Ever leave something somewhere extremely obvious so you won't forget it… only to eventually stop noticing it completely? Cool. Us too.

In this episode, Amy and Megan get into the surprisingly complicated relationship between visual cues, physical reminders, working memory, and executive function. Megan talks about putting things by the front door, sticking notes into her key ring, and even having her husband hide cash in her keys because apparently her keys are now an external memory system. Amy, meanwhile, discovers that simply watching Megan fold a piece of paper reminds her of a note she has stuffed in her own pocket. Because apparently our brains are just taking suggestions from the environment now.

Then they go down the rabbit hole of visual breadcrumbs, context, and why sometimes seeing something can unlock a memory that seemed completely unavailable five seconds earlier. There are also lists, folded paper, and the inevitable moment when the visual reminder has been sitting there for three days and has officially graduated from “helpful cue” to “visual clutter.”

They also talk about using visual organizers with kids, breaking assignments into smaller pieces, drawing before writing, and the very useful pattern of “think it, say it, write it.” The bigger theme isn't that there's one magical ADHD system that works for everyone. It's that different brains need different ways to make information concrete enough to actually use.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #WorkingMemory #ADHDStrategies #Neurodiversity

Apparently, there is a finite amount of bandwidth in the human brain. Who knew? Amy and Megan spend this episode realizing that sometimes the problem isn't that we don't know what we're supposed to do — it's that our brains have quietly hit the "no more inputs, please" stage.

They talk about what running out of bandwidth actually looks like: forgetting the coffee you literally just bought, staring off into space while still listening to someone talk, getting unusually frustrated, losing the ability to transition between activities, or suddenly wanting nothing more than to lie down. Megan even realizes that sitting in her car for a few minutes after a stressful meeting is apparently one of her brain's built-in transition strategies.

There’s also the surprisingly complicated question of what happens when you finally build supports that make life easier. Amy has been creating systems to get information and admin tasks out of her head, but then wonders: if she suddenly has more capacity, will her brain use that extra bandwidth to breathe… or immediately invent seventeen new things she "should" be doing? Honestly, relatable.

Megan talks about recognizing her own warning signs and making the hard decision to step back from a volunteer leadership role because she didn't have the emotional or executive-function bandwidth for it. Amy and Megan dig into how difficult it can be to recognize your own patterns, even when you're excellent at spotting patterns in everyone else.

And then there's the grocery store. Somehow, the grocery store becomes a decompression space. There are vegetables. There are retirees. There is bread. There is, apparently, no coffee. Sometimes neurodivergent life is less about having everything figured out and more about noticing the weird little signs that your brain is asking for a reset — preferably before it completely checks out.

So the question for this episode is: What does it look like when your bandwidth is running low — and can you recognize it before you hit the wall? Because apparently, sometimes the warning sign is exhaustion, sometimes it's zoning out, and sometimes it's leaving your coffee at the grocery store.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDBurnout #ADHDBandwidth #Neurodiversity

What if the thing distracting you from your work… is actually the thing helping your brain work? Annoying, we know. Especially when you’ve spent years learning that productivity means sitting in the chair and doing The Thing™ until it’s done.

In this episode of Control Alt Think, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about what happens when they stop fighting where their attention is naturally going. For Megan, that currently includes gardening—not vegetables, thank you very much—drawing, design projects, reading about native wildflowers, and apparently solving the very important problem of putting an umbrella over her hammock.

That leads to a bigger question: when we’re pulled toward something else, are we avoiding an open loop, craving creativity, looking for physical movement, solving a problem… or actually giving our brains the kind of recharge they need? And can we do any of that without the tiny voice insisting we should feel guilty because it’s not “work”?

Amy has her own unexpected brain fixation: documenting old trips, organizing personal information, and reconnecting with people. Tasks that would normally sound painfully tedious have suddenly become interesting because technology has removed enough friction to make them doable. Turns out “I want to do this” + “this is finally easy enough to do” is a pretty powerful combination.

They also wander through corporate conditioning, ADHD motivation, information collecting, problem-solving for fun, associative thinking, and the revelation from Megan’s child that her husband is apparently her boss. You know, normal neurodivergent directions.

And yes, technology suggested scripting the podcast. Amy and Megan immediately concluded they’d probably spend more time stumbling over what they were supposed to say. So instead, you get this: two neurodivergent brains following the thread, figuring out why some “distractions” might actually deserve a spot on the agenda.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ADHDProductivity #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDMotivation #Neurodiversity

You know that important thing you’ve been trying to remember all day? Good news: your brain remembered it. Bad news: you’re driving. Or showering. Or lying in bed. Or listening to your kid’s teacher talk and trying very hard not to pull out your phone.

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about the very specific experience of remembering things at exactly the moment you can’t actually do anything about them. Because apparently working memory has a schedule, and it did not consult us.

Megan shares her literal version of “put a pin in it”—pressing her fingernail into her finger and refusing to let go until she can get back to the thought. Amy connects the experience to working memory, task switching, and what happens when our brains finally stop focusing long enough for all those other thoughts to wander back in.

Naturally, this leads to possible scaffolds: notebooks by the bed, digital reminders, morning routines, waterproof paper…and the discovery that children’s bathtub crayons may actually be an executive function tool in disguise. Sometimes there’s a system. Sometimes there’s just, “Ah, it’ll come to me.”

They also get into the dangerous little bargain of, “If it’s really important, I’ll remember it”—followed immediately by Megan’s brain essentially saying, “Challenge accepted.” Because nothing says reliable productivity system quite like remembering the tax thing while driving down the road.

There may not be a brilliant solution in this episode. Mostly, there’s working memory, weird physical reminders, strategic scaffolding, terrible timing, and two neurodivergent people realizing that yes, apparently we all remember The Thing when we are least capable of doing The Thing.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #WorkingMemory #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDProductivity #ADHDTips

Ever made a decision that looked completely impulsive to everyone around you?

Excuse me. There was research. There were spreadsheets. There were scenarios. There may have been a three-hour internet rabbit hole that started with one innocent question. This was anything BUT impulsive.

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, explore the neurodivergent need to know all the things before moving on—or, sometimes, just because the brain has decided that THIS is the thing we need to know everything about now.

They talk about research rabbit holes, analysis paralysis, collecting random information, planning for every possible outcome, special interests, and the strange experience of looking like you're "winging it" when you've actually already run 37 different scenarios in your head.

They also dig into what happens when this need for information is misunderstood. What looks like procrastination might actually be processing. What looks impulsive might have been quietly planned for months. And what looks like constantly changing your goals might actually be adjusting them as new information comes in.

And sometimes? You don't need the information for anything at all. Your brain just wants to know.

So if you've ever opened one tab to look something up and emerged hours later knowing an alarming amount about a topic you didn't care about yesterday… welcome. You're among friends.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #AnalysisParalysis #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #ADHDBrain

Why is it that a task you've been avoiding for three days suddenly becomes completely doable the second another human being is involved? Apparently, other people might actually be useful.

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, talk about collaboration—and why getting things done together can sometimes feel suspiciously like cheating.

From body doubling and external accountability to folding laundry, cooking, recording a podcast, and tackling projects together, Amy and Megan explore why another person's presence can make a task feel easier, more interesting, and occasionally even… fun. Rude, honestly.

But somewhere along the way, the productivity conversation takes a very on-brand rabbit hole into relationships. What if doing things together isn't just helping neurodivergent brains get things done? What if it's also one of the ways we connect? Amy and Megan unpack shared interests, task-focused communication, co-regulation, and why some of our strongest relationships might be built while we're busy doing something else.

So, is collaboration a productivity strategy? Body doubling? Relationship building? A clever way to trick your brain into folding the laundry?

Yes.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #BodyDoubling #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #ADHDCoaching

What happens when two ADHD coaches forget the very topic they planned to record? They turn it into the episode.

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, Amy Voros and Megan King laugh their way through a very relatable experience: losing a thought despite having plenty of systems in place to prevent it. From forgotten notes and endless searches to knowing when it's better to stop looking and follow your curiosity instead, they explore why even the best scaffolds aren't foolproof.

Along the way, they discuss the value of external systems, the limits of organization, and why flexibility can sometimes be more important than perfection. They also touch on practical supports—from simple note-taking habits to tools like trackers for everyday essentials—and why the goal isn't to remember everything yourself, but to build systems that work with your brain.

Whether you've ever spent twenty minutes searching for your keys, forgotten the brilliant idea you had five minutes ago, or wondered why your carefully designed processes sometimes fall apart, this episode offers humor, validation, and practical reminders that forgetting is part of being human—and that having ADHD just makes those moments a little more interesting.

#ADHD #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodivergent #Productivity #ADHDTools #MentalHealth #Neurodiversity

Have you ever walked into a room, forgotten why you were there, and only remembered after retracing your steps? Is there actually a reason our brains seem to work this way?

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, explore the fascinating connection between memory, emotion, and sensory experiences. They discuss how memories are tied to much more than facts alone—linking together emotions, environments, sounds, light, and other sensory cues that help our brains make sense of the world.

The conversation also dives into why people with ADHD often use dramatic language to describe their experiences, how emotional states can shape the words we choose, and why understanding the neuroscience behind these patterns matters. As always, Amy and Megan blend lived experience, curiosity, and practical insights while reminding listeners that not every question has a simple answer—and that's okay.

Whether you're neurodivergent, supporting someone with ADHD, or simply curious about how memory and emotions work together, this episode offers thoughtful discussion, relatable moments, and plenty of "wait... is that why I do that?" moments.

#ADHD #Neurodivergent #Memory #ExecutiveFunction #MentalHealth #ADHDAwareness #Neuroscience

Join Amy and Megan as a simple conversation about getting a haircut turns into an eye-opening exploration of sensory needs, executive function, and why "just get a haircut" is anything but simple for many neurodivergent people. From decades-long relationships with trusted stylists to the universal rule that hair must be ponytail-approved, they unpack the hidden decisions most people never realize are happening behind every salon visit.

Discover how sensory-friendly hairdressers can transform what was once an overwhelming experience, why communicating your needs can feel impossible when you don't have the words, and how childhood haircut memories often reveal needs that went unnoticed for years. Along the way, Amy and Megan share stories of disastrous bobs, baseball-hat-approved hairstyles, salon environments that either soothe or overwhelm, and the relief of finally finding professionals who truly understand.

Whether you've struggled with the feeling of water running over your scalp, dreaded the sound of clippers near your ears, or simply wondered why personal care routines can be so exhausting, this episode offers humor, validation, and practical ideas for making these experiences work for your brain instead of against it.

Perfect for: Neurodivergent adults navigating sensory sensitivities, parents searching for sensory-friendly hairdressers or other professionals, anyone who's ever walked out of a salon thinking, "That's not what I meant," and those learning that self-care starts with finding systems—and people—that truly fit the way you experience the world.

#ADHD #RejectionSensitivity #ADHDCoaching #MentalHealth #Neurodiversity #WomenWithADHD

What do terms like time blindness, waiting mode, hyperfocus, rejection sensitivity, and doom piles actually mean—and how accurate are the definitions you see online?

In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, unpack some of the most common neurodivergent terms, blending lived experience with evidence-based insights. They explore where these concepts come from, how they're used in everyday conversations, and why many AI-generated or social media definitions miss the nuance.

Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, support someone who is, or simply want a better understanding of ADHD and executive functioning, this episode offers practical perspectives on the language we use to describe our brains.

#ADHD#Neurodivergent#ExecutiveFunction#ADHDAwareness#Neurodiversity#MentalHealth