ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

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.

Susanne Schotanus, an ADHD writing coach and founder of Passionate Writer Coaching, shares her journey from struggling writer to helping others overcome ADHD-related creative blocks. She highlights why consistency is a myth for ADHD writers and how perfectionism can stifle creativity. Discussing the healing power of play in writing, Susanne emphasizes that ADHD storytelling can be structured yet free, allowing creativity to flourish. Her insights on rebuilding a healthy relationship with writing inspire listeners to embrace their unique process.

Devene Godau, a certified professional dog trainer with over 25 years of experience, shares her journey from journalist to dog trainer after adopting a greyhound. She emphasizes the importance of compassion in training, revealing that dogs, much like people, thrive when understood. Devene discusses the effectiveness of clicker training and playful gamification, especially for neurodivergent dog owners. She also highlights how dogs reflect their owners' emotions and how sniffing can enhance wellbeing, providing practical strategies to strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners.

Dr. Kalaki Clarke, a board-certified family physician and TEDx speaker, shares her journey with ADHD, sparked by recognizing herself in a young patient. She discusses the high-pressure medical residency environment that exacerbated mental health issues. Kalaki introduces her CAT method—Capture, Analyze, Transform—as a valuable framework for neurodivergent learners to develop tailored strategies. The conversation emphasizes the importance of acknowledging ADHD without shame to enhance personal and professional growth.

Dr. Daniella Karidi, a research scholar and ADHD coach diagnosed in her fifties, shares her unique insights into memory's quirks in ADHD brains. She dives into the concept of prospective memory and why traditional time-based cues often fail. By outlining five critical memory breakdowns, she emphasizes the need for multiple, event-based reminders. Daniella highlights how intentional memory encoding and external supports, like tech tools, can enhance task completion. With humor and practical strategies, she redefines memory challenges as opportunities for innovation!

Kiersten Lyons, a talented writer and actress famous for her one-woman show 'Crushed,' shares her journey of navigating heartbreak and a late ADHD diagnosis. She discusses the challenges of rejection sensitivity in Hollywood, revealing how her experiences shaped her artistic endeavors. Kiersten emphasizes the importance of authenticity, grief, and self-acceptance, while providing valuable insights into the emotional toll of creative industries. Her memoir blends humor and healing, aiming to connect with others feeling 'too much' or 'not enough.'

Nicole Bela, Director of Development at Advance Illinois and advocate for neurodiversity, shares her journey of being diagnosed with ADHD at 37. She reveals how burnout is prevalent in the nonprofit sector, especially among neurodivergent individuals. Nicole discusses the pressures leading to burnout, the importance of unmasking, and how embracing ADHD transformed her leadership style. She proposes practical changes for creating inclusive workplaces and highlights the need for open conversations about employee needs.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup_____What happens when doing everything "right" still leaves you miserable? You start asking better questions.Shell Mendelson was a successful CEO of KidzArt, an international children's art franchise she founded, when everything fell apart. Despite looking accomplished on paper, she was disconnected, dysregulated, and drowning in work that no longer fit. At her lowest point, she found an ADHD book a therapist friend had sent years earlier, opened it, and finally understood why she'd always felt like an outcast. Diagnosed in her fifties, Shell realized the masking, hypervigilance, and constant feeling of being "off" had been ADHD all along.Now, after 35+ years as a career coach, Shell helps ADHD and neurodivergent adults stop job-hopping and start building careers that actually fit. She's the author of Unlock Your Career Path and creator of the Career Galaxy framework—a process that helps people define their must-haves in writing so they never forget what they need to thrive. In this conversation, Shell and Tracy explore why career assessments fail neurodivergent people, how DEI rollbacks are pushing ADHD professionals into hiding, the rise of workplace surveillance, and why people who need accommodations are often just in the wrong job.Shell also shares her recent move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she's building a life by the beach with her two dogs—a story about reinvention, clarity, and refusing to stay somewhere that doesn't serve you, even when it looks successful from the outside.Resources: Website: www.careercoachingwithshell.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareerCoachingwithShellLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourpassiontocareerWebsite: https://unlockyourcareerpath.comSend 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

Skye Waterson, an ADHD strategist and founder of Unconventional Organisation, shares her journey from academic burnout to building ADHD-friendly productivity systems. She critiques typical productivity advice, emphasizing that it often fails ADHD brains and introduces her unique 'five-senses reward method' for task initiation. Skye also discusses the power of delegation, utilizing AI for business processes, and the importance of understanding one’s own mind for success. Her insights are a game changer for anyone looking to work smarter and reduce stress.

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup_____Sometimes the thing that saves you is also the thing that masks your greatest struggle. Swimming was Meg Hennessey Schofield's lifeline through college—three to four miles a day that kept her ADHD brain calm and focused. When she quit her senior year to focus on teaching, everything fell apart. The anxiety and depression that led to her diagnosis at 21 made sense in hindsight, but she pushed the ADHD piece aside. Everyone has a little ADHD, right? It wasn't until postpartum struggles led a provider to revisit that ignored diagnosis that everything changed. Two hours after taking medication, Meg saw herself clearly for the first time in years—the mental noise had quieted.Meg is a special educator with a Master's in Severe Special Education and co-creator of the SMYLE program, which blends sensory-based yoga with trauma-informed education. Her revelation about regulation didn't just change her life—it transformed her classroom. When she made subtle changes to help manage her own anxiety, her students with severe disabilities began accessing parts of their brains they hadn't reached in years.In this conversation, Meg and Tracy explore how chronic stress hijacks learning, why "acting out" is actually nervous system dysregulation, and what it looks like to start each school day with regulation instead of demands. Meg shares her coffee cup analogy for how students arrive each morning and how she teaches both kids and adults to reconnect their bodies and minds through breath and movement.Resources:Email: meghenscho@gmail.com Website: sensoryenhancedyoga.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-hennessey-schofield-784449102Send 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