Real change.

“My 18 year old son went off to college two years ago completely unprepared. On paper, it looked like he was ready to experience all that going away to college is supposed to provide. He had a loving and supportive family, great friendships, and a strong faith in God. He had work experience, served his community in many ways, earned his high school honors diploma and had a great roommate and friends who were attending the same college. Unfortunately, when we left him there we saw signs that this wasn’t going to be an easy transition and that proved to be very accurate. His anxiety skyrocketed, he was depressed and lost weight, and his emotions were all over the place. With his dad and I not there with him, there wasn’t anyone to give him reminders to check his email, encourage him to keep his belongings more organized, tell him to go to bed when he was exhausted, and remind him to turn his assignments in on time. I tried to help by attempting to manage everything for him from home, which was two hours away and that just caused both of us to get overwhelmed even more. It was heartbreaking to hear him talk about how defeated he felt. He wanted to get his college degree, but the symptoms from having ADHD and anxiety were taking over. It made me realize how much we had enabled him and how dependent he was on us. He had never learned how and why his brain functioned the way it did or how best to manage the symptoms. We felt like we had failed him.

A close friend shared the website Focus Forward, and I reached out immediately. We met with Kathryn online and after our conversation, I was so grateful for an answer to our prayers. Our son has been working with her for a year and a half and it is amazing to see the growth he has made. He struggled a lot with his emotional regulation, and learning how to process his thoughts and emotions has made a huge difference for him. The spirals that he would go on don’t last as long, and he is quick to tell himself that he is tired and/or is stuck in the ‘all or nothing mindset.’ He is more confident and realizes that he isn’t dumb; he is wired differently. He is doing a great job advocating for himself and sharing his struggles with his professors. Kathryn has taught him ways to be more organized and how to keep a schedule. He keeps a daily list on his phone of things to do that day and this has motivated him by feeling more confident going into the day. In the past, he would worry about what he was missing or forgetting and these lists have helped with decreasing that anxious feeling.

One of the biggest changes for us is that we get to be ‘mom and dad’ and not his manager or secretary. Even though some of the techniques that Kathryn uses with him are similar to things we tried in the past, he is much more motivated to try them now because he has seen the progress and wants to feel more independent from us. Plus, most kids are willing to try something for someone other than their parents. Looking back, we wish we would have known about ADHD coaching when he was younger, but we’ve seen him use his experiences to help other people deal with similar issues and this has been a huge testimony for him. We know the skills and information he is learning from his weekly talks with Kathryn will help him not only with his college years, but beyond. These are life lessons that are vital to him becoming all he has been created to be!”

“If you guys are thinking about ADHD coaching don’t think twice. Pursue it! It’s one of the best ways to cope with your ADHD. Before I met Ms. Cindy, I was a train wreck, an F student, and getting in trouble all the time. Now I have A’s and B’s in all my classes. I used to do therapy where I would go and see someone in person, and it didn’t do much for me. It’s kind of crazy and life changing how talking through a computer is better than in person. Ms. Cindy is one of the best people out there for this kind of stuff. She takes her job very seriously and is very professional. She makes sure you get the help you need and the kinds of things you are looking for. Whether it’s methods to help you or methods to drop bad habits, either way every single word spoken has helped me. I’m not just saying this to say it it’s coming straight from the progression and work her and I have put into it. Talking to her feels like I’m talking to my friend, and I can trust every word I say will stay between us. I will always hold her close and remember the work we have done together! This is truly a dream come true for me and my family!!”

“Our son was diagnosed with ADHD many years ago, so we are not new to the challenges this brings. We felt like we had a handle on things and then…the teen years began. It is an understatement to say we were at the end of our rope as a family. We tried counseling and various therapies, but nothing seemed to work. When we started this process, we had no idea that ADHD coaching existed but after reading more about it we decided to give it a try. We interviewed several people before finding Cindy. When we first spoke with her it was apparent that she not only has a passion for helping people, but she is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of ADHD. We decided that she was a perfect fit for our son, and they got started. We have no idea what she did or how she did it, but she is amazing!! Not only did she help our son with skills to navigate life with a brain that works differently, but she somehow got him to take the reins and gave him the tools he needs to navigate his own journey. He went from constantly getting in trouble at school, failing his classes, and having an awful attitude at home to A and B grades and a positive attitude! If you are where we were and looking for help, I encourage you to give Cindy a try. She has truly made a remarkable impact on our son and our family, and we are forever grateful for her and the incredible work she does!”

“Working with Coach Cindy has been such a positive experience for our son and for us as parents. We have seen real consistency in his approach to school and so much more independence. He needs far less oversight from us than before. He seems genuinely empowered by the work he has done with Coach Cindy and it shows in his attitude and daily habits.

One of the biggest struggles he has overcome is staying on top of his schoolwork and having the awareness to ask for help when he needs it. Through coaching, he has discovered his own strengths: he is now more aware of his challenges and approaches them with a positive attitude and practical strategies for coping. Although it was difficult to schedule with Coach Cindy at times, our son worked through that, helping him learn to manage his needs and time more effectively. We are so grateful for the tools and confidence he has gained through this process.”

“Coaching with Cindy has been life-changing for me. I have learned to step back from old behavior patterns, stop negativity spirals, and show up as a much better parent. The Positive Intelligence program and Cindy’s guidance have helped me find balance, understand myself and my son more deeply, and break free from unhelpful habits I have carried for years. I would not trade this experience for anything!”

“Working with Katelyn over the past eight months has been such a blessing for both my 8-year-old son and me. The growth I’ve seen in him, and the shift in our relationship, has been remarkable. While these sessions are meant for my child, I often call Katelyn my parenting coach. She’s helped me understand my son on such a deeper level—how his brain works, what he needs to thrive, and how to meet him with patience and compassion instead of frustration.

Our days used to feel chaotic and unpredictable. Now, we have structure, calm, and a sense of teamwork. I’ve learned so many tools and strategies that make each day smoother, and I can see my son growing in confidence and independence. The skills he’s gaining now are setting him up for success not just in school, but in life.

Katelyn brings endless ideas, unwavering support, and such a deep understanding of ADHD. She’s even worked closely with my son’s teachers to help him in the classroom. I’m beyond grateful for Katelyn and everything she’s done for our family. I would recommend her to any parent who wants to better understand their child and help them build the skills and confidence to thrive with ADHD.”

“What a blessing Katelyn has been to my 9-year-old son, who has ADHD, and to our family as a whole!! I went on a search to find an ADHD coach for my son and struggled to find one for elementary aged children. I came across Focus Forward and was put in contact with Katelyn. Wow! Katelyn was an answer to prayer and exactly what we were looking for. Katelyn was able to teach my son what it means to have ADHD but how powerful and amazing his ADHD brain is. She gave him tools to put in his ‘toolbelt’ for the behavior struggles he was having at school. She focused on having a growth mindset and what that looks like compared to a fixed mindset. Katelyn coached our whole family on routine and how to implement schedule. Katelyn was able to connect with my child like no one else has. I highly recommend Katelyn and we will continue to use her as our son gets older and each new phase of his life.”

“We started working with Katelyn to help bring up my son’s test scores to his academic ability. But, we ended up learning so much more about how his neurodivergent brain works and how to use that to best support his needs. We had some concerns with working on zoom, and my son did struggle to stay on for longer periods, but she was able to pack a lot into the time he was able to connect with her. And, during the rest of the sessions, I was able to ask questions about things that we have been struggling with for years. We have worked with OTs, PTs and therapists in the past, but no one was able to cover as much information as Katelyn has. She also worked with our teachers to help them support my son at school and has offered to help us navigate an important IEP meeting. I would highly recommend working with Katelyn if you want to better understand your child and help them thrive.”

“I started this program with hope and excitement but not sure what to expect. I was concerned that my son would be unable to hold his attention for the session, especially, virtually. Katelyn did an amazing job engaging with him and meeting him, ‘where he was,’ that day. Many times, the session was over before we expected it to be. Katelyn provides so much useful advice on how to manage ADHD, both to the person and those surrounding them. She is readily available to you between sessions as well. I am so pleased with the benefits and growth I have seen in my son, us as his helpers, and in our household, that I recommend anyone who has the chance to involve Katelyn in their ADHD help plan. We will definitely revisit this program in middle school and again in high school for continued growth. Thank you to Katelyn Mabry and Focus Forward.”

“Focus Forward has worked with my son creating personalized strategies helping him with time management, organization, focusing and communicating with teachers to help him be successful in school. The best part of this program that Tyler has experienced exactly what my son is feeling and that connection makes him feel she truly understand the struggles he is having. I highly recommend Focus Forward.”

“Tyler helped me get my classes and homework load organized into manageable amounts, especially around finals time. She helped me manage my ADD surrounding schoolwork and break my busy weeks into smaller, easier days! She helped me succeed in my first year at the University of Kentucky!”

“I truly don’t think I would’ve made it through high school if it wasn’t for Tyler. She handled all aspects of what was contributing to my overwhelming ADHD with compassion. She did a great job of staying professional but letting me know she was someone I could lean on for anything.”

“Focus Forward helped my daughter to find a good route for gaining confidence and independence. My daughter is now better equipped and thoughtful about future planning.”

“After working with Focus Forward I feel more relaxed knowing that someone is keeping my children organized and caught up with their school work. Everyone is truly compassionate and invested in my children, and our whole family has been so much more at ease!”

“Prior to working with Focus Forward, my boys were really struggling with online learning. When they were able to come into the office and work with Tyler on their school work we saw huge improvements in their organizational skills.”

“EMPOWERED!! The tree analogy. The change takes YEARS. And then the growth occurs. Connection before correction. Why you SAY becomes the internal dialogue. Trade criticism for curiosity. And so much more. Today was priceless, filled with knowledge and power to be the best I can be for my children!!! Much love to all of you coaches. Keep doing what you are doing! Moving mountains!!”

“Empowered and inspired. The demo with the orange and how literally criticism crushes your child. My mindset and reframing my thoughts before I speak to my son. Also being curious and asking curious questions rather than criticizing statements. Eye opening and heartfelt.”

“I feel encouraged! But a little sad as well…. How much time I’ve wasted trying to make our son ‘fit into a box’ to please other people…when in reality that stole his light. His brain makes him different and that should be celebrated not discouraged. Everything — especially starting with the light philosophy followed by all of the instruction and support and encouragement through it. I feel so driven to build my relationship with him. Calm and connected — but let others have their opinion.”

“Calmer and more focused. The discussion about how tools/systems don’t work without mindset shifts. That piece is not discussed enough. Hold boundaries/consequences but then come back and help them solve how not to get there again. Invaluable.”

“More empowered. Your contributing factors are not determining factors. With clarity to be more intentional with my mindset and emotions to utilize tools and systems. Amazing and insightful information, incredibly useful for anyone with ADHD or a loved one with ADHD. Thank you for providing this.”

“I feel enlightened on how my son is processing things. I feel like understand how I can help him. I also feel like I have a huge responsibility moving forward. The orange, glitter baby oil example. Visuals are huge for me. The caterpillar and butterfly in connection with the tree roots really spoke to me. I need to make my home safe. Worthwhile. Eye opening.”

“Super hopeful and not alone. That just cultivating the environment allows us as parents to have some control over helping our sons learn to navigate their ADHD, and a reminder that this won’t change overnight, that this is a journey. The way we self regulate our emotions as parents and not seeing every act as defiance or disrespect from our ADHD son but not having the skills or tools to manage his emotions yet. A mindset shift and being able to peel back the layers of ADHD with an understanding from a neurotypical parent.”

“I feel like I’m the one that is my child’s advocate and I’m ready to help him tackle his and our challenges together. The caterpillar and orange demonstrations were completely eye opening. Being curious! I’m not the best at communicating but learning how to talk with my child. Well worth every penny!!!!!”

“I feel more confident in my understanding of ADHD and the challenges that my child will face. How much your mindset and attitude transfer to your child, RSD information, Circle of Control. Being the spark and not the engine. Knowing a can’t change the struggle, just being there to support them through it. Very informative and supportive experience. Well worth the experience and time. Motivating for parents struggling for answers.”

“More confident in communicating with my son. Understanding that emotions play such a huge part in the ADHD brain. The big emotions are more of what we see at home. I’m going to work on taking a pause. Very insightful.”

“I feel like I have more tools to not only help our little boys needs, but my own. I really think if I can get my own regulation down, it will really help him with self regulation. The power of pause. Incredible. I wish it could be part of a mandatory class for parents at the beginning of school.”

“Confident and self aware of my undiagnosed ADHD and prepared to impower my child and students. Katelyn Mabry and the importance of the PAUSE. Power of consistency and communication in the home. Empowering and supportive.”

“Informed to see my child differently. We’re there to protect our kids spark not smother it with our flame. Got a few ideas on tools. Isolated to find the calm. A great beginning to understand a window into the kiddos brain.”

“The information was valuable. Understanding how my child operates is 90% of the battle. Understand more about ADHD and emotions. More hugging. The time invested in this class will be paid back to me over and over. The question I wanted to ask was more of an observation. This class is valuable to helping me understand how my child works, but it’s incredibly valuable because it has helped me understand my wife so much better. She’s amazing and I’m so glad I can find ways to better love her and understand her. If you need an idea for a branch off from this conference, you can share these things with couples who are ADHD or married to an ADHD individual.”

“Less alone, empowered knowing that some of things we have started doing are things that are nurturing the seed. Hearing everyone’s story and realizing that the things I personally struggle with are not solitary. Also the struggle is real. Being more curious and finding the ways to help him understand where he is.”

“More equipped to connect with and support my children. There wasn’t a moment per se, but the accumulation of understanding that I am helping her create a foundation with my belief in her. I am responsible for creating and ABLE to Create our Culture of Calm, Curiosity, Connection, and Consistency. Insightful, Informative, Interesting and Inspirational. You all rock. Seriously, this was amazing and I’m so grateful I was here bc I have so many take aways to change my family in the present and probably in the future.”

“Inspired, Empowered, Knowledgeable, More Confident. Hearing the stories of struggle but triumph from the speakers. That the little things make the biggest changes. Game-changer. Thank you I feel very blessed to be apart of this.”

“Addressing the emotions behind ADHD is more important than the behaviors. My son is ‘textbook ADHD’. He has been struggling with big emotions and reactions at home and school. I am going to keep his nervous system at the front of my mind rather than reacting to behavior. I was in tears throughout the presentation. As a parent with ADHD to a child with ADHD it was so powerful to see ADHD people as empowered.”

“The concept that ADHD ‘superpowers’ are a blessing and a curse is so simple, but still so incredibly poignant. I struggle a lot of feeling like my whole life is over compensating, which looks like superpower from the outside, but inside it leaves me absolutely empty at the end of the day. So just acknowledging that ‘why’ for feeling drained, is just really freeing. I will seek out more intentional content that can help me grow in more sustainable ways that aren’t just about me looking like I have it together and am strong, but actually being strong so I can support myself and the children I help.”

“I loved the idea of there being layers to the onion. I will definitely focus on pulling back the layers when working with my students and see how I can best apply it for them to succeed! This is definitely a class I would recommend to any and all SLPs. As someone with ADHD, it is also a class I would recommend to someone struggling with ADHD.”

“I feel like I was able to learn how ADHD can look so much more different than the stereotypes we are typically taught. It will help me change the framework of ways I support my students either in sessions or in their classes. It helped me understand how they are really thinking. This session will completely change how you understand how to support your students with ADHD and even help you relate to them on a different level.”

“People with ADHD have to work so much harder to be intentional. Approaching my own struggles and my students’ struggles with compassion and more patience. This is a great session to get insight into the WHY of why people with ADHD struggle in daily life!”

“I love the ‘from irritation to transformation’ bit about the oyster. It’s so important to remember that the obstacles that people present with CAN be transformed into something beautiful. Mastery is messy and may not seem like something beautiful can come out of it. But it can! I will advocate more for ‘peeling back the layers’ of ADHD and determine what stands at each layer. It helps get a holistic view of the problem, the patterns, and how we as SLP can help. I really loved the presentation and it was very eye opening to hear from the perspective of one with ADHD. Your real life examples and analogies really helped me to gain new perspective. You are great!”

“The thought process of layers and then affecting the whole person. It will probably change my home life for both myself and kids with ADHD. This presentation was fast-paced and engaging while allowing impactful moments to breathe. I appreciated the look at the whole ADHDer.”

“Addressing mindset vs focusing on tools and strategies. This helped put the whole person in perspective. This presentation was great for both lived experience perspective and practical information on how to support clients with ADHD and build a growth mindset through relationship.”

“That there are layers and when you address four layers — you can address the 5th which is the center. That beliefs are repeated thoughts. I will work on positive beliefs with clients with ADHD. I really appreciated that this presentation came from the perspective of someone who has ADHD. I feel that I will be able to tangibly take the information learned and use it in my practice tomorrow.”

“I learned that ADHD has an 80% rate of comorbidity. As someone with both ADHD and OCD, this was something I didn’t know and has been extremely interesting to learn this fact about myself. What I learned today will help me change the way I think about my own mindset as someone with ADHD and how I can support clients with ADHD. The presentation was extremely informative, personable, and helpful!”

“Wow! All information is reflective of our experience. The pearl analogy the superpowers the strengths. I hope to share with my husband and show more understanding with my son. This session shed light on the challenges ADHDers face that caregivers may not see. Tyler was knowledgeable and shared personal experiences and easily digestible information.”

“The importance of powerful questions and shaping the self thought on our children to replace the negative self thought. I will encourage my son to create positive self belief and work on mindset. Uplifting to see an adult and a mother thriving. More evidence that all hard can be overcome.”

“I love your take on super power. I try my best to empower my daughter and want to share this with her. I just wanted to say thank you for putting yourself out there! My daughter has expressed shame that she has ADHD and that she hates her brain. I let her have her feelings but I see her beauty and how hard she tries and loves others. This is my dream for her…sharing her experiences with others so they don’t feel how she has at times! Thank you for helping others to understand ADHD and showing their beauty.”

“Better understanding of how to help students. Helping students uncover what they’re feeling and thinking and advocate for their needs. So thankful for this session! It was such a reflection of my personal experience with ADHD and how to support and advocate for others going through a similar process.”

“I loved your school planner example. I recently bought my son a planner and he hasn’t used it. Now I have a better understanding of why. I plan to give myself more grace. I was attending this session to help my son and realized I need it for myself too. Amazing! A game changer! I love how open you were about your struggles! It was great to hear from someone that has had ADHD and just someone who has done a bunch of research on the topic.”

“I like the mention of the ‘flight or fight’ and the nervous system. It allows insight to the subconscious thoughts and what these students are truly feeling and why. I think this presentation helped ME more than anything! I am excited to start creating habits to help overcome my frustration with my own forgetfulness, unsettled nervous system, and unorganization. I love your example of the key hook. I truly enjoyed this presentation, your real-life examples, and your experience with tackling ADHD in your own life and how you’ve used your own struggles to help your children and clients! The best presentation I’ve listened to thus far!”

“ADHD is a superpower when we choose to take engage in intentional growth behavior! I think I can be a better and happier person and be able to help my clients of all ages to do the same. Thank you, you are a great motivational speaker and it feels genuine.”

“I loved the practical words you shared that you use with your son to validate him but also empower him. I have a much better understanding of why they are expressing such strong emotions. I want you to know this helped me not only as a clinician but as a mom. I am so grateful. Thank you!!”

“I have seen adhd as my superpower but because others don’t see or understand it, I appreciate that you genuinely see and feel and live it out as a superpower. Thanks for being you. I will seek to understand the hard people in life, be patient and grace filled, and take more seriously teaching tools and skills when needed and appropriate. Blessing to you and your family. Thank you for sharing your story. So real so powerful.”

“The evidence box playing such a role in what you believe about yourself. I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s which explains so much about EVERYTHING. My symptoms and management of adhd worsened after having my son. This presentation gave me so many ideas and things that I am going to do to work on myself. I’ve really been struggling. This presentation was 100% what I needed at this time in my life.”

“Looking at ADHD from a broader lense. Focusing on the layers and digging deeper into kids with adhd. Fantastic session. Love the analogies and real life connections.”

“As someone with ADHD, I appreciate that you dispelled the myth of ADHD being a ‘lack of attention’ when it’s really an excess of attention. This is something professionals really need to know.”

“In terms of Tyler Dorsey’s presentation, I thought it was an excellent in-depth investigation peering into ways to not only educate students dealing with ADHD, but more importantly treating them in a manner that I feel will help to create an opportunity for authentic academic and intellectual growth for students that might not feel as if it is attainable. Her delivery was real, especially given her background and personal experience with ADHD. I picked up a ton of strategies, some of which I have already implemented in my Psychology classroom in day one of the second semester. She presented unique ways to engage students that suffer from a learning and social disability that society has completely misunderstood, in other words; she dropped the cliched terms and offered realistic and cutting-edge ways to help young learners to achieve the kind of academic success that they deserve.”

“I thought it was helpful that we were given different definitions of ADHD and what it actually looks like, instead of what mainstream media tells us. Having someone that experienced this as a student and an adult made it more powerful and meaningful as a current educator.”

“The ‘hands on’ approach very helpful in allowing me to experience the student’s difficulties as if they were my own. Great job!”

“It really put you in the shoes of a person with adhd. I love the interactive nature of this last PD.”

“What I found helpful was that the presentation created an awareness that if I see a certain behavior it just might be ADHD. Plus I was given ideas on how I might deal with these behaviors.”

“Practical example of time management guides for a class assignment or for a lesson.”

“Explanation of ADHD brain and strategy to break down complex tasks into small steps.”

“I looked at students with ADHD in a different light.”

“The presenter really knew the subject matter and was an effective communicator.”

“Increased my awareness of the learning struggles students have. More of the same. I liked it a lot.”