Action Forward - Know your Wiring. Build Life to Thrive

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Action Forward - Know your Wiring. Build Life to Thrive

There was the constant fight to do the best clinically for my clients but being made to feel like I was not competent or experienced in my job.

Occupational therapist & neurodiversity specialist helping neurodivergent families and ambitious women understand how they're wired, build practical everyday strategies, and move comfortably forward into lives that genuinely thrive and feel aligned. How saying “no” means I now have clear time for work and me …

The first photo is an absolutely exhausted and stretched version of me, I was so overwhelmed with EVERYTHING in my life. I was feeling the need to work crazy hours and fit everyone in when they needed things, I was telling myself working while i got the kids afternoon tea was effective. Then I would come home and feel like I was fighting with no energy left to plan and set up what was best for my loved ones. “I DON’T WANT to FIGHT anymore” was a line I remember saying on repeat to my hubby. Photo #2 There is spark and joy in those eyes and even a smile that is coming from deep inside. I’m not fighting multiple systems and people every week, I have energy and time to do things I “used” to do for ME. Goals and actions I set are actually coming to fruition and I‘m celebrating the changes of having more available time and even increased income. It is exciting and enjoyable to consider work time and there is the joy of having time for myself and my family's priority each week. I now have found the ability to; have focused time to progress my business, be totally present with my family and have time to do the things that recharge and exhilarate me, it blows me away with joy. What happened you ask? Here’s what I learned and changed:
1. Develop clear boundaries for each of the priority areas of home and work to set clear time in your diary across the week.
2. Refind and refine your purpose and the things that are “important to you”!
3. Slowing down enough to take small simple steps and celebrating the 1% improvement each day and then across the whole week, month. My mission now is exciting and clear:

Support Allied Health Professionals to reignite their passion for work and restore energy in their personal lives to have joy and choices to reach their goals and dreams. What area of the week ALWAYS pushes your boundaries, lets look together at how you can build clear and strong boundaries. Let’s PLAN action.

18/09/2026

Sydney, tomorrow’s the day! 🎉

The resources are packed. The workshop is ready.

And I’m very excited to be heading to the Celebrating Women Expo tomorrow!

I'll be presenting:

🧠 Your ADHD Brain, Decoded

A practical workshop designed to help you better understand how you're wired, how your brain processes your world and what you can do to support yourself in everyday life.

I'll also be hanging out at the Action Forward stall throughout the Expo, so please come and introduce yourself, explore the resources or ask me a question.

One of my favourite things about events like this is taking the conversations we have online and having them face-to-face.

📅 Sunday 20 September 2026
⏰ 10am–4pm
📍 The Pumphouse / Novotel Darling Square, Darling Harbour

See you tomorrow, Sydney!

17/09/2026

Many neurodivergent women become incredibly capable because they've spent years adapting, problem-solving and finding ways to manage challenges on their own.

While resilience is something to be proud of, it doesn't mean you have to carry everything by yourself.

Seeking support isn't a sign that you're struggling - it's a sign that you're investing in yourself. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is allow someone to help you find a better way forward.

Remember, asking for support is a strength, not a weakness.

15/09/2026

“I know there was something I needed to remember…”

You’re halfway through another task when that thought suddenly pops into your head. You try to hold onto it while answering an email, making dinner or finishing what you’re doing… and then it’s gone.

We ask our brains to hold onto SO much - appointments, tasks, ideas, deadlines, things we need to buy and that random thing we absolutely must remember three days from now.

I’ve learnt that getting those things out of my head and somewhere I can see them takes some of that pressure away.

A whiteboard, calendar, visual reminder or digital task list isn’t cheating. It’s giving your brain one less thing to carry so it has more capacity for thinking, creating and actually doing.

Supporting your brain doesn’t always mean finding a way to do more.

Sometimes it means asking your brain to hold less.

What tool helps take the pressure off your memory?

14/09/2026

“I understand my brain better now… but what do I actually DO with that?”

That’s often the next piece of the puzzle.

You might finally have words for why certain things feel harder, recognise patterns you’ve lived with for years or have a recent diagnosis that suddenly makes so much click into place. But then you’re standing in the middle of everyday life thinking, “Okay… now how do I make this actually work for me?”

That’s where mentoring can help.

It’s a space where we look at your brain, your life, your challenges and what you want to achieve, then build practical strategies around you rather than squeezing you into someone else’s idea of how things should work.

Because understanding yourself is powerful. Learning how to use that understanding in everyday life is where things can really start to shift.

Ready to explore mentoring with me? Visit stephanieford.com.au to learn more.

10/09/2026

The beach and the ocean are one of my recharge places 🌊

I don’t particularly love being covered in sand 😂… but being there? Watching the water. Listening to it. Slowing down. That fills my bucket.

The problem is, if I wait until I “find the time” to do those things, they often don’t happen.

So I’ve started doing something differently.

I put them in the calendar.

I already have a date blocked out in October to go to the beach.

Do I know which beach? Nope.

Do I know exactly what we’re doing? Nope.

Will it definitely happen? Maybe not.

But there’s a MUCH better chance of it happening because I’ve created the space for it first.

We’re often really good at booking appointments, meetings, work commitments and things other people need from us.

The things that recharge us? We tell ourselves we’ll fit them in when we have time.

Sometimes self-care isn’t about finding more time.

It’s about giving the things that matter to you a place in your calendar BEFORE everything else fills it.

What’s something that fills your bucket that you could book into your calendar today? 💗

09/09/2026

Sydney… not long now! 🧠

I’m getting ready to head to Darling Harbour for the Celebrating Women Expo, and I'm genuinely excited about the workshop I'll be bringing with me.

✨ Your ADHD Brain, Decoded

If you've ever wondered...

Why do “simple” tasks sometimes feel ridiculously hard?

Why can I focus intensely on one thing and completely forget another?

Why do routines work beautifully… until suddenly they don't?

Why do I know exactly what I need to do but still struggle to start?

Come and join me.

We’re going to look beneath the surface and explore how your brain works, with practical strategies you can take away and use in your everyday life.

📅 Sunday 20 September 2026
📍 The Pumphouse / Novotel Darling Square
⏰ 10am–4pm

And don't forget to come and find me at the Action Forward stall afterwards!

Who’s joining me? 👇

08/09/2026

Many of us have been taught that rest is something we earn after we've finished everything on our to-do list.

The reality is that for many neurodivergent people, rest is an essential part of functioning well. It allows the nervous system to regulate, give the chance of optimal executive functioning, improves focus and helps prevent the cycle of overwhelm and burnout.

Giving yourself permission to rest isn't giving up. It's recognising that looking after yourself allows you to show up more fully in every area of your life.

This week, give yourself permission to rest before you reach the point of exhaustion.

07/09/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of doing something isn’t actually DOING it.

It’s starting.

We talk a lot about processing information and executive functioning, and one of those core skills is our ability to initiate a task - to actually get ourselves from thinking about something to doing it.

And this doesn’t only apply to work or the boring things we don’t want to do.

It can happen with things we genuinely ENJOY too.

Our family holidays are a perfect example.

What should we do? Where should we go? How are we getting there? What do we need? Does everyone actually want to go?

Multiple conversations. Multiple opinions. Usually a few frustrations.

Then eventually… we get here.

And suddenly the four of us are sitting by the water, happy as Larry, wondering why getting here felt like such a bloody mission 😂

Sometimes we assume that if we really wanted to do something, starting it should be easy.

But difficulty initiating something doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t want to do it.

Sometimes your brain just finds the transition from thinking about it → starting it harder than the activity itself.

And recognising that can help us find strategies to make the START easier, rather than giving up on something we might actually really enjoy once we get there.

03/09/2026

When we hear the word behaviour, we often have a very specific idea of what that looks like.

But behaviour is so much broader than that.

It’s our actions. Our responses. The way we react emotionally. The way we communicate when we’re overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed or struggling.

And understanding why we’re behaving or responding a certain way gives us a much better chance of finding a strategy that actually helps.

Today, for example, I’ve got really bad brain fog because I’m emotionally exhausted.

That exhaustion changes my behaviour. I’m tired. I’m shorter in my responses. My brain isn’t working the way it normally does.

Instead of just thinking, “What is wrong with me today?”, I can recognise what’s driving those responses and ask:

What does my brain and body need right now?

For me, that might mean getting outside in the sunshine, going for a walk or jumping on my pushbike for a ride.

Awareness gives us somewhere to start.

When we understand our behaviours AND what might be driving them, we can choose strategies that support what we actually need instead of simply trying to push through.

And that’s how we start creating days where we can thrive, not just survive.

02/09/2026

Have you ever wished you could just sit down with someone and ask, “Is this an ADHD thing?”

Well, if you're coming to the Celebrating Women Expo, come and find me!

Alongside presenting Your ADHD Brain, Decoded, I'll have an Action Forward stall at the Expo throughout the day.

Come over for a chat about ADHD, executive functioning, neurodiversity or the everyday things your brain seems determined to make more complicated than necessary.

You’ll also be able to explore some of the practical Action Forward resources designed to help you better understand and support your brain.

Whether you're looking for support for yourself, your family, school or workplace, I'd love to meet you.

📅 Sunday 20 September
📍 The Pumphouse / Novotel Darling Square, Darling Harbour
⏰ 10am–4pm

And yes, you are absolutely allowed to come over and say, “I follow you online!”

Address

Sydney, NSW

Website

http://Www.ActionForward.com.au/

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