ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

They unpack why constant stimulation like scrolling, shopping, or sugar leaves you feeling flat by reframing ADHD as a regulation problem. You hear the difference between dopamine spikes and baseline motivation and why novelty-driven hacks fade fast. Practical levers are offered: timed dopamine pauses, small discomforts as medicine, environment design, and replacements instead of restrictions to rebuild self-trust.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup_____What if the most ADHD-friendly “plan” is simply following what lights you up?In this episode, we’re talking with Clare Adams, a British-Canadian artist, poet, community builder, and humanity advocate who was diagnosed with ADHD at 50, after both of her kids were identified. Clare’s story is full of movement and reinvention: 24 moves, a career that spans law, healthcare, finance, airline operations, marketing, and fundraising, plus a strong pull toward creativity, connection, and service. She also shares how her diagnosis first brought grief and a fix-it mindset, and what helped her come back to self-trust.We get into what changes when you stop treating ADHD like a trade-off and start seeing the “good and bad” inside the same trait, why supportive environments matter more than willpower, and why connection isn’t optional for long-term wellbeing. Clare also shares the real-world workarounds she relies on (including “racing the kettle”), the phrase that stops her perfection spiral, and the meaning behind “pretirement,” her choice to build a values-led life now instead of waiting for later. If you’ve ever felt pulled between who you are and who the world wants you to be, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.Resources: Website: www.compassionartcreations.ca    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61565941119375/   LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/CompassionartCreations    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/compassionartcreationsWebsite: www.fishslapbooks.ca Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/book2 Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

The need for understanding can shift from connection to survival, especially for those with ADHD. Feelings of being misunderstood trigger a nervous system response, leading to over-explaining as a defense mechanism. This phenomenon is connected to rejection-sensitive dysphoria and the empathy gap in communication. Discover practical strategies to protect your energy and foster effective communication without exhausting yourself. It's time to prioritize safety over mere understanding in relationships to enhance emotional well-being.

Forget New Year's resolutions! Real change starts with how you see yourself. Discover how your thoughts shape your feelings, actions, and outcomes. Learn practical mindfulness techniques to break free from rumination and fear. Embrace setbacks as valuable lessons and shift your mindset from feeling broken to capable. The STOP skill helps you take control in moments of negativity. Visualize your goals with positive emotions and small actions to build momentum. Celebrate your wins and trust your ADHD brain!

Tired of failed resolutions? Discover the power of choosing a single, emotionally charged word to guide your year, especially for ADHD brains. Tracy shares personal stories about health crises that shifted her priorities and the decision to simplify her life by letting go of her family's home. She explains how clutter drains cognitive energy and advocates for embracing subtraction over accumulation. This episode is packed with practical ways to create space for what truly matters and foster creativity.

In this episode, Dr. Edward Hallowell, a leading authority on ADHD and co-author of the seminal book Driven to Distraction, shares his personal journey with ADHD and dyslexia. He discusses transforming ADHD from a diagnosis into empowering news by emphasizing strengths like creativity and curiosity. Dr. Hallowell introduces the concept of VAST, reframing ADHD as a trait with assets and challenges, while also addressing the importance of community and connections in tackling worry and enhancing creativity. His insights are both enlightening and actionable for those navigating ADHD.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup_____What if the intensity you’ve chased in relationships wasn’t love, but dopamine?Amanda McCracken is an award winning journalist, endurance athlete, and intimacy researcher who was diagnosed with ADHD at 36, long after she had built a successful career. From the outside, her life looked accomplished and disciplined. Inside, she struggled with distraction, emotional intensity, anxiety, and a lifelong pattern of romantic fixation. In this episode, Amanda shares how ADHD showed up quietly in her life, from trichotillomania and overthinking to using extreme exercise as a form of self regulation, long before she had language for what was actually happening.The conversation centers on limerence, a psychological state of intense romantic longing marked by obsession, idealization, and emotional highs and lows. Amanda explains how limerence thrives on uncertainty, making it especially powerful for ADHD brains that crave novelty and fast dopamine. Tracy and Amanda explore how rejection sensitivity, perfectionism, and trauma can blur the line between desire and self worth, and why many women mistake intensity for connection. Amanda also shares how chasing emotionally unavailable partners became an organizing force in her life, and how that pattern kept her stuck in fantasy instead of intimacy. She also had to confront a deeper truth: real intimacy feels quieter than fantasy. Today, Amanda is married to a securely attached partner and is the author of When Longing Becomes Your Lover, a deeply personal exploration of limerence, ADHD, and what it takes to receive love instead of chasing it.Resources:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mccracken-4716373 Website: https://www.amandajmccracken.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.mccracken.39 Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/book2 Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup_____Some ADHD stories come from authors, psychologists, and researchers. This one comes from a 23-year-old ER nurse who learned early that the brain she has is exactly the one she needs.Nina Padilla spent ten years trying to get someone to take her ADHD symptoms seriously. From age thirteen through twenty-one, she told her pediatrician every year, “I think I have ADHD,” and every year she heard the same dismissal: good grades and good behavior meant she couldn’t possibly have it. It wasn't until her last semester of nursing school, during a three-day panic attack, that she finally found a therapist who listened. At 23, she was formally diagnosed with combined-type ADHD and started on Adderall.Today Nina works in the pediatric emergency room at the same hospital where she fell in love with the chaos during her final clinical rotation. She calls herself an energizer bunny, moving so fast that a pediatrician once told her, "Nina, don't fix whatever's going on up there." That was the moment she realized her ADHD wasn't a disability. It was her superpower.In this conversation, Tracy and Nina talk about growing up emotional and misunderstood, finding your people early, seeking rejection on purpose to heal rejection sensitivity, and why the ER is the perfect place for an ADHD brain that never gets bored.For any listener in their twenties who feels unsure about the future, Nina offers the clarity so many of us need at that age: follow what interests you, work with the brain you have, and stop chasing a version of “productive” that does nothing but make you miserable.Resources:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nina_izabellaSend a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy Learn more by connecting with Tracy through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/book2 Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

Gratitude isn't just a feel-good concept; it's crucial for ADHD brains. Tracy reveals how gratitude spikes dopamine, enhances emotional regulation, and supports focus. Starting each day with gratitude can set a positive tone and improve sleep. She shares practical rituals, like family gratitude meals and journaling, that promote positive emotions. The discussion includes overcoming self-doubt and the transformative power of gratitude, even in tough circumstances. Understanding the five levels of gratitude helps reframe challenges and aids in emotional healing.

Dr. Gilly Kahn is a clinical psychologist specializing in neurodiversity and emotion regulation, and author of 'Allow Me to Interrupt.' She shares her personal journey with ADHD, discussing the challenges of late diagnosis and the hidden impact of masking. The conversation delves into the intersection of hormones and ADHD, emotional dysregulation, and the often-misunderstood influence of migraines. Gilly offers insights into practical strategies for managing symptoms and emphasizes the importance of authenticity in navigating life with ADHD.