Host & Guest: Kate Brownfield, Certified Whole Person & ADHD Parent Coach

Episode Description

Hi, it’s Kate Brownfield from ADHDKidsCanThrive.com. In this solo episode, I’m talking directly to you, the parent who wants the holidays to feel a little less chaotic and a lot more grounded for your ADHD child and your family.

The holidays can be gorgeous and fun… and they can also be really hard. Extra noise, broken routines, travel, sugar, relatives, expectations, it all adds up, especially for a sensitive ADHD nervous system (yours and your child’s). In this conversation, I walk you through simple, doable ways to lower the volume on holiday overwhelm and build a plan that actually protects everyone’s capacity.

My hope is that this episode feels like a steady hand on your shoulder and gives you a few concrete, compassionate tools you can start using right away.

• Why holidays feel “louder” for ADHD families How excitement, uncertainty, and social demands overstimulate ADHD nervous systems and why that’s not a parenting failure.

• Three daily anchors to protect regulation A simple “map the day” framework that protects sleep, screens, and movement without turning your home into a military schedule.

• Getting extended family on the same page (without drama) How to kindly give relatives a clear role in a cozy connection, rather than acting as behavior police, and use short, simple limits with your child.

• Making the day visible for your ADHD child Using checklists, visual schedules, and quick previews helps your child know what’s coming and what’s expected versus what's unexpected.

• The 60-second spike reset for you and your child A quick reset you can use when emotions spike: one long breath, one next step, one tiny, concrete choice.

• Planning for expected fidgeting and big feelings How to meet your child where they are developmentally, and give them a plan for restlessness, boredom, or sibling conflict.

If you’re heading into a hard season or you want a clearer plan, you can always find me at ADHDKidsCanThrive.com for education, coaching, and tools to support your ADHD child and your family.

If this episode is helpful, please share it with another parent who might need a little steadiness and support this holiday season.

Wishing you and your ADHD kiddo a warm, gentle, and truly happy holiday.

Host: Kate Brownfield, Certified Whole Person & ADHD Parent Coach Guest: Julia Ross, bestselling author of The Mood Cure, The Diet Cure, and The Craving Cure; pioneer in nutrient-based therapies; director of a global virtual clinic and professional training.

Kate sits down with mood and cravings expert Julia Ross to explore how targeted nutrients and protein-forward eating patterns may support mood stability, cravings, sleep, and attention, especially in ADHD families. Julia shares stories from decades of clinical work, why “context drives capacity” for brains under stress, and how simple nutrition shifts can complement (not replace) therapy and medication.

• From psychotherapy to nutrients: why the addiction and mood field began testing amino acids alongside counseling.

• Five key neurotransmitter systems and the amino acids commonly discussed to support them (education, not medical advice):

  • Tyrosine → focus/energy support

  • Tryptophan → serotonin/mood/sleep support

  • GABA → calming/“reduce extra adrenaline” support

  • Endorphin support → comfort, reduced “junk food only” pull

  • Glutamine → hypoglycemia/cravings support

• Food first: why consistent animal-protein intake (plus balanced meals—“three squares”) may matter for mood and attention, and how ultra-processed foods complicate the picture.

• Practical tips with kids: creative ways to deliver supplements if a child won’t swallow capsules; previewing and monitoring effects; starting low and going slow.

• Working with meds: how some families explore nutrients hours away from stimulant dosing and then collaborate with prescribers if they see benefits.

• Screening tools & resources: Julia’s five-part symptom questionnaire, and an updated handbook for getting started.

• Nutrition can be a complementary lever for improving mood, managing cravings, enhancing sleep, and improving attention, best used in conjunction with medical care, therapy, routines, and good sleep hygiene.

• Protein at breakfast and steady meals helps prevent the “crash → crave” loop.

• If you experiment with nutrients, track one change at a time, observe effects, and coordinate with your clinician, especially for kids, pregnancies, and anyone on medication.

• What “works” is individualized; expect small trials + careful notes rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol.

• Books by Julia Ross: The Mood Cure, The Diet Cure, The Craving Cure

• Website & questionnaire: JuliaRossCures.com

• (Mentioned) James Greenblatt, MD — Finally Focused (nutrient psychiatry for ADHD)

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Nutrients can interact with medications and conditions (including lithium, amino acids, melatonin, etc.). Consult your child’s clinician before starting, stopping, or combining any supplement or medication.

Connect with Kate: ADHDKidsCanThrive.com | Coaching inquiries: https://adhdkidscanthrive.com/appointment/ Enjoyed this episode? Follow, rate, and share with a friend who could use practical, hopeful tools.

Host: Kate Brownfield, Certified Whole Person & ADHD Parent Coach Guest: Dr. Kate Lund, clinical psychologist, peak performance coach, TEDx speaker, and author of Step Away: The Keys to Resilient Parenting

Episode Overview

In this empowering “Kate + Kate” episode, Kate talks with Dr. Kate Lund about what resilient parenting really looks like when you’re raising kids with ADHD, big emotions, or health challenges. Drawing from her own medical journey (hydrocephalus as a child), 20+ years as a psychologist, and parenting 18-year-old twins, Dr. Lund explains resilience not as “pushing through,” but as a lifestyle: managing your stress response daily so you can ride the waves of homework battles, morning chaos, and dysregulated kids. She teaches a simple, science-backed tool, the Relaxation Response, that parents can practice for 5 minutes in the morning and at night to lower reactivity, model calmness, and create a more regulated home.

Suppose your baseline feels higher than that of other parents because your child is more intense or more dysregulated. In that case, this episode will help you stop comparing, honor your unique context, and build steadiness that you can actually sustain.

What We Talk About (Highlights)

• Resilience as a lifestyle
• Managing your stress response
• The Relaxation Response (Herbert Benson)
• Modeling regulation
• Avoiding the comparison trap
• “Step away” moments
• Ripple effect for ADHD families: Calm first, then coach skills

Resources & Links

• Guest: Dr. Kate Lund https://www.katelundspeaks.com/
• Book: Step Away: The Keys to Resilient Parenting https://www.katelundspeaks.com/book

About Your Host, Kate

I’m Kate Brownfield, Certified Whole Person & ADHD Parent Coach, author of How We Roll: A Parent’s Journey Raising a Child with ADHD, and host of The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast. I help parents understand ADHD through a whole-person lens—because every child is unique, and so is every family.

🌐 Find me: ADHDKidsCanThrive.com

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