I finally gave my adult nephew his birthday card when I saw him on Christmas Day.

His birthday is in August.

If you live alone and have ADHD, you probably understand exactly how this happens—and why it’s not about laziness, not caring, or being “bad at life.”

In this episode, I introduce the first pillar of my new ASSAP framework: Access.

Access isn’t about motivation or discipline. It’s about recognizing what happens when everything in your life has to live inside one brain—especially a brain with executive function challenges.

When you’re the only adult in your household, you do all the remembering, planning, deciding, regulating, and noticing. Over time, that creates mental saturation, not failure.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why solo ADHD adults feel overwhelmed even when they’re “doing fine”
• What it really means to have “no backup brain”
• Why insight alone doesn’t reduce overload
• How Access creates immediate relief by moving thinking out of your head
• Three practical, real-life ways to create Access without building perfect systems

I also share a story from my first solo trip to Europe that perfectly captures what Access feels like—when something that used to require constant mental effort suddenly becomes easier because your brain has an anchor.

This episode kicks off a new series and a new coaching program built specifically for single adults with ADHD:

ASSAP — Access, Security, Structure, Action, and Pace

We start with Access because relief comes first.

Listener Takeaway: “I don’t need to think harder. I need another place for my thinking to live.”

What to Do This Week

Notice one small, repeatable friction point in your life—something you solve over and over again.

Ask:

How could I make this easier once instead of re-solving it every time?

Work With Me

I’m Christine Dunning, a Master Certified Life Coach, and I help single adults with ADHD build systems and support so life feels steadier, less anxious, and far more doable.

You can learn more about one-on-one coaching and the upcoming ASSAP program at:

TwoCatsCoaching.com

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Next Episode

Next week, we’ll talk about Security—why your anxiety makes sense when you’re the only backup, and how to reduce background fear so structure and action can actually work.

Please Help the Podcast

If this episode resonated:

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You may be single.

You may have ADHD.

But you are not alone—and you’re not as alone as you think.