1. The experience behind the 15-Minute Pity Party Pivot. Helen shares how her son’s devastating accident, nearly six months in a burn center, and 42 surgeries inspired a practice for acknowledging pain and finding a way forward.
2. Allow the feelings, then redirect your attention. Their timer gave frustration a place to be expressed. Afterward, they identified something to be grateful for and focused on the next achievable action.
3. A late diagnosis can change how you understand your past. You and Helen explore the relief of recognizing that years of struggle don’t prove you’re unintelligent or incapable—and how that understanding opens an investigation into what works for you.
4. Prepare for setbacks and make the next step smaller. Through athletics, business, and her son’s skydiving experience, Helen illustrates how practicing recovery from mistakes and breaking goals into manageable actions supports progress.
5. Protect your energy and give yourself grace. The conversation explores taking on other people’s problems, experimenting with personal support strategies, and allowing yourself to learn without constant self-criticism.

3 Takeaways

1. Try a structured emotional pause. Borrow Helen’s practice: acknowledge what’s difficult, then identify one thing you appreciate and one action within your control. The timer is a tool, not a deadline for resolving pain.
2. Shrink the starting point. When a task feels overwhelming, ask: “What is the smallest step I can take right now?”
3. Check whose problem you’re carrying. Before stepping in, ask: “Is this mine to address—and has this person asked for my help?”

“You can have 15 minutes every morning. … But we literally set a timer. And at the end of the timer, we said, ‘Okay, that’s it. We got to get on with our day.’”

— Helen Connors Groom

Chris Steindorf

chris@adhdcasefiles.com

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