News

Check out all the ways Better Sessions is educating the community and stay tuned for more articles, workshops, and presentations near you!

Better Sessions Partners with Growing Our Girls to Facilitate a Mother–Daughter Retreat

By Lisa Podell | September 15, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized

This past weekend, Better Sessions partnered with Growing Our Girls to host a meaningful Mother–Daughter Retreat for teen girls and their moms.

The day was filled with opportunities to deepen connection, spark creativity, and strengthen communication. Through interactive workshops, reflective exercises, and creative expression, mothers and daughters built memories that will last far beyond the retreat.

Stay tuned for more offerings from Better Sessions and Growing Our Girls to help you connect with your child in meaningful and lasting ways!

Better Sessions Brings Superhero Workshop to Charlotte Family Housing

By Lisa Podell | August 13, 2025 | Categories: Workshops

This summer, Better Sessions was thrilled to partner with Charlotte Family Housing—an organization dedicated to empowering working families experiencing homelessness to achieve lifelong self-sufficiency through shelter, housing, supportive services, and advocacy. At their youth summer camp, our Superhero Workshop brought a burst of creativity, confidence, and fun as campers discovered their own “superpowers” and designed unique superhero identities. If you are interested in getting involved, please visit www.charlottefamilyhousing.org

Lisa presents on Executive Functioning Skills and Healthy Behaviors at Salisbury Academy

By Lisa Podell | March 23, 2024 | Categories: Workshops

It was a pleasure speaking to this supportive community of educators and parents about identifying when your child needs additional support with executive functioning skills and practical ways to improve at home and in the classroom.

Lisa Podell Presents at The Rankin Insitute

By Lisa Podell | February 14, 2023 | Categories: Workshops

It is an honor to speak at The Rankin Institute each and every year. The theme remains the same: Ways parents can model executive functioning skills for their children. However, each year I update and refine the details based on what I’ve learned as an educator and a parent. This year I added a new segment on how to get present before jumping into a task that requires focus, patience, and attention, like this 90-minute talk I was giving to 50+ participants.

The next time you or your child are transitioning from one task to the next and it’s important to bring your full attention, consider the following:

How can I eliminate distractions in my physical space? (silence your phone, close your laptop, and distance yourself from other people’s conversations)
How can I eliminate distractions in my mental space? (write down the ideas or stressors that are cluttering up your mind)
Increase focus (3 deep breathes, jumping jacks, push-ups, something that gets you out of your head and into your body: increase that heart rate!)
Create calm (3 deep breathes, 1-2 stretches or yoga poses, listen to relaxing music)

How to Embrace your ADHD Strengths in Adulthood

By Jessica Swiger | November 18, 2020 | Categories: Resources

Each of our brains contains unimaginable strength and complexity. There are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain tissue as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. It’s no surprise that adapting to how our specific brain works is a process that requires time, trial and error, and constant lifestyle adjustments.

For those adults living with ADHD this process can be frustrating, and it can be easy to focus on what is going wrong while losing sight of the strengths and neurodiverse gifts it can bring.

Here’s how to embrace your strengths to minimize challenges and set yourself up for success!

Identify your Strengths

Think about what activities fill you with the most energy and motivation. This will provide you with some insight. If this proves difficult, ask the people closest to you what they observe to be your strengths. In addition, practice reframing perceived negative traits into positive qualities.

Impulsive → Creative

Hyperactive → Full of energy

Forgetful → Present-minded

Easily distracted → Rich, stimulating inner world

Put Strengths into Practice

Once you have identified your personal strengths you can then use them to minimize challenges that may come up in work tasks and projects, family scheduling and planning, or completing college courses.

For adults that get easily distracted, use your creativity to release your thoughts so you can regain focus.

Task switching, or transitioning from one task to another, is more common than ever with smartphones, streaming, and internet rabbit holes. Start becoming conscious of when you are switching tasks and make a written note to come back to the original task. Be patient and gentle with yourself as you get used to this process.

-Use a distraction log or bullet journal to take advantage of your active mind and get your creative ideas down onto paper to give yourself the chance to implement them.

For adults that have trouble getting started, use your problem-solving skills to plan ahead and prioritize each task.

Because of the desire to seek novelty in every moment, day to day tasks may seem more tedious and mundane. Accept this unique quality, use your strong persistence to problem solve, and plan ahead by prioritizing each task- starting with the most important.

-Set up a pre-work routine and create a list of rewards to choose from after completing each unmotivating task. This can help you stick to your plan.

For adults that struggle to meet deadlines, use your ability to hyperfocus to get ahead on tasks.

Hyperfocus, or the ability to zero in and focus 100% on something for an extended period of time, can be harnessed as a powerful tool for productivity. When in a hyper-focused state, recognize the opportunity and try to get as much done as possible to get ahead for times when you are not as motivated.

–Set a timer and predetermine a milestone to achieve by the end of each work session. Plan for what you will transition to and why it’s important in order to maintain a well-balanced life.

Once we accept that there is more right with us than wrong with us we can start recognizing challenges as opportunities to use our strengths and begin living our lives with confidence and authenticity.

School-Ready Mindset

By Chad Beveridge | August 19, 2020 | Categories: Resources

A three-step guide on preparing your child’s mind for the new school year.

Read the article here>

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Good Habits for the New School Year

By Lisa Podell | August 6, 2020 | Categories: Interviews, Press

Integrate the skills required to be successful at school, such as time management and planning, into your child’s home routine so that they are exercising these muscles on a daily basis.

Watch the interview here >