— executive functioning expert and educational consultant.
Dr. Russell founded Russell Coaching for Students in 2009 in Tampa, Florida. Her background is in youth development and education, shaped by years working at non-profits serving kids and families before the coaching practice existed. That's the lens she brings to executive functioning, ADHD, autism, anxiety, and learning differences — and she's raised two neurologically atypical kids of her own, which is the part that informs the rest.
Russell Coaching is what came out of years of watching smart, capable kids get written off — by schools, by pediatricians, sometimes by their own parents — when what they actually needed was a coach who could see how their brain worked. That's the whole thing. Everything else is downstream of that.
She has also held faculty positions at the University of Tampa, Eckerd College, Sweet Briar College, and the University of Minnesota–Morris, and consults with schools nationwide on supporting atypical learners.
She is the author of Asking the Right Questions Before, During, and After Your Child's ADHD Diagnosis, available on Amazon. A second book on the autism diagnosis journey is in progress.
Both are written for the parent who's at a kitchen table with a folder of forms and no idea what to do next. Practical, concise, drawn from over 15 years of working with neurodivergent students and their families.
Dr. Russell hosts ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety: Breaking Out of the Box, a podcast for parents and clinicians working with neurodivergent kids. Conversations with researchers, school leaders, therapists, and families on what's actually working in real homes and real classrooms.
She has also been a guest on over 100 podcasts on parenting, education, and neurodivergence — pulling in audiences who want a no-script perspective from someone who's seen the inside of the system.
Because too many smart kids are getting written off as lazy or unmotivated when what they actually need is executive functioning skills, taught by someone who gets how their brain works.
The kids who think a little differently — ADHD, autism, anxiety, twice-exceptional — don't need to be fixed. They need a coach who can see what's there, name it, and build the bridge to using it. That's the whole job.
Certified coaches, all actively working with students.
Trained in the Connected Coaching method before they take a student.
Advanced-degree educators on the team, matched to your student’s needs.
A free 30-minute call. No pressure, no script. We figure out together if Russell Coaching is the right move.
Schedule a complimentary call