Meet Coach Rod

My interest in this work is deeply personal. I know what it's like to experience ADHD from the inside, and I've also spent years trying to understand how to support a child whose brain doesn't always cooperate with the expectations placed on him.

I've spent much of my adult life working with young people: over a decade coaching youth hockey and soccer, leading STEM activities at schools, and teaching technology at the college level. Those experiences taught me that kids crave compassionate influences in their lives. They need adults who are curious about what's getting in the way, who listen to them, and who help them build the confidence to understand themselves, communicate, and solve problems.

That's become the focus of my coaching. I'm interested in the practical side of executive function — planning, prioritizing, starting tasks, following through, setting goals, and building systems flexible enough to work in real life….

But I'm equally interested in what's underneath those skills. I want students to learn how to communicate what they need, recognize their strengths, understand how their brain works without defining themselves by it, and develop real self-worth. I want them making decisions based on their own values, instead of spending their lives feeling like they're failing someone else's expectations.

My approach is collaborative and curious.

I don't expect every strategy to work for every student, and I don't think success means following a perfectly organized plan. We experiment, adjust, and learn from what happens.

Over time, the goal is a young person who understands their own patterns, can advocate for themselves, and knows how to recover when things don't go according to plan.

What I find most rewarding is helping a student build a healthier relationship with themselves while also building the practical skills they need for school, relationships, responsibilities, and the move into adulthood.