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 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  

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 talks about rumination, what it is and why those of us with ADHD are more partial to it. Discover how hyperfocusing is related to rumination. Tracy talks about hyperactivity, not only in our bodies but also in our minds. She also shares how rumination is related to past problems rather than current or future problems. Learn how rumination: Is related to transitions Often increases your levels of cortisol Cuts you off from friends and family Is linked to overeating, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure etc etc. Can actually make you become more negative Can make you more self-centered Might be something you do and don’t even know that you’re doing it.Learn how you can stop ruminating and teach yourself how to notice your thoughts. Know the difference between past and future thoughts. Tracy then shares the antidote to rumination, why she believes that there is no such thing as failure, how important it is to listen to your intuition instead of statistics, numbers and figures, the importance of BMW time that whatever you focus on just gets bigger, how to make distractibility your friend, how to manage your emotions by taking action around your passions, how to create internal motivation and increase your own dopamine, and the importance of focusing on others when you’re trying to control rumination.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___Today, Tracy talks to procrastination coach Dr. Christine Li. Dr. Li is a licensed clinical psychologist with practices in NYC and Westchester NY who has conducted procrastination workshops and training at Columbia, NY-Presbyterian Medical School, Fordham University, Barnard College etc. She is the first guest we have interviewed on our podcast. Tracy met Dr. Li at a conference and just knew she had to have her on as a guest. Dr. Li shares how she founded this specialty in procrastination. She explains the reasons why we procrastinate generally but also talks with Tracy about why those of us with ADHD tend to procrastinate more than those without ADHD. Discover what procrastination is often protecting us from. Learn how to get out of that debilitating feeling of overwhelm. Dr. Li talks about how to stop the guilt after procrastination has taken over.Learn what emotions are most closely associated with the act of procrastination and how identifying them can help you move forward. Dr. Li teaches us why we often start procrastinating when we’re 60-80% done with a task. Learn Dr. Li’s Solution for Procrastination Recovery to increase your productivity. She calls it SMACK. Discover the number one thing that Tracy procrastinates on and Dr. Li’s solution. Learn where we learned directly and indirectly to associate stress with productivity. Dr. Li shares how important positive emotion is to procrastination recovery and gives us tips to feeling better. I love her quote: “We do well when we feel well.” Discover what you can do that will always calm your fears. Hint: Nike agrees with Dr. Li. You may find more information about Dr. Christine Li at . You may also get her 12 FREE resources on becoming procrastination free by texting FREELIBRARY (must be in all caps) to 44222. These resources are really amazing and include: The Jumpstart, The Emergent Task Planner, Good Morning Guide, Weekly Routine Planner, Brain Dump Template, Time Saver Secrets, The Road Map, The Mantra Maker, Check Your Lists, The Trello App, The 90-Day Planner, and The Habit Tracker.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 talks about ADHD and weight. When people think of the stereotypical ADHD person they often think of an energetic, constantly moving, constantly talking, climbing the walls kind of boy. They’re hyperactive so that doesn’t square with someone who struggles with their weight. Studies however, show that ADHD symptoms may trigger serious weight problems especially for those with the inattentive type of ADHD. Research shows that those that struggle with obesity are 5-10 times more likely to have ADHD. Learn what significant implications this has for girls and eating disorders and why early studies on adolescents and ADHD didn’t pick this up.Tracy cites two studies on girls with ADHD. Discover why girls have a much higher likelihood of developing eating disorders and what type of ADHD is most predictive of an eating disorder in girls. Learn why our brain chemistry is attracted to sugar and carbohydrates. Discover what Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) is and how it affects our motivation and our sense of satisfaction when we work towards a goal. Learn also how this affects the satisfaction that we get from food. Tracy talks about the link between RDS and addiction and how addictive behaviors around food and other substances begin. Tracy also goes into why food is different from other substances like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs and how many decisions an individual must make every day when trying to maintain their weight as compared to the number of decisions that are made when one decides to stop drinking, smoking or using drugs.Learn how self-regulation plays into all of this and why those of us with ADHD are predisposed towards addiction but addiction is in no way a given. In fact, most people with ADHD do not struggle with addiction at all. Tracy then explains the link between disordered eating, ADHD and executive function deficits. She covers: Struggles with planning Forgetting to eat Impulsiveness in food choices, how bad sleep habits lead to poor eating habits, Poor interoceptive awareness Procrastinating. She shares ideas around gettSend 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 shares a quick method for discovering your character strengths. She emphasizes the importance of focusing on interests and internal motivation for those with an ADHD brain. Tracy introduces the VIA Character Strengths Test, explaining how it helps determine if you're on the right path in your career and life. This test identifies personality traits that reflect your essence, shows what drives and energizes you, and keeps you aligned with your integrity. It focuses on 24 character strengths and distinguishes between values and character strengths, highlighting the benefits of positive emotions and their relationship with strengths.Tracy also introduces Dr. Martin Seligman and explains the origins of the VIA Character Strengths Test. Initially, she thought it was just another personality test, but she was reintroduced to it years later. Seligman and his team created the test by examining various sources, including world religions, virtue catalogues by figures like Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, William Bennett, Benjamin Franklin, and the work of psychologists such as Thorndike, Erickson, Cawley, and Gardner. Learn about the six virtues and 24 character strengths that represent the best of humanity and how the VIA Character Strengths Test can help you understand yourself better, determine your next steps, or assess why your current approach might not be working. Tracy also explains Signature Strengths, their importance for well-being and energy, and shares examples of her own Signature Strengths and why tasks become challenging when they are not utilized. Finally, she discusses common Phasic Strengths for the ADHD brain, their roles, and how to use them effectively during challenges or crises.______________Resources:The VIA Character Strengths Survey FREE VIA Character Strengths test.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 podcast, Tracy discusses ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). Initially, Tracy wasn't interested in RSD because she didn't struggle with it herself. However, once she realized it was the most requested topic among the women in her group, she began researching it. Discover why emotion is not mentioned in the DSM, even though all experts agree it is an integral part of ADHD. Many with ADHD complain about issues such as a short temper, impulsivity, low frustration tolerance, being overwhelmed by emotions, or the pain and energy of others. Some may appear insensitive or excitable, and others with ADHD may be unaware of others' feelings.Tracy clarifies that since emotion isn’t mentioned in the DSM, RSD is also not recognized. Learn about the three types of mood challenges in ADHD, including which one is exclusively associated with ADHD.Tracy explains why many women with ADHD struggle to develop a positive self-concept and identifies one crucial factor for success among ADHD women. She outlines the symptoms of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and how it got its name, and how it manifests differently depending on whether the emotional response is internalized or externalized. Tracy also shares how members of her group describe the feeling of RSD and its prevalence among the ADHD women in her group. RSD is often misdiagnosed as social phobia, bipolar disorder, or depression, but Tracy explains how it differs. She discusses how RSD can impact people’s lives and relationships, as well as a potentially positive aspect of RSD.Finally, learn about potential ways to lessen RSD symptoms through medication and psychotherapy. Tracy reflects on her own experience with the drive to succeed and achieve, and wonders if she might have RSD.______________Resources:Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: Symptom Test for ADHD BrainsSend 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 talks about the 10 things she wishes every teacher knew about their ADHD students. She decided to do a podcast on this subject because she noticed that many women in her Facebook group really struggled in school and are still struggling in school despite the fact that they are clearly bright.Tracy believes that if you can understand how your brain works, then you can start to identify your strengths and build hacks using those strengths. She believes that most ADHD students spend too much time focusing on their weaknesses. Tracy talks about the one thing that is most indicative of success for people with ADHD and what successful people with ADHD say is much harder to deal with than the actual ADHD traits or symptoms.Learn what kind of educators make the best teachers for students with ADHD. Are ADHD students smart? Discover what strengths are associated with ADHD. Do you know about the seven intellectual domains and which ones school teaches to? Hint: there are only two.Learn what the ADHD brain is wired for and why it's so important that students care about what they're studying. Tracy talks about why she thinks ADHD is misnamed and why memorizing things that the ADHD student doesn't care about is so difficult for him/her. Learn how we actually learn best. Discover why these students need to buy in to a strategy or plan in order to be successful with it.Hear what Tracy thinks is the most useless comment that a teacher can make on a progress report about an ADHD student and why positive emotion is so important to all students, but especially those with ADHD. Learn what happens to students who rebel against school and the education system.Discover the three ways that ADHD students can learn and why structure and consistency are so important for them. Tracy talks about positive illusory bias and how it affects ADHD students and why self-control is so much harder for these students.Discover the number one strength of most ADHD students and what the one common denominator tends to be for ADHD studSend 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 talks about the ten things that she wishes she would have been told when she was initially diagnosed with ADHD. When she was first diagnosed, Tracy went into hyperfocus mode and researched everything she could about ADHD, especially ADHD as it related to women. She had spent the previous eight months researching everything she could find about ADHD and kids.This podcast is about what she has learned and how her viewpoint on ADHD has changed. Discover why she came to like certain ADHD experts over others and what she learned from [expert name] and [expert name] versus [expert name]. Tracy mentions some of her ADHD symptoms but also some of the strengths that she's certain are attributable to her ADHD and why she wouldn't trade her ADHD for anything.Learn why creating solutions for what the ADHD brain struggles with can be so difficult. ADHD is not a disorder, but a difference. Tracy thinks ADHD is actually not a deficit of attention at all. ADHD is not a behavioral disorder, moral failing, or character flaw.Learn what you should focus on every day, what our brains are wired for (and it's not importance!), and why we need to learn how to engage our hyperfocus. Learn how impulsivity and creativity are linked. Tracy teaches you the difference between positive and negative emotions and why you should know the difference. She then gives you a simple test to show you how to increase your own motivation whenever you're feeling stuck and build a successful day, week, month, or year.Learn what our brains are meant to do. You'll be surprised to discover that they're not designed to remember. Despite this, we sabotage ourselves daily when we don't remember. Find out what ADHD women typically resist but need more than anything and how, if we implement it, it reduces anxiety and makes us feel happier, smarter, more organized, focused, and creative.Discover how Tracy overcame procrastination in a few simple steps and her favorite hack for getting things done. Tracy then talks about her number one superpower, interpersonal intuition,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___Tracy talks about ADHD and intuition in this podcast. She starts by sharing an experience that happened to her in college that made her start to really trust her intuition. She shares how and why her intuition has gotten her into trouble and what she does differently today. Learn what [person] said that convinced Tracy that her symptoms were the result of ADHD.Discover what intuition looks and feels like and why we often don't pay attention to what people are saying because our brains focus on the connections and relationships between things more than on specific bits of information. Have you ever felt like you know people better than they know themself?Learn:What therapists and women with ADHD have in commonThe definition of intuition and that intuition may come from subconscious experiences that you may not be holding consciouslyThat there's nothing psychic or woo-woo about intuitionWhat it means to be a scannerTracy talks about intuition as a non-conscious level of thinking that is related to attention. It is always also based on knowledge or expertise that you have. Learn about the danger of not listening to our intuition and how important it is that we pay attention to that little voice inside of ourselves.Tracy mentions an ADHD woman who shared her story and said that her anxiety gets worse when she doesn't trust her intuition. Not trusting her intuition may be responsible for her anxiety. She also shared that she sometimes confuses anxiety with her intuition and how she's learned to distinguish the two.Learn the definition of interpersonal intuition. Do you have high emotional intelligence? If so, you won't want to miss this. Blocking extraneous stimuli is great if you're sitting in a classroom trying to memorize facts but if you're trying to figure out what makes someone tick and/or who they are, it may be better to take in extraneous stimuli.Discover how interpersonal intuition and connection are interrelated despite the fact that interpersonal intuition can wreak havoc with conneSend 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 I answer Amanda's question who is one of our members. Amanda asked what she should do if she's bored in her career and knows she needs a new or different challenge.Tracy first shares why major life decisions are so hard for everyone to make but especially hard for those with ADHD. Learn what should be the driving force in any major life decision and why big life decisions and seemingly easy decisions can both be hard decisions to make. Find out what makes a decision easy to make.Tracy then gives advice on what to do when you're trying to decide between two equal jobs. Learn why values and purpose are so important to any hard decision you need to make and why we often get it wrong. Hint: it's all related to how we've been taught to make decisions and logic, analysis and research is not always the best way.Discover who's the best expert to go to when making a big life decision and what you should pay especial attention to. Tracy talks about how there is no such thing as a mistake or a bad decision unless you keep doing the same thing over and over again and hate the results.We learn to pay attention to our brains as a guide for what we should do but Tracy teaches us that there's something even more important to focus on when we're making major life decisions. Discover why not making a decision and letting others make them for you is the worst decision you can possibly make.Learn what the two big questions are that you should always ask when making a decision. Tracy then shares a strategy for testing if you're moving in the right direction and making the right decision. This strategy can also increase your motivation and help you move forward even quicker.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