As the days get shorter and darker, it’s completely normal to notice changes in your energy, focus, and motivation — but most of us forget to adjust our expectations to match what’s actually going on. In this episode, I’m talking about how seasonal shifts impact your brain and your executive functioning skills, and how you can work with the season instead of pushing against it.

Whether you love or hate winter (or live somewhere warm), this episode will help you understand why things might feel harder right now — and what you can do to make things feel easier.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your energy, motivation, and focus naturally shift during seasonal changes
• How winter affects executive functioning and what that might look like day to day
• Common areas where you may need to adjust expectations (like mornings, routines, and “productivity”)
• Simple ways to create “winter versions” of your routines and self-care habits
• How to practice self-compassion and redefine productivity during slower seasons

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• You can find the Big Blanket Co Hoodie I mentioned here. This is my FAVORITE thing to wear in the winter when I want to be cozy!
• Episode 33: How to create routines that you actually stick to: Morning routines for ADHD
• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

I use affiliate links for my fave products that I use and trust. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How often do you catch yourself thinking, “I should be doing more,” “I should have finished that by now,” or “I should be able to handle this”?

Maybe you feel like those “shoulds” *SHOULD* motivate you, but they often create unrealistic expectations that lead straight to overwhelm.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about how to adjust your expectations to match your reality—so you can feel less overwhelmed, be kinder to yourself, and still forward on projects & to-dos without the constant pressure. Let’s talk about how letting go of “shoulds” can help you get unstuck.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to notice the “shoulds” in your self-talk and where they come from.
• How to check in with your reality—including energy, mood, sleep, and external factors—to adjust expectations.
• Practical ways to reprioritize, delegate, or shift your plan without guilt.
• Why practicing self-compassion is essential for managing overwhelm and supporting your executive functioning.

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

If you’ve ever felt guilty for setting boundaries, said “yes” when you really meant “no,” or replayed past mistakes on a loop—you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m joined by therapist Laura Sgro, LCSW for an honest conversation about shame, guilt, and people-pleasing, especially for adults with ADHD. We talk about why these patterns show up and how to practice self-compassion, especially when shame, guilt, and “shoulds” are popping up.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between guilt and shame
• Why people-pleasing can feel like safety for ADHD brains
• How shame, guilt, and self-criticism keep you stuck in cycles of burnout and overwhelm
• How to practice self-compassion in real, actionable ways
• Small mindset shifts that can help you build self-trust and set healthy boundaries

About the guest

Laura Sgro, LCSW is a licensed therapist and speaker dedicated to making mental health education accessible and engaging. With years of clinical experience informing her work, she translates complex topics like stress and anxiety, the nervous system, and trauma into practical, relatable insights folks can actually use in everyday life. Especially passionate about supporting neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ communities, Laura brings an inclusive, down-to-earth style to sessions, panels, and stages. Whether she’s teaching tools to regulate stress, sharing strategies to build confidence, or exploring ways to break free from dysfunctional patterns, her mission remains the same: to help people feel more connected — to themselves, to others, and to what truly matters.

Connect with Laura:

Website: www.laurasgrolcsw.com

IG: @laurasgrolcsw

Get Laura’s FREE Reroute Your Thoughts PDF guide to decrease negative thinking: https://laura-sgro-lcsw.myflodesk.com/reroute-your-thoughts

About the host Sarah Lovell:

Sarah is an executive function and ADHD coach who helps college students, professionals, and perfectionists get unstuck and take action in a way that works with their brains. With 12 years of coaching experience and a background in social work, she combines practical tools with compassionate support so her clients can stop burning out, start making progress, and feel good taking action.

Resources Mentioned:

• Sign up for the FREE ADHD Action Plan Private Podcast

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

Today’s episode of From Stuck to Started is a little different. I’m sharing some personal reflections from my own life and business about growth mindset, asking for help, and navigating perfectionism, fear, and discomfort. Through a story about hiking—and a few winding but connected reflections—you’ll hear what I’ve learned from one year of podcasting and what it really means to give yourself credit for the climb, not just the summit.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why growth mindset is less about reaching the top and more about how you handle the climb
• How fear, perfectionism, and all-or-nothing thinking can quietly keep you stuck
• The power of being “seen trying” and why it’s a skill worth practicing
• What I’ve learned in my first year of podcasting—and how I’ve learned to adapt my own expectations along the way
• How to reflect on your own goals, challenges, and wins (and actually give yourself credit for them)

If you’ve ever felt scared to start, afraid to be seen trying, or unsure if you’re “doing it right,” this episode is for you.

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan
• Read the Blog here (and see photos from the hike I talk about!)

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

Delegating sounds simple; just hand something off and check it off your list, right? But if you have ADHD, executive functioning challenges, or a touch of perfectionism, it’s rarely that straightforward. In this episode, I’m breaking down why delegating can feel so complicated, sharing a few real-life examples, and giving you practical strategies to make it a little easier.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why delegating requires all of your executive functioning skills
• The most common reasons it’s hard to delegate — from time blindness to people-pleasing
• How to separate planning from action so you can actually pass things off
• Simple check-in questions to help you decide what’s worth keeping and what to delegate
• How to reframe delegation as an act of trust, not control

Resources Mentioned:

• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan
• Read the Blog here

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

• Episode 45: How to stop being a people pleaser: 5 traps to watch out for
• Episode 46: Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard (and How to Make It Easier)
• Episode 47: Why “Just Ask for Help” Isn’t Actually That Simple (& how to practice asking for help)

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

Chapters

05:13 Five Reasons Delegation is Difficult

07:51 Strategies for Effective Delegation

10:43 The Role of Time Management in Delegation

13:16 Prioritizing Tasks for Better Delegation

15:49 Overcoming People-Pleasing in Delegation

18:38 Communication Challenges in Delegation

21:34 Reflection and Practice in Delegation

Sometimes being stuck asking for help isn’t about fear or shame—it’s about not knowing what to ask, who to ask, or how to ask for help. That uncertainty can leave you spinning your wheels, overthinking, and feeling even more overwhelmed. In this episode, I’m breaking down the practical side of asking for help—the executive functioning skills it takes, why it can feel so complicated, and what to do when you don’t even know where to start.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why asking for help uses every single executive functioning skill (and why that’s part of what makes it so hard)
• A real-life example of how to ask for help, even when you don’t have a clear question yet
• How to figure out who to ask for help and when to ask so it’s actually useful
• A simple script you can use when you’re stuck and don’t know what to say
• Ways to give yourself credit for every small step of the process (even when it feels uncomfortable)

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 46: Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard (and How to Make It Easier)
• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan
• Read the Blog here

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

Asking for help can feel uncomfortable—even paralyzing—whether it’s something small like troubleshooting a tech issue or something big like reaching out for professional support. In this episode, I’m diving into the emotional barriers that make it so hard to ask for help, why your brain resists it, and how to start shifting those thoughts so you can ask for help with less guilt, shame, and fear.

You’ll hear stories from my own life (like the time I avoided asking for help in high school math!) and learn practical ways to reframe your mindset so asking for help becomes a skill you can practice—not something to avoid.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why asking for help can trigger fear, shame, or guilt—and why that’s totally normal
• How perfectionism, people-pleasing, and past experiences shape your comfort with asking for help
• The mindset shift that turns “I should be able to do this on my own” into “I’m learning how to ask for what I need”
• Ways to start small and build confidence in asking for help (without the overwhelm)
• How to notice, name, and reframe your thoughts so you can work with your brain instead of against it

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

If you liked this episode, you might enjoy these episodes:

• Episode 21: How Perfectionism Leads to Procrastination & Strategies to Navigate the Discomfort
• Episode 43: My #1 Strategy to navigate overwhelm as an executive function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan
• Read the Blog here

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background

Pleasing people isn’t always about saying “yes” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or wanting to stay in their good graces. Sometimes people say “yes” to things because they don’t realize how long it will take, or the impact it will have on their schedule, or that they don’t actually have the capacity to do that thing they said they would do.

In this episode, I’m breaking down 5 common executive functioning traps that make people pleasing more likely and sharing simple strategies to help you pause, protect your time, and respond in a way that feels good.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why time blindness can make you overcommit without realizing it
• How prioritization challenges make it tempting to put others’ needs first
• The role emotional regulation plays in saying yes (even when you don’t want to)
• How working memory “forgets” the cost of past overcommitments
• A simple way to stop impulsively saying yes before you think it through

Chapters

00:00 Understanding People Pleasing

06:17 How Executive Functioning impacts People Pleasing

09:45 Navigating Time Blindness and Prioritization

11:58 Emotional Regulation and Its Impact

14:16 Working Memory and Impulse Control

Host: Sarah Lovell, Executive Function & ADHD Coach

Resources Mentioned:

• Get your Free ADHD Action Plan
• Read the Blog here

Connect with Sarah Lovell:

• Website: Executive Functioning First
• Instagram: @executivefunctioningfirst

Music by: AudioCoffee, Inspirational Background