Executive Functioning
Approach
Executive functioning refers to the mental skills that help you plan, organize, start tasks, manage time, and regulate emotions. Essentially, it refers to the processes that allow you to navigate daily life. However, when these skills feel difficult to access, even simple tasks can become overwhelming, frustrating, or hard to complete.
At Thrive Ahead Co., our approach to executive functioning support blends emotional insight with practical, real-world strategies, rooted in a strengths-based perspective. Rather than starting from what’s “wrong,” we start with what’s already working for you and build from there. We recognize that these challenges are rarely about “laziness” or lack of discipline, they’re often connected to nervous system regulation, burnout, and how your brain uniquely processes information.
Our work is collaborative and personalized. Together, we explore what’s getting in the way while building tools that support how you naturally function. This may include creating routines, breaking down tasks, and developing systems that feel sustainable and aligned with your own values, not just with being more productive. The goal is to help you move through your day with more clarity, consistency, and self-trust.
Benefits & Outcomes
Values-Driven, Not Just Productivity-Driven
Build systems and routines that reflect what matters most to you, not just what makes you more efficient.
Greater Self-Understanding and Confidence
Build awareness of how you function best, allowing you to approach challenges with more self-compassion, clarity, and confidence over time.
Reduced Overwhelm
Develop tools to manage mental load, regulate your nervous system, and approach responsibilities in a way that feels more structured and less exhausting.
Personalized Systems That Work
Create routines, strategies, and environments tailored to your unique brain, helping you stay organized and focused without relying on “one-size-fits-all” solutions.
Insurances Accepted
Your Supports
Michelle Hodges, OTR/L (she/her)
Michelle is an occupational therapist who works with clients who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected, often despite doing “all the right things.” She brings a calm, exploratory presence to sessions, helping clients slow down, make sense of their experiences, and build supportive routines that fit their lives.
Her approach is collaborative and flexible, blending structure with space for reflection. Michelle focuses on areas like time management, habit-building, nervous system regulation, and creating daily rhythms that feel both manageable and meaningful.
She is especially attuned to the emotional side of executive functioning, helping clients navigate anxiety, burnout, and life transitions that impact follow-through and consistency. Rather than “fixing” behaviors, Michelle helps clients understand themselves more deeply and develop strategies that feel realistic, supportive, and aligned with their values.
Michelle is a great fit for those who feel overwhelmed or stuck and are looking for a steady, supportive approach to building routines and systems that feel manageable and aligned.
Allie Karagozian, OTR/L (she/her)
Allie is an occupational therapist whose work centers on helping clients move out of survival mode and into a more regulated, sustainable way of living. She supports individuals in understanding how their emotional and physical experiences impact their ability to plan, focus, and follow through.
With a background in hospital-based care, Allie brings a thoughtful, whole-person perspective to executive functioning. She works with clients on areas like time management, energy conservation, sleep routines, and nervous system regulation, especially for those navigating ADHD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or chronic stress.
Allie creates a warm, grounded, nonjudgmental space where clients can explore patterns, reconnect with their bodies, and build routines that feel supportive and realistic, without having to white-knuckle it on their own first. Her approach emphasizes self-compassion, helping clients develop tools that promote consistency, balance, and a stronger sense of connection to their daily lives.
Allie is a great fit for those who want to feel less overwhelmed and more supported by their daily life instead of constantly fighting against it. She also brings particular experience supporting clients managing chronic pain alongside executive functioning challenges.
Caitlyn Fraser, OTR/L (she/her)
Caitlyn is an occupational therapist who specializes in supporting individuals who feel stuck between knowing what needs to be done and actually being able to do it. Her work focuses on building personalized systems that make daily life more manageable, whether that’s improving time management, organization, or task initiation.
With a background in mental health and rehabilitation, Caitlyn takes a practical, step-by-step approach to executive functioning. She works collaboratively with clients to break down overwhelming responsibilities into achievable actions, while also addressing barriers like burnout, anxiety, shame, or perfectionism. Caitlyn is especially helpful for those navigating ADHD, autism, or other executive functioning challenges, including building routines, managing a home or workload, and creating more structure in day-to-day life.
Her approach is flexible and experimental, helping clients find strategies that actually work in their real lives, not just in theory. Together, you’ll build sustainable habits and structures that support consistency, confidence, and a stronger sense of control over your own life.
Caitlyn is a great fit for those who are ready to move from intention into action and want structured, practical support to improve follow-through in their daily lives. She also works well with clients navigating career-related executive functioning challenges.
FAQ’s
What is executive functioning support?
Support for skills like organization, time management, planning, and follow-through, while also addressing the emotional and neurological factors behind them.
What does support actually look like inside a session?
Sessions are collaborative and tailored to you, focusing on whatever’s most useful that day, whether that’s breaking down a task, regulating your nervous system, or building a personalized system.
Do I need a diagnosis to start?
Yes, a mental health diagnosis (such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, or OCD) is required to begin occupational therapy, and we offer testing referrals to a local psychologist if you’d like to explore this further.
Is this more like therapy or coaching?
It’s a bit of both, combining emotional insight with practical strategies, though coaching isn’t insurance eligible while working through this process in a more therapeutic capacity is. Note: while coaching isn’t insurance eligible, working the process like therapy is insurance eligible.
What if I’ve tried systems before and they didn’t work?
That’s common. We focus on building personalized, flexible systems that fit your life rather than forcing approaches that aren’t aligned with how you function.
Can I combine this with other services?
Yes. Many clients pair executive functioning support with therapy, nutrition, or other services for more comprehensive care.
Schedule a Consult
Get started today with a free 15-minute phone consultation with our founder, Jenn.
This is a chance to share what you’re looking for, ask questions, and see if at Thrive Ahead Co. feels like the right fit for you.
No pressure, just a supportive first step forward.