Dr. Marlena E. Reese, Ed.D.

Dr. Marlena E. Reese, Ed.D. is an Executive Function coach, educator, and learning specialist who works with bright, capable individuals navigating high-demand academic and professional environments.

She holds a Master’s in Teaching from American University and a Doctor of Education in Reading, Writing, and Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. A former Division I student-athlete at Wake Forest University, her work is shaped by a deep understanding of performance culture, discipline, and the invisible cognitive load carried by high achievers.

Dr. Reese specializes in working with:

- Adolescents and young adults who are academically strong but struggling with planning, follow-through, or self-regulation

- High-achieving college students and graduate students managing complex workloads and increasing independence

- Mid-career professionals (including physicians, attorneys, engineers, entrepreneurs, and creatives) navigating performance pressure and competing demands

- Women navigating ADHD particularly those who have long met high standards while managing invisible executive function challenges

- Autism Spectrum profiles in academically or professionally advanced individuals

-High-functioning adults experiencing burnout transition, or increasing cognitive demands

Her work is grounded in neurodiversity-affirming practice and a nuanced understanding of how identity, gender, culture, and lived experience shape performance and expectation. She partners with clients to build systems aligned with how their brains actually work not how they’ve been told they should.

Dr. Reese’s approach combines relational coaching, deep attunement, and direct, thoughtful candor. Her work is not about pushing harder. It is about creating clarity, strengthening capacity, and building sustainable ways of working that allow people to perform at a high level without sacrificing themselves in the process.