CTL + ALT + THINK: Conversations With Neurodivergent Minds

Amy Voros, PCC and Megan King
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Control Alt Think - conversations with neurodivergent minds! I'm Amy Voros of Creative Catapult Coaching, helping entrepreneurs and creatives overcome distraction and procrastination. My co-host is Megan King of Focus Like a Mother, providing executive function coaching for parents and professionals. As ADHD and neurodivergence specialists, we know how conditions like anxiety can impact getting work done. That's why we're diving deep into productivity techniques, mindsets and tools that actually work for diverse brains.

  1. 3h ago

    Season 2 Episode 13: Getting Things Out of My Head Before My Brain Replaces Them

    We regret to inform you that the squirrels have been given access to the trains. This episode started with Amy and Megan trying to have a conversation while simultaneously realizing they needed to write down completely unrelated thoughts before those thoughts vanished forever. From there, naturally, we ended up discussing working memory, externalizing information, Notion, notebooks, Excel, Google Calendar, reminders, prospective memory, and the surprisingly complicated question of “Where did I put that thing I wrote down?” There is a particular ADHD/neurodivergent flavor of productivity where getting something out of your brain is only half the battle. You can write it down. You can build a system. You can create a reminder. You can even make it searchable. And then six months later, your brain has decided that the system is boring and would like a new system, please. We also get into the weird tradeoff of having systems that are structured enough to keep things moving but flexible enough to survive changing circumstances and the inevitable loss of novelty. Because apparently, the productivity system itself has to remain interesting enough for the ADHD brain to continue caring about it. So yes, we're basically trying to create designated train tracks for our thoughts while giving the squirrels enough new scenery to keep them entertained. Totally normal conversation. ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDProductivity #WorkingMemory #Neurodiversity

  2. Sep 23

    Season 2 Episode 12: Think It, Say It, Write It… Then Actually Do It

    Ever leave something somewhere extremely obvious so you won't forget it… only to eventually stop noticing it completely? Cool. Us too. In this episode, Amy and Megan get into the surprisingly complicated relationship between visual cues, physical reminders, working memory, and executive function. Megan talks about putting things by the front door, sticking notes into her key ring, and even having her husband hide cash in her keys because apparently her keys are now an external memory system. Amy, meanwhile, discovers that simply watching Megan fold a piece of paper reminds her of a note she has stuffed in her own pocket. Because apparently our brains are just taking suggestions from the environment now. Then they go down the rabbit hole of visual breadcrumbs, context, and why sometimes seeing something can unlock a memory that seemed completely unavailable five seconds earlier. There are also lists, folded paper, and the inevitable moment when the visual reminder has been sitting there for three days and has officially graduated from “helpful cue” to “visual clutter.” They also talk about using visual organizers with kids, breaking assignments into smaller pieces, drawing before writing, and the very useful pattern of “think it, say it, write it.” The bigger theme isn't that there's one magical ADHD system that works for everyone. It's that different brains need different ways to make information concrete enough to actually use. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #WorkingMemory #ADHDStrategies #Neurodiversity

  3. Sep 16

    Season 2 Episode 11 : I Have the Capacity… Until Suddenly I Absolutely Don’t

    Apparently, there is a finite amount of bandwidth in the human brain. Who knew? Amy and Megan spend this episode realizing that sometimes the problem isn't that we don't know what we're supposed to do — it's that our brains have quietly hit the "no more inputs, please" stage. They talk about what running out of bandwidth actually looks like: forgetting the coffee you literally just bought, staring off into space while still listening to someone talk, getting unusually frustrated, losing the ability to transition between activities, or suddenly wanting nothing more than to lie down. Megan even realizes that sitting in her car for a few minutes after a stressful meeting is apparently one of her brain's built-in transition strategies. There’s also the surprisingly complicated question of what happens when you finally build supports that make life easier. Amy has been creating systems to get information and admin tasks out of her head, but then wonders: if she suddenly has more capacity, will her brain use that extra bandwidth to breathe… or immediately invent seventeen new things she "should" be doing? Honestly, relatable. Megan talks about recognizing her own warning signs and making the hard decision to step back from a volunteer leadership role because she didn't have the emotional or executive-function bandwidth for it. Amy and Megan dig into how difficult it can be to recognize your own patterns, even when you're excellent at spotting patterns in everyone else. And then there's the grocery store. Somehow, the grocery store becomes a decompression space. There are vegetables. There are retirees. There is bread. There is, apparently, no coffee. Sometimes neurodivergent life is less about having everything figured out and more about noticing the weird little signs that your brain is asking for a reset — preferably before it completely checks out. So the question for this episode is: What does it look like when your bandwidth is running low — and can you recognize it before you hit the wall? Because apparently, sometimes the warning sign is exhaustion, sometimes it's zoning out, and sometimes it's leaving your coffee at the grocery store. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDBurnout #ADHDBandwidth #Neurodiversity

  4. Sep 9

    Season 2 Episode 10: Is This a Distraction or Actually What My Brain Needs?

    What if the thing distracting you from your work… is actually the thing helping your brain work? Annoying, we know. Especially when you’ve spent years learning that productivity means sitting in the chair and doing The Thing™ until it’s done. In this episode of Control Alt Think, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about what happens when they stop fighting where their attention is naturally going. For Megan, that currently includes gardening—not vegetables, thank you very much—drawing, design projects, reading about native wildflowers, and apparently solving the very important problem of putting an umbrella over her hammock. That leads to a bigger question: when we’re pulled toward something else, are we avoiding an open loop, craving creativity, looking for physical movement, solving a problem… or actually giving our brains the kind of recharge they need? And can we do any of that without the tiny voice insisting we should feel guilty because it’s not “work”? Amy has her own unexpected brain fixation: documenting old trips, organizing personal information, and reconnecting with people. Tasks that would normally sound painfully tedious have suddenly become interesting because technology has removed enough friction to make them doable. Turns out “I want to do this” + “this is finally easy enough to do” is a pretty powerful combination. They also wander through corporate conditioning, ADHD motivation, information collecting, problem-solving for fun, associative thinking, and the revelation from Megan’s child that her husband is apparently her boss. You know, normal neurodivergent directions. And yes, technology suggested scripting the podcast. Amy and Megan immediately concluded they’d probably spend more time stumbling over what they were supposed to say. So instead, you get this: two neurodivergent brains following the thread, figuring out why some “distractions” might actually deserve a spot on the agenda. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #ADHDProductivity #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDMotivation #Neurodiversity

  5. Sep 2

    Season 2 Episode 9: Working Memory, Please Hold

    You know that important thing you’ve been trying to remember all day? Good news: your brain remembered it. Bad news: you’re driving. Or showering. Or lying in bed. Or listening to your kid’s teacher talk and trying very hard not to pull out your phone. In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, Amy Voros and Megan King talk about the very specific experience of remembering things at exactly the moment you can’t actually do anything about them. Because apparently working memory has a schedule, and it did not consult us. Megan shares her literal version of “put a pin in it”—pressing her fingernail into her finger and refusing to let go until she can get back to the thought. Amy connects the experience to working memory, task switching, and what happens when our brains finally stop focusing long enough for all those other thoughts to wander back in. Naturally, this leads to possible scaffolds: notebooks by the bed, digital reminders, morning routines, waterproof paper…and the discovery that children’s bathtub crayons may actually be an executive function tool in disguise. Sometimes there’s a system. Sometimes there’s just, “Ah, it’ll come to me.” They also get into the dangerous little bargain of, “If it’s really important, I’ll remember it”—followed immediately by Megan’s brain essentially saying, “Challenge accepted.” Because nothing says reliable productivity system quite like remembering the tax thing while driving down the road. There may not be a brilliant solution in this episode. Mostly, there’s working memory, weird physical reminders, strategic scaffolding, terrible timing, and two neurodivergent people realizing that yes, apparently we all remember The Thing when we are least capable of doing The Thing. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #WorkingMemory #ExecutiveFunction #ADHDProductivity #ADHDTips

  6. Aug 26

    Season 2 Episode 8: Analysis Paralysis? No, I’m Collecting Evidence

    Ever made a decision that looked completely impulsive to everyone around you? Excuse me. There was research. There were spreadsheets. There were scenarios. There may have been a three-hour internet rabbit hole that started with one innocent question. This was anything BUT impulsive. In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, explore the neurodivergent need to know all the things before moving on—or, sometimes, just because the brain has decided that THIS is the thing we need to know everything about now. They talk about research rabbit holes, analysis paralysis, collecting random information, planning for every possible outcome, special interests, and the strange experience of looking like you're "winging it" when you've actually already run 37 different scenarios in your head. They also dig into what happens when this need for information is misunderstood. What looks like procrastination might actually be processing. What looks impulsive might have been quietly planned for months. And what looks like constantly changing your goals might actually be adjusting them as new information comes in. And sometimes? You don't need the information for anything at all. Your brain just wants to know. So if you've ever opened one tab to look something up and emerged hours later knowing an alarming amount about a topic you didn't care about yesterday… welcome. You're among friends. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #AnalysisParalysis #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #ADHDBrain

  7. Aug 19

    Season 2 Episode 7: Apparently, Other People Are a Productivity Tool

    Why is it that a task you've been avoiding for three days suddenly becomes completely doable the second another human being is involved? Apparently, other people might actually be useful. In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, ADHD coach Amy Voros and Megan King, Parent Focus Coach, talk about collaboration—and why getting things done together can sometimes feel suspiciously like cheating. From body doubling and external accountability to folding laundry, cooking, recording a podcast, and tackling projects together, Amy and Megan explore why another person's presence can make a task feel easier, more interesting, and occasionally even… fun. Rude, honestly. But somewhere along the way, the productivity conversation takes a very on-brand rabbit hole into relationships. What if doing things together isn't just helping neurodivergent brains get things done? What if it's also one of the ways we connect? Amy and Megan unpack shared interests, task-focused communication, co-regulation, and why some of our strongest relationships might be built while we're busy doing something else. So, is collaboration a productivity strategy? Body doubling? Relationship building? A clever way to trick your brain into folding the laundry? Yes. #ADHD #Neurodivergent #BodyDoubling #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodiversity #ADHDCoaching

  8. Aug 12

    Season 2 Episode 6: What was the topic? We forgot

    What happens when two ADHD coaches forget the very topic they planned to record? They turn it into the episode. In this episode of Control Alt Think: Conversations with Neurodivergent Minds, Amy Voros and Megan King laugh their way through a very relatable experience: losing a thought despite having plenty of systems in place to prevent it. From forgotten notes and endless searches to knowing when it's better to stop looking and follow your curiosity instead, they explore why even the best scaffolds aren't foolproof. Along the way, they discuss the value of external systems, the limits of organization, and why flexibility can sometimes be more important than perfection. They also touch on practical supports—from simple note-taking habits to tools like trackers for everyday essentials—and why the goal isn't to remember everything yourself, but to build systems that work with your brain. Whether you've ever spent twenty minutes searching for your keys, forgotten the brilliant idea you had five minutes ago, or wondered why your carefully designed processes sometimes fall apart, this episode offers humor, validation, and practical reminders that forgetting is part of being human—and that having ADHD just makes those moments a little more interesting. #ADHD #ExecutiveFunction #Neurodivergent #Productivity #ADHDTools #MentalHealth #Neurodiversity

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Welcome to Control Alt Think - conversations with neurodivergent minds! I'm Amy Voros of Creative Catapult Coaching, helping entrepreneurs and creatives overcome distraction and procrastination. My co-host is Megan King of Focus Like a Mother, providing executive function coaching for parents and professionals. As ADHD and neurodivergence specialists, we know how conditions like anxiety can impact getting work done. That's why we're diving deep into productivity techniques, mindsets and tools that actually work for diverse brains.

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