Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this program different from other programs?

I am the product of my product. I am here to disrupt the broken systems that are eating up hours of our precious time. I have created something that I wish I had when I went through my medical school, residency and now as attending. There are lots of coaching programs out there. You need to find the one that works for you.

I’ve created my program to specifically help physicians who are struggling to stay on top of everything due to time management issues, ADHD or something else.

Being a physician in particular makes it hard to juggle everything. It’s a challenging job! You don't have to have ADHD to work with me, you just need to have a desire to change what you are currently doing. My techniques will work even for those even with the most hectic schedules. Before I learnt them, I was spending 20-30 unpaid hours a week going through charting alone. I don’t have to do that anymore.

By joining my coaching group you will walk away with hacks/tools /techniques that allow you to leave work at work. Its time to kiss the backlog goodbye and enjoy reclaimed freedom of time. You are wondering how--it sounds like magical thinking--I know--but you and I both now that ADHD hyper-focus is a thing!!! I done the hyper-focusing for you-- I went down the rabbit hole and got both my Life Coaching Certification from the Life Coach School and completed 29 hours of training to become ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider Certification ( Evergreen Certification) to ensure that I could present you evidence-base tools that optimize both your emotional and executive functions so that you can practice medicine and live your life on your own terms.

Because I can offer a physician's perspective, I know that other physicians who have ADHD can easily identify with me.

Do you know that JAMA articles show that life coaching can actually change our neuro-wiring only six sessions-regardless if they are group or private sessions. So my group is designed to enhance your 10X your investment in yourself---no quick band aids-- time to heal the healers and ensure long term results that be enhance your quality of life.

What is coaching?

The most AMAZING SHORTCUT to get you from where you are to where you are GOING or who you want to BECOME!!!!

Coaching is a powerful tool used to work through problems as well as work towards success. It unlocks the potential within you so you can function at your highest level. We use techniques to understand your current thoughts and emotions then how those lead to your actions. When we understand what’s causing certain actions, we can make more impactful changes.

Coaching has a future focus so it doesn’t just affect how you behave today but implements healthy habits long term. That means it can help you get to any goal you have in mind. Our coaching sessions are a space where you can come and be yourself without feeling judged and leave with a system of support that will help you to manage any challenges you might be facing.

I’ve been in the position you are in right now. I know how hard it can be and I know the amazing results coaching produces. My job is to see your blind spots and help you discover the next steps to reaching any goal you want.

Can’t I do this on my own?

Of course, but why the F' would YOU WANT TO? I tried--that shit is painful....instead why not join an nonjudmental supportive community that just gets it!!!!!!

There are absolutely things you can do yourself to improve how you are feeling. How you manage your time-blindness and chronic procastination or any challenges you are facing is completely up to you.

With that in mind, a lot of people find coaching to be the best way for them to move forward including me. I struggle for 10 years, relying on my own inefficient systems and unable to find the right solution for me. That is until I experienced coaching and my life transformed in a matter of months.

This coaching is so powerful because my clients have someone to talk to who knows what they are going through and provides them with accountability and another perspective. I have specific skills thanks to my training so I can share my professional insights through giving advice and making suggestions.

You don’t have to suffer alone anymore. IT TOOK ME 10 YEARS TO ASK FOR HELP---Please don't do what I did. Let’s do this together - you’ll achieve your goals so much faster!

Who would benefit from coaching?

ANYONE!!! EVERYONE. Every physician and healthcare professional DESERVES a coach!!!!!! You don’t need to meet certain criteria to be a coaching client. The only requirement is that you are ready to level up for life and make real changes. I will guide you the rest of the way. You just have to show up every week ready to see your dream life come together. I can’t do the work for you but I know with both of us committed to your growth, you’ll be unstoppable.

As an ADHD physician myself, my coaching is effective for other ADHD physicians. However, physicians without ADHD have also benefited from my program because I help with time management, charting, billing struggles and other physician-specific challenges.

I do want to make this clear. Coaching is not a substitute for medications or therapy. They have different purposes and work in different ways. Medication is one of the the most efficient and evidence base tool. But PILLS don't teach SKILLS. Therapy helps you understand your past and coaching helps you understand yourself and take steps to reach a specific goal.

Is coaching actually beneficial?

IT SURE IS, Again I am BIAS-I am the product of my product. If you are skeptical of coaching, I understand, especially if you haven’t come across it before. It’s not a magical remedy for all your problems. It is the implementation of strategies to help you understand yourself better and use that knowledge to function at your highest level.

A lot of people have had coaching and changed their lives through it. I am one of them. I genuinely didn’t think anything would be able to improve the negative effects of my ADHD but thanks to coaching I have overcome so much and truly see my ADHD as a gift.

I’m not the only one. Just check out my testimonials from past clients on the home page. As well as the experience of my clients and other coaches’ clients, there is evidence for how coaching improves the wellness of physicians. For example, here is just one quote from a journal article on the subject.

“Physician leaders can guide physicians with suspected ADHD to seek professional help, offer support, and reinforce coping strategies.” - pg 164

Mammoliti M, Richards-Bentley C, Ly A, Nguyen M. Understanding attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in physicians: workplace implications and management strategies. Canadian Journal Physician Leadership 2021;7(4):160-165

https://cjpl.ca/adhd.html

Multiple studies have found that coaching does improve the wellbeing of physicians with ADHD including:

Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD, Gill PR, Satele DV, West CP. Effect of a Professional Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. Published online August 05, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2425
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2740206

Shanafelt T, Goh J, Sinsky C. The Business Case for Investing in Physician Well-being. JAMA Intern Med.2017;177(12):1826–1832. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.4340
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2653912

West CP, Dyrbye LN, Rabatin JT, et al. Intervention to Promote Physician Well-being, Job Satisfaction, and Professionalism: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):527–533. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.14387
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1828744

If you are ready to go all in on coaching, I am ready to go all in on guiding you towards reclaiming your schedule, your freedom and your life.

What kind of results can I expect?

I’m giving you a safe space to grow. What that looks like really depends on your needs, goals and commitment to the program. You definitely get out what you put in. If you implement your personalized systems, you will reclaim 5-10 hours a week and have more time than ever to focus on your zone of genius.

I’ve had clients finish the program with a completely different way of working that is so much more efficient than the way they had been working for years. They have a routine they know works for them so they don’t have to worry about their workload or deadlines. When things get tough, they have coping strategies to manage without blowing up at people or feeling like they are going to break down. They understand what makes them tick so they know the best techniques for them to use.

The impact isn’t just on your work and time management. When you feel back in control of your life, you feel so much happier. I know my relationship with my husband and kids improved massively because I wasn’t being passive-aggressive and shouting all the time. I would come home from work and have fun with them because I wasn’t preoccupied with catching up on charting and I genuinely felt good about myself.

On an individual level, being on top of your schedule allows you to put aside time for yourself. You get that all-important me-time to rest, recuperate and do what you enjoy. My clients learn how to look after themselves as well as those around them.

By investing in coaching, you are gifting yourself the opportunity to finally be the CEO of your life and make it what you want.

How is the cost of private or group coaching determined?

The cost of coaching programs varies widely. You might be more used to cost per hour charging methods but that doesn’t really work for coaching because the focus is on the transformation. In my group coaching program, you don’t just get access to me during calls but throughout the week in the Facebook group and through messages. I also provide you with learning material so our calls are as productive as possible.

Coaching provides value that can’t be measured by the number of hours you spend with me. It can be scary to invest thousands of dollars. I get it –the first time I invested in a program was October 2020 which set me back $48k!

It seemed like a lot of money to spend on a problem I felt like I should be able to solve myself. In fact, a psychiatrist years ago told me that adults grow out of ADHD. I went for it anyway because I really needed to understand myself better so I could change the way I was living. My current situation just wasn’t working out.

I attended the program and turned up to every class (with a little bit of help from my husband!) and within a couple of weeks, he told me he had gotten Diana 2.0. The way I was acting had completely changed. I was a whole different person to be around because I wasn’t being passive-aggressive, screaming at the kids, complaining about my work and so on.

Since then, I have been able to grow even more by starting my own business, empowering others to go through the life change I did! So was the $48k worth it? Absolutely! The results are priceless to me. I even have coaches to this day - a business and a life coach!

I’m not asking you to invest $48k or even $10-25k which many 2-6 month coaching programs are priced at.

You can work with me for just $4500 USD.

What is the time commitment?

I know you are already low on time and adding another thing to your schedule doesn’t seem possible right now. But if you don’t do anything, nothing is going to change. I know you don’t want to continue living life always 10 steps behind, always having to catch up and always being late. It’s a vicious cycle that we can stop in its tracks together.

Invest your time now so you can start saving 5-10 hours a week. For private-only coaching, you need to commit to a 45 minutes session every week. For group coaching, the weekly sessions last 90 minutes and there is a recorded lesson beforehand. You can also book 1 private session with me and 3 with a declutter coach. Let's implement the new strategies we discuss, these will become second nature to you soon.

A couple of hours each week now will feel like nothing when you are saving 5-10 hours a week at least.

What are the 8 core modules in the group coaching program?

Module 1 : Create Time At Will by Planning
Module 2: Create Your Charting System -Leave work at work
Module 3: Emotions -The Key to Our Desired Live
Module 4: How to Embody Peace- Self Compassion
Module 5: Declutter Your Life
Module 6: Tame the Endless Inbasket
Module 7: Effective Habits to Support Your Zone of Genius
Module 8: Self Care and Self Coaching

What qualifications do you have?

I was a high school science teacher and also went through medical school to train as a physician before I got into ADHD coaching. I still practice as a family medicine physician today. On top of that, I trained to become a certified life coach with The Life Coach School and also became ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider. I’m a proud member of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Children and Adult with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). I been an a speaker at both the ADDA Conference in 2021 and 2022. In fact my program got selected for being innovated for bridging the gap between medicine and behavior long term strategies.

That means I have the qualifications to guide you through a journey of growth and practical improvements. As well as professional insight, having ADHD myself and experiencing the challenges physicians face, I have first-hand insight into what you are going through and what it takes to transform your life.

Plus you won’t just be hearing from me. In my group coaching program, you have the opportunity to hear from experts in a variety of fields from tapping to decluttering to ADHD parenting experts. This gives you access to the most impactful information for your growth.

Can my job help pay for coaching? Can it be written off in my taxes?

This depends. It could be possible for you. You’ll have to do some research yourself. Ask your institution if your CME funds or book money might be used for this program. Also, check with your CPA to determine if this program can be used for professional development.

Will the sessions be recorded? Do I have to be on camera?

Yes, our sessions will be recorded so you can refer back to them later. No, you don’t have to be on camera if you don’t choose to. What matters to me is that you are comfortable and able to show up fully.

How long do I will I have access to the program?

You will refer back to what I teach you in my programs time and time again because I focus on your long term success.

For my group coaching clients, you will have access to the video lessons up to 6 months after the program has finished. You can book 20 minute private call with me as soon as you secure your spot and have 3 months from the start of the schedule it . The Facebook group is created especially for your cohort so your access is unlimited.

Is there a payment plan for the current program you offer?

Yes, I want my programs to be as accessible as possible so here is how you can split the cost:

Group Coaching 1- time payment of $4500 USD or 3 payments of $1600 USD

Join group coaching and start reclaiming your personal life back 5-10 hours a week, as you create systems that allow you work in your zone of genius. You will effortlessly organize your work and home life better and feel so much lighter.

Will Dr Mercado prescribe me medication for my ADHD?

No, I am a physician but not a personal physician. In this situation, I will be your coach only so I can’t prescribe medication. You will need to talk to your personal physician for that.

Can I get my money back if I don’t think coaching is right for me?

Yes, my coaching programs are completely risk-free. I am a strong believer in ethical marketing. The moment you pay you have complete access to my whole course and its entire library of the previous cohorts and their guest coaches. You have 2 weeks to experience the program with no strings attached. If during that 2 weeks, you don’t want to continue, just ask me for your money back and I’ll be happy to do that for you. That’s because I genuinely want what’s best for you and if you don’t feel like working with me will actually help you, I’m not going to make you stay. Life is not a dress rehearsal--time is your most precious resource. This is about figuring out your path to the best version of yourself.