ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

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 speaks with Cognitive Behavioral Coach Diann Wingert. Diann worked for 20 years as a psychotherapist and was also an adjunct faculty member at the USC School of Social Work, where she trained graduate students to become therapists at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She transitioned from psychotherapist to coach because she found coaching more successful at creating real, positive change in her clients. Diann observed too many brilliant and capable women struggling with distractibility, procrastination, perfectionism, and self-doubt, which held them back from fully expressing their gifts in the world.Many of these women had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression and had no idea that their underlying issue was actually ADHD, including Diann herself. She is now on a mission to help other gifted, creative, and entrepreneurial women of all ages achieve their true potential through radical self-acceptance, leveraging their strengths, and creating an ADHD-friendly business and life.Diann goes on to share:Her definitions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how CBT differs from Cognitive Behavioral Coaching (CBC).The role of therapy vs. coaching.How you can change your self-concept with CBC.How our thoughts, feelings, and actions determine our results.Who is a candidate for CBT/CBC, and who is not.Whether therapy and CBT/CBC can be conducted at the same time.Why asking better questions is so important to our sense of self-esteem.Get a FREE copy of Diann’s Driven Woman Roadmap called the Fast Track Guide to Success, or schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation. You can also learn more about Diann’s 12-week individual coaching program for ADHD creatives and entrepreneurs.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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy talks about the basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); what it is, who it is for, how it works with ADHD. Learn how: CBT incorporates cognition(what we’re thinking), behaviors (what we do) and emotions. CBT does not treat ADHD, but works to lessen how it impairs your life through symptoms like procrastination, time management, disorganization CBT educates ADHDers about their brain and why it is the way it is CBT, helps to build workarounds manage negative expectations and emotions discover negative behaviors that interfere with your ability to live to your potential. CBT can look different for each patient because it’s set up to their individual needs. Learn where CBT came from and how what you’re saying to yourself can really affect your life: what jobs you’ll apply for, what relationships you’ll enter into, what risks you’re willing to take. Discover how the experience of growing up with ADHD, especially undiagnosed ADHD, can impact how you think, what you think about yourself, how you cope, your attitudes and your beliefs. Learn how the lens that you see the world through definitely affects who we become.Discover how what you’re thinking can impact your life. And that: Your thoughts create your feelings/emotions Your feelings create your actions Your actions create your results. Everything starts with your thoughts. How our thoughts are responsible for our emotions. Tracy states: “Don’t believe everything you think.” It doesn’t matter if you had that negative thought a million times. It’s not going to affect you now unless you think about it again. You don’t have to undo those thoughts, you just have to break the pattern of the thought. Tracy shares that CBT looks for where your thoughts are distorted and it has you question them. In CBT, you’re also learning how to use specific strategies for managing your ADHD like getting to work on time, starting a project you don’t want to do, sticking to your planner, building better relationships. Discover what you should do when you can’t start a project or task. 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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___For our 31st episode, Tracy invited Katelyn Mabry to join her. Katelyn is the author of the children’s book Hi, It’s Me! I Have ADHD, which is based on her personal experience with ADHD. In her book, she shares the feelings, emotions, and experiences of a child dealing with the challenges of ADHD, offering insights, tips, empowerment, and the message that ADHD does not define them. Katelyn holds a master’s degree in reading and is a certified early childhood/special education teacher. She also has four children and is now a private coach for kids who learn differently. Katelyn’s goal is to instill a love of reading, learning, and growth in her students.Tracy talks about her 17-year-old son, who is very bright but came to her in December saying he couldn’t read. She saw him reading all the time, so this didn’t make sense to her. That’s when she remembered Katelyn Mabry, a reading specialist in her ADHD for Smart A* Women* Facebook group. Tracy reached out to Katelyn, who explained that her son Markus can read, but he struggles to focus and retain information when he isn’t interested in the subject matter. Tracy hired Katelyn to work with Markus, and she has been thrilled with the increased confidence her son now has when reading topics that don’t interest him. Tracy asked Katelyn to share some of the strategies she’s used to help Markus improve his reading retention.Katelyn talks about metacognition and how she uses it to help kids retain what they’re reading. She explains the three types of inner voices in metacognition: reciting, conversational, and interactive, and reveals which one helps retention the most by connecting the reader to the characters. Katelyn also discusses the "distracted voice" and how she helps students recognize when it appears. Learn why visualization is key to reading retention, and hear a fantastic analogy that compares reading to driving a car. Katelyn also introduces the concept of activating background knowledge to aid in reading retention and explains the importance of giving reading a purpose, helping the reader iSend 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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___This week’s podcast is all about the Apple Watch and how I use it to manage my ADHD brain. I didn’t want an Apple Watch. I don’t want to wear anything that everyone else is wearing. That said, once I did, I realized just how valuable it could be to manage my ADHD brain. I feel more in control, less worried about things falling through the cracks, and more organized than I’ve ever felt.My whole goal has been to build structures around myself to shore up my weaknesses so I can focus on my strengths. I have basically uploaded my working memory to the Apple Watch.When I first got the watch, I was totally overwhelmed. I looked everywhere for videos and blog posts, about how to use the Apple Watch to shore up the ADHD brain. I couldn’t find anything, so I’ve wanted to do this podcast for a while. That said, this is not an in-depth instruction manual on what the Apple Watch can do. This is just me talking to you about the best, simplest ways I have found to set up and use my Apple watch to build that structure around me that best supports my ADHD brain. This podcast offers practical tips for using the Apple Watch to support individuals with ADHD.______________Resources:Here are the three additional Apple Watch apps that I mentioned in my podcast. I’m impressed with them thus far, but haven’t used them long enough to include on my list. I’ll report back later.Pocket Casts: Podcast PlayerAudible: Audio EntertainmentThings 3Send 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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___For our 29th episode, I have invited my friend Perry Janssen to our podcast. Perry lives in Seattle where she has been a psychotherapist for the past 30 years. Perry has taught at the university level, she’s had her own column, she’s been a radio host where she’s interviewed and learned from the likes of Dr. Christiane Northrup and Dr. Dan Siegel. She’s also been an educator, consultant and coach for Microsoft, Amazon, Nordstrom, Boeing; the list goes on and on. I had a list of questions prepared but since our most popular episodes have been about emotion and feelings, I decided to just go with it. I call Perry the feelings expert. You can tell how passionate she is on the subject.Perry talks about: The importance of learning about the difference between realization and integration and why you need both for happiness. What happens when you ignore your feelings, why feelings aren’t good or bad but more like breadcrumbs or little gold nuggets, how we can actually learn from our feelings, why there is absolutely nothing wrong with you, why Perry’s clients call her the Tennessee Hound Dog, what true mindfulness really is, why many women don’t even know how to feel their feelings?, how minimizing certain feelings can lead to minimizing all feelings. The fact that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You just have never been taught the skills to deal with emotion.______________Resources:Email: tuneinwithperryjanssen@gmail.comPodcast: Oxygen for Women with Perry JanssenSend 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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Today Tracy talks to our youngest group member, Sophia Criscione. Tracy was so impressed with a post that Sophia created in our Facebook Group, ADHD for Smart A** Women about how to navigate the college admissions process when you have ADHD, that she just had to have Sophia on her podcast. Sophia is 18 and has just completed her senior year in high school. Having just gone through the whole process of applying to colleges, she wanted to help other bright ADHD kids who are stressed about the whole college application process.Sophia was diagnosed at the end of her freshman year and shares with us how her diagnosis came about. She is a definite smart ass. So smart, that among her many very high AP scores is a 5 in a history class that she taught herself. No matter how frustrating some of her symptoms might be, Sophia will tell you why she views her ADHD as a biochemical gift. Find out: why Sophia wishes she would have started taking the SAT early in her junior year the benefits of doing every single in-person interview that you can the pros and cons of disclosing your ADHD in your application how Sophia mentioned her ADHD traits without specifically disclosing her ADHD why and how you should use the additional information section on the common application what kinds of teacher recommendations were most helpful to Sophia’s admissions chances how Sophia managed the application deadlines why you should apply to as many colleges as possible who should consider test optional schools Sophia then shares advice on parenting teenagers with ADHD and her number one ADHD workaround.______________Resources:addca.comYour ADHD Brain is A-OK!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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy chats with Danielle Ford from Las Vegas. Danielle dropped out of high school as a junior at 17, on the advice of her high school counselor. She was actually a good student who had to work to support her family. She then spent a decade in various entrepreneurial ventures working 10 times harder than everyone else and in her words “never getting the basic stuff right.” She self-diagnosed herself with ADHD in her early twenties but chose not to seek a formal diagnosis because she believed the stigma. Instead, she read every self-help book, tried every system, worked with coaches but never thought that the strategies may have been faulty and not her.After a close call, Danielle decided to get treatment, was prescribed medication and other therapies and suddenly she could easily organize her thoughts, emotions, tasks...everything. That’s when Danielle went into full ADHD superpower mode and submitted her name for school board trustee for the 5th largest school district in the United States. She beat out a field of 9 candidates, including some seasoned politicians and won the election. Danielle was sworn in this past Jan and now she controls a nearly 3 billion dollar yearly budget and makes policy decisions for a school district that serves 48 schools. In this role she is responsible for over 322,000 students. Danielle is 33, a single-mom of two kids and she’s a digital marketing strategist who helps other entrepreneurs grow their online businesses. Her story is fascinating. How she manages her ADHD is instructive. You will also likely relate to how Danielle navigates life when her Ferrari brain works faster than her bicycle brakes (if you have ADHD you’ll know what we mean). It’s no surprise that Danielle is often compared to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Listen to Podcast Episode #27.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  

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 gives you her list of favorite strength-focused ADHD resources/books. If you listened to her first podcast recorded back in October you‘ll notice that her understanding and opinions around ADHD have changed a lot. She is now solidly grounded in a more strength-focused view of ADHD and sees it as a brain difference rather than a brain disorder.Tracy goes through the books she wishes she knew about when her son was first diagnosed five years ago. If you want to reframe your own ADHD, if you currently see it as a disorder and want to view it as a strength, this is exactly where you need to start. Tracy wouldn’t give up her own ADHD for anything. She believes that her ADHD traits are responsible for every success she’s ever had. She just had to learn how to manage it. These resources have really helped in that regard.______________Resources:Facebook Group: ADHD for Smart Ass WomenInstagram: @tracyotsukaWebsite: adhdforsmartwomen.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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Today, Tracy talks about ADHD and Addiction. She doesn’t like to talk about things that she hasn’t experienced personally but so many members in her Facebook Group, ADHD for Smart A** Women did struggle with addiction so she decided that the subject warranted a podcast episode. Have you ever wondered why those of us with ADHD have up to a 10 times higher likelihood of substance abuse and addiction? Do you know what Reward Deficiency Syndrome is? Have you ever felt less satisfaction than you expected to feel once you reach a goal? Do you often feel like you’ve not accomplished enough? Discover how our dopamine circuitry can create addictions and what’s behind the overlap that we often see between creativity, talent, depression, addiction and ADHD.Learn why young adults use substances to self-medicate and at what age they typically start. Discover the biggest myth about stimulant medication and addiction. Exercise is the ADHD brain’s best friend. Learn why it also helps us refrain from self-medicating. Tracy then shares information that she just learned about AA, recovery centers, medical detox programs, and sober living environments from a book called The Sober Truth by Harvard professor Lance Dodes who’s been treating people with addiction for 30 + years. It is really eye-opening. Tracy also shares information that she just learned from psychotherapist Perry Janssen about trauma and addiction. Learn about the concept called spontaneous remission and what kinds of approaches to treating addiction work best for those of us with ADHD.______________Resources:motivationandchange.comShining a New Light on ADHD w/Dr. Ned HallowellHow Neuroscience Predicts The Spontaneous Remission Of AddictionSend 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  

Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___In this podcast, Tracy decided to do something different. When she was initially diagnosed she read everything to glean what other women like her were experiencing. Putting that puzzle together for herself was her number one mission. It’s also why she started the Facebook Group, ADHD for Smart A** Women. So today she’s sharing with you how members answered the question: What Does Your ADHD Feel Like?Multiple individuals shared their experiences with ADHD and how it affects their daily lives. They struggle with tasks considered "expected," feeling like outsiders even when accepted. Some describe their minds as chaotic or constantly active. They often challenge rules and societal norms, feeling both pride and shame in their unique strengths and struggles. Despite the challenges, many express a sense of self-acceptance and appreciation for their unique perspective.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