Tiny intro: I am a queer nonbinary femme (they/them), an intersectional feminist, and an elder millennial (Xennial). Like many of my fellow humans who have an unconventional neurotype, I’ve led an interesting and colourful life. If you are offended by swear words, then I probably won’t be a good fit for you as a coach since I tend to swear (albeit strategically). I feel incredibly fortunate to have built a thriving practice at Unconventional Minds Coaching, and know that I’m privileged to own and operate a business that is strongly aligned with my values.

Since early 2018, I’ve spent thousands of hours coaching 250+ individuals (from all around the world) during private 1:1 coaching sessions and small group coaching programs. I am passionate about social justice and improving health and wellness inequities, and I work with clients who have a diverse range of backgrounds and lifestyles.

I am a Professional Coach and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) (member #0093871921), so I abide by the ICF’s code of ethics. The ICF is the world’s largest organization of professional, trained coaches, and offers the only globally recognized independent credentialing program for coach practitioners. I attended coach training through the Advanced Coaching Level at the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) in New York, a total of 16 months of intensive training as an ADHD Coach and a more general life coach.

Land acknowledgment: I currently reside in Manhattan, New York City, which exists on unceded land— the stolen and sovereign lands of Lenapehoking a.k.a. the ‘Land of the Lenape’; this is the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape people, which includes the Canarsie, Munsee, Matinecock, Maspeth and Rockaway Nations.

And some personal details:

I am a cat parent, a plant parent, and a bonus parent to a neurodivergent human child.

I live with my two Russian blue-British shorthair cats, Starbuck and Apollo (named after two Battlestar Galactica characters), as well as the human members of my chosen family.

A few years ago, I discovered that I have Aphantasia, which is a spectrum condition that refers to having a very minimal or even no “internal mind’s eye. ” Personally, I have very limited capacity to visualize anything (some aphantasiac people have no visualization abilities at all) and also limited capacity to imagine sensory experiences. (On that note: Hyperphantasia is the opposite of Aphantasia, and refers to the ability to visualize and imagine/recall sensory experiences in very vivid detail. Hyperphantasia and Aphantasia both seem to correlate with neurodivergence.)

When I’m not working, you can find me going on extensive walks and hikes, tending my growing plant collection, dancing, drinking non-dairy matcha lattes, and reading speculative fiction and sci-fi.

My approach to coaching is holistic, integrative, and non-pathologizing. As a coach, I am open-minded and non-judgmental, I aim to practice cultural humility, and I am fully committed to facilitating a space in which my clients feel empowered to bring up anything they wish to address during the coaching process.

My coaching style integrates select elements from several modalities, including “parts work” (e.g., Internal Family Systems/IFS and Positive Intelligence), the Social Resilience Model, Positive Psychology, Somatic practices, the Neuro-Affective Relational Model (NARM), Motivational Interviewing, and skills/practices derived from Radically Open DBT, among others. I utilize individual learning and processing styles, data-driven methods, and proven assessment tools, as evidenced in the foundational assessments I use with my clients throughout the coaching partnership. I am constantly learning about evidence-based modalities and approaches from the field of Psychoneurobiology, and when appropriate, I use this to better inform my coaching practice.

Dismantling toxic stigma through relational work (like coaching) is truly one of my greatest passions. As such, none of my clients has ever brought up a topic during a session that I’ve considered to be too “taboo” for our coaching partnership. Equally, when I believe that my clients are better served to address a particular issue or topic by another service provider or modality, I happily provide suitable referrals. When a client requests that I collaboratively communicate with another trusted service provider on their support team, I am happy to do so, as I have the client’s explicit permission in writing.

My particular area of coaching expertise is adults who have been recently diagnosed (professionally or self-diagnosed) with ADHD and/or Autism. There are often simultaneously present, co-occurring conditions/issues, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), complex PTSD, chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, and substance use. I have extensive experience working with clients who not only have ADHD with diverse co-occurring conditions but who also have an intersection of identities and life experiences that currently or have historically led to experiencing system stigma and marginalization.

I work with a wide age range of adults; most of my clients are in the early and mid-career stages of their lives (ranging in age from early 20s through early 50s), and they are often women and non-binary people (both cisgender and transgender) who either want to level up at work, in their studies, or wish to transition to a new career that is better suited to them. Alongside career development, we also work on improving interpersonal relationships (e.g., personal partners, including spouses and dating relationships; colleagues; and platonic friendships), parenting, development of personal identity, and pursuit of fulfilling hobbies and past times.

Coach Training

I received my coach training at the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) in New York through the Advanced Coach level in 2018-19, which amounted to 16 months of intensive coach training to qualify me as an ADHD coach and general life coach, so I have the skills to coach both neurodivergent people who have ADHD (or ADHD tendencies) and people who do not have ADHD.

ADDCA is the first and largest comprehensive ADHD Coach Training Program fully accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and Professional Association for ADHD Coaches (PAAC).

The ICF is the world’s largest organization of professional, trained coaches, and offers the only globally recognized independent credentialing program for coach practitioners. ADDCA is the first and largest comprehensive ADHD Coach Training Program fully accredited by the ICF and Professional Association for ADHD Coaches (PAAC).

Trauma-informed Practitioner Training (NARM Institute)

Later this year (2022), I will finish up my training at the NARM institute and officially become a NARM-informed (trauma-informed) practitioner. (NARM stands for Neuro-Affective Relational Model.)

Credentialing

Beyond that, I am actively working toward PCC credentialing with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the equivalent credential from the Professional Association for ADHD Coaches (PAAC).

BSc, MSc, and MPH Qualifications

My other educational qualifications include a Masters in Public Health and Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (one of the foremost Public Health universities in Europe) and a Masters in Development Management from the London School of Economics.

Professional/work background

Moreover, my professional/work background is varied: I have worked in research and consulting, education, public health and epidemiology, harm reduction, international development and international aid (at HQ and out in the field), and with law practices working closely with lawyers/attorneys at law.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD and began treatment in my early 30s, my life began to change at the most foundational levels. I gradually became “unstuck” from the painfully frustrating plateau that I had fought to move on from for so many years.

I am fortunate that my diagnosing psychiatrist referred me to an ADHD coach at the same time as diagnosing me. Before then, I was not aware that ADHD coaches even existed. I saw an ADHD coach (as a client) for three years before deciding to train as an ADHD Coach and launch my own practice.

In addition to my involvement in Professional Development trainings, I invest a significant percentage of my personal resources (in terms of finances, time, and energy) in working with two individual coaches who have distinct specializations, regularly seeing my wonderful long-term therapist, and participating in multiple coaching/therapy/support groups.

My own personal experience as the client of an ADHD coach myself catalyzed an extremely powerful process of self-acceptance and self-discovery, so much so that I decided that I wanted to serve other wonderful neurodivergent humans with coaching. I specifically decided to offer my services to people whose identities and/or life experiences are often marginalized or otherwise stigmatized by/within wider society, because when I was a client of an ADHD coach, I could not find any ADHD coaches out there who were specifically friendly and affirming toward people with my background and identity.