How do you know when it’s time to stop something you’re still capable of doing?
That question is at the heart of this special episode of ADHD Support Talk Radio. After more than a decade as Tara McGillicuddy’s co-host, Lynne Edris joins Tara for one final conversation before retiring from coaching and recording new episodes.
It’s a farewell, and it’s also a conversation about choices many adults with ADHD face: When have you done enough? How do you decide what deserves your time and energy? And how do you move forward without blaming yourself for everything that hasn’t worked?
Lynne shares some of the lessons that have stayed with her after more than 20 years as an ADHD coach. Tara and Lynne also reflect on their years together and what comes next.
💜 ADHD Support Talk Radio will continue. Lynne is stepping away as co-host, while Tara plans to keep the podcast going with new and different ideas.
🌱 When “I can” isn’t the same as “I want to”
Lynne could keep coaching and co-hosting. She still enjoys the work. She still has ideas, and there are still people she could help.
But as she explains, being able to continue isn’t always a reason to continue.
Instead of asking only, “Can I keep doing this?” Lynne asks whether it’s how she wants to spend her time, energy, and focus now. Her answer has changed, even though she cares deeply about the work and the people she’s met through it.
This question reaches beyond retirement. Maybe you’re holding on to a project because you’ve already spent so much time on it. Maybe you keep improving something that was ready to share weeks ago. Or perhaps a commitment still matters to you, but the way you’re doing it no longer works for your life.
Stopping can be hard when you can imagine what else might be possible. Lynne’s decision shows what it can look like to pause, reevaluate, and choose deliberately.
🔄 Making a big change gradually
Lynne didn’t step away from everything overnight. She stopped private coaching, then her public group programs, and later her inner circle. Ending her regular role on the podcast is another part of that gradual transition.
Tara and Lynne talk about why this pace has been helpful for Lynne. A big part of her ADHD brain may want to jump into something new with both feet, but she knows that a change of this size works better for her when she gives it time.
Lynne is looking forward to more freedom and spontaneity, more time with family and friends, and more room to focus on her health and herself. She doesn’t know exactly what will fill the space coaching has occupied—and she isn’t rushing to fill it with another goal.
That can feel uncomfortable when you’re used to producing, planning, and working toward the next thing. It can also create room to discover what you want in this new chapter.
✨ You don’t have to maximize every bit of your potential
One of Lynne’s most powerful distinctions is between fulfilling your potential and maximizing your potential.
Many adults with ADHD are good at seeing possibilities. You can spot another way to improve a project, a new direction to explore, or something more you could add. That ability can be a gift. It can also make every possibility feel like an obligation.
If you’ve spent years hearing some version of “You have so much potential, if only you would…,” it’s easy to believe you should always be doing more.
Lynne challenges that idea. Fulfilling your potential doesn’t mean squeezing every possible accomplishment out of yourself. It means using who you are and what you have to create a life that matters to you.
More output isn’t automatically a better life. Sometimes doing enough—and having time and energy for the people and experiences you care about—is exactly the point.
🧠 Why another planner may not solve the problem
When Tara asks what Lynne wishes she had understood earlier about ADHD and productivity, Lynne talks about what she calls the “between the ears” stuff.
Planners, apps, routines, and systems can be useful. But the way you think about yourself, your tasks, and your time affects whether those tools can actually support you.
If you believe every missed deadline proves you’re irresponsible, a new calendar won’t necessarily change that belief. If you’re ashamed of the clutter around you, buying another organizing tool may leave the harder part untouched.
Lynne isn’t dismissing practical tools. She’s saying that your thinking and perspective matter alongside them. When you can look at a difficulty with less judgment, it becomes easier to see what’s happening and choose a tool or system that fits.
Productivity isn’t simply how many things you can cram into a day. For Lynne, it’s about where your values intersect with the way you spend your time, energy, and focus.
💜 What to do with ADHD blame and shame
Tara and Lynne talk openly about the shame that can build up around follow-through, time management, and getting things done. Lynne’s message is clear: stop treating every struggle as evidence of a character flaw.
When something doesn’t go as planned, blaming yourself can take up so much attention that there’s little room left to solve the problem. Lynne encourages a different starting point: curiosity.
You might ask yourself:
- What happened here?
- Where did things start to break down?
- Was something about my approach or environment getting in the way?
- What could I try differently next time?
A system that works for someone else may not work for you. That gives you information about the system and about what supports you; it doesn’t tell you what kind of person you are.
Lynne wants listeners to understand their challenges more clearly so they can find ways to work with their brains.
✅ Decide what “done” means before you begin
Knowing when to stop isn’t only a question about major life decisions. It can show up in the middle of an ordinary task.
When you can still see ways to make something better, the finish line can keep moving. Lynne shares a practical strategy she uses herself: when possible, decide what “done” or “sufficient” will mean before you start.
Then, while you’re working, find a way to remind yourself of the goal. What are you actually trying to accomplish? What would make this complete enough? How will you recognize that you’ve reached that point?
Those reminders can be especially helpful with longer or more complicated projects. Once you’re immersed in the details, it’s easy to lose sight of the reason you began.
There may always be a way to make something better. The useful question is whether that next improvement is the best use of your time, energy, and focus right now.
🎙️ A farewell—and what comes next
Toward the end of the episode, Tara thanks Lynne for their years of conversations, collaboration, and support. Tara shares that she considered whether Lynne’s departure might be the time to end ADHD Support Talk Radio. After thinking it through, she decided to continue.
Lynne expresses her gratitude to Tara, their listeners, and the ADHD community. She is retiring from coaching and recording new episodes, but her past podcast conversations and existing resources will remain available.
Her final encouragement is one she hopes listeners will carry forward: your struggles don’t mean there’s something fundamentally wrong with you. Stay curious about what works for you. Give yourself credit when something does work. And keep coming back to what matters most.
💬 Has something Lynne shared over the years stayed with you? Tell us in the comments what you’ve learned from her or what you appreciated about listening to Tara and Lynne together.
Podcast Co-Host Lynne Edris helps overwhelmed professionals take control of their time and tackle their to-dos with ease so they have more time, more energy, and more money for what they love most! As a woman with ADHD herself, she has been where her clients are and come out the other side, so to speak. She’s gone from living in a constant state of chaos and under-performance to a life full of success and fulfillment, and wants to help you achieve your version of success as well! Take Lynne’s quick quiz to get your personalized productivity profile with customized results and recommendations at www.ProductivityBreakthroughQuiz.com. You can learn more about Lynne and contact her through her website at www.CoachingADDvantages.com.
Tara McGillicuddy is described by those who know her – clients, fellow leaders, and community – as dedicated to the deep, soulful
energetic-level shifts required by life. Whether she’s helping to SEE your life more clearly, identify where you’re stuck, tuning into sacred energies OR she’s helping to build a practical life with tools, structure, physical help and precise action steps, she is committed to giving everything she knows to help you live your best life and to feel fulfilled by it.
Tara has been known and celebrated in the ADHD community for decades of practical and long-lasting shifts in tens of thousands in her communities. The creator of ADDClasses.com, The ADHD Awareness Expo and ADHD Support Talk Radio Tara is one of the longest-standing leaders in the field. Over the years she has also honed her natural skills as an empath.
ADHD Support Talk Radio is an award winning Podcast for Adults with ADD / ADHD. Co-hosts Tara McGillicuddy and Lynne Edris are joined by Adult ADHD experts and they cover important topics related to Adult ADD / ADHD. Podcast guests include Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Dr. Ari Tuckman, Laurie Dupar, Terry Matlen and many more.
Tara McGillicuddy is the Producer, Owner and Co-host of the ADHD Support Talk Radio Podcast. You may contact Tara with general questions or feedback about the podcast.
Lynne Edris is the Co-host of the ADHD Support Talk Radio Podcast. You may contact Lynne with feedback about her episodes.