to you! Stay tuned to your sense of touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight this week to identify if any of these senses are telling you it's TOO MUCH or you may see signs of wanting MORE in some sensory areas! It's amazing how our bodies speak to us! We need need to listen and respond!
I simply want you to heighten your sense of self awareness this week. This next month, we will move through each sense so you can feel aware and prepared for this upcoming holiday season filled with so many sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and things to touch!
Come visit me on my website www.katelynmabry.com to reach out and share your sensory story, reach out to be a guest on a future podcast, or take a peek at the different things I have to offer as a coach, an author, and a passionate ADHD warrior, who is here to come alongside you on your journey! Love you all!
Living with a busy brain and big emotions can be challenging in itself. When loss of any kind is experienced, it can truly throw anyone on a rollercoaster of emotions, but sometimes those of us with ADHD have those waves hit even harder and it's easy to feel out of control in what we think and feel! I know this is a tough topic! But we can do hard things, and talking about this is both hard and neccessary for moving through any grieving process!
Our family recently lost an extremely close and precious member to her fight with cancer! My sweet, 44 year old sister in law passed way too young and it's hard for any of us to make sense of it. I believe she is now with Jesus and she is in no more pain, but man we miss her here on earth! This grieving journey our family is now on is what prompted me to do this episode! We ALL are grieving so differently and we have a house full of busy brains who are navigating this grief together...
In this episode we will talk about what different types are loss are that triggers grief and walk through what the stages of grieving may look like in different waves. We talk about how it can effect your mind, body and emotional regulation! We dive into different ways/ideas to respond in the seasons of grieving too. I share how one of my girls has been stuck in the anger stage, my other daughter gets tummy aches and doesn't like to talk about it yet, while another is releasing her many thoughts and emotions in a journal.
Bottom line is that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. There is no shame in it and learning to release it in healthy ways will help you move through it more mindfully. Grieving looks different for everyone and it's important to talk to a trusted professional, adult, or friend about how you may be experiencing grief in your life so that you can feel seen and heard through this difficult time.
Come visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to connect with me or share more topic ideas! I would love to hear from you!! Love you all!
HEY FRIENDS!! I mean that with my whole heart! Each one of you have a special place in my heart! In this episode we will talk about how friendships can feel tricky sometimes and I share an accrostic poem of different ways to not only discover lasting friendship, but also become the best green light friend possible!
You will learn more about...
Find others who love you for YOU
Recognize if friends are causing you to stumble
Identify green light friends while navigating other colors of friendship
Encourage positive connections
Never be a bully
Declare that you will choose to be a great green light friend!
I dive into each of these and more!! Reach out with any questions, comments or episode ideas for the future at www.katelynmabry.com! I am here to come alongside you on your journey too!
Hey you amazing ADHD warriors!! I use the word worriors because it really does feel like a battle in our minds and emotions sometimes, doesn't it!!? I hear SO often...These emotions are like 0-100 sometimes! YEP! Those of us with ADHD busy, beautiful brains have a tendency to experience emotions to a whole new level as we are faced with different triggers and internal executive function challenges throughout each day (this absolutely varies per person!)
In this episode we will get curious about those big emotions and investigate the one that almost all of us come up against...ANGER...It comes fast and furious, often out of left field too! No worries, I am here to tell you that you are not alone and there are ways to exercise that brillant brain of yours to strength the skill of responding to that intense emotion doing something other than LOSING it!
This is a topic we will revisit again as this just scratches the surface of understanding and responding to our feeling of ANGER! First step is always recognizing and raising self awareness of what is driving the anger? Are their underlying feelings that need to be named? What is the driving thought that is spiraling the anger deeper? Now let's take action...
REMOVE yourself- This step is HUGE! When your anger is in charge and you stay in the space it was triggered, it's next to impossible to settle your nervous system and find calm! So move those feet to a safe and calm space that where you can practice the next step...
REGULATE yourself (younger kiddos may need coreguation to accomplish this)- What can you do to find calm? Legos, coloring, music, sensory swing, walk/play outside, take a bath/shower...what does your body and mind respond best to?
RESPOND/RECONNECT- This is the step that you revisit the conversation with a person you were angry at, revisit homework that triggered anger (with a plan to strategically move through the rest), reconnect with person or activity at hand...
If you find these podcast episodes helpful and want to connect more, visit www.katelynmabry.com to reach out, check out my resources, connect with me to share a episode topic idea or to be a guest on a future podcast... or even to book a free coaching consultation to see if that might be a next step for your family! I look forward to hearing from you soon. Love and appreciate you all!
I know I talk a lot about the importance of foundational mindset and taking control of your thought life, but a HUGE part of that is becoming self-aware and mindful of what we are feeding our thoughts and what we are physically nourishing our bodies and minds with!
In this episode, you will hear from certified Holistic Nutritionist, Kara Ungaro, who is not only brilliant in her effort to stay on top of studying the body and mind, but also has some awesome analogies, including fueling your body with what it needs... this will help you visualize so that we better understand the the value of practicing the "stop, start, keep" practice in order to start making some positive changes each day! On a fun side note, she's also my big sister!
You can connect with Kara to schedule a FREE 1:1 consultation by emailing her at karstuff22@gmail.com to learn more about how you can customize a plan for you and/or your child to ensure you are getting the nutrients that you need to succeed and thrive each day!
Please don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan of homework! To be completely honest, I feel that often homework loads need to lighted and in some cases eliminated if it's not neccessary for deeper understanding...studies show there is no significant difference in learning between children who do and don't do homework and if it's a mental and emotional burden, I feel it should be addressed as something that needs to be adjusted based on the type of learner! BUT, I also know that homework is required for most students and my episode today can also apply to any type of task or chore too.
Our busy brains love systems and order...but a lot of the time we have a hard time creating it for ourselves. Recognizing the need for a system and taking ownership of the thought shift around practicing the system regularly makes a world of difference when it comes to thriving in that system created!
In this episode, you will hear a train that leads into the topic of creating a homework system that runs smooth and if it does get derailed, that is simply a signal to fix, adjust, or add to the part of the system that isn't working!
Discover WHERE, WHEN, and HOW you want your homework system to run at home to make it a smooth ride and discover the beautiful benefits of turning this into a habit that will help you thrive each day!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with questions, give podcast episode ideas, or to just check out the resources I have available! I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all!
After my last self-advocacy episode, I was asked to dive deeper and talk about facing the fear many kiddos have when it comes to advocating for their needs. I decided to point blank use the word FEAR as an accronym and put a positive twist to it as a means to give you all a guideline for growing that self advocacy muscle, even in the face of fear!!
In this episode, you will learn 4 steps to take in order to develop that skill of self advocacy at school, at home, and even in social situations!
Find- a trusted adult to turn to.
Educate- yourself on how your beautiful brain works and what tools, strategies and systems work best for your brain!
Act- respecfully and with curiousity as you advocate for your needs.
Reflect- on how speaking up for your needs will be helpful and beneficial in so many ways.
I hope this is helpful for you all as you face this self- advocacy fear and try it out as a means of practicing self-awareness and voicing how you learn and grow best!!
If you are interested in looking into 1:1 coaching as your next step, I would love to come alongside you on your journey! It's an incredible process where I am seeing transformational, life-changing results with my clients. I say that humbly and mindful that everyone is on a different part of their journey! I am here for you and love you all very much! Visit www.katelynmabry.com to set up a consultation or to just check out my other resources! I look forward to connecting with you!
When it comes to the statement, "out of sight, out of mind," that hits home at a whole new level for those of us with neurodivergent/ADHD brains! I lived off of visual charts as a child!! Between our working memory battle, attention lost, and organization that is all over the place...WE NEED THINGS IN OUR FACE in order to be successful at accomplishing what we set out to do each day!!
In this episode, you will meet Sara Olsher, who is the founder of Mighty & Bright Co. She shares a little science behind WHY movable visuals are valuable and she is in the business of creating and customizing a visual chart system that works best for you and your family! They are super cool and I can't wait to order some for my family too!
I want to encourage you to also advocate for use of visuals in your child's classroom setting too! This may look different depending on their age and classroom teacher, but it is super important to set our kiddos up for success by guiding them with visual support!
Check out www.mightyandbright.com to learn more about Sara and what she's created! She also has an incredible line of children's books that speak into difficult times. That is another great resource to foster those hard conversations!
Once you have checked that out, then hop over to www.katelynmabry.com to reach out with episode ideas, questions, or if you'd like to learn more about the 1:1 coaching I have to offer! I look forward to hearing from you! I love and appreciate you all! Looking forward to being with you again next week!
Sometimes it's easy to ask for help at home and with those we feel comfortable with, but when it comes to asking for help or educating others in a respectful way in a space or place that raises challenges, that is a little more tricky!!
In this episode, you will start by hearing a fun Beetles song that speaks into the desire for HELP and then we quickly transition into talking about this timely topic of the skill of self-advocacy! This is a skill many kiddos have a hard time practicing and carrying out in the school environment especially! I want trusted adults to lean in too as there are some cases where there needs to be advocacy right off the bat to help teachers best understand the WHY behind behaviors seen at school or unseen challenges that often go unnoticed! We want to be advocating at every level in hopes of setting up an environment to thrive in!
Remember these 3 things to practice self-advocating...
- Stay curious
- Sum up clarification
- Seek support
I hope these are helpful practices as you start this new school year! I would love to dive deeper with you as an advocate by your side. If that support sounds like a next step you'd like to take, hop on my consultation schedule www.katelynmabry.com. You can also reach out with episode topic ideas or if your kiddo would like to be a guest on a future episode! You are seen and loved!
Did you know that "Dyslexia" is a learning difference that many (not all) kids with ADHD have? It actually something that effects approximately 5-10% of the population globally! This is often something that falls through the cracks in school and needs to be leaned into if reading continues to be a challenge for you!
In this episode, you will meet co-authors and mother/son due, Lynn and Jonathan Greenberg who share their personal journey with Dyslexia, while also sharing a taste of thier book with you too!
You can find this book on Amazon or visit their website www.creativecabcompany.com to learn more and contact them!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com with reach out if you want to be a guest on this podcast, share episode ideas, or to check out my resources too! I'm here for you! Love you all!
Whether it's sadness, joy, anxiety or other emotions leading into this new school year, know you are absolutely not alone!! I've got you! In this episode, you will hear a fun snippet of the Inside Out 2 movie trailer and I challenge you to lean into the many emotions you're experiencing starting this new school year!!
You will walk through 3 I's to practice as you come up against those many emotions!
- Identify the thoughts that are driving your emotions! (Name it, claim it, tame it, reframe it!)
- Ignite the power of YET to promote forward thinking
- Imagine the "what if's" that lead you to feeling hopeful for what's to come!
I hope these three I's are a helpful guide for you to use as those many emotions emerge! It is absolutely ok and totally normal for you to feel all the feelings! It's what we choose to do with them that makes a difference!
If you enjoy my podcasts and are looking to dive deeper, I have a few spots left for 1:1 coaching come September! I would love to come alongside you and your family on your ADHD journey! Schedule a free consultation today! www.katelynmabry.com
Love and appreciate each and every one of you!!
Wow! I have missed connecting with you all so much!! Please forgive my podcast pause! I was down and out for a couple of months after having a major surgery to remove a tumor from my carotid artery (neck). The recovery really has made me realize how much I still struggle with transitioning back into things and my activation skill needs to be exercised to get things started back up again!! This personal experience prompted me to post this episode!
Activation is an executive function skill that can be tricky for our ADHD brains sometimes. "Just get started" is often met with the feeling of overwhelm, feeling stuck, or even frozen in the moment, with the task at hand!
In this episode, you will learn a simple formula of steps to take to go from stuck to getting started (activated)..
- Recognize the need to activate (what is the cause?)
- Regulate emotions (Practice what help you FIND calm...coloring, legos, movement activity/sport, intentional breaths, etc) & Reframe thoughts ("I will do this one thing NOW, so I can ____ later.")
- Restore momentum using momentum makers (fidgets, music, break it up into bite size pieces, body double, etc.)
Again, I am thrilled to be back with you all! Please reach out if you have any episode ideas or if you'd like to be a guest on my podcast! I know this one might be a little rusty, but I have some super fun episodes planned again, so stay tuned!!
If you want to learn more about the 1:1 Coaching I offer, you can visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to schedule a free consultation or hop on my email list that I will also be getting started as soon as I practice what I preach and put those R's in motion! I only have a few more coaching spots left, so if that's an action step you would like to take with me, schedule now, and I will forward to connecting with you soon!
I will look forward to being with you ALL next week! Sending gratitude and love your way! Have a great day!!
I don't know about you, but when I hear, "you just need to focus" it sends chills up my spine! It's NOT that easy, is it!? One thing I know about our uniquely wired brains is that it's not that we have the inability to focus, it's that our focus drifts from one thing to another when the task is boring or something else entices our interest driven, dopamine seeking brain!
In this episode, you will meet Dr. Norrine Russell, who is the founder of "Russell Coaching." Her and her coaches share the same passion as I do as a coach. We want to come alongside kids/students with a strength-based approach to help them understand and respond to thier brain best in the school and home environments! Dr. Russel and I share with you the 4 R's to practice when working on exercising the skill of refocusing on the task at hand...
- Recognize-This can be the hardest part! Dr. Russell shares how it's helpful to practice listening for that faint voice inside your head sayind, "this isn't what I am suppose to be doing" and turn up the volume!
- Reflect- Ask yourself, "what does my brain need to succeed? Do you need a fidget, alternate seating, movement break, etc.
- Relax- Practice taking intentional breaths to calm your mind and body down and give yourself love and compassion in that moment.
- Redirect- This is were you get your engine started doing the task at hand... (give youself a micro-manageable step to take)"start writing for one minute or just do one problem."
You can find Dr. Russell on her website at www.russellcoaching.com to learn more about their coaching program and to tap into her resources!
You can always find me at www.katelynmabry.com to connect with me in any way as well! I always love hearing from you!!! Have a great day! Love you all!
In light of end of year testing (which I am not a fan of by the way!) I wanted to provide you with some encouragement and support so that you do not feel alone and you have some thought reframing, tools and strategies you can use moving into your upcoming tests.
In this episode I empathize with the fact that testing can feel EXTRA tricky and/or sticky for our busy brains. It is super important to seperate the results of a test from your intelligence. In full transparency, I was a terrible test taker, but it was due to my challenge with the executive function skills needed to execute the format of the test vs. where my intelligence or abilities were at! However, because I struggled with tests, it left me feeling stupid and inadequite much of the time. This spiral took years to climb up from into what I now call my unconditional confidence in my thoughts around test taking, the value I put into the effort given, the attitude towards taking test in resting in doing the best I could with what I knew, and how I treated each test as an opportunity to learn and grow from. I want this same unconditional confidence for you too!
Three keys to move into test taking season...
- Stay CURIOUS about what your brain needs to succeed before, during, and after test taking. Get creative with study strategies, gamify, add color, etc. Whick areas of the test are feeling "sticky?" and what tools could you use to get "unstuck?" Fidgets, movement breaks, practice deciding between answers that look similar, use audible feature during test for added support.
- Advocate/ Ask for help! Connect with a trusted adult and talk about what accommations or tools would be helpful for you to test with!
- Practice self-compassion! Testing can just simply be HARD for those of us with ADHD. You are brilliant in your own unique way. Love on yourself, reminding yourself of all the strengths you do have and where your passion is!
I love and believe in each of you!! Practice makes progress! Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to order my children's book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" or to reach out for a FREE coaching consultation. I would also love to hear from you if you have episode ideas or if you'd like to be featured on a future podcast episode!! Hope to hear from you soon!
You won't want to miss this episode as I interview a brilliant children's yoga instructor, Lauren Chaitoff, who has created a curriculum "Yogi Beans" to use as a tool for children to find calm, create a habit of taking intentional breaths, practice balance, and becoming mindful of their emotions, while also increasing the skill of concentration!
Join me and Lauren and we discuss all of the wonderful ways that the practice of Yoga can be helpful in your day to day lives. Lauren shares mindfulness strategies, we do belly breaths together, and we explore how yoga can strengthed that struggle with focus! She also shares how the book she wrote, "108 Awesome Yoga Poses for Kids" can be a great resource to get started with!!
You can find Lauren at www.yogibeans.com to check out all of her fabulous resources to try and to learn more about her Yoga movement!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com if you want to share a question or some of your ADHD journey on this show or if you have a topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode! I would love to hear from you! Love and appreciate you all!
What are those doctor's called who play fun thinking games and help you understand your unique brain better!? They are called, " Neuropsychologists"!!! In this episode, you will meet two pediatric neuropsychologists from Maryland who have a passion for coming alongside kids and families who find themselves wondering if they have a "different thinking brain!?"
Dr. Yael Rothman and Dr. Katia Fredricksen share what the experience is like visiting a neuropsychologist and they also share more about their brand new book titled, "Different Thinkers- ADHD." This is their first book in the "Different Thinker Series" they are creating. They read a snippet from the book and share the importance of celebrating all of your strengths as you get to know your brain and navigate through things that feel tricky!
You find them on instagram @neuropsychmomdocs to follow their journey in sharing evidence based information to support your kiddo and share with other trusted adults in their lives! You can order the book on amazon to have at home or send to school for educators to use too! https://www.amazon.com/Different-Thinkers-PhD-Katia-Fredriksen/dp/B0CCSP1BX4
Visit my website, www.katelynmabry.com to connect with on a topic idea or to share part of your journey with our friends on this podcast! I look forward to hearing from you soon! Love all of you!
My favorite thing to on this podcast is to connect and respond to kiddos with ADHD who reach out with great questions! In this episode, you will hear from our friend and listener, Lucas, who asks, "why is my ADHD brain more hyper than other brains!?"
We will focus on the fact that our brains are simply wired in a unique way that causes it to be more "hyper" and create a need to lean into the strengths that a hyper brain brings as we navigate through the struggles that we find comes with a busy brain! It's all about learning and growing through the trials in life and see them as an opportuniry to build skills needed to thrive each and every day!
PLEASE reach out with your questions or experiences to share as we explore and keep staying curious on this ADHD journey together! Email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share questions or you can always visit my website where you can find the book I wrote, get on my email list, and/or get on my schedule for a free consultation to see if coaching might be the best next step for you! Wohoo! Love you all and look forward to connecting with you!
Do you ever wonder about the next step you could take on your ADHD journey? I wanted to take the opportunity on this episode to share how coaching could be a great next step! Yes, I am an ADHD life coach and would love the opportunity to work with you. However, there are many incredible coaches out there to choose from too! You want to be sure it's the best fit for you and your family!
In this episode we talk about the value in understanding your own ADHD brain while finding the best tools, strategies, systems, routines, and habits that work best for YOUR unique beautiful brain! I use the analogy of a flower as we talk about the importance of being rooted in reframing and renewing your thought life to grow a strong stem of tools, strategies, systems, routines, and habits that will result in a beautiful flower when watered by a coach. The sunlight is you and your trusted adult who shed light on the practices that need to be put into place to make transformation happen and to thrive each day with ADHD!
You can go to https://calendly.com/kmabry-1/consultation to schedule your free coaching consultation and learn more! I look forward to connecting with you! If I am not your girl, I can guide you to another coach or another best next step for you!!!
Visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to check out my book or just to follow me on social media! I would also love to hear from you if you and/or your child have episode ideas or want to share your journey on my podcast! Love you all!!
Do you ever feel like you have a bully living inside your head!? I know I do and sometimes we just allow it to live there and become used to it! Join me in saying goodbye to that inner bully and hello to self-compassion!
In this episode I talk about my own experience with my inner bully who says, "what is wrong with you!" I then discuss how we can kick that bully out and invite in a thought that will serve us better..." I am worthy of love and acceptance!" Then ask the question: "What can I offer myself in this MOMENT? What do I need?" This question allows you to practice a pause and to process what you can do in that moment to help regulate and find calm! This is HARD to do sometimes and parents this takes our modeling too! The first step is awareness and planting seeds.
We also explore the idea of a "moment" in this episode. Our all or nothing brains too often make moments feel like eternity! Join me to retraining and reframing our brains to invite thoughts that drive us in a growth, forward thinking direction. Again, this takes time and practice in developing this skill! I am right here with you on this journey!!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to contact me for a free ADHD coaching consult, to check out my book, or to follow my journey on social media! Have a great day! Can't wait to be with you next week!
Who else is guilty of coming up to something and reacting with "I'll do that later." Some say that is just being a "procrastinator" but I do believe that we have some control over this tendency starting with the thought that is driving that behavior. Thought control is one of the most powerful tool we can have as ADHD brains!!
In this episode, I talk about the why behind "I'll do that later." Some explanation is that our brain sees the task as boring and our attention turns elsewhere or it's simply overwhelming to get started and so we simply put it off! Don't fret! Let's practice together!
What can we do!?
- Practice inviting in the thought "Do this now, so I can ________(insert your interest) later." Sometimes we have to talk back to our sassy brain to reframe thoughts and create better habits
- Create urgency to "do it now!" and put momentum makers into place as needed (5 minutes before dinner, play music, example, "first put dishes away, then play video games."
On a smaller scale, practice "do it now" when it comes to putting garbage in the garbage can, or putting the underware in your laundry basket! Sounds silly, but you totally know what I'm talking about and you can make the change! I did and you can too! Wohoo!
Come visit me on my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, check out my book, my coaching services, and reach out if you have an episode idea! Thank you for being here! Love you all!
Note: This episode is a little longer and can be listened to in parts. The end especially is for trusted adults to hear about a fantastic resource for their own ADHD journey, but the entire episode is a GREAT conversation guide to use with your child!!
Does it ever feel like ADHD is holding you back from your full potential or do you ever feel like, "they just don't get me and do I even understand me"!? If any of these questions have crossed your mind, this episode is for you!
In this episode you will meet my fabulous fellow ADHD Coach and Author, Brooke Schnittman, who shares with us what she would tell her 10 year old self if she could! She was diagnosed later in life and experienced bullying and self-doubt early on in life. Through Brooke's journey she has discovered what it means to not only perservere with ADHD, but to thrive and live life to her full potential!
Brooke is a best selling author and shares with us more about her new book titled, "Activate Your ADHD Potential." This book is not only a great read, super educational, but also takes you on a journey of action steps that will leave you feeling like you are truly on your way to reaching your full potential! You can find this resource and more at www.coachingwithbrooke.com.
You can also visit my website, www.katelymabry.com for resources, snag my book for a Christmas gift, or jump on a free consultation call to see if coaching might be the best next step for you. If I am not the right fit, that's ok! I will send you to Brooke or another trusted coach who will be! We are on this journey together! Love you all!
Does it ever feel like your brain is like a rock and you get stuck on thinking about things or obsessed with things going a certain way!? Well I know this skill can be hard for me too, so let's explore it together!!
Flexible thinking is an executive function skill that needs to be exercised and developed for some of us with ADHD. In this episode, we will discuss why flexible thinking is hard and some strategies we can use to stretch that muscle to become stronger! When we strengthen that flexible thinking muscle, that also helps in the area of emotional regulation as well!! Win win!!
So come join me as we discover ways to stretch that flexible thinking muscle...visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, check out my book, and/or contact me with questions or future episode topic ideas! I would love to hear from you!! Have a great day! Love and appreciate you all for being here!! You are never alone on this journey!
Are you looking for an inovative way of engaging your kids in completing the tasks within their daily routine!? Look no further...JOON is a super cool game app that couples virtual quests with the quests of daily tasks!! This momentum maker has potential to spark that motivation you are looking for!
In this episode, you will hear from Dr. Joe Raiker, a psychologist who specializes in the ADHD brain. He is also a part of the development of Joon as a tool for kiddos who struggle to carry out those non-preferred tasks! He shares how this game will help with behavior managment as it ignites excitement and motivation, while also bridging communication and connection!
You can go to https://www.joonapp.io/ to learn more about how Joon could be a helpful tool for you!! Check it out and let me know how you like this tool so I can share with Dr. Joe and his team. Their goal is to continually make improvements to make it the most useful tool possible.
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to share your thoughts on Joon, share another topic idea, or to be a future ADHD warrior guest on this podcast. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hey Hey Hey!!! NOTE: This is an episode not only has a special guest, but she reads you her brand new book at is on the market now called "Listen, Learn, Grow: A whole body listening Larry story to help kids regulate, listen, and engage!" (This is why this episode runs a little longer!) Have you ever been told to sit still, cross your legs, and fold your hands in your lap...but that feels like torcher and you have a hard time listening because your body wants to move!!? Well if so, you are not alone and I have good news for you, your brilliantly unique mind is made to move and can often listen better when you allow your body to move.
In this episode, you will hear from Speech Pathologist and fellow author, Elizabeth Sautter, who shares her own journey in discovering the power of listening in different ways. Open your big imaginations as you listen and visualize the story that she reads. Also, use this as a communication tool for advocating for home and school accommodations to help you become the best listener possible through listening to what your body needs to succeed!
You can find Elizabeth, her books and all of her fantastic resources at www.elizabethsautter.com. Make sure if you do purchase her book, you leave a review and share it will teachers, family and friends! This is something that is so important to understand and embrace as we continue to get to know our neurodivergent brains better and respond with love and kindness to what each individual brain needs!
Reach out to me at www.katelynmabry.com to check out my book at connect with me if you have episode ideas or if you would like to be a guest on a future episode! Kids love to hear from kids! Have a great day! Love you all!
Hey there!! Do you ever get fixated on something going a certain way!? When plans alter do your feelings go bonkers!? If so, you are not alone and there is a WHY behind WHAT you are experiencing. We hear about how physical transitions are hard for our ADHD brains sometimes, but have you ever considered "mental transitions?" This is something that our all or nothing brains find super tricky sometimes!
In this episode, you will hear from my friend and fellow ADHD coach, Tyler Dorsey (owner of Focus Forward ADHD Coaching). She will give you insight into her own experience when it comes to the battle of mental transitions, help you see where it may be showing up in your life, and give you steps to take to become more aware of this struggle so that you can intentionally work through it. Awareness is always the first step to any type of struggle area that you'd like to grow it! The more we know, the more we grow! You need to get curious before getting furious!
This is a great episode to really break apart and use as a guide for valuable conversation and collaborative problem solving as you apply it to your own life! Trusted adults, there is even a segment at the end where Tyler speaks straight to you too!
Absolutely check out www.focusforwardresources.com to gain access to some awesome resources and look into investing in some great content that will cover many struggle areas while providing you will more knowledge and support!
As always, you can reach out to me through my website at www.katelynmabry.com, hop on my email list, check out my book for kids, or book a free consultation to explore 1:1 coaching opportunities. I would LOVE for your kiddos to join me on my future podast too, so reach out with audio clips, or even to share topic ideas!!! Your insight is the best!!! Love you all!
Wowee can we all relate to this one to some degree!!? Many times are busy brains are working faster than we can keep up with and those words race out alone with some behaviors that we think, oops, afterwards! Impulse control is one of those executive function challenges that is talked about, but we don't intentially work on strengthening that skill. Your brain is a giant muscle, and you can practice exercises that can strengthen and improve this area of weakness.
In this episode, you will learn more about WHY it is a challenge to keep those words and actions under control, and I will share a helpful practice to work on managing and strengthing that impulse control skill.
- STOP (imagine that stop sign with your big imagination) when the words are about to be released (this takes practice of being self-aware of those busy thoughts).
- BREATH- Taking intentional breaths pauses your thoughts while you redirect your focus to the breathing. (You may need to zip your lips and move your feet if those emotions are in charge)
- THINK- This is where you think about if your words and/or actions are going to be helpful or hurtful.
- RESPOND in a kind and respectful way- Whether the response is positive or negative, we can practice and have control over how we treat others. "I don't like how you are treating me, so I am going to play with someone else." or " That is so exciting for you! I hope sometime I can do that too!" or "I don't get it! Can you please explain it in a different way!?"
I hope these takeaways are helpful in your journey towards strengthening that impluse control skill! Thank you for being you! You have a beautifully brilliant brain that is capable of wonderful things! Let's keep exercising your skills that feel tricky and lean into your strengths each and every day!
Come visit me on my website www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about 1:1 ADHD Life Coaching, to order my book, or to email me about a future podcast episode idea! Remember, I am always looking for guests to come on and share your ADHD journey with all of our listeners! I hope to hear from you soon! Love you all!
Some days we can feel bogged down with the struggles that come with having an ADHD brain, but that's when I want you to remind yourself of the ways your brain learns differently and how you can respond to that difference to potentially enjoy something you once found boring. You are very cabable of doing anything you set your mind to, but you just may need to find an alternate route to get there!
In this episode, you will hear from fellow author Sivan Hong, who has written a series of children's books called "The Super Fun Day Series" geared towards kiddos up through about 3rd grade. This series covers a variety of topics around navigating how neurodivergent kids overcome challenges they are faced with, like going to school on Monday morning!! Such a relatable series that you should check out and share with your child's school too.
Sivan shares her story and how she personally faced the challenge of reading and spelling as a child, but through investigating different ways her brain learned best (reading audio books) she discovered a newfound love for reading, later becoming a college professor!! Her message is simple...you CAN do ANYTHING when you put the right tools and strategies in place that work best for YOUR brilliant brain!!
You can find Sivan on IG @sivan_hong_author or on her website at www.sivanhong.com.
You can also visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to get my children's book, chech out coaching opportunities with me, or to stay connected via social media platforms. Have a wonderful week! Love you all!
PLEASE NOTE: This episode does run a little longer than most and may need to be listened to in parts!!! But it's good stuff all the way through!!!
Do you even eat something and think, "this is wayyy too sweet" or "I need to add more salt to these potatoes!? Does this thought match the "too much" and "too little" (all or nothing) range of emotions that sometimes arise throughout your day or at school!? If this analogy resonates with you and your kiddo, you will want to listen in on this episode as I interview child psychologist, Dr. Chassia Boczko (Dr. B).
As we continue our back to school theme, Dr. B and I discuss the challenge of transitioning into the new school year and what it means to be intentional about finding your "just right" emotional regulation zone in mind and body!
Dr B is a well known clinical psychologist based in Woodmere, New York. She is also the founder of "GoBe Society," which is dedicated to assisting children, families, and professionals with practical tools for emotional regulation and parenting. Check out her program at www.gobesociety.com
You can also visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, or to schedule a free coaching consultation to see if that would be a potenial next step for your family. I would love to come alongside you on your ADHD journey! Love you all!
Being under pressure is one of those contradictions for those of us with ADHD brains. Thinking under pressure leaves us overwhelmed and often paralyzed, yet when faced with acting under pressure we tend to thrive and it becomes a superpower!
In this episode, you will hear some lyrics from the song, "surface pressure" that is featured in the movie "Encanto!" The words to this song speak right into what many of us face when it comes to that thinking that drives feeling pressure...the struggle is real and the song is relatable! Next I share three steps to practice taking when faced with that emotional internal pressure...
- Express to a trusted adult the internal pressure, overwhelm, stress, anxiety felt... Release it!
- Explain to your trusted adult how you freeze, feel frantic or freak out inside when faced with that mental and emptional pressure!
- Explore different tools and/or strategies to take action on to help eleviate that mental and emotional feeling of pressure. Also explore how you can use your superpower of taking action when faced with urgency! This is where you can start practicing healthy urgency habits...I am not saying stay up till late hours or always wait until the last minute! Use your creative brain to create it in the moments you choose to make momentum to get stuff done!
Thank you for being here! I love each of you and please know I am here if you'd ever like to reach out and share a episode topic idea, be a guest on an episode, or just ask me questions about your own ADHD journey! You can visit my website, www.katelynmabry.com to hop on my mailing list, check out my book, or schedule a FREE ADHD coaching consultation to discover if that would be the next best step for you and your family! Have a great day!
Transitioning back to school can come with a rollercoaster of thoughts, feelings, and big emotions! The first step we need to take in transitioning is to lean into those big feelings and figure out where your mindset is at, so you can own it and move it if needed into this new school year!
In this episode, you will meet my friend and fellow ADHD Coach Will. He lives in Fort Collins Colorado with his dog, Dash, who is his best friend. He was a D1 athlete in track and cross country, where is was able to release just a portion of his superpowers! Will is a rockstar as he specializes and is #1 in coaching teens around the world to build confidence, grow their mindset, and overall thrive on their ADHD journey! His passion is to coach tweens and teens how to be "unstoppable!"
Will just scratches the surface with us today as he talks about owning and accepting emotions that come and focusing emotions and efforts on what we CAN control (attidude, effort, how we treat others, etc.) He also explains the difference between having "conditional confidence" vs. "unconditional confidence" as we move through the day. Are you banking your confidence on the "if's" of the day or are you standing firm in your confidence of moving what you can control in your day!? Such brilliant insight and helpful takeaways to try!! Practice asking yourself continually, "what can I control" about this situation, interaction, negative thought, feeling of rejection!? This question practiced daily will be a game changer for your unconditional confidence to grow!
You can find fabulous Coach Will at https://www.coachingwithwill.com/. Follow him on social media if possible as he puts out some awesome, valuable content on a daily basis!
Check out my website, www.katelynmabry.com to check out my book, send me episode ideas, get your child on this show, or to look into the resources I have available too! I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all!
Do you find yourself at the boiling point and having a hard time controlling those burst of anger!! If so, you are not alone! Those big intense emotions are no joke when you live with ADHD and I wanted to speak directly to the topic of anger so you can capture those thoughts behind the anger and take steps to pull yourself into finding calm and growing in your response to that intense emotion!
In this episode, you will do some visualizing!!
- Stop sign
- Smoke Detector
- Money
- Prayer/Mindful practices
Each symbol has a purpose to help you practice recognizing that smoke inside, pausing, and become aware that angry words and actions can cost you to lose relationships, etc., and finally you need to customize the last step...I choose to pray and turn to God's word/truth...you may choose to practice mindset shifts and exercise zipping your lip and moving your feet, etc...where can you go to use soothers and find your calm!?
So happy you are here! Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, check out my book, get on my email list, or book a free consultation to see if ADHD life coaching would be a helpful next step for you and your family! Can't wait to be with you next week when we jumpstart a series of back to school episodes!! Love you all!!!
"There's so much about me that you don't know!" This is a quote from the song that my daughter shares with you in this episode and it was a very fitting line to what I want to talk about! There is so much under the surface when it comes to living with an ADHD brain! Too often we are stuck feeling like, "they just don't get me!" This also leaves others reacting to the surface behaviors or tendancies seen with misunderstanding and often hurtful words, just because they aren't seeing under the surface!
In this episode, I will ask you to visualize an iceburg and customize it to see what's on and under your own surface! I then ask you to practice three things in response to this visualization and helping others understand you better...
- Shed the shame
- Share feeling statements (this takes some digging to identify what these truly are)
- Show up just as you are and educate others along the way!
Visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to book a free coaching consultation (or clickhttps://calendly.com/kmabry-1/consultation ) You can also check out my book and get the latest episode with other valuable resources when you join my email list! I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all! Have a great week!
I think we all crave a more pleasant home evironment, don't we!? Well sometimes those of us with ADHD have emotions and behaviors that are triggered and cause an environment to become more unpleasant. This holds true for siblings and even trusted adults too!!
In this episode, you will hear two of my kiddos give a very realistic example of the unpleasant bickering we often were hearing in our home. Recently, we began to impliment the incentive of "pleasantness points" to work toward a common family goal in order to become more self-aware and create a more pleasant environment while home and even when out and about! \
Pleasantness points are given without being asked for them and when the trusted adult catches the child making a pleasant choice like, giving a compliment, using the power of apology, helping around the house without being asked, taking a breath and walking away from a dysregulated sibling, using feeling statements when upset, etc... reach out and let me know if you impliment this and it's helpful for your family too!
If you like this episode and want to recieve weekly episode right to your inbox, go to my website www.katelynmabry.com to hop on my email list. You can also check out my book and set up a free consultation to see if ADHD coaching would be a helpful next step for your family! Love you all and look forward to hearing from you!
We enter into Summer with so much excitement and wonder of what it will bring! But sometimes, those of us with ADHD find ourselves feeling off or funky because of the unknown and lack of structure. I feel you on this and my 3 daughters diagnosed with ADHD feel this too! That's why I want to take this episode to talk about 3 things we can do to smooth out the remainder of the Summer so that fun can be had, calm can be found, and chaos feels more manageable!
- Set a semi-structured morning routine (there can still be flexibility): This will set you up for more successful, fulfilling days. Remember that our brains CRAVE structure, but we have a hard time creating it! Summer can be tricky with different schedules, but preparing a predictable plan the night before for the next day will allow for smoother transitions each day.
- Stay well rested and hydrated! Two things that tend to slip in the Summer days! Lack of sleep and dehydration can completely heighted those emotions and other ADHD challenges. This is why setting a sleep plan and even setting reminders to hydrate can really make a difference.
- Practice making your body move! It's super easy to stay in your jammies all day and even get sucked into too much technology...but that bandaide of pleasure leaves us feeling icky if too much technology time is spent! Get in the habit of putting down devices and making your body move in some way...go for a hike, jump on the trampoline, play a sport, take the dog for a walk, have a dance party in the living room, etc.
Next week we will dive even deeper into some things we can do as a family to make our homes more pleasant as we curb conflict with compliments and set family goals to work together on achieving through the choices we make! I look forward to being with you next week! Love you all!
Check out my website, www.katelynmabry.com for more resources. You can also go to www.focusforwardadhd.com to set a FREE consultation with me to see if you'd like to work with me as your family's ADHD coach. I would love to come alongside you.
WHY IN THE WORLD DID I WALK IN HERE!? This is something that both kids and parents alike can relate to and a great example of a connection we can make with each other as we navigate this whole idea of the struggle our ADHD brain has in the skill area of "working memory!?"
The answer is, YES! Your working memory is working and it is not broken, even though it feels that way sometimes! The bottom line is that often times we are faced with a "weaker working memory" that needs to be stretched and strengthened! This is especially important to be intentional with because our weak working memory can be a huge trigger for emotional dysregulation! If we want to continue practicing the regulation of our emotions, then we need to really think about how we can strengthen that working memory!!
In this episode, I will talk about what a working memory, how it tends to be weaker in our ADHD brains, and the steps we can take to work on strengthening it!!
- Exercise- Train your working memory to get stronger through finding memory apps that you can play during tech time, doodle, journal memories, internal repetition, play card games and other fun memory building activities as a family.
- Encourage- Be encourgaged to chunk things up into bit size memory successful pieces, practice encouraging yourself with positive self talk, etc.
- Educate- Continue to educate yourself and others about the challenge you face with working memory and the tools that can be used to help accommodate and grow this area of struggle. Get reminders in your face through visual charts, timers, whiteboard, post-it's and come up with a memory system during the school year that will help with assignement recall and completion!
If you liked this episode and would love to recieve weekly reminders of upcoming episodes, go to my website www.katelynmabry.com and get on my email list. You can also check out my coaching options to see if it would be a good fit for your family! I would love the opportunity to come alongside your family as you continue on this ADHD journey!! Love you all!
It sounds so simple, but it can be the most powerful tool for our ADHD brains that we have right at outside our door! Simply stepping outside in the fresh air, sunlight, with any sort of greenery and the bonus of nature sounds like bird or breeze has a profound effect on your stress level, mood, concentration, intelligence, productivity and overall health!
In this episode, you will join me outdoors to hear all about the benefits of using nature as a tool for your ADHD brain! I encourage you to listen to this episode outside too so you can brainstorm ways to use nature on a daily basis to help your mind, body, and emotions too! Nature can be a tool for regulation and a way to find that calm you so desire in the midst of choas. You can couple nature with that intentional mindset practice as you close your eyes and use breaths, prayer, or meditating on what you are grateful for to reset your mind, body and emotions too!
Go to my website www.katelynmabry.com to hop on my email list, check out my Summer Coaching Program https://focusforwardadhd.com/journey or look ahead at hiring me as a 1:1 coach for your child this next new school year! We can work together to advocate and get the year started on the right foot, setting your child up for a successful school year! I look forward to hearing from you! Love you all!!
TRANSITIONS can be super duper tricky for our ADHD brains for many reasons! For starters, it required the executive function skill of "task switching" and like other multi-step processes, transitions have different types and steps to consider as you learn to navigate through them!
Transition Types: Physical, mental (internal) and emotional (also internal)...those last two are ones we often forget to consider when looking at transitions throughout the day!
Steps in trasitioning:
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Moving away from a task (this is especially hard when it's a high interest activity)
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Navigating in between two tasks, activities, or environments
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Starting a new task/activity (this is especially hard when it is non-preferred)
The first step is to see through the lens of difficulty from the perspective of the ADHD brain and become self aware as an ADHD brain of the transition types and steps that are tricky for you!
Let's talk take-away..."nuggets of knowledge"
- Raise self-awareness of why and when transitions are tricky
- Establish routines and systems that work best for your brain by pulling out the tools that work...
- Tools to try...Visual timers (you want it in your face), visual reminders for the same reason and allows for anticipation of what's expected and coming next. This also always for time to be chunked and check-ins to be made.
- Movement through transitions can add an element of fun and gamify going from one thing to the next!
- Music is always magical and makes transitioning fun too!
- Continue collaboratively problem solving alongside child and let them lead transitions when possible!
I hope this information and these take-aways were helpful to you! If you are looking for a great group coaching session to join this summer check out the group I am launching "Journey to Becoming Mom Again!"https://focusforwardadhd.com/journey You can also get the link on my website www.katelynmabry.com and make sure to join my email list to recieve weekly emails with up to date podcast episodes and more resources! We are on this journey together remember! Love you all!
Hey Everyone!!
I have missed talking with you guys these last few weeks! I was on vacation in Mexico and brought back a validated nugget of knowledge that is helpful for our ADHD brains and I wanted to speak on how it can feel tricky to transition back into the swing of things when you've been away, your schedule is changed, or you just need to go from one task to another! I felt this a lot when I was trying to get back into my routine after returning from Mexico!
In this episode, you will hear me talk about all of the benefits of WATER! It's amazing calming tool right at our fingertips! Being by the ocean all week when I was away really gave me a sense of how truly calming that simple sound of water is! It was the most relaxed I have felt in years! That got me thinking...water is such a great tool for our ADHD brains in so many ways! Making sure you are well hydrated with water will reduce brain fog and even help with working memory and energy levels for productivity. If you live by any body of water and you feel dysregulated, you can make it a habit to take trips to physically feel the calming mind and body effects of simply being near water. If you don't live by a body of water, you can simply use the water in your home to splash your face when those emotions run high, or hop in the shower as a regulation technique and as an added bonus, showers can spark your brilliantly creative mind too. I get some of my best ideas in the shower! LOL!
You'll also hear me talk about transitions in this episode, but we just scratch the surfact as next week we will dive deeper into this struggle! The first step is always to simply practice self-awareness of the struggle! This is a great conversation starter to investigate different areas of life, different environments, or even day to day task switching that feels extra hard sometimes. We need to identify before any growth can be made!
Don't forget to check out the great program I will be running this summer! "Journey to Becoming Mom Again" is a program designed for mama's of kids with ADHD. I am on a mission to create a connected community of moms, where you can become more educated, empowered, and encouraged to understand your child's brain better, respond more appropriately and effectively to behaviors, and become their best advocate both at home and at school! Go to www.focusforwardadhd.com/journey to book a free consultation and see if this program would be right for you!
You can also visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list (only one email each week;) check out my book, or reach out to me with a podcast episode request! I would love to hear from your kiddos too!! We are on this journey together!! Love you all!
With Mother's Day approaching here in the US and a program of mine being launched that you don't want to miss, I decided to dedicate this episode to talk about WHY we sometimes get caught up in the cycle of reaction with mom and some steps to take to become a better responder!
At the beginning of this episode, you will hear from my 6 year old ADHD warrior, who wanted to share part of a song she wrote with you! I would love for you to submit a song too as I love to hear the creativity and silly nature shine through!
WHY the cycle of reaction?
- We react based on lack of knowledge and understanding or past beliefs or experiences
- We react because that emotional side of our brain is triggered and has taken over
- We react based on fear or the unknown
As moms continue to learn, kids can...
- Communicate thoughts and feelings for better understanding
- Give mom grace, honor, and respect while she is learning
- Give mom unconditional love while she discovers how to best respond to your uniquely wired brain
- Lean in and connect with mom so you can grow together
ATTENTION MOMS!!! In this episode I announce a program I'm launching alongside "Focus Forward ADHD" with Tyler Dorsey! We have been working hard to create a very special program customized for moms who have kids with ADHD (approx. ages 7-12). In this program you will have an opportunity to have both 1:1 coaching and group coaching sessions with me and a wonderful community of moms who are in the same boat, trying to navigate the wavy waters! You will experience transformation as you discover more about your individual child's brain and feel empowered to impliments tools and strategies in your home while also advocating for your child when they return to school! You don't want to miss this great opportunity to learn and grow to experience life change! Go to http://focusforwardadhd.com/journey to sign up for a FREE consultation to see if this program would be the right next step for you! Wohoo!
You are loved and you are more than enough!! Have a great day!!
Do you ever look at a task, goal, assignment, or big picture and think, "that just feels too far and like too much?" If so, you are not alone! This is a tendancy our ADHD brains have. When faced with "all of the things" we tend to shut down and do nothing...But we can make a change and this episode will help you discover ways to get to that finish line!
In this episode, you will meet ADHD coach Ryan Mayer from Cleveland Ohio. Coach Ryan talks about his personal experience with the struggle to tackle those non-preferred tasks and keep the momentum to get to that finish line. Ryan shares this awesome visual of seeing these "too big" tasks as a mile race and considering the idea of doing small sprints to equal the mile and make it to the finish line! He also talks about the importance of shifting from the big picture to the building blocks of getting there!
PLEASE NOTE: Near the end of this episode, you will want a trusted adult listening so you can get the scoop on a great new course Ryan is launching! This episode is being published before this course goes live, but stay tuned for that 30% discount code as I will add it to these show notes once available! You can follow Ryan by visiting his website https://ryanmayercoaching.com/ and hopping on your preferred social media outlet.
That being said, hop on my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and I will share the updates, added resources and discount code through there too! Wohoo!
Dr. Ned Hallowell, a Psychiatrist and ADHD guru said, "Connection is like a daily vitamin you need to take...Never worry alone!" (You can also go back and listen to the two episodes where I interview Dr Hallowell himself (Episodes 68, 69 & 70) I love the value he puts on the power of connection and wanted to share more about some tangable takeaways for kids to do on a daily basis!
Research shows that everyone needs connection, but it's discovered that connection is super valuable to the ADHD brain and how we are wired!
The tricky part is that sometimes we tend to turn away from connection and disconnect when feeling overwhelmed, unseen, misunderstood, or simply have the feeling of wanting to explode, flee, or freeze in different situations. This is WHY this topic and takeaway is so important. We need to go against the grain of our initial reaction and move toward intentionally connecting with others both in word and action!
In this episode, you will learn 3 "T's"to try to intentially practice making connections in your day to day life!
- Talk with a trusted adult or green light (safe) friend about your feelings.
- Take action to intentionally make connections with safe friends and/or adults who "get you!"
- Treasure connection time and practice leaning into it...even when you feel the urge to push away!
I hope these strategies are helpful for you! Go to www.katelynmabry.com to hop on my email list, check out my book to use as a great conversation starter with your kiddo newly diagnosed, or simply visit the site to stay connected with me in different ways, including reaching out to get your child on an upcoming episode, or checking out my group launching this summer called, "Journey to Becoming Mom Again." This will include 1:1 coaching calls and a community to find your connection in! Visit www.focusforwardadhd.com to schedule a free consult today! I look forward to hearing from you!!
You are seen, understood, and loved! Have a great day!
ACCOUNTABILITY! It's a big word that we ALL need!! Our ADHD brains are wired in a way that requires accountability to be exercised so that we can grow that muscle. In this episode, you will learn about 3 different ways you can put accoutability into place in order to hold yourself responsible for tackling task that come your way! Please note: This is something that is not expected to be mastered until much older, but it's never to soon to start strengthening this skill!
- Connect-Find and ask a trusted person to help you carry out tasks and remember things. This is someone who will build you up and encourage you, even when you fall.
- Collect- Discover and build up your toolbox with things that work best for your brain! Set alarms/reminders on phone, Alexa, ect. Use check lists or post-its, write on a whiteboard... just make sure it's something that's in your face!
- Create-Come up with a system that works best for your brain! Put urgency in place and give yourself immediate reward after completing non-preferred tasks (ie: I can play my video game after completing my homework before dinner!)
I hope this is helpful for you and your kiddo to navigate together! Please reach out with questions, future topic ideas, or if you'd like to be a guest on a future podcast episode! Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com or visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my weekly email list, check out my children's book, or to schedule a free ADHD coaching consultation. I look forward to hearing from you! Have a blessed weekend! You are loved!
Do you feel like you sometimes live in a state of fear? Fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of not getting something right, fear of talking to others...the list could go on and on, right!? Living with ADHD can heighten this feeling of fear and leave us feeling paralyzed by tasks, social interactions, and can lead to perfectionism, anxiety, and even send us down a spiral of obsessive negative thinking! UGH, no thank you!!! Let's tackle this topic head on so we can get out of that fear cycle and find ways to overcome day to day fears that pop up!
In this episode, you will meet TV star, Justin Maina, who was an athlete on the show America Ninja Warrior. Justin lives in San Diago California where he is now on a mission to help others through an outreach called, love fearless! Justin is also passionate about the current project he's working on now called "Fear Hunter." This show will be featured on YouTube, where he will be on the hunt to find others who are experiencing different types of fear in their lives and helps them gain confidence and truth in the face of their fears! How cool is that!?
Justin shares how fear is something we can come up against and take steps through. He talks about his experience on the ninja warrior show, and gives the 3 steps he takes to overcome fear...1. Pray/release your fear to a trusted adult 2. Self-Talk 3. Paint a picture of the outcome of overcoming fear. This is an episode you don't want to miss!
You can find Justin on instagram @justinmainaofficial. You can also hop over to my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list for weekly updates, check out my book, or schedule a free coaching consultation! Lot's of resources out there as we continue on this ADHD journey together! Love you all fearlessly!!
Waiting for the last minute to get an assignment done isn't just procrastination! Rushing out the door at the last minute, isn't just time blindness!! Guess what!!? Our ADHD brains crave and thrive on URGENCY!
In this episode, I invite you into my own use of urgency as I recorded this just 15 minutes before going to get my kiddos from school! That sense of urgency drove my motivation and momentum to get it done before leaving! When you have the intention of getting something accomplished, creating your own sense of urgency is a strategy that may help gain the momentum you need too! Use preferred activities as tools, set a visual timer or alarm on your watch/phone!
Which areas of your life can you use urgency as a strategy/tool for momentum!?
If you'd like to recieve weekly emails with my most recent podcast episode and added resources, hop on my email list www.katelynmabry.com! Visit www.focusforwardadhd.com to schedule a FREE ADHD coaching consult to discover if that would be a potential next step for you and your kiddo to take!
I look forward to being with you again next week! Please email me with topic ideas or if your kiddo would like to be featured in a future episode!! Kids LOVE hearing from other kids! You are seen, you are understood, and you are loved!!!
We all have unintentional thoughts that drive emotions, actions, and decisions! Our ADHD brains too often are driven by those big, intense, deep emotions that have a negative underlying thoughts!! I have GREAT news!!! You CAN choose to move your thoughts in a different direction as you become secret agents of your emotions!!!
In this episode, you will hear from my friend and fellow ADHD coach, Kamden Hainsworth. She shares this great example of having the power to choose which direction your thoughts and emotions go by becoming a secret agent of your underlying thoughts. Discovering what's really going on in your mind, allows you to choose to stay mad/sad or move towards patience/compassion. That being said, it's healthy to verbally express those mad/sad emotions and then navigate where they are coming from! At the end of this episode, you get to hear from Kamden's daughter, Evann, who shares a persoanl story of how becoming a secret agent of her emotions was super helpful to her!
You can find Kamden at www.adhdirectory.com or on IG @kamden_adhd.
Make sure you go to my website to hop on my email list for weekly episodes straight to your inbox and added resources, check out my book, or schedule a free coaching consultation at www.focusforwardadhd.com
Too often we focus on our challenges and don't take time to highlight the incredible strengths beyond the struggles, one being the gift of spontaneity!
In this episode, You will hear from my buddy and fellow ADHD coach, RJ Porfilo! He so generously and spontaneously carved out time to record this episode today! I thought the topic of celebrating our spontaneity would be a perfect topic to talk with him about!
Coach RJ explains what it looks like to be spontaeous and how in the stone age, this strength was life saving!! He also shares his personal experience with it and how you can take on a challenge to discover it and count it as a win!
Check out RJ's podcast "The Power of ADHD" or find him on Instagram @rj.illo.
Go visit my website to get on my email list and recieve weekly emails with the latest podcast episode with added tips and added resources. Visit www.focusforwardadhd.com to schedule a free ADHD coaching consultation.
I hope you all are well and take this opportunity to celebrate your spontaneity!
"You took my ______!" "That's not fair you have_________!" " I want _________ now!" Sound familiar!?
One of the big challenges we face with multiple kids under one roof is sibling conflict! This becomes even more of a struggle when we have kiddos with highly intense emotions and trouble regulating those big emotions!!
I for one know that my kiddos who all have emotional regulation struggles, tend to break out in fights quite frequently and we have to be intentional to help lead them to resolving the conflict and finding ways to get along!
In this episode, we will explore WHY kids with ADHD and their siblings tend to fight more often and WHAT steps we can take to resolve the conflict more quickly and restore relationships through connection and better understanding!
Sneak peak of episode content:
"Why" may include:
- Feelings of jealousy, competitiveness, wanting to be included, feeling like things aren't fair, and the crazy one is seeking that negative pleasure of dopamine by stirring up conflict!!
- Being misunderstood, lack of knowlege around the struggles ADHD brings.
Now what can we do!?
- Connect through common interests
- Practice working together on things
- Create space and practice walking away to find calm when lava starts to boil up!
- Celebrate your siblings strengths/Encourage and compliment each other
- Respect your siblings space and give time, just like you want them to give you
- Practice gentleness, kindness, and self-control with words and actions
- Educate them on the WHY and how your emotions hijack your thinking brain sometimes! Understanding will lead to connection and compassion. This is a door to open to ask for help in the future if the sibling is able to!
Becoming self-aware of the WHY and choosing even just one or two steps to take toward connection before conflict will take you on a road to recovering those valuable sibling relationships!
Go to my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list for weekly episodes straight to your inbox with added resources. You can also check out my book, follow me on social media, and/or get on my schedule for a free ADHD coaching consultation! Find the right next step for you to grow on your ADHD journey!! Have a great day! Love you all!
Have you heard of ADHD and "MASKING!?" It was a term coined by Dr. Russel Barkely, who uses it to discribe how kids and adults with ADHD sometimes find ways to "camoflauge" symptoms and/or areas of struggle! For example, acting "too quiet and overly careful when in conversations with others or obsessively checking to see if they have things in the right place, or internalizing intense emotions, reacting in a way others expect vs how you actually feel, hold back urges to move body, and mimic peers in social situations in an effort to fit in or be liked! Sound familiar!?
I know it does to me! I think I covered most of what is on this list growing up! You may think, what is so bad about masking sometimes!? Well, in SOME ways it can be helpful, but in other ways it can be harmful. Let's unpack what is harmful and find some helpful strategies to work through those hurtful masking moments!
Why can it be harmful?
- Can result in guilt and shame to be burried deep.
- May prevent diagnosis that could be helpful in getting you the resources you need to succeed.
- Causes higher anxiety and internalized stress levels
- It's hard to truly know who you are and what your purpose is when covering up your true self.
How can we help?
- IDENTIFY which masking is helpful vs. harmful?
- PRACTICE working through symptoms and emotions vs avoiding them (This is where a therapist and/or an ADHD coach would be helpful.)
- CONNECT with like minded individuals and get involved in an ADHD community where you feel seen, heard and better understood!
Love you all and hope you can unmask to see the incredible human you were created to be!!
Check out my website at www.katelynmabry.com to sign up for my newsletter, check out my book, or book a coaching consultation with me! We are on this journey together remember! Have a great day!
Our ADHD brains can feel tricky sometimes. There are times where it feels so chaotic up there that a lot of time behavior follows suit and matching the wild ride of our thoughts and emotions. In these moments of mental overwhelm, we need to PRACTICE pausing and asking ourselves, "what does my brain and body need right now!?"
In this episode, you will start by hearing a joke from my friend, who is also an ADHD warrior! Sometimes your brain needs a little laughter! Next, we will talk about how we can ask ourselves this question and then explore different ways to help our mind and body find it's calm so that our emotional brain can rest and our thinking brain can help us make better choices with both words and actions!
As you can contiue to practice the PAUSE, which takes a lot of practice and consistency, I introduce some self talk strategies that will help you get to a better place before reacting to a highly emotional situation!
PRACTICE..."I will be slow to speak, quick to listen, slow to get angry." Again, it's never perfect, but with practice you can improve and become more mindful as you learn and grow through different triggers!
Check out my website at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to get on my email list to receive one email a week with latest episode and added tips! You can also go to www.focusforwardadhd.com to set up a free coaching consultation and discover if that could be the right next step for you and your child!
We are on this journey together!! Have a great week! You are all loved and appreciated!
AHHH! This can be such a tricky thing to do! Let's first discover WHY we have such a tendance to blurt out answers, thoughts, and feelings often at inappropriate times!?
- Struggle with impluse control
- We are afraid we are going to forget what we want to say!
- Struggle to prioritize time and place.
- The emotions hijack the thinking part of the brain and blurting is driven by emotion rather than intentional thought!
Knowing the why helps trusted adults respond to the struggle vs. treating it just as a problem to punish.
In this episode, you will hear from my buddy Isaac (9 years old) who shares his own struggle with blurting out in school and gives some tips and tools that have been working well for him to grow in this area! The three things he suggests are using "calm strips, squishy balls, and practice self-talk" as methods of keeping his hands busy while he waits for his turn to speak and the fidgeting allows for better concentration on the lesson as a whole!
I follow up Isaac sharing with three things to practice in preparation for those moments when you want to blurt out in class or in other social situations....
- Anticipate: Become more self-aware of the times/patterns of blurting!
- Prepare a plan: Once you can start anticipating when the blurting often occurs, you can then put a plan in place to practice leading up to those times!
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Practice using the tools and techniques that work best for your brain! For Isaac, he found the calm strips, squishy balls, and self-talk helpful...BUT for you those tools may look different! Here are a few more to try...
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Doodle pad
- Different types of fidgets (ie: jewelry, gum, quiet and stretchy (may need to be a little more durable so they dont break so easily as you put all that tension on it!)
- Alternate seating (wabble chair, ball chair, standing during lesson, band on legs of chair, etc.
- Take movement breaks when possible
I would love for you to message me with what works well for you!! This is where you want to channel that creativity and ask yourself, "what does my ADHD brain need!?"
Would you or your child like to send in an audioclip to share on a future podcast episode!? We would love to hear from them!! Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to learn more or just send me an authentic audioclip sharing about struggles, strengths or any other insights about living with and ADHD brain! Kids LOVE hearing from other kids and so do I!!!
Get on my email list at www.katelynmabry.com to get these episoded delivered directly to your inbox each Friday with added resources! You can also go to www.focusforwardadhd.com if you want to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what hiring an ADHD life coach would look like!
Can't wait to be with you again next week! Love you all! ~ Katelyn
This title came to me as I was working out at the gym today and so did the silly rap I decided to record at the beginning of this episode;) Too often shame is something that is tied to getting an ADHD diagnosis! Let's get rid of that ASAP!!
ADHD can feel like a game sometimes, doesn't it!? Trying to figure out how to play, what move to make, which tool/piece to use, and there is always strategy to figure out too!! One card that we need to make sure is not a part of our game is SHAME! This is a very intense emotion, often triggered by those fixed thoughts we talk about!
As ADHD warriors we can combat ways in different ways...Here are 5 ways that will hopefully help lead you down a path of progress from shame to shining your beautiful bright light!
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Bring any shame thoughts/feeling into the light/ share with trusted adult/friend.
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Unravel and pick apart shameful feelings to compare it to what is true!
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Detach what you do from who you are! What do you place your identity in!?
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Recognize triggers...What are your shame triggers? When you identify those triggers, then you can put them to rest.
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CONNECT with others! Shame often occers when feeling disconnected, so do the opposite and intentially connect with those you love and trust.
When you throw away the card of shame...you can play the card of confidence, the card of self- compassion, and the card of caring for others! That sounds like a pretty awesome game!!
Hop on my email list when you go to my website www.katelynmabry.com so you can get the latest podcast episode right in your inbox each Friday! I also add some more fun resources on there too!Wohoo! Message me if you want to submit an audio and be a star on an upcoming episode!!
You can book a free coaching consultation at www.focusforwardadhd.com. We can get rid of your shame card together!
Love you all!
I used this article below as a reference and guide while applying it to living with shame as an ADHD warrior!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201501/5-ways-silence-shame
CHORES...AHHHH! It has become such a bad word that kids are only motivated to do through incentives and money making. This is where I want to challenge you to make a mindset shift!
Instead of chores being a bummer, what if we look at them as an opportunity!?
An opportunity to grow confidence and self-esteem
An opportunity to feel more independent
An opportunity to learn life skills for your future
An opportunity to develop good habits
Gaining all of these things through this opportunity will allow you to live in a space that will make your mind happy. One thing we know is that our brain craves a clear space, but we have a hard time creating it!! Our struggle with executive function skills makes it tricky to get started, stay motivated, prioritize, organize, task switch, and simply finish the chore at hand!
This is where we need a PLAN! Ask yourself, "what does my brain need to be successful!?"
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BREAK chores down (Just like all other things...ONE step at a time and celebrate that success)
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Embed motivational tools (music, a preferred task to look forward to, make it novel and fun)
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Create a checklist or post-it system to stay on track (this is an added tip that is not included in this episode as I'm thinking about as I publish this ;)
You will also hear from Tate, who is one of my coaching clients. He was so nervous, but "did something hard" and was so brave to share his "power of chore" experience with you all! I would love to hear from more of you too! Go to www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list to recieve weekly episodes with added tips, and this is where you can email me with topic ideas, audio clips, and I would just love to hear how this podcast is helpful to you!
Love and appreciate each and every one of you!!
When we hear "you need to focus" that sends chills up your spine, doesn't it!? It sure does mine! Oh how I wish it were that easy! But in this episode you will be introduced to the word "FOCUS" in a whole new light as we see it through the lens of helping us connect with others in different environments!
Do you find it hard to connect sometimes? Whether it's an interaction with peers, connecting with trusted adults, or even having positive interactions with siblings at home...these can all feel a little harder due to the fact that social interactions often need some work when we live with and ADHD brain and that's OK! We all need work on areas of our lives!
In this episode you will meet Speech Language Pathologist and Parent Coach Angie Grandt who shares with us how to use this FOCUS accronym as a helpful tool for connection! Angie specializes with working parents and kids who have been adopted too! Such an awesome resource to have as you continue to form that connect with each other!
F igure out what you want to say
O bserve- Are they ready to listen?
C reate your message
U se your senses- Was your message understood?
S elf-correct if needed
Hop over to my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list to recieve a graphic with this acronym along with continue to recieve weekly episodes right to your email each Friday! You can also book a free ADHD Coaching consult with me or another highly qualified ADHD coach who is a right fit for you www.focusforwardadhd.com
Check out Angie's fabulous resources too! Book a free session with her @http://www.calendly.com/angiegrandt/freesession
Angie's social media connections:
FB: http://www.facebook.com/groups/connectedparentswithangie/
IG: http://www.instagram.com/connectedparentswithangie/
I still would absolutely love to feature your voice on this podcast! Please send a message if interested! Love you all!
Do you ever change your bedroom around when you get bored of the set up? Does your brain get excited when a novel idea comes flooding in!? That's because our brains crave novelty. This means that my brain craves novelty too and wants to change up my podcast intro song!! This is where you come in! I need your brilliant mind with it's creativity and out of the box thinking abilities to help me come up with a new intro for this podcast! Should it be a rap, more classical sounding, another fun ditty that sounds little different?! I want you to email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com with your thoughts and ideas!
I also want to encourage you once again to share your voice!! The more we know, the more we can connect and grow! When you send it an short audio clip of your personal experiences, struggles, strengths, areas of question, etc. We can highlight these things on this podcast, learn from each other, and bounce ideas of what tools and strategies are helpful, along with questions that may need clarification so you can take steps forward! Email me your audio clip or a request for a prompt/question that you can go off of! I want this year to be collaborative as we grow together on our ADHD journey!
If you'd like to take it one step further and look into ADHD Life Coaching, I'd love to set up a free consultation with you! You can set that up at www.focusforwardadhd.com. You can also check out my book and other resources on my personal website www.katelynmabry.com .
Love you all and can't wait to hear from you!
Make a New Year resolution they say!? Our ADHD brains say NOPE! Instead, let's create micro goals to practice and turn into HABITS! Creating habits allow you to do things without needing those executive function skills that are so tricky for us so often!
"Easier said then done" you say!? You are absolutely right! This is why you need a plan to create the habit. Set yourself up for success by setting alarms, reminders, post-it notes, visual checklist on a visible calendar (the key it to be sure it is in your face!) Try different tools and strategies until you discover what works best for YOUR brain!
In this short but sweet episode, I recap some past take-aways as I encourage you to celebrate strengths, reflect and respond to some changes you'd like to make, habits you'd like to create in 2023, along with the question of how you plan to take steps to get there. Step by step and day by day you need to give yourself grace, practice lots of self compassion, be in tuned with your mindset and intentional about growing in all areas.
I want to make it a habit in 2023 to have more of you ADHD warriors as guests on this podcast. Please email me an MP3 audioclip sharing thoughts, tips, or things to try on your ADHD journey (katelynmabry4@gmail.com) I will use your clip as an topic prompt and feature it on a future episode!
You can visit www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve weekly episode updates with added resources! If you are interested in hiring an ADHD Life Coach, you can go to www.focusforwardadhd.com to set up a free consultation.
Love you all! Happy New Year!
We hear, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" This is true for many and I for one am so grateful for what this season brings! As much a Christmas and the holiday season in general brings good cheer, it can also feel like a time of choas and disorder with all that is going on over the break!
In this episode you will hear my little ditty, "Hey Hey Hey, Ho Ho Ho, It's holiday season and we need to know, what to do over break, when we come prepared it's a piece of cake!" Corny I know, and you will hear that my 10 year old isn't amused by my rhyme, but I'm hopeful it will be helpful to you!! Entering into break with a predictable plan will help you to feel more in control of those big intense emotions that often comes with the unknown. Remember, we crave order, but have a hard time creating it! This is why intentionally coming up with some sort of structure during break will be a helpful tool to use! Also, savor any extra rest given! Your brain and body will thank you for it! I give tips in this episode to stay hydrated, eat protien first thing in the morning, and make sure to get that body moving too!! The last part of the episode I share 3 R's to try to do during break. REST...REFLECT...RENEW! As I stated before, rest when you can to strengthen and grow that busy brain. Reflect on what tools and strategies work best for your brain and continue investigating what you can continue to try to tie into your day to make your brain and body happy! Continue to Renew that mind on a daily basis! On average, kids with ADHD hear 20,000 more negative comments before the age of 10!! That just hightens the negative self-talk that we too often let live in our heads! This doesn't have to be the way it is!! Choose daily to move those negative thoughts aside and push forward those growth thoughts that speak love and strength into your mind and heart!
Trusted Adults!!! Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve a weekly email with the latest episode along with more tips and resources! Also, please message me if your kiddo would like to share his or her thoughts on the show! Kids feel even more empowered hearing from other kids!
Sending hugs and love to all of you celebrating Christ's birth and/or simply celebrating with friends and family holiday season!
Do you ever look around and think, "why are they doing that faster than me?" or "why is it taking me more steps to get this project done?" If so, you are absolutely not alone! Sometimes it feels things come easier to those around us and we work so hard for the same goal or result! Right!?
This is because our ADHD brains need us to show it some compassion and find the way that it figures stuff out best! We need to honor the fact that we are out of the box thinkers and at times things need to be looked at or presented differently so we can fully understand it. More steps, visuals, lists, whatever it takes isn't wrong, but simply your own unique way...that's OK!
In this episode, you will hear from Melanie Buckley, who is a therapist who works with kids and adults with ADHD. She lives in Denver Colorado and works for a wonderful mental health company called, "Family Care Center." Melanie herself was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 6 and has very personal and professional insite into this topic at hand. She shares her own experience with this feeling of doing things at different rates or in different ways and gives wonderful analogies to better understand and feel more confident in the way your brain learns best! She explains that 2+2=4, but you may it may make more sense that 3+1=4 in your mind. This is a visual of how we can get to to same result or goal by taking different paths. Same holds true for doing a project. You want a wall to be painted blue...Your friend may paint it in two steps and with one paintbrush and you may paint it in 5 steps and use more paint tools to finish it up! Neither way is right or wrong, it's simply unique to the way each of you feel most comfortable and confident gettiing it done!! Malanie is a great resource and you can find out more about this amazing company at https://www.fccwellbeing.com/clinic-locations/colorado-springs/.
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve the latest podcast episode straight to your inbox each week. I also included added tips and resources that may be helpful for you on your journey. You can also snag a copy of my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD." This is a great conversation starter and makes a great teacher gift too!
Can't wait to be with you again next week! Love you all!
Abolutely hypersensitive senses can be a trait that those of us with ADHD have! This is also something that can trigger emotional dysregulation or other misguided reactions due to low self-awareness. In this episode, you will start out hearing from our 8 year old friend Geovanne who has a brilliant ADHD brain like you and I do. He shows his vibrant personality and great sense of humor as he shares his strengths of creativity, along with having a strong "sniffer!" I ran with this point he made because I think many of us can relate!
This episode is meant to ignite self-awareness and conversation around hypersensitivities you may be facing both at home and at school. It's important to name these and bring them to light so that you can find ways to take care of your needs in those hypersensitive situations. Everybody is different and responds well do different tools and strategies. That's why I want to leave you with this as a discussion piece to unpack a little! We can revisit this topic in more detail durine future episodes!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list and recieve up to date episodes with added resources. You can also reach me on my site to submit your own audio or to set up a free coaching consult with me go to www.focusforwardadhd.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Love you all!
Do you even feel anxious in different situations and you wish you had something to do to help your mind and body find calm!? Look no further!
In this episode, you will meet Michael and Luce who are the cofounders of Calm Strips. This brilliant product sticks on and off of any surface (phone, ipad, desk, etc.) and has texture that helps calm your nervous system when that anxious energy strikes! Not only do they have texture, but also come in a variety of designs, while also offering breathing techniques too! This multi-purpose tool can be helpful during test taking, homework time, or even used to ease those big emotions that can come when stuck in traffic! It's a great tool for kids and trusted adults alike! Michael shares that kids seem to enjoy trading the stickers as well, which is a great way to promote inclusion of the tool among peers. They are a helpful tool that also look cool!
You can connect with Michael or Luce and learn more about how you can get your own set of calm strips at www.calmstrips.com. This would make a great stocking stuffer or teacher gift!
Go to my website www.katelynmabry.comto get on my email list and recieve the most recent podcast episode each week with additional tips and resources! And if ADHD Life Coaching is on your radar, go to www.focusforwardadhd.com to set up a free consultation! I would love to dig deeper with you and your kiddos to help ensure you are thriving as you continue find what works best for you and your ADHD brain!
Did you know that movement actually has the power to help your brain grow and function better throughout the day!? It's true!
In this episode, you will meet Dr. Patrick LaCount who is a Psychologist from Fort Collins Colorado. Dr. LaCount specializes in helping those living with ADHD explore how their brains are built and how to individually thrive using customized treatment! One thing he is most passionate about is encouraging those with ADHD to get their bodies moving!! He shares how movement releases those endorphins, norepinephrine, and dopamine of course! These joy chemicals not only make us feel emotionally better, but also improve focus, motivation, and productivity, along with memory benefits and overall improvements in executive function skills. He shares the greatest secret about movement and that is the fact that it actually acts like water to our growing minds! We are not only exercising our bodies, but our brain reeps the benefit of getting stronger as well!! Wohoo!
Movement to start your day, throughout breaks in the day, and/or before an activity that requires focus is a great way to incorperate the joy feeling along with all the benefits of what movement releases to your brain! YES, it is HARD sometimes to get your body moving, especially when you just don't feel like it! BUT, this is when we encourage you to investigate that mindset and MAKE your body move! Your brain will thank you for it!
You can find Dr. LaCount at www.practicalpsychservices.com where you can learn more about him and his services as well as discover other ways to connect with him!
Hop on my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list to recieve my weekly episodes sent straight to your inbox with additional tips and resources.
Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends and I celebrate all of your around the world as I am thankful for each and every one of you!!!
Love you all!
ADHD is a neurological difference that research shows often runs in the family! In this episode, we talk about why it is important to get your ADHD diagnosis so that it can act as a roadmap for how your brain works differently. On this journey you will discover which Executive Function skills are extra tricky, they why behing big, intense emotions, what it means to have rejection sensitivity in relationships, and so much more! Investigating these things allows you to lean into your strengths as you continue to put tools in your toolbox to work through the struggles. The more we know, the more we grow!
I also share this new and upcoming online diagnosis option. Go to https://get.donefirst/katelyn to check them out. I was honestly hesitant at first, but after talking with founders of this company, I hear the passion and urgency to help people who are wondering if they might have ADHD and want to figure out next steps. They work to better themselves as an online option day by day. After a quick free assessment, you are partnered with a licensed Psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD (these can be hard to find in your area). Once diagnosed, you will be offered an individualize treatment plan. They do offer medication and as you all know, I feel this can be a helpful TOOL given the correct type and amount, however your treatment should never stop there! They offer 24/7 customer care and resources on their site. Please know that different treatment options work for different people, but this is a great way to skip a long line and discover the explanation behind the challenges faced. Please let me know how your experience is with them!
If you are diagnosed, you can look into more resources at www.katelynmabry.com. Check out my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" as a conversation starter and print out my printable facial expressions as a follow up activity to begin identifying those big emotions. 1:1 Coaching is another option I offer. I am currently booked, but am taking clients come the New Year! Visit www.focusforwardadhd.com to schedule a free consultation and learn more! You were made to thrive with the incredible brain you've been given! I am here for you!
Love you all!
Raise your hand if you hear "I'm bored" or you struggle internally with this thought!!? We have busy brains, what can be boring about that;) This is a common struggle that those of us with ADHD brains have because we are constantly seeking that dopamine and when we are low, we feel a deep sense of bordom.
In this episode, you will hear from Dr. Tish Gentile, who is a doctor of health and science from New England. She is an ADHD advocate and mentor as she shares her personal story of growing up with ADHD and has a passion for helping others on their journey!
Keep listening as we dive deeper into the hot topic of bordom! Dr. Tish shares her personal reaction to bordom being getting in fights with her siblings, impulsive shopping and more! She encourages listeners to be patient with yourself as you learn to respond best to your brain. The first step is identifying those moments of bordom and how you are in the habit of reacting. If it's with big, intense emotions and unhealthy habits, then look at tools you can add to your toolbox or strategies you can try to discover new habits to form in those moments. Allow your brain to be creative and expressive. Ask yourself, "how can I entertain my brain?"
You can find Dr. Tish on IG @ truly_tish_adhd... there is a link in her bio to find her blog and podcast! She says to send her a direct message if you have any questions too! Wohoo!
As always you can visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list so you can get my weekly emails that include the newest episode along with further resources and tips to try! You can also order a copy of my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" if you'd like another recource for jumpstarting that conversation about ADHD! Please message me with questions or set up a consult if you'd like to learn more about coaching!
We are on this journey together! Love you all!
Do you ever feel like you are in a constant state of forgetting things or unsure of what to do next!? This is because working memory, organizing, prioritizing, and even task switchig can feel tricky for our ADHD brains!!
This is also why you NEED to practice the strategy and use tools that get visual reminders/checklists/schedules IN YOUR FACE!
Investigating this area of struggle and discovering which "in your face" systems work best for your brain will allow for you to feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your day.
In this episode, you will meet behavior specialist Megg Thompson, who shares with us the value of visual support as she shares some great tips and tools to try both in school and at home!
The big take away to try is a mini-visual accountability checklist to have attached to the outside of your backpack in order to make your morning and after school routine of getting everything to and from school go smoother! This also grows confidence and independence!
Visit Megg on her website at www.meggthompsonbehavior.com for more resources and to follow her on all her other social media platforms! She creates fun filled content that is super informative too!
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list so that you can get weekly episodes sent each Friday, along with other tips, tools, and takeaways!
Have a great day! Love you all!
This episode took a turn when my 10 year old ADHD warrior sat at my desk and said, "mom! I want to record an episode on my own!" What started off as a quick audio recording, turned into her taking notes and sharing some of her ADHD journey with you all, along with some tools and strategies that she finds helpful!
I just had to run with it and turn it into this episode! Validating her voice, thoughts, and feelings is empowering to her and I hope that this episode empowers you to share your journey too! Too often we tie shame to getting diagnosed with ADHD, but that is something we can change! Shame only lives in our minds if we allow it to. The way we present our differences to ourselves and each other will steer self- confidence and self- esteem.
This being the last episode of ADHD Awareness Month, I wanted to really encourage you to practice that self-awareness of how your brilliantly created brain works differently, so that you can first celebrate the strength while you name and tackle the struggles head on with the tools and strategies that work best for you!
Again, I know I have touched on this topic, but that's how important it is!! We often need to hear things at least 3 times, for me even more to really comprehend and begin making a change! Let's continue on this journey together one step at a time!
Sign up for my weekly newsletter on my website www.katelynmabry.com, where you will recieve my latest podcast episode, along with some more added resources!! Please reach out if you'd like to send it an audio clip of your child sharing part of their ADHD journey!!! Kids absolutely LOVE to hear from each other!! Another reason I had to push this episode ahead so your kiddos can hear from my little lady! Have a great day! Love you all!
Coming up...episodes on things needing to be "in your face" in order to remember them and a fabulous psychologist friend is coming on to share the reality of ADHD and bordom! You won't want to miss it!
Confession time...When I was a young teen, I started picking my eyebrows and eyelashes. What started as a repetitive behavior when my brain was anxious or dysregulated, quickly turned into a habit that I was ashamed of and didn't want anyone to know about. Who else can relate?
In this episode, you will meet Aneela Idnani who is also a habitual hair puller (suffering from the medical term "trichotilomania"). Aneela felt the shame and confusion of hair pulling as a pre-teen all the way into her adult life. She was caught picking by her husband who came alongside her to come up with a brilliant bracelet called "Keen2" that you wear to help become more aware of not only hair pulling, but also nail biting, and skin picking. You can actually train the bracelet to vibrate when you are in the area of picking or pulling. This is what Aneela calls giving you a "hug on the wrist" as a reminder to take care of yourself in that moment. This awareness is the first step to taking control of this habit.
Check out more about the Keen2 bracelet and find other fantastic resources on Aneela's website www.habitaware.com . Better understanding these conditions and growing awareness also encourages compassion and a better response from loved ones as well! It's not as simple as "just stop!" This is a journey also that you don't have to travel alone!
You can alway check out my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve the lastest podcast episode each Friday with additional resources. Please reach out of you want to schedule a coaching consult or be a guest on an future podcast episode!! I'm here to support and encourage you any way possible!
Love you all!
Have you done a self-assessment/reflection lately of what tools you are using to make your days successful? This might sound like an adult thing to do, but kids need to do this too!
In this episode, you will first hear a song, sung impromptu, by my 6 year old ADHD warrior! She sings of heartbreak and being on this ADHD journey together in her own sweet way! ADHD can be a challenging journey if its traveled alone and without any tools for success!
I encourage you to dig into your toolbox to find what you are using that works and which tools you are missing in your day to day life to succeed and thrive!
Is your working memory a struggle? Do you have reminders set, visuals in place, or post-its in your face to help you remember? Do tasks/assignments feel overwhelming? Then are there tools in your toolbox to break things into chunks (checklists, only do ONE step at a time and celebrate it when completed!) Are you late due to time blindness? Then discover a tool that you can use to help you manage time better (ie: visual timer, alarms, set clock ahead, use Alexa, etc.) Are you completely disregulated emotionally? Then which tools can you use to find your calm? (ie: breathing techniques, going to a calming corner, coloring, fidgeting, get moving in some way!) Movement is fantastic tool that you can pull out to help east all executive function challenges as it releases chemicals that our brains crave to calm down!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve weekly episodes with added tips and resources! Send me a message if you'd like to be on my show too! I'd love to hear from you! Or leave a review to help others see how this podcast has been helpful to you!
Love you all! Have a great week!
Go to www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list and recieve the latest podcast episode each week with additional resources on the topic at hand!
Welcome back to episode 101! We made it past 100 and I am super excited to learn and grow alongside you all. Thank you for being here on this ADHD journey with me!
Side Note: This episode runs a little longer because of the extra treat I share at the beginning...
During this episode, you will first hear my absolute favorite parody "ADHD-"Under the Sea" written and performed by Tye Holderness (Holderness Family Music). I literally listen to this on a regular basis because it makes me smile and I hope it makes you smile too as you connect to the lyrics, feeling seen and heard! Check out the entire music video on YouTube!
In this episode, you will also meet ADHD Life Coach Tyler Dorsey who shares the number 1 things she wants kids to know about their ADHD and we discuss how ADHD can feel like you are lost in the woods on a journey, wrestling with wild animals, AKA challenges, but that coaching can help lead you on a path to thrive each day as you discover what works best for your beautifully unique brain!
You can learn more about what ADHD life coaching is at www.focusforwardadhd.com and set up a free consult to find if coaching with me or another specialized coach would be the right fit for you!
Also check out www.katelynmabry.com if you'd like to order my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD", request info on having me as your child's ADHD advocate for school, or to send me a message sharing an episode topic idea! I always love to hear from you!!! Love and appreciate each of you!
AHHH! We made it to episode 100!!! Wohoo! To celebrate in a special way, this episode starts off with some of our fabulous ADHD warrior friends who were brave to share their personal strengths and gifts with us!! I always love to hear from my listeners, so please reach out if you would like to send in an audio clip for a future episode!
You are in for a treat with this episode as you will hear from Brittany Hochstetler who is a certified Brain Health Professional, an M.A. in Positive Psychology, and focuses soley on ADHD. She and her 11 year old son live with ADHD brains too! She is passionate about sharing what is at the heart of getting to know your ADHD brain better and the best thing you can do when faced with the challenges of ADHD!
You guessed it...she shares how identifying and celebrating the unique gifts and strengths that you possess is a key to growing on your journey! She also shares a great experience with her son struggling with his working memory, but instead of dwelling on that, she celebrates how is a natural leader and salesman! She shares the story of Author, David Pilkey, who wrote the famous "Captain Underpants" series, yet struggled to stay focused in school as a child. It's a story of hope and perserverence.
You can find Brittany on IG @adhdbrainhealth and update this description with her website once it is up and running!
You can visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to check out my book, or to reach out for a free coaching consult www.focusforwardadhd.com! I am here for you during all of your phases and stages of your journey!
Love you all!
Do you feel like your emotions feel like a rollercoaster at times!? That's because they are often on the wild ride of emotional dysregulation! In this episode, you will meet Dr. Carrie Jackson, a brilliant child phychologist from San Diago California, who specializes in the ADHD brain!
In this episode, Dr. Carrie dives deeper into what emotional dysregulation looks like, how we experience it, and gives a great technique to use to calm/slow down those rollercoaster of emotions! The technique is called the "temperature skill." This is when you take an ice pack, a really cold wash cloth, or a cold bath/shower to calm your big emotions down. The ice cold against your forehead/body will phycially slow your heart rate down and calm your entire body with your mind and emotions following suit. I'm excited for you to hear what other animal does this to calm itself down! Can you guess?
Dr. Carrie is also a professor at the University of San Diago, as well as a speaker and content creator in our ADHD community! You can find her on Instagram @i.parent.therapist or visit her website www.iparentadhd.com to learn more about her and the resources she has to share!
If you want to take a next step on your ADHD journey, you can visit www.focusforwardadhd.com to book a free consult call and discover if myself or another coach would work best for you!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, or to reach out if your kiddo would like to be on a future episode!! I love hearing straight from the mouths of kids who are living with ADHD! We are on this journey together! Have a great day! Love you all!
Do you struggle with big, huge, intense emotions that effect your mind and body too!? I know I sure do and so do so many of us living with ADHD. This is because it can be super hard for our busy brains to regulate our big emotions in moments of stress, overwhelm, lack of sleep, or other reasons too!
In this episode, I share the STOP method with you. This is one of many methods to try calming your mind and body down leading up to those moments of chaos.
S tep away from the situation (physically remove yourself- take a break to practice that pause to take these next steps...)
T ake a breath that works best for you! I share some options, including, snake breathing, box breathing, or belly/balloon breaths.
O bserve-Use senses to redirect attention on what you see, taste, smell, see and feel! Or you can hyperfocus on one small thing and think about the details of that thing (ie: A bug on the ground, or a piece of art in the classroom.)
P roceed- Once your mind and body feel that sense of calm again, you can proceed with what you were doing and repeat the STOP method when needed.
This is just one of many grounding/mindful methods that you can try! Everybody is different and responds differently to techniques. It's all about trial and error to find what works best for you!
I also share in this episode that I am now an ADHD Life Coach with a fantastic company called "Focus Forward." You can discover more about this helpful resource and schedule a free consultation at www.focusforwardadhd.com .
I would love for you to leave a podcast review or visit my website to check out my book and other resources at www.katelynmabry.com
Please email me if your child would be interested in being a guest on this show! It's a great way to gain confidence and grow! Have a wonderful week!
This interview is a little longer than normal episodes, but everything our guest said was so powerful that I didn't want to cut any of it out! This might be a great episode to listen to in parts!
RJ Porfilio is an ADHD Life Coach from Denver Colorado. He lives with ADHD and has now started a coaching business for adults with ADHD. Diagnosed at a young age and with a history of working with kids, RJ is the most wonderful individual to listen to as he shares his ADHD journey of how he felt he wasn't smart enough or good enough at times, gives great visual examples (i.e. we are like Spiderman who took time to learn how to use his powers), and gives a beautiful account of how brilliant you truly are as you navigate struggles with trusted adults and lean into your many strengths/superpowers!
Jump into this episode as you step on the platform to take a deep dive into your own ADHD mind!
You can find RJ on his IG page (@rj.ilio) with great reels and helpful content, or to schedule a discovery coaching call with him!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD", or contact me about being a guest on my podcast!
Let's start with credit to my friend and music artist, Matthew West, who wrote and sang the song you hear near the beginning of this podcast. It is titled, "Never Ever Give Up!" You truly all are extrodinary and at times our thoughts tell us a different story!
In this episode, we revisit the topic of growth mindset. I discuss how to capture and throw your fixed thoughts in jail, while transforming into a growth mindset train of thought! These visuals will give you something to take away and have a great conversation with!
Check out my website @www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to contact me with topic ideas or to be a guest on this podcast!
Raise your hand if the thought of a new school year brings about ALL the feelings?! I know it does for me too! You are not alone! This is something I think MOST kiddos can connect on and those of us with ADHD simply sometimes feel that anxiety at a more intense level and think more often about the unknowns, uncertainty, and all the newness of an upcoming school year!
That's why in this episode, I will share some things to try to get your body, mind, and emotions ready for the upcoming year. We talk about planning a PREDICTABLE ROUTINE for school mornings to gain confidence getting out the door. Practicing a GROWTH MINDSET is the foundational key to easying those anxious thoughts and replacing them with truth and problem solving strategies in your back pocket! Acting as your own best advocate going into the new classroom is another goal to have. This is something that is gradually accomplished after having many meaningful conversations with your trusted adult about what to expect, how to respond to different scenarios, and IDENTIFY/NAME the many thoughts, feelings, and EMPOTIONS going into the year!
Parent Note: Please know that every child responds differently and these tools/strategies given are merely those to try out to see if they would be helpful for your individual child. I will do follow up episodes talking more about how to respond to different scenarios when actually in school. This episode is meant to help ease anxiety and promote a peaceful start to your school year!
Visit my IG account @journey_with_me_through_adhd or my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources! You can now order the newest release of my best selling book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" on Amazon! I recently lost reviews during the rerelase and would appreciate you leaving a review too! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Love and appreciate you all!
BOUNDARIES are one of those super important topics that we don't talk about enough and often times we have a hard time creating them with ourselves and others!
In this episode, you will meet my new found friend and fellow mama, Izzie Chea. She is an ADHD advocate/story teller who is raising two boys, one of which is an ADHD warrior too!
Izzie shares what boundaries are, how you can create them with different people, and in different environments. The takeaway she wants to leave with you all is, "boundaries help me love myself and others at the same time!"
You can find Izzie on Instagram @izzieandadhd for some great story telling content that will help you feel seen, heard, and understood!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list, order my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD," or contact me for a free 15 min. coaching consult!
Hey friends! In full transparency, this episode dives a little deeper into mentally, emotionally, and physically experiencing and expressing hurt when living with an ADHD brain. Too often your hurt is hidden and then projected onto those you love the most and then relationships are affected! I bring the statement "hurt people, hurt people" to life as we navigate the different types of hurts and two takeaways of how you can transform from hurt into healing!
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Identify and name the hurt you are experiencing and how you are hurting others because of that hurt. Be intentional about taking steps to release and work through the hurt so that you go from stuck to successfully finding strategies/armor that work for you.
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Practice forgiving yourself and others. Forgiveness allows you to stop the cycle of hurt to your own self- esteem and confidence. Forgiving others allows you to find peace in your heart and release resentment and anger that may have been stuffed inside!
I know this is a deep episode, but I think it is super important to have these conversations at young ages so that they can practice healthy habits and break the cycle of hurt.
Please leave a REVIEW and visit my website @ www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list, to buy a copy of my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD", or to set up a free 15 min. coaching consult for you and/or your child! I look forward to hearing from you!
AHHH! Our ADHD brains CRAVE a daily structured routine, but our busy brains have the hardest time CREATING it!! Some days feel impossible to navigate and this is why getting help to put a structured routine in place is a must!
In this episode, you will learn all about WHY our brain craves a structured routine and HOW we can help our brains find success in this area of struggle!
WHY does your brain love structured routines???
🌟It PROVIDES organization and predictability, which helps us regulate emotions and feel more externally in control in our environment.
🌟It PREVENTS more frequent conflicts. The predictability helps us find more success in coping with stress and anxiety!
🌟It PROACTIVELY builds skills and habits which makes our busy brain so happy to experience success in those skill and habit areas (chores, activities, meals, etc.) HOWEVER executive function challenges need to be taken into account and accommodations may need to be made in this process of growing more independent in some skills…
🌟It PRODUCES more confidence and improves self-esteem as you can continue to set you kiddo up for success within a structured routine! Plus, if it’s a family affair, they don’t feel singled out!🙌🏽❤️
HOW can you help your brain create a structured routine?
🌟CREATE a daily schedule of events (prepare a predictable plan…limit choices and break big activities into smaller, more manageable things/tasks to do.)
🌟CUSTOMIZE it to you and your child’s need. Include brain breaks, movement activities, visuals, visual timers, even time for being spontaneous…
🌟CONNECT: Continue to check in and connect with your child and self-check if there is a need for flexibility or a need to include what our brains also crave…INTERESTS, NOVELTY, URGENCY, or even a dose of DOPAMINE!!
You will hear about all this and more when you listen in! Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list, order a copy of my book, or even reach out and share a topic idea! I am also always looking for kiddos to share on the podcast too! I would love to hear from you!
" Why fit in when you were born to stand out!" Dr. Suess was on to something with this quote! Too often being "different" is tied to a bad thing and ALL kids struggle with the desire to just want to fit in with their peers. This challenge is greater for those of us with ADHD, because many kids and adults put on masks and try to cover up their unique traits and tendancies to be liked by others.
In this episode, I share my own personal experience of trying to fit in as a kid and then you will hear from 10 and 12 year olds who share their experience with trying to fit in and practicing ways to stand out! This is a great conversation opportunity!
Being your true self will attract authentic/real friends and allow you to gain confidence in the unique way you have been created! Letting your true self shine through your gifts, strengths, traits, and abilities is when you will experience real joy in life with people who get you or love you for who you are!
Go to www.katelynmabry.com to get on my email list! Please contact me with any future epidsode topics or to share a part of your child's ADHD journey.
A FEW NOTES: Please forgive my audio quality as I experienced difficulty with my microphone this episode, but wanted you to hear from Dr. Kojo! Also, this is a longer episode that you may want to listen to in two parts. Lastly, I have been doing every other week due to family struggles, but I will be starting up with every week again after this week! Thank you all for being here and for listening! I hope it is helpful!
You guys are in for a treat with this episode!! We have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Kojo Sarfo, who is a mental health nurse practicioner, a psychotherapist, and a social media content creator with over 2 Million followers across his platforms! He creates relatable and educational videos and skits for all to enjoy. Dr. Kojo not only works with individuals with ADHD, but he also lives with an ADHD brain that he is learning about right alongside all of us!
In this episode, you will hear from Dr. Kojo about this struggle with time management and how it effects all areas of his life. He then shares some tools and strategies he puts into place to help with that battle. He also shares his strength of getting things done under pressure and being able to connect with others who have challenges like he does. All of his insights, knowledge, and experience he shares is so valuable.
You can find Dr. Kojo Sarfo primarily on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. His handle is @drkojosarfo.
Check out my website at www.katelynmabry.com to schedule a FREE coaching consultation, to grab a copy of my book, or to get on my email list for more resources!
WARNING: I know this can be a tricky topic, but I think it's important for kids to hear. This episode is simply meant to be informational and act as a conversational guide, if medication is a route you are choosing to take. This interview is not promoting medication. It does simplify the explanation of what ADHD medication is used for, while also taking any shame out of it, and allowing you to gain knowledge about how it works.
You will hear from Pharmacist and fellow ADHD brain, Michelle Lum. She gives great visuals and explanations of what ADHD medication is and how it can be one piece of armour one can use in environments that are not condusive to your uniguely wired brain!
Note: This is a 10 minute episode, so you may want tolisten to it in parts!
You can find Michelle at www.michellelum.ca
You can also check out my book, get on my mailing list, or book a free coaching consultation at www.katelynmabry.com
ADHD and procrastination go hand in hand! This is because when we are faced with a task to do, there are a lot of executive function skills needed to start, carry out, and complete that task! There is also the overwhelm factor, avoidance due to fear of failure, or even the mere fact that the task at hand is super boring to our brains!!
In this episode, we will talk about "why" we procrastinate and some steps to take to move from procrastination to productivity!
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Setting visual timers
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Breaking tasks into bite size pieces
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Self-advocate for interests, novelty, urgency, and doses of dopamine.
The biggest takeaway is having a conversation about what you procrastinate about and how you can best help your brain battle that tendency to conquor the tasks ahead! What steps do you need to practice in your home or at school to tackle procrastination head on?
Sign up for my upcoming newsletters for more resources at www.katelynmabry.com
Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share episode topic ideas or if your child would like to share on this podcast!
Do you hear a lot of " I can't" or "I always" or I'm not good at..." Often times our brains can go to the extreme and hang onto the negative! This all or nothing thinking can take you down a slippery slope of fixed negative thoughts that leave you in a bad place mentally and emotionally! That's no fun!!
In this episode, you will hear a skit from actor and fellow ADHD brain Connor DeWolfe who gives examples of what it looks like to live with an all or nothing thought process! You will then learn what all or nothing thinking is and how to combat it with three steps to put into practice!!
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Identify what is really true.
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Define what your success looks like.
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Make bite size goals.
The key is to practice these things in all sorts of all or nothing thinking scenarios to exercise your brain to see the silver lining and find hope in those areas of frustration.
I am still looking for friends to share part of their journey with us or to give topic ideas for future episodes!
You can visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, or to message me about a free ADHD coaching consult.
Taking a test has always been a battle for me. How do you feel about taking a test? Growing up, it always made me feel like I wasn't smart enough and it would be so frustrating to feel like I was trying as hard as possible and still the test or even sometimes assignments didn't show my effort! With the testing going on around the US right now, I wanted to share an episode that speaks to the truth that 1. testing does not define you and 2. testing does not determine your capabilities or intelligence!
In this episode, you will hear my daughter and I attempt to turn "You Don't Talk about Bruno" into a song about testing. She then shares her feelings on taking a test and asks about yours! It's so important to have this conversation to be sure that there are no feelings of shame or lack of self-worth/confidence given a low score. It's also important to find fun and creative ways to practice for a test in colorful ways!
There is also hope in that each one of you have strengths and gifts that when used to learn something you love, they will lead you through the education you need, to a career you enjoy!
Please email me if you'd like to be a guest on this podcast, or if you have a topic idea to share... katelynmabry4@gmail.com
Visit my website: www.katelynmabry.com
Our busy brains love technology because it gives us some of the things we crave...It provides a dose of dopamine, it triggers that imaginitive state of mind, and ignites that superpower of hyperfocus as it taps into an interest we have! This sparks joy and even can be a way we find our "calm" at times!
The problem lies when it becomes TOO MUCH! Too much of anything can be dangerous. It can lead to emotional dysregulation, irritabilty, and can affect our sleep (which can heighten ADHD symptoms).
In this episode, you will hear from a few kiddos with ADHD who share how they feel when they are on their favorite technology device. I follow up this common thread of joy filled responses with how we can still enjoy technology while also created boundtries and coming up with a plan for when it is used. Creating a fun contract may be a great way to decrease frustrations with established boundries. Being mindful of technology before bed is the last take away I encourage as a helpful tool as we find ways to calm our mind and body down before falling asleep!
I hope this episode is a helpful conversational tool. Please know that it's meant to act as a jumpstart to finding what works best for your family! Please let me know if you have any questions or share what worked best for you!
Sending love and support always!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to set up a 15 min free consult for ADHD Coaching.
Email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share topic ideas or if your child would like to share on a future podcast episodes.
April Fools!! For my regular listeners, you may have been wondering if I was going to do an episode this week, but here I am one day late using April 1st as a perfectly good reason to delay the episode;)
My daughter, Alayna, joins me in the beginning of this episode as we play off of April fools day and talk about how laughter can be a great form of triggering motivation and joy into areas of struggle as well. Laughter gives a dose of dopamine and gives our mind that joy chemical it needs. Layni shares some ways that she embeds laughter into her day. She also admits that she is "always" finding herself bored! I think many of you can relate to that feeling too!
Boredom is not a symptom of ADHD, but it is a result of our brains neurologically needing more stimulation and entertainment. In this episode I share three ways to combat bordom both at home and at school...
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Embed/tie interests into activities. Use fidgets to do math or look up a Minecraft article to get reading time in. General boredom can ignite that creativity that is already a gift your mind has. Tap into that creativity and make up a game at home that includes something of interest, etc.
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Make yourself move! I say "make" because often ADHD paralysis becomes a struggle and you don't "want" to move...but getting creative with movement of ANY kind will battle boredom and also give that dose of dopamine that you are low in.
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Shorten activities and switch it up! Create novelty in what you do throughout your day. Plan on doing things in shorter time periods (draw for 5 min. Then go outside for 10 min. Next, come in for a snack for 5 more minutes) At school, advocate for changing environments to get work done or encourage teacher to change room around to keep it fresh. Encourage teacher to shorten lesson time periods of presentation as well. I know that can be hard, but super helpful for ALL students. Breaking things into smaller parts is the key!
I hope you enjoy this episode! Please email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like me to send questions so your child can share their ADHD journey on this podcast.
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to order a signed copy of my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD"
Thank you for being here! Love you all!
Transitions can be super tricky for your ADHD brain sometimes! Between being pulled out of a hyperfocus, being asked to use that "flexible thinking" executive function skill, and the emotional control required to wrap your "here and now" thinking around task switching can all just feel like too much! Do you struggle with transitions too?
In this episode, I introduce and ask you to practice 3 P's to make transitions more successful... Prepare a Predictable Plan! The 4th P "practice" is attached to all of our strategies! You can identify those tricky transition times, then prepare by deciding one what will come after that said desired activity. After preparing, you can make it predictible by setting a plan or structure of what will take place first, then the next expectation, task, or event.
Practicing these P's will encourage self-advocacy, independence, growth mindset, structure, and overall transition success.
Please send me an email katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you and/or your child would like to share part of your ADHD journey on this podcast!
You can also visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to order a copy of my children's book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD"
If you were to paint a picture of your ADHD brain, what would it look like? In this episode, you will hear from 11-year-old Kendall, who describes a beautiful chaos that would be hard to explain to others! Kendall also shares her greatest strengths, her areas of struggle, and the armor she uses to combat her struggle. She focuses on the working memory battle as she talks about forgetfulness. She also give a great "post-it" strategy that works for her on the days she needs to remember her flute. A post-it on a door is a great tool to use as a reminder, the key is that it is visible or it will be forgotten too!!
Kendall is a pleasure to hear from as she shares her kind heart for others and there are so many wonderful ways your child can connect with her in this episode.
Please send me a message if your child would like to share about his or her ADHD journey on this podcast! It's super simple...I email questions, you record on a voice memo, and then email the recording back...the rest is up to me!! Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com if interested!
Visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to buy my book, or to contact me about a free 15 min. coaching consultation call!
You are loved and appreciated! Thank you for being on this journey with me!!
This episode leads with strengths, while also tackling some of our ADHD struggles. Do you have a hard time processing information? I know I do at times and it can feel frustrating. You and I are not alone as Oliver shares his struggle with processing in this episode.
9-year old Oliver is so brave to share in this episode. He explains ADHD as a struggle to process things, so then I explain what that means (we will cover some more takeaway tools and strategies for processing in a future episode). Oliver also shares his strengths and deep pressure strategy to find his calm.
We also revisit the importance of "finding your tribe" of trusted friends and adults to make your ADHD journey that much more enjoyable. He shares how much his mom helps him learn and grow given that she deeply understands him because they share an ADHD brain too!
If your child would like to share part of his or her ADHD journey, please email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com . I can send prompting questions and/or your child can share what they would like others to know!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to order my book or for other resources.
I love and appreciate each and every one of you!!!
One of my goals on this podcast is to empower kids to let their voice be heard as an opportunity to gain confidence and self-esteem. Eight-year-old Addy wanted to share her persepective on living with and ADHD brain by inviting her peers to hear about her journey so you know you are not alone in how you think and feel.
Her transparency and honesty is so refreshing and filled with so many helpful connections and strategies.
What do your mind and emotions feel like having ADHD? What are your many strengths/gifts? What are the struggles that strike and what strategies do you use that help!?
You will learn about the "5,4,3,2,1" strategy to calm dawn. This is when you tap into your 5 senses to help your mind and body find calm after getting dysregulated/lose emotional control.
You won't want to miss all of the wisdom Ms. Addy has to share!!
Email me an audio clip of your child responding to the questions above if he or she would like to come on the podcast to share too... katelynmabry4@gmail.com
You can also check out my website to book a free 15 min coaching consultation call or to check out my book for kids, "Hi It's Me! I have ADHD."
Sending hugs and love to you all!
PLEASE NOTE: This episode is about shifting "I'm sorry" for having a hard time into "Thank you for..." I absolutely believe apologizing is required when you've hurt someone, shown disrespect, or flat out disobey an authority.
Now that we are clear on that, you can rest assure that this episode will give a fresh perspective on how to shift your "shame filled, self-doubt, and lack of confidence," to that of gratitude and growth!
Creating these habits at a young age will product more confident busy brains as you navigate through the "oops" moments with gratitude for grace and a chance to try it again another day or even in another way!
Please reach out if you would like to share about your ADHD journey on this podcast!! Kids LOVE hearing from other kids!!! It's a great way to connect and feel seen, while also taking a step of self-advocacy as you share what works best for your brilliant brain!!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" or to schedule a FREE 15 minute consult call with me if you'd like to seek additional personalized coaching.
Love you all! I hope you have a blessed day!
"Difficulty with frienships" isn't on an ADHD diagnosis, but it sure is something that many of us with supercharged brains struggle with at times. It can be hard to make and maintain friends. It's not something that often comes natural. Many kids need an adult to facilitate and/or practice the skill of being a good friend, while choosing friends wisely!
In this episode, I share my own challenges with frienships. You will also hear a few of your fellow listeners share their experience with friends.
The takeaway from this episode is to continue to talking through and practicing scenarios of how to respond to friends that will leave you learning and growing in the skill of friendship!
Please MESSAGE ME to share part of your ADHD journey on this show! www.katelynmabry.com
You can also find my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" on my website as a resource to share with friends so they can better understand how you think and feel!!
Angie Lee is a brilliant ADHD warrior who sees her brain as the ultimate gift that has driven her to be as successful as she is in the business she has built. In this episode she shares her unique ADHD journey as well as introduces the fact that our ADHD brains feed off of novelty!
How can you add more novelty to your environment at home and at school!?
Angie highlights the "hyperactive" piece of the ADHD puzzle. As we have talked about, we all present this differently and while some experience the hyperactive experience, others may not. In this episode, we encourage and empower those listeners to embrace and celebrate their extra energy and find ways to use it to help you learn new things and excell in life.
Please note that this episode does not negate the challenges ADHD brings, but it is meant to be a resource for leading with the strengths and gifts that drive your ADHD brain!
You can find Angie Lee at www.angielee.com where you can follow her in multiple ways! She also has a fabulous podcast for adults called "The Angie Lee Show!" She is as raw and real as you get! Love her and love you all!
Have a beautiful day and keep being you!
Feeling "overwhelmed" is something I hear from all ages with and without ADHD! The added challenge when you live with a supercharged brain is that while feeling mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, you don't always have the skill to break down the overwhelm on your own.
In this episode, I will share what it feels like to feel overwhelmed both at school and in life. I also share a simple, but helpful takeaway that you can try to keep that "ballooning" task in front of you from popping. My takeway hint is "one step at a time."
Shifting from I need to "try harder" to "I need to try it in a different way" can also easy the stress as you find what works best for your uniquely wired brain!
I am really hoping some of you are beginning to feel courageous to take the step of sharing your voice on this podcast. If not, that's ok too, I just know your friends listening would love to hear from you! Email katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you would like to share!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com to order my book or to schedule a free 15 min ADHD coaching consultion. I would love to be here for you any possible on this ADHD journey!
Sending my love and gratirude for you choosing to be here with me! Have a blessed day!
This episode is a call to all of my ADHD warriors out there. The #1 feedback I get from listeners is that you LOVE hearing other kids voices!! That's because we love to hear that we are not alone! It can be so hard to share about what you are thinking or feeling, and especially hard to admit that there are struggles. But in this episode I want to encourage and empower YOU to share your ADHD journey... including challenges, successful strategies used, strengths you celebrate, and even questions you may have about your brilliant brain! Your friends want to hear from you! Send an audio clip directly to my email, katelynmabry4@gmail.com and we will let your voice be heard on an upcoming episode!
Thank you for being bold and brave as you share your mind and heart with others! You are truly a gift and I am grateful for each and every one of you!
WARNING...This episode is a raw conversation with my two girls who are diagnosed with ADHD combined type. The sound may go up and down with conversation that doesn't fully depict the life we live with ADHD! This episode is a great opportunity to tune in with your kiddos and have them hear other kids openly and shamelessly talking about having ADHD. Sharing struggles but leading with strengths is our model. My girls share at different levels, and it shows the growth that takes place from newly diagnosed to a deeper level of self-awareness and understanding. This will be a lifelong journey of conversations, trial and erroring strategies, with learning/growth and celebration of strengths along the way!
If your child is interested in sharing his or her voice on this podcast, please email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
You can also find my book, "Hi It's Me! I have ADHD" on my website www.katelynmabry.com or schedule a free coaching consult call for even more support!
I hope you all have a blessed week! Sending my love and gratitude that each of you have chosen to invite me on your ADHD journey with you!
There are three types of ADHD. The first is the primarily inattentive type, which we will talk about in today's episode. The second is primarily hyperactive, which we will discuss in future episodes. The third is combined type, which is a combination of inattentive and hyperactive. I have ADHD combined type, how about you?
In this episode, you will hear from ADHD coach Damon Manley who has ADHD inattentive type. He shares his journey with you and you will learn more about what it means to experience this inattentive ADHD! It may surprise you and not be what you think! He shares his experience with hyperfocus and how it stems from actually maintaining focus on those things that pique his interest, such as sports and video games.
You can find Damon on his website www.winadhd.com where you can book a coaching call with him or connect with him on his social media channels!
You can also check out www.katelynmabry.com
Order my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" through my website, and receive it signed with a fidget zipper bracelet inside.
Please send me a message if your child is interested in sharing their own ADHD journey on this podcast! I would love to make their voices heard!
Living with an ADHD brain comes with challenges, but it also comes with some amazing superpowers too! How do you see your ADHD? Are you trying to fit in or stand out? Have you found your tribe of supercharged brains too?
In this episode, you will hear from my friend and fellow ADHD brain, Ryan Mayer. He is a performance and mindset coach who is on a mission to help others navigate through storms caused by ADHD. Ryan uses his first-hand experience to help others who are falling short at work and at home. He joins us on this episode to share his own ADHD journey, as well as encourage you to live a happier life with ADHD. Ryan uses empathy, enthusiasm, and education to empower you! Schedule a call with Ryan to see if his ADHD coaching is a good fit for you! www.ryanmayercoaching.com
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to order your signed copy of "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" today! All U.S orders will receive a zipper fidget bracelet with the book.
All international orders need to go through Amazon at this time, while my publisher and I work on how to adjust shipping for signed books ordered. Send me a message if you would like to navigate shipping with me and order a book directly through me! Thank you for your understanding.
Sending my love your way! Have a blessed day!
Sometimes it's hard for our all or nothing brains to stick with any sort of "New Year's resolution!" This is why, like everything else, we need to think outside of the box and take a different route to make changes to continue to grow in all areas of life!
In this short but sweet episode, you will be encouraged to choose a word to focus on or one step to take in the new year! It's super easy to beat yourself up over the challenges you face, but you can grow that mindset and practice training your brain to get stronger! The key is creating healthy habits and keeping those intrusive thoughts away, so you can find joy each day!
Please message me if you would like to share your ADHD journey on this podcast! It's so important that your voice is heard! You can email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
Check out my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD!" You can order a signed copy from my website and if you order before the New Year, I will send a zipper bracelet along with the personalized message! Visit www.katelynmabry.com to order now!
Why is getting an ADHD diagnosis important? So, you can learn about how your Ferrari brain works and then you are able to get the help you need with those "bicycle breaks." Just like you go see an eye doctor if you have a hard time seeing or a pediatrician (child doctor) if you are not feeling well. This is the same idea as finding the help you need with areas of ADHD struggle, as well as interest driven activities and ways of learning new things!
In this episode, you will hear from world authority in ADHD, Dr. Ned Hallowell! Dr. H is an incredible psychiatrist, who specialises in helping children and adults with ADHD. He has written tons of books, some that were best sellers, and he has played a pivotal role in introducing and driving our strength-based approach to ADHD! He shares how important it is to learn about your brilliant brain, he gives tips on how to start your day, and leaves you with a simple, but super valuable affirmation to remind yourself of..."I CAN!" You won't want to miss this final episode in this 3-part series!
You can find Dr. Hallowell on his website www.drhallowell.com for more resources and to check out his fantastic podcast called, "Dr. Hallowell's Wonderful World of Different!"
You can also NOW order SIGNED (personalized with your child's name) copy of my book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" right from my website www.katelynmabry.com
Visit me on IG @journey_with_me_through_adhd or if you are the trusted adult, you can join my FB group called "Journey with Me Through ADHD- Parent Support Group!"
Love all of you and your brilliant brains!
HE'S BAAAACK!! You are all in for a treat as this episode is the 2nd of a 3-part series interview with Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell. In this episode, Dr. H shares in detail how our ADHD brain works differently and gives some fantastic tools and strategies too. You will be reminded of the vast imagination that comes with having ADHD, also learning that because of that imagination and attention to so many things, we often miss things that others don't. He also talks about the value of friendship/connection, which also giving wonderful advice on how we need to choose friends wisely and work on not trying to please others to "fit in!" You will hear about this and more!
In case you missed the first part of the interview (episode 68) please take time to go back and listen as it is chalk full of valuable information!
As a reminder...Dr. Hallowell is a world-renowned psychiatrist who specializes in helping kids and adults with feelings and understanding how our ADHD minds work differently. He squashes the words deficit and disorder while making it clear that we carry unique traits that need to be managed and great strengths that need to be celebrated. Our racecar brains with bicycle breaks need a breaks specialist! You will learn so much from this New York Times best-selling author who has written 20 books all about different brain topics, especially ADHD. You can find his books and other resources on his website www.drhallowell.com .
It was an honor to do this interview as he has been on Oprah, 20/20, and many other aired interviews! He also is the founder of Hallowell ADHD Centers in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Seattle! He is one of the first doctors to ignite a deeper understanding of ADHD and the strength-based approach we all need to continue to foster and develop!
You can also check out Dr. H's newest podcast titled, "Dr. Hallowell's Wonderful World of Different."
I'm super excited to share that I just set up a system with my publisher where you can order directly from www.katelynmabry.com and I will be able to send you a signed copy of my book, "Hi It's Me! I have ADHD!" I would absolutely love to sign and send a book to you! Order TODAY!
I love each and every one of you! Have a super blessed day! I look forward to being with you again next week!
AHHHH! Interviewing Dr. Hallowell has been a dream of mine since starting this podcast and here is the 1st of a 3-part series of interviews with him!
If you don't know him yet, Dr. Hallowell is a world-renowned psychiatrist who specializes in helping kids and adults with feelings and understanding how our ADHD minds work differently. He squashes the words deficit and disorder while making it clear that we carry unique traits that need to be managed and great strengths that need to be celebrated. Our racecar brains with bicycle breaks need a breaks specialist! You will learn so much from this New York Times best-selling author who has written 20 books all about different brain topics, especially ADHD. You can find his books and other resources on his website www.drhallowell.com . It was an honor to do this interview as he has been on Oprah, 20/20, and many other aired interviews! He also is the founder of Hallowell ADHD Centers in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Seattle! He is one of the first doctors to ignite a deeper understanding of ADHD and the strength-based approach we all need to continue to foster and develop!
You can also check out Dr. H's newest podcast titled, "Dr. Hallowell's Wonderful World of Different."
Leave a review to let me know what you think of our interview and the podcast as a whole! Have a super blessed day! Each one of you are loved and appreciated!
Who else dreads the hustle and bustle of many mornings?! Once we open our eyes to start our day, a flood of executive function skills are being called on and that can just put you in a state of overwhelm and cause emotions to take over, going in a downward spiral if we let it! This is where you can make a choice and a change!! You are an ADHD warrior who can find the armor that you can put on each morning to make it run more smoothly and feel calmer. It may be a checklist, reminders and alarms set, a whiteboard with "to dos" written in order and then you get the satisfaction of erasing it when it's finished! Are you willing to identify the areas of struggle that are causing the chaos? Are you willing to create structure and routine that works best for you and your needs? Are you willing to build in time to find your own calm and space to get your mind filled with the dopamine it needs to feel more motivated, more focused, and ignited with a joy chemical that will start your day out in a positive direction?! This is all possible! You will be able to interact with this podcast and come up with your own morning success routine!
Send me a message at www.katelynmabry.com to share what is working best for you or email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like to guest on this podcast or even send me an audio clip sharing part of your ADHD journey!!
I hope you all have a super blessed day! You are loved and so valued! I love being here with each and every one of you!
Tomorrow many of us are celebrating Thanksgiving! Those of you from other parts of the world, I see you and am beyond thankful for you too! This is a fun episode where I talk with my daughter, who is 9 and also an ADHD warrior!
We chat about being thankful for the unique way she is wired and she shares some awesome insight and even gives a great resource. She is loving a workbook called, "Thriving With ADHD" https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-ADHD-Workbook-Kids-Self-Regulate/dp/1641520418/ref=asc_df_1641520418?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195683465658&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795260707197&psc=1
You can join in on this natural conversation we have about celebrating what we are thankful for in ourselves and how we are thankful for others! You may even find yourself laughing along with us! I am extremely thankful for each and every one of you!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to contact me about setting up an interview!
I hope all celebrating tomorrow have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Being "kind" sounds like such a simple thing to do, but honestly it takes a lot of practice to show kindness to others and yourself! In this episode, you will hear from Christina Dankert, who is a teacher, author, and mama of 2 kiddos. She will share more about the power of being kind to others and yourself!
Is there a kindness machine inside of you? If so, what does it look and act like?! How can you show kindness to yourself and others through your words and actions today?! Take time to reflect while you listen and learn the value of kindness!
You can find Christina and pre-order her book, "The Kindness Machine" from her website! http://Christinadankert.com
Visit my website if you'd like to schedule a free coaching consultation www.katelynmabry.com
I hope each of you have a day filled with kindness!
Do you ever think "Man, I am feeling so lazy?" This is a common misunderstanding when you live with an ADHD brain! The truth is that one big battle that we are faced with is something called "ADHD paralysis", which is when we are up against a big task and our mind goes on overload, we freeze!
In this episode, you will hear from actor and comedian, Connor DeWolfe. I share one of his "ADHD Tips" comedy skits. It will be a fun piece of the episode to listen to a few times. You will find humor, connection, and it will be a great conversation starter too! He mentions "ADHD paralysis" in the skit and that's what I run with for the rest of the episode!
You will learn how to combat this frozen state with movement, snacks, sunlight, music, and connection. Another thing that Connor mentions is body doubling, which is working alongside someone else! I hope you can take and apply these strategies the next time you are faced with feeling frozen!
Email me @ katelynmabry4@gmail.com with audio clips or to set up an interview to share your ADHD journey on a future episode!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to set up a free coaching consultation or to check out my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
Have a super blessed day! Love you all!
Does your mind go on a spiral rollercoaster when faced with even the simplest decision!? This is because our brains struggle to prioritize or organize our thoughts around the decision being made!! This challenge sends down a road of shame and discontent as we are left wondering which choice to make! If that is true for you, this is a great episode to listen to! You will hear my daughter share her breakfast battle and her struggle to pick out the right outfit in the morning! Then she asks you if its hard to decide too! I share some tips and tools to use in this decision making battle as you are encouraged to talk to someone you trust, ask reflective questions, and face the fear monster that often creates more of a problem deciding on things! Buckle up and join me on this episode and let the decision making begin!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to get on my mailing list, order my book, or set up a coaching call!
Stay tuned for the upcoming course that is being created for parents who are desiring to stay calm and stop being mad at your child's ADHD challenges! You won't want to miss the jumpstart deals being offered on this course! E-mail me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like details right away!
Have a super blessed day!
Have you ever said the works, "I want to be like..." or " I want to be normal!?" My question is...what is "normal" anyways and why would we all want to be the same thing!? For ADHD Awareness Month, I am trying to get more creative with my episodes and begin empowering kids voices to be heard! You will hear from 8 year old Cameron, from Canada, who shares how he feels having ADHD. This brave boy confidently tells you how ADHD can be "great and annoying sometimes..." He talks about the "superpowers" that his ADHD gives him too! You will also hear about how ants and grasshoppers are both insects, but are also different in so many ways! We don't want to try to be an ant when we are born to be a grasshopper! Your take away is to talk about or write down what you feel is great and annoying about having ADHD!
Email katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like your voice heard on a future podcast episode! It's more fun to learn and grow alongside each other!!!
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to book a coaching consultation.
Did you know that the simple act of entering into nature can give your brain the gift of Dopamine and Serotonin, just to name a few neurotransmitter chemicals that our ADHD brain can benefit from!
In this episode, I talk about these gifts that nature so graciously gives us and the benefits that come with entering into that gift! You will also be invited to play a sound game with me!
Are your moods swinging, unmotivated, lack attention, have a hard time learning, and experience emotional dysregulation!? I have good news for you! The dopamine neurotransmitter that nature releases will help you regulate those things!
What does the Serotonin do? This joy chemical releases and also helps with our mood, cognitive processing, overall learning, working memory, anxiety, and even lessens the symptoms of depression.
These are just two of the many benefits of exploring nature!
I would love for you to send me your nature stories and how it becomes armor for you to combat those ADHD battles! Go to www.katelynmabry.com or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
Are you wanting to learn more about how to parent your child's ADHD brain? Contact me for a free coaching consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!
Have a blessed day!
Who else is an "overthinker!?" This is soooo common among those of us with ADHD brains, because our minds are constantly in motion and it so easily goes into overdrive! Overthinking can be driven by fear or frustration with some of our executive function challenges! In this episode, we will talk about how our overthinking takes over and feels like a "giant" in our mind! I share the story of David and Goliath to use as a visual for you to imagine using helpful stones (replacing what is wrong with what is right & making fear your friend) with the power to knock down those overthinking thoughts!
Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to sign up for my upcoming virtual zoom seminar called "Why Mindset Matters with ADHD!" It will be on Friday, October 29th at 11-11:40 CST. The cost is $20 and includes a signed copy of my book, Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" along with a zipper bracelet! The seminar will be recorded and sent out with the notes afterwards. There will be a max of 5 participates enrolled for this round and if all goes well I hope to host more in the near future! I want to keep it personal! I hope to hear from you soon!
You can also visit my website to join my email list for upcoming events or for more resources! www.katelynmabry.com
I want to say "HAPPY ADHD AWARENESS MONTH!" The truth is, it's not the most "happy" thing we deal with most days! This is why I decided to encourage you this episode to intentionally find ways to put in positive affirmations each day to combat the 3 times more negative comments we often receive or put on ourselves! For every negative intake, we need to kindly push back with 5 positive comments, affirmations, encouragements, etc.
You are more than enough, you are loved, you are wonderfully made to do amazing things with your brilliant, uniquely wired mind. Owning these truths will allow you to grow into the best version of yourself. I know I have touched on this topic before, but it is that important to PRACTICE daily!
This ADHD Awareness month, I challenge you to adopt daily mindful affirmations and gratitude journaling/proclamation! We can shift the direction of this stigma on ADHD, get rid of all excuses, and be empowered to help others see how truly incredible our minds can be!
Email me katelynmabry4@gmail.com or message me @katelynmabry.com with any topic ideas or to make your voice heard on this podcast!
We have a month filled with influential guests, new topics, and fun as we hear from our peers to learn and grow together!
Have a blessed day!
Raise your hand if you have a hard time getting started on a task or something new?! My hand is raised and I am guessing many of your hands are raised too!
The reason that this is so tricky, is because the executive function part of our ADHD brain struggles with the skill of "initiating tasks!" Yep, you are not alone and this is a common battle for many! We beat ourselves up over getting started on things and that is because we hit a road block in our brains and often are hit with not knowing where or how to start!
In this short but sweet episode, I share a few simply, but super useful tips of how we can rev our engines and get going on different tasks throughout our day!
Your hints for this episode are pieces and timers. I hope you are able to put these tips/tools into practice and they help your tasks become easier to begin!!
Visit me on my website www.katelynmabry.com to subscribe to my email list or check out my book for kids...or email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to set up a free consultation, share topic ideas and let me know if your child would like to have their voice on this podcast! I want to be sure kids feel seen and heard!!
Have a blessed day! love you all!
One of the things we often forget to talk about when it comes to improving our ADHD thoughts and behaviors is our Diet! What are you putting into your body and is it helpful or hurtful?
This episode, we have Angela Dodge with us. She has been a certified dietitian for 19 years and she specializes working with kids who have ADHD and other behavior challenges!
We will talk about how water/hydration can be one of our greatest weapons against mental, emotional, and behavior challenges. There are also some key vitamins and minerals that we might be missing and need to ADD. This episode is geared toward adding things to our diet rather than feeling like we have to take so many things out of it.
Her last take away will leave with you some super food for thought as you plan your meals going forward! Check it out and let us know if you have any questions through email.
You can check out the courses she mentions at www.nourishedbeginnings.ca
You can message any questions or future topic suggestions to katelynmabry4@gmail.com or visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
Have a blessed day!
Food can be such a funny thing! We can love it and we can dislike it, but we all have to eat it! This is why food is such an important topic when it comes to learning more about our ADHD brain!
Did you know that the food we choose to eat can affect our behavior, mood, and overall emotional regulation!
It's tricky when one is picky, the texture isn't quite right, or the appetite isn't there due to a side affect of medication. It's easy to fall into a habit of eating easy foods that just fill the body, but too often the food choices aren't helping our minds!
This episode is meant as a conversation starter to begin talking about what type of eater you are and what is being put in your body each day. There is zero shame attached, only an opportunity to self-reflect, learn, and grow!
Next week, we will be hearing from two dietary experts (follow them on IG @nourished.beginnings.kids) who specialize in working with kids who have ADHD! They are passionate about helping kids who may be picky eaters, and others who simply need to make better food choices to decrease ADHD struggles and increase daily success!
Message me to share your child's story and voice as they discover more about their brilliant ADHD brain!
You can also message me to order a personalized copy of my children's book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD"
www.katelynmabry.com or katelynmabry4@gmail.com
Do you have questions bouncing through your busy brain about either your own ADHD or what you wish others would know about ADHD!?
This short and sweet episode encourages and empowers you to become better at asking questions as well as practicing those active listening skills. So often we get caught in our own heads and it's hard to see past the struggles.
You want to move into a strength based approach as you come alongside each other as a family to learn and grow together!
Featured in this episode is a GREAT opportunity to learn from routine experts in an upcoming "Brili" webinar!
Sign up now through this "Brili Webinar Registration Link"... https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gBBfjX8PQb6WJ9EUSvT-_A
It can be easy to live inside your own head without others really knowing the struggles and strengths going on inside. This can leave you feeling disconnected, misunderstood, and alone on your ADHD journey!
I have GREAT news for you! You have the power to be your own best advocate (sharing with others what is going on in your mind, what is driving those big emotional reactions, and give an explanation for some behaviors seen.)
You will hear from a collection of 3 brilliant ADHD experts, who have grown their own advocacy business for those who are navigating ADHD. "The Childhood Collective" is an incredible resource for you and your child to learn more about your ADHD.
In this episode, these woman share tips on how to become your own self-advocate in all environments!
Katie, who is a speech pathologist, shares tip #1: Identifying your strengths and struggles.
Lori, who is a child psychologist, shares tip #2: Finding your voice and sharing with a trusted adult.
Mallory, who is also a child psychologist, shares tip #3: Practicing our self-advocating skills beforehand!
You don't want to miss the details of these valuable tips!!
You can find "The Childhood Collective" @ www.thechildhoodcollective.com and make sure to follow them on Instagram for some awesome content and more tips! Check out their parent class coming up in the near future too! So many awesome ways to learn and grow alongside your child!
Visit my website @ www.katelynmabry.com to send me a message about episode ideas or if your child would like to make their voice heard on a future podcast!
Have a super blessed day!
Do you ever feel like you have a finale of fireworks going off in your mind?! I sure do!
Living with an ADHD brain can often feel like a constant firework show! There is beauty in the creativity, imagination, brilliant ideas, and strengths that are unique to you! On the other hand, our mind can take us in a direction that leads us to getting burned by the run away fireworks!
Join me in this episode while we use this fun visual analogy to bring to life what it feels like inside you ADHD brain. We will talk about how these thoughts trigger behaviors, how to gain control of the firework display of thoughts, and how to refocus on the beauty while fanning the flames!
We will use the acronym FIREWORK to learn some helpful tools and strategies to try out too! Remember, we are all unique and you need to find what works best for you!
Check out my Instagram page @journey_with_me_through_adhd where you will find more visual content on this topic and please visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to schedule a free consultation with me!
If you are looking for a kids book to engage your child and help them feel connected and understand their brain a little better...check out my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD!" Send an email to katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like to order a signed & personalized copy that comes with a zipper bracelet.
Have a super blessed day!
"Just set up a routine!" Oh my word, I wish it were that easy!! Did you miss me last week?! I sure missed you! This is a perfect example...I was out of my routine as we took a trip to visit family and my podcasting days got all goofed up! Routines are so powerful!!! (Please Note: This is an interview and may need to be listened to in smaller parts!)
Studies show that following a daily routine helps with our neurological growth, emotional regulation, and overall sense of calm throughout a day.
Your ADHD brain CRAVES living in a routine world! HOWEVER, our busy brains often fight back and often choose chaos over order. This is when we need to step in and choose to seek help in finding a system or routine that we can make a habit out of doing.
In this episode, you will hear from Susanne, who is the cofounder of a brilliant App designed to help those of us with ADHD create customized daily routines. Susanne visits with us from Germany. She shares her personal story about the power of routines with her own son and how this Brili App has helped shape his days to be more successful, filled with more joy, and followed by feelings of accomplishment!
Click on a link below for a free 30 day trial!
Kids Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brili-routines-visual-timer/id952895165
Kids Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.brili.routines
Adults Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1516036620?mt=8
Adults Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.briliadult
I am thrilled to be partnering with Brili in the future to develop some updated customized routines that will hopefully be even more helpful to you! Please share feedback if you choose to use the App so I can relay the insight to the team and they can continue to improve it!
Please email me questions or suggestions at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
You can order my children's book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" from my website www.katelynmabry.com
Have a fantastic day! I look forward to being here with you again next week!
Hey ADHD Warriors! Do you struggle with time passing by? If so, you are not alone! It's a total ADHD brain thing and it's called, "time blindness"! This episode will help you name it and find some armor to put on to battle it. Time blindness can affect so many areas of our life if we don't intentionally practice different ways to manage our time that works with our unique mind!
We talk about visual timers (there are so many versions that you can look up on amazon) and encourage the use of alarms and reminders on different devices or visible writing that is easily seen in your daily routine!
The key is to keep it accessible and visual, break things into chunks of time, and give yourself grace when you do goof up on time! We need to forgive ourselves and have confidence in knowing that we can make little changes until we find a time management system that can be helpful for you individually! And we will still mess up, which is ok, because tomorrow is a new day!
Email katelynmabry4@gmail.com for a free coaching consultation and visit www.katelynmabry.com to check out my children's book, " Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD" and to find more resources.
Have a super blessed day! Love you all!
Happy 50th episode everyone!! Thank you all for being here and for continuing on your ADHD journey with me! I thought it would be fun to bring my parents on to share and give you a glimpse into how I presented my ADHD as a child. I hope you will connect, learn, and better understand how our ADHD can look the same and different! Do you have a routine in place? Do you use visuals? You will soon learn that having an individualized routine in place was a game changer for me and it could be for you too!
Send me to message to share what routines work for you, or send any questions you might have about creating a routine in your unique environments!
Please email katelynmabry4@gmail.com
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, or to schedule a free consultation if you are looking for an ADHD coach to work with! I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you for listening!!:)
The term "stimming" is short for "self-stimulatory behaviors" and is referring to the repetition of physical movements, sounds, words, or objects. EVERYONE, regardless of brain type, has a tendency to stim when put in a situation of fear, anxiety, or stems from boredom. It's more common for those of us with ADHD brains to present "stimming" more frequently and with more intensity because of the way that our busy minds are wired. In this episode, you will hear from neuropsychologist, Dr. Kristin Wegner, who will share both her expertise in stimming behavior and her personal experience with it growing up. She was recently diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and she now diagnoses and works with kids who have neurodivergent minds through her play method. She is the award winning offer of the children's book series titled, "Brody the Lion". In this book series, you will also meet characters within each book that has ADHD and other differences. Kristin is extremely gifted at speaking to children and you will love hearing all that she has to share! You can find her on Instagram @brody.the.lion or www.brodythelion.com.
There are different types of stimming behavior, including visual, verbal, auditory, taste & smell, tactile (touch), physical movement (vestibular: Repetitive action that has to do with balance (spinning, rocking) or proprioceptive: Spatial awareness and control *throwing items, pacing, jumping). The encouragement in this podcast is to become more self-aware of your "self-stimming" behavior, so you can identify if it's safe to continue doing and/or if it is something that needs to be investigated so that we aren't causing harm to yourself or others.
My friend Antonio, from Australia, shares his take on his own verbal stimming. I hope that hearing from a peer will help remind you that you're not alone and that we are an ADHD tribe here to support and encourage each other!
If you'd like to share some of your ADHD journey, please email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to order my book, or to schedule a coaching consultation.
This episode is a shout out to all of my ADHD warriors listening to encourage and empower you to share what works well for your busy brain?! You will hear from our friend Bobby in this episode, who shares how he puts on the armor of a "positivity officer" to combat the negative thoughts in his head. There are so many internal struggles going on that we need to find tools and strategies for to grow in those areas. Even though we all have ADHD brains, they also all work differently, in their own special way. This is why, as a tribe, we need to work together to give one another armor to try on in different areas of struggle. Is it keeping your room clean? Is it remembering to do something? Is it finishing something you've started? Is it trying not to explode when something doesn't go your way? Is it making a decision or even making and maintaining friendships? So many areas that we can continually be working on! This is my call out to you to share your heart, your mind, and your creative ideas of what works well for you when faced with a struggle. It's also an opportunity to simply reach out and share your struggles so that you can release them, share your voice and in turn help others know they are not alone! In turn, you will feel more connected and together we can change the face of ADHD! Who is with me!?
Please email me directly at katelynmabry4@gmail.com to share an audio message or to set up an interview! You can also find more resources on my website at www.katelynmabry.com
I look forward to hearing from you soon! Have a great day!
"Practice makes perfect" has always been a phrase that drives me bonkers because it's just not true!!! NO ONE is or ever will be perfect! We all make mistakes and then are faced with the choice of how to respond to our mistakes!
Who else here struggles with perfectionism? You may even have it and you don't even realize it's a struggle! Often times kids are asked to "try harder" or told that they are making "careless mistakes" and over time, this can lead to becoming a perfectionist because of fear of failure or simply not wanting to make a mistake and upset someone. In this episode, you will hear from Patricia Sung, who has ADHD like we do and she is on a mission to help other mamas with ADHD through her podcast titled, "Motherhood in ADHD."
You may be wondering why she's on a podcast for kids with ADHD and the answer is simple...she was a teacher for 7 years to kids from grade 4th-7th and has a passion for sharing her own journey through childhood with ADHD. One of her biggest challenges has been battling being a perfectionist. She shares about the kind of armor she found helpful as an ADHD warrior and uses a great visual of becoming a scientist as we face new things!
You can find Patricia at www.patriciasung.com to learn more about the support she offers and resources she provides.
You can visit www.katelynmabry.com to message me about being a guest on this podcast, give topic ideas, or just share how this podcast has been helpful to you!
Thank you and have a great day!
I had a few avid listeners ask me to talk about being an ADHD warrior more! This is what sparked this episode. In this episode, you will be encouraged to identify the struggles that may need armor (tools and strategies) applied! This is something that was touched on in past episodes, but the most important piece of armor we can put on is actively thinking (metacognitive thought) about which areas of executive function are struggling the most and brainstorm armor that could be used to fight the battle in those areas! This is a episode meant for empowerment and encouragement to take this step before we move into applying more specific tools and strategies to our lives! This is where kids and trusted adults come together to lay a nice solid foundation to build on and grow from!
Send a message now to www.katelynmabry.com if you would like your story heard, strategies shared, or to give ideas for future episodes! This can be done through an interview, or you can submit a voice recording that I can tie into future episodes! Thank you for listening and have a great day!
Here we are on the final part of our series on ADHD and hypersensitivity! Please listen back to the other two episodes if you haven't yet so that you can get the full gift of what Lafaya has to offer!!
So many of us experience hypersensitivity in all sorts of ways, yet we don't identify it for what it is and then it goes untreated. This is a team effort as we walk through the FURR steps alongside each other and learn to "find your calm", "understand your read truth", "respond to your true intentions", and today we are going to talk about "recognizing and celebrating the small steps of improvement in the process!"
There are a few friends on this episode who share what their hypersensitivities look like, so that you know that you're not alone and that many others need to "activate their FURR power" too!
You can find Lafaya at www.lafayaway.com for more resources, or she would love to have you email her questions or comments directly to lafayamft@gmail.com.
You can visit www.katelynmabry.com for additional resources or to set up a free coaching consultation to see if I would be a good fit for your child and family to work with.
Please note: This episode will be even more valuable if you listen to it alongside your child so that great conversations can come out of it!
We are back for part 2 as we talk about the next step in the "Lafaya Way" method of becoming our best hypersensitive selves and RESPONDING in helpful ways. Please listen to (part 1) first, so that this episode will make even more sense! FURR is our acronym that we are are learning about and we previously talked about "finding our calm" (which means much more then just the phrase), and "understanding your real truth." This episode covers the first "R", which is to "Respond with your truest intentions." Lafaya does a great job giving examples of what this looks like in a child's world and how trusted adults can also come alongside and benefit from this strategy as well!
You can find Lafaya at www.lafayaway.com for more resources!
Please visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com to order a signed copy of my book, contact me for a free consultation, or request to be a guest on the show! I look forward to hearing from you!
Please note: This longer episode is an interview and may need to be broken up into parts to be listened to, retained, and experience valuable mid-session conversation with.
Do you struggle with some sort of hypersensitivity either physically, emotionally, or both? If so, you are definitely not alone! It is very common for those of us with ADHD to experience hypersensitivity on some level. In this episode, you will hear from expert Lafaya Mitchell, who has been a licensed therapist for 20 years and continues to counsel children and families regarding how to face hypersensitivity. She explains what being "hypersensitive" actually means and she uses a model that she developed "The Lafaya Way" to help those who struggle with hypersensitivity. Today she will share the first two parts of that model. The first is to "Find your calm", and the second is to "Understand your truth." Come join us as we discover how to put these first two steps into practice!
You can find Lafaya, her books, and all of her other resources at www.lafayaway.com
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com for coaching opportunities and more resources as well.
Too often, the challenges of ADHD are highlighted and focused on. This episode is going to flip the script and hone in on some of the many gifts that come with having an ADHD brain. The main gift that's talked about is the fact that those with ADHD are great at "thinking outside of the box." To make it a more appealing visual, I came up with the concept of being an "out of the ball pit thinker"! Those colorful balls that both rest in and pop out of a ball pit when being played in makes for a great analogy of how our ADHD minds are drawn to the balls outside of the pit that are filled with creativity, innovation, imagination, and go off course to do things in a different way! I hope this fun visual is a great conversation starter for you all and I hope that you can add to the list of strengths shared as well. Together we can educate, empower, and encourage our kids to move mountains with their amazing minds!
Please send me a message if you or your child would like to share a topic idea or be a guest on a future podcast! Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com
Have you ever heard the term, "you are who you hang with?!" This is something my parents said to me when I was young and it is something I often think about when choosing who to spend time with and energy on. Friendships can be so valuable, but also can be a source of pain for many. Especially those of us who have ADHD and may struggle with deep seeded feelings of rejection, or just having a hard time making and maintaining friendships. This is when we need to stop and ask yourself, who are the people in my life who I am trying to be "friends" with?
In this episode, we will explore the idea of identifying types of friends using the visual of a stoplight. This green light, yellow light, red light analogy helps us identify who is safe, which relationships need caution/boundaries, and those we may need to stop spending time with and energy on.
Categorizing also helps to paint a picture of the types of friends we should be seeking out. For parents, it's helpful to identify which types of friendships to facilitate and encourage.
Please message me and let me know if this visual is helpful and if you have any other questions or topic ideas to cover in future episodes.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or if you'd like to set up a free consultation. Have a super blessed day!
Please Note: This is a longer episode because it is an interview and it may require a mid-episode brain break or turn it into a two part series to listen to at different times!
That is one thing I understand about my brain, that I need tasks broken into smaller parts to find success in completing them! Is this how your brain works too?! In this episode you will hear from ADHD Specialist, Donna Giachino, who also practiced speech and language pathology for 25 years. Donna lives in Vancouver, Canada and was also diagnosed with ADHD later in life. She is now extremely passionate about educating others about understanding their ADHD brains! We discuss how understanding our brains is a foundational key for growth, along with "finding your people" or support system. We also talk about what neurodiversity means and how we can use it to help others understand that all of our brains work differently. Donna shares some great visual analogies in this episode, and you can also find her incredible content that so many learn from and enjoy on her Instagram page @adhd_understood.
Please send me a message on my website, www.katelynmabry.com to share how this podcast has been helpful to your child, to give topic ideas, or to be a future guest on the podcast! We are on this journey together!
We ALL have an inner script. Those with ADHD have a continual conversation going on inside our heads that can go south fast if we allow it to!! This episode we are going to talk about taking your thoughts captive, seeking evidence, and talking back to those thoughts so that the negative script in your mind can be flipped and truth can reveal positive thoughts. This is a topic that we will keep coming back to from time to time, because your thought life drives actions/behaviors and habits. Practicing mindfulness and learning to manage thoughts will create a foundation for future tools and strategies to be successful, while also growing confidence and self-esteem.
I'd love to hear feedback on this topic and please share any questions, comments, or future topic ideas you may have. Please visit me at www.katelynmabry.com
"Mom! I need more fidgets to trade at school!" Are your kids into collecting and trading fidgets too?! Don't let this fad fool you! Fidgeting is not only a form of entertainment, but also holds extra value for those of us with ADHD. That hand/body movement releases two chemicals called, norepinephrine and dopamine! These are chemicals that our mind and body crave to regain focus and maintain concentration! In this fun episode, you will hear from my daughter, Alayna, who shares her fidget stash with you and talks about how the fidgets help her not only mentally, but emotionally as well. We look forwarding to hanging out with you to talk all about fidgets! What's your favorite way to fidget?
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to send a response to this question, give topic ideas, or share your personal journey with us!
One of the first questions my daughter asked me after she learned that she has ADHD was, "mom, do other kids have ADHD too?" To which I replied, "they sure do!" One of the best gifts we can give our kids is to help them know they are not alone by letting them hear that other kids are going through similar struggles and have many strengths! This episode will be a great first step in this direction. You will hear from our 9 year old friend Isaac, who is an incredibly talented baseball player, a math wiz, and lives with an uniquely wired ADHD brain too! He shares his experience from getting diagnosed, through some of his challenges, and even gets goofy with us! Thank you Isaac for being so brave to share your story!
Please send a message if you would like your story heard, or have a topic that you would like talked about on a future episode!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to get in touch or find more resources, including my book, " Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
NOTE: This episode will be most valuable if an adult and child listen together and maybe even listen in sections and then pause to discuss!
AHHH! Is schoolwork a challenge to complete? Do tests feel impossible to study for? If so, you are not alone! In this episode you will meet fellow mama, Julie Catalano, of two ADHD boys, who shares with us her journey and discovery of how her kids learn different and ways to help them in their unique way of learning and retaining information. We talk about the power of partnership between a trusted adult and child, as well as dive into a few fun ways to make studying feel less stressful and more successful!
Here are a few take away points...
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Connect and collaborate so that it's a team effort to find what strategies work best!
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Break assignments, study cards, or any sort of work into bite-size, manageable pieces (This needs to be customized to the needs of your child!) When we feel overwhelmed, we shut down.
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Think in colors! Buy multi-colored post-its, highlighters, or colored pencils to stimulate the brain and sort out important info in a colorful way.
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Take brain breaks! We did not specifically cover this, but it is super important to get moving in between study times (every 10 min.)
Become a scientist as you try one tool at a time as an experiment! Figure out if it works, and if not, make ONE change and try something new!
Julie is an Engineer and has a passion for science and math, but an even bigger passion for find what works best for her boys amazingly unique minds! You can find her at www.studytoolsbyjules.com
You can contact me through www.katelynmabry.com if you and your child would like to share your ADHD journey on a future podcast. You can also find my book for kids called "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD!" Please message me if you'd like a personalized copy sent!
This episode should have been recorded sooner as I know this topic will resonate with so many who are feeling paralyzed both mentally and emotionally by this Pandemic time period. In this episode you will NOT hear me talk about any political views or really any topic other then the mental and emotional health of your child! This is a great conversation starter as many kids with ADHD struggle in silence because it's hard to put the thoughts and deep emotions into words. There are a few tips to try and words of affirmation shared. Please message me if your child would like to be on my future episodes or if you'd like to share any topic ideas!! We are all on this journey together!
Email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to schedule a coaching session or to order the book "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
I feel it's safe to say that it's hard for many of us to find contentment in the society with live in. It's especially tricky for those of us with busy, adventure seeking brains! Spring break in Texas, visiting family, gives this episode a fun twist as you'll hear from my daughter and her two cousins on the topic of contentment! Please use this audio as an opportunity to spark a contentment conversation that will leave you more aware and on the road to finding more joy in those undesirable situations.
Message me @www.katelynmabry.com to learn more about ADHD coaching, or to order a signed copy of my children's book called, " Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
Thank you for sharing in this journey with me! I love having you here!!
Have you had a conversation about money and how to manage it? This can be tricky for our ADHD brains sometimes. Our struggle with organization, impulsivity, working memory, and procrastination can cause a need for intentional systems/practices to be put into place in order to grow in this area! In this episode, you will meet mother/daughter duo, Yakini and Reyna from @adhdlove2020, who will share their money managment journey with us. The bottom line is that we need to raise awareness, create a plan together, and use day to day opportunities to practice. You need to find a system and practice that works best for you and your child. Together, we can learn to give, spend, and save in a wiser way!
You can find Yakini @adhdlove2020 on all social media platforms or find merchandise @adhdlove2020.com.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to connect with me about coaching, get your child featured on an episode, or find other resources.
Have you ever heard of Imposter Syndrome?! So many of us struggle with it and never knew it had a name! Imposter Syndrome is when we have feelings of self-doubt, insecurities, and fear of being a fraud! These feelings have underlying thoughts that can hold us captive and prevent many from reaching their full potential in life. Often Imposter thoughts lead to giving up too soon, questioning worth, and feeds into perfectionism. In this episode, we will face those Imposter Thoughts head on! Let's identify the thoughts, talk back to the thought, and replace it with that which will build us up and lead in the direction of growth. Gratitude is another powerful tool that can be used. We will hear from three friends who will be sharing their personal imposter thoughts and how they combat them! Let's continue to lay that foundational mindset so that we can grow in so many more areas of struggle and strength!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or send me a message if your child is interested in having their voice be heard on a future podcast! We are all in this together!
For the final part of this series, we are going to talk about how reading and writing are best friends and how they work together to improve one another! You will hear from our friend Tali from the UK again as she shares her writing experience. Nature is introduced as a fantastic writing tool as research shows the amazing benefits of taking a brain break in the greenery to improve concentration and ignite interest, ideas, and inspiration to both write and read! Journaling is also encouraged to be used as a tool. Any practice makes progress and journaling allows you to read your own writing which highlights patterns of writing and is proven to improve reading fluency! Please note that if you are noticing that your child is struggling to make improvements, there are also other challenges that may need to be addressed. I have included a link to a common additional struggle below. Every child is unique and may need different accommodations. Please message me with any topic ideas or if your child is interested in doing an audio clip for an episode. Thank you!
To learn more about "Dysgraphia" check out...https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-dysgraphia-understanding-common-symptoms/
You can also visit my website at www.katelynmabry.com. Get your name on my email list if you'd like to learn more about upcoming take-away sheets I will be offering in the near future.
Do you ever find yourself reading the same sentence 5 times just to try to catch what's it's actually saying? I know I have done this too many times and it drives me bonkers. In this episode, you will be empowered to celebrate your unique pace of reading and discover a few strategies to become a more interactive reader. I mention using colorful post-it notes...please know that this is simply an exercise to practice the habit of intentional thinking while reading. This can be used during school work to help with comprehension and is a great tool for studying. Find what works best for you! Next week will be the 4th and final part to our series, where we will dive into how reading and writing go hand in hand.
For more resources or to schedule a free consultation you can go to www.katelynmabry.com
Sometimes half of the battle, for those of us with ADHD, is getting started! The executive function skill of initiating tasks can often be a struggle and you find yourself paralyzed at the thought of opening a book or shut down to the idea of taking steps needed to actually comprehend what's being read!
On this reading journey, we need to simply continue taking steps to find the tools and strategies that feed into the desire of our interest seeking, passion driven brains!
In this episode, you will take away a few ways to self-identify where you're at on your personal reading journey and a few steps to take action on. You will hear from a friend of mine in the UK, who is a 9 year old with a brilliant ADHD brain. She shares how reading is a struggle for her and something she does in those moments of struggle! We also talk about growing into interactive readers!
My challenge to you is to try something new this week!
Check out www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
ADDitudemag is another fantastic resource to look into!
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-reading-comprehension/
Is reading a struggle? If so, this is the episode series for you! This is the first of a multi-part series, where I interview Elizabeth Hipwell. She is a certified Barton Reading and Spelling Tutor, who specializes in working with kids who have dyslexia. Check out @thedyslexiadigest on Instagram to learn more about our guest. Did you know 30% of kids with ADHD are found to have dyslexia (difficulty with words). You will learn about this unique learning difference and we will begin our journey of finding a love for reading! (Episode hint: audiobooks are a gift)
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources
Do you ever compare yourself to others? I know I do! "This person seems smarter than me, that person makes things look so easy!" This is a dangerous road to go down, because that's exactly what it does, bring you down! In this episode, we will talk about how is can be helpful to compare our own brain to visual examples to self-identify or help others understand; however, we need to watch out for the comparison creep that sneaks behind us and becomes a thief who steals our joy, steals our confidence, and steals our self-worth! All of those things are so important to hold onto! We need to tell that comparison creep to "GO AWAY" so that our joy and confidence in our incredibly unique mind can stay!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources
Does everything we own have a home? Has that candy wrapper on the floor served it's purpose? These are a few things we will be talking about in this episode as we discover WHY it is such a challenge for those of us with ADHD to keep our spaces organized and HOW we can try a few new things to make a change. Research shows that when our space is decluttered, that helps our brain develop skills more quickly. We crave order, but have a hard time creating it! Let's find out what works for you!!
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
We have talked about the importance of sleep and we are discovering ways calm our mind and body down. During this episode, you will hear from the incredibly talented musician, Bryan Wisda and his son Cale, who also has an amazing ADHD mind. Bryan created a masterpiece of music called " ADHD Lullaby," that is crafted to help our mind and body find calm. It's amazing how music works to help our busy brains in so many wonderful ways!
You can contact Bryan with questions at www.adhdlullaby.com
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources
It's fun to look in the mirror sometimes and just be silly, it's it? In this episode, you will hear some ideas shared by kids around the world about what they find calms their mind and body down. I personally use exercise and prayer as my ways to release and relax, but what is it for you personally? This is a time for self-reflection as I ask you to look in the mirror and investigate what helps your own mind and body find calm.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to message me to share your ways of finding calm!
You might think..."I don't want to breath!" But what if I told you that it could actually be fun AND give oxygen to your brain, which would help you to calm your mind and body?! During this episode you will hear from the breathing queen, Jessica Brittani, who will introduce us to a foundational technique, a piece of armor, so we can breath in a way that will help us find calm! My hint for this episode is "birthday!" ;) (Please forgive the sound differences you will hear...I'm still learning:)
You can find Jessica at www.calmandcolorful.com to order her coloring book or set up a consultation with her.
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com to set up a consultation with me, order a book, or find more helpful resources.
One of the #1 struggles I hear about when talking to people with ADHD is FOCUS! This is a struggle that rings true for most all of us with ADHD because our Dopamine & Epinephrine levels (chemicals we all have in our brains) is a little lower and needs more power to function at full potential! The great news is that even though we can't force focus, we can create an environment that will help you find success in this area! This episode shares three of many pieces of armor you can put on to become the strongest ADHD warrior you can be when it comes to focus! Here are a few hints: Movement, small pieces, and brain breaks!
Visit my website for more resources www.katelynmabry.com
It's easy to throw goals out like candy, but when we are making goals to grow our ADHD mind, there needs to be some investigation done. We need to figure out why we do what we do in order to change anything. In this episode, we will explore this idea. You will also hear from my daughter and her friend who both have ADHD and want to share their goals with you and the steps they want to take to walk toward those goals. I believe in each and every one of you and I'm here for you every step of the way. Let's put on our growth mindset and move towards our goals together.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com and contact me with goals, questions, and topic ideas.
This is a short and sweet episode simply encouraging reflection on past episodes. What have you learned? What do you want to know more about? What have you discovered about yourself that you want to continue working on? We are ALL learning and growing day by day. Now choose ONE specific goal that you want to work on in the 2021 year. PLEASE send these brainstormed goals to me through my website.
www.katelynmabry.com.
Next week we will talk about breaking those goals into bite size pieces and how to motivate ourselves to take the steps towards the goal we have set! Practice makes progress! Happy New Year to you all!!
As emotions rise high and feel super intense, it feels like we become an erupting volcano; and it feels impossible to keep that lava down! In this episode we talk about two simple, yet impactful techniques we can use to bring that lava down and feel more calm in choosing a "right size" reaction to day to day moments. These two things take time and practice to become a habit, but if done consistently, there will be a newfound inner calm too! The breath and break strategy may look different for each of you and may take some modeling by adults, with a lot of practice, to make progress. Visit the website below and contact me with success stories as you practice these strategies!
www.katelynmabry.com
Sleep is so important for our ADHD brains (really for any brain), that we are going to continue to talk about how poor sleep heightens our ADHD struggles, and how good sleep gives us the physical and mental strength we need to take on the challenge of focus, memory, motivation, emotion control, and even anxiety to name a few. My daughter joins us again as she sheds light on her sleep struggles, while giving valuable tools that help. There are many great strategies out there, but today we talk about how daily exercise and nightly structured routines are two steps to try.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to stay connection and learn more.
SLEEP! It is something that we all need to live our healthiest life, yet for those of us with ADHD, it's a battle that needs to be won! Let's just say that sleep often doesn't come natural for those of us with busy brains. We have a hard time falling asleep; when we do, then we have a hard time staying asleep. Then, once we finally find our deep sleep, we have a hard time waking up! In this episode, you will meet my daughter, Alayna, who will share her personal sleep struggles along with a few helpful strategies to try. We know that lack of sleep heightens our ADHD symptoms; so in order to combat our struggles we need to be well rested and ready to go.
Visit www.adhdlullaby.com for more information on how to access that music designed specifically to calm the ADHD mind.
Welcome back to part 2 as we dive deeper into WHAT steps we can take when we find ourselves struggling with anxiety. My personal ADHD life coach, Jessica Heimsoth, joins us again on this episode as we talk about becoming self-aware, taking breaths, sharing thoughts feelings, and emotions with a trusted adult. Through practice we can find ourselves more calm and responding to "anxious" moments in a whole new way! Please note that children experience anxiety in unique ways and have different levels of need. I hope that this episode is a stepping stone to grow in this area and a new calm is found.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to find a facial feature printable that can be used to identify emotions and help lead a conversation.
Do you ever feel like there are snakes in your tummy? Are your thoughts taking you to negative places that leads you to feel like your heart is racing? These are just a few examples of experiencing anxiety. Research shows that kids with ADHD are 3 x more likely to experience anxiety then a "neurotypical" peer. My personal ADHD life coach, Jessica Heimsoth, joins me on this episode as we talk about what anxiety may look like for you individually and how important it is to first identify it so next steps can be taken towards practicing more calm thoughts. Next week, we will continue with part 2 and Jessica will dive in deeper with what we can do in those moments of anxiety.
Visit Jessica's website for more resources www.everythoughtcaptivecoach.com
You can also grab a copy of my book or connect with me on my website www.katelynmabry.com.
Welcome to part 2 of "Why Do I Lie?! It is encouraged for a parent or trusted adult to sit in on this episode, to learn alongside each other. One more bonus "why" is explained and then we dive into the armor both child and adult can put on to battle those fibs and take action in order to help truth find victory! Get ready to put on a belt of truth, helmet of understanding and hugs to gain a deeper connection!
Visit my website to connect, ask questions, or even share some episode ideas at www.katelynmabry.com
To learn more about ADHD and Fibbing, visit "ADDitude Magazine's" website where they have a variety of great resources. www.ADDitudemag.com
The goal is to grow to be a person of great character and integrity, and that is why gaining a deeper understanding of the connection between ADHD and lying is so important. ADHD is NOT an excuse for lying, it's simply an explanation of WHY telling a "Fib" is the response of a neurodiverse mind to feeling under stress or threatened, more so mentally and emotionally. This is a two part series that includes the "WHY" in part 1, and the "STEPS TO GROW" in part 2. With impulsivity, distractibility, and working memory struggles to battle, often fibbing becomes a defense mechanism that is used. Let's learn and grow together so we can fight against fibbing and use tools to make sure truth wins!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
Also check out the list of resources on ADHD and the struggle with truth telling at www.ADDitudemag.com
Do you ever find that it's hard to find confidence in your life with ADHD? I do! That's because we often feel defeated by some of the struggles we face. This episode has great news! We can choose a more confident mindset by taking some simple steps that will move us in that direction. Confidence life coach, Kerri Jokala, host of Rockstar Confidence Podcast, shares some great tips and strategies to grow confidence both in your home and in other environments.
Visit Kerri for more resources at www.kerrijokala.com
You can also visit www.katelynmabry.com for more ADHD support!
We are all wired differently, but those of us with ADHD have a uniquely structured brain that is sometimes hard for those with "neurotypical minds" to understand. Instead of keeping quiet about how our brains work differently, let's feel empowered to educate those around us about how our brains like to be entertained and our emotions can act like a volcano sometimes! This episode will challenge you to think about your own interests and interesting ways of doing things based on how your own individual mind works differently. Put that incredibly creative cap on as brainstorming takes place to discover which wording works best for you to explain your incredible brain!
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to join me daily in my @journey_with_me_through_adhd Instagram community! Let's continue to learn and grow together!
ADHD can be challenging on many levels, in many different ways, for each of us individually. If we listen to each others stories, we can hear how struggles can produce perserverance. Our guest, Zachary Staubitz, is a high school graduate from Tallahassee, FL. Although he has faced challenges growing up with ADHD and Autism, he has ultimately grown to break through the struggles with more strength and gain confidence as he pursues a degree in theater/stagecraft. This past year, he's used his brilliant mind to create relatable memes all about ADHD to help spread awareness, connection, and understanding. When we live with transparency, we can experience transformation of the way we few ourselves and others around us. We thank Zach for sharing his story so openly, so we know that we are not alone, feel encouraged, and feel empowered to do anything you set your mind to.
You can find Zach's Meme page @theadhdmemes on Instagram or Facebook.
Also check out my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
Do you feel easily rejected by a friend, family member, or even someone you just met and want to become friends with? Does that feeling of rejection feed into obsessive negative thinking that causes beliefs that often have no evidence of being true? Those of us with ADHD often struggle with something called, "Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria!" This is a common struggle that kids with ADHD have and it ties into our deep seeded emotions, but you're not alone and steps can be taken to shorten the life of that feeling of rejection. This episode shares personal experience, and gives three questions to ask yourself when you find yourself feeling this way!
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What is the meaning behind the feeling of rejection?
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What is my body doing when I feel this way?
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How can I learn and grow from this feeling of rejection?
Lay a strong "growth mindset" foundation so other tools and strategies will work, feeling less rejection and more confidence in who you are!
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources and to learn more about my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD"
https://www.additudemag.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-adhd-emotional-dysregulation/
Do you ever feel like it's hard to make and maintain friends sometimes? You might think, "why won't she call me back?" or "I thought he was my best friend, but now he'd rather hang out with someone else!" If so, you are not alone. Sometimes our ADHD minds can play a role in the ability to connect and relate to others. There are also times where we are misunderstood by others or we misunderstand how others respond to us. The great news is that we can practice our friendship skills by being self-aware of how our mind is working differently as well as invite our potential friends to get to know our unique minds. Special guest, Kamden Hainsworth, joins in on this episode as she shares her personal insights on ADHD and friendship. Kamden is the founder of "ADHDirectory." which is a great resource to tap into if you are looking for next steps to take on your own ADHD journey. In this episode, Kamden gives a brilliant visual of visiting a butterfly farm. Learn how to take a step in the right direction of growing friendships.
Visit Kamden @kamden_adhd on social media or check out her website www.adhdirectory.com
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to find more resources, or to contact me for a signed copy of "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
ADHD can come with a rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions that at times lead down a path of gunk, which leaves you in a funk! This looks different for everyone, but in this episode, there will be stories shared, valuable insight given, and some helpful tips and strategies along the way. Get out your magnifying glass as we capture and investigate thoughts, ask questions about them, and find evidence that proves these thoughts true or false. Discover that there is so much peace and calm if we tap into interests and ignite passion. Take this step and you will see that there are great tools and strategies to practice with ADHD.
Visit www.katelynmabry.com for more resources and to check out the children's book titled, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD."
Do you ever feel like you are playing the shame game in your head? This hamster wheel of negative, self- destructive thoughts often causes us to feel stuck and unable to live to our full potential based on false beliefs we have allowed shame to build. During this episode you will meet Kristen Maher, who is the brilliant author of "The Awfulizer." Kristen shares this creatively crafted visual of what it feel like to live in shame and what steps we can take to get ourselves free from it. You won't want to miss this fantastic tool as she also shares strategies to work through dealing this monster called "The Awfulizer" and become the "Awesomizer" you were meant to be!
You can visit our special guest, Kristin Maher's website @ www.kristinmaher.com to order your copy of her book titled, "The Awfulizer." Let's say goodbye to shame and hello to living a life of confidence and joy in who we truly are meant to be.
You can also visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources, to join my email list, or to come follow me on your preferred social media platform!
Is school in any environment feeling like an uphill battle sometimes? In this episode, we will uncover the internal struggles we often feel, while sharing some helpful strategies that can help calm the mind and make our work feel more manageable. Exercise is proven to help any child become more focused and better able to learn for a period of time. Breaking large tasks into bite size pieces can reduce anxiety and allow for us to celebrate each small success we have. Join me as we continue on this ADHD journey to discover our mind on many different levels.
If you'd like more resources or access to the children's book titled, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD." Visit www.katelynmabry.com.
This website contains FREE printable feeling sheets and a FREE lesson plan to use with your child at home or in a classroom.
You can continue to follow this ADHD journey daily on the social media pages. We are all in this together!
Has someone ever said something about your ADHD diagnosis that left you speechless and sometimes hurt? There are many people who simply don't understand how our neurodiverse minds work and therefore they make statements based on what they think it may or may not be. This episode shares 4 personal examples of things people have said, along with examples of responses that could leave you more confident and the outsider more aware to think before they speak.
Visit my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources.
It's easy to get caught in a cycle of negative thinking when battling the struggles of living with an ADHD mind. This cycle does not need to continue and growth can be gained by investigating which direction our mindset is going. Is it a "fixed mindset," believing that it is what it is and nothing will ever change or is it a "growth mindset," which is a belief that with continued practice and effort, using different tools and strategies, growth can be accomplished in all areas of life? Wherever you are at, this episode will help self-awareness, spark conversation, and give an analogy that will leave you wanting to move mountains with your amazing mind!
Educator, speaker, and author of "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD," provides a glimpse into the world of ADHD forgetfulness. Do you ever find that things leave your mind as fast as information is given?! Being forgetful is a struggle many with ADHD have, and there is a reason why! This episode will share personal examples, visual analogies, and strategies to use while traveling on this ADHD journey. Forgetfulness may be something that will never go away, but our attitude towards it can shift. We are soldiers, who need to fight the forgetfulness battle with "armor"/strategies that work for us as individuals (phone alarms/reminders, checklists, visual timers, visual schedules, scaling down tasks given, creating a manageable system and structure for our unique mind to become in the habit of following, and most importantly, find forgiveness and grace in the moments in between when still do forget.
Check out this great article below...
https://www.additudemag.com/my-adhd-forgetfulness-never-goes-away/
Visit www.katelynmabry.com to order "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD", print a free lesson plan and "feeling journal pagess." You can also send a message to share stories, topic suggestions, or if you have any questions!
This podcast is designed to speak straight to the heart of your child who may be struggling with ADHD. Hosted by Katelyn Mabry, who is an educator, speaker, reading specialist, and author of "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD." This will give you a glimpse into all this new podcast will have to offer it's listeners.
There are a roller coaster of emotions that go along with being diagnosed with ADHD. Educator and Author of "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD," Katelyn Mabry will share her own story of being diagnosed as well as give insight into the "ADHD" Acronym. The goal is to make a mindset shift from dwelling on the challenges of ADHD to battling the tough and focusing on all of the strengths and gifts this neurodivergent mind has to offer. Stay tuned as the next episode with reveal the last "D" description and talk about the different types of armor that can be put on, as I follow up on the ADHD mind "feeling like a battle." We can journey together, one step at a time.
Hit that subscribe button if you like what you hear and share comments so that I can answer questions or speak on a topic of interest.
Check out my website: www.katelynmabry.com to stay connected and join my FB group "Journey With Me Through ADHD" to dive deeper as a parent.
You can also contact me through my website if you'd like to special order a signed copy of my book for your child.