From Overwhelmed to On Top of It: How Accountability Coaching Helped Joshua Conquer ADHD Overload and Stay Ahead at Work
He thought he might lose his job…
From Overwhelm to 100% On Track, this is Joshua’s Story
When Joshua reached out to me for coaching, he wasn’t just feeling behind—he was buried under a mountain of paperwork with no shovel in sight. Like so many others with ADHD, his day-to-day systems just weren’t working. Alarms, productivity apps, and trackers had all failed him.
"Because of my lovely ADHD brain, I found myself severely struggling with keeping up on my paperwork at work, which ended up going from something that really could ‘just be done later’ to something that was too big to reasonably handle by myself without getting overwhelmed."
Joshua’s overwhelm grew so intense, he feared he might lose his job. The weight of that anxiety made it even harder to focus, creating a vicious cycle of avoidance, guilt, and stress.
"It honestly got to the point where I feared losing my job. I couldn’t focus on the day-to-day tasks, knowing that I had this growing monster of work to get through."
Despite trying everything he could think of to fix the issue on his own, nothing seemed to stick.
"I’ve tried alarms, organizational apps, and various progress trackers... But in the end, I realized that as long as I was the only one tasked with overcoming this obstacle, I would have no one to help me out when I would inevitably become overwhelmed."
That’s when he decided to reach out—and what stood out to him most was that coaching didn’t feel clinical or judgmental. It felt safe.
"Kay’s bio immediately stood out to me as welcoming and nonjudgmental. That was important for me because even reaching out for help felt shameful and somehow like admitting defeat."
Our work together wasn’t about doing more. It was about doing things differently, in a way personalized to his brain. With consistent check-ins, body doubling, and practical strategies, Joshua began to experience small wins that snowballed into big shifts.
"My first win was ACTUALLY finishing a goal that I set for myself... Being able to intentionally bite off a chunk (however small) meant a lot to me."
More importantly, he began to understand his patterns—what triggered the overwhelm, how procrastination affected him, and what he needed in order to bounce back.
"I noticed a huge increase in how aware I was of my own toxic cycles... Gaining this kind of awareness really helped me to break down what was going on."
Over time, the habit of showing up for himself became second nature. He learned when to push through and when to show himself compassion.
"She was firm during times when my brain was trying to persuade me to take unnecessary breaks, but also forgiving and reassuring during times when I was being too hard on myself."
Today, Joshua is thriving:
He averages 27 cases per week
He’s been 100% compliant with all his paperwork for the past 4 months
And most importantly, he’s built a system that works with his ADHD brain, not against it
"I never thought I would be able to create the habit of regularly checking in with myself. But now, I already have tried-and-tested plans for how to get my head back in the game or know when to go easy on myself."
His biggest breakthrough?
"Accountability has completely changed how I talk to myself... When someone besides my brain is holding me accountable, none of my brain’s usual tactics work to persuade me not to complete my goal!"
If you’ve ever felt buried by your own to-do list, stuck in procrastination loops, or unsure how to break free of patterns that keep dragging you down—you’re not alone.
Joshua’s story is proof that change doesn’t happen from trying harder. It happens from trying differently, with the right support.
"Kay was by my side, never dragging me along, but maintained focus on where we needed to go without adding anything to my stress levels."
