

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka
Tracy Otsuka
Want to fall in love with your ADHD brain and make it work for you? Learn more about my patented program, Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy here : programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup*I have NEVER met an ADHD woman who wasn’t truly brilliant at something! This podcast, with nearly 7 million downloads, is for smart, high-ability ADD/ADHD (diagnosed or suspecting) women who see their symptoms as more positive than negative. If you want to fall in love with your ADHD brain and discover where your brilliance lies, this podcast is for you!**ADHD for Smart Ass Women is globally ranked in the top one-tenth of one percent of all podcasts in the world on any subject. It’s streamed in more than 160 countries and is downloaded by more than 150,000 listeners every month. My book of the same name, published by HarperCollins/William Morrow, was recently honored by Amazon Editors as a Top 20 Best Nonfiction Book of 2024.**I’m Tracy Otsuka, your host. I’m a lawyer, not a doctor, a lifelong learner, and a certified ADHD coach. I’m on a mission to change the conversation around ADHD because I believe it’s time to focus on the strengths that come with our unique brains. When I was diagnosed eight months after my son, my entire life finally made sense, yet all I read and heard about ADHD focused on what I should struggle with. What I discovered, though, was that my ADHD was responsible for some of my greatest strengths.**Another thing we constantly hear is all the success stories about ADHD men, but no one talks about the women. This podcast is here to change that. ADHD women are my people, and I’m here to acknowledge, support, and cheer them on. My experience as an adult living with ADHD, along with my expertise, is regularly sought out by top-tier media, including Bloomberg, Forbes, CBS Mornings, ABC News Live, Inc., Prevention Magazine, Verywell Mind, ADDitude magazine, and The Goal Digger Podcast, etc.**adhdforsmartwomen.com**The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and does not constitute medical or professional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of anything you have seen or heard from Tracy Otsuka, her guests or this podcast.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 13, 2021 • 28min
Ep. 145: Why is Time So Difficult For Our ADHD Brains?
This podcast explores the challenges individuals with ADHD face when it comes to managing time. The speakers discuss issues with estimating time, punctuality, planning, and scheduling. They also delve into the impact of distractions, hyperfocus, working memory, emotions, and decision-making on time awareness. The podcast concludes by previewing next week's topic: time management strategies for ADHD.

Oct 6, 2021 • 36min
EP. 144: 7 New Ways to Biohack Your ADHD Brain and Stop Rumination NOW
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Why is it that a single negative comment can ruin my entire day, even amongst a sea of otherwise positive feedback? Our ability to hyperfocus is one of our greatest ADHD strengths, but if that hyperfocus gets ahold of a negative thought it can send us into a spiral of shame and self-doubt that feels impossible to break out of.In this episode, I'll give you 7 unusual, research-based strategies to help you tune into your body, get out of your head, and calm your nervous system when you find yourself ruminating on thoughts that don't serve you.______________Resources:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govspiky massage balls for feethealthline.comintegrishealth.orgwww.urmc.rochester.eduanxietycontrolcenter.compubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCenter Shockpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.govMOXE BreatheSend 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

Sep 29, 2021 • 1h 31min
EP. 143: It's Usually Not Just ADHD With Educational Diagnostician, Laurie Peterson
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___My son Markus has always been incredibly introspective and self-aware, so when he took an especially difficult calculus class and announced that there was something else going on beyond ADHD, I believed him. For years Markus and I had suspected that dyslexia was the underlying cause of his inconsistent gaps in learning, yet whenever he was evaluated these gaps were overlooked or attributed to his ADHD. Learning challenges such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia are very common comorbidities with ADHD, so why weren't these evaluators ever digging deeper?Enter: the incredible Laurie Peterson, a brilliant Educational Diagnostician who you may recognize from Episode 61 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, and my guest this episode. Laurie evaluated Markus a third time, and to his relief, his suspicions were confirmed--it was dyslexia all along. Having the complete picture of his brain finally allowed Markus to advocate for his needs, which is exactly why Laurie does the work she does.Join me for another wonderful conversation with Laurie as she provides an overview of the different learning disabilities that can co-occur with ADHD, explains why whole-picture interventions are so important, and dispels some common myths surrounding learning disabilities. Hint: It has nothing to do with intelligence.🐿⭐️______________Resources:Website: Ediagnosticlearning.comDiagnostic-learning.comEmail: laurie@diagnostic-learning.comApps mentioned: Snap Type; Mod MathSend 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

Sep 22, 2021 • 1h 4min
EP. 142: ADHD, Nutrition and Intuitive Eating with Becca King
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Becca King discusses intuitive eating and its benefits for healing the relationship with food and the body. They explore the link between ADHD and nutrition, providing strategies for improving interceptive awareness and prioritizing eating. The speakers delve into societal influences on body image and self-esteem, challenging diet rules and embracing flexibility in meal times. Becca also shares their current projects, including website development and coaching program growth.

Sep 15, 2021 • 1h 9min
EP. 141: Laundry, House Cleaning, and an ADHD-Friendly Refrigerator with Struggle Care’s KC Davis
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___When licensed professional therapist, author, and speaker KC Davis first began a self and home-care TikTok account, she didn't intend to make ADHD content. In fact, she didn't even know she had ADHD at the time, she just knew her unique brain required equally unique systems in order for her to stay on top of home care tasks. When KC's content inevitably ended up on the ADHD side of TikTok, her number of followers exploded. So many people with ADHD related to her content and found success with her systems that KC decided to get an evaluation and confirmed that she does indeed have ADHD.Since receiving her diagnosis KC's content has expanded to include creative ADHD-specific systems and solutions for care tasks, but the underlying message in her work has always remained the same: "Care tasks are morally neutral. They have nothing to do with being a good or bad person, with failing or succeeding in life."Join me this week as KC Davis explains why thinking of care tasks as 'morally neutral' is so important for our mental health, teaches us her 'condiments in the produce drawer' ADHD fridge hack, and gives us the tools to implement a no-fold laundry system that saved her sanity.______________Resources:Instagram: @strugglecareTikTok: @domesticblistersWebsite: Strugglecare.comBook: How to Keep House While DrowningSend 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

Sep 8, 2021 • 1h 2min
EP. 140: ADHD and Relationships With Melissa Orlov
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___This week I break my cardinal rule of only interviewing women with ADHD on the podcast, which should tell you just how strongly I believe in author and marriage consultant Melissa Orlov's work. Melissa may not have ADHD herself, but her daughter does, which is exactly what prompts Melissa to learn as much about ADHD as she possibly can. She dove deep into the research, even working alongside renowned ADHD expert, Dr. Edward Hallowell, one of my only other guest to break the podcast rule (go back to Episode 106 to listen to his insightful interview).All of Melissa's research led her to the surprising realization that her own husband had ADHD as well. Hello, rabbit ---> bunny! Suddenly, all of the disagreements that they'd been having for years around their relationship suddenly made sense. With this realization came a new level of compassion and understanding for each other. Together Melissa and her husband were finally able to find solutions and create systems that worked for both of them.Since this marriage-saving discovery, Melissa has been researching and writing about how ADHD impacts relationships and marriage with the goal of providing others with the roadmap she and her husband wish they'd had sooner. Whether you're in a relationship with a neurotypical or another ADHDer, Melissa has some helpful tips and insights that may just end that argument about emptying the dishwasher for good.______________Resources:Melissa's website: adhdmarriage.comHer couples' seminar: The ADHD Effect In-DepthHer book: The ADHD Effect on Marriage: Understand and Rebuild Your Relationship in Six StepsSend 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

Sep 1, 2021 • 51min
EP. 139: ADHD, Authenticity and Not Fitting In with Trendsetting Hairstylist and Educator Jayne Matthews
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___When Covid hit the U.S. in 2020 and hair salons all across the country shut down, more and more people started taking the scissors into their own hands, often with disastrous results. While the rest of us were laughing at quarantine haircut memes (or creating our own), Jayne Matthews was brainstorming a solution: What if she could teach people how to cut their own hair using the same technique she used on clients at her salon?Now less than two years later Jayne teaches people all around the world how to give themselves stylish haircuts in a way that's intuitive and easy to follow. This ability to problem-solve in the face of seemingly unsolvable problems is a skill Jayne attributes to her ADHD and is one she believes is the key to her success.Join me this week as educator and trendsetting hairstylist Jayne Matthews and I discuss the importance of blazing new paths rather than trying to fit in, how to be okay with not being great at everything, and some favorite ADHD workarounds.______________Resources:Website: Jaynematthews.comInstagram: @jayne_edosalonSend 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

Aug 25, 2021 • 59min
EP. 138: ADHD and Vertical Heterophoria with ADHD expert and author René Brooks
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___This week I'm sitting down with ADHD expert, author, and coach René Brooks to talk about Vertical Heterophoria -- a little-known eye condition that, when René stumbled upon the diagnosis by happenstance, changed everything for her. While René is grateful that she was able to find relief from a lifetime of headaches and neck pain, she's frustrated by how close she came to missing such an important diagnosis and believes the medical community still has a long way to go in understanding and treating ADHD comorbidities."It's right there, it's not hidden, people just don't put it together. People are so mired down in the research about ADHD that it's difficult for them to understand how these things apply to real-life scenarios."Vertical Heterophoria and the connection to ADHD is so unknown that I myself had never heard of it, but by the end of the episode, René helps me to realize that this just might be the missing piece in my own son's unresolved vision struggles. This realization is a great reminder of why these conversations are so important to have, and for that reason and many more, I'm so excited to bring you this episode with the brilliant René Brooks.______________Resources:Instagram: @blackgirllostkeysTwitter: @BlkgirllostkeysBlog: Black Girl Lost KeysVertical Heterophoria: The Unknown ADHD Related Eye Condition (scroll to the bottom of the blog post for a link to the online test for Vertical Heterophoria)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

Aug 18, 2021 • 20min
EP. 137: How to Get That Thing That You REALLY Don't Want to Do, Done!
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Is there something that's hanging out there, that you really want to accomplish but you JUST. CAN'T. START? Then this is the podcast for you. Short, simple, and fun. If you keep it light and easy, it'll work every time!😂Tracy shares:Why forcing ourselves to do mundane tasks doesn't workThe real question to ask ourselves that helps us get things doneWhy do our ADHD brains struggle to get through boring, predictable, mundane tasksWhat three things must an ADHD strategy employ for us to successfully get a boring, predictable task doneWhat generates positive emotionWhy deadlines don't work over timeHow light and easy can work every time______________Resources:Youtube: Frank Sinatra - Nice 'n' EasySend 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

Aug 11, 2021 • 57min
EP. 136: ADHD and Creativity with Artist and Online Entrepreneur, Miriam Schulman
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Join Tracy as she welcomes Miriam Schulman to Ep. 136 of her podcast ADHD for Smart Ass Women.So for all these reasons, I am delighted to introduce you to Miriam Schulman, artist and founder of The Inspiration Place. Through her online classes, business coaching programs, and popular podcasts, she's helped thousands of artists around the world develop their skill sets and sell more art.Miriam is a graduate of Dartmouth College and M.I.T. who has been featured in major publications including Forbes, The New York Times, Art of Man, Professional Artist magazine, and Art Journaling magazine. Her artwork has also been featured on NBC's "Parenthood" and the Amazon series "Hunters" with Al Pacino. Her forthcoming book with HarperCollins Leadership on how to make it as an artist is scheduled to be released in October 2022.Miriam shares her and her family's experience with ADHD, her challenging first year in college, why originality is so important to her, her observations on the link between creativity and ADHD, what it means to be a lifelong learner, why she started The Inspiration Place, the difference between selling art online or in person, the ADHD traits that she regularly sees in artists, what artists tend to struggle with, the importance of practicing your creative, the ADHD traits that she feels are responsible for her success, the key to living successfully with ADHD is, and her number one ADHD workaround.______________Resources:www.schulmanart.comThe Inspiration Place Podcast, Artists and ADD: Creatively Distracted, with Tracy OtsukaSend 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


