This past summer I spent time with a childhood friend who is now a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company. During our visit she opened up about something she had been carrying on her own. Her twelve year old daughter was having a difficult time in school and she could feel that something was getting in the way of her potential. Maybe it was ADHD? She was overwhelmed by the sheer number of opinions and resources out there and had no idea where to begin. This was all while working long hours in a role that demanded everything from her.

As she talked, she described a familiar mix of guilt and fear. She felt stretched thin, unsure of how to advocate for her daughter, and was considering stepping back from her career to figure it all out. Even though she didn’t want to leave her position, she just felt that trying to navigate her daughter’s challenges while juggling the pressure of a demanding executive role had become too much.

Once I explained that I evaluate students, identify learning and attention differences, and create clear plans for families and schools to follow, her entire demeanor shifted. I ended up assessing her daughter later that summer and walked her through what I found. She told me she finally understood her daughter in a new way and now had clear steps to take both at home and school. The strategies felt doable. The recommendations made sense. She said it felt like a hundred pounds had come off her shoulders.

By the end of the process she wasn’t just relieved. She was adamant that I needed to build something bigger because so many parents in high level positions feel exactly the way she did. They’re stretched thin. They’re overwhelmed. They often consider walking away from roles they’ve worked their entire careers to earn because they don’t know how to support their child’s educational needs.