Q & A

Click the plus sign (+) to the right of any question for a drop down response.

Skim the fast and simple answer at the beginning marked by the 🚀

continue reading for a more detailed response.

  • 🚀 To find support, ideas, & accountability for improving their lives!🚀

    Working with a coach in any field (like academics, health & wellness, business, leadership development, sports, etc.) most likely means that you & your Coach will:

    • Identify problem spots in your life

    • Explore your current strengths & resources

    • Investigate what’s standing in your way

    • Create realistic goals & effective plans to reach your goals

    • Have an accountability partner

    • Eventually learn how to successfully coach yourself!

  • 🚀Executive skills refers to the collection of actions we need to take to function in our daily lives! ADHDers & some others who are neurodivergent appear to need additional support to compensate or strengthen our executive skills.🚀

    Executive skills (AKA executive functions & executive functioning) are a collection of brain functions that we use daily in every aspect of life. People with ADHD & some other disorders are known to struggle with executive functioning.

    There’s no universally agreed on number of executive skills out there, but here’s a list of some of the seemingly most agreed-upon:

    • Planning & strategizing

    • Impulse & emotional control

    • Self-awareness

    • Time management

    • Organization

    • Cleaning

    • Sustained focus & managing interruptions

    • Starting, switching, and /or ending tasks

    • Non-verbal working memory (AKA short-term memory & working memory)

    • Motivation & avoiding punishment

    Wait, what’s that? Oh, those are all the things you or a loved one struggle with? Well, that can change. YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE!

  • 🚀This kind of coaching needs to be straightforward, simple & clear. It needs to Include extra reinforcement, encouragement, backup plans & trouble shooting for people with executive dysfunction & ADHD. The “usual stuff” just doesn’t work well for us.🚀

    Many Coaches have niches, or specialty areas. Good Coaches will deliver their services in ways uniquely & specifically designed for the types of issues & people they specialize in.

    Good ADHD/Executive Skills Development Coaching should have:

    • Consistent structure & support

    • Simple & clear practices with all steps broken down into the simplest most practical forms

    • External (visible) cues for internal or abstract things like goals, scheduling, reminders, etc

    • Modeling anti-shame & destigmatization of ADHD & all neurodivergence!

    • Strong, compassionate, professional accountability

    • Honest & direct real-time feedback. Challenging behaviors & beliefs that negatively impact you

    • Tools that are truly accessible for people with impaired executive skills

  • 🚀ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is the older outdated name for what is now labeled ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Whether you are “hyper,” and/or “inattentive,” it all falls under the name ADHD now.🚀

    ADD was changed to ADHD back in the 1980’s, but because until very recently very little time was spent on teaching ADD and ADHD to health and medical professionals, many doctors and psychiatrists (among others) still refer to it as ADD. And they may even have unrecognized deficits in their knowledge of ADHD, too.

    It’s incredibly important to find out how informed your providers are about ADHD. I’m happy to help prepare questions for anyone who would like to find a well-versed healthcare professional to treat their ADHD!

  • 🚀 People from all walks of life, from all over the world, with varying amounts of executive skills challenges come to work with me. 🚀

    I coach college students, working (& unemployed) adults & teens, family members, colleagues, employers &/or employees, couples & small groups, organizations and community groups - you name it! I work with a lot of folks who want to get assessed for ADHD and don’t know where to start, and with some folks who have a diagnosis but need help getting workplace or school accommodations.

  • 🚀 I tailor what I focus on based on each client’s needs 🚀

    But commonly I focus on the below:

    Symptom reduction

    Self-acceptance

    Decreased shame & masking

    Building knowledge of coaching

    Scaffolding and strengthening executive skills and executive functioning

    Breaking down internalized ableism

    Teaching and modelling self-advocacy

    & more!

  • 🚀Everyone is different, but the short answer is you may be ready if you have some time, some funds for personal use, some computer skills, & a growing desire to make positive changes in your life. Read on for more.🚀

    In more detail:

    • You have at least an hour every week for a coaching session - but ideally a little more time beyond that to try out things we work on in the sessions

    • You are feeling ready to take responsibility for your end of the coaching work, with the attentive support of a skilled professional. Coaching is not a passive thing by any means

    • You have some level of computer literacy or someone consistently nearby to help with things like online scheduling, using Zoom video, emailing, etc.

    • You can point to some evidence that you’re ready to commit to a new thing & to follow through for at least 3 months. Have you been able to show up for weekly commitments for anything that is particularly important to you more often than not in recent times? If the answer is “no,” this alone should not stop you from trying out coaching!

    • You’re experiencing a sense that something has got to give - you are at a breaking point! Ready for information & positive change

    • You’re in a position to pay for a few months of weekly coaching. Normal Schmormal can sometimes offer a sliding rate scale for those in need but limited in finances. Reach out to ask about this!

    • And most importantly, you’re willing to try being open, vulnerable, & honest with a “safe” & caring expert Coach (who has probably been somewhere extremely similar to where you are at in your journey)!

  • 🚀TRUST YOUR GUT!🚀

    When “coach shopping,” it’s ok to feel nervous, skeptical, embarrassed, overwhelmed, or any number of things at first. But after looking through someone’s website, & having an initial meeting with them (or exchange of messages), ask yourself questions like the following:

    • Was I truly listened to? Did the Coach seem to genuinely care? Do I think I’ll basically LIKE this person?

    • Did I understand & like the way the Coach asks questions? Explains things? Does things?

    • Can I see myself being able to bring up concerns with this Coach? Even concerns that might directly involve the Coach?

    • Can I see myself sharing potentially vulnerable information with this person, & possibly “failing” in front of them sometimes?

    • Do I trust their professed expertise & personal experience, & do I feel willing to try what they suggest?

    • Do I believe I have the chance to make real, long-term, positive changes with this person in my corner?

    If you are curious, schedule a complimentary trial session! We can address any questions or concerns you have, & determine together if Normal Schmormal Coaching is a good fit for you!

  • 🚀Don't freak out, reach out! Let's talk about how to get you some resources at a lower cost.🚀

    I offer discounted rates on a sliding scale whenever possible for those who aren’t financially able to pay for regular coaching sessions. When I’m not able to offer sliding rates, I work individually with potential clients on how to get them as much support & resources as possible at a lower cost.

    So don’t let the $ sign send you running! If you or someone else in your life are in need of ADHD support, reach out & let’s talk creative options.

  • 🚀Just show up. I'll help you from there! Schedule a 45-minute Complimentary Trial Session with me, today! See ya soon.

    Many people don’t actually come to any kind of coaching with a perfectly organized agenda or well-defined goals, yet. That’s a huge part of the overall problem for most clients in the first place!

    So don’t let this stop you or cause you any more delay. An experienced Coach - 🙋‍♀️ - will know how to meet you at any stage in the process, help you identify practical goals from where you are starting, & then create steps & order them appropriately. A good ADHD/Executive Skills Coach - hello, again! 🙋‍♀️ - will also provide lots & lots of what I call external “scaffolding” & “reinforcements”, or accountability & effective planning against common pitfalls.

    Plus, it’s a Normal Schmormal promise to walk with you from step to step until you accomplish what you work for.

    So schedule a Complimentary 45-minute Coaching Session with me now, & come as you are. I’m ready to help you move forward from there!

  • Honesty

    Transparency

    Affordability and Accessibility

    Patience

    Kindness

    Flexibility

    Persistence

    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

    Education and Learning

    Action

    Advocacy

    Practicality

    Truth over convenience