Testing, testing (thanks for being a safe space)

Estimated read time: 4 minutes

Throughout the month of February 2025, I posted 28 reels on Instagram. It was a short-term project where I could practice talking about “Executive Functioning” casually, with my own style, imperfectly, and safely.

That’s because I used my personal Instagram account, set to “private” mode. So everyone there was vetted in some way or another.

I practiced being a little more visible than was comfortable for me.

I could practice speaking on Executive Functioning in a way that helped me discover how I did and didn’t want to talk about it.

I invited interaction, connected in a new way with my small audience, and grew my tolerance for being on video.

The safety was by design. It was based on acceptance of the LIMITATIONS I have as a human being.

Here’s a mix of limitations and resulting boundaries I embraced to make that micro-project happen:

• I know myself well enough to know I needed to dip my toes in first. A public arena wouldn’t be wise to start out with. Too many variables to consider. So I chose an environment where I knew I could experiment and make mistakes, and no one would really give me a hard time. I didn’t have to worry about managing trolls or “Well, actually...” people. And that freed me up to focus on what I wanted to say. Kind of like the supportive classroom spaces of my youth. (Note: I’m not planning to avoid that kind of criticism forever. Just to get started.)
• I limited it to a month, with an end-date built in.
• I committed to one type of media: 90-second Reels. This freed me to mess around with other variables, including being indoors or outdoors.
• I remembered a story from a peer teasing me during a Science and Society course I took about 15 years ago. After a presentation where I had to talk in front of the class, one of my dearest friends (a roommate, in fact) said I get so serious up there, like my sense of humor just goes away. I didn’t appreciate the comment at the time. It brought up insecure feelings. But I never forgot its lesson: I do become a weirdo sometimes in front of groups of people! Like, I want to be outta there so bad. This awareness helps set me up for success, because now I actively seek out ways to make this kind of stuff fun for myself. I love a dumb joke, and I have a salty sense of humor, and I swear a lot, and I am plenty opinionated, and sometimes I like to provoke through my creations. It freaks me out to show all that in public sometimes. But I can grow that practice by reflecting on what I need so that I can allow those parts to come out. It’s a mix of nervous system/mindset work and environment, and I do have some influence over both.
• I know from a previous (failed) attempt at solo entrepreneurship that it’s hard to know “where to put my mind” with an ambiguous, ambitious project like this. Especially one where I’m sharing ideas and want to come across as trustworthy most of all. Do I do that by citing research? Sharing my training experience? How do I seem authoritative without being wooden and out-of-touch? It’s funny… the thing that spurred the February posting spree was actually a comment from my therapist, who remarked on the irony of me struggling to finish my Certified ADHD Professional credential. I thought, “Dang, that’s a great idea for content. I can talk about how I manage my own Executive Functioning, and it’ll give me a chance to share real-life strategies. It’ll be a proof-of-concept kind of thing.” And that’s exactly what I did.

Even with the limitations embraced, and boundaries set, I was exhausted after the month. I learned that sometimes, 90-second Reels are a breeze, and sometimes they take 40 minutes to record. I realized at the end of the series that I never even shared a bit of my training or experience, so I made sure to explain my background in my About page.

And now I’m reaching out a little further, a little wider, a little more generously. THANK YOU for being a part of that.

Cheers,

Caroline

P.S. The first-ever Creative Compass group begins this week! (Email me or sign up on the Offering page if you want to get on a list for future versions.)

P.P.S. Sign up below, or invite others, to join me on a blogging journey to bring the science and practice of Executive Functioning into our daily lives, where it belongs. You’ll get:

*More nuance and context than a lot of media on the subject.

*Perspectives from various traditions: philosophy, religion, psychology, the “natural” world, and more.

*Personal memoir from my own life and learning.

*Deep-dives delivered with care for a widely diverse audience.

… all right to your email inbox.