SuccessFULL With ADHD

Crucial Reparenting with ADHD: Breaking Cycles & Creating Calm in Chaos with Coach Melissa Jackson

Brooke Schnittman MA, PCC, BCC Season 1 Episode 85

In this heartfelt and insightful episode, I sit down with Melissa Jackson, a neurodiversity advocate, reparenting coach, and host of the Reframing Neurodiversity Podcast. As a neurodivergent mom raising neurodivergent kids, Melissa shares her transformative journey of discovering and embracing reparenting practices that every mom—especially those with ADHD—can benefit from. Together, we dive into how inner child work, self-regulation tools, and building secure attachments are game-changers for creating a more grounded and fulfilling life. Melissa brings actionable insights, relatable stories, and practical tools to help us all learn how to "reparent" ourselves and show up for our kids in the most authentic and nurturing way.

Neurodiversity Advocate and Reparenting Coach for ADHD Moms Melissa Jackson is a neurodiversity advocate and reparenting coach for ADHD moms. As a neurodivergent mom raising neurodivergent kids herself, she’s come to recognize that she was never equipped with the tools she needed to thrive as an ADHD, 2e + dyslexic mother. That’s why, Melissa is so passionate about equipping mother’s with the tools we never received from a strengths based approach. She is the host of the Reframing Neurodiversity podcast and provides a community for ADHD moms raising neurodivergent kids on Substack.

 

Episode Highlights:
[2:03] - What is reparenting? Melissa defines the concept and why it's critical for parents with ADHD.
[5:31] - Why motherhood shines a light on unresolved patterns—and how inner child work helps.
[9:15] - The power of simple self-regulation tools and why we often overlook them.
[15:02] - Melissa’s top strategies for emotional regulation in high-stress moments.
[19:02] - How to help an overwhelmed mom take the first step towards self-prioritization.
[23:25] - Changing our relationship with discomfort and redefining what it means to “be a good mom.”
[28:55] - Understanding trauma bonds in parenting and partnerships—and how to heal.
[32:57] - Jim Kwik's tip for starting your day with intention and how it transformed Brooke's morning.

 

Connect with Melissa Jackson:

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Melissa Jackson:

I'm just realizing how absolutely essential it is for me, and I think for so many of us. You know, as ADH Dears, we often internalize a lot of messages from the outside world about all the things that are wrong with us, right, all the ways we need to be different and do different. And I think sometimes it's very easy to overlook how much that drives the way we feel about ourselves, how we take action in our lives, and it's really this space of sort of stepping back and giving ourselves what we didn't get as kids, and becoming that loving voice and shifting the narrative of being that sturdy, solid parent, adult you know in our life that we needed as kids, so that we can start living, creating and being from a place that's solid and loving and our true selves really

Brooke Schnittman:

welcome to successful with ADHD. I'm Brooke Schmidt, let's get started. Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of successful with ADHD. Today. I have Melissa Jackson, who's a neurodiversity advocate and re parenting coach for ADHD moms. I love that term, and I definitely want to know what that means a little bit more in a little bit. And she is a neurodivergent mom raising neurodivergent kids, and comes to recognize that she herself was never equipped with the tools needed to thrive as an ADHD, twice exceptional and dyslexic mother. So that's why Melissa is so passionate about equipping mothers with the tools we never received from a strength based approach. She's the host of the reframing neurodiversity podcast, which I was lucky enough to be on as well, and provides a community for ADHD moms raising neurodivergent kids on substack. Melissa, what does re parenting mean, yeah,

Melissa Jackson:

it is something that I have personally come full circle to in my life, and I'm just realizing how absolutely essential it is for me, and I think for so many of us, you know, as ADHD ers, we often internalize a lot of messages from the outside world about all the things that are wrong with us, right, all the ways we need to be different and do different. And I think sometimes it's very easy to overlook how much that drives the way we feel about ourselves, how we take action in our lives, and it's really this space of sort of stepping back and giving ourselves what we didn't get as kids, and becoming that loving voice and shifting the narrative of being that sturdy, solid parent adult you know in our life that we needed as kids, so that we can start living, creating and being from a place that's solid and loving and our true selves really. So that's kind of it in a nutshell. And I think it's something that, whether you have ADHD or not, we all benefit from kind of taking that distance to give ourselves what maybe we didn't get. How do

Brooke Schnittman:

we know if we need reparenting? Or are you thinking that pretty much everyone needs some sort of awareness of when their parents are speaking their own language, right and you're not coming from your own core values and identity. So I know that's a loaded question. No,

Melissa Jackson:

I get you, and I think it's any of us that struggle with low self worth, lack of self confidence, feeling sort of blocked to create the lives we desire or the relationships we desire. So much of that comes back to the internal narrative we've got going on in our minds, that this subconscious part of us is sort of running the show. You know, these parts of us that are are wounded and kind of stuck in these different moments and times in our lives where we experience some sort of trauma or disconnect from safety, and quite honestly, that's kind of all of us to varying degrees, when we can then kind of identify, oh, this is happening for me and I, I don't feel the way I want to feel. That's kind of a sign that, yeah, you need to kind of step in and be that, be that person that you needed in those times of your life, and you didn't receive it, because it it impacts us today, and that's Oh

Brooke Schnittman:

yeah, yeah, a big thing doing a lot of inner child work in my ifs and EMDR, with my therapist. It's. Yes, and it's amazing. You know, I received different types of therapy in my life, but it was mostly talk, and then I got coached, and I was like, oh, coaching is amazing, and it is right, but then you also have these other parts of you right that show up that you didn't know they were going to show up. And they show up when you become a parent, and they show up when you become a spouse, and they show up when you change a job, and like no one prepares you for these things, right? You have to reprogram yourself or re parent yourself, right?

Melissa Jackson:

Yes, especially, I feel like when we step into motherhood, it can really, you know, shine a light on those parts of us that were really easy to kind of tuck away because it's uncomfortable. We don't, we don't, you know, these parts of us. I love that you speak to inner child work because I love think that's so powerful. I do that too. And it's these parts of us that are so easy to sort of bury and hide and put on these masks and really these coping mechanisms we've adopted as as we've gotten older. Of maybe it's perfectionism, maybe it's people pleasing, maybe it's overachieving, like proving our worth, being this, being worthy through what we can receive from others outwardly. And then we have kids, and it's like, oh shit, that my whole world

Brooke Schnittman:

was just flipped upside down. The thing I thought I prepared for is not actually what is real. It

Melissa Jackson:

shines a spotlight on all the stuff, all the stuff we've kind of been able to, like, mask up, armor up, and like, we're we're good, you know, and then all of a sudden it kind of, I feel like children are such a gift in that way, because it forces us to look at these parts of us we've abandoned and that really need our love and attention. And I mean, that's really what reparenting is. And I feel like when we step into motherhood, it becomes even more necessary, which is tricky, because so many of us are sort of breaking cycles. We're trying to create something we didn't receive, and so now you're responsible for raising children that you want to to raise in a way that's maybe different, to give them something different than you received, but it wasn't modeled for you. You know how to be different, so it's sort of this, like you're parenting yourself while parenting your child, and that, you know, as an ADH year is extremely overwhelming. That's a lot coming at us, a lot

Brooke Schnittman:

of executive functioning, a lot right? And then,

Melissa Jackson:

and then the shame and the the negative thought loops that can come out of that, because it's impossible to do it perfect, like nobody is doing it perfectly, but yet, so many of us have that perfectionism, and it's that, like we should be doing this better, like I'm falling short here and here and here, and then that rumination and all the stuff that leads to more self doubt and can impact our self worth and all the things. It's just it's a vicious cycle, and that if we don't have that, that perspective, to step back from to like, whoa, whoa, whoa, like, create some distance between sort of that stimulus and our response, even the response to our own thoughts. We can just get sucked in. And so it's, it's really that inner work that I'm so fascinated with. You know, I originally started as an educator and helping families and advocate for their kids and helping teachers. And here are the systems we put in place in the classroom. And and I started coming back to like, you know, because I'm walking this real time in my own life, and I'm like, sure, I it starts with me, like, I can have all the tips and tricks in the world, but if I'm not embodying I don't know how to self regulate and hold space and come at these tools from an energy that provides space to co regulate, and my child feels safe like none of the tips and tricks work like it always foundational piece of being able to self regulate and be self aware and give ourselves that self compassion, so that we can then give it together and then apply the tips and tricks, right,

Brooke Schnittman:

yes, and and in real time. You know, obviously we could be as proactive right as we need, and we can remind ourselves and be aware, right? All of that is wonderful, but yes, we get into these patterns as adults, women with ADHD, where we forget about that, right, our working memory, our long term memory of that re parenting gets forgotten unless it's initiated and practiced, because our brains like a muscle, and I want to just quickly share something related to what you were just saying. It made me think last night, I was putting my daughter to bed, she's two and a half, and my mom bought her. After a book that a psychologist wrote, it said, My lava, my anger volcano, or something like that, and I started reading the book to her, and I happened to get into it with my husband last night, so I was just kind of like, totally dysregulated, right? We had verbal Jiu Jitsu. Our communication wasn't communicating. And then I'm putting my daughter to bed, and I'm reading this book about an anger volcano, and I'm like, Oh my gosh, these simple practices of regulating my anger and regulating the breathing and walking away those simple things. Like, even though I know these things and you know these things, like, we're just not doing it enough, because we're not prioritizing ourselves. So I literally walked away from that book. I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is great. Well, I'm not angry anymore, you know, like, Thank you, Brielle for allowing me to read that book to you. So mommy feels better.

Melissa Jackson:

Absolutely such a perfect example of our kids literally give us what we need, whether it feels like it all the time or not, it really is, yeah, a gift. It is, it is. And those simple things, they seem so simple, so I think it's easy. There's like, the working memory piece, because I relate to that too. Like, I'm like, I already know this. Why do I keep forgetting this? And then also the like, it seems so simple, so it can't be that important. There's other things that matter more. And it's so interesting when we really come back to prioritizing, like, what's at the root, the foundation, of feeling better, of being able to handle our lives in a way that feel easeful. It's this. It's the simple stuff to regulate our nervous system, but it's so challenging to be with and do even though it's simple, it's, I've noticed this in my life. There's, there's been resistance to it, and, you know, it's, it's because that, that's, that's the work. Even though it seems simple, it's actually simple is the work matter?

Brooke Schnittman:

Yes, yeah, simple is hard. Simple is hard, and hard is simpler for eight years exactly. It's more exciting too.

Unknown:

It's more simple, it's

Brooke Schnittman:

boring. So important, warming

Melissa Jackson:

Exactly, yep. And we tend to be good at the we tend to be good at the hard stuff and struggle at what other people might think, think are simple as well. Yeah,

Brooke Schnittman:

yeah. We're really good at the hard stuff and the simple stuff. We're like, I don't need to prioritize this because I already know it, and that doesn't matter. This hard stuff is what I need to focus on. But in reality, you need someone like you to be like, wait a second, because you're not focusing on these things and you're not reparenting yourself. These hard stuff are going to be even harder, and you're not going to be consistent with it, and you're going to be dysregulated, and you're going to be emotional, and you're going to be angry, and you're going to not be the person you want to show up as day after day Exactly. Deb

Melissa Jackson:

Dana has a quote that says, like, we do the work when we don't need it. So it's there for us when we do like, referring to the nervous system work. And I think that's so beautiful, because I tend to like when I'm when I'm good, and I'm flowing, it's like, it's so easy to be like, I don't need the work. I don't need to, you know, to to apply my self regulation practices, or build up this resilience within my nervous system to hold more space because I'm good, but it's actually that's when we build up our reserves, so that when we bump up against those things like argument with our spouse or the the unexpected bad news at work or our kid having a meltdown, we've got that reserve, and we've got the tools in our toolkit to like, Oh, I know how to handle this. I know how to bring myself back. I know how to create the distance between this trigger and this response within me, and to find a space within myself where I can show up in a way that I feel good about with whoever I'm in, in an interaction with even if it's just with myself. Yeah,

Brooke Schnittman:

yeah, we all have the choices in that moment. And typically, when we're emotionally dysregulated, our executive functions don't work, and our amygdala is just firing extra hard. We know that our amygdala fires with ADHD, but then it's like, literally the only thing that's firing when we're, yeah, triggered, so we're not thinking rationally, and we have to, it has to be easy for us to remember, like, oh, wait, I can pause, or I do have the tools, right? You had those tools that Dana was mentioning practice. Yeah. Need them, right? How are you using them? As a mom with ADHD and. Having kids with ADHD, yeah,

Melissa Jackson:

well, one, I'm honest about, like, when I need, when I when I'm feeling something, I try to speak it out. Like, say, I walk in the door and I'm flooded because everybody needs me. Like, I've gotten better about self advocating and like, Hey, I'm going to go take a walk, and I'll be back because I'm feeling overwhelmed, and I I want to show up in a way that's different. I think, like honoring our needs in that way, and even speaking them out is super valuable, and then knowing what are the things that work for us, because all of our nervous systems are different. So what works for me and I might not be the best thing for you. So that's why it's like playing with things when we don't need it, so that when we do need it, we have our go tos. And it's just an easy, it's an easy, you know, hack in the moment. So for me, like going getting outside, having fresh air, is always super grounding. Sometimes you don't have that space, so you're in the car, your kids screaming, you're about to sit down at a meeting like you've got these demands. And so I like to give moms and all humans really tools they can use in the moment. Within my community, I help, I help families find their emotional regulation, like toolkit. I call it so their go tos of practices that they can use in those moments. For me, some of my favorites are like havening. It's like, where you you basically just bring awareness to like the hand that's like touching your hand, and then you alternate your awareness to like the hand or the arm that is being touched and like that. Like little things like this just bring you into your body, like if you are imagining what it feels like to be the hand that's touching your hand, and then you switch awareness to what it feels like to be touched. You know?

Brooke Schnittman:

What I like about that is we talk so much about scanning your body and visualizing, but that can be really hard with ADHD, so in that you're actually kinesthetically, yeah, doing something Yeah, that can help a person with ADHD, feel it, yeah. And really feel it, yeah,

Melissa Jackson:

yeah, yeah. And we tend to be over thinkers, and overthinking is actually an under feeling problem. So what I've found is, okay, I've read all the books, I have all the stuff, I know, all the tools with my brain. In fact, I can over analyze them to death. But how do I embody, how do I feel the thing? And so that's what i i try to help families with, is like, actually, like the disconnect we can feel between the mind and the body with the overthinking, like, how do we get into the body in ways that are actually doable and practical? Like, you know, before you sit down to get on a call, how just becoming aware of your butt in the chair, your feet on the ground, resourcing in the room, noticing what's around you, like just bringing yourself back into your body so that you have the space to show up, to be present, to be present, which is hard. It's really hard, really

Brooke Schnittman:

it's practice. So one thing I know about coaching is that we all come to coaching on different levels, and I'm sure you have moms who come to you who just want proactive tips because they're pregnant or, you know, they're in a space where they're ready to show up for themselves and their kids, right? Yeah, or you have the ones that are extremely overwhelmed and need you to help them, like yesterday, yeah? So how do you work with the person who's already exhausted? Yeah. I mean,

Melissa Jackson:

it's each person and their their experience and their situation is going to be unique, obviously, but I think it's always coming back to ourselves and where we are right now, like the person that's exhausted, what they need most is to show up for themselves, because what actually makes the biggest impact in the lives of our kids and the lives of the people we love is investing in ourselves. I think we over complicate it, and it's easy. The mind can take over and over complicate, but like, it's really pretty simple. Like, if we it's counterintuitive, but simple. Like, if we can give to ourselves and find that space, and it's going to be different for all of us. Right about what fills us up, how we regulate our nervous system, is going to be unique for each person, but when we start prioritizing that, that like my my needs matter, my self care matters. And actually, that's what allows me to show up for my kids, for my partner, for my friends. And in the way that feels good to me and is what they need, is when I invest in myself. And so that's been this full circle thing for me with like, it really starts with us as mothers, and I feel like women are so unsupported as mothers. I'm just gonna say it like we need more support, like, oh yeah, valued for what we do, this pivotal, critical role that we play in children's lives, and we're balancing so much and the emotional load and all the things investing in ourselves is where we start to change ourselves. Yes, our families, our children, yeah, yeah, no matter where you're at, yeah. Yeah. You

Brooke Schnittman:

know, you could be the modern mom who's working full time and, you know, emotionally extremely invested in your child and doing all the things, and then you literally have no time for yourself, right? So then, yeah, it trickles over to your kids, or you could be a stay at home who is putting all of your energy also out into your child, and you're not prioritizing yourself and being around other adults who can support you. So it's hard, it's hard, and we put so much pressure on ourselves, and I'm sure you see big differences if you work with men, also with a level of shame that comes in from a mom compared to a dad. It's just different types of shame, right? Yeah,

Melissa Jackson:

it is. I primarily work with women because that's my wheelhouse, that's what I know, and that's who I feel like I I'm walking it too. So it's like, let's do this together, yes, but yeah, yeah, it's, it's for both obviously.

Brooke Schnittman:

How do you think the hormones play into all of this as well? I'm sure you know the tools that might work for a mom that are working and then all of a sudden it's that time of month, or then they're getting into para menopause, or even menopause, you know, then you need to, like, pivot and adjust and reprogram again in some ways. Yeah,

Melissa Jackson:

no, it's always changing and evolving. And I think what stays consistent is it always comes back to our relationship with ourself. So whether, yeah, you're a young mom or you're an older mother going through menopause and the hormones are changing, it's like, how do we relate to those changes within our body? How do we relate to these things that are coming up for us? And that's when we have the tools to repair it, to rewire the thoughts, to create space in our nervous system, to be with what's going to come up, because life is always going to throw curve balls. We're not meant to stay regulated all the time. You know, it's like, I think that's a misconception too, that we another pressure that we can put on ourselves, like I'm doing something wrong if I'm feeling uncomfortable, if I'm feeling overwhelmed, if I'm feeling dysregulated, and it's actually like the nervous system is intended to go in and out of these different states. We're intended to to have challenges in our life that are going to feel uncomfortable. We're not doing anything wrong. So when we can relate to what's happening to us differently, we can feel differently though about what we're experiencing no matter what it is. Does that make sense?

Brooke Schnittman:

Absolutely, oh yeah. Oh yeah. And then one of the biggest tips that I have utilized today is like you said, looking inward and just asking yourself, what do I need? Yeah. And you know, you always know, do your body, like you said, we our brain starts scanning and over complicating it and thinking about all these creative ways of re doing the spreadsheet, redoing the ideas, creating a new app, like, you know, but like we always typically have the answer within us to at least regulate ourselves in The moment. What do we need? And listening to that, talking to, I was talking to a mom who lives in Canada, very busy, very successful person, and she was totally overwhelmed, not sleeping. She was the primary caretaker in the house, even though she had, she was the breadwinner, and I looked at her and I said, Do you ever have a moment for yourself? And she goes well, sometimes when I'm in the shower, I have a couple of seconds until my kids come in. I said, so you don't have a space for yourself. She goes, No, I never even thought about that. And fast forward, she was lucky enough, and she was fortunate enough to end up getting an office space where she could just, you know, not even do work, but just regulate herself. But we don't even think of that as a necessity to. As a parent.

Melissa Jackson:

No, no. I feel like we've been kind of conditioned that being a good mom is being like, selfless, like, putting our needs last. And I think it's this rewiring of that conditioning of actually, the flip is true. Like caring for ourselves is what's being a good mom, one, it's allowing us to show up in a way that our kids need, that our families need, and it's a modeling for our children that they have permission to show up for their themselves. Because what are we showing them if we're just constantly the martyr who does everything for everyone? And we have, you know, no needs, and our needs don't matter. Now we're raising little humans that grow up to think that that's their burden, you know, so, but

Brooke Schnittman:

they have two people, please, yes, that everyone care what other people think. Yeah. So

Melissa Jackson:

it's really this kind of this flip of conditioning, I feel like, for women.

Brooke Schnittman:

Yeah. And, you know, I saw just a quick clip on Instagram from Dr Amen, and I thought it was beautiful what he said that our our children's emotion, our emotions are played by our children like a violin.

Melissa Jackson:

We're so in tune, you know, with our kids feelings, and they're so in tune with ours. Yeah, I know that. Like, when my kids are upset, like, I can immediately feel dysregulated by their big feelings. And, yeah, I think it, that's why it just all comes back to like, how do we create that secure attachment with ourselves so we can then be attuned and have this secure attachment with our children. Does that make sense like which is hard because we probably don't have a secure attachment with our primary caregivers. So we're trying to recreate something that we didn't get and then relate to our children's feelings in this way that wasn't modeled for us, like that we're not jumping into like, okay? So like, when I was a kid, if I had big feelings, it was a problem, right? So I learned that, like, you shoved those feelings down. Repress them. Repress them. Put on the the good girl condition, happy

Brooke Schnittman:

face,

Melissa Jackson:

happy face. If I did have a problem, it was like, we need to fix your problem, because this is wrong. It was there was never space given to that. Feelings were okay, those feelings were valid. The feelings were needed. The feelings were our indicators of our needs. And like, getting them out is how we release and all of that. And so when we start learning this for ourselves and giving this to ourselves, we can then relate to our children's feelings in a different way as well. Rather than this is a problem as more of like an invitation to be with and show our kids that having these big feelings, having these, this discomfort, having this reaction is is valid, and you're not scared of it, and we can be with it and allow it and like, I think that's how we shift the cycle for these next, next generation of people, is like, we're able to be with, be with the feelings, without needing to Fix, solve shame, all the things that happen to us, but it's like that having to like, separate ourselves from Whoa. I'm triggered by this response, because this little part of me wasn't allowed to have that response. So now I've got to step in and and and be the adult for me and the adult for this child in front of me, which isn't easy. And

Brooke Schnittman:

then sometimes we're in relationships where we feel like we have to be the adult to our partner too, and that is a whole other dynamic, where you shouldn't ever have to feel that way, right, or put yourself in that situation. Yeah, and

Melissa Jackson:

we often attract partners who have similar trauma to us, so it's trauma bonds. Trauma bonds. So it's always this opportunity, though, to heal, right? It's always this opportunity like, what is this person showing me? What is this relationship a mirror to an unmet need within myself? How do I relate to that unmet need in a different way and respond to it a different way? But if we're not regulated, if we don't have the tools for to have the space for that experience, we're just reacting, and we just kind of stay in the cycles. Yeah,

Brooke Schnittman:

what else would you think is important to share for parents of children with ADHD, specifically moms navigating all of this, prioritize

Melissa Jackson:

yourself, I can tell you as so when I was a young mom, my kids are older. Now they're almost 13 and 16, and I was a teacher before they were born, and when they were born, I stopped working like I did all the things you're supposed to do. You know what I mean? With my mind. I'm like, Okay, I'm a full time mom. I'm reading all the books. Like I put my first honest sleep schedule, which is a whole nother, whole nother thing, if you follow Gabor vats, work on attunement. But I was doing, I was doing all the things. Like, here are the things I need to do, but I can look back and I so wasn't present in my body. I was stressed, I was overwhelmed. I was overthinking, and yes, I was sitting there reading the book. Yes, I was volunteering and being the mom who did the things. But was I attuned to my kids? Was I present? Did they feel that connection from me? I doubt it like and that's all hard. That gets painful, but, you know, I don't think so, because I wasn't in the space at that point in my life to understand how to create a secure attachment with myself, how to show up for myself, how to be with myself. So I was always somewhere else, even though my body was there. And so I think as moms, the greatest gift we can give our children is to learn how to be with ourselves, to be present, so that when we're with them, even if you're working and you're only with them small portions of the day, like, when you're with them, you are with them. You know, they feel that connection. You know, I remember I would read a book and like, and if they asked me questions about the book, I might be like, I just read because my head was somewhere else. You know, it's like, it's about truly being with them, and that comes with doing the work on ourselves. So I think it just always, always comes back to us totally

Brooke Schnittman:

well. If you want to hear more about Gabor Mate his attunement, he was unsuccessful with ADHD, so scroll back to 2023, and we could listen to his attunement stuff. But yeah, he does not recommend sleeping sleep schedules, right or wrong, right? And another thing that just stuck with me, from what you were saying, Is Jim quick was on our podcast several weeks ago, and he was talking about waking up in the morning before looking at your phone. It doesn't have to be this whole big thing. It could be like 10 seconds, right? And just thinking about what you want to be intentional about, professionally and personally. And I can't even tell you, I started doing that. Did it yesterday about my business and my personal and like it just stuck with me. It worked intrinsically and extrinsically, and I was able to correlate what I created in the morning for the the evening, and my day was just so much more fulfilling, just for that, like one simple, okay, I'm going to focus on this, and I'm going to focus on this, or this is what I'm looking forward to, and this is what I'm going to get out of the day. Boom, done.

Melissa Jackson:

I love that. I love that you share that. Because that's how simple it gets to be. Again, coming back to the simplicity, it's like, we don't have to have 20 minutes to meditate. You know? It's like those little moments, those little choices, that's an act of self care, that choice you made to be like, I'm going to give myself some space before I look at my phone, to be with myself, to set an intention for how I want to feel, how I want this day to unfold like that? Is it like? That's the work. It's like finding those little ways to give that to ourselves in whatever ways works for your lifestyle.

Brooke Schnittman:

Totally, totally well. Thank you so much for being here. I know that this message is going to go wide, especially with all the women listening here on successful with ADHD, Melissa, where can people find you if they want to learn more about you or get help from you, or even receive some free tips? Yeah, for sure.

Melissa Jackson:

So I'm on Instagram, a neurodiversity underscore advocate. You can find me there. I'm also on substack, which is neurodiversity.substack.com that's where my community is. I also have, you know, a free membership over there. And I have a new freebie. I'm actually releasing, this week, a self regulation toolkit so that I will actually drop for you as well, that people can grab.

Brooke Schnittman:

Thank you so much, Melissa. Thank you so much for being here and sharing the simple but hard tips that we need to come back to as moms, as people with ADHD, hopefully you know, the people listening to this 30 minute episode can pause now or pause previously, and Just take that moment to ask yourself, what do you need? I love it. Thank

Melissa Jackson:

you for having me. Brooke,

Brooke Schnittman:

thank you for being here. Melissa, thanks for listening to this episode of successful with ADHD. I hope it helps you on your journey, and if you need any additional support for you or a loved one with ADHD, feel free. To reach out to us@coachingwithbrooke.com and all social media platforms at coaching with Brooke, and remember, it's Brooke with an E. Thanks again for listening. See you next time you.

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