Health & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-Improvement

Living Beyond ADHD

DrB

After a three-year hiatus due to health challenges, DrB returns to Living Beyond ADHD with a message that hasn't changed — and a conviction that's stronger than ever. In this comeback episode, DrB lays out the truth about adults with ADHD: you are bright, gifted, and capable of extraordinary things. What's holding you back isn't a disorder — it's missing pre-skills and executive function skills that were never taught to you. And the most radical idea of all? Those skills can be learned. Welcome back.

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#131
August 18 · 12 min
Emotional Dysregulation: The Symptom Everyone Ignores - 131
The ADHD symptom that affects every relationship, every workplace moment, every day — and almost never makes it into the mainstream conversation. Emotional dysregulation is not being "too sensitive." It's a neurological reality: a brain with compromised emotional brakes, flooding with intensity and staying flooded. In this episode, DrB explains the science, introduces rejection sensitive dysphoria (one of the most impactful and least discussed ADHD experiences), and walks through the specific skills that build real emotional regulation over time. Key Points Covered • What emotional dysregulation actually is — neurologically, not judgmentally • The difference between feeling strongly and being dysregulated • Rejection sensitive dysphoria: what it is, how it sounds, what it costs • 4 skill-building approaches: naming, nervous system regulation, the pause, processing • The gift on the other side: intensity as depth, empathy, and passion Links Mentioned drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources It Was Never You Masterclass – More Than ADHD Coaching, August 25, 2026, 10 am – 2 pm pacific time + VIP hour: https://itwasneveryoumasterclass.com/ Get Sh*t Done (GSD) Program Information – 9-month program https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD program: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance 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 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!
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#130
August 11 · 13 min
The Identity Trap: Who You've Been Told You Are - 130
Who told you who you are? For most adults with ADHD, the answer is: other people. Teachers, parents, partners, report cards, diagnoses. In this deeply personal episode, DrB examines how ADHD identity gets constructed from negative reflections, what living inside a broken identity actually costs you, and a practical four-step framework for building a new one. This is not positive thinking. This is identity work — one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in ADHD transformation. Key Points Covered • How ADHD identity is formed from other people's limited perceptions • The shift from "I struggled" to "I am a struggler" — and why it matters • What a shame-based identity costs you: ceiling, energy, relationships • 4-step framework: audit, trace origins, find counter-evidence, act first • Why identity shifts through action, not through waiting to feel differently Links Mentioned drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources It Was Never You Masterclass – More Than ADHD Coaching, August 25, 2026, 10 am – 2 pm pacific time + VIP hour: https://itwasneveryoumasterclass.com/ Get Sh*t Done (GSD) Program Information – 9-month program https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Grant assistance page for help with funding for GSD program: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance 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 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!
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#129
August 4 · 13 min
Why You Start Everything and Finish Nothing (And How to Change It) - 129
The drawer of half-started projects. The course you paid for and never finished. The business idea that burned bright for three weeks and then vanished. Sound familiar? In this episode, DrB takes apart the start/finish problem at the neurological level — explaining why task initiation is hard (it's not laziness), why follow-through breaks down (it's not lack of character), and exactly what skills change both. If you've been carrying shame about your unfinished things — this episode will transform how you understand them. Key Points Covered • Task initiation: why the ADHD brain struggles to fire the starting signal • The novelty-seeking brain and why projects lose their pull • Why "I should do this" is never enough motivation for an ADHD brain • 5 skill-based strategies: activation design, smallest next action, completion rituals, accountability, emotional work • Reframing the "unfinished project" story from character flaw to skill gap Links Mentioned • drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources • Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com • Masterclass coming on August 25, 2026, 10 am - 2 pm pacific time - link coming soon
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#128
July 28 · 13 min
Time Blindness Is Real — Here's What To Do About It - 128
"You're always late." "How did you forget — it was TODAY." Adults with ADHD hear these sentences constantly — and have spent years unable to explain the experience underneath them. This episode names it: time blindness. DrB explains the neurological reality of how ADHD brains experience time (hint: it's not the same as everyone else), why willpower doesn't help, and five concrete, skill-based strategies that actually work. This is not about trying harder. It's about working smarter with the brain you have. Key Points Covered • Time blindness: the neurological reality behind ADHD and time • Now vs. Not Now: how ADHD brains actually experience time • Why willpower and trying harder make things worse, not better • 5 concrete strategies: visible time, time buffers, transition alarms, timing yourself, accountability • The skill-based approach to becoming reliably on time Links Mentioned • drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources • Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com • It Was Never You Masterclass, August 25, 2026, 10 am – 2 pm pacific time / link coming soon
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#127
July 21 · 13 min
The Shame Spiral and How to Get Out of It - 127
Beneath the disorganization, the unfinished projects, the chronic lateness, and the avoidance — there is almost always shame. In this episode, DrB goes straight to the root. She explains the difference between guilt and shame, traces where ADHD shame comes from, breaks down the mechanics of the shame spiral, and offers a clear, practical path out. This is not feel-good talk. This is skill-based, brain-based work that changes the foundation everything else is built on. Key Points Covered • Guilt vs. shame — and why the difference matters for ADHD adults • How ADHD shame is built across a lifetime of misunderstanding • The shame spiral: trigger → story → nervous system → paralysis • 4 concrete steps to interrupt and exit the shame spiral • The long-game: building a new relationship with yourself Links Mentioned • drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources • Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com • Masterclass coming August 25, 2026 – It Was Never You Masterclass – 10 am – 2 pm Pacific Time – links and more information coming soon.
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#126
July 14 · 11 min
There Are No Skills in Pills - 126
DrB's most provocative episode — and one of the most important. She is not anti-medication, and she makes that clear. But she will not pretend that medication is enough. This episode draws a definitive line between what medication can do (create a window, reduce static, improve focus) and what it can never do (build skills, rewrite identity, heal shame). If you've been medicated for years and still feel like something is missing — this episode will tell you what that something is. Key Points Covered • DrB's clear position: not anti-medication, but deeply pro-skills • What stimulant medication can genuinely do for ADHD adults • What medication cannot do — and why this matters so much • Why so many medicated adults are still struggling • The complete picture: medication as a window, skills as the building Links Mentioned • drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources • Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com New date for upcoming Masterclass - August 25, 2026 - details coming soon.
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#125
July 7 · 14 min
It's Not Your Fault — And You're 100% Responsible - 125
In this foundational episode, DrB delivers the message that sits at the heart of everything she teaches: it is not your fault — and you are 100% responsible for what happens next. These two truths are not a contradiction. Together, they are the most liberating framework an adult with ADHD can internalize. If you've been waiting for permission to stop blaming yourself and start building — this is it. Key Points Covered • Why ADHD is not your fault — and what that really means • The critical difference between blame and responsibility • How the "old story" becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy • What it looks like to take 100% responsibility in practice • The question that changes everything: "What skill am I missing?" Links Mentioned drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com
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#124
June 30 · 11 min
The Pre-Skills Nobody Talks About - 124
Why do ADHD strategies always seem to work for a week and then collapse? DrB answers this question with a concept almost no one in the mainstream ADHD space is teaching: pre-skills. Before executive function can be built and integrated, there are foundational skills that must come first — self-awareness, nervous system regulation, understanding your own brain, and a relationship with yourself not built on shame. This episode explains what pre-skills are, why they matter, and how they work together with executive function to create lasting change. Key Points Covered • Why strategies fail: building without a foundation • The 4 core pre-skills every adult with ADHD needs • Self-awareness as the bedrock of all change • Why nervous system regulation is not optional • The soil-and-seeds model: how pre-skills and executive function work together Links Mentioned • drbarbaracohen.com — All episodes + show resources • Get Sh*t Done (GSD) 9-Month Program — drbarbaracohen.com
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#123
June 23 · 15 min
What Executive Function Really Is (And Why Nobody Told You) - 123
"Executive function" gets thrown around constantly in ADHD conversations — but rarely explained. In this episode, DrB breaks down exactly what executive function is, walks through every core skill (working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, planning, task initiation, emotional regulation, and time management), and delivers the most important reframe in ADHD education: these are skills, not fixed traits. They can be learned, built, and integrated for life. Key Points Covered • Executive function explained plainly: your brain's management system • The 7 core executive function skills and what they look like in ADHD adults • Why "executive function disorder" is a misleading framing • The difference between a deficit and a skill gap • A preview of pre-skills — the foundation that makes everything else possible Links Mentioned Register for the June 23 Masterclass for free with optional VIP upgrade: https://itwasneveryoumasterclass.com/ Learn about GSD: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Learn about the Gifted Underachiever: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/blog?tag=gifted+underachiever
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#122
June 16 · 16 min
Nobody Taught You How to Learn - 122
It took DrB fifteen years to finish a four-year degree — not because she wasn't capable, but because she was searching for an education and kept finding a factory. In this episode, she shares her full story and connects it to a message she received from a high school student halfway around the world who asked the question she hears from almost every student: why can't I concentrate, and why doesn't studying work for me? The answer isn't willpower or discipline. It's about a system that teaches what to learn but never how — and a population of gifted, high-capacity brains that pay the heaviest price for that gap. DrB breaks down what concentration actually is, why re-reading your notes is largely a waste of time, and six strategies for finally working with your brain instead of against it. Key Topics: • DrB's personal story: 15 years, multiple schools, and a brain that refused to settle • Why gifted brains are most harmed by standard education • The truth about concentration — it's not low, it's discerning • Retrieval practice vs. re-reading — the most important switch you can make • Six evidence-based strategies for brain-aligned learning • The connection between this and the work of GSD Links: Register for the June 23 Masterclass for free with optional VIP upgrade: https://itwasneveryoumasterclass.com/ Learn about GSD: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Learn about the Gifted Underachiever: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/blog?tag=gifted+underachiever
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#121
June 9 · 18 min
I'm Back — And So Is Your Brilliance - 121
After a three-year hiatus due to health challenges, DrB returns to Living Beyond ADHD with a message that hasn't changed — and a conviction that's stronger than ever. In this comeback episode, DrB lays out the truth about adults with ADHD: you are bright, gifted, and capable of extraordinary things. What's holding you back isn't a disorder — it's missing pre-skills and executive function skills that were never taught to you. And the most radical idea of all? Those skills can be learned. Welcome back. Podcast Episodes & Transcripts https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/blog?tag=podcast GSD Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/gsdprogram Most ADHD programs give you strategies. GSD gives you a transformation. In nine months of deep, structured, high-touch work, you go from the inside out — dismantling the limiting beliefs and outdated identities that have been running your life, building the pre-skills that make everything else possible, and then systematically developing all 13 core executive function skills that may have been derailed by ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, or chronic illness. With weekly live coaching, individualized assessment, personal debriefs from DrB, and a community of adults doing the same profound work — you don't come out of GSD with better habits. You come out a different person. Not because you became someone new. Because you finally built what was always supposed to be yours. That is not a promise — it is what the data shows. TTC Program Information: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ttcprogram Most adults with ADHD have spent their whole lives being told what's wrong with them — but nobody ever gave them the actual skills to change it. The Transformation Club is 12 lessons covering the executive function and life skills that were never taught to you: from mindset and beliefs to priorities, decisions, emotional maturity, and living with intention. With monthly live coaching calls and a supportive community, this is where real, lasting transformation happens — at your own pace, on your own terms. Exciting New Masterclass Debut: June 23, 2026, 10 am – 2 pm Pacific Time with VIP Option. https://itwasneveryoumasterclass.com/
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May 24, 2023 · 33 min
The Importance of Executive Function Pre-Skills – 120
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)
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May 17, 2023 · 32 min
Do you have the blueprints to build a new model of yourself? – 119
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!
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May 11, 2023 · 37 min
Are You Prone to Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)? – 118
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!
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May 1, 2023 · 48 min
Does Your Rambling Make the Point? - 117
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
- Transcript
Mar 14, 2023 · 26 min
You Don't Need a Diagnosis or Medication to Get Results - 116
I've been giving a lot of thought to what is commonly believed to be the process we adults need to go through if we suspect ADHD. That process takes time and money. And depending on what part of the world you live in, your access to a specialist may be limited. For that reason or others, many adults are self-diagnosing these days. Some are questioning what having an official diagnosis will give them that a self-diagnosis won't. The answer to that question is simple – potentially a lot of valuable information beyond just ADHD since by the time you are an adult, ADHD typically doesn't occur by itself. There could be depression, anxiety, codependency, addictions, learning differences or challenges, Irlen syndrome, underdeveloped executive function skills, sensory challenges and more. Medication may be appropriate for some of these additional conditions as well as for ADHD if the main ADHD challenges are inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity. If the main challenges are executive function skill challenges due to underdevelopment, I haven't seen medication alone be the answer without EF skill training. I have worked with many adults over the years who haven't sought an official diagnosis because they knew that their executive function skills were lacking development for various reasons, and they knew they could do something about that without waiting for a diagnosis... If you're loving the podcast, you can get even more support by checking out the links in the show notes for free resources and transformative opportunities that are waiting for you. GSD or "Get Sh*t Done", Because Your Life Won't Wait Forever Executive Function Skills Training & Coaching 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 An assortment of Free Resources, depending on your needs: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/free-resources Grant assistance page: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/financial-assistance 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! Personal transformation is waiting for you, if it's your time. 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…
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Feb 10, 2023 · 41 min
I Know How Hard It Is and I Can Help You - 115
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
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Jan 31, 2023 · 37 min
Are your Underdeveloped EF Skills Hurting Your Marriage - 114
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…
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Jan 17, 2023 · 29 min
Eating an Elephant; One Bite at a Time - 113
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!
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Jan 10, 2023 · 30 min
Procrastinate No More – 112
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!
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