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Audhd Forward, Richmond (2026)

27/01/2026

Sitting with a feeling …

Sometimes supporting yourself … and others … with their emotions doesn’t involve anything other than allowing acceptance and therefore permission and space for them to exist.

External expression may be nothing more than ‘I’m feeling something big.’

Yes I could give it a label or a name, I have lots of words at my disposal - i can try to describe it - I can convince you how ‘on point’ I am with any such description - convince myself too. That scenario has lead to all sorts of unwise decisions and choices in the past.

But the likelihood is such a description wouldn’t resonate 20 mins later. And you would be confused as to why my actions no longer seemed in keeping with the afore mentioned ‘emotional state’.

Eventually I’ll get there but it won’t be a time sensitive response. I’ll learn from it - store the information should a future identical scenario appear another time in my life… unlikely … but the insight will drop long after the event.

So the best thing for me is to just say I have a big emotion. Today I can tell it’s something positive and exciting, almost overwhelming but I’m just going to sit with that and enjoy it. This slide sums up a lot of what’s contributing to that feeling right now. And I think there’s an outcome on the horizon but I’m not quite sure what it is yet. My growth is that feels ok ☺️.

Maybe this makes sense to some and for others you can think of it as an example of Alexithymia perhaps… not being able to process emotions clearly or promptly.

And for senco’s out there writing EHCP targets for children perhaps consider helping a child with their emotions not through smily and sad faces, or a choice of words but with the acknowledgement that emotions can be hard to understand or to label and that’s ok.

Help them allow themselves space to notice how their body responds, yo a heaviness or tightness in their chest - the grey cloud they can almost touch, give them the opportunity to run and squeal when the excitement is bursting out of them.

Teach them the tools breathwork and movement and explore sensory strategies to help them regulate the feelings do they don’t become too big.

Help them accept not being able to match emotions to a word because what is that teaching, masking, compliance … fitting in? Give them emotional and physical space to just be. … perhaps.

I think that would have helped me.

24/01/2026

Settling in….

“Can I take my shoes off?”

Lots of lovely moments settling in to the second week in my new workspace in Darlington.

I’m more focused … it’s like a version of body doubling knowing I’m based in a building where others are working even if I don’t see anyone.

And I feel I’m getting back to a version of myself I thought had lost for ever …

Excited, motivated, determined … producing frameworks in which my learning, knowledge and experience can slot … not for anyone else … just for me. Making sense of it all as a whole.

It’s a new pace, new way of working which feels healthy.

This week I had my first real sense of working in hyperfocused way since my autism diagnosis in Sept 2024 … I worked until after 1am not because I was manically lost in what I was doing and unable to stop due to a driven and all consuming out of control energy, but because I wanted to get a time sensitive piece of work finished and I wanted the openess of a whole night to complete it over the time constraints of a day with other commitments to work around. That would have felt like pressure. And switching between tasks would have interrupted my flow. And I was in flow, I enjoyed the process because I felt like I was creating. Creating my business. Creating a way to reach more children and families.

I made a conscious choice.

It felt like a positive choice based on self awareness.

But I know I have to keep an eye on these choices - make sure I keep a balance and don’t become all consumed in the excitement and joy of creating something I truly believe in and know will grow as I do - as a person, as a practitioner.

There have been lots of lovely moments this week -new clients, families, returning and existing clients… Charlie (the dog) is much more settled … but my favourite moment was today when a 12 year old who is really struggling to manage the school environment asked me if he could take his shoes off.

Possibly the ultimate seal of approval.

Backed by Charlie. 🫶🐾

DM for in person and online services or email

marie@audhdforward.com

16/01/2026

I will try and start to separate my AuDHD Forward posts from Marie Helen Coaching … one is my online work, mostly with university students - the other will be my in person work mostly with children and schools.

But for now my head has reached max capacity and so excuse me whilst I repeat myself …

Tired after a busy week …

Often lists serve little purpose beyond processing that takes place as I write them - I rarely look at them again - but on days like today, my head was grateful for some external prompting just to keep functioning.

In the past 9 days I’ve;

Continued my AuDHD Forward online coaching from my new space with yet another canvas 😆 as a backdrop whilst also…

moving in to business premises (and losing the key 😕)
Redecorating (with help)
Designing and ordering signs (lots of last min changes and a couple of rectifications 🤪)
Connected with parents, head teachers, SENCos, a minister, camhs, training providers, coaches, teachers, to let them know I’m here
Had photos taken 😬
Met new clients online
Welcomed first in person visitors
Physically and therefore emotionally and energetically separated my work life from my personal life (mostly)
Started new NHS recognised accreditation so I’m in a position to reach more children and families with my work.

And I think next week will be about:

Setting up group sessions for:
Primary girls
Secondary girls
Who experience anxiety, friendship difficulties, struggle with low self esteem and confidence

Working on promotion/information materials

Letting schools know in more detail what support is available for students but also teachers, parents, referral processes.

And this weekend is about:

Switching off
Walking
Running
Eating
cinema
Household jobs
Planning food ahead

I’m loving feeling this balance with taking small steps every day and keeping sight of big goals.

Keeping self care in the mix is an effort but one I know I need to prioritise to keep this energy flowing. I can plan for it but I know I also need to listen to my body, to my behaviours, my focus, my emotions.

And that’s a big difference in how I live my life now.

Hope you have a lovely weekend 🫶

16/01/2026

I’m making it happen!

Ok my list of ‘to do’s’ in terms of the physical environment - my new place of work is complete- pictures below.

And today I welcomed a 6 year old little girl and her mum and it felt good. My first in person clients and it felt welcoming. My nervous system felt good by the end the little girl eventually felt able to choose from ‘the little something box’

So it’s worth the investment. I don’t know if it’s my autism but I had to do all the things to set up the space and feel like ‘home’ I know the idea of them would have taken over my nervous system otherwise - and I haven’t just been creating ‘house’ - I’ve been working on my business and delivering the services I offer alongside this spurt of creativity and expression. But a more business minded person may have waited, waited for the funds, waited to see what this brings.

Still I believe in this project with a passion… it’s not just another go, trying something different. This time everything feels as if it’s come together - personal and professional , my special interest in supporting others and neurodivergence and personal development. It kind of feels like it has a momentum of its own. My waiting room demonstrates this with most of my canvases one the past 4 years up
on the wall.

I haven’t taken stock of this week yet, but I will because there’s things in the pipeline I wouldn’t have envisioned on Monday. There’s things in my work space I wouldn’t have envisioned on Monday!

I know I’m part this is my ADHD strengths at work and in my excitement the unhelpful traits are a little louder right now - timing for buses and shower, washing, shipping for food, losing keys, order duplicates, changing my mind about signs a million times, using the wrong email address, forgetting to drink water, slipping on the exercise…

But also I’m employing new ways of being - building relationships with confidence and a sense of calm, taking my time in and planning strategic. Business decisions, maybe delaying but not ignoring admin tasks, staying goals each day and being kind to myself.

And the universe seems aligned with my intentions… sometimes in big ways… sometimes small … like the cafe with a sign today which said ‘free coffee if your name is Marie’ (and I didn’t take a picture 🥴🫣) a super kind, supportive and understanding property manager, a little table left behind which fits my sand tray box perfectly!

I had to create this space if I wanted to work with children and young people face to face - and I do. But also it gifts me a sense of purpose and productivity. The investment is something I need to prove and being in a business environment works like body doubling and I have a calm motivating working environment I feel proud of. When I’m there I’m working. There’s no distractions just a little wander with my dog now and then (dogs being allowed another happy coincidence).

More focus, more calm is heading my way and I’m excited.

13/01/2026

Building towards a vision every day.

Tomorrow is the start of NHS recognised Mindful Emotion coaching with Dr Sarah Temple which will give me more tools and knowledge to support children, families and schools.

This afternoon the signs went up outside my office building and I had to pinch myself.

Today my new email address and website page came into existence.

Tomorrow I will order word art for the back no wall in my main work space :

“You have all the answers you need inside you…
… if they’re hard to find, we can find them together.”

AuDHD Forward online work will continue - supporting university students both undergraduate and post graduate and Access to Work funded late diagnosed ADHD and Autistic online clients.

This is what I want- no boxes, no restrictive niche - this work, support and need doesn’t fix in a box… it ebbs and flows, interacts and ripples.

And this is me feeling fully aligned because this time round I’m listening to me … I’m creating a business and a purpose based on my passion, compassion, empathy, experience and values.

Each day means giving it my all. Each day being fully present. And it will be about balance and a holistic approach to my life too.

These are the steps I’ve had to learn to take.

New contact details :

Website: Mariehelencoaching.com
Email: marie@mariehelencoaching.com

Please feel free to share.

12/01/2026

That feeling when you’re driven, passionate and focused on achieving something … you do the thing, then you feel a little lost… transitions can be hard!

But after a whole weekend spent moving and decorating and organising and creating a second home and last minute tidying this morning I was able to stand back and appreciate this new space waiting to welcome children, families.

I know it’s natural to feel a mix of emotions right now - excited, but also nervous and it’s progress for me to sit with those feelings and remind myself how I can trust in me to make this venture become whatever it is it’s meant to become.

So now it’s time to focus on welcoming new clients…. Spreading the word, inviting professionals, peers, parents and children into the space.

I’m grateful to have had 3 online clients today which has kept me moving and removed the risk of me wasting 2 hours sat like a rabbit caught in headlights!

There’s still more to do …
Tomorrow the signs arrive. Wednesday a big rug and printer and introduction to the space for my first in person client. Thursday pictures.

But I’m ready and this is what I am offering in this in person space in the centre of Darlington.

🎯Non directive therapeutic play (sand tray)
🎯Drawing & Talking
🎯ADHD/AuDHD youth coaching
🎯Creative life coaching for kids
🎯Dyslexia /learning assessments

Future plans include Breathwork, movement, meditation, Emotional freedom technique classes and mindful emotion coaching training for parents and teachers but I’m going to save that list of ‘shiny’ tasks.

So looking forward to welcoming children and families to …

The Nook
Stanhope House
Darlington
DL3 7SF

12/01/2026

That feeling when you’re driven, passionate and focused on achieving something … you do the thing, then you feel a little lost… that’s the transition I guess which is a hard gap to manage .. in that it can become a bit of an empty and lost space.

But these days rather than beating myself up I’m allowing myself those feelings, knowing I will recalibrate.

Today is a good day for that feeling as I have 3 online clients do I know I’m achieving something still. Tomorrow the signs arrive. Wednesday a big rug and printer. Thursday pictures.

So although there are still more tweaks on their way, I feel ready to welcome children, families and professionals into this space and I’m starting in earnest to let people know about my in-person services:

🎯Non directive therapeutic play (sand tray)
🎯Drawing & Talking
🎯ADHD/AuDHD youth coaching
🎯Creative life coaching for kids
🎯Dyslexia /learning assessments

Future plans include Breathwork, movement, meditation, Emotional freedom technique classes and mindful emotion coaching training for parents and teachers but I’m going to save that list of ‘shiny’ tasks.

Still some finishing touches to add but so far …

09/01/2026

The consultation process around SEN reform reached Darlington and North East yesterday.

I was cynical but actually felt there was a genuine effort being made to listen to those impacted by current failings in the system - parents, teachers, healthcare and other related professionals and organisations.

My thoughts didn’t change but it was deafening to hear everyone sharing different experiences of the same story.

What I came away with was a renewed clarity in understanding that any effective change won’t come from another raft of new initiatives built on shaky ground.

A change in Sen in schools has to be based on a flexible, creative, compassionate understanding underpinning the purpose of education - filtering through the curriculum, attendance, support, relationships, the environment. It has to be applied at all levels through policy, management, curriculum, the classroom, the school gates. Education can’t just be about academic achievent and the way schools are judged to be performing has to reflect this.

We can’t expect teachers to meet the needs of individual students if that isn’t the actual intention of education and if that isn’t understood as a holistic need and approach.

There needs to be an understanding that one child’s experience of the world may be totally unfathomable to some - in moments of stress and pressure to some teachers a child’s logic may seem distorted, their sensory sensitivities alien, their absence of awareness willful, their emotions over the top, their physical behaviours defiant … and yes there needs to be education around this which explains dysregulation, trauma responses, sensory awareness, processing differences…

But more fundamentally there needs to be an acceptance and understanding that it’s ok for a child’s experience of the world to be unfathomable to you, and that in itself doesn’t make it not true and it doesn’t stop you responding with respect and taking action to support that expressed reality.

But this isn’t just the role of teachers this needs to be at the heart of the education system. Because when it’s not it reveals itself in all sorts of ways.

And it’s not just about the children and how emotionally and psychologically safe they feel, it’s about the headteachers, teachers and parents too.

And there needs to be space and flexibility in the system to accommodate differences, to showcase a child’s individual strengths even when they don’t fit into a specific curriculum subject.

So yes it’s about resources but first it’s about understanding.

Yesterday I had the chance to speak to the Minister for School Standards Georgia Gould MP and she seemed to be listening.

Let’s hope so… let this not be another raft of initiatives which collapse because of the shaky foundations upon which they sit. Let these changes come from the ground up and maybe they will have a chance of making a real difference.

25/12/2025

Understanding myself better has gone from understanding my autism, adhd and how perimenopause impacts me … plus spending time considering my values, my intentions and allowing myself to dream. Self compassion runs through it all.

I know I need to move.

I know I may want to do things that others think is a little bit strange.

I don’t feel the need to live my life the way other people think I should. Or at least less so.

Which finds me aged 53 embracing my age as a stage when new habits and skills and strength can be built.

It may take more effort, longer time and be harder than it was when I was 6 years old but that’s ok. I’m not giving up because I’m building my best life every day… no wasted days, no ‘can’t’ only ‘how’?

Look out for the after video in a month or so 😌

Hope you found a way to do something for you today 🫶

20/12/2025

Keeping it simple …

Two of the things on that list would never have been in my self care list this time last year!

I messaged someone this morning with ‘speak later I’m just off for a run for 2 hours’ 😳 . Never written that before in my life!!

Home in time for a quick turnaround and an online retreat with the most amazing meditations probably 3 hours worth during the day and a chance to reengage with reiki healing which I tend to shy away from. Also something I would not have anticipated even 4 months ago.

Now cooking a nice meal with no alcohol in sight … that’s been a gradual introduction over the year.

Then I’ll be watching Strictly - forcing one of my children to join me 🫶

All in all a lovely day.

And in reflecting on today and the year it feels like a representation of how a lot has changed over the past 12 months. I’ve changed. I know myself better and although running and meditation take a lot of time and effort I understand now how they are my medication. And reiki has been there as a constant over the past 3 years. I need them all… and the healthy eating and the wind down time.

I know if I miss any of these elements of self care my challenges will be heightened and less manageable. Mood, energy, purpose, self worth are all affected.

And I’m grateful I know and understand that now. Taking a full day off for self care is not usual but it’s the weekend and it’s nearly Christmas but it’s reminded me how I need to dedicate a proportion of the day every day to these activities … even if it’s 10 mins meditation, 10 mins weights at home or an extra long dog walk. Permission to relax and do something for fun and the importance of connection… doesn’t have to take up lots of time, energy or £s.

And to top it all remembering to be grateful.

When you’re ADHD - all these types of activities help to regulate your nervous system - a holistic approach that’s taken me 4 years to understand and I guess be ready and in a position mentally to embrace it all.

Just sharing in case it gives you a nudge or sows a seed for you in your journey, even though I have that voice saying ‘people must know this already’ when you know it does seem obvious - same with everything I guess, but me this time last year didn’t know this … not in an embodied way at least and maybe she didn’t care enough about herself to discover it.

It’s all layers, cycles, ripples of healing, growth, knowledge, action. I wonder what this time next year will look like , what new ‘obvious’ knowledge and self awareness I will have uncovered?

I’m feeling excited to find out.

15/12/2025

Sometimes I feel like running from the labels, jargon, debates, external processing of inner thinking presented as knowledge and expertise.

It feels too much.

Maybe I’m sensitive and maybe you are too.

So let me tell you what coaching isn’t.

Coaching isn’t me as the expert because …

You are the expert on you.

Always.

You are looking for connection with that expertise… to give yourself permission to be you.

And there’s no-one else in the world who can do that for you.

But sometimes we need the space to focus in on that expertise and inner wisdom. Sometimes it’s been buried deep because someone once told us it was wrong because it was a different truth, perspective, reality to theirs. And people, it seems are hard wired to be scared of difference.

Sometimes we need someone to help us check in and ask ourselves…

Whose voice am I listening to? Is it my voice or does it belong to someone else? Is it some received wisdom which actually doesn’t resonate with me?

Coaching isn’t about hacks, though you may come up with one during a session.

It isn’t about judgement or shame - ever.

It isn’t about my journey - though it may help to know ‘it’s not just you’.

It isn’t about my knowledge. Though you may have questions I can fill you in on.

It’s about a space to connect with yourself.

And a reminder how powerful and important it is to do that.

I have the training to help you do that.

I don’t bombard you, put you under pressure though you may choose accountability.

We work at your pace and sometimes that connection with yourself is all you need, like a seed you can nurture yourself.

I understand how simple acts can be complex, how emotions can run deep, how thoughts can have endless layers.

There’s no need to explain yourself, unless you want to; we just focus on what it is you need to shift, embrace, accept in that moment.

Sometimes clients see me weekly, sometimes monthly sometimes it’s more than a year between appointments.

There is no fixed way to do this.

Every journey is unique.

If you know you need space to connect back to yourself I’m here. Today, next week, month or in 6 months.

Save for when you’re ready.🫶

11/12/2025

Thoughts please…

One of the strengths/challenges of a neurodivergent brain is that you are never thinking one thought at any one time.

If I’m focused there will be one train of thought expressed verbally at a time but at least another 2 maybe 3 conversations, trains of thought, observations, ideas happening inside my head at the same time.

And my business journey reflects that. And now, I’m ready to embrace that multi layered existence and release the confines of niche, specialism. Although I do specialise - I specialise in humans gaining greater understanding and acceptance of who they are. And I like variety, variety doesn’t overwhelm me, it helps me focus.

So next step - basing my work at this new premises I have the idea of holding space for all these business identities which have emerged over the past 4 years. Maybe the idea of niching is based on a neurotypical ability and preference to focus on one thing at a time?

My idea now and obviously I want to sort this immediately 🥴… is to bring all the branches of my business under the physical umbrella of this new working space which I’m thinking of calling ‘The Nook’ - I know it will throw up challenges in terms of marketing what I do and letting people know - would it mean 4 different social media accounts or just one in addition to AuDHD forward or a new one for The Nook ? …

Thought I’d put it out there … heading off for a walk to see if clarity comes …

Am I unrealistic … does that matter?

Thank you for reading - all thoughts welcome 🙏

Audhd Forward

27/01/2026

24/01/2026

16/01/2026

16/01/2026

13/01/2026

12/01/2026

12/01/2026

09/01/2026

25/12/2025

20/12/2025

15/12/2025

11/12/2025

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Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 7pm
Thursday	9am - 7pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 1pm