From High School to Hired: A Story of Growth, Gratitude, and Executive Function

Black Friday sneak peek: Special offers are coming the week of November 23 — and they’re all about helping you power growing brains.

Why Training in Executive Function Coaching Changes Everything

These are the moments that remind me why deep, science-based training in executive function coaching matters so much. When we truly understand the brain- how regulation, flexibility, and working memory develop and interact- we can support growth that lasts far beyond school.

So many participants in the Mastering Executive Function course, ​linked here,​ share that this training has transformed the way they work. They often say it has helped them see students through an entirely new lens and given them tools that create lasting change.

This is why so many academic coaches, tutors, and teachers eventually transition into executive function coaching. They realize that content knowledge alone is not enough. Real change happens when you know how to connect strategies to the brain.

And it is also why stories like this one stay with me.

When Students Grow Into Colleagues: Gratitude for Growth Across the Years

November always invites me to pause and reflect on gratitude, not just for the big milestones but for the steady, quiet moments that remind me why I love this work.

This week, one of those moments came through a simple text. A student I first coached in high school reached out, thrilled to share that she had landed her first full-time job. “I got it!” she wrote, and I could almost hear the joy in her voice.

Over nearly eight years, I have watched her grow from a teenager navigating mental health and medical challenges to a confident young professional stepping into her career. There were times early on when I wasn’t even sure she liked working with me. But she always came back, first in college and now again, as she transitions into the working world and wants accountability to reach her goals.

Executive Function Across the Lifespan

Moments like this are powerful reminders that executive function growth is lifelong.
The prefrontal cortex continues to mature into our late twenties and early thirties, which means the foundational skills we strengthen in adolescence: regulation, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, continue to evolve and deepen over time.

When students first start coaching, these are the cornerstones we build on.
Regulation helps them pause, calm, and access their thinking brain.
Cognitive flexibility helps them reframe challenges and adjust when things do not go as planned.
Working memory helps them hold onto what matters, including plans, priorities, and next steps.

Years later, when they return for a new season of life, those same foundational skills resurface, but often in more complex ways. Together, we begin working on advanced executive functions such as planning, organization, time management, goal-directed persistence, and problem solving. These advanced skills grow from the same foundation we built years earlier and allow students to navigate the evolving demands of adult life with confidence and clarity.

Coaching becomes a lifelong tool for self-awareness, adaptability, and resilience.

Full-Circle Gratitude

As we step into this month of gratitude, I am reminded how special it is to witness growth that unfolds over time. Watching a student evolve from a hesitant high schooler to a confident adult who still uses the same skills we once practiced together is an incredible privilege.

One of my favorite moments this month came when she shared her new job announcement on LinkedIn. In her post, she wrote, “Thank you so much. You’ve been an amazing resource. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Seeing those words was more than touching — it was a reminder of what makes this work so meaningful. Executive function coaching is not just about improving school performance; it is about equipping individuals with tools that continue to serve them through every new stage of life.

When regulation steadies the mind, flexibility opens perspective, and working memory connects the dots, students do not just cope with change. They thrive in it.

⚡ Power-Up Week Is Coming

The week of November 23 marks our biggest event of the season — Power-Up Week.

It’s a week dedicated to helping educators, coaches, and parents build brain-based skills, strengthen systems, and expand their impact.
From the perfect classroom gift to professional training that transforms your practice, every offer in Power-Up Week is designed to help you do what you do best: empower growing brains.

Support students. Grow your practice. Power the brain — all week long.