Kristen Birt

25/08/2026

I've been thinking carefully about whether to say anything about Channel 4's documentary *The Great ADHD Myth?*

I think I need to.

Not because difficult conversations about ADHD shouldn't happen.

They absolutely should.

We can ask questions about diagnosis.

We can talk about medication.

We can explore how environment, education, technology, stress, and modern life affect people.

We can question whether every person experiencing difficulty needs exactly the same kind of support.

What worries me is something different.

It's the person sitting at home who has spent years thinking: "Why can't I just cope like everyone else?". The parent finally beginning to understand their child. The adult who received a diagnosis and, for the first time, stopped blaming themselves. Or the person still waiting for assessment who is only just beginning to trust what they've been noticing.

What happens when the conversation suddenly makes them think:
- Maybe I made it all up.
- Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough.
- Maybe I shouldn't ask for support.

That's where I struggle with the framing.

My own belief is actually much broader than ADHD. I believe that EVERY person processes the world differently. Diagnosis or no diagnosis.

And I don't believe anybody should have to wait until crisis before they're allowed to become curious about what they need.

We can notice sensory differences.

Capacity.

Attention.

Working memory.

Nervous system responses.

Emotions.

Physical signals.

Environmental fit.

We can understand ourselves better and make choices from that understanding.

None of that requires us to prove that we're struggling enough first.

So, if all the discussion around "The Great ADHD Myth?" has unsettled you, made you doubt yourself, or left you questioning something you'd previously begun to understand about yourself, please message me.

I'm going to open some additional diary space for free 1-hour Clarity Sessions for anyone adversely affected by the debate.

This isn't about confirming or challenging a diagnosis. It's simply a space to slow everything down, talk through what's been stirred up, and return to your own experience before deciding what you think or need next.

13/08/2026

A coconut latte, made in the awning of my caravan and enjoyed outside in the fresh air.

Today's very ordinary piece of joy.

Sitting here drinking it, I noticed something else I've come to really value about being here.

We've been coming to the same campsite for five years, and there's a kind of community that seems to happen naturally.

No fences between pitches. Children playing outside together until it gets dark. Parents chatting across caravans. People welcoming someone they've never met before into the conversation.

We see some of the same families every year now, and for a single parent with an only child, it's magic.

Amelia doesn't need me to organise every interaction for her. I don't have to create all of our connection. We can wander out of the caravan and find people we know - or meet someone we don't.

Equally, when we've had enough, we can disappear back into our own little space.

I've been thinking a lot recently about the environments in which we feel most like ourselves.

The ones where connection isn't forced.

Where there is space for company AND space to retreat.

Where our nervous systems aren't having to work quite so hard.

Because perhaps looking after ourselves isn't always about what we need to do.

Sometimes it's noticing the places, people, and environments that already make things feel a little easier.

Where do you notice yourself exhale?

For me, this place is definitely one of them.

If you'd like support understanding your own patterns, capacity, and needs through 1:1 coaching, you're welcome to message me to enquire about my next available space.

I'm also working on a series of free clarity resources and some new group sessions for October, so there will be other ways to explore this work too.

11/08/2026

A little reminder from our summer holidays:

Rest isn't something I have to earn.

I'm still unlearning the idea that relaxation comes after everything else.

After the jobs.
After the work.
After everyone else is okay.
After I've done enough to justify it.

These holidays are looking different.

Coffee and my journal while Amelia does her own thing. Slow mornings. Stopping when we've had enough input rather than squeezing something else into the day. And finding joy in really ordinary moments.

I'm realising more and more that rest isn't a reward for using all of my capacity - it's part of how I protect it.

My body doesn't care whether I've finished my to-do list before it needs recovery and waiting until I'm exhausted before resting isn't really listening to myself.

So I'm practising rest before depletion.

Not because I've earned it - because I need it.

Interestingly, there's a lot more space to notice the good stuff when I'm not rushing through it.

Do you give yourself permission to rest before you've reached empty?

I have one 1:1 coaching space available from September if you'd like support understanding your own capacity and creating ways of working with yourself rather than continually pushing against what you need. Send me a message if you'd like to know more.

06/08/2026

This IS life ❤️

This afternoon Amelia decided she wanted her hair curled.

My first thought: "But we're not going anywhere, no one will even see it".

She'd already had an afternoon bath because that's what she fancied doing. She'd put on nice clothes, a bracelet, and a little lip gloss.

Then she smiled and said, "It's not for anyone else, Mum. It's for me".

That one sentence changed the whole afternoon.

I curled her hair. We watched a wonderfully silly zombie musical. We laughed. We chatted. I decided that beautiful hair deserved a fancy dinner, so I cooked sirloin steak and poured myself a rhubarb & ginger gin with frozen strawberries.

Halfway through the evening I realised... this is life.

Why do we wait for guests before using the good food?

Why do we save things for "special occasions"?

Why not curl your hair on a random Thursday afternoon? There will come a day when she won't ask me to do it anymore.

Today reminded me that some moments are worth choosing simply because they make today a little more joyful.

If you're finding the school holidays are highlighting your own capacity, old habits, or nervous system patterns: I have one coaching space available from September if you'd like someone to explore those things with.

06/08/2026

Anyone in the Exeter area ... I can highly recommend Emily

🌿 Still spaces available this August for Bowen, Holistic Massage, Lymphatic Bowen, Facials & more Zamora Exeter 🙌

05/08/2026

Our first week of the school holidays reminded me of something important...

Protecting your energy doesn't stop you living. It helps you enjoy living.

We spent the first few days at the caravan with friends. It was wonderful. Busy. Loud. Full of swimming, chatting, laughter, and children.

It also used a huge amount of social energy for both Amelia and me.

What I noticed was how quickly my old patterns appeared. Everything suddenly felt urgent. Putting the awning up. Making sure everyone was okay. Trying to do everything myself.

Instead of listening to that urgency, I paused. I asked for help. I slowed down. I enjoyed all the moments.

After our friends left, we both honoured what our bodies were telling us.

No more socialising.
No guilt.
Just recovery.

Coming home brought another familiar pattern. The washing felt urgent. The unpacking felt urgent. Work felt urgent. Money worries knocked on the door.

But... instead of rushing into productivity, I cooked us a lovely dinner, put one wash on, spent time outside with my journal and reminded myself that the rest could wait until I actually had the capacity. I completed my monthly reflection. One sentence stood out more than any other: "I stopped fighting myself". That's becoming one of the biggest shifts in my life.

Not asking, "How do I push through?", but asking, "What does my system need in order to keep going sustainably?".

If this summer is showing you just how much you're carrying, you're not alone.

I have one coaching space available from the beginning of September if you'd like some support understanding your own capacity, planning your energy differently, and creating calmer ways of working and living.

Send me a message if you'd like to chat.

27/07/2026

Today didn't go to plan.

Actually… this whole weekend didn't.

Saturday became what Amelia and I call a "cave day." No expectations. No demands. Just a chance to reset after a few very full weeks.

Yesterday, she decided she wanted to see her Dad, but didn't have the capacity to go out for the day, as planned. Watching an eight-year-old recognise what she needs still amazes me.

It also meant my own plans changed.

By last night, I realised something important - I'd planned a busy work day today. Lots of calls. Lots of jobs. Lots of things that felt urgent.

The old me would have pushed through. The new me knows that when I'm already running on empty, using willpower usually comes at a cost.

So instead... I rearranged my calls. Moved my to-do list. Asked Amelia how she'd like to celebrate the first day of the holidays.

Now she's bouncing around with a friend while I'm sitting with a coffee, my loop headphones, my journal, my book and a little bit of quiet.

The work is still there.
The emails are still waiting.
The house renovation is still unfinished.
None of that has changed.

What has changed is how I respond to it.

I'm learning that supporting myself isn't getting in the way of life. It's helping me enjoy it.

If you've been relying on willpower to get through lately, maybe pause for a moment and ask yourself: What would support me right now?

If you'd like some help answering that question, I currently have one 1:1 coaching space available from early September.

24/07/2026

It's been a little quieter here lately.

That wasn't an accident.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to stop trying to keep up with creating regular content while juggling everything else that was happening.

Instead, I gave myself permission to focus on what mattered most.
- The house renovation.
- Time with Amelia during the end of school year.
- Supporting my coaching and mentoring clients.
- Finishing another wonderful Riding for the Disabled term.
- A very rare weekend away with a friend.
- A little more breathing space.

Looking back, I'm really pleased I made that decision.

One of the things I often encourage people to do is notice when something isn't working quite as they'd like - and then give themselves permission to respond differently.

This time, I took my own advice.

The work isn't going anywhere. The ideas aren't disappearing. If anything, giving myself space has made them clearer.

Over the coming weeks, I'll continue sharing the real-life moments that shape my work, alongside the resources I'm quietly building behind the scenes.

Thank you for sticking around while life has been a little fuller than usual.

If you're finding yourself trying to hold everything together at the moment, maybe this is your reminder that you don't have to do everything all at once.

10/07/2026

I thought this week was teaching me about house renovations.

It turns out it was teaching me about myself (again).

While getting a wall ready to paint, I found that an old damp problem hadn't actually gone away.

Straight away I could feel my nervous system waking up:
I wanted to fix it.
Sort it.
Get someone round.
Find the answer.

Instead, I stopped.
The wall isn't going anywhere.
I don't need to panic.
I don't need to cover it up.
I don't need to make a decision today.

So instead, I've ordered a damp meter. I'm going to keep an eye on it, gather a bit more information, and then decide what genuinely needs to happen next.

That might sound like a small thing - but for me, it isn't. It's a reminder that clarity isn't about making faster decisions - sometimes it's about trusting yourself enough not to rush into one.

If you've ever noticed yourself reacting before you've really understood what's happening - you're definitely not the only one.

If you'd like some support making sense of something you're navigating, I currently have one coaching space available. Contact me to find out more.

08/07/2026

Last week I was a little quieter than usual.

Partly because the house renovation has taken over life for a while, but also because I wanted to give myself some thinking space.

One thing I've learned over the past year is that sometimes slowing down helps you see things more clearly.

I've realised I don't want to spend my time constantly trying to create the next post.

Instead, I'm starting to build something that people can come back to whenever they need it - a collection of short videos, practical resources, and everyday observations that explain my work and hopefully help people make a little more sense of their own experiences.

I'll still be here sharing the things I notice along the way, but it all feels much calmer and much more sustainable.

It feels like the right next step.

Watch this space...