ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka EP. 373: Stories We Tell Ourselves (And About Each Other)
Feb 25, 2026
She recounts a chaotic move from a country home to a San Francisco high-rise and three HOA rejections over two small dogs. She tracks how the ADHD brain turns uncertainty into catastrophic stories and contrasts reacting to narrative versus reacting to data. Misreading a baby egret becomes a moment about meaning-making. She also confronts public criticism and explores why agency changes how critiques land.
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From Bullfrog Farms To High Rise Rejections
- Tracy Otsuka describes selling her six-and-a-half-acre home Bullfrog Farms and trying to move to a San Francisco high-rise.
- Three condo HOAs denied the couple because they have two small dogs, triggering a rapid narrative in Tracy's brain from inconvenience to 'we're basically going to be homeless'.
The Baby Egret That Wasn't
- Tracy and her daughter observed egrets during the sale and interpreted three great white egrets as a sign that their time at Bullfrog Farms was complete.
- They later misidentified a small snowy egret as a baby great white and built an emotional rescue story until ChatGPT corrected their species ID.
ADHD Brains Fill Uncertainty With Stories
- Tracy notes ADHD brains hate uncertainty and therefore compulsively fill gaps with narratives to create coherence.
- This meaning-making feels comforting but often produces incorrect, emotionally charged stories.
