Changing the Face of ADHD Coaching
A fresh take on ADHD coach training that’s neurodivergent-led, intersectional, strengths-based, and unapologetically real.
Why We Started Gold Mind Academy
Born from lived experience. Built for impact.
Gold Mind Academy began with a shared vision: to create the kind of ADHD coaching training we wish had existed for us. Katie founded the original coaching and training company in 2020, and in 2021, Alex joined forces with her to bring Gold Mind Academy to life. As late-discovered ADHDers and ICF-accredited coaches, we saw the power of coaching when it’s neuroaffirming, relational, and strengths-led.
In 2022, Alex relocated to New Zealand, expanding our global reach. And in 2025, we both went all in—folding our private coaching practices into Gold Mind Academy to fully commit to training the next generation of ADHD coaches. This isn’t just a business. It’s a movement.
Key Milestones
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2020
Katie launches Gold Mind Neurodiversity to provide strengths-led ADHD coaching and training.
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2021
Alex joins Katie and Gold Mind Academy is born with its first ADHD coach training cohort accredited by the ICF at CCE level.
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2022
Alex moves to Aotearoa (New Zealand), bringing Gold Mind to an international audience.
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2023
Gold Mind launches 2 comprehensive ADHD Coaching training pathways
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2025
The Certificate and Diploma in ADHD Coaching is accredited at Level 1 & 2 by the ICF.
A Movement, Not Just a Programme
We’re not here to churn out ADHD coaches. We’re here to change the way the world sees ADHD.
We are on a mission to…
…create and maintain exceptional ADHD coach training which is experiential, process driven, & therapeutic.
…foster a community where people belong and practice getting their needs met.
…build a diverse faculty and professional team who understand themselves and lead with vulnerability.
…further the professionalisation and value of accredited, ethical ADHD coach training.
…be the global gold standard in ADHD coach training.
How we show up
Our values aren’t just words - they’re behaviours.
We don’t just talk about psychological safety, collaboration, or authenticity, we practise them. Our values shape how we show up with each other, with our students, and in the wider world. Rooted in the VIA Character Strengths, these values reflect the kind of coaches we’re proud to be and the kind of world we’re helping to build.
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Appreciation
We celebrate and nurture beauty and excellence in ourselves and others. We see diversity as a vital form of excellence.
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Bravery
We dare to be vulnerable rather than fragile. We speak our truth, take responsibility, and choose to be allies, not bystanders. We pause and repair when things rupture.
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Love
We pause and listen to our feelings, honouring the full spectrum of our experience—challenges, needs, and strengths. Through this, we practise self-validation and deepen connection to ourselves and others.
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Humour
We use humour to invite winning, disarm perfectionism, and create space for play and wonder - even in the tough moments.
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Teamwork
We believe in interdependence. We listen to our community, work collaboratively, and actively cultivate spaces of belonging.
Our Philosophy
Coaching that celebrates difference.
Strengths-led, not deficit-based
Neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-aware
Coaching as a relational, co-created process
Grounded in intersectionality and equity
Supporting coaches to be the support they never had
Meet Katie & Alex
Co-founders, coaches, parents, partners - and two people who care deeply about making this work of ADHD coaching mean something.
Hi, I’m Katie.
For nearly forty years, I didn’t have a name for the way my brain worked - but I felt the difference deeply. It shaped how I led, parented, and drove myself to exhaustion. When I burnt out at 38, I knew I needed a different path. Becoming an ADHD coach wasn’t just a career change - it was a reclaiming. Now, I help others find the gold in themselves that I had to dig so hard to uncover in me.
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For nearly four decades, I navigated life without a compass to understand myself or my family. That absence of clarity shaped everything - how I led teams, how I parented, and how I explained myself to the world. In place of real understanding, I built stories and strategies just to survive. I pushed myself hard. Too hard. And unsurprisingly, it led to a complete burnout at just 38.
I had sought coaching and therapy before - and even after that burnout - but neither space really fit. I was often left masking, managing, or even educating the professionals I was paying to help me. So I decided to become the coach I’d needed.
Training as a specialist ADHD coach wasn’t just a professional pivot - it was a personal promise. I wanted to create coaching spaces that were actually designed for brains like mine, not ones that asked us to contort ourselves to fit in.
Now, I see my strengths clearly. I know how to use them - joyfully - to support others in their own self-discovery. I design coaching programmes and training spaces that are built for difference, not in spite of it.
I found my gold. It’s time to uncover yours.
Hi, I’m Alex.
I was one of the first 40 people diagnosed with ADHD in the UK - but a diagnosis didn’t mean understanding. It took years of unlearning and self-discovery to stop trying to be “better” and start learning how to be me. Now I’m an ADHD coach, psychotherapist, and co-founder of Gold Mind Academy. I help others come home to themselves - with honesty, humour, and a lot less shame.
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I was one of the first 40 people in the UK to be officially diagnosed with ADHD, back in 1990 — which means I’ve almost never known a life without ADHD. But a label didn’t mean understanding. It took decades of lived experience, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and a few deep burnouts to truly get to grips with how my brain worked - and how to work with it, not against it.
Before coaching, I spent over a decade in the film and television industry, then shifted into international business development and nonprofit operations. But no matter the industry, I kept seeing the same story - brilliant, creative minds getting stuck, burnt out, or boxed in because the systems weren’t built for us.
Now, I coach predominantly late-diagnosed adults with ADHD - people who are high-achieving, high-potential, and often running on fumes. I’m also the co-founder of Gold Mind Academy, where we train future ADHD coaches to support others with depth, clarity, and care. Beyond Gold Mind, I serve as the Neurodiversity Lead for Humanex, a wellbeing consultancy in Aotearoa New Zealand, where I now live with my Kiwi partner, our energetic four-year-old, and our newborn son.
I’m a registered psychotherapist, ICF-accredited coach, and an advisor for ADHD New Zealand. But mostly, I’m a human trying to build spaces that let people feel understood - often for the first time.
Meet Our Facilitators
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Lynne Tapper, PCC
Lynne Tapper has been coaching neurodivergent adults since 2018. Following her ADHD diagnosis in 2023, she pursued specialist ADHD coach training with Gold Mind. Gold Mind’s experiential learning approach allowed Lynne to learn in real time with fellow participants, a method that… Read more.
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Suzy Jackson
Suzy Jackson is an ADHD-specialist coach who works predominantly with neurodivergent business owners around the world, helping them to start, run and grow successful businesses because of ADHD, rather than in spite of it… Read more.
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Minesh Siyani
For over 20 years, Minesh has worked in large organisations, supporting people in their development and growth. He takes pride in his achievements and the impact he has made. Coming from a working-class Indian background, Minesh is also… Read more.
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Fiona Jones
Fiona was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 42 while training to become a life coach during lockdown. This revelation was a turning point, shedding light on lifelong challenges and providing a deeper understanding of herself. Inspired by her own journey, she became passionate about supporting others navigating life with ADHD… Read more.
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Lizzie Bentley Bowers, PCC
Lizzie is an experienced leadership coach with a deep commitment to neurodivergent inclusion. Her journey with ADHD began in 2021 when her son’s diagnosis led her to recognise her own challenges with activation and organisation—insights that became even clearer while studying for an MSc… Read more.
Meet Our Student Ambassadors
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Jo Richards
Jo was diagnosed with ADHD at 47, marking the beginning of a profound journey of self-discovery. However, the most transformative chapter of this journey has been her training with Gold Mind Academy. Initially expecting to gain ADHD-related knowledge and coaching tools, she found that the real impact went far beyond this… Read More.
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Nathan Muller
In 2023, following a major health event, Nathan was diagnosed with ADHD—a moment that completely reshaped his understanding of himself. Committed to his well-being, he embraced this new perspective and sought out ADHD coaching to truly understand how his brain worked… Read More.
Support Services
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Bobby Frazer, Client Experience Administrator
Bobby brings together her passions for coaching, inclusivity, technology, and learning in her role as Client Experience Administrator at Gold Mind Academy. She has been deeply involved in professional development since 2017—nurturing communities, running international conferences, and creating positive learning experiences within adult education… Read More.
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Rebel, Team Mascot
The wonderful Rebel is known for providing comforting cuddles and an excellent motivator to take well-deserved breaks, stretch the legs, and enjoy a much needed walk outside.
Interested to find out more?
Talk with our co-founder or student ambassadors
Training to become an ADHD coach is a big decision. We’re here to help you choose what’s right for you.
