Journey With Me Through ADHD: A podcast for kids

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!