Do your mornings feel like you’ve already lived an entire day before 9am?

If school mornings are full of rushing, resistance, yelling, or tears — and you’re left completely depleted before work even begins — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, Sharon Collon, ADHD family coach and founder of The Functional Family, breaks down why mornings are uniquely hard for children with ADHD — and what actually helps. Sharon explains how boring tasks, constant transitions, time pressure, and nervous system overload combine to create morning chaos — even when everyone is trying their best.

Instead of behaviour charts or stricter routines, Sharon shares small, practical shifts that support regulation first, reduce pressure, and work with the ADHD brain — not against it.

✅ Why ADHD mornings fall apart before the day even begins
✅ How boring tasks and transitions overload the ADHD brain
✅ Why time pressure triggers stress, not cooperation
✅ The “movie of the mind” gap that trips kids up
✅ Why behaviour issues are often regulation injuries
✅ How micro-connection changes everything
✅ Practical strategies that reduce pressure without adding work
✅ How to soften mornings without yelling, threats, or burn

00:00 – Why mornings feel harder than the rest of the day
01:30 – The emotional toll of school drop-offs and burnout
03:20 – Why ADHD brains struggle with boring tasks
05:10 – Transitions, sequencing, and time blindness explained
07:00 – Why pressure backfires in ADHD mornings
08:30 – Behaviour vs regulation: what’s really happening
10:00 – Start with regulation, not demands
12:00 – Micro-connection that supports cooperation
13:40 – Protein, positioning yourself as a teammate
15:30 – Reducing decisions before 9am
17:30 – Using music as a regulator and timer
19:30 – Screens, dopamine, and when to delay them
21:00 – Choosing one friction point to start with
23:00 – Free ADHD Roadmap Coaching Week invitation

ADHD Roadmap Coaching Week
📅 Dates: 3-6 March 2026
⏰ Live + on-demand support designed for real families

If mornings are draining your energy and confidence, this free coaching week will help you move from chaos to clarity — without adding more to your plate.

You’ll learn how to:
✔️ Identify the real barriers behind morning struggles
✔️ Support regulation before expectations
✔️ Reduce daily friction without power struggles
✔️ Build a personalised ADHD Family Roadmap

👉 Join here:
https://www.thefunctionalfamily.com/roadmap

🔔 Subscribe to the ADHD Families Podcast
📩 Share this episode with a parent who needs to hear it
🎁 The ADHD Family Quest Waitlist is now available
💻 Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com

Sharon Collon supports ADHD families to move from overwhelm to clarity using personalised systems that honour how ADHD nervous systems actually work.

Through coaching, programs, and community support, families learn how to reduce pressure, build executive function skills, and create sustainable routines — without trying to fix everything at once.

When mornings soften, everything else gets lighter.
And that’s where real change begins.