CTL + ALT + THINK: Conversations With Neurodivergent Minds

You know that moment when you suddenly remember something incredibly important while you're in the shower, driving, or literally climbing into bed? And then spend the next several minutes trying desperately not to forget it before you can actually do something about it? Yeah. We've been there.This week, Amy and Megan are talking about the wonderfully inconvenient timing of our brains and why the things we need to remember always seem to show up when we have absolutely no way of writing them down. Megan has a particularly creative solution: physically pressing her fingernail into her finger to hold a thought until she can come back to it. Because apparently that's where we're at.We also get into working memory, task switching, and what happens when your brain stops focusing on one thing and suddenly brings every unfinished task back online. From remembering something during a parent-teacher meeting to having brilliant ideas in the shower, the struggle is very real.And then there's the classic internal negotiation: "If it's really that important, I'll remember it." Which sounds reasonable until your brain responds with "Challenge accepted" and promptly forgets the thing you absolutely needed to do. Amy shares some of her digital memory scaffolding, including calendars, reminders, and Notion, while Megan and Amy acknowledge that sometimes the best strategy is simply accepting that our brains have their own schedule.No groundbreaking solutions this time. Just two neurodivergent brains comparing notes and reassuring each other that apparently, we're not the only ones who remember everything at precisely the wrong moment.If you've ever said "It'll come to me" and then spent the next three days waiting for it to happen, this one's for you.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #WorkingMemory #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDSymptoms #ADHDLife

We started with a conversation about feeling unsafe when you know you're safe. Thirty-six minutes later, we're talking about trauma, ADHD, therapy, sleep, AI, and why sometimes the most helpful thing another person can say is, “You've been trying to fix this for a while. Do you actually want to keep doing that?” So, a pretty normal conversation for us.Amy's waiting for a doctor's follow-up, her brain knows there's no immediate emergency, and yet her ability to do things has basically gone into energy-saving mode. Megan connects it to uncertainty and the way our brains use past experiences to predict what's coming. Because apparently, your nervous system can be running an entirely different operating system from the one your logical brain thinks it's using.Then comes the great internal debate: Have I tried enough things? Do I need to process something? Should I change my environment? Is this a situation where coaching can help, or is it time for therapy or medical support? Amy has grounding tools, writing, meditation, walks, and plenty of self-awareness in her arsenal. Unfortunately, the nervous system did not receive the memo that we have a plan.We also talk about trauma triggers, including Megan's experience of recognizing how familiar sounds and settings could bring up a response connected to a previous traumatic birth. We get into self-advocacy, knowing when to ask for help, and why coaching and therapy can work alongside each other rather than being competing options. And yes, we discuss how sleep, nutrition, hormones, and other physiological factors can be bigger than another reminder or productivity strategy can solve.Somewhere along the way, we discuss AI and the value of human relationships, because apparently even a conversation about nervous systems needs a bonus side quest. We also admit that sometimes it takes hearing the same helpful observation three, four, or twelve times before we're willing to do anything about it. No further comment.Control Alt Think: where we've logicked all the things, tried all the things, and somehow still found six more things to talk about.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #NervousSystemRegulation #ADHDCoaching #TraumaRecovery #ExecutiveFunction

Some days, you meal prep a crockpot full of soup. Other days, eating half a bag of caramel corn feels like a perfectly reasonable plan. And sometimes you own five pounds of carrots and still need to figure out what you're actually going to eat. Welcome to feeding yourself with a neurodivergent brain.This time, Amy and Megan are talking about food, executive function, decision fatigue, and the little things that make feeding yourself (and sometimes an entire family) harder than it needs to be. Because apparently, deciding what to eat, finding the ingredients, preparing the food, and remembering that food exists are all separate tasks.Megan shares how her family makes giant batches of chicken and rice soup, keeps salad ingredients ready to assemble, and relies on a collection of kitchen appliances that includes multiple crockpots, an Instant Pot, an air fryer toaster oven, and a vacuum sealer. Amy has her air-fryer baked potatoes, instant couscous, carrots, and a truly impressive amount of croutons. Everyone has their thing.They also talk about safe foods, sensory preferences, picky eaters, food allergies, and the reality of feeding kids who don't necessarily want to eat what everyone else is eating. Sometimes you find a meal that works and eat it on repeat. Sometimes you need variety, but not so much variety that eating starts feeling like another demand. And sometimes dinner is just a collection of snacks, and that's okay too.The bigger conversation is about finding ways to feed yourself that fit your actual energy, budget, preferences, and household. Not the imaginary version of you who lovingly prepares seven different meals every Sunday and never gets tired of any of them.Because self-care doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's soup in the fridge. Sometimes it's couscous and carrots. And sometimes it's just making sure there's something you can eat without having to negotiate with your own brain first.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDLifeHacks #SensoryProcessing #MealPrep

You know that thing where you have a perfectly reasonable, relatively simple idea… and then 4 hours and 45 minutes later you're three rabbit holes deep, talking to six people, researching seventeen things, and wondering how this became a project? Yeah. Amy and Megan know that one.In this episode, they compare notes on two projects that looked deceptively simple at first. Megan thought she was basically just making a decision. Amy thought she was basically just going to send a few emails, secure a space, and show up for a two-session coworking pilot. Naturally, neither of those things remained remotely that simple.Megan's "quick decision" turned into research, benchmarking, checking whether the idea actually made business sense, asking other people for input, and discovering even more things to consider every time she talked it through. Amy forgot what happens with an event: meetings, multiple organizations, flyers, event promotion, figuring out who should attend, explaining why people should care, and getting everyone on the same page before the whole thing developed 15 different versions of itself.They talk about the very neurodivergent experience of getting excited about an idea while your brain conveniently glosses over all the tiny details that will eventually come back demanding attention. They also get into the opposite problem: knowing there are endless things you could consider, and trying to account for every possible risk before actually moving forward. And to be fair, both of these were simpler than other projects each has started. They were already smaller, and still involved more than anticipated.And then there's the unexpected upside. Even if the project doesn't work out, the research, learning, experience, connections, and skills gained along the way aren't necessarily wasted. Sometimes the project is the project… and sometimes the project is accidentally becoming a much more complicated way of learning something you didn't know you needed to learn.Basically: two neurodivergent brains, two "simple" ideas, approximately 900 unexpected layers, and one very questionable approach to project management. At least this time, there was a scope. Sort of.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ADHDProjectManagement #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #DecisionMaking

We regret to inform you that the squirrels have been given access to the trains.This episode started with Amy and Megan trying to have a conversation while simultaneously realizing they needed to write down completely unrelated thoughts before those thoughts vanished forever. From there, naturally, we ended up discussing working memory, externalizing information, Notion, notebooks, Excel, Google Calendar, reminders, prospective memory, and the surprisingly complicated question of “Where did I put that thing I wrote down?”There is a particular ADHD/neurodivergent flavor of productivity where getting something out of your brain is only half the battle. You can write it down. You can build a system. You can create a reminder. You can even make it searchable. And then six months later, your brain has decided that the system is boring and would like a new system, please.We also get into the weird tradeoff of having systems that are structured enough to keep things moving but flexible enough to survive changing circumstances and the inevitable loss of novelty. Because apparently, the productivity system itself has to remain interesting enough for the ADHD brain to continue caring about it.So yes, we're basically trying to create designated train tracks for our thoughts while giving the squirrels enough new scenery to keep them entertained. Totally normal conversation.ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDProductivity #WorkingMemory #Neurodiversity

Ever leave something somewhere extremely obvious so you won't forget it… only to eventually stop noticing it completely? Cool. Us too.In this episode, Amy and Megan get into the surprisingly complicated relationship between visual cues, physical reminders, working memory, and executive function. Megan talks about putting things by the front door, sticking notes into her key ring, and even having her husband hide cash in her keys because apparently her keys are now an external memory system. Amy, meanwhile, discovers that simply watching Megan fold a piece of paper reminds her of a note she has stuffed in her own pocket. Because apparently our brains are just taking suggestions from the environment now.Then they go down the rabbit hole of visual breadcrumbs, context, and why sometimes seeing something can unlock a memory that seemed completely unavailable five seconds earlier. There are also lists, folded paper, and the inevitable moment when the visual reminder has been sitting there for three days and has officially graduated from “helpful cue” to “visual clutter.”They also talk about using visual organizers with kids, breaking assignments into smaller pieces, drawing before writing, and the very useful pattern of “think it, say it, write it.” The bigger theme isn't that there's one magical ADHD system that works for everyone. It's that different brains need different ways to make information concrete enough to actually use.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #WorkingMemory #ADHDStrategies #Neurodiversity

Apparently, there is a finite amount of bandwidth in the human brain. Who knew? Amy and Megan spend this episode realizing that sometimes the problem isn't that we don't know what we're supposed to do — it's that our brains have quietly hit the "no more inputs, please" stage.They talk about what running out of bandwidth actually looks like: forgetting the coffee you literally just bought, staring off into space while still listening to someone talk, getting unusually frustrated, losing the ability to transition between activities, or suddenly wanting nothing more than to lie down. Megan even realizes that sitting in her car for a few minutes after a stressful meeting is apparently one of her brain's built-in transition strategies.There’s also the surprisingly complicated question of what happens when you finally build supports that make life easier. Amy has been creating systems to get information and admin tasks out of her head, but then wonders: if she suddenly has more capacity, will her brain use that extra bandwidth to breathe… or immediately invent seventeen new things she "should" be doing? Honestly, relatable.Megan talks about recognizing her own warning signs and making the hard decision to step back from a volunteer leadership role because she didn't have the emotional or executive-function bandwidth for it. Amy and Megan dig into how difficult it can be to recognize your own patterns, even when you're excellent at spotting patterns in everyone else.And then there's the grocery store. Somehow, the grocery store becomes a decompression space. There are vegetables. There are retirees. There is bread. There is, apparently, no coffee. Sometimes neurodivergent life is less about having everything figured out and more about noticing the weird little signs that your brain is asking for a reset — preferably before it completely checks out.So the question for this episode is: What does it look like when your bandwidth is running low — and can you recognize it before you hit the wall? Because apparently, sometimes the warning sign is exhaustion, sometimes it's zoning out, and sometimes it's leaving your coffee at the grocery store.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDBurnout #ADHDBandwidth #Neurodiversity

What if the thing distracting you from your work… is actually the thing helping your brain work? Annoying, we know. Especially when you’ve spent years learning that productivity means sitting in the chair and doing The Thing™ until it’s done.In this episode of Control Alt Think, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about what happens when they stop fighting where their attention is naturally going. For Megan, that currently includes gardening—not vegetables, thank you very much—drawing, design projects, reading about native wildflowers, and apparently solving the very important problem of putting an umbrella over her hammock.That leads to a bigger question: when we’re pulled toward something else, are we avoiding an open loop, craving creativity, looking for physical movement, solving a problem… or actually giving our brains the kind of recharge they need? And can we do any of that without the tiny voice insisting we should feel guilty because it’s not “work”?Amy has her own unexpected brain fixation: documenting old trips, organizing personal information, and reconnecting with people. Tasks that would normally sound painfully tedious have suddenly become interesting because technology has removed enough friction to make them doable. Turns out “I want to do this” + “this is finally easy enough to do” is a pretty powerful combination.They also wander through corporate conditioning, ADHD motivation, information collecting, problem-solving for fun, associative thinking, and the revelation from Megan’s child that her husband is apparently her boss. You know, normal neurodivergent directions.And yes, technology suggested scripting the podcast. Amy and Megan immediately concluded they’d probably spend more time stumbling over what they were supposed to say. So instead, you get this: two neurodivergent brains following the thread, figuring out why some “distractions” might actually deserve a spot on the agenda.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #ADHDProductivity #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDMotivation #Neurodiversity

You know that important thing you’ve been trying to remember all day? Good news: your brain remembered it. Bad news: you’re driving. Or showering. Or lying in bed. Or listening to your kid’s teacher talk and trying very hard not to pull out your phone.In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about the very specific experience of remembering things at exactly the moment you can’t actually do anything about them. Because apparently working memory has a schedule, and it did not consult us.Megan shares her literal version of “put a pin in it”—pressing her fingernail into her finger and refusing to let go until she can get back to the thought. Amy connects the experience to working memory, task switching, and what happens when our brains finally stop focusing long enough for all those other thoughts to wander back in.Naturally, this leads to possible scaffolds: notebooks by the bed, digital reminders, morning routines, waterproof paper…and the discovery that children’s bathtub crayons may actually be an executive function tool in disguise. Sometimes there’s a system. Sometimes there’s just, “Ah, it’ll come to me.”They also get into the dangerous little bargain of, “If it’s really important, I’ll remember it”—followed immediately by Megan’s brain essentially saying, “Challenge accepted.” Because nothing says reliable productivity system quite like remembering the tax thing while driving down the road.There may not be a brilliant solution in this episode. Mostly, there’s working memory, weird physical reminders, strategic scaffolding, terrible timing, and two neurodivergent people realizing that yes, apparently we all remember The Thing when we are least capable of doing The Thing.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #WorkingMemory #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDProductivity #ADHDTips

Ever made a decision that looked completely impulsive to everyone around you?Excuse me. There was research. There were spreadsheets. There were scenarios. There may have been a three-hour internet rabbit hole that started with one innocent question. This was anything BUT impulsive.In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, explore the neurodivergent need to know all the things before moving on—or, sometimes, just because the brain has decided that THIS is the thing we need to know everything about now.They talk about research rabbit holes, analysis paralysis, collecting random information, planning for every possible outcome, special interests, and the strange experience of looking like you're "winging it" when you've actually already run 37 different scenarios in your head.They also dig into what happens when this need for information is misunderstood. What looks like procrastination might actually be processing. What looks impulsive might have been quietly planned for months. And what looks like constantly changing your goals might actually be adjusting them as new information comes in.And sometimes? You don't need the information for anything at all. Your brain just wants to know.So if you've ever opened one tab to look something up and emerged hours later knowing an alarming amount about a topic you didn't care about yesterday… welcome. You're among friends.#ADHD #Neurodivergent #AnalysisParalysis #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #ADHDBrain