Feeling overwhelmed by your demanding job? Sage Quiamno, a DEI leader at Amazon, faced burnout from 12-hour workdays fueled by procrastination and overwhelm. Her solution? An executive function coach who helped her conquer these challenges and improve her time management and productivity. Learn how she avoided burnout and transformed her work-life balance
Overwhelmed by a demanding job? Seattle-based Sage Quiamno, 34, conquered burnout and transformed her productivity with executive function coaching. Unlike traditional life coaching, this approach targets specific challenges like procrastination and task management, building practical strategies to manage thoughts, actions, and emotions. Three years later, Sage continues her bi-weekly sessions and monthly group coaching, proving this is a long-term investment in well-being and peak performance. Learn how executive function coaching can help you optimize your time and energy
Master your mind: Executive function coaching helps you conquer overwhelm, procrastination, and burnout. This essential cognitive skillset—including organization, focus, memory, and self-control—is your brain's "air traffic control system" (Harvard researchers). Learn how to boost your executive function and achieve peak productivity, whether managing complex projects or navigating daily challenges. Improve your time management, task prioritization, and emotional regulation for a more fulfilling and successful life
Executive function coaching: No longer just for ADHD or autism. Overwhelmed students and professionals are increasingly seeking executive function specialists to conquer procrastination, improve focus, and boost productivity. Learn how this powerful cognitive skills training helps manage time, tasks, and emotions for lasting success
Burnout and overwhelm are rampant among today's professionals. Leading companies like BetterUp and WorkSmart are recognizing the rising demand for executive function coaching, a solution addressing declining attention spans and poor time management in our digitally distracted world. This trend highlights a critical need for improved work-life balance and effective strategies to conquer procrastination and boost productivity
Overcome overwhelm and boost productivity with executive function coaching. Initially associated with ADHD, this proven approach helps individuals improve focus, organization, time management, and self-control. Studies show significant improvements in goal achievement, reduced anxiety, and enhanced self-regulation. Now mainstream, executive function coaching is utilized by universities like the University of Denver, University of Minnesota, George Mason University, and Oberlin College to support student success. Learn how to conquer procrastination, manage tasks effectively, and achieve peak performance
COVID-19 lockdowns exposed the struggles of many adults with executive function, highlighting the crucial role of structured work environments in managing ADHD symptoms. Clinical psychologist J. Russell Ramsay explains how the pandemic's disruption exacerbated pre-existing challenges, leading to significant difficulties for those previously undiagnosed with ADHD or those exhibiting similar symptoms. This increased awareness underscores the growing need for executive function coaching and support to improve focus, organization, and time management
ADHD Diagnosis and Medication Surge: A Post-Pandemic Trend? A recent JAMA study reveals a dramatic increase in ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions, particularly among young adults (20-39), with nonstimulant medications rising by 81% and stimulants like Adderall by 30% between 2020 and 2022. Overall, ADHD medical claims soared 101% among 18- to 44-year-olds, 70% among 45- to 64-year-olds, and 60% among adults over 65 between 2019 and 2023. This surge highlights a growing need for effective strategies to manage executive function challenges
Post-lockdown mental health struggles surge, with a University of Denver coach reporting a dramatic 88% increase in student demand for executive function support from 391 to 727 students in just one year. This rise is attributed partly to increased awareness of neurodiversity and executive function via social media platforms like TikTok, necessitating shorter appointment slots to meet the growing need
Corporate executive function coaching is booming. More companies, including Workday, Chevron, and WarnerMedia, now offer executive function support as an employee benefit, reflecting a rising demand. Workplace coaches like Seattle-based Kate Broeking report a surge in both corporate contracts and individual clients seeking help with organization, focus, time management, and overcoming procrastination. This trend suggests a growing recognition of executive function's crucial role in workplace success and well-being
Is executive dysfunction impacting your productivity? Modern life's constant interruptions and digital distractions overload our mental capacity, hindering our ability to focus, prioritize, and manage time effectively. Research reveals how technology warps our perception of time, exacerbating executive function challenges. Learn how to reclaim control and boost your cognitive skills
The rise in ADHD diagnoses has significantly increased awareness of executive function, a set of cognitive skills crucial for organization, focus, and self-control. Discussions about executive dysfunction on platforms like TikTok have fueled self-recognition, making it easier for individuals to identify and address potential challenges in this area
Job insecurity and burnout are rampant, especially since the pandemic. The resulting stress and overwhelm are impacting productivity and well-being. Learn how to overcome these challenges and improve your executive function skills for a more balanced and successful career
Job market instability, relentless layoffs in tech, and the rise of AI are creating unprecedented challenges for professionals. Millions, including highly educated individuals, struggle to find secure employment, facing pressure to do more with less. Learn how to overcome these obstacles and master your executive function to thrive in today's demanding work environment
Uncertainty and executive function challenges: a vicious cycle. Many struggle with focus and emotional regulation, leading to self-doubt and amplified intolerance of ambiguity. This is exacerbated by modern life's constant distractions, impacting work, school, and overall well-being. Learn how improving executive function skills can break this cycle and boost productivity and mental health
For employers, poor executive functioning can also be expensive. Chronic stress and feeling overwhelmed are known risk factors for burnout, which drives up sick leave and lowers engagement in workers. New research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the fallout adds up to $4,000 to $21,000 per employee each year — a $5 million annual price tag for the average 1,000-employee company in the US.
And employee leaves of absence appear to have been on the rise. In a 2024 survey by AbsenceSoft, a leave-of-absence software provider, 57% of HR managers reported increased employee leave requests over the past year — the third year in a row that the majority reported an increase. While most workers cited illness or injury as the reason for their absence, nearly half named mental health challenges. Perhaps relatedly, a May 2025 analysis of Glassdoor postings found that employee discussions of burnout were at their highest since 2016, showing a 32% increase from last year. Many workers seem to be hanging on by a thread.
Although anyone can fall prey to burnout, research suggests workers with ADHD, autism, and other neurodevelopmental disorders may be especially susceptible. Some companies made strides to bridge these gaps in the years leading up to the pandemic, designing targeted well-being programs that could function as reasonable accommodations for employees with relevant ADA-qualifying diagnoses. Broeking, the work coach in Seattle, led the charge in building Amazon’s work wellness coaching program in 2018 before going on to help Microsoft and Google establish similar coaching programs of their own. These interventions were modeled on vocational rehabilitation programs — services designed to help workers with disabilities find and keep jobs — and focused largely on executive function skill-building to boost worker engagement and prevent medical leaves of absence. In larger companies, Broeking worked with as many as 300 employees a year.
Workplace wellness initiatives, however, aren’t a silver bullet. A 2024 article in Harvard Business Review pointed out that while nearly 85% of major US employers offered wellness programs, worker burnout showed no sign of slowing down. Among other reasons, the authors suggest that well-being programs fall short by focusing on individual outcomes instead of the organizational causes often at the root of employees’ distress. Workers want work-life balance and flexibility, clear goals, and consistent metrics for charting progress; research shows that organizations see improved employee health and output when they implement structural changes that better support those needs.
Although personalized executive functioning guidance isn’t a cure-all, workers still stand to benefit from it. “It doesn’t take too much to knock us off track, and executive functioning means knowing how to shield yourself from distractions,” Ramsay says. He’s writing a book in which he recommends that employers provide executive functioning support for all staff, which he argues would be an asset to everyone — not only those with official diagnoses.
Coaching may prove especially handy for navigating the tides of change and uncertainty that now define many workers’ reality.
When Amazon rolled back DEI programming early this year, Quiamno — the former DEI leader and coaching client — found herself back at the drawing board for her professional road map. She knew she couldn’t rely on an employer to steward her career development; she would have to do it herself.
Quiamno, who now runs her own consulting business for women-led startups, credits coaching for helping her build the confidence to move forward. “With a one-on-one coach who knows your strengths and your blind spots, there’s always something new to learn,” she says. “It’s an accountability mechanism — a commitment to myself and my growth as a leader.”
Kelli María Korducki is a journalist whose work focuses on work, tech, and culture. She’s based in New York City.
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