About Mandy
Before I was your child's ADHD coach, I was the little girl who was told she probably needed a brain transplant.
Hi, I'm Mandy, and I get it.
I didn't need a🧠 brain transplant.
I needed someone who understood how my brain worked.
The little girl
Growing up, I struggled with reading and spelling because of undiagnosed dyslexia. I was doing well enough on my tests that no one looked any deeper.
Years later, I learned what no one knew then, I had dyslexia. But as a child, all I knew was that I was trying incredibly hard and still felt different.
Then my mom received a note from one of my teachers that I've never forgotten:
I asked several people, I couldn't find any help. Mandy's doing great on her tests. She'll probably need a dictionary all her life. Gary suggested a brain transplant! Sorry, I'm no help.
— A note home, kept for decades
Those words followed me for decades.
I became embarrassed by my spelling. I wouldn't let classmates borrow my notes in college. Even today, I still triple-check emails and sometimes write out a handwritten note before writing the final version, just to make sure I've spelled everything correctly.
That's what happens when a child grows up believing they are the problem.
Years later, I found myself volunteering in my sons' school. Again and again, I met children who reminded me of myself, bright, creative, capable kids who quietly believed they weren't enough because the world around them wasn't built for the way their brains worked.
I also met their parents.
Parents who were exhausted.
Parents who were worried.
Parents who loved their children fiercely but couldn't understand why things that seemed easy for everyone else felt so incredibly hard.
I wanted to help.
That search led me to ADHD coaching, and I haven't looked back.
Full circle
Then life brought everything full circle. One of my sons was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. As I learned more, I began recognizing the same patterns throughout my own family, and eventually in myself.
Receiving my ADHD diagnosis as an adult didn't change who I was.
It changed how I understood who I had always been.
Suddenly, decades of frustration, overcompensating, perfectionism, and self-doubt finally made sense.
Today, when parents sit across from me and tell me about the homework battles, forgotten backpacks, emotional meltdowns, school meetings, or the guilt they carry wondering if they're getting it wrong, I don't just understand professionally.
I understand because I've lived it.
I've lived this story as the child.
I've lived it as the parent.
And now I have the privilege of walking beside other families as their coach.
What I believe
I don't believe ADHD is a character flaw.
I don't believe children need to be "fixed."
I believe every ADHD brain works differently.
When we understand how that brain works, everything changes.
We stop asking, "What's wrong with this child?"
And we start asking, "How does this brain work?"
Children stop believing they're lazy.
Skills become teachable.
Confidence begins to grow.
Parents stop believing they're failing.
Systems become possible.
Hope returns.
That's why I created ADHD Kid Coach.
My mission isn't to help your child become someone else.
It's to help them understand how their brain works, build skills that fit the way they're wired, and discover just how capable they've been all along.
Because every child deserves someone who sees more than their struggles. Someone who sees their potential.
I often wonder how different my childhood might have been if someone had understood how my brain worked when I was eight years old.
I can't rewrite my story. But together, we can help write a different one for your child.
That is why I became an ADHD coach.
That is why I created ADHD Kid Coach.
Training & Credentials
Both professional training and lived experience.
Families deserve a coach with both. Here's the foundation behind the way I work.
Coaching Certification
International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and completed my ADHD coach training through the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA), including the Basic ADHD Coach Training Program and the Fundamentals of ADHD Coaching for Families Program.
Advanced Training
Executive function interventions with Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP, Collaborative & Proactive Solutions with Dr. Ross Greene, and continue to pursue ongoing professional education focused on ADHD, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and family coaching.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology from Gustavus Adolphus College, along with an Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design & Sales.
Together, my education, professional training, and lived experience shape the way I coach, helping children, teens, adults, and families understand how ADHD brains work so they can build practical skills, supportive systems, and environments that work with the brain instead of against it.
I often wonder how different things might have been if someone had understood my brain at eight years old.
Together, we can help write a different story for your child.
ADHD KID COACH
Learn the machine. Play it well. 🧠🎯
ADHD coaching for kids, teens, and the parents who love them.
ADHD Kid Coach, LLC