Share

cover art for Bonus: Planning Workshop

AuDHD Flourishing

Bonus: Planning Workshop

•

Bonus workshop from Like Your Brain (with client speaking cut out for privacy) on setting a personal intention or three for the new year that feels motivating and interesting to you. Of course you can use this method for any area of your life such as career.


Traditional goal-setting starts with where you want to "arrive." We start with how you want to FEEL, and what helps you feel that way. 


The reason I'm focusing on feelings and personal aims is that we often put our best energy into professional life, relationships, other people, and generally things we think we're supposed to do. If there's something that makes you feel REALLY REALLY GOOD, I want that to be elevated to the status of Annual Goal ;) (if you want that... we'll talk about ways to approach this without the goal word also)


The questions if you want to write about them:
  1. What makes you happy, feel good, etc (or however else you want to feel)? Or what kinds of experiences do you enjoy (what brings you pleasure or is interesting to you)? When you think about times you feel good, or like the way you're feeling, how might you describe that? 
  2. What activities, situations, people etc support you in experiencing or feeling that way? Are there any patterns you notice when you think about the times that you've felt this way?
  3. What are some potential goals that might move you toward that?
  4. Is there one that stands out that you'd like to work with? What might this look like for next year? What's feeling like something you could feasibly start moving toward soonish?
  5. What do you need to support this? What do you already have at your disposal that might support it? What would you need to add to your life in terms of people, resources, learning, time, actual physical objects, etc to support this potential intention or desire?


New Year: Map Your Intention session

Bonus: for folks who check out by Dec 25th, I'll also be providing a bonus follow-up email with suggested resources that I'll research for you after our call.


Full call including everyone's comments over on the Like Your Brain community

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 160 Doing Things Mode

    10:28|
    Something I've noticed: my brain seems to be in "not doing things" or "doing things" mode.Pushing myself too much during okay executive function days tends to lead to multiple days of recovery.So ironically, doing a bit less on those days has made for a more consistent capacity...AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)®
  • 159 Imaginary To-Do Lists

    08:28|
    A silly hack I use to calm my brain down. You can also use it to track your interests or other patterns over time.AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • An Emmy winner's trick for ADHD idea overload, from The ADHD Channel for Women

    29:36|
    AuDHDer Cate Osborn (Catieosaurus) interviews Adam Reid about idea overload... relevant whether or not you're a creative professional or writer like Adam! Thanks to The ADHD Channel for Women from Understood.org for letting me post this episode. You can find all of their episodes here. (And Sep 22 2026 they put out an episode on ADHD & PMDD, which is a thing people ask me about a lot!)AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • 158 Communicating With Truth-Haters

    13:10|
    Many AuDHDers have shared stories with me about some version of the following: There is a problem staring them in the facePeople in power don't want to hear about it This comes up a lot at work. The more subtle version is trying to get someone to give a straight answer about exactly what needs to be done, or how. And they act like it's somehow an affront to their authority... so confusing! If you struggle with communicating with someone who seems resistant to the truth, this episode offers the big picture understanding of what might be going on. AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • 157 Your Brain Learns Fast

    18:04|
    Part of what hyperneuroplasticity means is that your brain learns quickly on many fronts... including from negative data. This has some obvious downsides!The good news is that what might feel like excruciatingly slow learning in other areas (8-18 repetitions) is actually normal. Your brain just learns fast sometimes ;)The other good news is that 2 data points does NOT equal a predictive pattern yet, no matter how much your brain may want it to.Join me in person at BloomCon 2026! (Online options too)AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • 156 Hyperneuroplasticity with Dr Patty Gently

    01:00:38|
    Dr. Patty Gently is one of the most important researchers and voices in the gifted neurodivergence space. Her free online community, Bloomers, has a few thousand mostly 2e members.And her research around hyperneuroplasticity is filling in some gaps in the literature to explain some of our experiences!Love Your Brain course (and the Sep/Oct 2026 live round info) - starts Sep 8Connect with Patty:Aphantasia, Alexithymia, Autobiographical Memory, and the HNP Mind, post from her free SubstackThe Gentle Heretic, Dr. Gently's website where you can also reach outBright Insight Support Networkfree Facebook group, BloomersJoin both of us at BloomCon 2026!AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • How to Make Projects Happen - Repost

    43:24|
    AuDHD brains face many challenges when it comes to projects. It's something I've put a great deal of time and learning into, both personally and professionally. This episode covers many ideas and approaches that tend to work for us.Key Takeaways:We usually learn to use what I call the Adrenaline-Anxiety Approach. While effective short-term, it can lead to burnout and other issues.A monotropic approach is more sustainable and individualized... and it can feel slow at first.Experimentation as a core toolCreating just enough structure and safety to get going, without getting bogged down (loose planning)Working with the brain states you haveManaging interruptions, inputs, and daily lifeFinding the balance that works for youThe episode also walks through the Love Your Brain course, designed to help AuDHDers understand their mind-body system, work with brain states, and navigate project challenges. The course emphasizes self-compassion, experimentation, and building processes tailored to individual needs.Repost - originally posted July 12th 2024Links mentioned:Devon Price's Laziness Does Not Exist article, and a PDF if you're not on MediumThe transcript may be especially useful for this episode! (It'll take a few seconds for the link to fully load to this episode)Love Your Brain course (and the Sep/Oct 2026 live round info)
  • 155 Making & Keeping Friends

    27:41|
    Making friends is hard. Developing and keeping those friendships is hard. It's literally work! Today I talk about my friendship journey, more to give examples and share what I've learned rather than to teach. Because this is a deeply personal topic that's affected by your current capacity!Mentioned upcoming live round of Love Your Brain course (Sep-Oct 2026)AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
  • 154 Friendship Skills with Caroline Maguire

    01:06:10|
    Caroline Maguire is passionate about learning how to bring your whole neurodivergent self to friendships... and not scaring people off!Her book, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults, includes not only skills but red and green flags, and info on masking vs adapting (which we also talk about in the episode).Mentioned in episode: next week's workshop with Grace BezaireConnect with Caroline:Book Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults (affiliate link)Website https://carolinemaguireauthor.com/Instagram @authorcarolinemYouTube channelPodcast The ADHD Social PlaybookAuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)