Virtual Workgroup for College Students with ADHD

Emily Rubin Persons

I entered the world of ADHD when my son was diagnosed at the age of 10. Learning what we needed to know so that he could thrive wasn’t easy. It became my mission to help bring light and peace to teens or adults who have been living with frustration and chaos due to their ADHD. Together we work to improve self-awareness, create new habits, tackle obstacles, build strengths, and celebrate successes. I assist in strengthening executive functioning skills so that my client can meet their full potential academically, professionally, and socially. I help my clients discover strategies to focus on the mundane as well as the exciting stuff — with the goal of building a balanced life. Most importantly, I provide nonjudgmental space for my clients to learn how to do things in a way that works for them. I love helping people feel good and become their best self.

I’m a PCC certified (from the International Coaching Federation) ADHD Academic Coach (ADD Coach Academy and JST Coaching). Being the mom of 3 young adult men with very different brains, I’ve witnessed and lived the highs and lows! I also know that with coaching and education, ADHD doesn’t have to be so hard!

Emily Rubin Persons

Jennifer Litvak

Jenn is an ADHD trained Life Coach and Owner of Positive Approach Life & ADHD Coaching with a strong background in higher education. With over 25 years of experience working with college students and young adults in the area of Student Affairs, she has honed her skills in coaching individuals and groups, focusing on time management, life balance, leadership, and organization. As a parent of a 2E teen/young adult, she understands the challenges of transitioning kids to adulthood and offers support to both teens/young adults and parents. Jenn’s approach is engaging, positive, and interactive, helping clients build self-confidence and overcome obstacles. Having successfully managed her own ADHD since the age of 18, she brings valuable insights to adult clients as well. She is certified by AADCA (ADD Coaching Academy) and holds an ACC certification from the International Coaching Federation, adhering to the core competencies and ethics of ICF and PAAC. With a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University, her expertise extends to empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Jenn is a member of the ADDA ACHIEVE Committee and is looking forward to co-presenting at the ADHD International Conference in December.

Berkeley Gardener

Hi peeps! I’m Berkeley, a certified ADHD coach who has worked with students with ADHD for over 20 years. I live in Charlotte, NC with my husband and two rescue dogs. I have two young adult children; one is a junior in college and the other is a college grad and lives in San Francisco. I have also lived in Houston, TX and Pasadena, California. I really understand ADHD because I have it, as do my son and my husband, but we all have different flavors of this difference in brain wiring. I primarily coach college students. They are my jam, and I love how open-minded, optimistic, and energetic they can be. And while college can be amazing, it can also be overwhelming and stressful. I’m psyched to be able to lead the Virtual Support Group for College Students with ADHD, a safe space where students can collaborate and receive support and answers to questions or concerns. 

Kyra Todd

Kyra has been working as a professional ADHD coach since 2018 and is credentialed as an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation. She is also the founder of Northern Virginia Coaching Solutions and works part-time as Enrollment Coordinator at JST Coaching & Training. Growing up on college campuses, where both parents taught and her mother continues to teach, Kyra has always loved the potential for discovery that college can offer. Unsurprisingly, her coaching work focuses on exploring different ways to empower young people throughout the transition from high school to college, through college, and then onward toward greater autonomy. 

Kyra completed her coach training through JST’s Empowering Students Through Coaching program in 2018. She has also completed Gretchen Wegner’s educator program to strengthen study skills and received advanced training in Ross Greene’s Cooperative and Proactive Solutions problem-solving model as well as training from Impact ADHD to educate and support parents of children with ADHD. 

In her former professional life, Kyra was a lawyer in Washington, D.C., where she encouraged and facilitated hard conversations to resolve conflict and work toward meaningful resolution. The drive to understand other people’s experiences and perspective remains central to her coaching practice, as well as an illuminating guidepost in her life. She hikes with her two dogs any day she can and will watch almost any sci-fi show out there unconvinced that there is such a thing as “bad” sci-fi.

Gena VanderMeulen

As an Academic ADHD coach at the ADHD Center of West Michigan, Gena combines her experiences in the classroom with her knowledge of ADHD to enable middle school, high school and college students to navigate the educational world successfully. Her teaching experience gives her a unique perspective that enables her to help students bridge the disconnect between the rigid, traditional structure of the school setting and their individual academic needs. Her goal is always to help students find joy in school and life.

Gena was a high school English teacher for 31 years. During this time, she found her passion for helping students with diverse intellectual curiosities and varying academic needs find their potential, manage the school system, and build self-confidence. She spent much of her teaching career working with students who struggled to find success in school. Many of these students were highly intelligent but did not fit the mold that the school expects of students.

Gena holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education, English, and psychology from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction from Boise State University.

Qualifications:

• Graduate of ACA Coach Academies

• Certified Professional Academic Coach

• Associate Credentialed Coach through the International Coaching Federation

• Graduate of JST Coaching and Training with an emphasis on Coaching Neurodiverse Learners

• Chaos Free Family trained coach

• Anti-boring Approach to Powerful Studying trained coach

• Member ADHD Coaches Organization