14 years later, I hold that one of my core principles as an EF Coach is to mentor and guide minds, young and old. Back then, I didn’t know that I was actually teaching executive functions skills to each of my students. We talked through how to plan out their homework session with me, created to-do lists, and even emailed teachers to advocate for more help before or after school. These concepts of initiating, controlling our distractions, working memory, planning, time management, organizing material, monitoring, and emotional control were all simple concepts that I used to guide my elementary and middle school students. I didn’t know these as the core executive functions that I would be dedicating my life to mastering, teaching, and spreading.