(This blog post originally appeared on my ADDitude Magazine blog.  Seems like a great time to run it again!)  My childhood Christmas memories include cookie baking, tree decorating, and carol singing. Yes, really — it was perfect. I remember all seven of us signing the dozens of cards sent to friends and family, and taking turns opening each day on the advent calendar. The presents were always highly anticipated — and usually perfect. My godmother hummed Christmas songs, and always had a hug or a kind word to share. She never once lost her temper. Maybe the pace was slower then – on ..read more

The following is a reprint of an article I wrote for ADDitude Magazine. It was published in the Summer 2018 issue. An ADDitude reader recently wrote: “I am a mother and wife diagnosed with ADHD at 35. I have been struggling with organization challenges since I was a teen, and I see myself — thanks to my parents’ and friends’ constant reminders — as a messy person. On top of that, I have no idea how to neaten up our home! My challenge is equal parts shame and ignorance about how to begin my organizational journey. Can you help?” Shame can keep you stuck. It’s hard to move forward on anything w ..read more

When you have ADHD, all kinds of things keep you from getting the important stuff done: Procrastination, distractions, going down a rabbit hole. Sometimes we get sidelined by negative emotions. Feelings of shame, sadness, frustration, or anger make it impossible to focus on the right thing. Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as EFT or Tapping, is a self-help technique that can neutralize negative emotions and free you to move ahead with your life. What you do is identify the negative emotion you’re feeling and a specific event that brings up that emotion. For example, maybe you feel ang ..read more

I used to think my professional interests - adult ADHD and complex trauma - were an odd combination. Would I have to give up my work with ADHD adults in order to pursue my new(er) passion? Do these two issues have enough commonality to make sense for me to specialize in both?  Would people get it? Over time I've noticed that many of my ADHD clients are also struggling to heal from neglect or abuse sustained during childhood. This is actually a big part of the reason I decided in 2013 to get my master's in counseling - so I could help them with both. Conversely, one of my internship super ..read more

ADHD is neurobiological. So it makes sense that we need to feed our brains. That means clean, healthy eating. At home, I eat local pasture-raised meats from animals that are humanely raised. I eat lots of organic fruits and vegetables. No refined simple carbs. It's been challenging but I have finally acquired sources and recipes for everything I want and need. Eating out is another story. I bring my lunch to work most days, but I end up eating out about once a week (nobody's perfect).  I try to make good choices but really, there's not much around here that I can get to and back in the s ..read more

Marketing experts say consistency is the key to building a successful business.  Apparently it’s best to regularly engage in marketing activities instead of only doing big productions when business is slow.  This prevents the “feast or famine” cycle, they say.  My marketing strategy calls for two blog posts a month and two Facebook posts per week. But as you can see from my blog history, that’s not really the way I operate. House cats eat a little bit at a time throughout the day, no matter how much is in their bowl. If I give my cat any more than half a cup of food, it will st ..read more

I had lunch with a good friend yesterday.  We both have ADHD, so we don't get together as much as we'd like. This seems to be a common problem amongst the ADHD set: the weeks slip into months and next thing you know it's been half a year (or more) since you talked to each other.  You're busy, you forget... you know how it is.  We have no sense of time and often aren't aware of just how much time has gone by. That's how friendships deteriorate.  I don't want that to happen.   My grandfather and I were very close.  We had a standing "phone date" every Thu ..read more

I went to the grocery store on my way home from the gym this morning.  I had just started to pay for my groceries when a tattoo on the arm of the man behind me caught my eye. It was a beautiful tattoo, a line of soldiers in silhouette around his bicep. I wondered if he was a veteran. I thought about the Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program I want to develop for veterans, and briefly considered talking to him about it.  I thought about paying for his groceries as a token of my appreciation for his service. Then I thought that would probably be over the top, plus he was buying a lot ..read more

As of today, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)!  As I've written previously, I got my master’s degree in 2015 and have been working under supervision for the past two years in order to meet the requirements for licensure.  And now I have it!   This is great news for you too:  If your health insurance plan offers out of network benefits, you can use them for counseling with me.  (Coaching is not covered by insurance, but there is a LOT of crossover between coaching and counseling.) I am not currently participating directly with any carriers, so I won’t be a ..read more

Earlier this month I participated in Dr. Kari Miller's "Closing the Intention Gap" event, where 18 productivity experts gave talks on how to close the gap between what you intend to do and what you actually get done. My topic was "Analysis Paralysis: How to Make Decisions More Effectively".  Here's the promo copy: You’re working on an important project.  Things are moving along and you’re in the zone. But then you have to make a decision where the best choice isn’t obvious. The whole universe opens up before you.  Now, instead of one path to follow, there are dozens. What ..read more