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As my spouse and I continue our search for an ADHD coach, we were delighted to discover another ADHD event, The ADHD Toolbox, held in March. With two days' worth of content rich with insights from experts sharing top tips and strategies for ADHD adults, including a live Q&A session with Dr. Ned Hallowell, we decided to attend the event to aid us in our search. Here's our perspective on our experience at the event and why ADHD couples might find it worthwhile.
Who is Alma Galvan and Bob Dietrich?
Alma and Bob have triumphed over personal challenges with ADHD, inspiring their mission to help others facing similar struggles. Alma navigated the daunting task of finding support for her two sons with ADHD, a journey fraught with difficulties, including a doctor's suggestion to institutionalize one of her sons—an unimaginable burden for any mother. Bob's realization about his father's likely undiagnosed ADHD sparked a journey of understanding. Together, they work collaboratively to serve the ADHD community through a program Alma developed called BrainWorx, and events like the ADHD Toolbox, providing invaluable support and resources for those facing similar challenges.
Event Overview
The ADHD Toolbox for Adults is an annual virtual gathering organized by Alma and Bob, aiming to share tips from experts in the ADHD field to help adults overcome common ADHD challenges like anxiety, procrastination, and overwhelm, which are very common for adults with ADHD.
Our Take of the Event
Opting for free access to the live event, the first day consisted of back-to-back sessions with five experts over one Zoom call, with the second day featuring multiple pre-recorded sessions with different ADHD experts. They curated an impressive lineup of experts, including ADDA's president, Duane Gordan, Leslie Josel, Kevin Bailey, and Dr. Ned Hallowell. While the topics focused on the common challenges of ADHD, each expert offered a unique perspective and interpretation. Their explanations of different ADHD challenges further helped me understand the impact ADHD has on my spouse.
Here are our Top 3 Favorite Sessions:
1. Kevin Bailey on ADHD burnout
I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin's talk about ADHD burnout because his explanation provided me with an 'aha' moment. I had never considered ADHD burnout from that angle before. This newfound understanding allows me to have more compassion for my ADHD spouse when ADHD burnout occurs, as I realize it's not something he desires. However, I can find ways to better support him through ADHD burnout.
Check out my blog post on how I support my spouse when ADHD burnout happens.
2. Leslie Josel on executive functions
With 20 years of experience supporting and guiding kids with ADHD, Leslie Josel, an ADHD coach specializing in children, radiates positive energy and excitement. What I truly enjoyed about the session was her explanation of executive functions. For example, she explained that for people with ADHD, time management is a form of disorganization. This gave me a new understanding of the challenges ADHD poses for my spouse, allowing me to think about how to better support him in realizing his long-term goals, which are important to both of us.
3. Dr Hallowell Q&A session
While listening to experts talk about specific topics is beneficial, it often requires attendees to connect the dots on their own or have follow-up questions. This is why I loved Dr. Hallowell's session—you could ask a well-known expert in the field anything you wanted. Loved ones of ADHD individuals and people with ADHD could get their questions answered, empowering them to quickly understand their next steps.
Conclusion
The event proved invaluable for us, not only because it helped check out a few more ADHD coaches, but also because being able to listen to other ADHD coaches explain their perspectives helped me, as a non-ADHD spouse, further understand the daily challenges my ADHD spouse faces. This enables me to find the empathy I need for my spouse when my empathy tank runs low while ADHD symptoms challenges both of us at the same time.
Do you have kids with ADHD? Bob and Alma have an upcoming ADHD Toolbox virtual event for kids on April 26-28th. Click here to register for the event.