#65. Quinntessential Questions with Dr. Vicki Rogers: The Missing Skill for Neurodiverse Kids
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In this episode of The Quinntessential Questions Podcast, Paul Quinn sits down with Dr. Vicki Rogers, Educational Psychologist and Founder of Champion Coaching & Consulting. From teaching for 17 years at the school she attended as a student, to leaving a classroom she "couldn't walk past for five years," Dr. Rogers shares her transformation journey and the profound realization that led her to pioneer executive functioning coaching.
She discusses systems over goals, the truth about what makes smart kids scattered, why executive functioning skills aren't sexy but deliver immediate results, and her direct philosophy: "You gotta want it more than me." Dr. Rogers also opens up about growing up as a third culture kid who "wasn't the sharpest tack in the box" and shares powerful strategies for parents, educators, and professionals struggling with organization, task initiation, and follow-through.
Whether you're a parent whose child is "smart and scattered," an educator frustrated by curriculum constraints, or a professional who needs better systems, this conversation offers science-based wisdom on learning, executive functioning, and what schools don't teach.
Guest Bio
Dr. Vicki Rogers is an educational psychologist and executive functioning expert known for her pioneering work with neurodiverse learners and her philosophy that "you don't rise to the level of your goals—you fall to the level of your systems."
Developing a reputation as one of the most direct and effective voices in learning science, Dr. Rogers built a 25-year career in education rooted in executive functioning development, science-based coaching, and the courage to leave a 17-year teaching position at the school where she met her husband to build what the education system was missing.
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Minutes
(00:00) Introduction montage
(01:36) Meet Dr. Vicki Rogers
(03:05) Starting private practice before "coaching was a thing"
(03:32) "I could switch lanes but couldn't intersect lanes"
(04:54) What is executive functioning?
(08:42) Third culture kid background
(11:03) Building econometrics model on resilience
(15:35) "Not the sharpest tack in the box, but I learned habits"
(16:10) Systems over goals - James Clear quote
(16:50) Students demanding the training
(17:31) Leaving school - crisis of conscience
(17:50) "Couldn't walk past my classroom for five years"
(18:32) Knowledge economy evolution
(19:50) How kids learn now has changed
(24:35) "Not sexy but super effective"
(30:21) "You gotta show up" - minimal expectation
(30:40) "You gotta want it more than me"
(32:00) Self-efficacy definition
(32:35) "When that's hit, we are at ground zero"
(33:00) "My smart and scattered kid is not scattered anymore"
(34:00) Adding executive functioning coach to org chart
(01:18:00) Favorite quote - systems over goals
(01:26:00) Resilience is a practice, not a notionBehind-The-Scenes
