Dave Pughe-Parry - Contacts

My Story in Short

I have been practising as an ADHD Coach since the end of last century! I was unexpectedly diagnosed at the end of the nineties, and with great excitement, and some trepidation, I began to explore this condition that made me so different to all my friends and colleagues.

I started with a small group of 6 young women, and the occasional male or two. I can confidently say that my ‟practising” had good results. ADHD Coaching only came into being in the early naughties and then in the USA.

I started to develop my own tools from what I learned in those early days, and started to apply them to my growing number of new clients as the word spread. There are now nearly thirty tools in the form of modules.

Then in 2000 I created a short audio illustration that I created with a marvellous young sound engineer, Gareth Crooks(?) This provided a vivid representation of how the the ADHD brain works. It is still used today in most conferences and many doctors rooms

In short order I was doing talks and hosting workshops around the country. At the core of this rapid growth was a stroke of luck. I met Professor Colleen Adnams who was then the Vera Grover Professor of Intellectual Disability at the University of Cape Town. This wonderful women encourage me no end, corrected me when I was wrong, and pushed me when I was on the right road.

When my book was first printed she honoured my request to write the foreword, lending some much needed credibility to something written by a coach. Along this exciting road, in 2002 I attended an international conference in Pretoria which had a good spread of international luminaries speaking.

I finagled my way into the ‟Doctors” stream thanks to Professor Andrè Venter, who was then Head of Paediatrics at the University of the Free State.

Just before the first tea-break a Q&A session was held. One doctor asked a question about medication ‟holidays.” I put my hand impulsively and answered using my glasses as an analogy for medication, saying that I can wear my glasses at school in the morning, but not when I come home and have to do my homework.

I got a standing ovation. The word spread and for the rest of the conference I was sought out by international and local speakers.

My path has continued steadily until the present day. I have lectured to academics and medical professionals relevant to ADHD, and my client list has expanded to the Canadian West Coast, Europe and Australia, India, and even New Zealand.

I work with ADDers every day, I love what I do, and I love the people I get to work with.