The Executive Function Podcast

Sarah Kesty, Brain Tools School

Helpful, fun, and effective strategies to support everyone's executive function! Learn how to coach yourself, your teen, or your child to manage attention, organize, and plan. We share inspiration for families and individuals with neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, learning disabilities and more. We love what we do and are passionate about helping you thrive!

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Sustainable Stress Strategies with Amy Leneker, Ep 83

    Hello my team, Stress, am I right? It's ever-present, sometimes overwhelming, and something we just can't avoid...but what if we're framing it wrong? This week's guest, Amy Leneker, tells us about her three step framework for functioning differently with stress. She's not here to gaslight us or tell us that stressors are no biggie; instead, she offers accessible ideas to test out in real life. Having executive function struggles is a valid, stressful experience. I loved having Amy's perspective on how to both honor what you go through and manage the stress in new ways. After you listen, do a new and good check in with your loved ones! All my love, Sarah About Amy: Amy Leneker is an optimistic, joy-seeking, recovering workaholic. She's also a leadership consultant who has helped over 100,000 leaders and teams – including those at Fortune 100 companies – lead with less stress and more joy. Her soul goal? To help one billion people do the same. With over 25 years of leadership experience – including a decade in the C-suite – Amy understands the soul-crushing toll of burnout because she's lived it. Twice. After surviving her own brush with burnout, Amy became determined to help others succeed without sacrificing their joy, their health, or their weekends. A first-generation college student, Amy earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees while working full-time and later raising a family. She has studied leadership at Yale, neuroscience at the NeuroLeadership Institute, and stress resilience at Harvard Medical School. In her upcoming book, Cheers to Monday: The Surprisingly Simple Method to Lead and Live with Less Stress and More Joy (Wiley // March 24, 2026), Amy shares a refreshing and science-backed roadmap to break free from burnout. Her signature “Un-Stressing Method” - See, Sort, Solve, Celebrate - is designed to help leaders and teams finally break the cycle of exhaustion, overwhelm, and self-doubt. PS : My book is out in the wild, and it's changing lives! Order Growing Executive Function at ⁠Solution Tree ⁠or on ⁠Amazon⁠. I'm training educators and organizations across this beautiful globe, and we're finding improving executive function is game-changing! If that sounds like what your school or organization needs, ⁠reach out⁠! Sarah at sarahkesty.com. #stress, #burnout, #ExecutiveFunciton, #adhd, #autism, #neurodivergent, #Work, #Joy, #relax, #leaders, #managers, #leadership

    42 min
  2. 21 MAR

    Anxiety and Executive Function: Brain-friendly strategies with Kristen Stuppy, Ep 82

    Team, Have you ever tried to think clearly with super loud, distracting sounds going on? That's a good analogy for using executive function when your anxiety is high. It's just plain harder. Our guest this week, Kristen Stuppy, is a pediatrician and ADHD advocate. She shares simple tips for managing anxiety in ways that are brain-friendly and doable. I really enjoyed my time with Kristen, and I think you will, too. All my love, Sarah PS I just wrote a Psychology Today piece about emotional regulation and executive function. From the show: Goblin Tools TEACH Me ADHD  Find Kristen at: LinkedIn Blog  More about Kristen: Kristen Stuppy, MD is a pediatrician with more than 25 years of experience caring for families in Overland Park, Kansas. Her personal journey with ADHD, both as a parent and through her own late diagnosis, fuels her commitment to educating and empowering kids, teens, and parents with practical, compassionate support. Since 2012, Kristen has volunteered with ADHDKC, the Kansas City Metro chapter of CHADD, serving in many roles but especially enjoying her work with ADHDKCTeen. During the pandemic, she launched monthly virtual sessions to help teens understand their ADHD and build real‑life skills. In 2023, she began leading Dr. Nerissa Bauer’s creative, detective‑themed TEACH Me ADHD classes, guiding kids and parents through fun, interactive lessons on managing ADHD. Her experience with both of these online programs inspired her to develop teen‑focused workshops on ADHD, emotional regulation, and executive function, using an engaging, activity‑based format. Kristen’s mission is simple and unwavering: reduce stigma and make ADHD support accessible to all. Whether she’s teaching, writing, collaborating with professionals, or caring for patients, she strives to help every child, teen, and parent feel seen, understood, and supported as they learn to thrive with ADHD.

    38 min
  3. 2 MAR

    Brain Health and Executive Function with Dr Majid Fotuhi Ep 79

    Team, Our brains are, like, kind of a big deal. Since they don't come with owner's manuals, we may need a little help keeping them healthy and functioning well. That's where Dr Fotuhi comes in . He's spent decades learning about the brain, helping others change their brain health and, in turn, their lives. In this episode, we dive into easy(ish) ways to adjust your habits for a healthier brain. I hope you love it! All my love, Sarah PS My book is out in the wild, and it's changing lives! Order Growing Executive Function at ⁠Solution Tree ⁠or on ⁠Amazon⁠. I'm also training educators and organizations across this beautiful globe, and we're finding improving executive function is game-changing! If that sounds like what your school or organization needs, ⁠reach out⁠! Sarah at sarahkesty.com. Meet Dr. Majid Fotuhi , who earned his PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University in 1992 and his Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School in 1997. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University, while also teaching at George Washington University and Harvard Medical School. With 37 years of experience in teaching, clinical practice, and neuroscience research, Dr. Fotuhi has pioneered a multidisciplinary approach to enhancing brain vitality and cognitive performance at any age. His groundbreaking “Brain Fitness Program” combines a comprehensive baseline “Brain Portfolio” assessment with 12 bi-weekly brain training sessions. This program targets lifestyle optimization and cognitive stimulation to improve memory, focus, and overall brain health. Dr. Fotuhi’s program has delivered measurable success for patients dealing with memory loss due to aging, concussions, and ADHD, as documented in several peer-reviewed journals. He is also the author of three books, including the highly acclaimed Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance. https://drfotuhi.com/ https://drfotuhi.com/pre-order/ Get The Invincible Brain here

    42 min
  4. 22 FEB

    The Executive Function of Parenting Neurodivergent Kids: Debbie Reber from Tilt Parenting Ep 78

    Hello my team! I can't wait for you to hear from Debbie Reber! She lives and breathes strategies for parenting neurodivergent kids, based on her life and her experience supporting families for decades. She is brave, smart, and hopeful, sharing her stories and hard-won perspectives. I loved hearing her talk about the milestones we fret about, giving us permission to honor all of the paces of development. Let me know what you think! All my love, Sarah Connect with Debbie: Tilt Parenting: https://tiltparenting.com Differently Wired Club: https://tiltparenting.com/club Facebook: https://facebook.com/tiltparenting Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tiltparenting YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fulltiltparenting/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahreber/ Author website: https://www.debbiereber.com More about Debbie: Debbie Reber, MA, is a parenting activist, author of Differently Wired, and founder of Tilt Parenting, a top resource for families raising neurodivergent kids. Through her Full-Tilt Parenting podcast (9M+ downloads), bestselling books, and speaking, Debbie champions a strengths-based, inclusive approach to parenting. A three-time TEDx speaker and certified Positive Discipline trainer, her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on NewsNation. Debbie lives in the Netherlands with her husband and two cats, while her neurodivergent young adult attends university in Scotland.PS My book is out in the wild, and it's changing lives! Order Growing Executive Function at ⁠Solution Tree ⁠ or on ⁠Amazon⁠. I'm also training educators and organizations across this beautiful globe, and we're finding improving executive function is game-changing! If that sounds like what your school or organization needs, ⁠reach out⁠! Sarah at sarahkesty.com. #adhd, #neurodivergent, #neurodivergence, #tdah, #parenting, #add, #autism, #autismo, #2e, #gifted, #parent, #TiltParenting, #ExecutiveFunction

    37 min
  5. 7 FEB

    The 5 Habits of Hope: A key ingredient for growing executive function Ep 76

    Hey, Team! Hope. It's a delicate friend. During our darkest times, it can feel so tiny and fragile. And when you're working on building executive function, hope is what carries you through testing out and adjusting strategies until you find the right fit. Dr Julia Garcia joins us this week to teach us the Five Habits of Hope. My favorite hope-building strategy is to add "maybe" to my thoughts. "Maybe" this is getting better..."maybe" my strategy will work out. It doesn't feel too "toxic positivity" to me. Let us know what resonates with you! All my love, Sarah PS My book is out in the wild, and it's changing lives! Order Growing Executive Function at ⁠Solution Tree ⁠or on ⁠Amazon⁠. I'm also training educators and organizations across this beautiful globe, and we're finding improving executive function is game-changing! If that sounds like what your school or organization needs, ⁠reach out⁠! Sarah at sarahkesty.com. About Dr Julia: Dr. Julia Garcia is a psychologist, author, and renowned speaker dedicated to empowering people through the science of mental health. For nearly two decades, she has worked with educators, students, business leaders, and individuals facing life’s toughest moments—helping them break through fear, doubt, and hopelessness to build lasting habits of healing and hope. Dr. Garcia weaves her real, lived experiences with behavioral science to create practical, transformative strategies for lasting change. Whether through her TEDx presentations, her interactive workshops, or her book The 5 Habits of Hope, Dr. Garcia’s mission remains the same: to prove that hope isn’t just something you feel—it’s something you practice, one habit at a time. She additionally hosts a live-audience talk-show style podcast, The Journey with Dr. J, which blends conversation and poetry. Website: https://www.drjuliagarcia.com/ Social Media Links: https://www.instagram.com/drjuliagarcia/ https://www.youtube.com/@DrJuliaGarcia https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjuliagarcia/

    33 min

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Helpful, fun, and effective strategies to support everyone's executive function! Learn how to coach yourself, your teen, or your child to manage attention, organize, and plan. We share inspiration for families and individuals with neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, learning disabilities and more. We love what we do and are passionate about helping you thrive!

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