Nov. 20, 2025

Jheri South on The Mompreneur Model with Dori DeCarlo

Jheri South on The Mompreneur Model with Dori DeCarlo
Jheri South on The Mompreneur Model with Dori DeCarlo
Word of Mom Radio
Jheri South on The Mompreneur Model with Dori DeCarlo

Jheri South is Empowering ADHD Brains with Practical Strategies that Actually Work.

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Season 13The Mompreneur ModelThe Coaching Corner

Jheri South, is mom to seven neurodivergent children, rising from the wreckage of a marriage marked by pain and addiction. When her son attempted to take his own life, coaching was the only thing that helped; it saved him and their family.

That experience inspired Jheri to shift her coaching career to a teen and parenting coach, dedicated to helping teens and their parents navigate life’s most difficult moments. Jheri was also diagnosed with ADHD at 40, after a divorce at 31 with six kids and a whirlwind of careers, from airline trainer to dance studio owner to talk show host. The diagnosis finally explained my impulsivity, hyperfocus, and RSD. Her children, all neurodivergent, helped Jheri see the beauty in our brains.

Now, Jheri is a teen and parenting coach, speaker, and ADHD specialist. She helps people navigate ADHD, autism, anxiety, and parenting with mindset, strategy, and community.

Join host Dori DeCarlo on The Mompreneur Model and connect with Jheri at JheriSouth.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Please support UnsilencedVoices.org a global 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

We thank Smith Sisters and the Sunday Drivers for our theme song, "She is You".

Be sure to connect with us and come tell us your story!

WordofMomRadio.com - sharing the wisdom of women, in business and in life.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/word-of-mom-radio--5252572/support.

WEBVTT

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If she is sure, she is true, she is straw

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is straw? She is true? Is true, she is praise, pray,

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is she is you.

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Hello, everyone, welcome to today's Word of Mom Radio Here on

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the Word of Mom Media Network. I'm your host, Dori

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Di Carlo, and you know we are here show after show,

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week after week, breaking those myths that moentpreneurs and business women,

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especially those of us building our businesses from home, that

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we're just dabbling in between bake sales and getting our

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nails done. We're not. We are smart, we are savvy,

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and we are sharing the wisdom of women in business

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and in life. And I am looking forward to bringing

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today's guest into our mompreneur model and our coaching corner.

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Jerry South is a mom to seven neurodivergent children, rising

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from a wreckage of a marriage marked with pain and addiction.

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When her son attempted to take his own life, coaching

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was the only thing that helped, and it saved him

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and their family. That experience inspired Jerry to shift her

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career and become a teen and parenting coach dedicated to

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helping teens and their parents navigate life's most difficult moments.

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Jerry was also diagnosed with ADHD at forty. After a

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divorce and a whirlwind of careers from airline trainer to

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dance studio owner to talk show host. Her diagnosis finally

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explained the impulsivity hyper focus an RST. Her children, all neurodivergent,

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helped Jerry see the beauty in our brains. Now she's

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a teen and parent coach. She's a speaker and an

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ADHD specialist. She helps people navigate ADHD, autism, anxiety and

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parenting with mindset, strategy and community. And I could keep

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going on and on, but with all that being said,

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I'd rather wear from Jerry into the show. So welcome

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to a word of ONM Radio.

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Oh, thank you so much. I'm really excited to be

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here today.

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I'm really thrilled to have you here because as somebody

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with ADHD, I really there's so much going on in

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what you are doing that I so resonate with. So

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I would love for you to take us on your journey, Jerry,

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and what led you to now finally being that coach

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that you want.

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Yes, thank you for the question, and you hit on

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it a little bit in my bio. So I'll just

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elaborate a little bit more, because I think a big

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part of my story is just that I wanted to

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be a coach. I walked away from being a radio

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talk show host and doing a lot in real estate

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to help other women. But I wasn't looking to help

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teenagers necessarily.

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At the time.

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My oldest son, he really didn't like me at all,

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and he was struggling and I didn't feel like I

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had the tools to help him, and so I was

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working with women.

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I was loving it.

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I felt like my niche was helping women reinvent themselves

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in business. So even as a single mother with six children,

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it was something that I had a lot of success

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with and so that was my passion and it was

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going great.

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I was loving it.

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I didn't need to change what I was doing, except

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for my son was struggling. And while all of this

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is going on, I'm having success in my new career,

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my son is going to therapists and counselors and nothing's

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helping him. He's not being properly diagnosed with anything, just depression,

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and things are getting worse and worse, and I really

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got to the point where I believed I'm probably going

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to lose my son. He's ended up in a behavioral

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health facility. And so the women that I was working with,

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they asked me, will you do a class for teens?

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And I thought, no, No, deans are horrible.

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I don't want to work with them.

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That sounds awful. My son doesn't like me. No, you know.

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Finally they talk me into I did a pilot program.

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It was about a four week program. It was all

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in person at the time, and I had about ten

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to fifteen teens in that class, and it was the

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first thing that helped my son. And that's when I realized, huh, okay,

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this is incredible because he'd you know, your kids don't

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want to take advice from you. And then he's a

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kid that really doesn't want to take advice from me.

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And I'm listening to him coach other friends that he

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has through his bedroom door, the things that he's learned

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from me, and I'm thinking, oh, my goodness, we've spent

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two years and thousands of dollars and nothing's helped, and

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this helps. And so about the same time, my sister

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was recently diagnosed with ADHD. So my younger sister, she

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had a binge eating disorder.

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She had no idea she had ADHD. I had no

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idea any of us had ADHD.

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Didn't know a lot about ADHD at the time, and

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she gets diagnosed with ADHD, and so we all start

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getting diagnosed and that's when everything starts clicking and making sense.

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And so initially when I dove into ADHD, it was

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to help my my own family. ADHD has a very

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high comorbidity rate, and so there's usually going to be

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more than one diagnosis and overlaps with other things. And

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so I sat down in doctor William Dodson's home with

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the camera crew for four hours and asked him every

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question I could think of. And so I initially just

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wanted to really help my family. But I am at

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this time a coach for teens and families, and so

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it just kind of naturally happened as I'm diagnosed as

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well with ADHD, that I started specializing in neurodivergence.

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And I really take it seriously.

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I mean, I'm passionate about constantly going to conferences and

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interviewing specialists so that I have the best information. But

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I have had a lot of success doing what I'm doing,

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because in my opinion, there's not really enough information out

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there for neurodivergent individuals.

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So that's what I do, and I love it.

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And because all seven of my children are neurodivergent, and

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so is my husband, we are just one big neural

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divergent a little chaotic times family.

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Explain to people what neurodivergence is, because it's something that

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when I say that to people and try to explain, well,

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here's neurotypical, here's neurodivergence, I would love for you to

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give people an explanation. Who are hearing this going wait

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a minute, right, well.

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A really simple way to understand it, because I will

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say that there is confusion sometimes if you hear neurodivergent,

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one might make that mean just someone who's on the spectrum.

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And so it is important that we define it because

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you know, we want we want to make sure we

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understand what fits under the umbrella of neurodivergence.

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So we refer to UH.

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I don't want to call it average, but most people

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have a neurotypical brain. And all that means is it's

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not that it's better or worse than.

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A neurodivergent brain.

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It just means that more people have a brain that

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looks a certain way on brain scans, and that means

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the way they process information, the way that they learn,

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the kind of control that they have over impulses, just

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the way that their brain is operating. Their neurological system

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is neurotypical because it looks like what most people are experiencing. Now,

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neurodivergent is anyone who is on the spectrum or has ADHD.

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It all falls under neurodivergent brain. And we can see

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the difference between a neurodivergent brain and a neurotypical brain

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as early as infancy on these brain scans. Now, we

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could kind of get into the weeds on like, oh,

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different kinds of ADHD and treatment, but overall, if you're

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a neurodivergent, the way that you process information, the way

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that you think about things, the way that your brain

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learns is different. It's not worse. It's not you know,

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there's not one that's better or worse. I would say

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that neurodivergent individuals have many gifts, but a lot of

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times those gifts aren't really being they're not shining right,

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They're not being seen. When we're in the school system,

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for example, because because a neurotypical brain can get engaged

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just because something is important or there's a reward at

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the end. They can sit still for long periods of

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time even if they're bored, and they can just hear

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lectures and learn that way, right. And a neurodivergent brain

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is going to process information very differently. Something that's important

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that's utterly useless for a neurodivergent brain, something has to

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be activated in their neurological system to be able to

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get engaged, something that's novelty or something that's urgent, right,

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or that they're passionate about, or even is a challenge

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or competition. And so really the reason we want to

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understand is this a neurotypical brain or is this a

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neurodivergent brain, because it's going to change how we help

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that person get engaged and get things done.

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And how we communicate with that person.

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So if somebody doesn't know they're neurodivergent, and they're sitting

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in a school classroom and they're comparing themselves to other

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people who are just getting things done and they're hitting

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dead and they're able to be consistent, they're going to

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start to think that something's wrong with them, when really

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they just need tools for their unique wiring system, and

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they'll find they're just as capable, if not more at times,

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they just have to learn to do things a little

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bit differently.

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How do you help parents navigate this, because it really

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is just finding that pathway that now it's clicked with

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them in that neurodivergent way where it's not the neurotypical

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person that you can just it's not the black and

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white that we are used to. There are so many

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shades that go in there. So what do you do

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with parents as they are trying to navigate this with

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their teams?

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Well, that's a great question because we always say, oh,

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awareness changes so many things, but it really is everything.

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Because if you're looking at your child and you don't

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really understand ADHD or something that will happen pretty commonly

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is will know that their child has ADHD, but there's

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still a lot of confusion over what they can control

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and what they can't control.

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A child who is ADHD, we'll say.

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By the time that they are ten years old, they've

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heard over twenty thousand corrective messages, and they're usually messages

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that sound like, oh, why can't you just sit still?

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Why can't you do this? Your brother can do this?

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What's wrong? How come you can't keep up with your work?

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Why can't you pay attention? And those are just simple

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comments that any parent it's going to say that to

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their child if they don't have awareness to ADHD and

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their child is having behavioral issues, or they appear to

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be lazy and they're not getting their work done. So

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one of those statements on their own isn't necessarily bad

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parenting or anything like that. It's just that it shows

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that that parent doesn't really understand how the ADHD brain operates.

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So when I'm working with a parent, first of all,

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I always let them know, please don't ever beat yourself

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up for things that you don't know. There's no place

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for shame ever. You know, we're always doing the best

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that we can. Any parent who's trying to get their

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child help, we want to commend them, But there's things

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that the child needs to work on, and there's things

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that the parent needs to understand, and so when they

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really understand, Okay, just because you throw ice cream at

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a child after they get their homework done, or you,

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I don't know, set aside a reward that you came

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up with or something's really important, your child's not going

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to be able to do that.

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And this is what I'll see really.

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Often is that, let's say math for example, because adhders

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usually aren't very good at math, they'll say, okay, give

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all kinds of throwout rewards for doing their mouth. It

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doesn't work, nothing works, and this child is failing their

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mouth class. And then there's some big exam, let's say

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it's an end of quarter exam, and they know, the

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child knows if they fail this exam, they're going to

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have to take the entire class over Urgency kicks in

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for that ADHD brain that they've never they can't create

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that artificially, and they study and they get a BE

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on their exam. Now every adult in their life says, see,

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you can do it. You're just not applying yourself. You're

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just not trying hard enough.

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You can do it.

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And the child is so confused, just as much as

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the parent.

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Why was I able to study and get a B?

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But I'm failing all of my class work Because they

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don't know how their brain works either. And this is

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why a child will experience such a hit to their

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self esteem or their self confidence because they don't understand themselves,

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they're not able to be consistent, and the people in

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their lives are disappointed in them. So when a parent understands,

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here's how the ADHD brain works, here's how you can

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help them become motivated to get things done. Here's the

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things we can inject because into the situation. Because they're

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not being lazy, they know what they need to do.

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An adhder, their IQ is above average usually, so that's

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not what it is.

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It's not laziness.

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And then another big part of this is RSD or

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rejection sensitivity to just because we used to think of

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ADHD as just not being able to focus distractability, but

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it's just as much emotional dysregulation. So when a child

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is really acting out, having a tantrum, incredibly sensitive, you

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can't make a remark without them blowing up. There's actually

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something to that. It's their wiring. It's not them wanting

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to behave so just them understanding. We set clear boundaries

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and consequences. We implement tangible rewards, so they're getting a

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diggy dopamine hit and a weekly dopamine hit. The more

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the parent understands that the child can't control most of

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these things with the understanding that we'll start helping the

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child learn how to do that. It's a lot easier

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for a parent to then, because usually it's parents losing

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their patients because they're having to say the same things

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over and over again, or they keep getting the same

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results that they're unhappy with with their child, and so

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they're just assuming the child doesn't want to or as

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lazy or as misbehaving.

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On that note, we're going to take a quick break.

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I want you to really think about what Jerry is saying,

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because giving the kids the tools that they need, it's

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also giving yourself, as a parent, the tools that you

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need to realize that they are not doing this to

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misbe made or anything. They're just not seeing it the

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way everybody else does. So we're going to take a

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quick break, say thank you to our supporters, and we'll

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be back here in just a moment. On Word of

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And we're back here on Word of Mom Radio. We

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are speaking with Jerry South about our kids ADHD parents

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dealing with their kids that are neurodivergent and helping them

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find those tools that can help them with their kids

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and help them the kids themselves as well. In looking

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at all of this, how do you help guide parents

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to support their teens without slipping into that micromanaging or

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that unintentional shaming of them which they're not trying to do,

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but it just kind of happens. How do you work

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with that?

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Jerry Well, As a coach, before I was specializing in ADHD,

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I was working primarily on mindset And one of the

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things I talk to parents about is when they have

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an ADHD child, they're usually trying to help their child

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regulate themselves because RSD, as I mentioned before, rejection sensitivity

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dysphoria is going to be present ninety five percent of

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the time when it comes to eight, I should say

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with ninety five percent of those who have ADHD, then

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it's going to show up either in sensitivity or lashing out,

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being very quick to anger. And so a parent is

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typically having to deal with that that either their child's

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shutting down, they're not getting anything done, or they're making

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a big deal out of all of these things that

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the parent considers to be relatively small things.

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So when I'm talking to a parent, it's like, well,

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how are you demonstrating that? Are you impatient? Are you yelling?

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Are you making critical comments? And I'll be the first

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to say, as a parent, I was definitely doing that.

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I mean most of us are until we learn to

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not do that. Most parents are yellers until they learn

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to not do that just because we haven't as parents.

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When I was young, I wasn't taught how to regulate

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my emotions. I didn't have a mindset coach who taught

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me how to process pains. So I either avoided it

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and distracted myself, or I know, lashed out, or I

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shut down. And parents, we want them to know how

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to show up for their child. These kids, these ADHD children,

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they and this is true for adults too, but especially kids.

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They are so sensitive. Adhders are such deep feelers. I

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don't know anyone else rather than adhders who can look

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back at an event that happened five years ago and

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still bring all of the pain that they felt that

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day into today just by thinking about it. So when

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we're up, we're up, but when we're down, we're down,

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and we're up and down even just that that influx

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of emotions can cause such irritability on the regular But

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parents trying to manage that are usually impatient and quick

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to discipline and really not understand their child. So we

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are putting processes in place. One for the parent to

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learn how to regulate themselves. That's huge, because then not

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only do they have the language for their children, they're

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also demonstrating a great example. But they are having that

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pause where instead of the lashing out of their child

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or saying something that causes the child to feel small,

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especially you know, RSD is triggered by the idea that

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we fail to meet someone else's expectations, they're pausing. They're

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showing patients understanding. They're really trying to understand what the

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child's feeling and what they're going through.

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We know that.

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RSD rejection sensitivity dysphoria. It's mostly perceived rejection. So it

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could be a child being very sensitive and they're internalizing

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things in a way that didn't happen, but it doesn't

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matter really because to them it's happening. And so as parents,

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we want to know those signs. We want to understand

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how to de escalate. We want to know you can't

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as a parent, get a child out of.

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An RSD episode.

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They have to be able to be excused, to walk away,

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to work through their thoughts. And as parents, a lot

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of times we're saying, no, you stay here, we're talking

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about this, Why aren't you apologizing because we don't understand RSD,

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And then The other thing is that adhders are known

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for really not liking to be told what to do

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and really you know, wanting autonomy and so coming up

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with systems at home where we do different processes. But

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you know, kids are getting credit for the things that

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they're doing because the ADHD brain, when it comes to

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executive functioning, it's about three years behind, you know. So

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if you have a fifteen year old, they're not actually

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operating like a fifteen year old, you know, it's more

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like twelve. And so when parents say things like I

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shouldn't be having to remind them at this age or

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you know, whatever it is, it's like, well, probably actually yes,

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because they're operating like a twelve year old, And so

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just knowing that they'll catch up, but they're going to

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thrive and do a lot better in a calm environment

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where there's no yelling. And then when it comes to

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getting their things done, whether it's homework or it's chores,

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just understanding that the ADHD brain is very easily overwhelmed.

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So we want to break things down into bite sized pieces.

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We want to take small breaks, and we also want

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at the end of the day, we want to have

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something that they can check off, they earn their points.

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They're getting a dopamine hit at the end of the

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day and the end of the week to keep them motivated.

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Parents will often do this, Hey, if you get all

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a's by the end of the quarter, we'll go to

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this camping trip or whatever.

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It is.

392
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No way an ADHD brain is going to last until

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00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:03.920
the end of the quarter.

394
00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:05.279
Two week stops.

395
00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:09.799
So these are just small adjustments that make change and

396
00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:13.799
give huge results if parents understand the way the brain

397
00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:17.559
is working. But that very authoritarian parent style. Because I

398
00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.480
said so, most adhders are either going to shrivel down

399
00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:23.920
and give up on most things and learn to people

400
00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:27.440
please and mask a lot with a very fragile self esteem,

401
00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:29.359
or they're going to rebel.

402
00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:33.000
They need to be on a routine, but it can't be.

403
00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:36.720
Too rigid, and you share a success story or a

404
00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:41.640
breakthrough that you've witnessed that really stays with you as

405
00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:44.279
something that wow, that was so awesome.

406
00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:48.440
Well, because I do. I've done this work for years now.

407
00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.119
I have quite a bit, but the one that I

408
00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:54.559
highlight the most often, and I've had other children that

409
00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:57.559
I've worked with, other teenagers. I should say in this

410
00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:02.759
similar situation. But the very very first teenager that I

411
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.680
had this breakthrough with has never left me because I

412
00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:09.480
had a teenager that was really struggling. She had been

413
00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:11.359
she was a client, not my own child, but she

414
00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:17.519
had been in therapy for two plus years, and fortunately

415
00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.440
she had a really good relationship with her mom, so

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00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:23.079
she relayed things to her mom many times.

417
00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:24.279
That's not the case.

418
00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:26.599
I should just put that out there that parents don't

419
00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:29.960
know what their children are hearing in therapy. This particular

420
00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:33.319
therapist told my client, who I wasn't seeing yet at

421
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the time, that it was okay if she was cutting

422
00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:38.119
herself and engaging in self harm as long as she

423
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didn't cut too deep.

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And yeah, this really happened, and this isn't abnormal by

425
00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:44.119
the way.

426
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I mean, you hear these kinds of things, and so

427
00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.880
that's why I highlight that fortunately she had a good

428
00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:52.519
relationship with her mother. Her background was that she had

429
00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:56.559
lost a brother to suicide, then she had been sexually assaulted,

430
00:22:56.680 --> 00:23:00.160
and then she lost another brother to an accident, all

431
00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:02.559
in a year and a half and year and a

432
00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:06.759
half two years. She had been struggling for quite some time,

433
00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:08.799
and her mom was taking her to therapy because she

434
00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:11.759
was hurting herself, and so her mom brought her to me.

435
00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:15.119
And this this young woman had been cutting herself for

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00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:19.079
over two years, and within two months of coaching, she

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stopped cutting, and to my knowledge, she never cut again.

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She would text me updates and it's been one hundred

439
00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:26.359
days and it's been a year, and so it's not perfect.

440
00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:28.480
I mean, she still struggled with other things. We still

441
00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:30.920
did coaching for a while when I wasn't working with

442
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:33.400
her anymore. I saw that she had some up vases

443
00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:35.880
and down phases, but she didn't go back to depression

444
00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:36.720
and self harm.

445
00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:39.119
And now she's thriving and doing great. She's an adult.

446
00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:44.039
But that was huge because when it comes to ADHD,

447
00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:47.519
specifically being intense feelers. You know, I was just talking

448
00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:50.400
to someone earlier who's struggling with an alcohol addiction, and

449
00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:52.680
I said, you know, I don't love that we label

450
00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:56.160
things like that with I'm an alcoholic, because when you

451
00:23:56.200 --> 00:24:01.759
have ADHD, that's not actually completely accurate. Is I am

452
00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:04.720
addicted to chasing dopamine and my brain doesn't care where

453
00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:07.000
I get that dopamine doesn't care if it's junk food

454
00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:12.279
or drugs or pornography or alcohol. It just really wants

455
00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:17.599
the dopamine, and adhders will easily become addicted to anything

456
00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:20.119
unless they have the tools. This is why I'm not

457
00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.480
a medication pusher. I'm not against it, but there's a

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00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:24.240
lot of people who I understand they're not on it.

459
00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:27.839
I'm in the middle, people who really have problems with

460
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:30.559
their impulse control. They'll say you are three to four

461
00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.440
times more likely to engage in some kind of substance

462
00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:36.799
abuse because it's hard to control the impulsive brain. I

463
00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:39.599
don't believe in using ADHDS a crutch. I like using

464
00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.839
it for an explanation and then let's stop telling those

465
00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:45.559
stories and move on. So a big important part of

466
00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:47.599
my work is still just mind shift, and I combine

467
00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:49.599
that with everything I know about ADHD.

468
00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:50.680
But those words matter.

469
00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:51.000
You know.

470
00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:52.640
If we say, oh, I'm addicted to this or I'm

471
00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:55.480
addicted to that, most adhders will have a story like that.

472
00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:58.640
I have a past too that we really we just

473
00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:01.240
don't understand our brain and it's hard to control. When

474
00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.640
we're younger, our prefrontal cortex hasn't finished developing. We're three

475
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:08.200
years behind and executive functioning, and we are depleted in

476
00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:09.319
our dopamine and will do.

477
00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:10.839
Anything to have it.

478
00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:14.839
And so that's kind of a terrible combination for a

479
00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:17.079
high schooler who's trying to fit in at school and

480
00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:19.920
doesn't understand themselves and also not doing well in the

481
00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:23.599
school system. So as parents, we want to understand that teenagers.

482
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:25.599
They'll tell me. The thing I hear the most often

483
00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:27.799
in here when it comes to their complaints about their

484
00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:30.440
parents is that their parents don't know what it's like

485
00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:33.519
to be a teenager today. And parents will say, oh, please,

486
00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:35.119
you know I was a teenager.

487
00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:37.000
But they're right about that. We don't know what it's

488
00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:38.279
like to be a teenager today.

489
00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:42.839
We didn't have social media and you know, cyberbullying and

490
00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:46.799
the pressure of all the popular girls dressing exactly like

491
00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:50.079
the influencers and we're not or whatever it is. You

492
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:54.519
just add that to the intensity of emotions the adhders feel.

493
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:57.759
Adhdeers really need support from adults who get them.

494
00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:03.720
Great way to wrap up this conversation as we're closing out, Jerry,

495
00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:07.400
what would you like to leave our audience with and

496
00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:08.839
how may they reach out to you?

497
00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:13.200
Well, there's so many things, right, but as an ADHD

498
00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:17.480
mom who never knew that I had ADHD. I will

499
00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:21.000
say that getting a diagnosis was super helpful. It put

500
00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:24.200
it just kind of helped my life make a lot

501
00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:26.599
more sense. There was a lot of things I struggled

502
00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:29.519
with over the years, growing up and going through a divorce,

503
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.240
and then there were a lot of things that I

504
00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:33.799
had success in. And so I would say, at the

505
00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:37.720
end of the day, as a woman, an entrepreneur who

506
00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:40.759
was also a mother, there were so many obstacles and

507
00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:44.359
things that got in the way, and whenever something would happen,

508
00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:47.880
I realized that the first decision I would ever make

509
00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:50.640
was what I was going to make it mean. And

510
00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:52.920
I also know that the decisions that we make, the

511
00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.240
mindset that we have, they do determine destiny. We are

512
00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:58.279
quite literally hunting ourselves the results that we get by

513
00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:00.839
the way that we choose to think about things. I

514
00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:02.759
look back over my journey and there were so many

515
00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:05.599
times that things felt impossible and I didn't see how

516
00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:07.880
it was going to get out, and I guess what

517
00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.400
I would leave with the audience. There's so many things right,

518
00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:13.200
But this has been true for me and for my children,

519
00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:16.000
is that if we can stay focused on what we

520
00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:18.960
want to believe about ourselves and really do the work,

521
00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:21.880
whether it means getting a coach or having somebody a

522
00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:24.359
mentor that can help us stay on track and really

523
00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:27.880
see ourselves for our potential. I really think that we

524
00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:32.240
were meant to be able to accomplish our dreams and

525
00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:35.119
have the life that we want. But we have to

526
00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:36.759
have our mindset in the right place to get there,

527
00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:39.279
and then anything's possible. And as far as where people

528
00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:41.720
can reach me, I think you asked, they can go

529
00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:44.240
to my website. I have a unique spelling, but it's

530
00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:49.279
Jerysouth dot com so j H E R I s

531
00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:52.440
O U t H dot com. And I'm also on

532
00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:57.240
social media as jerryself and on YouTube. But on my website,

533
00:27:57.480 --> 00:27:59.640
not only can you schedule a free consult with me

534
00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.039
for my coaching program, but I have things like a

535
00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.680
free ADHD quiz on there.

536
00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:05.960
I have a free webinar and RSD so there's.

537
00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:09.599
A lot of things there for adults and also parents

538
00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:11.000
and their children.

539
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.000
I really encourage you. All of Jerry's lengths are going

540
00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:17.799
to be live on Word of Mom Radio reach Out

541
00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:22.640
because as parents, the more tools we have in our

542
00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.759
toolbox dealing with our children, our grandchildren and the people

543
00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:31.279
around us. Yay. That's all I can say is just yay,

544
00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:34.640
get the tools. Get the tools. And for the parents

545
00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:38.119
that are out there and just feel like there's no

546
00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:40.079
light at the end of the tunnel, trust me, the

547
00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:43.599
light is there. The end of the tunnel is there.

548
00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:48.079
And if you learn those tricks, learn those tools, learn

549
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:53.240
how to understand that your child's not doing something to

550
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:58.440
get back at you, to misbehavior anything else. Sometimes it's

551
00:28:58.599 --> 00:29:02.160
not possible for them to control the impulses that they have,

552
00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:07.720
and that's where this understanding comes in. Jerry, thank you.

553
00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.319
I thank you Jerry for all of the kids that

554
00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:12.039
are out there, and the moms and dads that are

555
00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:14.240
out there that you are working with, and those that

556
00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:16.319
you haven't met yet but that you're going to be

557
00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:18.640
working with. Thank you for the work that you're doing.

558
00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:19.920
I really appreciate it.

559
00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.279
Oh, thank you, and thank you so much for having

560
00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:23.960
me here and having this important conversation.

561
00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:25.160
I appreciate it.

562
00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:27.240
It has been my pleasure. And for all of you

563
00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:30.160
tuning in, thank you for being here. We're going to

564
00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.200
close out with our fabulous theme song from the Smith's

565
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:36.599
Sisters and the Sunday Drivers, So till next time. This

566
00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:39.400
is Dori di Carlo saying, go out and create a

567
00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:41.440
marvelous youth. Bye for now.

568
00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:47.079
She is sure, she is sure, she is strong, she

569
00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:51.839
is strong, she is true, is true, she is braise,

570
00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:54.640
bray is she is you?

571
00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:57.000
Please you, she is you.

572
00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:59.720
She is sure, she is sure, she is strong, she

573
00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:04.519
is strong, she is true, is true, she is brave,

574
00:30:05.240 --> 00:30:08.559
she is bold, she is she is you, is she

575
00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:12.400
is she is sure of herself. Yes, she takes care

576
00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:15.680
of his powerful and strong. Yes, she knows who she

577
00:30:15.799 --> 00:30:20.119
is has integrity, woman, strong and true. You know her

578
00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:24.000
by name. See this woman is you. She is sure,

579
00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:27.200
she is strong, is strong, she is true, is true,

580
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:32.960
she is brave, she is bold, she is you, she

581
00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:37.559
is you, she is she is sure, she is strong,

582
00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:42.359
is strong, she is true, is true, she is brave,

583
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:45.920
she is bold, she is she is you, she is

584
00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:50.880
she is adds value and hope has proved to be brave.

585
00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:55.039
See it's never too late, never time to behave Reaching

586
00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:59.599
for dreams doesn't matter. The age believes in herself. Leash

587
00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:02.279
from her age. She is sure, she is sure, she

588
00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:08.519
is strong, is strong, she is true, true, she is brave, Bray,

589
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:10.799
she is bold she is you.

590
00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:12.000
She is she.

591
00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:16.599
Is sure, she is she is strong. She is strong,

592
00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:21.440
she is true, is true. She is brave, is brave,

593
00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:23.680
she is bold. She is you.
Jheri South Profile Photo
Jheri South

Teen and Parenting Coach; ADHD specialist; Mom to 7 neurodivergent children

I’m Jheri South, a mom to seven neurodivergent children, rising from the wreckage of a marriage marked by pain and addiction. When my son attempted to take his own life, coaching was the only thing that helped; it saved him and our family. That experience inspired me to shift my coaching career to a teen and parenting coach, dedicated to helping teens and their parents navigate life’s most difficult moments.

I was also diagnosed with ADHD at 40, after a divorce at 31 with six kids and a whirlwind of careers, from airline trainer to dance studio owner to talk show host. The diagnosis finally explained my impulsivity, hyperfocus, and RSD. My children, all neurodivergent, helped me see the beauty in our brains.

Now, I’m a teen and parenting coach, speaker, and ADHD specialist. I help people navigate ADHD, autism, anxiety, and parenting with mindset, strategy, and community. I’ve spoken on stages, in schools, studios, and podcasts, and I’d love to join you on yours!