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Why Overwhelm Isn’t a Motivation Problem
ASSAP Framework: Security
Being told to “just calm down” when you’re already overwhelmed doesn’t help—it usually makes things worse. Especially if you have ADHD. Especially if you’re doing life solo.
In this episode, Christine breaks down why overwhelm is not a motivation issue or a character flaw. It’s a capacity problem—and treating it like anything else leads to shutdown, shame, and bad decisions.
This is the second episode in a four-part series on the ASSAP Framework, focusing on Security: the ability to stay functional enough to think when your nervous system is activated.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Key reframes:
Where this fits in ASSAP:
Christine also previews a short, low-pressure audio resource designed specifically for moments when your thinking starts to disappear—something to bridge Access and Security without asking you to fix anything.
About the host:
Christine Dunning is a Master Certified Life Coach and the owner of Two Cats Coaching. She works with adults who have ADHD—especially those who are single and carrying life without a built-in second brain.
This podcast shares the thinking behind her coaching work, with practical reframes you can use in real life.
Explore more:
Reminder:
You don’t need to calm down before you’re allowed to think.
The goal isn’t calm—it’s support.
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
Have you ever had a moment where everything feels wrong—but you can’t actually explain why?
Nothing specific is broken.
Nothing obvious is on fire.
But you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or quietly panicked—and when you try to name the problem, your mind just goes blank.
If you have ADHD, this experience is common.
And if you’re single on top of that, it can feel even worse—because there’s no second brain around to help you sort things out.
In this episode, Christine Dunning introduces Access, the first phase of The ASSAP Framework. Access is not about action, motivation, or fixing your life. It’s about learning how to enter a problem safely so you can understand what’s actually going on—before overwhelm takes over.
What This Episode Is (and Is Not)
This is not:
This is:
Life has problems. That part is not optional.
Access is about identifying them faster, with less panic, and more clarity.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Three Access Questions
You’ll be introduced to three simple orientation questions—not to answer yet, but to notice:
No fixing. No productivity. Just access.
What’s Next
In the next episode, we’ll move into Security—how to make this kind of thinking feel safe enough that you don’t shut down, burn out, or abandon it entirely.
Because pushing harder isn’t the answer.
Learning how to approach problems differently is.
Don’t forget to rate and review!
www.TwoCatsCoaching.com
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
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:
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
Want my freebies, and to sign up for my newsletter? Click here!
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:
You may be single.
You may have ADHD.
But you are not alone—and you’re not as alone as you think.
As the year winds down, many of us feel pressure to “figure it all out” before January arrives. For solo adults with ADHD, that pressure often turns into shame, burnout, and yet another attempt to completely reboot life.
This episode offers something different.
Christine guides you through a gentle, ADHD-friendly way to reflect on the year—without beating yourself up. You’ll learn how to notice what actually worked, what collapsed under stress, and where your life needs more support (not more willpower).
This is a calm, grounding episode designed to help you close the year with clarity—and step into January without panic.
In this episode, we cover:
This episode is for you if:
✨ January is about building support, not trying harder.
If this episode resonated, please consider rating and reviewing the podcast, sharing it with a friend, or subscribing so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
Download the Companion Worksheet
This episode pairs with a free, ADHD-friendly worksheet to help you:
Want other worksheets? Check them out here!
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
What if you didn’t need resolutions, vision boards, or a “word of the year” to move forward?
In this episode, Christine introduces Selfisms — short, personal belief statements that act like mental shortcuts for decision-making, social situations, and overwhelm. Think: small rules you already live by… just made intentional. If you know what an elevator pitch is – it’s like that, but not necessarily for your business.
Christine kicks things off with a Broadway story that includes an unexpected encounter with Lin-Manuel Miranda, then breaks down how Selfisms helped her freeze less, decide faster, and show up more confidently — long before she ever knew she had ADHD.
This episode is especially for solo adults with ADHD who are tired of constantly reinventing the wheel every time life throws a decision their way.
In This Episode, We Cover:
Why Selfisms Are ADHD-Friendly
Selfisms help because they:
They’re not about perfection — they’re about making life easier for Future You.
Mentioned in This Episode:
(More on ASSAP coming in January!)
Next Up:
Next week’s episode focuses on reflection, rebooting, and intentional transitions, and how Selfisms can support you during reset seasons — whenever your reset happens.
Let’s Stay Connected
And if you’re navigating life solo with ADHD and want one-on-one support?
Christine’s here. This is what she does.
You aren’t broken.
You aren’t behind.
And you’re not as alone as you think.
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
If the holidays make you feel tired, frazzled, overstimulated, or “just done” before December even really begins — you’re not alone, and you’re definitely not broken.
This episode breaks down why the holiday season hits solo ADHD adults so much harder.
From sensory overload to time compression, emotional intensity to financial pressure, we take a compassionate, nervous-system-first look at what’s really going on in your brain and body.
This is not the logistics episode (that’s Episodes 22 & 24).
This is the ADHD nervous system episode — the “why this season drains you before you do anything” episode.
You’re not weak.
You’re overloaded.
And today, we talk about why… and what to do about it.
What We Explore in This Episode:
1️⃣ The Invisible Solo Load
2️⃣ Sensory Overload Everywhere
Crowded stores, flashing lights, noise, scents — the December sensory buffet
3️⃣ Emotional Intensity & Holiday Landmines
4️⃣ Time Compression (aka The Holiday Speed Run)
5️⃣ Decision Fatigue
6️⃣ The Holiday Energy Mismatch
7️⃣ Compassionate Reframe
“You’re not exhausted because you’re weak or unprepared.
You’re exhausted because the season triggers every ADHD lever at once — and you’re carrying it alone.”
Key Takeaway
You’re not failing.
You’re not behind.
Your holiday exhaustion is predictable, understandable, and fixable when you stop blaming yourself and start understanding your nervous system.
Links Mentioned
Want More?
Subscribe to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD on your favorite platform.
Follow Christine:
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
If the holidays feel like a group project you didn’t sign up for, today’s episode is for you.
In Episode 24, we’re ditching “Pinterest perfect” and aiming for possible.
ADHD brains + solo living + December = a lot.
So here’s an episode full of shortcuts, hacks, permission slips, and some AI magic to make the season lighter.
🎁 What We Cover in This Episode
❤️ Part 1: 17 ADHD-Friendly Holiday Hacks
From gifting shortcuts to décor minimalism to surviving grocery stores, you’ll learn:
🤖 Part 2: Let AI Carry Half the Load
Perfect for ADHD brains that are done for the year.
We talk about using AI for:
📘 Part 3: Easy, ADHD-Friendly AI Primer
Learn how to:
Includes a full example prompt for planning a cozy six-person holiday dinner!
✨ Key Takeaways
💛 About Your Host
I’m Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and your guide through the wild, wonderful world of ADHD solo living. If this episode helped you, please leave a rating or review — it truly helps! Find me at twocatscoaching.com!
Want some freebies? Click here
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
Holiday Social Plans… Now What?
Welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD! I’m your host, Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and owner of Two Cats Coaching.
Holiday socializing is hard enough — now add ADHD, winter fatigue, disrupted routines, and the fact that you’re doing this alone.
Suddenly every invitation feels like someone assigned you a group project for a class you forgot to attend.
This episode gives you realistic, ADHD-friendly strategies for three moments every solo ADHDer faces in December:
This isn’t about becoming a holiday party superstar.
It’s about protecting your energy, honoring your limits, and choosing what works for your brain.
💌 Section 1 — “I Got an Invitation… Now What?”
When impulsivity says “Sure! Future Me will totally have energy!” — pause.
Here’s how to make choices that support your current bandwidth:
ASSAP Framework Tie-In: This is Access — creating supports before you need them.
🎉 Section 2 — “I’m at the Party… Now What?”
You don’t need to “work the room.” You need a structure that keeps your nervous system grounded:
ASSAP Tie-In: These are Action tools — tiny steps that help you function in high-stimulation spaces.
📅 Section 3 — “I Overcommitted… Now What?”
Canceling is allowed. Editing your December is allowed. Protecting your energy is necessary.
💛 Section 4 — A Gentle Reframe
You’re not antisocial.
You’re not flaky.
You’re not failing the holidays.
You’re managing ADHD, solo adulthood, masking, emotional labor, and winter fatigue at the same time.
That’s called being human, not being broken.
✨ Section 5 — Soft January Teaser
January kicks off the “good stuff”:
Long-term, sustainable systems using the A and P in ASAP — Access and Persistence.
Your future self will thank you.
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode:
❤️ If this episode lightened your mental load…
Hit subscribe, leave a review, or share with a solo friend who needs it.
Want some freebies? Click here
You’re not as alone as you think.
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
Hey friends — welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD!
I’m Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and founder of Two Cats Coaching. Today we’re breaking down the real reason the holidays feel overwhelming when you’re both ADHD and solo: the entire holiday workload defaults to you. No partner, no backup brain, no shared executive functioning.
This episode focuses on the practical, physical, cognitive demands of the season — not emotions or sensory overload (that’s coming in Episode 25!). We’ll look at the invisible, underestimated tasks that drain your executive functioning and why “dropping balls” doesn’t mean you’re disorganized — it means you’re doing the work of two adults with one brain.
In this episode, we cover:
Quick Relief Tools Mentioned:
Upcoming Episodes:
Work With Christine
If this episode took even one thing off your mental load, hit subscribe so Future You doesn’t miss an episode.
And if you want coaching that actually fits a solo ADHD life, I offer 1:1 support.
👉 Book a free consult using this link.
Looking for free stuff? Click here
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
(Part 4 and final of the Side Hustle Mini-Series)
Hey friends, welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD!
I’m Christine Dunning — Master Certified Life Coach, owner of Two Cats Coaching, and your caffeinated companion through the wild world of ADHD-friendly side hustles.
If you’ve been following the mini-series, we’ve covered:
👉 Episode 18 – Finding the Right Side Hustle for You (and Your ADHD)
👉 Episode 19 – Side Hustles: Failures and Successes
👉 Episode 20 – Top 15 ADHD-Friendly Side Hustles
And today, we’re wrapping it all up with the final piece: how to choose the right one for you — plus a few tools, mindset shifts, and money tips to make it actually work.
So if your brain is currently a pinball machine of ideas (been there!), grab a notebook — this is your roadmap to finding a side hustle that fits your ADHD life instead of fighting it.
🧭 What You’ll Learn
💡 Resources Mentioned
🧩 Key Takeaways
✅ Your “why” is your compass — without it, you’ll chase dopamine and burn out fast.
✅ Use the Three Filters to evaluate every new idea.
✅ You’re allowed to pivot!
✅ Sustainable side hustles should give you at least one of these: money, skills, joy, or fun.
💬 Share your favorite side hustle wins on socials — I’d love to celebrate with you!
🌐 TwoCatsCoaching.com
@TwoCatsCoaching 🧵 Threads 📧 Substack
Free stuff! Click here
Next month’s theme? Holiday Burnout! (Yes, we’re doing hacks, humor, and survival plans for ADHDers.)
Until then, stay curious, stay kind to your brain — and give your cat an extra treat for me.
Solo, ADHD, and tired of pretending you have it all figured out? Same. Here's where to find more of me:
📅 Free 30-min chat: https://calendar.app.google/2ZDmNHVHGSvotRR17
📱 Text me: 720-432-3290
📧 Email: [email protected]
📝 Free PDF + newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XLi30FH
🌐 Website: www.twocatscoaching.com
🎧 More episodes: https://asolopersonsguidetoadhd.buzzsprout.com
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@twocatscoaching2697
✍️ Substack: https://twocatscoaching.substack.com
👥 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1332027535133386
📸 Insta: https://www.instagram.com/twocatscoachingdenver/
🧠 Weekly trivia game, Quizlandia: https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia
☕ Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christine2
From the publisher's feed
A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD is a podcast for adults with ADHD who are doing life without a built-in support system — no partner, no shared mental load, no automatic second…
If you’re single, living alone, or functionally solo, ADHD hits differently.
There’s no one reminding you to grab the thing, finish the form, or notice when you’re overwhelmed. Executive dysfunction doesn’t show up as chaos — it shows up as quiet overload, decision paralysis, and the constant feeling that something is wrong, even when you can’t explain what.
This podcast isn’t about productivity hacks, motivation, or “finally getting your life together.”
It’s about understanding what’s actually happening — where ADHD, solo living, and modern life collide — and learning how to build external support, structure, and safety on purpose.
Hosted by Christine Dunning, a master certified life coach, musician, and late-diagnosed adult with ADHD, each episode offers reflection, language, and practical reframes to help you:
You’re not broken.
You’re not behind.
You’re doing too much alone — and this podcast exists to name that, clearly and honestly.
Want to connect? Find me on my website: www.twocatscoaching.com or email me at [email protected]