ADHD Health Coaching: What It Is and How It's Different
If you've been searching for support with your health and wellness as someone with ADHD, you've probably come across a lot of options: therapists, nutritionists, personal trainers, life coaches. So where does ADHD health coaching fit in? And more importantly: is it right for you?
Let me break down what health coaching for neurodivergent adults actually looks like, and how it's different from other types of support you might have tried.
What Is ADHD Health Coaching?
ADHD health coaching is a collaborative partnership focused on helping you build sustainable health habits that work with your ADHD brain, not against it.
Unlike traditional health coaching that follows a one-size-fits-all approach, ADHD health coaching recognizes that your brain processes information, manages time, responds to structure, and experiences motivation differently than neurotypical brains do.
As a health coach specializing in ADHD, I help clients:
Develop personalized approaches to nutrition and movement
Build routines that accommodate variable executive function
Navigate sensory sensitivities around food and exercise
Heal their relationship with their body
Stop the all-or-nothing cycles that lead to burnout
Create sustainable health practices based on autonomy, not rigid rules
How ADHD Health Coaching Is Different from Therapy
This is one of the most common questions I get, so let's clarify:
Therapy typically focuses on mental health diagnoses, processing past trauma, and addressing clinical conditions like anxiety or depression. Therapists are licensed mental health professionals who can diagnose and treat psychological disorders.
ADHD health coaching focuses on the present and future - helping you create practical strategies for your health and wellness goals right now. We work on things like:
Building sustainable eating patterns
Finding movement you actually enjoy
Managing stress and preventing burnout
Developing body trust and self-compassion
Can you do both? Absolutely! In fact, many of my clients work with both a therapist and a health coach. They complement each other beautifully - therapy helps you process and heal, while coaching helps you build and implement.
How It's Different from Working with a Nutritionist
Nutritionists and dietitians are experts in food science and medical nutrition therapy. They're amazing at things like managing diabetes, addressing nutrient deficiencies, or creating meal plans for specific medical conditions.
ADHD health coaching takes a broader, more individualized approach. Instead of prescribing meal plans or telling you what to eat, I help you:
Reconnect with your body's hunger and fullness signals
Navigate the executive function challenges of meal planning
Address sensory sensitivities around food
Heal from diet culture and food rules
Build flexible approaches that work with ADHD time blindness
As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I use principles that honor your body's wisdom rather than external food rules. This is especially important for neurodivergent adults, who often struggle when given rigid dietary guidelines.
How It's Different from Personal Training
Personal trainers are experts in exercise technique, program design, and physical conditioning. They're great if you want structured workout plans and form correction.
ADHD health coaching approaches movement from a completely different angle:
Finding what actually feels good in your body (not what you "should" do)
Working with sensory sensitivities to exercise environments
Building movement habits that don't require perfect consistency
Addressing the shame and anxiety many people feel about exercise
Creating sustainable approaches to movement that fit your life
My background includes being a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, but I use that knowledge very differently than traditional training. It's less about "no pain, no gain" and more about "what works for your unique body and brain?"
The Neurodivergent-Specific Approach
Here's what makes ADHD health coaching truly different: everything is designed with your neurodivergent brain in mind from the start.
We account for:
Variable executive function (some days are easier than others)
Time blindness and difficulty with consistent routines
Sensory sensitivities around food textures and exercise
The tendency toward all-or-nothing thinking
Rejection sensitivity and people-pleasing patterns
The exhaustion that comes from masking
We use:
Somatic practices to help you reconnect with your body
Parts work to address internal conflicts about health
Shame-healing techniques to break free from self-criticism
Flexibility and autonomy as core principles
Your lived experience as the expert on your own body
What ADHD Health Coaching Is NOT
Let me be clear about what I don't do:
❌ I don't diagnose ADHD or any other condition (that's for medical professionals)
❌ I don't prescribe meal plans or tell you exactly what to eat
❌ I don't provide therapy or treat mental health conditions
❌ I don't promise quick fixes or transformation in 30 days
❌ I don't use shame, guilt, or "tough love" approaches
Health coaching for neurodivergent adults is about partnership, not prescribing. You're the expert on your own experience. I'm here to help you figure out what works for YOU.
Who Is ADHD Health Coaching For?
ADHD health coaching might be right for you if:
You're exhausted from trying health approaches that don't stick
You struggle with the executive function demands of meal planning and consistent routines
You've experienced or are recovering from disordered eating
You're burnt out from masking and people-pleasing
You want support that actually understands how your brain works
You're ready to stop forcing yourself into neurotypical approaches
You don't need an official ADHD diagnosis to work with me. If you resonate with the neurodivergent experience and my approach speaks to you, you're welcome here.
What to Expect When Working Together
In our coaching sessions, we:
Start where you are - No judgment about what you're currently doing or not doing
Explore what matters to you - Your values and goals, not what diet culture says you "should" want
Build sustainable practices - Small, flexible approaches that fit your actual life
Address the internal stuff - The shame, the self-criticism, the parts of you that are scared of change
Adjust as we go - Because what works one month might need tweaking the next, and that's completely normal
Sessions typically happen weekly or bi-weekly, and we work together for as long as feels supportive. Some clients work with me for a few months, others for a year or more.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD Health Coaching
Do I need an ADHD diagnosis to work with you? Nope! If you resonate with the neurodivergent experience and my approach speaks to you, that's enough. I work with self-identified neurodivergent adults as well as those with formal diagnoses.
How is health coaching different from life coaching? Health coaches specifically focus on wellness, nutrition, movement, and body relationship. Life coaches work on broader life goals like career, relationships, and personal development. There's some overlap, but the focus is different.
Will you give me a meal plan or workout routine? No - that's not how I work. Instead, I'll help you develop your own individualized approach based on what actually works for your brain, body, and life. You know yourself best; I'm here to support you in figuring out what that looks like.
Can I work with you if I have an eating disorder? I'm experienced in supporting eating disorder recovery as a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, but I'm not a therapist. If you're currently in acute stages of an eating disorder, you'll need to be working with a treatment team that includes a therapist and potentially a dietitian. I can be part of that team as your health coach.
How long does coaching take? It varies! Some people work with me for 3-6 months to address specific goals, while others find ongoing support helpful for a year or more. We'll figure out what makes sense for you.
What if I've tried everything and nothing works? That's actually exactly who I work with. When "everything" hasn't worked, it usually means you've been trying approaches designed for neurotypical brains. Once we shift to strategies that work WITH your ADHD, things start to click differently.
Ready to Try a Different Approach?
If you're tired of forcing yourself into health approaches that weren't designed for brains like yours, I'd love to talk.
ADHD health coaching isn't about fixing you or making you more neurotypical. It's about finally having support that gets it - and helping you build health practices that actually feel sustainable.
Let's figure out what works for YOUR brain and body. Book a free consultation call and we'll talk about whether coaching is the right fit for you.