Russell Coaching for Students

09/01/2026

The Hope Scholarship can do more than help with school expenses—it may also help your student access the coaching and support they need to thrive. 🎓💙

Eligible Florida families may be able to use Step Up For Students Hope Scholarship funds toward services through Russell Coaching for Students, including executive functioning coaching, test prep, and more.

✨ Build stronger executive functioning skills
📚 Get individualized academic support
🎯 Develop strategies for greater independence and success
💙 Invest scholarship funds in support that makes a difference

Not sure whether your scholarship can be used for coaching? We can help you figure it out!

📩 Reach out to Russell Coaching for Students to learn more.

08/29/2026

🌟 Coach Spotlight: Meet Amy Hirst! 🌟

We're excited to introduce Coach Amy, one of the dedicated and experienced coaches helping students build confidence, strengthen executive functioning skills, and achieve their goals at Russell Coaching for Students.

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Tampa, a Master of Arts in Counseling/Education from the University of South Florida, a master's certification in Art Education from Indiana University, and more than 23 years of experience in education, Amy brings a unique blend of teaching, counseling, and coaching expertise to every student she supports. As a National Board-Certified teacher with specialized training in the Russell Connected Coaching™ model and supporting students with ADHD, autism, and anxiety, Amy is passionate about helping students develop skills that last a lifetime.

Amy believes that meaningful learning happens when students are actively engaged and supported every step of the way. As she reminds her students:

✨ "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand."
— Chinese Proverb

A few fun facts about Amy:
🎨 National Board-Certified art teacher
🇸🇪 Favorite vacation destination: Falsterbo, Sweden
🍰 Favorite foods: cake, cheese, and pasta
🏀 College sports fan of the Indiana Hoosiers and Wisconsin Badgers

Join us in celebrating Coach Amy and the positive impact she makes in the lives of students and families every day! 💚

08/28/2026

The Raising Emotionally Healthy Neurodivergent Families Summit starts next week!

From September 1–4, parents and caregivers can hear from 20+ experts sharing practical strategies for supporting emotional regulation, understanding neurodivergent needs, strengthening family connections, and helping children thrive.

We’re especially excited for Dr. Norrine Russell’s session, “Accommodations for School and Life Success,” where she’ll share her expertise in helping neurodivergent students access the support they need at school and beyond.

The summit is free, completely online, and starts September 1. There’s still time to save your spot!

Register for free:
https://summit.emotionallyhealthyfamilies.com/drnorrinerussell

08/28/2026

The Raising Emotionally Healthy Neurodivergent Families Summit starts next week!

From **September 1–4**, parents and caregivers can hear from 20+ experts sharing practical strategies for supporting emotional regulation, understanding neurodivergent needs, strengthening family connections, and helping children thrive.

We’re especially excited for **Dr. Norrine Russell’s session, “Accommodations for School and Life Success,”** where she’ll share her expertise in helping neurodivergent students access the support they need at school and beyond.

The summit is **free, completely online, and starts September 1**. There’s still time to save your spot!

Register for free:
https://summit.emotionallyhealthyfamilies.com/drnorrinerussell

08/27/2026

Checkout tonight's newsletter!

https://mailchi.mp/9dd4eee38a0c/the-skills-students-need-beyond-the-classroom

08/27/2026

Executive functioning is essentially the CEO of our lives. 🧠

A CEO doesn’t do every single task—they manage the big picture: planning, prioritizing, making decisions, adjusting when things go wrong, and keeping everything moving forward.

For students, executive functioning works much the same way.

It helps them:
✓ Get started without constant reminders
✓ Remember assignments and deadlines
✓ Break big projects into manageable steps
✓ Manage distractions
✓ Estimate how long something will take
✓ Adjust when things don’t go according to plan

And here’s the important part: these aren’t measures of intelligence.

A student can completely understand the material and still struggle to manage everything required to do something with that knowledge.

Knowing isn’t the same as doing.

When a bright, capable student repeatedly struggles with the process—not necessarily the content—executive functioning may be part of the picture.

And those are skills that can be taught, practiced, and strengthened. 💙

08/24/2026

The planner isn’t always the problem. And another app may not be the solution.

When a student has ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning differences—or a combination of challenges—there usually isn’t one organizational trick that fixes everything.

Why? Because the strategy has to fit the child.

With Connected Coaching™, we start by understanding the student—their strengths, goals, motivations, and barriers—and build strategies with them.

The goal isn’t just getting through this week’s homework. It’s helping students develop the skills to manage their own lives.

That takes relationship. Trust. And time.

If your child needs more than another “tip,” Russell Coaching may be able to help. 💙

Coaching students of all ages in executive functioning, academic success, and life skills that take them from overwhelmed to independent. Successful since 2009.

08/22/2026

🌟 Coach Spotlight: Meet Amy Pierson! 🌟

We're excited to introduce Coach Amy, one of the caring and experienced coaches helping students build confidence, strengthen executive functioning skills, and achieve their goals at Russell Coaching for Students.

With two bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Art, a master's degree in Counseling in Educational Settings, and more than eight years of experience as an elementary school counselor, Amy brings a thoughtful, encouraging approach to every coaching relationship. Her background in counseling, mentoring, and student support—combined with specialized training in the Russell Connected Coaching™ model and working with students with ADHD, autism, and anxiety—allows her to meet each student where they are and help them build skills for lifelong success.

Amy believes that growth takes patience, perseverance, and the right support. As she reminds her students:

✨ "Everything is hard before it's easy."
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A few fun facts about Amy:
🥾 Loves hiking, paddling, and mountain biking
🍦 Favorite thing to make: Homemade ice cream
🧵 Enjoys cooking, sewing, and making things from scratch
🏈 Pittsburgh Steelers fan
⚾ Philadelphia Phillies fan
🏔️ Favorite travel destination: Alaska

Join us in celebrating Coach Amy and the positive impact she makes in the lives of students and families every day! 💚

08/21/2026

We’re excited to share that Dr. Norrine Russell will be a featured expert at the Raising Emotionally Healthy Neurodivergent Families Summit, happening online September 1–4!

Dr. Russell’s session, “Accommodations for School and Life Success,” will explore a topic at the heart of our work at Russell Coaching: helping neurodivergent students get the support they need to succeed not only in school, but in everyday life.

The summit brings together parents, professionals, and experts for practical conversations about emotional regulation, neurodivergence, parent-child connection, and creating healthier, more supportive environments for our kids.

The summit is completely free and online.

Register for your free ticket here:
https://summit.emotionallyhealthyfamilies.com/drnorrinerussell

We hope you’ll join us September 1–4!

08/20/2026

Your child may not lack motivation. They may be overwhelmed.

“He’s so bright, but he just won’t apply himself.”

“She knows how to do it. She just doesn’t do it.”

“He could do so much better if he would just try.”

We hear versions of these statements from parents all the time—and they usually come from a place of concern. You can see what your child is capable of, so it’s frustrating when their performance doesn’t seem to match their potential.

But what if motivation isn’t actually the problem?

Executive functioning skills help students:

• Get started
• Plan and prioritize
• Manage their time
• Organize assignments and information
• Sustain attention
• Keep track of multiple responsibilities

A student can completely understand the academic material and still struggle to manage six assignments across six different classes.

That isn’t necessarily laziness. It may be a skills gap.

And skills can be taught, practiced, and strengthened.

So before asking, “Why won’t my child try?” consider asking:

“What skill is getting in the way?”

That shift in perspective can change everything.

If you're seeing this pattern in your child, Russell Coaching may be able to help.

💬 What would change if we looked at the problem through a different lens?

Coaching students of all ages in executive functioning, academic success, and life skills that take them from overwhelmed to independent. Successful since 2009.