ADHD Families Podcast

School camp can feel like a huge milestone… but for parents of children with ADHD, it often comes with a whole lot of worry.

Will they sleep?

Will they remember their medication?

Will they make friends?

Will they cope without me?

If you've ever found yourself staring at the camp permission slip while mentally preparing for every possible scenario, you're not alone.

In this episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, Sharon Collon shares practical, ADHD-friendly strategies to help your child prepare for school camp, manage the challenges while they're away, and recover well once they return home.

Drawing on her experience as a PCC Credentialed ADHD Coach, parenting expert, and mum of three children with ADHD, Sharon explains why camp can feel so overwhelming for the ADHD brain and how a little preparation can transform the experience for the whole family.

Rather than expecting your child to simply "cope," you'll learn how to build the right scaffolding so they can thrive with confidence.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Why school camp feels so overwhelming for ADHD families

02:43 – Why camp is uniquely challenging for the ADHD brain

03:52 – Before camp: setting your child up for success

05:41 – Preparing teachers, medication and sleep

07:10 – Packing strategies that reduce overwhelm

10:03 – During camp: building regulation and support

12:22 – Managing social exhaustion and trusting the process

13:20 – The post-camp restraint collapse explained

15:21 – Your biggest takeaway as an ADHD parent

16:37 – Free ADHD Family Systems Workshop & final thoughts

In This Episode You'll Learn

✔️ Why school camp places extra demands on the ADHD brain

✔️ How to decide if your child is ready for an overnight camp

✔️ The conversations to have with teachers before camp begins

✔️ Medication and sleep strategies that reduce unnecessary stress

✔️ Practical packing systems that support executive functioning

✔️ Why one trusted adult at camp can make all the difference

✔️ How to create a simple emotional regulation plan before they leave

✔️ Why social exhaustion is often mistaken for behavioural problems

✔️ What restraint collapse looks like after camp—and how to respond

✔️ How to help your child recover emotionally and physically after camp

🎁 Free ADHD Family Systems Workshop

If you're tired of solving the same family challenges over and over again, join Sharon's FREE ADHD Family Systems Workshop.

You'll learn how to identify your family's biggest friction points and build ADHD-friendly systems that actually work—so life feels calmer, easier and more connected.

👉 PICK YOUR FREE SESSION NOW

☀️ As seen on The Morning Show

Sharon recently shared her simple CRC Method for reducing overwhelm in ADHD families—Get Curious, Get Regulated, Get Clear. Because the behaviour is the smoke, not the fire. When we stop trying to fix every behaviour and start understanding what's driving it, family life can become calmer, more connected and a whole lot easier.

👉 Watch my ADHD parenting segment on The Morning Show

🔔 Next Steps & Resources

Subscribe to the ADHD Families Podcast

Secure your spot now for the ADHD Family Quest (Watch out for September BONUS!!)

Check here on how to Work WIth Sharon

Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com

Work With Sharon

Sharon Collon helps ADHD families create calmer homes, stronger relationships, and practical systems that reduce overwhelm. Through her programs, resources, and podcast, Sharon shares compassionate, evidence-informed support for parents navigating the realities of ADHD family life.

Whether you’re struggling with emotional regulation, executive functioning, school stress, or family routines, Sharon’s work is designed to help parents feel supported — not judged.

🌐 The Functional Family

Has your child ever dropped the F-bomb at exactly the worst possible moment? Maybe it was at a family dinner, in the school pickup line, or right in front of Grandma. If so, you're definitely not alone.

In this episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, Sharon Collon, PCC Credentialed ADHD Family Coach, unpacks one of the most common challenges parents bring to coaching sessions: swearing. Sharon explains why swearing is often linked to ADHD impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, novelty-seeking behaviour, and dopamine-driven reactions, rather than disrespect or poor character.

You'll learn why traditional punishment approaches often fail, how to reduce the emotional charge around swear words, and practical strategies that help children develop better self-regulation and communication skills. Sharon shares real-life examples from her own family, along with simple tools parents can start using immediately to reduce conflict and create calmer family dynamics.

👀 In This Episode, Sharon Covers

✅ Why swearing is often a symptom of ADHD, not a behaviour problem

✅ How impulsivity affects a child's ability to filter language

✅ The link between emotional dysregulation and swearing

✅ Why novelty and strong reactions make swear words "sticky"

✅ How attention and dopamine can unintentionally reinforce swearing

✅ Why punishment rarely solves ADHD-related swearing

✅ How to stay calm and avoid making swear words the main event

✅ The power of replacement words and modelling language

✅ Working "upstream" to reduce triggers and dysregulation

✅ Teaching contextual awareness about where certain language is appropriate

✅ Practical scripts parents can use immediately



⏱️ Episode Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: Why ADHD and swearing is such a common family challenge

01:45 Why swearing is usually a symptom, not disrespect

04:00 ADHD impulsivity and the missing filter

07:00 Emotional dysregulation and why big feelings trigger big language

10:00 Novelty, reactions, and why swear words become sticky

12:30 Attention, dopamine, and reinforcement

14:30 Why punishment doesn't work for ADHD-related swearing

16:30 Strategy #1: Don't make the swear word the main event

18:30 Strategy #2: Teach and model replacement words

21:00 Strategy #3: Work upstream and reduce dysregulation

23:30 Strategy #4: Build contextual awareness

25:00 Final recap and encouragement

💰 Special Offer: The Money Hunt 2026

If you're raising a family with ADHD, you already know how easy it is for money to quietly leak out through forgotten subscriptions, unused services, unclaimed rebates, and everyday ADHD overwhelm.

The Money Hunt 2026 is a five-day live implementation event designed specifically for mums in ADHD families who want practical money wins without budgeting spreadsheets, spending diaries, restriction, or guilt.

Over five focused sessions, you'll uncover hidden savings, cancel forgotten subscriptions, claim rebates, negotiate bills, and build simple systems that keep money flowing back into your household long after the event ends.

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🔔 Next Steps & Resources

Subscribe to the ADHD Families Podcast

Join the waitlist for the ADHD Family Quest

Check here on how to Work WIth Sharon

Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com

Work With Sharon

Sharon Collon helps ADHD families create calmer homes, stronger relationships, and practical systems that reduce overwhelm. Through her programs, resources, and podcast, Sharon shares compassionate, evidence-informed support for parents navigating the realities of ADHD family life.

Whether you’re struggling with emotional regulation, executive functioning, school stress, or family routines, Sharon’s work is designed to help parents feel supported — not judged.

🌐 The Functional Family

What if your ADHD habits were quietly costing your family thousands every single year — and you could start getting that money back this week? 💸

In this episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, host Sharon Collon shares practical, ADHD-friendly ways families can stop money leaks without restrictive budgeting, shame, or complicated spreadsheets. Sharon unpacks the real-life systems behind The Money Hunt, including subscription audits, bill renegotiation scripts, Medicare rebate redirects, and hidden cash sweeps that help families reclaim lost money fast.

After helping one client uncover $1,400 in savings during a quick school pickup line conversation, Sharon realised just how much “invisible money” families are losing to the ADHD tax. If you’re ready for simple systems that actually work for neurodivergent brains, this episode is packed with practical wins you can implement immediately.

👉 Join The Money Hunt and start finding hidden money in your household: The Money Hunt

👀 In This Episode, Sharon Covers:

✅ The hidden “ADHD tax” quietly draining family finances
✅ How one quick audit uncovered $1,400 in savings
✅ Why traditional budgeting often fails ADHD families
✅ The Medicare rebate savings trick that creates emergency buffers
✅ How to do a fast subscription audit without overwhelm
✅ Scripts to renegotiate bills and lower expenses
✅ Reviewing private health extras before EOFY
✅ The “hidden cash sweep” method for gift cards, rewards points, and returns
✅ Why barriers and automation work better than willpower for ADHD brains

⏱️ Timestamps

02:10 – The school pickup line money breakthrough
03:30 – Understanding the ADHD tax
05:10 – Medicare rebate redirect savings strategy
08:45 – Why barriers help ADHD brains save money
10:20 – Subscription audits made simple
12:15 – The accidental multiple subscription problem
13:40 – How to renegotiate bills successfully
15:00 – Reviewing private health extras before EOFY
16:20 – The hidden cash sweep strategy
18:10 – Gift cards, rewards points & unclaimed money
20:05 – Why implementation is the hardest part
21:15 – Inside The Money Hunt
22:30 – Final encouragement to reclaim your money

💸 Join The Money Hunt (Enjoy the $300 discount!)

How much money is currently slipping through the cracks in your household without you even realising it?

The truth is, most ADHD families aren’t bad with money, they’re overwhelmed by systems that were never designed for neurodivergent brains. Forgotten subscriptions, unused gift cards, auto-renewals, rewards points, medical rebates, late fees, duplicated purchases… it all adds up. Fast.

That’s exactly why Sharon created The Money Hunt — a practical, ADHD-friendly experience designed to help you uncover hidden money, reduce financial stress, and build systems that actually stick.

Inside The Money Hunt, you’ll get:

✅ Step-by-step guided action sessions
✅ ADHD-friendly money systems with zero shame
✅ Scripts to renegotiate bills and lower expenses
✅ Subscription and hidden cash audits
✅ Accountability and community support
✅ A fun bingo-style challenge to keep momentum going
✅ Real strategies to help you reclaim money quickly

And the best part? Most families uncover far more than the cost of joining.

🎯 If you’re tired of the ADHD tax stealing your money, this is your chance to finally hunt it down and keep more cash in your family’s pocket.

👉 Join The Money Hunt

💛 Work With Sharon

Sharon Collon helps ADHD families create calmer homes, stronger systems, and more sustainable family life through practical neurodivergent-friendly strategies. Through coaching, resources, and programs like The Money Hunt, Sharon supports families to reduce overwhelm and build systems that actually work for ADHD brains.

🌐 The Functional Family

Have you ever wondered where your money is actually going - even when you’re trying your best to stay on top of things?

In this episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, ADHD parenting expert Sharon Collon unpacks the very real cost of the “ADHD tax” and how small forgotten admin tasks can quietly drain thousands from family finances.

Sharon shares honest stories about impulsive spending, budgeting struggles, dyscalculia, and the emotional load many ADHD households carry during a cost-of-living crisis. You’ll learn why ADHD brains often avoid money management, how financial overwhelm builds silently, and the practical systems Sharon used to finally regain control.

If you’ve been feeling stressed, avoidant, or ashamed about money, this episode will help you feel less alone - and give you practical next steps to start reducing the ADHD tax immediately.

👀 In This Episode, Sharon Covers:

✅ What the “ADHD tax” actually is and why so many families experience it
✅ How forgotten subscriptions, overdue admin, and delayed decisions quietly cost families thousands
✅ The emotional side of money avoidance and financial overwhelm
✅ Living through the collision of ADHD, rising living costs, fuel prices, and family stress
✅ Why dyscalculia and ADHD can make budgeting feel impossible
✅ The truth about impulsive spending in ADHD households
✅ Simple systems Sharon used to uncover hidden financial leaks
✅ How to reduce shame and start taking small practical action
✅ The 5-day “Money Hunt” implementation event designed to help families regain control of their finances

⚠️ If your household has been feeling stretched financially lately, this episode is an important reminder that small admin gaps can create major financial stress over time.

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to the episode
01:12 – The collision of ADHD, cost-of-living pressures, and family finances
02:45 – The real story behind the “life-size pumpkin man” argumen
05:10 – Why ADHD brains avoid money and admin tasks
07:18 – Discovering thousands of dollars leaking from the household budget
09:40 – What the ADHD tax really looks like in everyday life
12:05 – Dyscalculia, overwhelm, and financial shame
15:10 – Small systems that helped regain control
18:42 – Why this is not about perfection or strict budgeting
21:08 – Introducing the 5-day Money Hunt implementation event
23:00 – Final thoughts and encouragement

💰 Ready to Stop Paying the ADHD Tax?

The Money Hunt is Sharon’s practical implementation event designed specifically for ADHD families who feel overwhelmed by money, forgotten admin, subscriptions, late fees, and financial chaos.

Over 5 focused days, Sharon will help you uncover hidden money leaks, simplify your systems, and create practical habits that actually work for ADHD brains.

Inside The Money Hunt, you’ll learn how to:

✅ Find forgotten subscriptions and recurring charges

✅ Reduce financial overwhelm and avoidance

✅ Create ADHD-friendly money systems

✅ Recover money quietly leaking from your household

✅ Build momentum without shame or perfectionism

👉 Join The Money Hunt HERE

🔔 Next Steps & Resources

Subscribe to the ADHD Families Podcast

Join the waitlist for the ADHD Family Quest

Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com

Work With Sharon

Sharon Collon helps ADHD families create calmer homes, stronger relationships, and practical systems that reduce overwhelm. Through her programs, resources, and podcast, Sharon shares compassionate, evidence-informed support for parents navigating the realities of ADHD family life.

Whether you’re struggling with emotional regulation, executive functioning, school stress, or family routines, Sharon’s work is designed to help parents feel supported — not judged.

🌐 The Functional Family

***Blakey's new film - In pieces together***

What happens when a world-record surfing challenge becomes a mission to save lives?

In this inspiring episode of the ADHD Families Podcast, Sharon Collon sits down with world-record endurance surfer, surf coach, and mental health advocate Blakey Johnston to explore the powerful connection between mental health, ADHD, anxiety, movement, and purpose.

Blakey shares the deeply personal story behind his 40-hour world-record surf attempt and how losing his father to suicide became the catalyst for helping men speak openly about mental health. Sharon and Blakey unpack the science behind surfing, cold water, community, movement, and emotional resilience — especially for people navigating ADHD, anxiety, and overwhelm.

If you’re looking for practical mental health strategies, inspiring resilience stories, and powerful conversations around ADHD and emotional wellbeing, this episode delivers both heart and hope.

👀 In This Episode:

✅ Blake Johnston’s 40-hour world-record surfing challenge
✅ The mental health crisis impacting men and families
✅ How movement and surfing support ADHD and anxiety regulation
✅ The emotional impact of losing a parent to suicide
✅ Why community and connection are critical for mental wellbeing
✅ The science behind cold water, nature, and emotional regulation
✅ Burnout, stress, and high-performance mindset traps
✅ Parenting, vulnerability, and emotional resilience
✅ Practical mental health strategies for everyday life
✅ How purpose-driven challenges can create real impact

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide, mental health struggles, anxiety, and emotional distress.

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to the ADHD Families Podcast
01:30 – Meet Blake Johnston
03:10 – The story behind the 40-hour surf challenge
07:20 – Losing his father to suicide
12:45 – Anxiety, burnout, and emotional overwhelm
18:15 – Why surfing helps mental health
23:50 – ADHD, movement, and nervous system regulation
29:40 – The physical and mental realities of endurance surfing
36:10 – Community, connection, and vulnerability
42:20 – Parenting, resilience, and emotional awareness
48:00 – Practical mental health strategies anyone can use
53:45 – Blake’s message for struggling men
57:10 – Final thoughts and key takeaways

Key Takeaways

Mental health conversations save lives.

Movement and nature can regulate stress and anxiety.

Community connection is essential for emotional wellbeing.

High performers are not immune to burnout.

ADHD nervous systems often benefit from physical activity and structured challenges.

Vulnerability is strength, not weakness.

Purpose-driven action creates long-term impact.

Quotes From The Episode

“Real change requires more than conversation — it requires action.”

“Connection and community are some of the most powerful tools we have for mental health.”

“You don’t have to struggle alone.”

What's Coming? 👀 👀

The Money Hunt — Five Days, Five Money Wins

While screens leak your child's attention, subscriptions and forgotten auto-renewals are quietly leaking money from your household every month. The Money Hunt is a five-day live event for mums of ADHD families who want that money back.

No budgeting. No spreadsheets. No willpower. Just one 45-minute session a day, one bingo square to tick off, and a running tally of every dollar you find. Most Hunters cover the cost of the event by Day 2.

5 days. 5 wins. Cash back in your pocket.

Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July 2026, 1pm AEST daily

Live on Zoom plus a private Facebook group

Six months of replay access

$97 AUD (Regular Price: $397)

JOIN THE MONEY HUNT

Already in The ADHD Family Quest? It's included in your membership

🔔 Next Steps & Resources

Blakey Johnston Social Media Links

Website

Instagram

SWELLBEING

IN PIECES TOGETHER FILM

Subscribe to the ADHD Families Podcast

Join the waitlist for the ADHD Family Quest

Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com

💛 Work With Sharon

Sharon Collon is a PCC credentialed ADHD family coach and founder of The Functional Family. She works with parents of children with ADHD who are exhausted by the daily battles — the mornings, the meltdowns, the school emails, the emotional dysregulation — and helps them build a family life that actually works.

Sharon's approach is practical, ADHD-informed, and built around real family systems — not generic parenting advice that wasn't designed for your child's brain.

With Sharon's support, families:

Understand what's really driving their child's behaviour — and respond strategically instead of reactively

Build the executive function skills their child needs, in a way that actually sticks

Replace daily conflict and overwhelm with calm, connection, and confidence

Create routines and systems that hold — even on the hard days

Move from survival mode to a family life that feels genuinely functional and joyful

Whether you're brand new to the ADHD diagnosis or years in and still feeling stuck — there is a way through.

You don't have to keep pushing through alone.

👉 Learn more at thefunctionalfamily.com