Organizing an ADHD Brain

If you've ever struggled to explain a hard mental health moment to your child — or wondered how to hold your ADHD brain together as a parent — this episode is for you.
Megs sits down with Kendall, mental health advocate and children's book author, to talk about something most of us never learned how to do: make our inner emotional world visible to the people who love us most. Kendall shares her journey from lifelong anxiety diagnosis to ADHD discovery, how postpartum depression cracked her open, and the "cloud" metaphor she created so her kids could understand mom's hard days without fear or confusion.
🎧 What We Talk About
Understanding your own brain first — Kendall spent years being told she had anxiety before landing on an ADHD diagnosis that finally made sense. If your mental health story has kept shifting, you'll feel seen here.
The cloud metaphor that changed everything — After PPD, Kendall needed a way to say "mom is struggling today" without clinical language or blame. 
ADHD tools for couples — Kendall and her husband have different ADHD patterns. She shares "pause" check-ins, shared lists, and strategies that actually work when two executive-function-challenged brains are building a life together.
Care kits for hard days — What goes in one? Simpler and more intentional than you'd expect.
The book + pay-it-forward program — Kendall self-published Cloudy Day Chronicles to keep the family dialogue supportive rather than clinical, and now donates books through a pay-it-forward program and speaks with community organizations to connect parents to local mental health resources.
About Kendall
Kendall's greatest adventures began at home, as a mother. Her stories are inspired by the curiosity, humor, and boundless imagination of her children, who often help shape the characters and moments that appear on the page. Alongside her husband Matt and their dog Kiaora, she fills her days with laughter, exploration, and just the right amount of playful weirdness. When she's not creating stories, Kendall can usually be found where the wild things are.

⏱️ Jump To
01:12 — From mental health struggles to becoming an author
02:07 — Postpartum depression and the birth of the cloud metaphor
03:26 — Inside the Cloudy Day Chronicles book
12:21 — ADHD tools for couples with different patterns
18:46 — Building a care kit for cloudy days
23:42 — How (and why) to ask for support out loud
27:12 — Publishing choices and drawing the family line
29:56 — Advocacy work and connecting parents to resources
33:36 — Community impact and closing thoughts
35:16 — Where to find the book

📚 Resources & Links
Cloudy Day Chronicles — Author's Website/Buy The Book
Follow Kendall — Substack/Instagram
Organizing an ADHD Brain is a podcast for humans with ADHD who are done with shame.
Share your thoughts with Megs!
Would you like to learn more about hiring Megs as your ADHD coach? Start here> The Perfect Place to Start
The Community is OPEN! Join right here: Organizing an ADHD Brain
You can also learn more about the community HERE> OrganizinganADHDBrain.com

If you've ever started a weight loss journey, tried to declutter your home, or attempted to quit a habit — and felt like you were doing it "wrong" because it wasn't linear or easy — this episode is for you. As an ADHD coach for women, Megs Crawford digs into why quick fixes don't create lasting change, and why going through the "messy middle" is actually what builds sustainability, self-trust, and genuine self-understanding — especially for an ADHD brain.
Using real stories from her own life, Megs shares her experience pursuing bariatric surgery and the required nutrition coaching, therapy, strict dietary changes, and body-image work that came with it; getting sober through a structured program, confronting depression and navigating triggers like ordering drinks in social settings, and maintaining sobriety for nearly four years; and decluttering her home through trial and error, selling items, lowering barriers, and discovering which organizing systems actually fit her ADHD patterns.
She also connects these lessons to parenting a child through uncomfortable transitions, showing how the messy middle isn't just a personal growth concept — it's a life skill. If you're a woman with ADHD looking for an approach to organizing, sobriety, or weight loss that meets your brain where it is (instead of shaming you for not fitting a neurotypical mold), this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.
 
03:11 Cora And The Transition
04:17 The Quick Fix Trap
06:57 Weight Loss And Surgery
11:10 Body Image And Self Talk
13:07 Quitting Drinking For Good
16:15 Sober Struggles And Tools
19:05 Decluttering With ADHD
22:39 Trial And Error Systems
27:25 Fix It Mindset Shift
31:32 Small Steps Build Rome

Share your thoughts with Megs!
Would you like to learn more about hiring Megs as your ADHD coach? Start here> The Perfect Place to Start
The Community is OPEN! Join right here: Organizing an ADHD Brain
You can also learn more about the community HERE> OrganizinganADHDBrain.com

🔁 Rerun from Fall 2024 — still so good, we had to bring it back.
If you've ever felt guilty for loving color, keeping "too much," or struggling to maintain a minimalist space — this episode is your permission slip.
Megs sits down with Eli Trier, an AuDHD neuroqueer artist based in Copenhagen, to talk about what it really means to organize and decorate as a neurodivergent person. Spoiler: it's not about having less. It's about having what fills you up.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why colorful spaces aren't clutter — they're actually good for your ADHD brain (hello, dopamine 🧠)
What maximalism really means and why it can be the most intentional way to live
How art and color affect dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol — backed by science
Eli's late AuDHD diagnosis story and the emotional journey that followed
How to stop organizing out of guilt and start curating a space that genuinely supports you
This episode is for you if: ✔ You're a human with ADHD looking for less overwhelm at home ✔ You've tried minimalism and it just… didn't stick ✔ You want a neurodivergent-friendly approach to your space and your life
Connect with Eli Trier: 🌐 Website  ▶️ YouTube
Timestamps 
00:14 Minimalism to Color 
02:00 Meet Eli in Copenhagen 
04:13 Diagnosis Journey 
09:38 Art and Brain Chemistry 
16:21 Maximalism Explained 
26:21 Systems For Creative Chaos 
32:45 Advice For Late Diagnosis 
37:30 Final Thanks And Reflection
Share your thoughts with Megs!
Would you like to learn more about hiring Megs as your ADHD coach? Start here> The Perfect Place to Start
The Community is OPEN! Join right here: Organizing an ADHD Brain
You can also learn more about the community HERE> OrganizinganADHDBrain.com

Book: Deep Work
Learn more about Sukha:
Join Steven's Flow State App
Contact Steven:
 [email protected]
In this episode of Organizing an ADHD Brain, Megs talks with Steven Puri — ADHD-diagnosed entrepreneur, former film executive, and founder of Sukha — about flow states, distraction, and what it actually takes to focus in a world engineered to pull your attention away.
Steven shares his journey from engineering and Hollywood to building a company centered on sustainable focus for neurodivergent brains. Together, they explore:
What flow state really is
Why ADHD brains struggle with long to-do lists and context switching
The nervous system layer of distraction
Why hiding all but your top three tasks increases follow-through
How finishing one meaningful task a day shifts identity
Steven explains Sukha’s “friendly nudge” approach — gently asking, “Is this helping you?” instead of harshly blocking websites — and how redefining productivity as time for what truly matters (family, creativity, community) changes everything.

07:16 — What Flow State Actually Is (ADHD + Neuroscience Explained)
Clear explanation of flow and why ADHD brains crave it.
13:01 — Why Modern Distraction Feels Impossible to Beat
Notifications, dopamine loops, and the attention economy.
14:48 — ADHD Distraction & Regulation: Real-Life Examples
Nervous system awareness + how distraction shows up day-to-day.
29:56 — Multitasking vs Monotasking: The Context-Switch Trap
Why switching tasks drains executive function.
30:59 — ADHD To-Do List Paralysis & the “Top 3 Only” Strategy
Reducing overwhelm to increase follow-through.
32:15 — Breaking Big Goals Down: 1% Progress & Micro Practices
Sustainable momentum instead of burnout cycles.
28:15 — Beating the ‘I’m Behind’ Story: Identity & Momentum
Rewriting self-narratives through action.
48:59 — Redefining Success: The One Thing That Moves Your Life Forward Today
Values-based productivity instead of hustle culture.
Share your thoughts with Megs!
Would you like to learn more about hiring Megs as your ADHD coach? Start here> The Perfect Place to Start
The Community is OPEN! Join right here: Organizing an ADHD Brain
You can also learn more about the community HERE> OrganizinganADHDBrain.com

In this episode, Megs explores organizing through the lens of ADHD, nervous system regulation, and the human need for comfort during difficult times. She shares a personal story about losing her childhood blankie to illustrate how comfort objects and familiar routines often help us feel safe — especially when life feels unpredictable or overwhelming.
The episode also acknowledges the emotional weight of what’s happening in the world and how collective stress can quietly intensify avoidance, dysregulation, and the urge to retreat or “hide.” Through this discussion, the host differentiates between comforts that genuinely support regulation and those that keep people stuck.
With compassion and honesty, the episode offers practical organizing insights, emotional regulation strategies, and reminders that seeking ease, structure, and hope is not a failure — it’s a form of care. The overall message centers on coming out of hiding, choosing supportive comforts, and remembering that progress doesn’t require perfection.
Article: Exaggerated Emotions: How and Why ADHD Triggers Intense Feelings
Podcast Recommendation: Connection Project 360
Episode Breakdown
 01:21 – Childhood comfort objects and why they matter more than we realize
02:05 – Autonomy, choice, and trust in organizing decisions
04:04 – Why discomfort makes us cling to clutter, routines, or avoidance
07:47 – Emotional reactions, nervous system responses, and ADHD coping patterns
11:47 – Healthier comforts, regulation tools, and practical support strategies
16:37 – Hope, connection, and the role of community when things feel heavy
26:20 – Final reflections, reassurance, and encouragement to keep going
Share your thoughts with Megs!
Would you like to learn more about hiring Megs as your ADHD coach? Start here> The Perfect Place to Start
The Community is OPEN! Join right here: Organizing an ADHD Brain
You can also learn more about the community HERE> OrganizinganADHDBrain.com