Launch HN: Shimmer (YC S21) – ADHD coaching for adults

Do any of your coaches have ADHD themselves?

Yes! I'm excited about this question. I'd like to share more about specifically what I've been working on in coaching. Most is related to (1) my work as an entrepreneur and (2) my role as a partner at home.

I'll start with (1), at work:

At work I struggle with time management, prioritization, getting stuck in "waiting mode", not being able to finish any detailed task (very important for legal etc), and getting easily distracted from any task at hand

Concretely, with my coach we started with helping me envision what would be different in my life if I fixed a certain number of the above. She explained this hope and motivation created would help me draw from an internal source of motivation since for a long time I theoretically wanted to change certain things and knew the path but couldn't actually bring myself to do it. I'd say this helped mildly, but I did feel a lot more hopeful and supported.

For me the most impactful change was having my coach guide me through the process of experimenting with different daily schedules that incorporated deep work blocks (she helped me set up triggers, rewards, plans for distractions, etc), certain auditory alarms throughout the day, and very specific systems that helped me get these small "detailed" items changed. I'm simplifying this a lot and I'm happy to go into detail more if anyone wants.

(2), at home:

I struggle with impulsivity, especially when I'm super stressed at work and not getting enough sleep. We addressed this a few ways, including some psychoeducation around nutrition and sleep, setting up some decent systems there (but it definitely didn't get me the whole way).

What was most helpful was to do a journaling exercise my coach led my through where I identified things I said that I regretted (this was a tough exercise for me to do, to have it written out), and rewrote these situations after the fact. Then when I had a long enough list, we looked for themes around triggers/situations and then rewrote the book for what would happen in those situations. We went through a light "practicing" exercise and eventually I had those on sticky notes in front of me until they got etched in my brain.

Overall, both (1) and (2) I'm still not great at, and we try to view everything as an ongoing journey of management, rather than "curing" ADHD, which won't happen. The biggest impact for me (and many of our members) has been having someone guide me through the steps and ask me questions and kind of just support me when I'm really hard on myself.

100% agree that no coaching fixes ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that for the most part will be with us for our entire life. However, we do have the ability to manage our symptoms and set up the environment around us to make it a bit better for us!

For example, something super small but I've been working with my coach to set my room up so that it's harder for it to get and stay messy. I've - put up these cute hooks all over my room to put up hats and clothes so they don't get thrown on the floor - put a laundry basket in each of my closet, bathroom, and bedroom - switched my closed wardrobe to an open-concept hanging closet (which was so much cheaper too!) so I can see all my clothes in one place which is less overwhelming and messy, since I'm not pulling all my clothes out each time - switched my waterbottle to a straw-system so I actually get my 2 bottles a day

... the list goes on, the more I can settle and make "auto-pilot", my life gets a bit easier to manage

Most of our coaches do. This lived experience is really important so that they understand the members (and also model good behavior / give hope to the member) and also can self disclose. The world of ADHD coaching is very fascinating and inspirational for me because ADHD coaches are so niche, that most of them either have ADHD or have a partner/child/parent with ADHD and that's generally the reason they were propelled into the space. I'm really lucky to work with an almost exclusively ADHD team, but of course, also we work through certain challenges together too.

Yes! Thank you for that distinction. Exactly. Our coaches are not treating ADHD as a medical condition (which is why they don't diagnose or prescribe) but they are helping people with ADHD gain skills, build systems, etc. to help manage their ADHD symptoms.

The reality is there are often co-occuring conditions in the mix here so we often either refer out or ensure our clients are also working with a therapist on other mental health challenges / issues like eating disorders, OCD, anxiety, and depression.