Top Tips from Our ADHD Coaches & Perspectives from Coachees

Imagine what you could achieve with someone devoted, in your court, pushing you to your full potential?

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Today kicks off the last day of our “10 days, 10 ways you can Shimmer” campaign, where you’ll get a ton of resources and tips from our very own Shimmer coaches. We will also be spotlighting 2 amazing individuals that have already begun coaching in the context of ADHD!

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Part 1: Spotlighting 2 Shimmer ADHD Coaches

Message From Coach Xenia Angevin (Head ADHD Coaching Psychologist, MBA, FCIArb)

You spend most of our life helping people and organizations achieve their goals– i.e. doing “jobs” and building careers out of it. An ADHD career coach helps you see beyond the horizon: understand the future of jobs, carve your own “ADHD explorer” career strategy, all while building up the crucial tactical competencies such as interpersonal communications, negotiation and getting stuff done.

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Things to Think About:

• Modern Career: modern portfolio careers are perfect for those with ADHD. Therefore, make sure that your ADHD career coach is well-versed in the contemporary approaches to career and in the industrial strategies of the major economies of the day. It is never too early to start laying foundations for your portfolio. Whatever the calamities in the world we are facing, there is always a space for you to apply your passions and interests (hyperfocus, anyone?) to the benefit of others.
• Closing Gestalts at Work: ADHD may make it difficult to “open” and “close” events in your life. Author your own recipe for a “good beginning” and a “good ending” for meetings, projects and jobs. How do you relate to people in these moments? Mastering these parts of work life-cycle will help you increase emotional balance and rejoice in the feeling of accomplishment.
• Honor the Explorer in You: be your own judge of what is a best time to move on to another role and avoid being pressurized by the static thinking of yesterday. The world has moved on, and it offers a fertile ground for the Explorer mindset a large number of those with ADHD inhabit. When you feel that “move-on” energy shimmering in your career-belly, take time-out for deeper self-reflection. Are you “fighting” in response to uncertainty about the future? Are you “flying” away by not considering the opportunities still present in the role? Are you “freezing” by not taking action long overdue? This will allow for deeper wisdom, better judgement and most optimal decision-making about the next best step in your career.

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Message From Coach Noelle Daoire (ADHD Coach & Curriculum Developer, M.Ed, Counseling)

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An ADHD coach helps you develop strategies, tools, and skills to improve functioning at work, school, home, and relationships.

Here are a few of my favorite quick strategies that I share with clients!

• Task Timing: for a week, time how long it takes you to do daily tasks. Brushing your teeth, showering, making breakfast, sending an email, doing the dishes, etc. Sometimes we get overwhelmed by a task because our brains find time to be extra wibbly-wobbly. After a week, you should have a good idea of how long most tasks ACTUALLY take to complete. And knowing that will help with overwhelm, as well as scheduling and prioritizing.
• Use a Distraction Log: The distraction log is a dedicated blank piece of paper or notebook that you keep next to you when working. Whenever an idea, a persistent thought, or something important to do or remember pops into your mind, write it in the distraction log and move on. It functions like a journal in releasing the thought from your mind, and like a safety net in catching important thoughts and ideas you’ll want to return to later.
• Create a Narrative: Identify the task you need to do. Tell yourself a story with a beginning, middle, and end that includes all the steps of the task. If it helps, get out your notebook and write it down. Then, do the task! If something/someone distracts you while doing the task, say you are happy to answer them or help them once you finish doing your task. After you say that to them, repeat to yourself either the part of the task you are doing, or the part of the task you are on your way to do.

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Part 2: Spotlighting 2 individuals who received ADHD coaching

Remy Meraz (Zella Life, Co-founder and CEO)

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Remy Meraz, the co-founder & CEO of Zella Life, is passionate about helping others tap into their superpowers through the power of coaching.

Instagram: @remymeraz @zellalifecoaching

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Why is “ADHD Coaching” important to you?

For over a decade, I tried to get off my ADHD medication to no avail due to the massive withdrawal effects. Coaching was the game changer because I learned how to manage my ADHD without medication.

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Can you give a real-life situation where you needed ADHD Coaching?

In my first year of entrepreneurship, my passion for my big idea drove my hyperfocus into overdrive!

Every day felt like Christmas to me. But it turned me into a mad scientist to everyone else. I barely ate, slept, or interacted with anyone outside work which fast-tracked me into burnout mode.

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What coaching approach did you adapt?

My leadership coach intervened and pushed me to develop ten DAILY self-care practices.

Some of these practices included:

• mindfulness exercises
• healthy eating & physical exercise
• time management activities
• learning to soar with my strengths & delegate my weaknesses

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What were the results of this coaching experience?

My focus and sleep improved, my chronic anxiety disappeared, and I became more efficient with scheduling and delegating.

The cherry on top, I kicked my meds to the curb with zero withdrawals. And for the first time since diagnosis, I felt like I was in control of my ADHD versus my ADHD controlling me.

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Elle Wisnicki (Mental Health and Wellness Advocate)

Elle Wisnicki is an advocate for health and wellness, currently focusing on user experience to increase access of lifestyle medicine and mental health programs. She is currently enjoying building a beautiful community in Oakland, CA with friends, cultural activities, nature excursions, and volunteering with animals.

Instagram: @elleshayna

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Why is “ADHD Coaching” important to you?

ADHD coaching is important to me because coping skills for ADHD are quite specific and not often talked about or validated (body double for example - which someone without ADHD may not understand). It’s critical to work on strategies that are so targeted to what I’m dealing with and show me how to take action through worksheets, homework, and accountability.

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Can you give a real-life situation where you needed ADHD Coaching?

I have often felt mixed about asking for support; we should be able to reach out to our community, but as someone with ADHD sometimes I feel I need too much extra support. Being in a new relationship brought up this anxiety again as my boyfriend is very giving to me and I wanted to ensure our support for one another is balanced especially given we find very different things to be challenging and have different needs

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What coaching approach did you adapt?

My Shimmer ADHD Coach recommended we do a values ranking spreadsheet and I added on a level of difficulty ranking. My coach offered accountability and gave me a deadline for us to complete this. My boyfriend and I listed all the things we did for one another and how hard we find each one, how much we value each one and how often we feel we currently give that support vs. how often is ideal.

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What were the results of this coaching experience?

The coaching experience enabled us to really look at our relationship with actual metrics instead of mainly nebulous feelings. We’ve started talking through how we can make a more balanced relationship, better understand each other's needs, and work through our feelings. I feel like I understand how my boyfriend feels about what we give to each other in our relationship way more than I could’ve before and I’m beginning to tackle my insecurities now that I have actual data rather than assumptions.

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As we close, we want to thank you ALL for your love and support. We can’t wait to continue growing together with you.

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With love,

The Shimmer Team

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Thank you to coachees who shared their stories generously: Remy Meraz and Elle Wisnicki

Thank you to our coaches: Xenia Angevin and Noelle Daoire

And to our content team: Noelle Daoire (Shimmer, ADHD Coach), and Molisha Shah (Shimmer, Founders Associate)

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