Hi Reader, Here's my guess at what happened. Monday's email landed, you read it, you thought oh — I’d like to check out that workshop. And then life happened, and by the time you got back to your inbox, it was fifty emails down and forgotten. That's the gap between meaning to do a thing and doing it — which, as it happens, is exactly what tonight is about. We build systems because good intentions make terrible delivery mechanisms. So let me close the gap for you. Signing up takes about three...
1 day ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Building Savvy Parents is open. Here's what it is: a small online community where I teach parents one executive function strategy each month. I’ll host a live workshop, a live Q&A, a printable you'll actually use, and a place to ask the questions you don't really want to ask in a Facebook group. The first workshop is Thursday, October 15th at 7:30 pm ET — Reset the Semester: 3 Systems That Actually Stick. I set up these three systems with almost every student I coach, shown at...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! It's been a few months since I last showed up in your inbox. Between a move, a growing team, and a very full fall, Friday Focus took a break. I've missed it, and I'm glad to be back. Let's start with something I've seen a lot in my office lately. 🍂 The October Wobble Remember the August systems? The color-coded folders, the fresh planner, the promise that this year the backpack would stay clean? Two months later, the folders have all turned the same beige. The planner is...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! There's a question I hear in almost every discovery call I take: "How can my child be so smart and still not turn things in?" It's one of the most confusing things about parenting a kid who's clearly capable but not producing. They ace the test, then forget to submit the homework. They start strong on a project and abandon it halfway through. They melt down over something small when you know they can handle so much more. Here's what I've learned after years of coaching...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! Last night, my daughter spent hours carefully making Valentine’s Day cards for every single one of her classmates. She was so proud of them. And then, this morning, she left them on the kitchen counter. She didn’t realize it until we were pulling into school. She was crushed. I was frustrated — because now we were making a second trip to school to drop off a stack of cards that had been right there by the door. It would have been easy to chalk it up to carelessness or...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post or put out a Friday Focus newsletter, but after talking to some families who are stressed to the max this week, I decided I couldn’t put this off any longer. If you're watching your child drown in incomplete assignments right now while holiday chaos swirls around you, I want you to take a breath. This is the hardest time of year for students with executive functioning challenges, and what you're seeing isn't a motivation...
10 months ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! Tell me if this sounds familiar: You tell them to clean their room. Or start that essay. Or work on their science fair project. They just… stare. Maybe they groan. Maybe they lash out. Maybe they disappear entirely. Meanwhile, you're wondering: Why is this so hard?! Just get started! Here’s the thing: when a task feels too big, too unclear, or too overwhelming, kids freeze. It’s not laziness or defiance—it’s their brain hitting a wall. And here's where the battle begins:...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! Does this sound familiar? You’re exhausted—not just from the daily grind but from being the only one who knows what’s happening this week. The soccer game, the dentist appointment, the school project due Friday—you’re juggling it all while everyone else seems clueless. And when plans fall apart? You’re stuck dealing with the frustration, the tears, and the last-minute scrambling to fix it. The mistake? Assuming kids will remember their own schedules. Assuming a shared...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday, Reader! Fridays are often laundry days at my house – a task that presents a massive challenge to my executive functioning. Unless we’re completely out of clothes, I’m unlikely to feel naturally motivated to do it. The ordeal involves sorting and organizing mountains of laundry, and with all of the washing and drying, I have to maintain sustained attention to the goal (or end up with a mildewy mess). The challenges are endless and persistent, and the work never really feels like...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read