High Achieving, Still Struggling - ADHD & Parenting with Dr. Michelle Chung (Ep 5, Pt 1)

Is your child lazy, or missing a skill? 🌸☬️💪 In Part 1 of this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Michelle Chung (‪@dr.michellechung‬ ) a clinical psychologist based in New York City and the founder of InPractice Psychology and The Modern Asian Parent, to talk about ADHD, anxiety, and perfectionism in high-achieving kids. 🌟 THIS EPISODE EXPLORES: → Growing up as the first daughter of Korean American immigrants, and leaving management consulting for psychology → CBT, DBT, ACT, and SPACE explained in plain language → Why ADHD is being talked about everywhere, and one way to reframe an ADHD-wired brain → Why ADHD is more about self-regulation than attention → Executive functioning as an air traffic control tower, and why "it's not the will, it's the lack of skill" → How to tell laziness from a genuine executive functioning challenge → Screens as "dopamine-making machines," and when kids are ready for social media → Perfectionism as anxiety, and the "armor that shame wears" → SPACE: how parents can encourage an anxious child without reinforcing the fear → The gap that led her to create The Modern Asian Parent 💫 MEMORABLE QUOTE: "I always say, 'It's not the will, it's the lack of skill.'" A reframe worth hearing before the next argument over homework. 💫 ABOUT DR. MICHELLE CHUNG: Dr. Michelle Chung is a clinical psychologist in New York City who works with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She is the founder of InPractice Psychology and The Modern Asian Parent (Modern Approach to Parenting), is trained in CBT, DBT, ACT, and SPACE, and has worked with Olympic-level athletes. She brings a culturally informed lens to her work with Asian and multicultural families. Website: drmichellechung.com | Instagram: @dr.michellechung New episodes drop every Tuesday at 8AM ET. Part 2, which focuses on adults, follows next week. This episode is for education and general conversation and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Who is Dr. Michelle Chung? 3:15 Why she left management consulting for psychology 4:45 CBT, DBT, ACT, and SPACE explained 9:15 Why ADHD is being talked about everywhere 9:30 Why an ADHD-wired brain has a purpose 11:30 ADHD is about self-regulation, not attention 14:30 Executive functioning: the control tower 16:15 "It's not the will, it's the lack of skill" 17:30 High achievers who seem to have it together 19:30 Lazy, or an executive functioning challenge? 21:00 Screens and dopamine 22:30 Snapchat, TikTok, and when kids are ready 25:00 "Work harder" and why struggle is supposed to happen 27:30 Anxiety and perfectionism 28:45 The two types of perfectionist 29:45 The armor that shame wears 30:45 Happy or relieved? 31:45 What SPACE is and how it differs from other parenting approaches 33:00 The hardest part of using SPACE 33:30 Why she founded The Modern Asian Parent 36:30 Closing and what's next in Part 2 🎧 LISTEN ON ALL PLATFORMS: https://linktr.ee/sakurasikhistrength 🔗 Connect with Sakura, Sikhi & Strength 🌸☬️💪: Instagram: @sakurasikhistrength Tiktok: @sakurasikhistrength Youtube: /@sakurasikhistrength Email: hello@sakurasikhistrength.com #ADHD #ExecutiveFunction #Perfectionism #ParentingTeens #SakuraSikhiStrength