In this episode, the owner of Organize365 - Lisa Woodruff -  joins Eric on the podcast!  Organize365 has conducted academic research, establishing the definitions of house work, home organization, and the weight of paper in the American home.  This ongoing research is making the invisible work at home visible to all, so we can eliminate it, free people from the monotonous tasks of daily living, and unlock our time for what we are uniquely created to do!  Lisa is also a natural tinkerer and a lover of puzzles, a kindergarten teacher, used to organize people’s homes when she used to babysit, and even used to organize teachers’ classrooms.  

If you’re wondering how you can get your home organized, then this is the episode to listen to, because today, Eric and Lisa will discuss the idea that organization is a learnable skill! 

You’ll hear some of Lisa’s rules for taking on new projects and her 24-hour rule, visual clutter, what to do with incomplete projects, where piles come from, and breaking down the Sunday Basket.  

• Find Lisa’s book, her research and her podcast at organize365.com! (click here!)
• Find Organize365 on YouTube @organize365 (click here!)

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:51] Introducing Lisa 

• [00:03:11] What was the “why” for Lisa to get into becoming organized? 

• [00:07:11] What are the helpful questions that Lisa asks her clients? 

• [00:10:09] A brief discussion on (perceptions of) minimalism  

• [00:10:38] How do we live more through having less? (And is “less” the “right” answer?) 

• [00:12:26] “So what?” and a discussion about visual clutter and accumulating projects and hobbies 

• [00:16:20] Clutter, piles, and what to do with purchases and returns 

• [00:19:43] ADHD and home ownership 

• [00:23:27] What is the Sunday Basket? And Lisa’s thoughts about “being behind” when organizing 

• [00:27:03] What are the Four Binders?

• [00:31:51] Questions to ask yourself when utilizing your calendar and staying organized 

• [00:34:53] Taking care of financial documents 

• [00:41:57] Lisa shares her ADHD story and a discussion on executive function and working memory 

• [00:47:22] Diving into Lisa’s academic studies about organization as a skill 

• [00:51:18] How many people care about being organized?  

• [00:55:12] Lisa on investing in our household and what’s in our control 

• [00:56:58] Closing thoughts 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• “If you have something that’s working for YOU, absolutely do not change it!” - Lisa 

• “Stop trying to get an “A” in your housework.” - Lisa 

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community and want some real-time accountability? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

On today’s show, Eric is joined by Marcy Caldwell, Psy.D!  Marcy is a psychologist, writer, and proud mom of 2, who has been helping adults with ADHD thrive in their work, relationships, and parenting for over 20 years.  She is a passionate advocate for adults with ADHD and is dedicated to helping them create environments that unlock the unique genius of their brains!  

Marcy is also the founder of ADDept.org, a blog and resource for adults with ADHD, and is also the owner of Rittenhouse Psychological Services, a practice specializing in adult ADHD in the Philadelphia area. In addition, Marcy is also the creator of Meltdown to Mastery! 

• Learn more about Marcy and find her masterclass, Meltdown to Mastery, at ADDept.org! (click here!)
• Are you in the Philadelphia area?  Check out Rittenhouse Psychological Services!  https://rittenhousepsychologicalassessments.com 

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:00:57] Introducing Marcy and how she got into the world of ADHD 

• [00:03:31] A family with ADHD and being in the messy middle 

• [00:05:50] Regulatory differences between neurotypical and ADHD brains 

• [00:07:21] Activation, stopping, and on/off switches 

• [00:08:43] Three components of an ADHD experience 

• [00:15:32] “How do we know the difference between the emotional storms and emotional regulation challenges that are so often seen with ADHD… and the emotional storms / regulation challenges that come with other disorders, such as autism, borderline personality disorder, bi-polar, etc.?” 

• [00:20:11] Why does it matter to understand that an antecedent comes externally for emotional storms with ADHD compared to other differential diagnoses? 

• [00:22:08] How much of the emotional storms that are triggered by external events are more a trauma response vs. being organically related to ADHD? 

• [00:27:32] What is Meltdown to Mastery all about? 

• [00:30:21] Can the intentional use of distraction be a tool? 

• [00:32:02] A discussion on distraction vs. avoidance

• [00:36:31] Developing an understanding of identifying the “in-between” emotions and building conscientiousness 

• [00:40:35] Closing thoughts and more about Marcy 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• “I believe in the power of understanding.” – Marcy 

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

Join the ADHD reWired Team every second Tuesday of the month for our monthly Live Q&A!  Get this episode uninterrupted by ads when you become a Patron at $5.00 a month or more by going to adhdrewired.com/Patreon! 

Questions/Topics:

• [00:01:06] Welcome & introductions 

• [00:02:03] A listener, who was diagnosed with ADHD within the week of the recording of this episode, asks the panelists about taking stimulant medication.  

• [00:08:51] “When you are trying to be open with your job or others about your ADHD, how would you handle your response?” 

• [00:19:29] Another listener who was also recently diagnosed with ADHD asks, “What is your advice?  How do you work with a leader at work who is very linear and very neurotypical when your best comes out when you’re not?”

• [00:28:00] “I have autism.  Is it true that ADHD drugs tend to not work for autistic patients?  Do we have any possible reasons why, if it’s true?” 

• [00:34:05] A listener, who has treatment-resistant depression, is unable to take ADHD medication, and has been experiencing fatigue, asks the panelist if fatigue is an ADHD symptom.  

• [00:41:29] A listener asks the panelists to recap the good sides of ADHD.  

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

In this episode, Eric is joined by Vanessa Gorelkin! Vanessa is an east-coast transplant to Arizona where she lives with her son and husband (who both have ADHD)!  She graduated with a B.A. from Brandeis University and has a masters degree in Occupational Therapy from New York University. 

Vanessa is also a Licensed Occupational Therapist in Arizona, and her career spans nearly 30 years!  She has served in both clinical and executive leadership roles, works with people all over the world, and is passionate about bringing out the best in all the people she works with!

• Learn more about Vanessa by visiting her website at vanessagorelkin.com & find her on Instagram at @humanist_therapist 

In today’s show, you’ll hear about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment based therapy (ACT).  Then, you’ll hear about deep breathing, using spicy food or sour candies to help regulate, setting boundaries, practicing self-compassion and resilience.  Finally, you’ll listen to ways to work on activation, sensory processing issues and the nervous system, sensory accommodations, and the importance of breaking down activities into smaller steps.  

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:02:18] Introducing Vanessa

• [00:04:00] The importance of emotional self-regulation 

• [00:04:51] What is an Occupational Therapist (OT)? 

• [00:06:19] How does an OT help people with ADHD around emotional regulation skills? 

• [00:07:30] What is acceptance and commitment based therapy (ACT)? What about radical acceptance? 

• [00:08:23] What is dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)? 

• [00:09:50] Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

• [00:10:52] A discussion on rejection sensitivity, BPD, ADHD, and trauma 

• [00:17:28] Eric asks Vanessa about the common “chief complaints” she experiences in her practice 

• [00:18:48] What are some examples of the skills Vanessa helps clients work with, and how does she help them do that? 

• [00:20:34] What do I do when my brain gets “hijacked?” and TIPP skills

• [00:24:59] Vanessa talks about sour and spicy for regulation 

• [00:27:14] Proactive skills vs. responding in-the-moment 

• [00:31:18] The intersectionality between anger, boundaries, and boundary violations

• [00:32:26] ** You need to hear this. 

• [00:33:03] External pressures, checking your calendar, and your right to say “no” 

• [00:35:15] Saying “no” when it feels bad, and therapy vs. coaching 

• [00:37:26] What is the OT approach for activation?

• [00:43:18] Sensory processing issues being missed with ADHD 

• [00:45:24] Does sensory processing get worse with age? 

• [00:49:34] Closing Thoughts 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• “People sometimes get really hung up on a diagnosis… What my attitude about a diagnosis is:  It helps us understand what tools we can use, but it does not define you as a human being.” - Vanessa 

• “Masquerading as 'normal' is exhausting.” - Eric 

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!