Journey With Me Through ADHD: A podcast for kids

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! 

Discover the importance of self-advocacy for kids, especially those with ADHD. Learn how to express your needs with confidence, using fun prompts to practice phrases like 'I learn best when I ______.' Equip yourself with your advocacy armor: the helmet of self-knowledge, gloves of bravery, cape of calm, and a backpack full of tools. Embrace challenges, speak up respectfully, and realize that being brave is a superpower. It's all about building the skills that will help you succeed in school and beyond!

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