What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

This Episode is sponsored by Focusaur:

EXPLORE FOCUSAUR ON KICKSTARTER

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/focusaur/focusaur-the-ai-focus-console-for-deep-work-and-habits?ref=7lobq3

You've been white-knuckling your way through life. Heather Simco did too. For decades.

Before the coaching, before the sobriety, before the clarity, Heather was a high-achieving woman building an empire in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world, running at a hundred miles an hour, and quietly falling apart on the inside. Undiagnosed ADHD. Alcohol as a coping mechanism. A life held together by overcompensation and sheer will.

Then a car accident took away the last thing she was using to hold it all together.

What came next is the part nobody talks about. Not just getting sober. The actual work of figuring out who you are when the titles, the goals, and the coping mechanisms are gone.

Heather is now a transformation coach with 12 years of sobriety, a 21-year-old daughter with ADHD, and a front-row seat to what it actually looks like to build systems that work for a brain like yours. She calls herself the chaos coordinator, and she means it.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why the first thing Heather does with every overwhelmed mom is a time inventory
• The difference between extremes that feel comfortable and balance that actually works
• How she raised an ADHD daughter without starting with medication, and what that taught her about self-awareness
• The guardrail metaphor that will completely change how you think about getting off track
• Why one tiny system, done consistently, builds more than a hundred new strategies ever will

Heather's quick win at the top of this episode is simple. It costs nothing. And it takes five minutes the night before.

Connect with Heather at heathersimco.com or find her everywhere at @HeatherSimco. If a three-day reset in Naples, Florida sounds like exactly what you need, get on her retreat waitlist now.

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is built for the mom who looks like she has it together and is quietly exhausted. If that's you, you're in the right place.

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

This Episode is sponsored by Focusaur:

EXPLORE FOCUSAUR ON KICKSTARTER

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/focusaur/focusaur-the-ai-focus-console-for-deep-work-and-habits?ref=7lobq3

If you are surrounded by half-done projects and hating yourself for it, this episode is for you.

Perfectionism is one of the most common cognitive distortions in women with ADHD. It is a symptom, not a character flaw. And there is actual neuroscience behind why your ADHD brain crashes at 80 percent done and cannot cross the finish line.

In this episode I walk you through the four doors into ADHD perfectionism (armor, the procrastination loop, RSD, and all-or-nothing thinking), the dopamine reward pathway dysfunction that causes the 80 percent crash, and exactly why "just lower your standards" is the wrong advice.

Then I give you The 70% Drop. A simple, concrete move you can do today to retrain your brain, ship one half-done thing, and start breaking the shame cycle.

What we cover:

• Why perfectionism is an ADHD symptom, not a flaw
• Dr. William Dodson on RSD (and why 99% of us have it)
• The 80% dopamine crash, explained
• How all-or-nothing thinking traps ADHD moms
• The 70% Drop, step by step

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

This Episode is sponsored by Focusaur:

EXPLORE FOCUSAUR ON KICKSTARTER

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/focusaur/focusaur-the-ai-focus-console-for-deep-work-and-habits?ref=7lobq3

You have tried the planners. The apps. The habit trackers. The YouTube tutorials. The color-coded systems, the minimalist ones, the digital ones, and the paper ones.

And nothing has stuck.

In this episode of Quick Wins for ADHD Moms, Jess breaks down exactly why -- and it has nothing to do with discipline. Those tools were built for brains with consistent dopamine. Yours doesn't have that. The problem was never you. The problem was the design.

You'll learn:

• The neuroscience behind why every new system feels exciting at first and dies within weeks
• Why the planner in the drawer might as well not exist -- and what ADHD object permanence actually means
• Why the setup was the dopamine hit (and what to do about that)
• The One-Surface System: one principle, any format, and why it works when everything else hasn't

You do not need more discipline. You need a different design.

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

You slept. You had coffee. Objectively, life isn't that hard. So why does it feel like you're moving through wet concrete by 2pm?

In this episode of Quick Wins for ADHD Moms, Jess breaks down the real reason ADHD moms are always exhausted -- and it has nothing to do with how hard you're trying.

You'll learn:

• Why ADHD brains burn more energy on normal tasks than most people's brains do on hard ones
• The circadian rhythm finding that explains why you can sleep 8 hours and still wake up wrecked
• What the invisible labor of masking is actually costing you every single day
• Why pushing through is making the exhaustion worse -- and what to do instead

Your Quick Win: Stop pushing through. Your exhaustion is neurological, not moral. Rest is a strategy, not a reward.

Grab your free Dopamine Hit List at TheADHDMom.com -- quick, ADHD-friendly ways to refill your tank without needing an hour or a perfect environment.

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

You go all in. You're excited, energized, unstoppable... and then one day you're just... done.

If that cycle sounds familiar, this episode is for you.

Today we're breaking down the ADHD boom-bust cycle: the real, predictable pattern that takes you from hyperfocus and 200% effort straight into a crash you didn't see coming. And once you can name it, you can finally stop being blindsided by it.

In this episode:

• The 4 phases of the ADHD boom-bust cycle: Spark → Dive → Depletion → Crash
• Why 93% of adults with ADHD experience burnout — and why you're wired to miss the warning signs
• What to look for before the crash (hint: it's not tiredness — it's your relationships)
• The two-part Quick Win: a 30-second cycle check-in + one sentence that buys you 24 hours before saying yes to anything new

This isn't about willpower or discipline. It's about understanding how your brain actually works — and building in the slow before your body does it for you.

Grab your free Dopamine Hit List at TheADHDMom.com

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

You can reorganize your entire pantry until it looks like a Pinterest board.

But you cannot answer one email. I understand this all too well.

In this episode, we talk about resonance. It is the concept that explains why your brain locks in on some tasks and completely stalls on others. Why noise helps some ADHD brains focus. Why silence feels unbearable. And why the conditions you need to actually get traction are not tricks, they are the design.

What you'll get from this episode:

The quick win: Find Your Focus Frequency: a 20-minute experiment you can run today with one task that's been sitting on your list

Why ADHD brains are often under-aroused in their attention networks, and what that actually means in plain language

The radio metaphor that reframes the whole thing

The difference between under-stimulation and overload, and why both kill focus

Three things to design before you sit down to work: sound, body position, and a trigger

Why you can build a website overnight but cannot meal plan for the week (it is the same reason)

The question to ask when a task won't start, before you call yourself lazy.

Mentioned in this episode:

Brown noise and white noise — find both on YouTube, Spotify, Calm, or Apple Music. Search "focus music" or "brown noise."

The Dopamine Hit List — a free one-page download with quick wins organized by time of day. Grab it at TheADHDMom.com.

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

Ever Walk Into a Room and Forget Why?

Ever stood in the hallway holding a dirty towel… and completely forgotten where you were taking it?

If your brain feels like a browser with 47 tabs open, and you can’t find the one playing music, this episode is for you.

Today we’re untangling something that changes everything:

Is this mom exhaustion?
Or is this ADHD wiring?

Because those are not the same thing. And treating them the same keeps you stuck.

In This Episode

Low Fuel vs. Check Engine Light
A simple framework to help you figure out whether you’re depleted… or whether your brain is asking for a different design.

The Resiliency Test
If rest fixes it, it was fuel.
If the same patterns show up again and again, even after rest, it’s wiring.

Cognitive Ergonomics
Stop trying to “fix” your brain.
Start designing your environment to support how it actually works.
Inspired by my conversation with ADHD coach Jeff Copper.

The Hidden Restart Cost
Interruptions don’t just annoy you. They tax your nervous system.
We’ll talk about how to protect your capacity.

What White Space Really Is
Not an empty calendar.
Margin. Breathing room. The ability to respond instead of react.

The 4-Minute Reset
A simple tool to move from paralysis to motion without trying to solve your entire life before lunch.

Resources

The 4-Minute Reset
Download it at TheADHDMom.com

Jeff Copper
ADHD coach and thought leader on Cognitive Ergonomics

A Question to Sit With

What’s stealing your capacity right now?

Is it:

• Low fuel? (sleep, hydration, protein, overstimulation)
• Or wiring? (working memory, task switching, executive function)

And what’s one tiny move that could buy you back ten minutes today?

Not fix your life.
Just give you margin.

If This Helped

Follow the podcast. Share it with a friend. Leave a review.

Because the more we understand our brains, the less we shame them.

And the more white space we create.

You are here for a reason.
Move forward. Let it be beautiful.

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.

What is your biggest challenge with ADHD?

Get Your Free Audio 4 Minute Reset 👉 - HERE.

Ever feel like your entire day is one minor inconvenience away from a total meltdown? You aren’t failing, you’re just missing a "Plan B" that actually works for an ADHD brain.

In this episode, Dr. Kailey Buller joins us to share the exact contingency strategy that saves ADHD moms from the "all-or-nothing" spiral. Whether it’s a travel nightmare or just a Tuesday where the executive function isn’t showing up, you need a safety net.

In this video, we cover:

• The "Emergency" Meal Strategy: 3 go-to meals that require zero brain power (and save you from the drive-thru).
• The Travel Story: How a contingency plan saved Dr. Buller’s family when things went sideways.
• Stopping the Unravel: How to recognize the "spiral" before it starts and pivot instantly.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re barely holding it together, this "Quick Win" is for you. Watch until the end to get our top 3 emergency meal ideas!

P.S. Hit reply and tell me — what’s your emergency meal? I’m collecting ideas for all of us!!

Connect with Dr. Kailey:

Website: https://www.vitalswithdrbuller.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalswithdrbuller

Support the show

Loved this episode? Here's your next step.

✅ Grab the Dopamine Hit List — click here for your free reset toolkit for the ADHD mom brain

Follow for more ADHD mom tips and resets Instagram: @quickwinsadhdmoms YouTube: Quick Wins for ADHD Moms

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Voiceover work: jessicalewisvoice.com

Quick Wins for ADHD Moms is a podcast for smart, high-functioning moms with ADHD who are tired of systems that don't work. Practical resets for ADHD burnout, mental overload, and everyday mom life. Find every episode at theADHDmom.com.