Bringing Your Whole Self: Rethinking Professionalism Neurodivergence & Midlife Feat Gretchen Wegner

In this episode of Surfing Your Edge, Kristine Goad talks with Gretchen Wegner, founder of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, about what it means to bring your whole self into your work and your life. They explore authenticity, vulnerability, neurodivergence, changing needs in midlife, and the freedom that comes from questioning traditional ideas of professionalism. Gretchen shares her evolving understanding of ADHD, her willingness to learn in public, and the personal experiments she is embracing as she asks a powerful midlife question: Do I want the rest of my life to look the way it looks right now? From business and identity to relationships and belonging, this conversation is an honest look at what it means to keep growing, experimenting, and surfing your edge. Highlights: This episode explores late-life ADHD awareness, executive function challenges, rejection sensitivity, and how hormonal and life changes can make old coping strategies less effective. ● Bringing your whole self to work ● Neurodivergence and ADHD in midlife ● Learning and experimenting in public ● Questioning the life you’ve built ● Vulnerability in relationships and new possibilities About the Guest: Gretchen Wegner is a former teacher turned academic coach…and is now the founder of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, an online community for coaches, tutors, and other educators who obsess about student success. Gretchen’s most known for her Anti-Boring Toolkit, an evidence-based collection of creative learning strategies based in brain science, executive function, and self-regulation to make learning more engaging and equitable for all kinds of brains. Gretchen’s fancy credentials include being a Fulbright Fellow and having a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, but more importantly, she is a proponent of “playful rigor” which she infuses into both her professional and personal pursuits. She is also an improviser, dancer, bungee fitness enthusiast, and proud resident of Oakland, CA. Connect with Gretchen Wegner: Website: https://antiboringlearninglab.com LinkedIn:   / gretchen-wegner   Youtube:    / @antiboringlab   Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2626897 Gretchen’s Gift for you: Anti-Boring Learning Lab Free Resource Library The Anti-Boring Learning Lab’s free Visitor’s Center gives educators and coaches practical tools to help neurodiverse students study, stay motivated, and manage cognitive overload. It also includes free live Office Hours with Gretchen and guidance for building a coaching practice you love. Claim your gift: https://antiboringlearninglab.com/res... About the Host: Kristine Goad is endlessly curious about the moment when “I could never” becomes “What if I tried?” As the Surfing Your Edge Coach, she helps people transform their relationship with fear, trust themselves more deeply, and create lives that feel bigger, bolder, and more fully their own. Her approach blends coaching, adventure, experimentation, and wonder—shaped by experiences that include participating in the largest cross-country bicycle event in U.S. history, writing a memoir, building a business, and taking surf lessons to face her fear of open water in her late 40s. She is less interested in fearless living than in what becomes possible when we get curious about the things that scare us. Connect with Kristine: Substack: https://kristine.substack.com Website: https://kristinegoad.com Facebook:   / kristinegoad   YouTube:    / @kristinegoad   LinkedIn:   / kristinegoad   Instagram:   / kristine.goad   Kristine’s gift for you: Join me for a Possibility Party! ~ Reimagining what’s possible~ The What’s Next? Conversation (Not a sales call) A thoughtful and honest conversation about your life and how you want to show up in the world. You don’t have to figure out your whole life in one hour — we can just figure out the next two steps. Claim your gift: https://calendar.app.google/DsMvD6Atv... The Surfing Your Edge Podcast is proud to be on the Inspired Speaker Network, in partnership with AmplifYou (https://amplifyou.com/). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Don’t forget to follow, rate & review. It helps us reach more people who want to use their voice to create positive change in the world, like you. ⭐Check out More Shows from the Network and connect with our podcasting community at https://inspiredspeakernetwork.com/ ⭐Visit our GIFT VAULT - updated weekly for more gifts from other guests on this podcast and other podcasts in our network. https://network.inspiredspeakernetwor... ⭐Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you!