North Star Conversations Transcript: Maggie Schwalbach defines Executive Functioning
Maggie Schwalbach of North Shore Executive Functioning defines executive functioning coaching for North Star’s Brandon Gimbel. She explains how EF coaching targets the brain’s “management system,” helping clients strengthen practical skills like planning, time use, and organization across the lifespan.
Brandon Gimbel (00:00)
Maggie, could you please tell me about executive functioning coaching?
Maggie Schwalbach (00:02)
Yes. So let's start with what executive functioning is. Because I think that there's a lot of confusion about what EF is and what it isn't. And just the term executive functioning is new to a lot of people. So it sounds pretty clinical, right? It has that word "executive" in it? So sometimes people think it's about executives in a boardroom. And really, that does make sense because executive functioning is like the brain's management system. All right, so it's like the brain CEO or the orchestra conductor. And when we talk about coaching, it's for those who have underdeveloped executive functioning skills, that's where we come in. That's where we understand how the brain works and how things may be falling short. So for example, if in your management system, organization is a challenge, time management is a challenge. There 12 different executive functioning skills. And what we want to figure out as coaches is where are we strong, right? So where's the CEO really doing their job? And where do they need some training? Where do they need some coaching?
Brandon Gimbel (01:05)
What do people come to you for help with?
Maggie Schwalbach (01:07)
It's such a good question. Because executive functioning is really like the brain's management system, where daily functioning is getting tricky, sticky, difficult. I'll take a student as an example. So a student that their day-to-day functioning is impaired, in getting out and going in the morning, right? That's like a classic symbol where parents will call me wanting to pull their hair out going, "I don't understand. My child knows how to do this. They know how to brush their teeth. They know how to pack their backpack. But they're just not doing it they're not doing consistently." So that's where I'm really listening and going, "okay, I can help you understand what the executive functioning skill set looks like behind that." And then also start to ease some of that morning drama. Because nobody wants the morning drama. The kid doesn't want it, the parent doesn't want it.