Heather Reed

Biography

Hi, I'm Heather! While I was born in Idaho, I've lived in Washington since I was 3 and have always considered Washington home. After moving 9 times (crazy, I know!) throughout college and my early 20's, I've now set down roots with my family in Edmonds, Washington.

Over the course of my working life, I've held a wide range of jobs. In college, I was a retail sales associate and apartment leasing agent. Upon graduation, I worked as an interior designer and construction project manager. 6 years ago, I transitioned to pediatric sleep consultant, ADHD coach and creative entrepreneur.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 39, it was such a relief! Everything that I'd struggled with suddenly made sense and I realized: nothing was wrong with me, my brain just works differently.

Outside of work, you can find me shuttling my kids to school and their activities, hanging out with my husband, cooking allergen free meals, planning out my next creative endeavor, caring for my (rapidly) growing house plant collection and playing with my dogs. I'm so elated to be a part of the Life Skills Advocate team and look forward to getting to know you.

What are some of your special interests?

One of my special interests is buying and growing houseplants. This is a relatively new special interest for me, but I've quickly gone down a rabbit hole and now own 26 plants. I love the life that they bring to my home and find it so relaxing to care for them. It's so exciting watching them grow a new leaf or when they're really happy and flower. Until now, I've always said that I have a brown thumb, killing every plant that ever came into my home. But what I'm learning is that I just didn't have the knowledge until I decided I wanted to learn.

I've been a lifelong Seattle Seahawks fan, watching the games with my dad growing up and continuing to watch as an adult. I prefer the NFL to college football and enjoy watching and cheering them on - or yelling at the TV, depending on how the game is going.

Another special interest of mine is practicing reiki as a certified reiki master. I had my first reiki session in 2022 and was immediately hooked! I find it fascinating feeling the energy moving and the specific things that come up during a session being exactly what is needed at that time. I find it very helpful for relaxation and emotional regulation.

I've always been a very creative person with endless ideas and creative energy. Over the last year, I've been teaching myself how to draw flowers and plants just using black ink with Micron pens of various line widths. It feels like a form of meditation and is a really calming way to begin my day.

What does executive functioning mean to you?

To me, executive functioning encompasses all of the brain-based skills that we utilize on a daily basis. These skills help us to move through work, school and life and include, but are not limited to, task initiation, planning, prioritization of tasks, time management, working memory and organization.

What is a strategy you use with clients and use personally?

I focus daily on the connection between body and mind. One example is this: lack of sleep deeply impacts how our brain is able to function and as a result we experience an increase in dysregulation and executive functioning challenges. So first and foremost, ensuring that we are caring for our mind by caring for our physical body sets us up to be better able to practice the other strategies that support executive function.

How has your personal experience and professional development impacted your coaching?

My personal experience with someone with ADHD, who is also parenting children with ADHD, has had a dramatic impact on my coaching. I've experienced first-hand the feelings of shame and frustration with my brain not operating how I wish it would, but also, in finding solutions that support me in overcoming those challenges. As a parent, I've been witness to my children's different experiences and the ways in which ADHD affects them. This has informed a unique perspective of being able to relate not only to young people's experiences but also understanding the perspective of a parent and as an adult with ADHD. 

How would you describe your personal approach to coaching?

As a coach, my mantra has always been that there is no one size fits all approach to coaching. I recognize and honor that every person is unique with their own perspectives, life experiences and challenges. My role as a coach is to embrace that, listen and support people in finding the best combination of solutions that will help them achieve their goals.

Which of LSA's core values resonates the most with you, and how do you incorporate it with your clients?

The value that I resonate the most with is to walk the neurodivergent walk. We’ve all grown up or are growing up in a society that, for the most part, doesn’t celebrate or acknowledge neurodivergence. We've often been made to feel like we have to hide our differences, manifesting as a source of shame. Being able to be our neurodivergent selves fearlessly and openly is an act of courage in and of itself – showing others that there is no shame in a brain that works differently than the status quo.

Do you have an area of coaching you specialize in?

I specialize in task and time management, planning and prioritization, mindset, the correlation between body and brain function, emotional regulation and the development of systems to support executive function.