The Academic Coaching Podcast

Catherine Pacilio, an executive function and academic coach and founder of Pacilio Coaching, joins Gretchen to unpack what happened when she and fellow Anti-Boring Learning Lab member Robin turned the science of learning into a five-day summer study skills intensive for middle and high school students. Catherine shares what worked, what students responded to, and what surprised her about teaching study skills online — including the differences she noticed between middle and high schoolers, and between running small groups versus one-on-one sessions. We also dig into the challenge of balancing how much to teach with how much students can actually absorb and use. Together, Gretchen and Catherine explore what this experiment revealed about building a study skills toolkit that can carry students into the school year.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutHow Catherine and fellow lab member Robin designed a collaborative five-day study skills intensive — one built for online delivery, the other for in-personUsing retrieval practice and movement to make quizzing more active, including a physical-challenge game that had students doing wall pushups and star jumps for wrong answersBackwards learning, the Study Cycle, and Quizzable Study Tools from the Anti-Boring Toolkit, and how Catherine trimmed and paced mini lessons for a condensed formatWhat Catherine noticed about teaching the same content to middle schoolers versus high schoolers — from session length to how much structure each age group wantedWhy one-on-one coaching surprised Catherine by feeling especially effective, even as she saw real value in the group dynamic and peer normalizationThe difference between teaching a strategy and helping a student actually use it once school starts — and how Catherine is building in a follow-up coaching session each October to bridge that gapAbout Catherine PacilioCatherine Pacilio is an executive function and academic coach for adolescents and the founder of Pacilio Coaching. She brings 17 years of experience in education, a master's degree in Special Education, and certification as an Academic and Executive Function Coach through the Anti-Boring Learning Lab. Catherine works with middle and high school students to build practical, personalized systems that support confidence and independence.Links + ResourcesPacilio Coaching: https://www.paciliocoaching.comInstagram: @paciliocoaching.comLearn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabFree Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesGretchen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/iTR_fL4_voI

Frankie Trevor, a senior at California State University, Sacramento and former academic coaching client of Gretchen Wegner, joins Gretchen to reflect on how coaching skills can take years to fully take hold. Frankie went from a 1.39 GPA and deep shame about his grades to the Dean's Honor Roll and Presidential Honor Roll, with plans to take the LSAT and pursue law school. They talk honestly about his initial resistance to coaching, the relief of having a judgment-free person look at his grades with him, and the unexpected challenges that made his first year of coaching especially difficult. Together, they explore what happens when coaches teach skills that a student may not be ready to use yet—and why those lessons can still matter years later.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutFrankie's "begrudging acceptance" of needing help and the shame he felt around his grades and asking for supportLooking at his online grade portal together without judgment, even when it showed zeros and missing workThe planner and "first steps" strategies that eventually became part of how Frankie manages college workThe one-page planner, binder system, and other organizational tools Gretchen used with Frankie in high schoolHow the Study Cycle, Hone It Notes, and creating a "survival sheet" became useful study strategies later in collegeAbout Frankie TrevorFrankie Trevor is a senior at California State University, Sacramento, where he currently holds honor roll standing. He is preparing to take the LSAT and plans to pursue law school after taking a gap year. Frankie worked with Gretchen Wegner as an academic coaching client during his junior year of high school, where they worked on organizational systems, study strategies, and self-advocacy skills that he later carried into college.Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabFree Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesGretchen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/dz7O9IMN1s4

Suzy Evans and Dr. Shane Saeed, instructional coordinators in Colorado's St. Vrain Valley School District, have spent eight years building a different kind of professional learning experience: a voluntary Science of Learning Collaborative, coordinator-led and increasingly teacher-powered. In this conversation, they share what happened when Gretchen brought her working memory mini-lesson to their teachers—and how the "parking spaces" metaphor quickly became part of the language teachers used with each other and their students. They talk about what makes professional development actually transfer into classroom practice, including the importance of community, sustainability, and giving teachers space to experiment and learn together. Together, they explore what it can look like when brain science moves beyond a PD session and becomes something teachers and students actually use.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutThe "parking spaces" metaphor for working memory and cognitive overload—and how teachers began using it with students from kindergarten through 12th gradeThe Science of Learning Collaborative, an opt-in professional learning model that has grown to 75 educatorsWays to "clear parking spaces," including movement breaks, brain dumps, and checks for understandingWhy every brain is different, and how processing speed and neurodiversity can affect how students experience cognitive overloadThe surprising idea that a teacher's own working memory can become a bottleneck during explicit instructionAbout Suzy Evans & Dr. Shane SaeedSuzy Evans is an Instructional Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley School District, where she supports principals and teachers in data analysis, instructional decision-making, and collective efficacy; she co-facilitates the district's Science of Learning Collaborative and co-hosts the Vrain Waves podcast.Dr. Shane Saeed is an Elementary ELA Curriculum Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley School District, specializing in structured literacy and educational equity. She holds a doctorate in executive leadership, authored Be the Flame, and is a national speaker and ASCD & ISTE-recognized leader. She also co-hosts the Vrain Waves podcast.Links + ResourcesVrain Waves Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vrain-waves-teaching-conversations-with-minds-shaping/id1365316994Suzy Evans on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannah-evans/Dr. Shane Saeed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-saeed-ed-d-686296132/Be the Flame by Shane Saeed: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/be-the-flame-sparking-positive-classroom-communities_shane-saeed/29003758/item/64854630/Teach FAST by Gene Tavernetti: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/teach-fast-focused-adaptable-structured-teaching/37475687/SOL in the Wild: https://solinthewild.substack.com/Powerful Teaching by Pooja Agarwal & Patrice BainLearn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabFree Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesGretchen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/0yq29ZyNv3s

In this episode, Gretchen talks with Sarah Ward — speech-language pathologist and Co-Director of Cognitive Connections — about why task completion is its own executive function skill, separate from starting. Gretchen opens up about her own struggle to finish things (yes, including a song she wrote herself about it), and Sarah brings decades of clinical experience into genuinely tiny, doable tweaks for classroom teachers, coaches, and tutors alike. They cover why students insist they're "done" when they're not, a simple reframe for procrastination, and why this year's college freshmen are struggling in ways past cohorts haven't. If you work with students who swear they're finished when they're not, this one's for you.You'll Hear Us Talk About"Mind miming" — a mental simulation trick that helps students actually finish what they startWhy so many students insist they're done with something... when they're notA simple reframe for procrastination — Sarah's "hesitator" vs. "procrastinator" distinctionThe "job talk" trick that gives any task a real finish lineWhy this year's college freshmen are struggling with executive demands in new waysSarah's favorite definition of emotional regulation — the ability to tolerate discomfortAbout Sarah WardSarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist and Co-Director of Cognitive Connections, LLP, where she has spent over 30 years working in diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and case management for children, adolescents, and adults with developmental and acquired brain-based learning challenges, with a particular focus on executive function. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and co-developed the 360 Thinking™ Executive Function Program with Kristen Jacobsen, which received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from CHADD. Find her at efpractice.com.Links + ResourcesSarah's website: https://efpractice.comLearn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabDownload our free Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesConnect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/IWsmawTJ9jc

In this episode, Gretchen talks with Patrick Quinlan — actor, improviser, executive function coach, and dad — about the moment he realized his longtime way of working had become unsustainable, and in some cases too comfortable, for the families he served. Patrick shares his path from theater and tutoring into EF coaching, and why becoming a parent forced him to rethink in-home sessions, LA traffic, and the emotional labor of being students' "safe person." Together, he and Gretchen explore the fine line between supportive coaching and becoming an expensive emotional regulation crutch, and dig into the business shifts that can change everything — moving from hourly sessions to packages, building clearer boundaries, and creating a path for students to graduate. It's a conversation about coaching, business, and identity, and what it really takes to build support systems that make students more independent, not more dependent.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutHow Patrick became "a safety blanket" for some long-term students — and what that actually costs both sidesWhy moving from hourly sessions to packages gave families (and Patrick) a clearer beginning, middle, and endThe moment fatherhood made in-home, hourly coaching unsustainable and forced a shift to virtual workWhy Patrick's background as an actor made it harder — and eventually necessary — to show up as himself in his coaching businessFinding community after realizing he wasn't the only coach carrying this weightAbout Patrick QuinlanPatrick Quinlan is an actor, improviser, and executive function coach, and the founder of Quinlan Tutoring. He built his coaching practice out of a background in theater and tutoring, and now works to help students build independence rather than dependency — while also navigating the business side of running a coaching practice as a parent.Links + ResourcesPatrick's website: Quinlan Tutoring — https://www.quinlantutoring.com/Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabDownload our free Toolkit, including the study cycle and the cognitive overload mini lecture: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesConnect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/2DY0nX3OZ34Bonus — Rock Your Biz: Join Rock Your Biz in August! : https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ANub2KuPn3D9p7MNkorM-JLUhmeZfvaJv1zq5KR04U/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, Gretchen sits down with Seth Perler — executive function coach and creator of TEFOS, the Executive Function Online Summit, now in its 8th year. Gretchen expected to unpack what TEFOS has taught Seth over the years, and they do — but the conversation also goes further, into Seth's personal story and the single biggest skill that turned him from a self-described "lazy failure" into an internationally known EF coach. They also talk business, including Seth's "heart of service first" approach to building a referral network, which flips the usual competitive mindset around private practice. It's a conversation between two longtime colleagues in the academic/EF coaching world — equal parts personal and practical.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutThe skill that turned Seth from "lazy failure" to EF coach — and it starts with asking for helpSeth's path from 12 years in the classroom to pioneering EF coaching before the field really existedHis "heart of service first" approach to referrals — and why it beats a competitive mindsetWhat 8 years of running TEFOS has taught him about this field and its communityWhy this conversation goes deeper than the usual "what is EF coaching" interviewAbout Seth PerlerSeth Perler is an executive function coach, speaker, and creator of TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), now in its 8th year and one of the largest free gatherings in the ADHD and neurodivergent education world. He taught for 12 years before leaving the classroom in 2010 to pioneer executive function coaching, holds a Master's in Gifted Education/Special Education, and has spent over a decade helping neurodivergent, twice-exceptional, and struggling students build the skills school never taught them.Links + ResourcesSeth's website: https://sethperler.com/Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabDownload our free Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesConnect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/Z9VtLpAGl-oBonus — TEFOS 2026: Get your FREE ticket to TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), August 14–17, 2026. A VIP pass with lifetime access + bonuses is also available, with early bird pricing through August 13. Register: https://theantiboringapproach--sethperler.thrivecart.com/tefos26/

In this episode, Gretchen talks with Cathleen Pittman — academic and executive function coach, organizational specialist, and founder of Our Learning Studio — about building a tutoring business, selling it, and then facing a sudden cancer diagnosis that made "what happens to my business if something happens to me?" feel anything but hypothetical. They dig into what actually makes a solo coaching or tutoring practice more valuable, why most of us assume this conversation doesn't apply to us (spoiler: it does), and why thinking like a future seller strengthens your business even if you never sell.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutWhat actually makes a one-person coaching or tutoring practice "sellable" — hint: it's not just client numbersHow a health scare forced Cathleen to rethink what her business depended onThe systems and documentation that let a practice run without you in the roomWhy "I'll never sell" isn't a reason to skip this thinkingHow building for a future sale makes your day-to-day business more sustainable right nowAbout Cathleen PittmanCathleen Pittman is the founder of Our Learning Studio, an academic and executive function support practice based in High Point, North Carolina, with more than 28 years of experience in education as a teacher, administrator, mentor, and entrepreneur. In 2006 she opened her first large-scale tutoring center, later built and successfully sold it, and today works privately with students, families, and professionals while helping tutoring business owners build stronger systems behind the scenes. She hosts the Tutor Mentor Podcast.Links + ResourcesTake the course: How to Set Up Your Tutoring Business Now to be Sellable in the Future: https://our-learning-studio.teachable.com/p/how-to-set-up-your-tutoring-business-to-be-sellable?affcode=1489752_rp3t0h8g (open enrollment — take it any time)Our Learning Studio — Cathleen's website: https://ourlearningstudio.com/Connect with Cathleen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-cathleen-killeen-pittman-007641185/Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabDownload our free Toolkit: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesConnect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/wMI4tnryaZI

In this inaugural episode, Gretchen talks with Susannah Cole — executive function coach, educational diagnostician, and co-author of Flexible Mindsets in Schools — about the gap EF coaching fills and why school was never really designed to close it. Inspired by NPR's Wild Card, this first conversation runs three rounds of questions across three chapters of Susannah's life, going deeper than a typical interview. They trace her path from being misread as a student to burning out as a teacher, then into the work that finally clicked. Along the way: a look at who schools were actually built for, and a practical tool that changed the way Susannah runs sessions and relationships alike.You'll Hear Us Talk AboutWhy "whose job is it to teach learning?" is such a thorny question once you look at the history of schoolsSusannah's iceberg model — what's visible above the waterline in a struggling student, and what's driving it belowWhose nervous system is actually overwhelmed in the classroom, and why that matters for regulation and attentionThe Consent Burger: a simple structure for inviting students in that reshaped Susannah's coachingLearning to read what a specific student needs in a specific moment, instead of leading with enthusiasmAbout Susannah ColeSusannah Cole is an executive function coach, educational diagnostician, and co-author of Flexible Mindsets in Schools (with Dr. Julie Dunstan). With over 25 years across early childhood, middle school, autism therapy, learning support, and college teaching, she brings a strengths-based approach to helping students build the systems, habits, and mindsets behind self-directed learning. She holds an MEd in Developmental Psychology and conducts psychoeducational assessments. Find her at theefcoach.com.Links + ResourcesFlexible Mindsets in Schools by Julie Dunstan & Susannah Cole: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Mindsets-Schools-Julie-Dunstan/dp/1032069775The EF Coach — Susannah's website: https://theefcoach.comNPR's Wild Card with Rachel Martin — structural inspiration for this episode's format: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510379/wild-card-with-rachel-martinThe Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curiosity-shop-with-bren%C3%A9-brown-and-adam-grant/id1730985049Guess what?! If you'd like to learn more about TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit), where Susannah and Gretchen first met, it's coming up again August 14–17, 2026! It's totally free to register:TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Summit): https://theantiboringapproach--sethperler.thrivecart.com/tefos26/Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning LabDownload our free Toolkit (including information about the Consent Burger): https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resourcesConnect with Gretchen on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegnerWatch the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/SuwUh20D84A