

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

Mar 18, 2020 • 33min
EP. 63: Choose to Be the Hero, Not the Victim in Your ADHD Life
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In Episode #63 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy talks about how complaining, venting, feeling sorry for yourself, and playing the victim are the gateway drug to an unhappy life that puts you at the mercy of your ADHD, by completely focusing on your weaknesses and not your strengths. Learn about: BMW - and it’s not the car The science behind why rumination is bad for our brains Why what we say to ourselves matters What my definition of high-functioning with ADHD looks like What kinds of people I choose to have in my life.Discover: A different way to see your ADHD and it’s not disordered, what demotivates the ADHD brain, what you need to focus on to drive your motivation, how to become the hero in your own life, the importance of mindset, the importance of gratitude, the easiest thing you can do to start slowly shifting your mindset, what makes the ADHD brain happier, Tracy then shares an amazing lesson that a young woman in her FB group taught her about her own beliefs around the brain, honesty, her own power, and abilities.______________Resources:EP. 23: ADHD and RuminationEP. 12: Learned Helplessness and ADHDEP. 32: What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and How Can it Help ADHD?EP. 50: Meditation That Even You Can Do (Especially if You’re Inattentive or Have RSD) with ADHD Life Coach, Diann WingertEP. 26: Tracy’s Strength-Focused ADHD Book ListSend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Mar 11, 2020 • 41min
EP. 62: ADHD and Cannabis
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In Episode #62 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy talks about ADHD and cannabis. She specifically focuses on the adolescent ADHD brain. Discover: The history of cannabis in the United States Why the name was changed from cannabis to marijuana How immigrants popularized the recreational use of marijuana What state first passed the Cannabis Prohibition law. How the propaganda film Reefer Madness effectively criminalized marijuana What happened to cannabis in the 60s and 70s What the reports commissioned by Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson said about marijuana Tracy then shares why she initially thought that cannabis was safer than substances like alcohol and her experience at a cannabis dispensary close to her home.Learn: The truth about whether or not there really are medicinal and or therapeutic benefits of cannabis to the ADHD brain, the two active compounds that make up cannabis, if research supports the use of CBD oil as a treatment for ADHD At what age the frontal lobe is fully matured in the ADHD brain, what THC actually does in the brain, what the FDA has approved medical marijuana for, what rates of cannabis use look like for adolescents and young adults, the negative effects of cannabis and how this mimics the symptoms of ADHD, how dendrites help a healthy brain process and learn better, how THC can alter the architecture of your brain, why fully formed brains are at much less risk for damage by THC, if THC is a gateway drug Cannabis’ effect on the heart, cannabis’ effect on mental health, if cannabis is addictive and if so, who is more likely to be addicted, what it means to be chasing dopamine and why those with ADHD are at a greater risk for this, what Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is, what the link between CUD and psychosis is, why cannabis is so appealing to the ADHD brain, and how to treat CUD.______________Resources:1-800-662- HELP to locate a treatment centerFindTreatment.govReefer Madness! The Twisted History of America's Marijuana LawsSend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Mar 4, 2020 • 58min
EP. 61: Diagnostic Testing For ADHD With Laurie Harwood Peterson
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 her guest Laurie Harwood Peterson to Episode #61 of her podcast, ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Laurie is the owner and director of Diagnostic Learning Services. Alongside her husband, Laurie runs five offices across Texas, specializing in ADHD and learning challenges in children. She spends every day helping kids get identified and teaching parents how to support them. Laurie holds a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and spent eight years teaching students with learning disabilities in grades K-12. She also has two Master’s Degrees—one in Special Education with an emphasis on assessment and the other in Professional Counseling.Laurie is also the mother of two boys. In this episode, you’ll learn about: the circumstances surrounding Laurie’s ADHD diagnosis, her symptoms in childhood, how she got into diagnostic testing, the difference between neuropsychological testing and diagnostic testing, where diagnostic testing fits into the ADHD picture, signs parents should look for when considering diagnostic testing for their children, the cost of diagnostic testing, how testing for giftedness and ADHD differs from standard ADHD testing, how Laurie’s ADHD makes her better at what she does, what Laurie believes is the key to living successfully with ADHD, and her number one ADHD workaround.______________Resources:How to use a bullet journal www.diagnostic-learning.comediagnosticlearning.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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Feb 26, 2020 • 56min
EP. 60: ADHD, Entrepreneurialism and Fearlessness with Dr. Brandi Noll
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Join Tracy in Episode #60 of *ADHD for Smart Ass Women* as she welcomes her guest, Brandi Noll. Dr. Noll is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Akron in Ohio, where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. With 23 years of experience in education, she has taught children how to read and write, as well as adults how to best teach children to read and write. Brandi is also an author, presenter, and consultant in K-12 schools. She has co-authored a book on preschool literacy curriculum, written numerous articles for national journals on literacy instruction, and presented at education conferences across the country, sharing her passion for helping students succeed. Brandi is also the mother of three.In 2016, while recovering from her second major hip reconstruction due to hip dysplasia, Brandi founded the Bucket List Adventure Company Ohio. Her focus was on bringing people together by encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zones and overcome their fears. Over the last few years, Brandi has jumped out of a plane, free-dived with sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, walked across fire, kayaked in alligator-infested waterways, ice climbed, rock climbed, and rappelled through some of the United States' most strenuous and iconic trails. No surprise—Brandi also has ADHD!Brandi shares: how she completed her Ph.D. in three years while working two part-time jobs and raising three children, the circumstances surrounding her ADHD diagnosis, symptoms she had always wondered about but now recognizes as clearly ADHD in hindsight, what has changed since her diagnosis, why she decided to start her travel company, why she founded the "Adventure Club," the knowledge she imparts to all of her students, what she believes is the key to living successfully with ADHD, her number one ADHD workaround, and her advice to a young woman just diagnosed with ADHD.______________Resources:Instagram: 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Feb 19, 2020 • 52min
EP. 59: ADHD and Justice Sensitivity with Immigration Attorney Taylor Levy
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In Episode #59 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy introduces her guest Taylor Levy. Taylor is an immigration attorney in El Paso, Texas, and was the Legal Coordinator at Annunciation House, El Paso’s largest migrant shelter. During the summer and fall of 2018, Taylor worked with dozens of pro bono attorneys who traveled to El Paso from across the U.S. to provide free legal representation to immigrant parents separated from their minor children due to the “zero-tolerance” policy enacted by the Trump administration. Attorneys volunteering with Annunciation House provided legal consultations and pro bono reunification to more than 400 separated families. Currently, Taylor focuses on asylum-seeking families who have been returned to Mexico under the “Remain in Mexico” program. She also mentors attorneys from around the country on these cases and does advocacy, media, and policy work centered on protecting vulnerable asylum seekers arriving at our border.Taylor talks about an article that ProPublica just published about her clients, Honduran refugees Mirza, David, and their kids. Taylor also shares how she ended up in law school while working full time and raising a child as a single mother, the circumstances surrounding her own ADHD diagnosis, symptoms that she always wondered about but now, with the benefit of hindsight, she recognizes as clearly ADHD, what has changed since her diagnosis, how she ended up representing immigrants and asylum seekers before she even went to law school, what she believes the key to living successfully with ADHD is, her novel approach to medication, her number one workaround, and her advice to a young woman just diagnosed with ADHD. Information about the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Hybrid Program is also discussed.______________Resources:Email: taylorlevylaw@gmail.comwww.santafedreamersproject.orgSend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

5 snips
Feb 12, 2020 • 40min
EP. 58: 5 ADHD Hacks That Change How I Work
Explore ADHD hacks and organizational tools for enhancing productivity, like Sticky Notes and Multiple Desktops. Discover apps such as TabResize and Bear for efficient workflow management. Learn about New Kajabi for simplifying business operations and empowering online businesses. Tracy shares her love-hate relationship with Post-it-notes and how to stay focused within one computer screen.

Feb 5, 2020 • 49min
EP. 57: A Mid-Life Diagnosis of ADHD with Sandra Centorino
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In Episode #57 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy invites her good friend Sandra Centorino to the podcast to talk about her recent mid-life ADHD diagnosis. Sandra is currently the founder of RealWomenGoLive where her mission is to help, inspire, share and connect real women to the power of their voice through audio and video.Prior to that, Sandra ran a non-profit called, the CUREchief Foundation where she recruited and trained thousands of volunteers for more than a decade. Sandra shares: Why she decided to seek a diagnosis, how her symptoms got worse in midlife, her family's response to her diagnosis, what has changed since she was diagnosed, her experience with medication, her number one ADHD workaround, and her advice to anyone who’s listening who has not yet been diagnosed.______________Resources:Facebook Group:: RealWomenGoLIVESend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Jan 29, 2020 • 51min
EP. 56: Is it ADHD or Non-Verbal Learning Disorder? with Linda Karanzalis, M.S., BCCS
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Join Tracy and her guest Linda Karanzalis, M.S., BCCS in Episode #56 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Linda is a board-certified cognitive specialist and parent/student coach who provides executive function training and social-emotional learning programs for people of all ages. Linda recently wrote an article for ADDitude magazine’s Winter 2020 issue on ADHD and Non-verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD). Linda shares with us: Her symptoms in childhood, her ADHD diagnosis, how she figured out that she had something more than just ADHD, her Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) diagnosis, what NVLD looks like What percentage of communication is verbal vs non-verbal and why that matters, why those with NVLD actually talk more, not less, what it means to not understand the meaning behind words and take things literally, how to tell the difference between ADHD and NVLD, why those with NVLD are often misdiagnosed with ADHD, why NVLD is still not recognized in the DSM even though they are both brain-based conditions, what happens to those with NVLD who are left untreated. Linda then discusses current treatment options for NVLD and explains why she believes they don’t work. She also shares what she has discovered does work.Resources:Addvantageslearningcenter.comSymptom test for adults: Could I have Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?Article that appeared in ADDitude magazine on NVLDAnother article by Linda Karanzalis for ADDitude magazineIf you’d like to write a review for the podcast ADHD for Smart Ass Women, on your phone only, scroll down to the very bottom after all episodes to "Ratings & Reviews." There you will find a link that says “Write a Review.” Thank you!______________Resources:[Self-Test] Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) in AdultsASend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Jan 22, 2020 • 30min
EP. 55: What I’ve Learned in the Year Since I Started my ADHD for Smart Ass Women Podcast
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Tracy talks about what she’s learned in the year since she started her podcast, ADHD for Smart Ass Women. She hopes her story might inspire you to tackle that one big bucket list item that you’ve been scared to start. After all, she’s been there.Tracy shares: Why she started the podcast, What her biggest fear was around having a podcast, How she feels about planning, Her thoughts on accountability vs. responsibility, The importance of structure, Why she listens more and talks less, How her podcast helped her develop more tools and strategies for herself, The importance of reminders, How starting a podcast solidified her belief that ADHD isn’t a disorder but rather a brain difference that just requires another way of doing things, How those with ADHD are gold star people, How members of her ADHD for Smart Ass Women Facebook Group and listeners of the podcast helped her grow her knowledge of ADHD, and What her podcast taught her about confidence.______________Resources:addca.comFacebook Group: ADHD for Smart Ass WomenSend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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

Jan 15, 2020 • 47min
EP. 54: How Proper Breathing Reduces Stress, Stabilizes Emotions and Makes the ADHD Brain More Mindful
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In this episode, Tracy invites Esther Nagel to the podcast. Esther is a yoga teacher, author, and writer from South Wales in the UK. She is also an expert in breathing and was recently diagnosed with ADHD.Esther shares: Why learning to breathe properly is a powerful tool in managing the ADHD brain, How she connected breath to so many of her own personal struggles stemming from ADHD and how it changed her life, How proper breathing reduces stress, stabilizes emotions, and makes us more mindful, How breathing balances the autonomic nervous system and helps us to be more attentive (focused) and more relaxed, and Some simple steps for breathing properly and doing it anywhere in her FREE 10-day breathing course.______________Resources:spacetobreatheacademy.com(this is the FREE 10-day breathing course that Esther mentioned) How Deep Breathing Opens Up the ADHD BrainJust Breathe: Diaphragmatic Breathing for ADHDSend 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/shiftInstead 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-academyLearn 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


