Meet Cary Colleran | ADHD Navigator & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cary Colleran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cary, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When my oldest son struggled through his first year of college I had an epiphany: I had helped him get through high school with his ADHD, but had I really taught him how to succeed WITH his ADHD? It was then that I asked myself if I had ever really learned to succeed with my own ADHD? I realized then that so many people with ADHD fight with it every day and then wonder why the tools that work so well for everyone else never seem to work for us. Since my other two kids were getting older and needing me less, my husband encouraged me to go back to school and add to my BA so that I could begin working with families affected by ADHD. It became my passion to help kids and teens that have ADHD learn to appreciate their brain, and use their strengths in ways that feel natural to help with what is difficult. The longer I worked with these kids and their parents, the more I wanted to educate people about the realities of ADHD. I began teaching adult educational classes at our local Recreation Center, and before I knew it I was presenting at school counseling events and staff development days. Currently I work full time helping kids, teens, parents, counselors and teachers.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After finishing my training at ADDCA, I set out on my own to try to find clients to begin my practice. Getting started wasn’t easy and I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of impostor’s syndrome in those early years. I began by working with a few people that I already knew and charged very little to get my experience without as much pressure. Back then I would drive around our town to meet with people at libraries. I created a social media presence and put myself on various parent pages. After about a year I found my feet and became more confident. I started reaching out to schools to do parent talks, I also started offering parent informational meetings at the local library. I had business cards made and I talked about my business whenever and wherever I could. A huge shift came when I met Dr. Stacey Ludlow, Dr. Nicole Gurash, and Dr. Sarah Haider. These strong women in my field became my network and mentors. With their support, my practice grew quickly. I learned how important it is to find a community. I kept putting myself out there on social media as well and amazingly I was noticed by Chris Dendy! She is a pioneer in the ADHD field and invited me to Alabama for training. I feel so grateful for that opportunity to learn from so many amazing women with a variety of backgrounds in the field. I now have a full practice, teach parent classes, help with 504 meetings, present at teacher and counselor training days, and enjoy all of it! I’ve learned the importance of networking and also the positive impact of sharing my own ADHD story, as well as my own “parenting a child with ADHD” story. That honesty about who I am helps me connect with these families.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I LOVE Colorado and we have friends visit all the time! We always check out Garden of the Gods and spend plenty of time hiking Castlewood Canyon or Roxborough Park. A day trip up to Grand Lake would be a must for some paddle boarding and toodling around town. We would also need to spend a day or two in Denver and stroll along 16th street mall. In the summer there are usually great artistic things going on there as well and we’d have to see the big blue bear! For dinner we would go to Hop Alley or El Five for some amazing food. Another fun place to take people is Union Station. We live in Parker Colorado so just going to Mainstreet and having drinks outside is always fun. We have great restaurants in Parker as well. For some music we could take them to The Wild Goose or Blue Note. Of course we would have to go into some shops as well, such as The Local or Parker Panache. Our absolute favorite hangout place is the firepit in our own back yard. That is the best place to end a fun day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Beginning this journey was in large part to my husband Tim Colleran and my two best friends Joy McGowan and Marianne Beuhler. My training at ADDCA was instrumental in this process and my mentor there was Caroline Macquire, who constantly supported me in those first few years. Recently I have had the honor to train with Chris Dendy in Alabama and she has become an inspiration for me to stretch myself into helping educate anyone that will listen about ADHD. My sister Chris Prodis has guided me with what works in a day-to-day classroom and is always giving me new ideas. EJ Carr has documented my career along the way!

Website: www.adhdnavigator.net

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cary-colleran-06107011/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/www.caryadhdnavigator.net

Image Credits
EJ Carr