If your home feels like a constant restart, you’re not failing—you’re carrying too much.

In this quarter’s Becoming Lighter collaboration, I’m joined by Treenah Kight for a simple, permission-based conversation about reclaiming energy in real life. We’re talking about the Energy Reset Zone: one small, intentional space that helps reduce decision fatigue, lower the mental load, and create a softer landing when ADHD life gets loud.

This isn’t about a perfect house. It’s about nervous system support. It’s about fewer “where did I put that?” moments, fewer unfinished loops staring at you, and more ease returning to your day.

In this episode, we explore how to choose the right zone for your real life, how to give it one clear purpose, and how to use it as a repeatable reset—without shame, without all-or-nothing thinking, and without turning it into another thing you “should” be doing.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, overstimulated, or stuck in reaction mode, this episode is your reminder: you’re allowed to set some of it down. You’re allowed to create support. You’re allowed to begin again.

Song of the Episode: Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

What if the version of you everyone praises is also the version that’s wearing you out?

In this episode of Backpacking Through ADHD, Tera talks about unmasking from a very real place—not as someone who has it all figured out, but as someone who’s been high-functioning for a long time and is starting to feel the weight of it. When you’re the capable one, the dependable one, the one who “gets it done,” it can be hard to admit how much effort it takes to look that put together.

This conversation is about the desire to unmask. The longing to stop performing your way through your own life. The exhaustion that comes from perfectionism, overthinking, over-preparing, and carrying an invisible second job: managing how you’re perceived.

You’ll hear a grounded, honest look at:

• What masking looks like for high-achieving women with ADHD
• Why it can feel so risky to be real, even when you want to be
• What belonging actually means when you’re used to earning your place
• Small, practical ways to begin unmasking without blowing up your life

Song of the Episode: “Unwritten” — Natasha Bedingfield

Becoming Brave at School is about the kind of courage ADHD kids practice every day, even when no one calls it brave. In this episode, Grayson joins me as we talk about what school bravery really looks like: starting when your brain feels stuck, coming back after a hard moment, repairing when things go sideways, and telling the truth when it would be easier to hide.

One thing teachers have praised in Grayson for years is his honesty. No matter the situation, no matter the answer, he tells the truth. And in a school environment that can feel loud, fast, and demanding, honesty isn’t just “good behavior.” It’s self-trust. It’s regulation. It’s a brave nervous system choosing connection over fear.

If school has felt heavy for your child lately, this episode is a reminder that struggling doesn’t mean failing. It means they’re practicing skills. It means they’re becoming.

Song of the Episode: King of the Lost Boys by Sara Bareilles

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