Miami has reinvented itself over the past few years. What used to be known primarily as a tourism and nightlife destination has become one of the fastest-growing business hubs in the country. Over 100 companies relocated or expanded into Miami-Dade County in 2025 alone, bringing more than 3,000 new jobs with an average salary around $86K. Fintech firms, hedge funds, crypto startups, and real estate development companies are stacking up alongside the tourism and hospitality industries that have always defined the city. If you work in financial services, tech entrepreneurship, logistics, construction, biomedical research, or any of the other sectors fueling Miami's growth, the professional expectations are clear: deliver results, stay organized, and keep pace with a city that seems to accelerate every quarter. If you have ADHD, those expectations can feel like a setup for failure no matter how smart or capable you are.

So you decide to look for an ADHD coach, and that is where the frustration really starts. Miami is big enough to have options but not so saturated with ADHD specialists that quality is easy to identify. Search results blend coaches in Coral Gables, Brickell, Doral, Kendall, and Hialeah with online listings from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Some profiles belong to licensed therapists who list coaching as a secondary offering. Others are life coaches or productivity consultants who recently added ADHD to their service descriptions. A handful look genuinely specialized, but there is no straightforward way to confirm that from a website or a brief directory bio. You have a dozen tabs open. You have been telling yourself you will schedule a consultation call since last Tuesday. The fact that your ADHD is making it harder to find help for your ADHD is painfully on brand.

This guide walks through what ADHD coaching actually is, how it differs from therapy and psychiatry, which credentials matter, how to evaluate methodology, and how to make this decision without letting it become another stalled project in your mental queue.

What makes ADHD coaching different from therapy or psychiatry

Miami has a strong healthcare landscape, and Florida in general has a wide network of mental health providers. With institutions like the University of Miami Health System and a growing number of private practices across the metro, clinical resources are accessible. But coaching and therapy serve fundamentally different purposes, and understanding the distinction before you spend time and money on the wrong one will save you a lot of frustration.

ADHD coaching focuses on the present and the future. It is a collaborative partnership where you and your coach develop practical strategies, systems, and habits for reaching your goals. The work is action-oriented. You identify what you want to accomplish, figure out what keeps getting in the way, and build personalized tools for managing challenges like time awareness, prioritization, task initiation, and follow-through. A good ADHD coach works with the way your brain actually functions rather than expecting you to force yourself into systems designed for neurotypical people. Neurotypical is a term that describes someone whose brain processes attention and information in the way that is considered standard or typical.

Therapy addresses the emotional and psychological layers underneath. A therapist helps you process past experiences, work through anxiety or depression (both of which frequently co-occur with ADHD), and understand emotional patterns. In a city like Miami, where professional expectations have ramped up quickly as the business landscape has expanded, a lot of adults with ADHD carry years of frustration or shame from trying to keep up without understanding why it felt so much harder than it seemed to be for everyone else. Therapy is the right place for that deeper emotional work. But therapy on its own does not always provide the concrete, tactical systems for managing your calendar, breaking the cycle of missed deadlines, or stopping the pattern of overcommitting and underdelivering at work.

Psychiatry handles the medical side. A psychiatrist can formally diagnose ADHD, prescribe medication, and manage your treatment plan over time. If you are exploring whether medication might help or need an official diagnosis, that is where to start on the clinical end.

These three types of support work alongside each other, not in competition. Many adults with ADHD benefit from a combination. You might see a psychiatrist for medication management, a therapist for processing the emotional weight of living undiagnosed for decades, and a coach for building the daily systems that hold your professional and personal life together. In Florida, therapy and psychiatry are often at least partially covered by insurance depending on your plan, while coaching generally is not. We will cover cost and workarounds in more detail later.

The essential thing to understand about coaching is that it is forward-looking and tactical. You are not unpacking your childhood. You are building a concrete plan for how to manage your energy, stay on top of projects, and follow through on the things that matter to you.

What credentials should an ADHD coach actually have

This is the single most important thing to know before you start evaluating coaches: the title "ADHD coach" is completely unregulated. Florida has no licensing requirement for coaches, no state board overseeing the profession, no required exam, and no minimum training. Anyone can create a website, list ADHD coaching as a service, and start charging for sessions tomorrow. In a metro area like Miami, where the professional development and wellness market is expanding rapidly alongside the broader economy, that means the quality range is enormous. And from the outside, it is almost impossible to distinguish a deeply trained specialist from someone who completed a short online course last month.

So how do you protect yourself?

PAAC certification is one of the most reliable signals of quality. PAAC stands for the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches. Coaches who hold PAAC certification have completed rigorous ADHD-specific training programs, logged supervised coaching hours, and demonstrated genuine competency in working with ADHD-related challenges. This is not a weekend workshop or an online module you can knock out in a few hours. It represents a serious commitment to specialized education.

ICF credentials are another strong indicator. The ICF, or International Coaching Federation, is the most widely recognized credentialing body in the coaching profession overall. An ICF-credentialed coach has completed extensive training hours, accumulated a minimum number of client coaching hours, and passed a formal evaluation. ICF credentials alone do not guarantee ADHD expertise, but when paired with ADHD-specific training, they signal someone who takes their professional development seriously.

NBC-HWC certification is also worth understanding. NBC-HWC stands for National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. This is a board certification indicating training in evidence-based coaching techniques, and when combined with ADHD specialization, it adds another verified layer of competence.

Lived experience with ADHD can make a coach more intuitive and empathetic. Many excellent coaches have ADHD themselves and bring personal understanding of the struggles you face. But lived experience without professional training and a structured methodology is not enough on its own. You want someone who brings both personal insight and evidence-based frameworks to the work.

Red flags to watch for:

• No specific credentials or recognized training programs listed anywhere on their site

• The only stated qualification is personal experience with ADHD

• Promises of guaranteed outcomes like eliminating procrastination or curing distractibility

• No mention of continuing education, supervision, or a defined methodology

• A vague approach that sounds more like casual conversation than structured support

Questions to ask any coach you are considering:

• What ADHD-specific training have you completed, and through which program?

• Are you certified through PAAC, ICF, or another recognized body?

• Do you receive regular supervision or participate in peer consultation?

• What methodology or framework guides your coaching sessions?

• How do you track and measure client progress?

• What does support look like between sessions?

A qualified coach will welcome every one of these questions. They have invested real time and money into building their expertise and will be glad to walk you through it. If someone gets evasive or defensive when you ask about credentials or training, that tells you something important.

Why does virtual coaching work well for ADHD in Miami

Miami-Dade County is geographically sprawling. The distance from Homestead to Aventura is about 50 miles, and anyone who has driven it during rush hour on US-1 or I-95 knows that travel time in this metro is unpredictable at best. Even shorter trips from Kendall to Brickell or from Doral to Coral Gables can eat 45 minutes in typical traffic. The Metrorail covers a limited corridor, and while transit improvements are in progress, the reality today is that most of Miami runs on cars. Filtering coaches by geographic proximity within the metro means you are eliminating candidates based on something that has nothing to do with their ability to help you.

Virtual coaching removes location from the equation entirely. You can work with your coach from your apartment in Brickell, your home office in Coral Gables, your desk at a fintech startup in Wynwood, or your kitchen table in Doral. Sessions fit into the natural flow of your day rather than requiring you to carve out an extra hour for driving on top of the session itself.

But the more meaningful benefit is about quality of match, not logistics. When you are no longer limited to coaches who happen to have an office within a reasonable drive, you can match based on what actually matters: their experience with your specific type of challenge, their coaching style, and their understanding of your industry or life stage. A coach who specializes in working with finance professionals navigating executive function challenges at fast-paced firms might be a dramatically better fit than a generalist who happens to rent office space in your neighborhood. Someone with deep experience supporting entrepreneurs with ADHD might be exactly what a startup founder in Wynwood needs, even if that coach is not physically located in South Florida.

Virtual coaching also helps with consistency, which is one of the hardest things to maintain when you have ADHD. Every logistical barrier becomes one more reason to reschedule or cancel. When your session is a video call you can take from wherever you happen to be, the friction drops significantly. You show up more often. The coaching relationship builds momentum. Progress compounds over time instead of stalling out every time your week gets chaotic.

And if a coaching match turns out not to be the right fit, pivoting is straightforward. You are not restarting a geographic search or sticking with someone just because they are conveniently located. You match with a different coach and keep moving forward.

What does a strong ADHD coaching methodology look like

Methodology is the invisible difference between coaching that creates lasting change and coaching that feels like a pleasant conversation you forget about by the next morning. Two coaches can have similar websites, similar pricing, and similar bios, but their approaches might be completely different underneath.

Evidence-based frameworks form the backbone of quality coaching. One widely used model is the COM-B framework, which breaks behavior change into three components: Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation. Rather than giving you generic advice like "just use a planner" or "set more reminders," a coach using COM-B helps you identify whether a particular challenge comes from a skill gap (capability), an environmental barrier (opportunity), or a drive issue (motivation), and then addresses the actual root cause. Another evidence-based tool is implementation intentions, which are specific if/then plans designed to bridge the gap between wanting to do something and actually doing it. Instead of "I will work on my proposal this week," an implementation intention sounds like "When I finish my Monday morning meeting and sit back down at my desk, I will open the proposal document and write for 25 minutes before checking email."

Structured sessions versus open conversation is one of the biggest dividing lines between quality coaching and everything else. In a structured approach, each session follows a framework. Your coach prepares. Goals carry forward from previous conversations. Progress is tracked over time. You are building on a foundation week after week rather than starting from scratch each session. Open-ended conversation can feel supportive in the moment, but without structure, it rarely produces consistent behavior change.

Between-session support matters more than most people realize. ADHD does not pause between your weekly coaching calls. New habits are fragile. Motivation fluctuates constantly. Quality coaching includes some form of ongoing connection between sessions, whether that is messaging, quick accountability check-ins, or access to a community of peers. That continuity between calls is often what determines whether a new strategy actually sticks and becomes part of your routine.

Executive dysfunction-specific design is non-negotiable for ADHD coaching. Executive dysfunction refers to difficulties with the brain's management system: working memory, planning, task initiation, emotional regulation, and time awareness. Generic coaching techniques often assume a baseline level of executive function that people with ADHD do not consistently have. A methodology built specifically for ADHD accounts for these realities and designs systems around them rather than pretending they do not exist.

Peer community and shared learning add something that isolated one-on-one sessions cannot replicate. Connecting with other adults who face similar challenges creates accountability, normalizes the experience, and generates practical strategies you might not discover on your own. Hearing that someone in a comparable professional situation found a particular approach helpful carries a different weight than hearing it from a coach alone.

Ongoing coach supervision is something most people never think to ask about, but it is a significant quality indicator. Coaches who practice in isolation with no external oversight can develop blind spots or drift into outdated approaches over time. Regular supervision means a qualified professional is reviewing their work, providing feedback, and keeping them accountable to a consistent standard.

The frustrating reality is that none of these methodological differences are visible from a website or directory listing. Two coach profiles can look nearly identical while representing very different levels of rigor. The only way to distinguish them is to ask the right questions, and now you know what those questions are.

How much does ADHD coaching typically cost

Cost matters, and it is better to go in with clear expectations than to be caught off guard during a consultation call.

Nationally, individual ADHD coaching sessions range from about $150 to $300 per session. Monthly coaching packages, which typically include regular sessions plus some level of between-session support, tend to fall between $300 and $600 per month. Those ranges vary based on coach experience, credentials, session length, and how much support is included between calls.

The instinct to search for the cheapest option makes sense, especially in Miami where the cost of living has climbed steadily as the city has attracted more businesses and transplants from higher-cost markets. Housing, in particular, has put pressure on budgets for many residents. But cost and credential depth tend to go together. Coaches who have invested thousands of dollars in ADHD-specific training, ICF certification, supervised hours, and continuing education charge more because their overhead is higher and their expertise runs deeper. That does not mean the most expensive coach is automatically the best. But consistently choosing the lowest price point increases your odds of ending up with someone who has minimal specialized training.

Insurance generally does not cover ADHD coaching. Coaching is not classified as therapy or a medical service under most plans, and Florida does not currently mandate coaching coverage.

FSA and HSA accounts can often be used for coaching. If your employer offers a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account, ADHD coaching may qualify as an eligible expense. This lets you pay with pre-tax dollars, effectively reducing your real cost by 20 to 30 percent depending on your tax bracket. Florida has no state income tax, but the federal tax savings through an FSA or HSA still apply and are worth exploring, especially given the number of large employers and financial firms in Miami that tend to offer strong benefits packages.

When evaluating cost, it helps to weigh it against the cost of not getting support. Stalled career momentum because you cannot consistently deliver. Strained relationships from forgotten commitments. The mental and emotional weight of feeling like you are underperforming despite knowing you are capable of more. Effective coaching pays for itself when it helps you show up reliably in the areas that matter most to you.

How do you find and evaluate coaches in Miami

With a solid understanding of what coaching is, which credentials matter, and what strong methodology looks like, the practical search can begin. Miami's specific market creates a few distinct challenges worth knowing about before you start.

Where to look:

The PAAC directory (Professional Association of ADHD Coaches) is the most targeted starting point. Every coach listed there has met specific ADHD training requirements. The ICF directory is broader but useful for independently verifying credentials. CHADD, which stands for Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, offers national resources and virtual support group meetings. There is no dedicated Miami CHADD chapter at this time, but CHADD's national virtual meetings and online community can still be a valuable way to connect with others navigating ADHD and get firsthand coaching recommendations from people who have been through the search process.

The Miami-specific challenge:

Miami sits at the center of a metro area that stretches from Homestead to Fort Lauderdale and beyond. Directory searches pull results from across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, mixing credentialed ADHD specialists with general life coaches, wellness practitioners, and productivity consultants who use overlapping language on their profiles. The city's rapid growth and pro-business culture have also attracted a wave of coaching professionals across all specializations, making it harder to identify who has genuine ADHD depth versus who has added it as a line item. Sorting through that noise takes real effort and sustained attention, which is exactly the resource that feels scarcest when you have ADHD.

The vetting process:

Once you have a shortlist, go beyond what their website says. Verify credentials independently through the PAAC and ICF directories. Schedule consultation calls, which most coaches offer for free or at a reduced rate. Use that conversation to ask the credential and methodology questions outlined earlier in this guide.

During a consultation, pay attention to:

• Whether they ask about your specific challenges or move straight into pitching a package

• How clearly they explain their methodology and framework

• Whether they mention supervision, continuing education, or structured approaches

• How natural and comfortable the conversation feels

• Whether pricing, session structure, and expectations are transparent from the start

When a match does not work out:

This happens more often than anyone talks about. You go through the entire search, commit to a coach, and after a few sessions, you realize the fit is off. Maybe their approach does not match how you process things. Maybe they lack depth in the specific area where you need the most help. Now you are back at the beginning. New search. New vetting calls. New financial risk. New decision fatigue. For someone with ADHD, restarting that kind of open-ended research project can feel nearly impossible.

Even with the right directories and a thoughtful approach, the full weight of research, vetting, and risk sits on your shoulders. That is a heavy lift for anyone, and it is an especially difficult one when the executive function challenges you are trying to get help with are the same ones making sustained research feel exhausting.

Why a Shimmer ADHD coach might be the better option

Every frustration described above is exactly what Shimmer was designed to solve. We built it because we have been through that same draining search ourselves and knew there had to be a better path.

The vetting is done before you ever show up. Shimmer coaches go through a selection process with a 4% acceptance rate. Every coach holds ADHD-specific credentials, whether that is PAAC certification or equivalent specialized training. They do not just get hired and left to figure things out on their own. Shimmer coaches receive ongoing supervision and continuing education, which means their practice is consistently held to a high standard. The methodology is grounded in behavioral science frameworks designed specifically for how ADHD brains work, and it is consistent across the entire platform.

Matching is built into the system. Instead of spending weeks scrolling through directories and hoping for the best, Shimmer matches you with a coach based on your specific needs, preferences, and goals. If the match is not right, you switch. No awkward conversation. No penalty. No restarting the whole search from scratch. You simply match with someone new and keep building momentum. This alone changes the experience fundamentally compared to the traditional model, where a bad fit means repeating the entire process from the beginning.

The methodology extends beyond your weekly session. Shimmer's coaching approach is rooted in science-backed frameworks for behavior change and executive function support. Sessions are structured, goal-oriented, and connected from one to the next. But the support does not disappear between calls. Shimmer includes community access where you connect with other members working through similar challenges. That combination of expert one-on-one coaching and peer community creates a layer of accountability and shared learning that a single weekly session on its own simply cannot provide.

The financial risk is minimal. Shimmer offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Pricing is transparent and published upfront, so you know exactly what you are committing to before you begin. Compare that to the traditional path where you might spend $300 on a first session with a coach you found through a directory, only to realize after two or three sessions that their approach does not work for your brain, and then face the prospect of spending more money to try again with someone else.

Virtual-first means all of Miami is covered equally. Whether you live in Brickell, work at a financial firm in the Gables, are building a startup in Wynwood, manage projects from a home office in Doral, or split your time between Kendall and Miami Beach, you get the same quality of coaching without geography being a factor. No fighting I-95 traffic. No rearranging your afternoon around a cross-county drive. Just consistent, expert support that fits into your life where it already is.

Shimmer's coaches work with professionals across every industry that defines Miami's economy. Finance professionals managing cognitive overload at fast-moving firms. Entrepreneurs building structure into inherently unstructured days in one of the country's hottest startup ecosystems. Hospitality and tourism professionals dealing with unpredictable schedules and high-pressure client expectations. Real estate developers and construction managers balancing detail-heavy responsibilities across multiple projects. Professionals who relocated from cities like New York, San Francisco, or Chicago and are adjusting to a new professional environment while managing their ADHD. The matching process takes these differences into account so you work with someone who understands your professional and personal context.

Members consistently describe the difference as significant compared to previous coaching experiences. The structured methodology, the ongoing accountability between sessions, and the ability to switch coaches without friction combine to create something that works with ADHD instead of asking you to fight through a broken process just to get help.

How do you get started with ADHD coaching

Taking the first step can feel like a big decision. If you have been researching ADHD coaching for weeks or months without actually committing, you are in very good company. That kind of decision paralysis is one of the most common ADHD patterns, and there is a real irony in the fact that the challenges you need help with are the exact same ones making it hard to seek help in the first place.

Getting started is simpler than the research process makes it seem. You sign up, get matched with a coach, and have your first session. That initial conversation is about your coach getting to know you: your goals, your challenges, what you have already tried, and where you want to focus first. You do not need to arrive with a polished list of objectives or a detailed history of your ADHD journey. Your coach is trained to guide that conversation and help you figure out where to begin.

The first few sessions are about building a foundation. You and your coach will identify what matters most to you right now and start developing strategies tailored to how your brain works. Expect it to feel exploratory at first. You are testing approaches, finding out what sticks, and building trust with someone who is going to be in your corner consistently.

Set realistic expectations. Coaching is not an overnight fix. You will not leave your first session with every executive function challenge resolved. What you will have is a structured starting point, a knowledgeable partner who understands ADHD deeply, and a framework for making steady, compounding progress. Most members start noticing meaningful shifts within the first few weeks as new strategies take hold and small wins begin to build on each other.

If you are ready to stop cycling through browser tabs and start working with a vetted, expert ADHD coach who genuinely understands how your brain works, Shimmer is a good place to begin.