Yellow Parachute Blog
Yellow Parachute’s Blog Mission
Our blog mission is to share the research and resources that inform our unique approach to coaching Executive Function Skills, to advocate for neurodiversity, and to uplift students, parents, educators, and leaders.
Dopamine: The Brain’s Feel-Good Chemical and How to Boost It
Dopamine is a fascinating neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in your brain's reward system, motivation, and motor control. This powerful chemical messenger is responsible for the feelings of reward and satisfaction you experience when you accomplish tasks [...]
The Glorious Reframe: Transforming ADHD Challenges into Opportunities
Living with ADHD can feel like running uphill both ways, every-day, when it comes to activating executive function skills to get things done. However, there's a powerful tool that can help: the glorious reframe. This mind-opening strategy allows [...]
Gratitude at Thanksgiving: Reflecting on Malala Yousafzai’s Story
Malala Yousafzai graduated from Oxford University in 2020; her path to this achievement was very different from any you or I will ever take. Just before Thanksgiving this year, I had the chance to work with one of [...]
Unlocking the Brain’s Social Superpowers in Education and Coaching
Interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) is like the brain’s social party planner, diving into how our relationships and interactions jazz up our brain development and happiness. This brainy mashup, developed in the 1990s by Dr. Daniel J. Siegal, Dr. Allan [...]
Unlocking the Power of Insight: From Knowledge to Action
I tried my first blog post using AI today - I kinda like it! I got super-specific on exactly what I wanted to write about, the voice I wanted to write it in, and the subject matter [...]
Mental Load: Understanding + Managing an Invisible Burden
The concept of mental load has gained significant attention in recent years, shedding light on the often invisible cognitive and emotional labor that many people, particularly women, carry in their daily lives. This unseen burden can have a [...]
Kids, Caffeine, ADHD, and the Energy Drink Craze
As my kid waved goodbye today with a Celsius in one hand and Bubbl’r (for later) in the other, I figured it’s time for this post. I've been diving into the research about caffeine, ADHD, and the [...]
Teaching and Parenting ADHDers: Stay Cool as a Cucumber
Both Teaching and Parenting humans with ADHD can feel like playing pin the tail on a running donkey; do you remember that silly birthday party game from your early childhood? ADHD brains of all ages have a genetic [...]
Setting Goals: A Powerful Tool for Focus and Direction
Goal setting is an empowering process that offers clarity and guidance in your personal, academic, and professional journeys. Will you take a moment, after reading this post, to commit to establishing one personal, professional, or academic goal? [...]
The Story of a Spoon
This story is based on a real conversation between two friends who were catching up at a local diner. Using spoons as a unit of energy, one friend shared her experience of how her autoimmune disease has affected [...]
Question of the Day for Busy Families
Have you tried using a question of the day to connect with your family? It’s a simple trick I’ve picked up recently to keep in touch with my bustling family. Our kids are 18,16, and 13, so their [...]
Start Strong In September With These Three Steps
A sense of anticipation fills the air as the leaves change to vibrant yellow and school buses circle up in the parking lots. It's a time when the slate can be wiped clean, like a fresh whiteboard, and [...]
Don’t Be Afraid to Go Your Own Way
Don't Be Afraid to Go Your Own Way. In a twist even Fleetwood Mac couldn't predict, our eldest's 'Go Your Own Way' chorus involves a detour from the path to University of Kansas, in Lawrence. After he started [...]
To React or Respond? That is the Question
🤔 To react or respond? That is the question! Both reacting and responding are totally and completely human actions. The difference? Reacting traditionally involves feelings and memories and can be based more on past experiences than looking to [...]
Coaching Vs. Therapy: What’s the Difference?
Coaching and therapy may share some similarities, but they are not the same thing. If you're wondering about the distinction between coaching and therapy, check it out! If you have experiences with both modalities, you may find the [...]
Happy Mother’s Day 2024
Embrace Self-Care on Mother's Day Motherhood and caregiving bring immense joy and fulfillment to our lives. However, these roles and the responsibilities that accompany them present us with a unique set of challenges and demands that can sometimes [...]
7 Key Executive Function Skills and Their Powerful Remote Control Buttons For Your Brain
Last week Jenny McKeand and I had the awesome opportunity to talk with the founders of Journey Peds, a clinic in Edina, MN that specializes in speech, language, occupational, and physical therapy needs for infants, toddlers, children, [...]
The Battle of Minds: Thinking Brain vs. Feeling Brain
In the intricate landscape of a teenager's mind, two distinct entities resided - Thinking Brain and Feeling Brain. Thinking Brain was the embodiment of calmness, coolness, and rationality, always analyzing situations with logic and reason. In contrast, Feeling [...]
