Podcasts about executive function skills

 In this episode of the Well-being Podcast for Teachers, we introduce EmpowerEd, a resource designed to help early education professionals grow and thrive. This month, we focus on executive function skills—key mental abilities like managing time, staying organized, and reaching goals. Learn practical tips to strengthen these skills, including time management tools, mindfulness exercises, helpful apps, and professional support options. Build confidence and balance in your personal and work life. Don't forget to download our 5 Minute Reset Toolkit for quick stress relief. Subscribe now to transform your routine The Teachers Lounge – • Offering early education teachers a tool to set your classroom onto a path of success and build a cohesive and strong team of educators. (theearlyeducationteacherslounge.com)SocialsFACEBOOK:  (1) The Early Education Teachers Lounge | FacebookINSTAGRAM:  The Teacher's Lounge (@eecteacherslounge) • Instagram photos and videosPINTEREST:  (4) Pinterest

In the first episode of 2025 Cari and Jim discuss the benefits of playing board and card games with kids of all ages. The primary emphasis of this conversation is about the link between playing board games and building executive function skills. Play-based learning for the win!   Defender of Play T-Shirt - Cari Ebert Building Brains T-Shirt - Cari Ebert  

Enjoy this replay of one of my favorite episodes! Executive functioning skills are essential for all ages, and in this episode, we dive into this critical topic with Sara Ward, an SLP specializing in executive functioning. Sara brings a unique perspective, sharing practical strategies for assessment and intervention that can transform how we support students.Sara simplifies executive functioning for young children as “sequencing” and explains how it evolves into planning across growing windows of time and space for teens and adults. A neurotypical brain visualizes where it needs to be in the future to plan and act. However, parents and professionals often become a “prosthetic frontal lobe” by overprompting. Sara emphasizes the importance of teaching students to visualize and take ownership of their tasks.One standout strategy Sara shares is using gestures to support task planning. When children physically act out steps with their hands, the connected language often follows, helping them internalize the process of execution.For assessment, Sara suggests tools like the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale, which distinguishes attention issues from executive skill deficits, and the Clinical Executive Function Inventory (CEFI) for behavior insights. She also advocates for viewing speech and language assessments through an executive functioning lens.This episode is packed with actionable strategies and tools that I'm excited to bring to my therapy sessions and IEP meetings. I hope you find these insights as inspiring and practical as I did!#autism #speectherapyWhat's Inside:What is executive functioning?Why are executive function skills important?Assessment and intervention for executive function skills.Executive functioning in young children, teens, and adults.Mentioned In This Episode:ABA Speech: HomeCognitive Connections: Executive Function

Join host Tess Connolly, LCSW, for a deep dive into parenting strategies with Dan Leibowitz M.A, M.S, an expert in educational consulting and executive function coaching. Discover how our own behaviors as parents shape our children's success, and learn practical tips to set them up for middle school and beyond. ⭐ Dan shares his journey into educational consulting and executive function coaching and how he helps families. ⭐ Tess and Dan explore how parental stress impacts parenting patterns and creates ripple effects in children's behavior. ⭐Dan discusses how parents improving communication, interactions, and physical spaces can help children show up as their best selves. ⭐ Tess and Dan talk about neurodiversity, what it means, and how neurodiverse children benefit from tailored learning approaches. ⭐ They emphasize the importance of building executive function skills early rather than waiting until problems arise later in life. ⭐Dan explains the three components of his model for understanding and improving executive function.  ⭐Tess and Dan share actionable ways to set children up for success from a young age. ⭐Dan introduces the self-regulation model and how parents can apply it to improve family dynamics and support their children. ⭐Dan is most grateful for his friendship with Tess and being on her podcast and sharing his work.  Find out more about Dan Leibowitz here

Sangeeta Prasad, a professional credentialed member of the American Art Therapy Association, discusses the skills that comprise executive function, the developmental stages, and what parents can do to foster these skills in their children.

In this episode of The Complicated Kids Podcast, I sit down with executive function coach Carrie Bonnett to explore the essential brain skills that help us get things done—like planning, time management, and emotional regulation. Carrie explains how executive function challenges impact kids, teens, and even adults, emphasizing the need to explicitly teach these skills through practice and repetition. We discuss the role of parents and educators in supporting skill-building, how to shift from blame to understanding, and why tools like planners require guidance to be effective.   To find out more about Carrie, visit her website at www.CarrieBonnett.com.

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Does your child struggle with planning/organizing, time management, and impulse control? Join us for our interview with Dr. Joyce Cooper-Kahn, a clinical child psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and other learning disabilities. She is the author of Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning.In this episode, we cover:What is executive functioning?Example of executive functioning skills?What is it like for kids, youth, and adults who struggle with executive functioning?What is the experience of families with a child/youth with executive functioning difficulties?Why do some kids struggle with executive functioning? What other disabilities often occur with this deficit?At what age do we usually expect executive functioning skills to start developing?Who can diagnose an executive functioning disability, and why is it important to get a diagnosis?What can parents do to help kids improve their executive functioning skills or learn to live without them?Use real life to teachTeach rather than punishCollaborate with the child or youthBehavior modificationAdjust expectationsWhen should you allow your child to experience natural consequences for behavior?Practical tools for helping kids plan and organize.Practical tools for helping kids shift gears or handle transitions.Practical tools for helping kids with working memory challenges.Practical tools for helping kids control impulses.Additional resources:Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Executive FunctioningBoosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for EducatorsSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

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On this episode, Emily Kircher-Morris and Carrie Bonnett discuss the intricacies of executive functioning, its significance in academic and life success, and the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. They explore strategies for improving executive functioning skills, the importance of emotional regulation, and the need for educators to understand and support students struggling with these skills. Emily and Carrie also talk about the importance of motivation, making invisible tasks visible, and the journey of learning and adapting strategies to enhance executive functioning. That's all on episode 244! Takeaways Executive functioning skills are crucial for getting important tasks done. Many people struggle with executive functioning, especially neurodivergent individuals. Teaching executive functioning involves education and strategy development. Motivation often comes after starting a task, not before. Chunking tasks into smaller steps can reduce overwhelm. Making the invisible visible helps manage tasks and time. Emotional regulation is closely tied to executive functioning skills. Negative messaging about executive functioning can impact self-efficacy. Educators should focus on understanding and supporting students' unique needs. It's important for students to know they are not alone in their struggles. Remember, you have until 11:59 pm Pacific time on Friday night, October 4th to join our Educator Hub! Remember that this is the final chance to sign up until after the holiday season. If you're an educator, you should look and see if this community might be helpful in making your classroom a more neurodiversity-affirming place. Click here to check it out. Carrie Bonnett earned her BBA in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame. However, her career trajectory shifted after a transformative volunteer experience at an underserved school, where she discovered a passion for teaching. This newfound passion led her to pursue a graduate degree in teaching at the University of Portland. Over the course of her 20-year career in education, Carrie has taught in both private and public schools across the United States, working with diverse student populations. Her experience includes supporting and teaching executive functions, even before she had a formal understanding of the concept. She has served as a classroom teacher at both the middle and high school levels, as well as a substitute teacher for all grades. Currently, she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Portland, where she teaches early-career teachers. She holds endorsements in Social Science and English Language Arts and is a certified teacher in the State of Oregon. Additionally, she has received training in the Seeing My Time® curriculum. BACKGROUND READING Carrie's website

In this episode of Homeschool Moms Unfiltered, we dive into the complex world of setting our kids up for success while allowing them the freedom to make safe mistakes. We discuss executive function skills tied to the brain's development, particularly the frontal lobe, which matures around age 25. From planning, organizing, and managing emotions to learning life skills, we offer practical tips on helping your kids build independence without helicoptering. Learn strategies to foster resilience and support their growth, even through small, everyday challenges. Today's recommended resource is History Quest by Pandia Press! Check it out: https://www.pandiapress.com/ref/199/ ((Note: Sometimes our links are affiliate links. Using our links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it does help support our podcast. We appreciate you!)) "Let's continue the conversation on Patreon! We host live meet-ups 2x/month and can't wait to meet you. Join here: https://bit.ly/3X5R0gI Homeschoolers love a good rabbit hole! Dig in deeper with our helpful links: https://linktr.ee/homeschoolmomsunfiltered Would you like personalized coaching from Meagan or Amanda (or both)???? We offer consultation services. Feel free to take a look at our respective bios and book a time that is convenient for you. https://calendly.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered Come hang out with us! Join our FB group for fun and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoolmomsunfiltered Love Homeschool Moms Unfiltered and want to show your support? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered Let's be friends!!! Follow us on social media for giveaways and updates!! IG: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered/ TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@homeschoolmomsunfiltered?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc FB: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered

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Shop the Harkla Back to School Sale - Save 15% on physical products and save 20% on digital products through September 8, 2024  https://harkla.co/pages/back-to-school Executive function skills are the higher level cognitive skills that are required for every day tasks. These skills begin to develop in toddlerhood and aren't fully developed until a person is in their 20s! For students in the classroom, executive function skills are required for everything from social interactions, to navigating between classes, to turning homework in on time. In today's episode, we're giving you a breakdown on the importance of executive function skill development, how to teach these skills, and 5 tools and strategies to incorporate into the classroom to help students develop and improve their executive function skills.  LINKS Improving Focus and Behavior in the Classroom - Digital Course for Teachers, Therapists, and Professionals Working in the School Setting https://harkla.co/products/classroom-sensory-training We'd love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Executive Function Skills and More 7 Executive Function Strategies The Zones of Regulation Just Right Curriculum The Alert Program Free Visual Schedule Template

In this enlightening episode, host Mandee Hamann sits down with learning specialist Jamie Seibert (Enrichment Therapy and Learning Center) to explore the essential strategies for teaching and developing executive function skills in children and teens. Jamie, with years of experience working with young learners, shares her top tips for fostering skills like organization, time management, and self-regulation—crucial for academic success and personal growth. Whether you're a parent, educator, or anyone invested in helping the next generation thrive, this episode offers practical advice and actionable insights to empower children and teens with the tools they need to navigate life's challenges. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an expert in the field and help the young people in your life develop the executive function skills they need to succeed.Send us a Text Message.Support the Show.Check out the brand new SUMMER FUN BUNDLE! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode. Your feedback helps us bring you more of the content you love. Stay Strong! Start your ScreenStrong Journey today! Become a Connect Member to get access to our exclusive online forum, the 30-Day ScreenStrong Challenge, LIVE webinars with medical experts, and the entire ScreenStrong library of videos, audio clips, interviews, e-books, handouts, and more! Want to help spread the ScreenStrong message to your community? Consider becoming a ScreenStrong Ambassador! ScreenStrong Tech Recommendations Gabb Wireless—Smartphone Replacement (use code STRONG for discount) Canopy—Device Filter (use code STRONG for discount) Production Team: Host: Melanie Hempe Producer & Audio Editor: Olivia Kernekin

Get ready to uncover the secrets behind Executive Function skills in this eye-opening episode! Seth Perler, Executive Function Guru (ok I just made that up, but he's top level in the EF world) is my guest today, and we dive into what EF skills are and why they're crucial for kids (and adults) in navigating daily life. We discover how these hidden challenges impact kids' social skills, emotional regulation, organization, and motivation. We spoke about why neurodivergent children in particular often struggle with executive function and Seth shared powerful, practical tips to support your child right away. Plus, he revealed his top secret tip for managing executive function difficulties. Don't miss out on these game-changing insights that can transform your parenting and your child's life.I mentioned Seth's global Executive Function Summit, TEFOS, in which I'm one of the guest speakers! It's Aug 9-12, 2024 and tickets are completely free. Grab your spot at https://executivefunctionsummit.com/?affiliate=steph3***If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@stephaniepinto.com and send me your thoughts, feedback or questions!Have you joined my Facebook Group for parents? There are over 120,000 parents in the community!

In this episode, Philip Zelazo and Ellen Galinsky join Under the Cortex to discuss their new paper in Current Directions in Psychological Science titled “Fostering Executive-Function Skills and Promoting Far Transfer to Real-World Outcomes: The Importance of Life Skills and Civic Science.” The conversation with APS's Özge G. Fischer Baum reviews the many ways executive functioning skills are used throughout daily life. The authors describe the process they used to involve the community to determine what skills they focused on in their intervention and the intervention's success.  To learn more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org. Send us your thoughts and questions at  underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.  

In this episode, we will meet Hayes, a fascinating man of many talents…and sounds! As a jazz musician and film composer, Hayes understands the power that sound has on humans…and we are not talking music, but sound. Having worked as a teacher with young people in all kinds of capacities

Brandon Slade provides educators with the tools they need to teach crucial executive function (EF) skills. While EFs lag in many children with ADHD and learning differences, integrating EF support strategies will help all students in your classroom. Executive Function Skills for Students: More Resources Self-Test: Could Your Child Have an Executive Function Deficit? Read: A Classroom Exercise That Teaches Self-Advocacy and Celebrates Differences Get: The Ultimate Executive Function Guide Read: The Misconceptions That Stifle Students with ADHD Access the video and slides for podcast episode #493 here: https://www.additudemag.com/webinar/executive-function-skills-educators-guide/ Thank you for listening to ADDitude's ADHD Experts podcast. Please consider subscribing to the magazine (additu.de/subscribe) to support our mission of providing ADHD education and support.

Dr. Lynne Kenney is the nation's leading pediatric psychologist in the development of classroom cognitive-physical activity programs for students grades K-8. Dr. Kenney develops curriculum, programming, and activities to improve children's cognition through coordinative cognitive-motor movement, executive function skill-building strategies, and social-emotional learning. Dr. Kenney is a pediatric psychologist on the Language & Cognition Team at Wellington-Alexander Center for the Treatment of Dyslexia, Scottsdale, Arizona. She has advanced fellowship training in forensic psychology and developmental pediatric psychology from Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Harbor-UCLA/UCLA Medical School. As an international educator, researcher, and author, Dr. Kenney is dedicated to improving the trajectory of children's learning, particularly in high-need, low-income communities.Websitewww.lynnekenney.comSocial Media Information@drlynnekenney (X, FB, Instagram)Resources MentionedADHD FoundationShow Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) https://nape.org.uk/SEND Conference Friday 26th April – Hybrid eventLondon School of Public Relations – www.lspr-education.com/podcasting-course/Delivered by Mark Taylor.The 1-day Essentials of Podcasting Certificated short course is highly practical and packed full of useful information to get you on the road to producing your own professional podcasts. The Podcasting course will help you to create, edit, deliver and promote your podcast. The course also provides useful tips and tricks from industry experts on producing professional and effective results.Support the show at www.educationonfire.com/supportHave you seen our live shows on YouTube? www.EducationOnFire.com/youtubeMentioned in this episode:London School of Public Relations - Podcasting Course with Mark TaylorThe 1-day Essentials of Podcasting Certificated short course is highly practical and packed full of useful information to get you on the road to producing your own professional podcasts. The Podcasting course will help you to create, edit, deliver and promote your podcast. The course also provides useful tips and tricks from industry experts on producing professional and effective results.LSPR

Ever wonder why some people excel at project planning and others struggle just to stay organised? Delve into the fascinating world of executive functions, explore your brain's executive control centre and uncover the secrets to boosting your focus, organisation, and productivity at work. Explore coaching with Anna, book a call here Take the free quiz to find out if you are stuck in a low confidence cycle here

Join Rachel and Claire as they discuss how executive function skills develop and how to work on these skills with your children as they grow and learn. As children grow and learn, they continue to develop and refine their executive function skills, which are crucial for success in school and in life. In this episode of Teach. Play. Love., Rachel and Claire will share why these skills are so important and how you can help your children strengthen these abilities throughout their life. Get parenting advice from Rachel and Claire! You can leave them a voicemail by calling 617-673-8881 and your question may be answered in a future episode of Teach. Play. Love. You can also send them an email at .

Everyone with ADHD has trouble with executive function in some way — and these challenges can make the transition to adulthood especially hard.Today, we're sharing an episode of the In It podcast called “Adulting and executive function skills.” Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson shares common executive function challenges young adults face in the real world. Get her expert advice on how to help young adults with ADHD cope with the demands of college or that first job.  To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about ADHD Aha! and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts. Copyright © 2023 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.

In this episode we sit down with Speech-Language Pathologist and executive functioning expert, Sarah Ward to discuss strategies to support the development of executive functions at home and school. Sarah starts off by giving a brief overview of what “executive functioning” means in everyday life then jumps into practical and effective ways parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists can support students as they develop these skills. Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP is the Co-Director of Cognitive Connections, LLP in Massachusetts. She  has over 25 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment and case management of children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of developmental and acquired brain-based learning difficulties and behavioral problems. Sarah is a dedicated clinician and internationally recognized expert on executive function skills who presents seminars and workshops across the globe on the programs and strategies she has developed. She has a proven track record for translating complex ideas into practical strategies that work to improve executive function skills.Links:Sarah's website: Cognitive ConnectionsThe Parish School's websiteUnbabbled on InstagramSponsors:The Original Mexican CafeKids 360 Pediatric DentistrySupport the show

In this episode, Lisa and Stephanie discuss:Reasons your student might consider community college instead of or before transitioning to a 4-year university. Advantages of a community college and reasons your student should invest time in a visit to the campus. Differences between community colleges, regional campuses, and technical colleges. The correct verbiage you need to ask the right questions of the colleges and universities your student is looking into.Key Takeaways: Community colleges are not lesser colleges. They are, however, tailored to the community that the school is in. Community colleges are 2-year colleges, and the credits earned transfer to 4-year colleges. Your student will want research to ensure the community college will support their desired career path, as it may not be the case for all future majors.  Career and technical degrees are not lesser degrees. Your student would be learning their livelihood in 2 years and can make a great living in those jobs. There are many organizations your student can engage with at community colleges. Regardless of the size of the school, there are engagement and scholarship opportunities that are often overlooked.  “You are welcome on the community college campus. There are people there waiting to answer your questions. Don't be shy, don't be scared - step on campus, find an office, and they will direct you to the right place to get your questions answered. It might change your life.” – Stephanie DuguidAbout Stephanie Duguid: As the founder of Do Good Leadership, Dr. Stephanie Duguid is a motivational speaker, educational consultant, leadership & success coach, radio show host, and author who strives to help individuals become intentional in developing goals, purposeful in reaching their full potential and helps to solve challenges. Her primary focus is helping Women in Education develop leadership skills and confidence in 90 days to enter their ideal leadership role (current or future).   Episode References:Episodes About How to Prepare Teens to Thrive in College:#020 Teaching Your Teen “How to College”: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/20-teaching-your-teen-how-to-college/#088 Executive Function Skills for College Success with Lauran Kerr-Heraly: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/088-executive-function-skills-for-college-success-with-lauran-kerr-heraly/ #068 How to Get the Most Out Of College with Elliot Felix: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/068-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-college-with-elliot-felix/ Get Lisa's complimentary on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career...(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret). https://flourishcoachingco.com/video Connect with Lisa:Website: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flourishcoachingcoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishcoachingco/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-coaching-co

In this episode, Lisa and Lauran discuss:The 4 (surprising) categories of executive function skills every student needs for success. Why executive functioning skills are more important than the standard high school education leads you to believe. Tips for how parents and families can set their teen up to learn these skills for a successful transition to college.Tips for creating open avenues of communication with your students to set them up for happiness. Key Takeaways: Students spend a lot of time studying inefficiently. Managing time effectively is critically important.The four S's of executive function skills: scholastic, study, social, and sensibility.As a parent, once your student is in college, your student's information cannot be given to you without signing a FERPA release, and even then it is not your place to be checking in with your student's professors. That is the student's responsibility. The demands on a high school student do not match up with their current executive function skills…and it isn't their fault. Notice what your student is doing well, and help them learn the skills that they may be struggling with.  “The right skills are one of the most important things you can do for them. Because after they get into college, they are kind of on their own, but they still need you. Open warm communication is really important. And then scaffolding as much as possible so that you can set them up to not only be successful, but happy because that's what we want.” – Lauran Kerr-HeralyAbout Lauran Kerr-Heraly: Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. She is a Professor of History and Innovation Fellow at Houston Community College. She earned her Ph.D. in History and Women's Studies at the University of Houston and her research focuses on Black women medical doctors. She is the winner of the Texas State Historical Association's Randolph B. “Mike” Campbell Award, Houston Community College's Teaching Excellence Award, and NISOD Teaching Excellence Award. Lauran developed her program Altering Course to empower families to achieve success in collegeEpisode References:Executive Function Infographic: https://www.alteringcourse.com/infographic Goal Setting for Students: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/blog/goal-setting-for-students/ Get Lisa's Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career...(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret). https://courses.flourishcoachingco.com/howtoguideyourteen-free-trainingConnect with Lauran:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteringcourse/ Website: https://www.alteringcourse.com/ Connect with Lisa: Website: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flourishcoachingco Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishcoachingco/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-coaching-co

There's a word swap you can use to strengthen executive function skills AND approach yourself (and others) with less judgment. Try replacing "why" with "how" in some of your questions.Example: "Why did I wait until the last minute to start this project?""How do I decide when to start my project?""Why is it so hard for me to make decisions?""How  do I make decisions?"When we're frustrated, why questions can make us feel defensive. They ask us to justify our motives or reasoning.  “How” questions shift us to a place of curiosity- how exactly is this thing getting done (or not getting done)? Why asks for motivations, but how is a question that looks at our process.  "How" helps us see the steps that lead us to an outcome and make changes. Then we can decide if there are different steps we want to take to change those outcomes!

In today's episode, Colleen and Sarah Collins of HomeschoolOT discuss how executive function skills are essential when homeschooling neurodivergent children. They chat about ways to support our children, such as equipping them with the necessary tools and knowledge and building their metacognitive and self-awareness skills. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

About the Episode On the Strike a Balance Podcast for Working Homeschool Moms this week, I welcome Sam Young MEd from Young Scholars Academy. Mr. Sam, as his community calls him, is the founder and director of Young Scholars Academy, a two-time Fulbright Scholar, a former Bridges Academy teacher of nearly 10 years, and a Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity graduate. Sam is a neurodivergent educator himself and has committed his life to supporting twice-exceptional /neurodivergent students by helping them discover, develop, and lead with their strengths, talents, and unique interest. If you're homeschooling your neurodivergent child, like I am, then you know the struggles. This episode gives me so much hope and inspiration for what can be. And Sam himself is a testament of what neurodivergent people can achieve. I'm sure you're going to feel as inspired and encouraged by this episode as I am! You can find Sam here: https://youngscholarsacademy.org/summer-camps https://www.facebook.com/YSAENRICHMENT https://www.instagram.com/young_scholars_academy/ And don't forget to claim the free resource he mentions in the episode: 3 Tier Task Manager WHM Collective If you're looking for support on your working homeschool journey, then the WHM Collective is for you! Be sure to join the WHM Collective waitlist and be the first to hear about when it launches. Claim Your Free eBook: How to Prioritize Self Care when You're Busy In the crazy-busy life of a working homeschool mom, it's easy to forget about taking care of yourself. Juggling the responsibilities of educating your children while managing a career or business can leave you feeling overwhelmed and depleted. That's why I've created How to Prioritize Self Care When You're Busy, an empowering eBook specifically designed to help working homeschool moms prioritize self-care and find balance in their lives. Sign up to my newsletter to claim your eBook. Sponsor for the Episode Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? I'm thrilled to introduce our favourite math curriculum to you. CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy's 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way! The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”. Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). Using a multi-sensory approach having the combination of effective graphics and animation synchronized with the voice of a friendly teacher together with a practical assessment. This three-pronged attack makes learning so much easier and more effective. Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly. Visit www.ctcmath.com today to start your free trial. Or take advantage of this fantastic special! Visit https://www.ctcmath.com/MLH to get a half-price discount plus a bonus 6-months for free.

On today's podcast episode, Colleen talks about the eight main executive function skills. She'll help you to identify the ways deficits in these areas impact your child's day-to-day life and show up in their struggles. She's also got some ideas for building each of these skills with your kiddos. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

How often do you do the prep work for your tasks?  Do you know what I mean by prep work?  Most people I know really dislike the prep work and just want to get down to doing the task.  They even feel that the prep work is a waste of their time because it isn't getting the job done.  And, they are short on time as it is, so this is just a non-essential thing to do.  But is it really?  Everything in life needs prep work and maintenance.  If you are the cook in your family or home, you need to prep the meal before you can make it and then eat it.  If you are going to work on an art project, you need to prep and make sure you have all the supplies you need for your project before you embark or you'll be running out to the store or aborting the project when you find out that you don't have what you need.  What about leading a meeting at work?  Do you just show up and talk, or do you need to prep for the meeting so you stay on topic for the purpose of the meeting and are clear on what you will present?  Like I said, prep work and maintenance is just part of life. Prep work can include many Executive Function skills or Executive Function pre-skills.  And, if you don't have solid pre-skills, then building your Executive Function skills on a flimsy foundation isn't going to get you sustainable results.  The 3 Executive Function pre-skills that I feel are essential are your relationship with time and how you manage yourself and time itself, procrastination and how you eliminate it from your life, and decision-making since you are making decisions every day, and sometimes all day long.  Do you trust yourself with time and the decisions you make?  Have you eliminated procrastination from your life? In this episode, I talk about:  Executive Function pre-skills development The importance of developing a dynamic plan with a strong foundation What it's like to work with Dr B And more!  Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life!  My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.    Episode Resources:  Get Sh*t Done Fundamentals + Essentials (GSD-FE) Program Information:  (previously known as the ADDventures In Achievement [AIA-FS] program) https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD-FE program:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance    Book your complimentary discovery call with Dr B to get your questions answered, and determine together if GSD-FE is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/d/ywy-j5t-4jk    The Transformation Club (TTC) – if time or money commitments have been holding you back - the affordable membership program for Executive Function skills development: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram   Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function   Book your complimentary discovery call to get your questions answered and determine if TTC is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/amygellerux/ttcdiscoverycall      Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more  Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show:  Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!    

Do you have the blueprints to build a new model of yourself?  One of my favorite quotes is by Buckminster Fuller, who said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”  Thinking along the same lines as Fuller, I realized years ago that with so much that happens on our journey from birth to adulthood, unless we build a new model of ourselves and then move into that new model, we will be fighting the existing reality and model of our earlier life and selves forever, and trying to “fix” the dysfunctional, rather than create anew.  If changing the outcomes in your life was as easy as learning some new skills or moving to a new place to start over again, then everyone who does it that way would be happy with their new outcomes.  It doesn't work that way.  Wherever you go, there you are.  You are taking the existing model of who you have become up to now and attempting to shove new tools into that existing, dysfunctional model of you, and there is no room for this to happen.  You are a closed system that has what it has and functions as it does within that closed system.  You have to be willing to build a new model of yourself, for who you need to be or want to be, take the best from your existing model and move it over into your new model, and then release the rest of that original model because it is obsolete.  My phrase for that release is borrowed from Star Trek and is “beam me up Scottie.”  Since energy never dies, I don't want to leave anything from the previous model of me, that is now obsolete, for me to slide back into at some point in time.  I am clear that model is obsolete and I have built a new healthy model and I want to live from the place of that new model, not the old, dysfunctional one.  This means we have to be able to let go of the old and embrace the new, and many have difficulty letting go of anything; especially the previous, outdated and dysfunction model of who they have been. In this episode, I talk about: Building a blueprint for a new model of yourself Why change is not just as easy as learning new skills Common barriers to transformation And more! Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.   Episode Resources: Get Sh*t Done Fundamentals + Essentials (GSD-FE) Program Information:  (previously known as the ADDventures In Achievement [AIA-FS] program) https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD-FE program: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance  Book your complimentary discovery call with Dr B to get your questions answered, and determine together if GSD-FE is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/d/ywy-j5t-4jk   The Transformation Club (TTC) – if time or money commitments have been holding you back - the affordable membership program for Executive Function skills development: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram  Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back:https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function  Book your complimentary discovery call to get your questions answered and determine if TTC is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/amygellerux/ttcdiscoverycall     Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show:Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others! Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.  Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this! 

Sending kids off to the adult world can feel both scary and exciting. How can families best support their kids who learn and think differently?  In this episode, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek talk with Dr. Karen Wilson, a clinical neuropsychologist who works with a lot of college students. She shares some of the common challenges kids face in the real world — many related to trouble with executive function. Get her expert advice on how families can help their kids manage the demands of adulting.  Then, the hosts hear from a parent who's “in it” when it comes to helping kids become adults. Tune in to get tips from Danielle Janson, a mom of twins with ADHD who are in their first year of college.  To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.  We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.  Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about In It and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts. Copyright © 2023 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria or RSD is a hot topic these days.  It is one manifestation of emotional dysregulation, which is a common but misunderstood and under-researched symptom of ADHD in adults.  Individuals with RSD feel unbearable pain (physical and emotional) as a result of actual or perceived rejection, teasing, or criticism.  And, this symptom is not alleviated with cognitive or dialectical behavior therapy.  I've read that this symptom is attributed to a different brain structure, a sensitivity that is different than just being a highly sensitive person, and as with the treatment of ADHD itself, medications such as ADHD medications or antidepressants are often given in the hopes that they will lessen the pain.    A significant percentage of adults never find any effective ways to manage or cope with the pain.  So, what do adults do when they are in unbearable pain?  What comes to mind is self-medicate the pain so they can at least do what needs doing in their life.  This could be drink, drug, spend, eat, etc., to escape the pain. When I read about rejection, it appears to be the intentional act of refusing to accept, approve or support something or someone such as refusal to show someone love or kindness; refusal to accept someone.  Rejection is the act of not giving someone the love and attention they want and/or expect. In this episode, I talk about: The unbearable physical or emotional pain of rejection The difference between RSD and ADHD What it takes to transform from the inside out And more!   Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.   Episode Resources: Get Sh*t Done Fundamentals + Essentials (GSD-FE) Program Information:  (previously known as the ADDventures In Achievement [AIA-FS] program) https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD-FE program: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance   Book your complimentary discovery call with Dr B to get your questions answered, and determine together if GSD-FE is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/d/ywy-j5t-4jk   The Transformation Club (TTC) – if time or money commitments have been holding you back - the affordable membership program for Executive Function skills development: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram  Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back:https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function  Book your complimentary discovery call to get your questions answered and determine if TTC is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/amygellerux/ttcdiscoverycall     Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show:Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others! Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.  Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this! 

I often hear from many accomplished adults that they feel like imposters.  They have been able to hold things together and advance in their career, yet the toll on them is huge.  They have created workarounds to get the job done but fear being found out.  Work takes so much time and leaves little if any time for pursuing their dreams, hobbies or even cherished time with family and friends.  Over time, their self-confidence and happiness has disappeared.  Enter… imposter syndrome.    In order to feel confident, you need to be competent in those areas of life you created workarounds for.  In other words, competence  confidence.    Many adults ramble when they speak.  I used to.  I didn't have a target; I just started talking and hoped I would make sense to those listening if I just said enough.  To ramble on is to speak or write at length and with many digressions, such as rambling on for a couple of hours and your listeners become restless.  Rambling uses up a lot of time, effort and energy – whether talking or writing.  Rambling on is an expression of disorganization or confusion in thinking.   Does it take you a while to get to the point in a conversation or presentation?  Do you feel the need to provide all the details you can possibly think of when you are explaining something to someone?  Have you ever thought your rambling or excessive explaining was a sign of executive function skill deficits?  In this episode, I talk about: Excessive rambling Strategies to improve your communication How to develop organized thinking and an organized mind And more! Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life!    My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.  Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life!   My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.   Episode Resources: Get Sh*t Done Fundamentals + Essentials (GSD-FE) Program Information:(previously known as the ADDventures In Achievement [AIA-FS] program) https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD-FE program: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance     Book your complimentary discovery call with Dr B to get your questions answered, and determine together if GSD-FE is right for you or not: https://calendly.com/d/ywy-j5t-4jk   The Transformation Club (TTC) – if time or money commitments have been holding you back - the affordable membership program for Executive Function skills development: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram  Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back:https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function    Book your complimentary discovery call to get your questions answered and determine if TTC is right for you or not: coming soon Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show:Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others! Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.  Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!     

Cari and Jim continue the conversation about building executive function skills through play-based learning. Please be sure to listen to episode 38 before diving into this one.

When it comes to helping students learn more efficiently, Executive Function skills are the greatest tool teachers have at their disposal. Yet, many teachers aren't aware of their value, and the ones that do often don't know how to support them in the classroom. For example, we had one teacher ask us on our Facebook page how teachers can support their own Executive Function challenges while also managing a classroom full of kids who have varying degrees of Executive Function challenges, too. As soon as I read this question, I knew EF in the classroom was an important topic to cover on Focus Forward - and that I also had the perfect people to reach out to. BrainTracks is a separate division of Beyond BookSmart that's focused on training teachers in Executive Function tools and strategies that they can use in the classroom. I invited the program's director, Susan Lohman, and one of their School Training specialists, Allison Larthey, to talk about the role Executive Function skills play in the classroom and how teachers can help both their students and themselves develop these skills further. Listen in to learn how you can apply these same strategies to find more time and energy for learning at home or in the classroom. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to check out the relevant links and resources below that were mentioned in the episode!BraintracksBraintracks WebsiteBraintracks ResourcesYour Kid's Gonna Be Okay by Michael DelmanEp 15: Building Meaning: Life Lessons from an Executive Function PioneerTools6 Steps to Successful Goal Setting for Students (and Adults!)SMART Goals - How to Make Your Goals AchievableCircle of concern v Circle of control – Discovery in ActionMirror NeuronsMirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain - PMCThe Mind's MirrorContact us!Reach out to us at podcast@beyondbooksmart.comIG/FB/TikTok @beyondbooksmartcoachingTranscriptHannah Choi 00:04Hi everyone and welcome to Focus Forward, an executive function Podcast where we explore the challenges and celebrate the wins you'll experience as you change your life by working on improving your executive function skills. I'm your host, Hannah Choi Well, listeners, this episode is a celebration for me because we've officially been on the air for over one year now. I'd like to thank you all for listening. It really means the world to me and my podcast team. I'd like to thank them today too, for helping me bring executive function, skill, knowledge and information to as many people as possible. I am not kidding when I say this podcast would absolutely not be possible without them. I'd like to thank Sean Potts, our producer and editor, Justice Abbott, our content designer, Jackie Hebert, our director of marketing. Mimi Fernandez, our Director of Customer Success, and the rest of the Beyond BookSmart team, including Michael Delman and Rachel Krompinger who never fail to support us and our work. Something that's really important to me is helping people recognize that there are going to be areas of executive functioning that come easily to you, and other areas that probably always have been, and may always will be challenging for you. And this is okay. As we've been exploring over the last year, there are tools and strategies that can help immensely in those challenging areas. Someone asked about this on our Beyond BookSmart Facebook page. The person who posted the question wanted to know how teachers can support their own executive function skill challenges, while also managing a classroom full of kids whose EF skills are all still emerging and in various states of effectiveness. As soon as I read this question, I knew it was an important topic to cover on focus forward, and I knew exactly who I had to reach out to. If you've listened to Episode 15, where I interviewed Michael Delman, the founder and CEO of beyond booksmart, you will have heard us talk about the exciting development of our school division, which was created out of a desire to democratize access to the critical executive function skills education our one on one coaches provide. This school division has grown into what we now call BrainTracks, and is led by director Susan Lohman. I invited Susan and one of her school training specialists Allison Larthey on the podcast to talk about exactly what the Facebook comments are brought up - How to support executive function skill development in the classroom for both kids and their teachers. So listen to learn about the role executive function skills play in the classroom, tools that teachers can use to find more time and energy for learning. And how brain tracks is working diligently to create access to life changing executive function, skill development for all kids, their teachers and their families. Hi, Susan and Allison, thanks so much for joining me. Would you introduce yourself so our listeners know who you are. Susan, you want to start?Susan Lohman 03:25Sure. So I am Susan Lohman. I'm the Director of School Programming, BrainTracks - our school division, and I am a former teacher and instructional coach. So I worked in middle schools and high schools. I worked in traditional brick and mortar schools. And I also spent a lot of time in online education for K - 12. My firsthand experience in the classroom allows me to say The struggle is real for teachers teaching is a really hard job, a very hard job. As an instructional coach, I visited hundreds of classrooms and saw similar experiences with teachers and students. And then through the work of my work as a coach at Beyond BookSmart I realized that there was actually different in a better way for students and teachers. So the work that I was doing with my clients, I started using those tools and strategies with my own students when I was teaching and then when I was a instructional coach, using it with teachers, so I realized this success before even heading up BrainTracks.Hannah Choi 04:39Cool. That's great. Yeah. And how about you, Allison?Allison Larthey 04:42So I'm Allison Larthey. And I have been working for Beyond BookSmart since 2019, and I'm an executive function coach, and I'm also a school training specialist. And my background is elementary education. I had one of those New Jersey unicorn degrees where I could I teach anything in the classroom from preschool up through eighth grade. And I also am a certified school counselor. So I really love bringing all that information together. And that's one of the things that I love about what I learned about Beyond BookSmart was how we kind of marry those two things of, you know, calming the nerves, I work with a lot of clients with anxiety. And so we, you know, we practice with all those skills and how that impacts their education is just so much fun to see the progress, the growth. And, you know, so yeah, I spent a lot of time in elementary education. And I was incorporating these skills before I knew what they were and like, kind of had that name to go along with it. So but I, you know, was able to kind of put that name to it, I'm like, This is so much more impactful. And to really target this is why that worked all those years ago. So it's really fun to see the impact that it has on teachers and our clients. And it's, it's just so much fun to do this work really.Hannah Choi 06:06That's great. I know, I love it. I mean, I don't, I don't work in a classroom, and I don't work with teachers, but I can just relate exactly with what you're talking about, it's seeing the impact of the of your effort is just there's nothing better. Yeah. So the reason I asked you guys to join me today is because someone had commented on the Beyond BookSmart Facebook page about it, wondering about what teachers who have executive function challenges can do to support themselves in the classroom. And, and it just really got me thinking about how, like on the podcast, I always talk about how, you know, like, as adults, we have executive function challenges, whether you have ADHD, or not everyone has an area of executive function that is challenging to them. And so, in a classroom, you're managing, you know, however many different personalities, some of whom have more or less, you know, executive function challenges themselves. Plus, you're managing yourself. And so I thought, who could be some experts that can help me dive into this topic. And so I just knew I had to come to you. So thank you so much. So I want to ask you a lot of our BrainTracks because I love the idea of it. I love the idea of, of teaching as many people as we can about executive function skills. I mean, that's why I'm doing the podcast. But can we first talk about why do executive function skills matter in the classroom?Susan Lohman 07:41Executive function skills are really what allows the students to learn. So it allows them to self regulate, enough to be in the mindset to be able to absorb and manipulate the knowledge of teachers sharing. If they're not able to self regulate, and focus, pay attention, initiate tasks, all these things, they really can't access the knowledge that comes through the teachers instruction. So EF skills allow students really to manage themselves in their lives in school, but also out of school. If they're not able to prioritize tasks, organized belongings and their time to start task to finish tasks, they're not able to perform at their best. And so ultimately, the the E F skills and supporting them is sort of a ticket to them being able to learn and to maximize that potential. It allows them to be more independent leaders of themselves in their job of being a student, but also of themselves outside of school. Students who are receiving executive function skills support through tilt tools and strategies, their parents often see the same changes at home, those routines have habits that they're developing, transfer over out of school to.Hannah Choi 09:07And I imagine that when the kids feel like they have some autonomy and some power over their executive function skills, it gives space to the teachers to be able to teach and be able to access their executive function skills more easily.Allison Larthey 09:30Yeah, I would definitely say that that's true. Because whenever we practice these skills, I mean, I know I feel that way. As a coach, I feel that way when I work with with, you know, in the classroom when I work with teachers, you know, to translate it into the client into their classrooms. Whenever we're practicing these skills, the impact is felt not just by the person on the receiving end, but it's also on on our end. You know, the more I practice with like, you know, Circles of Control. Well, with a client of like letting go of the things outside of our control, then I'm practicing that skill at the same time with them. So, the same is true for those executive function skills, you know, if we really want our students to be organized and where their paperwork is, as we're bringing awareness to that, and as we're practicing that skill, like, then we as the teacher are also going to benefit from that, because we're paying attention to it. And we're putting into practice, at the same time that we're working on it with the kids. So I really I love that, that the teacher asked that of, you know, how do I help myself in that as well, because I really do think that it's great to recognize those strengths and weaknesses that we have, as human beings, that you know, we all have those strengths, we all have those weaknesses, just like you said. So when we're practicing those skills, and we're just aware of, you know, what this is, this is a challenge for me. So maybe I can bring this into the classroom and practice it with my students. And then we're all benefiting from it. And we're removing that stigma of everybody has to be perfect all the time, which I think we carry sometimes as teachers. And, you know, that's a hard thing to let go.Susan Lohman 11:10When you think about it logically, also, students during the week, they're at a school or in a classroom, more hours, and they're actually home. So if these, these routines, and these habits are occurring at school, they will more easily be able to transfer at home, because they're happening for a greater amount of time. Hannah Choi 11:35Something that you said, Allison made me think about how like, when I coach and I'm working with a client, sometimes if I share my own struggle and say, like, oh, I, you know, I can totally relate to that, or like, this is what I'm doing, to try to, you know, level the playing field in whatever area I'm struggling with. The look of, of surprise, and also relief on my clients faces like, Oh, all right, like, she's my coach, and she feels that way. So I imagine for it's the same thing for kids in the classroom,Allison Larthey 12:10And we're modeling that it's okay to keep learning and growing, and that even as adults, these things may still be challenging. So what do we do about that? And that's, you know, I think that that's really powerful. And that removes the stigma to for some of our students who are struggling with those areas, if we're patient with ourselves. And you know, it's like that, you know, the expression of you can't pour from an empty cup. So if I'm just pouring, pouring, pouring, and I'm never filling mine back up, then then what am I actually pouring out. So when our students are, like, when I when I have patience with myself, I'm gonna have a lot more patience, to, you know, help support my students. But if I'm feeling frustrated, then that may come across, too. That's one of the things we talked about in one of our workshops is those mirror neurons of like, when our students are reflecting back, what we're, what we're putting out there, and then we're reflecting back what they're putting out there. So how do we, you know, kind of balance all of that, but that like patience and grace with ourselves, as the teacher, I think is so important for our students as well.Hannah Choi 13:20Yeah, so how, how, in addition to that, How can teachers incorporate executive function tools and skills into the classroom, so that they are able to reach kids and focus more on instruction and, and help kids have autonomy and, and ownership of their own work that they're doing?Allison Larthey 13:42Yeah, that's where we, when we're working with teachers and schools, we always want to emphasize that we're not trying to add any new, you know, new stuff. There was, there's this one analogy that I heard from a professional development workshop, about a million years ago was probably like, I don't know, 15-20 years ago, maybe, that somebody explained a "constipated curriculum", where we just like shove stuff, and we never take anything out. And, like, do that we are here to take the practices that teachers are already doing the things that they want to focus their attention on, whatever that may be, however big or small, you know, whether it's I just want my students to put their names on their papers, or it's I work you know, we've got this massive final exam and we need our students to be prepared, no matter how big or small the task is. We're just going to take what they're already doing, and helping them to examine it in that executive function light and then adjust the practice to then make it the you know, who's benefiting from this practice. If I take the homework papers home to grade every single night, who benefit hits from that, do my students benefit? Do I benefit? And if that's not the case, then what can I do differently to really help them grow their skills. And so that's, you know, that's really what we like to do is talk about the tool, talk about the strategy, and then allow teachers to break it into their own practice and say, you know, oh, I could see myself doing this here. And, you know, so we're not looking for the, you know, piling on massive things we're looking for, you know, make it efficient,Susan Lohman 15:33Hannah, sometimes too, that just bringing the awareness to a student's behavior, or their lack of behavior to a specific executive function skill, a light bulb goes off. Oh, that's why she does her homework or forgets to turn it in half the time, I could never understand why someone would do all that work, and then not turn it in connecting the dots between behaviors, executive function skills, and then something that we as educators can do just a little bit differently, tweak and twist it a little bit differently, present something slightly different can have a huge impact.Hannah Choi 16:15Yeah, because if you don't, if you haven't had the opportunity to learn, you know, an understanding to learn the connection between executive function, executive dysfunction, and the related behaviors, then how would you know?Susan Lohman 16:32Right? Right, exactly.Allison Larthey 16:35And the benefits, yeah, the benefits of, you know, working on those skills, you free up so much time in your day, when you're not managing those little things. Like, whenever you have that good classroom management, and those, you know, those student independent routines, even from as early as kindergarten, I mean, back in the days when I would substitute teach, you knew the teachers that had that really strong routine. And it just made everything flow so much easier, when you would walk into those classrooms. So then as the teacher, it's easier to have a sick day, to have that day off. And you have that, you know, that benefit is so widespread of you know, it's not just about you know, are they prepared for that test, because, of course, we want them to be prepared for the test. That's why we're there. But we also really want them to leave with those those life skills of, you know, will they pick up a book when they have a free free moment. And, you know, so that classroom management, the student independence, and then the way it, it does free up more time in the classroom, you know, when we aren't having to hear all the arguments over kickball after lunch, and you know, then we have time to dive into math a lot faster. So, you know, we open up that space for the things that the students want to do, that the teacher wants to do. And it just flows so much, so much nicer when you have that, you know, when everybody's feeling good about those practices, and feels like they have that independence.Hannah Choi 18:11Right, and then it takes you takes us back to what we were talking about before, you're able to take better care of yourself, when you have that space to breathe and to not be rushing from one to the next and and trying to shove some behavior management in there and or classroom management in there. And yes, I taught preschool I know it's not the same as as as like K through 12. But I remember that I would really have benefited from a lot of that from just understanding more about, like, I understood the child development, but not the executive function part. Like I never remember learning about that. And how important that really is, Susan Lohman 18:55Hannah, that's that's a really good point of preschool. I was a high school English teacher, but I did sub for a year in a preschool room, which sounds very silly. I really was only qualified because I had my own kids. But looking at that I was at that time, I was a coach with Beyond BookSmart and I remember thinking, I'm seeing the emergence of executive function skills. In these little ones, the four year olds and really supporting them that early makes a difference when they're in first grade or third grade or seventh grade. They're starting small and in starting when they are wanting that autonomy over themselves and turning those routines into habits and have great effects you know, throughout their their school career.Hannah Choi 19:50We're going to be doing an episode on executive functions skill development in younger kids in the next few week so that the Yeah, yeah, I was super excited about that. Yep. So it is really important. And, and I think that you're right. When we start early, when those skills are emerging, it really does make a difference in the long run. Yeah. So, so back to classrooms, what are your go to tools that you would share with any teacher, because you know, it'll impact them positively?Susan Lohman 20:29Yeah, I think I'll start, Hannah, with one that I use myself, I've used it with all of my clients, with my own kids. And that is the the five minute goals and doesn't necessarily have to be five minute. But the thought is to use a timer to make something more manageable, to allow somebody to start on a task, or to complete part of a task to recognize that, Wow, I did all that in just five minutes. It can be used in a variety of ways. If somebody is struggling to get started on a paper, which is so common, setting the timer for five minutes and saying, just even brainstorm, start in the middle of the paper, start with the thing you know, best and just write for five minutes. It can be used that way it can be used, if somebody is not wanting to do something. And they know they have to do it, saying, Okay, we're only going to do it for five minutes and see what we get done with. And then we're going to leave it and come back to it in an hour or whatever. It sets boundaries around something that seems impossible, or something you don't want to do. It's also a way to have students who have struggles with paying attention and focusing five minutes seems so small, that it's not intimidating to them. Oh, I can do that for five minutes. It's just five minutes. Yeah, so that's one that I that I always use always even with myself. I use it.Hannah Choi 22:15Me too. I love that tool. It saved me so many times.Allison Larthey 22:19Oh, absolutely. That's a three way, three way agreement on that one. It's like a favorite go to because you can use it in so many different ways. And I would say one of my favorites, too is probably the the DKDK, The do know, don't know. And this one is so great, because it can again be adaptable to all levels, all, you know, practices, whatever skill it is you're trying to reinforce. And basically you just sorta what do I know? What do I sort of know? And what do I really really not know, like I forgot it even existed kind of don't know. And I love that because you can use it for so many things you can have, you know, your high school students can keep track of that they can use their notes and sort them in a chart to say, Oh, I totally know this. So I really don't have to spend a lot of time reviewing it. I sort of know this, I might get it right on the test, I might not get it right on the test. So I need a little bit more practice. And then the I don't even know what this means I definitely need to talk to my friends or ask my teacher or go to a tutor, or you know, read up on this watch a YouTube video, I need more time. And then you break apart your study methods into more efficient practices of I can spend time on this little bit of time here. And then just a real quick review over here. And I love how you can use that even at the youngest grades of you know, in a preschool room of does everybody know where the scissors go? After we take out the scissors? Do we know where they belong? And we can introduce it and say like, look, we're gonna talk about where the scissors go. So we don't know this yet, then we explain it. And we're now we sort of know it. But can we put it into practice. And then as your students start to build that routine, then they say like, and then you're like, wow, everybody knows where the scissors go, we're all the way over here, we can move on to a new goal now. And just the way that you can break that apart to be, you know, so complex, but also so simple. Is is just I love, you know, that kind of a tool. And then I have a great story with a fourth grader who I was coaching, one on one coaching. And I found out after months of us working together that he would go into school the next day and tell his teacher, the practices that we would talk about during our sessions. And DK DK was one of their favorites, his and his teachers. And I just had to jump in. I was like I didn't even know you were talking about this, but you could tell that it mattered to him and then he was like, Oh, my teacher uses this all the time now. And so it'sHannah Choi 25:01just great. He was your first he was your first brain tracks, andAllison Larthey 25:05he didn't even know.Hannah Choi 25:08Yes, spreading theAllison Larthey 25:09word of like he really did just like, take it into the classroom, which was so fun, because he got to be the owner of that of like, look at this, like, Yeah, we're gonna do this. Yeah,Hannah Choi 25:18that's so great. I love that.Susan Lohman 25:22I think it's also worth mentioning that any of these tools collectively using them as a class makes them more powerful. Even the even the teachers using them in the moment, it makes it a community effort, rather than something that I'm giving you, the students to do. I had a when I was a instructional coach, I had a teacher that wrote all the papers alongside with the students. So this was a middle school class. And she wanted to show them that she modeled for them, but she also showed them the writing process. By joining them showing her paper, she joined in just like another student. And I think there's some really great value in that with all of these tools, using them collectively together.Hannah Choi 26:10And it also, it also make sure that anyone who likes, okay, so there's going to be some students in the classroom that really, really benefit from it, and really, really need it. And then other kids who could probably get by without it, but when you teach it to everybody, and it's just this is just what we do, then everyone gets to benefit it benefit from it in a way that doesn't feel like isolating for one person or like, Oh, you're different. You're you have ADHD. So you need this. This is something that, yeah, this is something that everybody can benefit from. Well, and thatSusan Lohman 26:51yeah, I love that to Hannah, and even on it on a nother level is teachers in other classrooms or other content areas using the tools as well, students are able to use the tool in one classroom, and maybe go to another and use the same tool and a slightly different way. You know, it brings and it just circle.Hannah Choi 27:13Yeah, and I imagine it just becomes part of the vernacular, we just talk about this, this is just what we do. We all do DK decays, or we all use five minute goals. And when it's consistent, like I mean, we know that in coaching, right? When it's when you're consistent, that's when the magic happens. So the consistency across classrooms, I'm sure it would make a really huge difference.Susan Lohman 27:35Well, and Hannah to even outside of the school, in our brain tracks program, we work with families too, because we do want that language, you want those tools, we want that entire ecosystem that supports the child's learning to be consistently using the language, the tools, the approaches. And so we do work with families and families are the trainings with the families are very well attended, because they they want the knowledge, right, they want to be able to support their child in school, but also out of school.Hannah Choi 28:10And I bet some of the parents find themselves thinking, Oh, this is actually something that would be helpful for me as well, then if they use it, they can then model for their kid at home so severely, kids are getting the reinforcement dma's I love that.Susan Lohman 28:24It's smart goals is one of the tools that we use a lot with families, we encourage them to write them with their children. So everyone's working towards the same goal. It could be something as simple as you know, reading 30 minutes a day that everyone's doing it or it could be around. household things like sorting, doing the laundry, putting it away, but it's goals that the family is collectively working on. So it doesn't again, feel like we're pointing at the student you need this. It's like no, we all need this. So the house, the house works systematically, just like the classroom work systematically.Hannah Choi 29:06Yeah, and then if everybody feels supported, then they're more likely to use the tool because they feel like, Oh, I'm not the only one that's doing this, right.Allison Larthey 29:17And we hear that all the time, from the parent workshops from you know, even when teachers are in the workshops, it's like, Oh, I could use this with my own kids. And you know, and then parents are like, I could use this myself. And you know, that's, that's a fun thing is that they really are universal strategies and tools that we're practicing.Hannah Choi 29:37Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, I just as a coach, I have learned so many strategies that I've taught my clients and then that way to us, this is absolutely something that I would benefit from. So yeah, it is such a great way to to learn about ourselves and how we can support ourselves to then be better parents, better teachers, better coaches. So, yeah, I love that. So all this talk about, you know about making this universal support, it makes me think about, I mean, that's kind of why you guys got into brain tracks, right? Like, why, why that the idea of brain tracks came out? Can you explain a little bit about that?Susan Lohman 30:19Sure. So I'm going to just step back to my instructional coaching days, and when I was seeing very similar struggles in a variety of classrooms, a variety of ages, or classrooms, working with my one on one clients, in my mind, I was thinking, Wow, a school program would be so helpful. And I was thinking like, how, how could this work in schools, public, private, online schools, not knowing Michael was thinking the same thing. So, you know, coming together, you know, was the evolution of BrainTracks, but the idea was to take the similar support that our one to one coaching clients receive, and make those accessible and affordable for all students, and all schools and all states, across the US. So allowing, or providing, I should say, providing those strategies, the tools, the insight, the knowledge, the language, all of that to students, through teachers, you know, allows us to make a much greater impact than we already are through our coaching program.Hannah Choi 31:39That's great. I mean, that's a big reason why I wanted to do this podcast was to, you know, be able to teach as many people as I can about executive function skills, and, and that and getting access to, to that does not have to be something that only, you know, some people get to do, and it's ever everyone in the world would benefit from learning about it. And so...Susan Lohman 32:06Absolutely, and when you when you live it, and you love it, and you know that it is so impactful, you do want to share it with everyone, it's like you hold this secret sauce that you do want to share.Hannah Choi 32:20Yeah, I'm going to be doing a presentation at our elementary school about executive function skills. And, and one of the parents, you know, was asking me about it, and when I told her, Well, I just really love it. And I and I want everyone to know what this word executive function means and see how they can benefit from learning. And, and, and she was just so excited, and it felt so good to, to see that the impact, it is so important for people to learn about it. Susan Lohman 32:54When we begin working with teachers, part of our first training around the developing brain, you know, basic overview of how EF skills develop. Part of it is a it's a, it's a self assessment, they can take, it's private, they have the knowledge, but it allows them to recognize what the executive function skills are and what they look like, in life. And they will be able to see where they're really strong and where they might struggle. That way they can look in their classroom, they can look at their students and make a connection through themselvesHannah Choi 33:35Yeah, when you are able to learn about it yourself. And then you can bring that knowledge and understanding to your children or your classroom or whatever. So when you work with teachers, how do you? Like? How, how do you? How do teachers see their own executive function skills? Are they confident in areas that they are talking about it? Are they is it something that they're kind of expected to have these perfect executive function skills? Because they're teachers?Susan Lohman 34:11I don't I honestly and Alison, you can feel free to chime in. I honestly don't think so. Because part of our work is to normalize it. So in the education of executive function skills, normalizing that everyone has strengths that they're naturally, really good at, it feels good to be strong in those skills and the ones they struggle at. Or maybe they struggle with certain skills in certain parts of their life. But normalizing that, and you know, also being really transparent that we use these tools right now do we use those with our, our teachers and our clients and our own kids, we use them too. And we use them because they know they really work and they really do help youAllison Larthey 35:01Yeah, and I would say, I think, you know, I think teachers do carry that burden of having to be the perfect at everything situation of, you know, like, I shouldn't have any weaknesses because I have to be everything for everybody. But right, that's one of the hardest things is, whenever I was trying to do things for my students, when I was regulating for them taking notes for them, making, you know, learning for them, it was harder for me as the teacher, because my students weren't benefiting from it, and I was carrying a lot more weight than is, you know, necessary or useful to anybody. So when I did things with my students, alongside them, modeling it, over, you know, supporting them, it was just more authentic, and it was beneficial for, for them. And for me, that I didn't have to carry the weight of being everything for everybody. I could just be me. And then all of the, you know, all the strengths and weaknesses that come with that. And I think that that's important for teachers to know of that, you know, we don't have to do everything for our students, we don't have to make the study guides for them. We don't have to write the notes for them. And we're doing our students disservice when we do that. We want to bring our students in and have them take ownership of the practice of why would I write this word and not this word? Why did that? Why will that help me remember it later? And what do I really have to study? And how do I break down the material that I've learned, and we can do that even from the youngest age with a spelling list of you know, these are my sight words that I have to I have to know how to spell these. So am I aware of that I know how to spell it or that I don't know how to spell it. And if I'm carrying that weight is the teacher, then my students don't take any ownership over that process. So it's good for us to recognize as teachers that we don't have to carry everything on our shoulders all of the time, we can, we can do it with our students and, and that's a huge benefit to them. And to us at the same time, . Susan Lohman 37:26I worked with a teacher and she had the most beautiful relationship with her students. She was teaching sixth grade, and it was her first year in the school. And she was she was doing exactly what Alison just suggested. She said to them, as you know, I'm brand new and your school, you already experts on your school, I'm the expert on ELA, she was an ELA teacher. And so I want us to have a partnership, I'm going to ask you for help, because I don't know everything about your school, you all know what you've been here for years. And you can then ask me for help on writing papers in your reading. And, and it was so beautiful, because she let that go, she let that I have to do everything, I have to carry the burden. And she really had built a very trusting, respectful loving relationship with their students, so that they could work together and support each other, it was just so fabulous. Hannah Choi 38:33I love that. It's so funny because I was I have a terrible memory. So I had to write a little note down. And what I wrote down was asking for help. And that's what I wanted to say is, is the gift that we can give our students and our clients and ourselves is learning how to ask for help. And learning about executive function skills, we don't have to do it all on our own. So like, you know, something like BrainTracks is a way to support ourselves, our executive function skills and our kids without having to like do all the research ourselves without having to also take that on, like, Okay, I want to learn about executive function skills so that I can really support my kids and make my classroom this really, you know, comfortable place to teach and learn. But you don't also have to do that you can reach out to the experts. And, and I think we think of that. So, so speaking of like, what's been the reaction of the teachers in the schools that you've worked with on once they're open to the idea of bringing the BrainTracks teamAllison Larthey 39:43It's been really fun. It's great to be in the workshops and hearing immediately. This is how I'm going to use this. And during one of our parent workshops, a parent said, you know, right away like, Oh, this is what my son was talking about. because we had already done this school workshop with the students, and she was like, that's why he's breathing like this all of a sudden at home, he's like, taking these breaths and, and calming himself down. And she's like, that's what he's been doing. So it's really fun to see that transfer, you know, immediately there's that like excitement about, you know, oh, I know how I'm gonna use this tomorrow.Susan Lohman 40:24That's really cool. Yeah, and I was gonna say, too, I think that wouldn't begin begin working with schools, they recognize the skills are for immediate use, but they're also long term, what we're sharing in the knowledge that we're teaching and training extends way beyond a student's person's life as a student. And I, we worked with the school with their teachers several times, and now I'm working one on one with their instructional coach, and she was, is so excited because the teachers are using the language, they're using the tools, students are becoming more independent. And, you know, classroom struggles are slowly dissipating. And they are just thrilled that you know, us presenting this content in a manageable way in a realistic illogical way that teachers can use it without a heavy lift of changing, really what they're doing, just adjusting it slightly has such great rewards. It just feels really good from being a teacher and being in classrooms, it feels so feels so great for us to see them making such great strides.Hannah Choi 41:44That's wonderful. And I just had that conversation with a client of mine who's in college and, and she struggles with keeping her her room clean. And so we're going to spend some time working on figuring out a system for that. And I said, you know, what is so cool about this, like, we're practicing this skill on your, your room in your college apartment. But I just like when you're at you're like, Nope, I have to, you know, follow this system that I developed, you know, like, 60 years ago with that coach called Hannah. And, and it is it's, it's it's a gift for life. Yeah, absolutely.Susan Lohman 42:22For sure. For sure. And the great, the greatest thing is when you see someone we've worked with sharing that gift with someone else, or teaching someone else, the tools, it's such a great feeling.Hannah Choi 42:35Yep. Yeah. And that goes back to, you know, like what we were talking before about how, how can we help as many people as possible, and that is one way we can is by teaching people and hopefully they'll see the deep, deep and generalizable benefits of doing of doing that of doing that work? And then and then teaching it to someone else? Yeah, great. Anything else you guys would like to add? Anything you're excited about?Allison Larthey 43:10I'm excited about our open office hours for the teachers that we work with. And that's where they can follow up with us and ask those questions of like, you know, we did the workshop, they've tried some things out. And then they get to dive in a little bit deeper and say, This is what's working. This is not working. How do I you know, it's just this and that I'm really, really excited about?Hannah Choi 43:34Yeah, and are they when they access those office hours? Are they accessing them with teachers from other schools as well? Or just their school?Susan Lohman 43:43Hannah, that's a great question. We haven't set up both ways. If a school prefers to be just have their own time set aside, otherwise, their general that any teacher can can pop in and out, or they can pop in and listen and maybe get some information that they hadn't even hadn't even considered. So something that's really cool. Yeah, something I'm really excited about is our online training modules are up and running and ready to go. They are we're really created to accommodate schools, very tight schedules. So the trainings that we present live on Zoom are also can be taken by teachers on an LMS on a platform, which is so exciting. I'm very excited about that.Hannah Choi 44:37So they can do it at their own pace. Susan Lohman 44:39They can do it at their own pace, they can use it go back and review they can use it for if they want to take part of the trainings via zoom with us and they want to take the other part. So it really allows flexibility. The I would say the one of the challenges with working with schools. It's It's not the funding, it's not the the actual executive function training. It actually is working it into the calendar, the school calendars if they're tight. And that time is allocated about a year out. So the online modules give some flexibility with that.Hannah Choi 45:20And then are teachers able to earn continuing education credits from that as well?Susan Lohman 45:26Yep, absolutely. So that's another huge win. Yes.Hannah Choi 45:30That's great. I love it. And I love that name brain tracks, such a great name, your idea of like laying down these, like, the neural network and the train going through your brain. I love it. That's how it works. Very cool. Well, I was very lucky. I got to I got to talk with Michael Delman are the CEO and founder of beyond booksmart. back last year, and he told me a little bit about about it, and at the time, it hadn't been named. And so it's, it's pretty cool to see it, to see Yeah, really come to fruition. And to really see that you for you guys to really start to see the benefit of of all the work. Yeah, for sure. Congratulations.Susan Lohman 46:14Thank you, Hannah. Thank you so much.Hannah Choi 46:16Yeah. It's so fun to talk about this. Yeah, I'm so glad you guys were able to join me. It's, it's, it's a it's wonderful to hear that more people are getting access to the stuff that we know, is life changing? And could you share with our listeners where they can find out more?Susan Lohman 46:36Absolutely. So they can go to braintracks.com and log into our website, all kinds of great information there. There's also information that they can download and take to their school leaders if they want to share our information. If they have specific questions, they can reserve a time on our calendar directly from the website, or they can email us at info at brain tracks.com.Hannah Choi 47:05I love how accessible the website is it's so easy to read. And it's really easy on the great website. And it's packed full of information. And I also love how, how open and available you are for anyone to find out more information. All right. Well, thanks again for joining me. It was really great to talk to you guys.Susan Lohman 47:29Thanks. Thank you so much, Hannah. Our pleasure.Hannah Choi 47:33And that is our show for today. I hope you enjoyed our conversation about executive function skills for teachers and kids. If you're curious about any of the tools we talked about today, check out the show notes for some more information. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to listen. Please share this episode with the teachers in your life. I hope they find something in it that makes their teaching experience even more rewarding. You can subscribe to focus forward on Apple and Google podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts. If you listen on Apple podcasts or Spotify, you can help us out by giving us a five star rating. Sign up for our newsletter at beyond booksmart.com/podcast. We'll let you know when new episodes drop and we'll share information related to the topic. Thanks for listening

Cari and Jim talk about school readiness and the importance of building executive function skills in early childhood.

On this episode of The Fresh Start Family show, Wendy chats with Randy Kulman, Ph.D., who is an author and the founder of LearningWorks for Kids, an educational technology company that specializes in using video games to teach executive-functioning and academic skills. Our kids love video games. Many of us see them as a waste of time, and they can be very addictive when not part of a balanced Play Diet of physical, social, creative, unstructured, and digital play. In this episode, we learn how we can use a platform like Minecraft, for example, for building relationships with us and their friends, and to help teach our kids some pretty amazing Executive Function Skills, including: Planning Time Management Organization Flexibility  Social Awareness Self-control and Persistence For links & more info about everything discussed in this episode, head to www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/163. Grab your free Quick Start Learning Bundle on Raising Strong Willed Kids with Integrity! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristin Seymour, MSN, RN, teaches parents age-specific strategies to help build focus and motivation at home and at school, and how create daily routines to help neurodivergent kids get and stay organized, wake without a fight, and more.

This episode is a little different than most.  It's kind of a public service announcement - a message in the public interest that is meant to raise awareness about an important issue and change behavior.  This episode is dedicated to you, my listeners. The topic was inspired by a few emails I received this week, and they brought back the strong feelings I have about what I have been called to do and why I continue to pour my heart and soul into this calling.  Every day someone emails me with information about their challenges, how hard their life is, and the help they are looking for. This worldwide pain and suffering must stop!  I know I talk about executive function skills a lot and point to them as the solution – and that is because they are.  The multitude of symptoms that you all are experiencing are coming from your underdeveloped EF skills and pre-skills plus your limiting beliefs and your outdated identities, and typically a mixture of all of this.  I say this with absolute conviction of this truth... Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses. And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering. If you're loving the podcast, here's how to get even more support:  check out the links in the show notes for transformative opportunities that are waiting for you. AIA-FS Executive Function Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/AIA Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function The Transformation Club – the affordable community for EF training:https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram Grant assistance page: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance Book your strategy call or call to get your questions answered: https://go.oncehub.com/AIAStrategyCall

Whether you are dating, are in a committed relationship, living together or married, your well-developed Executive Function Skills make a difference in many aspects of your relational life.  And, even though I focus on helping you develop your Executive Function Skills for yourself, that does not mean that their development isn't essential for a healthier and happier marriage.  Let me explain.  When we enter a relationship, we bring whoever we are and whatever is part of us with us.  If there is depression or anxiety or ADHD or an addiction or trauma or other issues, they come with us.  We are each an entity unto ourselves and a third entity is created when we come together, which is the relationship or marriage.  In order to maximize the opportunity for the best of ourselves to be what creates the relationship, we need well-developed Executive Function Skills... Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses. And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering. If you're loving the podcast, here's how to get even more support:  check out the links in the show notes for transformative opportunities that are waiting for you. Executive Function Information List & AIA-FS Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/AIA Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function The Transformation Club – the affordable community for EF training:https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram   Subscribe & Review in Apple Podcasts If you found value in this episode, please leave me a review on Apple Podcasts! Our mission is to help as many people as possible transform their lives, and when you leave a positive review, more people can find this podcast! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and tell me what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you!   And, if you're ready to stop your needless suffering, I look forward to welcoming you into the ADDventures In Achievement Foundational Skills program or seeing you inside The Transformation Club.  Be sure to check out these opportunities in the show notes.  Personal transformation is not exclusive to me; it's happening for my students every day.  There are real solutions to the challenges you are experiencing, and they are available now.  Time is our most precious asset, and none of us have time to waste on solutions that don't work.  I would love to help you realize a new freedom, that is…if that's of interest to you.  Thanks for listening…  Until the next time…  Bye for now…

Desmond Tutu once wisely said that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” What he meant by this is that everything in life that seems daunting, overwhelming, and even impossible can be accomplished gradually by taking on just a little at a time. Robert Maurer, Ph.D. tells us in his book, “One Small Step Can Change Your Life – The Kaizen Way” that small steps bypass your brain's built-in resistance to new behavior. Kaizen means improvement and moreover it means continuing improvement in personal life, home life, social life and working life. With one small step or 15-minutes a day every day, your brain doesn't react as if it's a threat but rather it's more like saying that you can't possibly achieve much with just one small step or just 15-minutes a day and the truth is you can if you are consistent every day with your 15-minutes or one small step. Yes, this way of life every day can change your life in big ways over time...  Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering. Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – the affordable community for Executive Function training:   https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram   Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Executive Function Information List & AIA-FS Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/AIA Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy relevant posts  Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!

Procrastination is simply the act of delaying or postponing something; nothing more. Most people think of procrastinating as a negative thing. We procrastinate on filing our taxes, paying our bills, keeping our homes tidy, returning phone messages and responding to important emails. We even procrastinate on making plans for our summer vacations. These are all just the act of delaying or postponing something; nothing more. It's just a behavior. And, we can use this behavior for good or harm; it's up to us. Most use it for harm. The issue isn't really about procrastinating – the act of delaying or postponing something – it is about when we do it and why. If you are a procrastinator, do you procrastinate at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a task or project? And, is the reason for your procrastination because you are missing information you need to start or continue or finish up? Or, is it because you can't get yourself to take action on things when you need to be taking action? You know what you need to do and even how to do it. You have all the resources to take action, and yet you don't. We are feeling-driven people and often don't take action because we don't feel like it. Translating this, I mean that the feeling we need to take action isn't there when we need it to be. And the advice isn't – “just do it” – because you would if you could and you can't. Instead, it's learning the EF skill of Shifting your state so that no matter what you are feeling when the time comes to take action, you can shift yourself into the state of being or feeling so you take action...  Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering. Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – the affordable community for Executive Function training:   https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram   Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Executive Function Information List & AIA-FS Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/AIA Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy relevant posts  Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!

Hi Aspiring Achievers,  There is a serious, widespread problem with the educational requirements in the mental health field.  Most professionals are studying the same outdated information about ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Trauma and Addictions in preparation for licensure. They aren't studying what happens to your executive function development because of those conditions.  The most common treatment recommended for adults with ADHD is medication, and the same is true for Depression and Anxiety.  Unfortunately, medication alone isn't the best solution, and for many of you, it isn't a good option at all.  Many of your life experiences pull the energy that is supposed to be going into the development of your executive function skills and channel it elsewhere.  This could have led to the diagnosis of depression, anxiety, trauma, addictions, chronic illnesses as well as ADHD.  So, no matter what diagnoses you have collected along the way, there are no skills in pills, and we need to focus on developing our executive function skills if we hope to live a full and fulfilling life.  From the time we are born, we develop skills–we learn to walk and talk, to read and write, to bathe and dress.  These are all skills.  And as we get older, we learn more complex skills such as organizing our thinking as well as our possessions, planning our playdates and the time we need to complete our schoolwork... Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering. Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – the affordable community for Executive Function training:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram   Free PDF - 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning Is Holding You Back: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Executive Function Information List & AIA-FS Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/AIA Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy relevant posts  Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources   To Help The Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!

Toxic shame is a killer. It's an internal message that tells you that you are defective, bad, wrong, and not valuable. Toxic shame isn't personal; it's like poison. It doesn't matter who gives you the poison or who does the shaming, either one will eat away at you and take you down. And, when shame comes flooding in and causes us to retreat into ourselves, our transformation is put on hold while we navigate the toxic shame. Shame and guilt are different: Guilt tells me that I made a mistake. Shame tells me that I am a mistake. I definitely used to feel a lot of shame and wanted to erase myself from life. Over time, I learned how to change my mindset and develop the skills to eliminate the hold that shame had over me. Now, my life's work is to pull others out of that same dark place and into a calm and competent life by sharing the exact roadmap I followed. Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – A unique membership that helps adults with underdeveloped Executive Function skills (with or without ADHD) increase competence in days without overwhelm, moral judgements, or self-doubt so they can feel calm and in control. CLICK HERE to opt-in for the free training and learn more about The Transformation Club.    Get your copy of 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning is Holding You Back:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Join the Living Beyond ADHD Facebook Group & hang out with your peeps Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources To Help the Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!  

Executive function skills are important for us to function well as an adult, whether this means raising children, running a household, working for a company or ourselves, or being in healthy relationships. These skills are necessary so that we can get things done and not be in a constant state of overwhelm or frustration because we can't keep up with our adult responsibilities. We all need to be competent in Executive Function skills in order to feel confident in our adult life. In this podcast episode, Dr B talks about: The importance of developing your Executive Function skills Some examples of underdeveloped Executive Function skills Adult ADHD symptoms and diagnosis A brand new way you can work with Dr B for less than $1 a day    Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – A unique membership that helps adults with underdeveloped Executive Function skills (with or without ADHD) increase competence in days without overwhelm, moral judgements, or self-doubt so they can feel calm and in control. CLICK HERE to opt-in for the free training and learn more about The Transformation Club.   Get your copy of 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning is Holding You Back:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Join the Living Beyond ADHD Facebook Group & hang out with your peeps Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources To Help the Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together! We can do this!  

Hi Aspiring Achievers! Do you have any or all of the following challenges? Limiting beliefs that hold you back and make it impossible for you to succeed? An outdated sense of yourself or identity that is a limited version of you; not a version that is able to move forward with confidence and conviction? A disempowering relationship with time, where you find it difficult to manage yourself within the time you have? An ongoing struggle with procrastination, where you can't seem to eliminate it from your work and personal lives? A difficult time trusting yourself or your decisions, where you are regularly filled with self-doubt in personal or professional situations? If you're like most of my listeners, then yes, you may struggle with these challenges! Since I am all about eliminating obstacles by creating solutions, we just created a new opportunity – The Transformation Club – where you can work with me now on all the pre-skills taught in the first part of the AIA-FS program - while you plan your finances and/or apply for financial assistance with any of the financial resources shared on my website for enrollment in the complete AIA-FS program when it opens again in 2023.    In this episode, Dr B talks about: What is coaching vs transformation How coaching and transformation are not the same What makes The Transformation Club and ADDventures In Achievement transformational programs How you can start your transformation today by enrolling in The Transformation Club   Developing your Executive Function Skills and shifting your limiting beliefs is the fastest and most effective way to overcome ADHD limitations, find focus, gain confidence, and a newfound freedom in your life! My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic illnesses. And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these executive function skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.   Episode Resources: The Transformation Club – 9-weeks of foundational work releasing limiting beliefs, upgrading outdated identities, and developing key pre-skills.  Click the link to see the details of this new opportunity – offer ends Oct. 12th at midnight Pacific time: https://bit.ly/thetransformationclub   Get your copy of 13 Signs Weak Executive Functioning is Holding You Back:  https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/Executive-Function Join the Living Beyond ADHD Facebook Group & hang out with your peeps Follow me on Dr B Facebook Page and enjoy live videos and more Follow me on Instagram and enjoy relevant resources To Help the Show: Subscribe at your favorite listening spot and my podcast player has social media links (icons) in the episode player so you can share episodes you love with others!  Please rate the show and leave a thoughtful review on iTunes so I know you're benefiting from the episodes.  The greater the number of reviews, the higher the ranking, and the easier it will be for others to find the show; people who also need this information.   Let's put an end to the worldwide needless suffering together!  We can do this!  

Messy backpacks. Forgotten lunches. Missing assignments. How can we help our kids get organized this school year? What strategies can we use to support kids with ADHD and other learning differences? In this episode, hosts Amanda Morin and Gretchen Vierstra get back-to-school tips from Brendan Mahan, an executive function coach and host of the ADHD Essentials podcast. Brendan explains what executive function skills are — and how we can help kids build them. Learn why we might be asking too much of our kids sometimes, and how to reframe our thinking around these skills. Plus, get Brendan's tips for helping kids get back into school routines. To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about In It and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts. Copyright © 2022 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved.