The Academic Coaching Podcast

In this episode, Gretchen talks with Patrick Quinlan — actor, improviser, executive function coach, and dad — about the moment he realized his longtime way of working had become unsustainable, and in some cases too comfortable, for the families he served. Patrick shares his path from theater and tutoring into EF coaching, and why becoming a parent forced him to rethink in-home sessions, LA traffic, and the emotional labor of being students' "safe person." Together, he and Gretchen explore the fine line between supportive coaching and becoming an expensive emotional regulation crutch, and dig into the business shifts that can change everything — moving from hourly sessions to packages, building clearer boundaries, and creating a path for students to graduate. It's a conversation about coaching, business, and identity, and what it really takes to build support systems that make students more independent, not more dependent.

You'll Hear Us Talk About

• How Patrick became "a safety blanket" for some long-term students — and what that actually costs both sides
• Why moving from hourly sessions to packages gave families (and Patrick) a clearer beginning, middle, and end
• The moment fatherhood made in-home, hourly coaching unsustainable and forced a shift to virtual work
• Why Patrick's background as an actor made it harder — and eventually necessary — to show up as himself in his coaching business
• Finding community after realizing he wasn't the only coach carrying this weight

About Patrick Quinlan

Patrick Quinlan is an actor, improviser, and executive function coach, and the founder of Quinlan Tutoring. He built his coaching practice out of a background in theater and tutoring, and now works to help students build independence rather than dependency — while also navigating the business side of running a coaching practice as a parent.

Links + Resources

• Patrick's website: Quinlan Tutoring — https://www.quinlantutoring.com/

Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab

• Download our free Toolkit, including the study cycle and the cognitive overload mini lecture: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources
• Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegner
• Watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/2DY0nX3OZ34

Bonus — Rock Your Biz: Join Rock Your Biz in August! : https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ANub2KuPn3D9p7MNkorM-JLUhmeZfvaJv1zq5KR04U/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, Gretchen sits down with Seth Perler — executive function coach and creator of TEFOS, the Executive Function Online Summit, now in its 8th year. Gretchen expected to unpack what TEFOS has taught Seth over the years, and they do — but the conversation also goes further, into Seth's personal story and the single biggest skill that turned him from a self-described "lazy failure" into an internationally known EF coach. They also talk business, including Seth's "heart of service first" approach to building a referral network, which flips the usual competitive mindset around private practice. It's a conversation between two longtime colleagues in the academic/EF coaching world — equal parts personal and practical.

You'll Hear Us Talk About

• The skill that turned Seth from "lazy failure" to EF coach — and it starts with asking for help
• Seth's path from 12 years in the classroom to pioneering EF coaching before the field really existed
• His "heart of service first" approach to referrals — and why it beats a competitive mindset
• What 8 years of running TEFOS has taught him about this field and its community
• Why this conversation goes deeper than the usual "what is EF coaching" interview

About Seth Perler

Seth Perler is an executive function coach, speaker, and creator of TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), now in its 8th year and one of the largest free gatherings in the ADHD and neurodivergent education world. He taught for 12 years before leaving the classroom in 2010 to pioneer executive function coaching, holds a Master's in Gifted Education/Special Education, and has spent over a decade helping neurodivergent, twice-exceptional, and struggling students build the skills school never taught them.

Links + Resources

• Seth's website: https://sethperler.com/

Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab

• Download our free Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources
• Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegner
• Watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/Z9VtLpAGl-o

Bonus — TEFOS 2026: Get your FREE ticket to TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), August 14–17, 2026. A VIP pass with lifetime access + bonuses is also available, with early bird pricing through August 13. Register: https://theantiboringapproach--sethperler.thrivecart.com/tefos26/

In this episode, Gretchen talks with Cathleen Pittman — academic and executive function coach, organizational specialist, and founder of Our Learning Studio — about building a tutoring business, selling it, and then facing a sudden cancer diagnosis that made "what happens to my business if something happens to me?" feel anything but hypothetical. They dig into what actually makes a solo coaching or tutoring practice more valuable, why most of us assume this conversation doesn't apply to us (spoiler: it does), and why thinking like a future seller strengthens your business even if you never sell.

You'll Hear Us Talk About

• What actually makes a one-person coaching or tutoring practice "sellable" — hint: it's not just client numbers
• How a health scare forced Cathleen to rethink what her business depended on
• The systems and documentation that let a practice run without you in the room
• Why "I'll never sell" isn't a reason to skip this thinking
• How building for a future sale makes your day-to-day business more sustainable right now

About Cathleen Pittman

Cathleen Pittman is the founder of Our Learning Studio, an academic and executive function support practice based in High Point, North Carolina, with more than 28 years of experience in education as a teacher, administrator, mentor, and entrepreneur. In 2006 she opened her first large-scale tutoring center, later built and successfully sold it, and today works privately with students, families, and professionals while helping tutoring business owners build stronger systems behind the scenes. She hosts the Tutor Mentor Podcast.

Links + Resources

• Take the course: How to Set Up Your Tutoring Business Now to be Sellable in the Future: https://our-learning-studio.teachable.com/p/how-to-set-up-your-tutoring-business-to-be-sellable?affcode=1489752_rp3t0h8g (open enrollment — take it any time)
• Our Learning Studio — Cathleen's website: https://ourlearningstudio.com/
• Connect with Cathleen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-cathleen-killeen-pittman-007641185/

Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab

• Download our free Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources
• Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegner
• Watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/wMI4tnryaZI

In this inaugural episode, Gretchen talks with Susannah Cole — executive function coach, educational diagnostician, and co-author of Flexible Mindsets in Schools — about the gap EF coaching fills and why school was never really designed to close it. Inspired by NPR's Wild Card, this first conversation runs three rounds of questions across three chapters of Susannah's life, going deeper than a typical interview. They trace her path from being misread as a student to burning out as a teacher, then into the work that finally clicked. Along the way: a look at who schools were actually built for, and a practical tool that changed the way Susannah runs sessions and relationships alike.

You'll Hear Us Talk About

• Why "whose job is it to teach learning?" is such a thorny question once you look at the history of schools
• Susannah's iceberg model — what's visible above the waterline in a struggling student, and what's driving it below
• Whose nervous system is actually overwhelmed in the classroom, and why that matters for regulation and attention
• The Consent Burger: a simple structure for inviting students in that reshaped Susannah's coaching
• Learning to read what a specific student needs in a specific moment, instead of leading with enthusiasm

About Susannah Cole

Susannah Cole is an executive function coach, educational diagnostician, and co-author of Flexible Mindsets in Schools (with Dr. Julie Dunstan). With over 25 years across early childhood, middle school, autism therapy, learning support, and college teaching, she brings a strengths-based approach to helping students build the systems, habits, and mindsets behind self-directed learning. She holds an MEd in Developmental Psychology and conducts psychoeducational assessments. Find her at theefcoach.com.

Links + Resources

• Flexible Mindsets in Schools by Julie Dunstan & Susannah Cole: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Mindsets-Schools-Julie-Dunstan/dp/1032069775
• The EF Coach — Susannah's website: https://theefcoach.com
• NPR's Wild Card with Rachel Martin — structural inspiration for this episode's format: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510379/wild-card-with-rachel-martin
• The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curiosity-shop-with-bren%C3%A9-brown-and-adam-grant/id1730985049

Guess what?! If you'd like to learn more about TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), where Susannah and Gretchen first met, it's coming up again August 14–17, 2026! It's totally free to register:

• TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit): https://theantiboringapproach--sethperler.thrivecart.com/tefos26/

Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab

• Download our free Toolkit (including information about the Consent Burger): https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources
• Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegner
• Watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/SuwUh20D84A