Mother Plus Podcast Stacey Hutson & Stephanie Sprenger

We begin part two with this doozy: Tracy Otsuka shares that she never struggled with motherhood. 

Why? Her husband served as her executive functioning, and they split tasks based on what they were both good at. Revolutionary, huh? 

In this episode...
Tracy gives us the most beautiful reality check about what it really means to be a "good mom." It's about emotional connection, not the "administrative crap.""What happens to women with ADHD is that they feel they cannot be who they truly are." Tracy's goal is to help women be more of who they really are, not less.Main character mom goals: Tracy's parenting goal was that her kids grow up to be proud of her. She reminds us how important it is that we "show our daughters what it looks like to be ourselves.""You wouldn't call it people pleasing if you really wanted to do it." We discuss how people pleasing shows up in ADHD motherhood. Tracy talks about using positive and negative emotions a barometer to recognize when we are doing things for the right reasons.  Tracy reminds us of the power and importance of gratitude for ADHD women, especially as a tool to combat the negativity and worry when we are stuck in default mode network (DMN). ABOUT TRACY OTSUKA
Tracy Otsuka, JD, is a certified ADHD coach and the host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast. Over the past decade, she has empowered thousands of clients (from doctors and therapists to C-suite executives and entrepreneurs) to see their neurodivergence as a strength–not a weakness. Tracy leverages her analytical skills from being a lead counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to identify the right questions to ask her clients so they can boost their productivity, improve their finances, save failing relationships and live happier lives.

Tracy’s expertise and experience as an adult living with ADHD are regularly sought out by top tier media including Inc, Forbes, ADDitude magazine, and The Goal Digger Podcast.  She hosts her own podcast which ranks #1 in its category and has over 5 million downloads across 160 countries. She also moderates a Facebook group with nearly 100,000 members. A married mother of two, Tracy lives in Sonoma County outside of San Francisco.

Tracy's website: https://www.tracyotsuka.com/
Tracy's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adhd-for-smart-ass-women-with-tracy-otsuka/id1443678424
Tracy's instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka/?hl=en

If you are nodding your head to everything in this episode, and you've been looking for your people and feel like you've FINALLY found them, please join us in the ADHD Mom Club. We cannot wait to see you there:
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-mom-club-waitlist
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Organization Graveyard:
The place where all the organizational tools you buy from Amazon, Target, and The Container Store go to die.  They are unwrapped, unused, and riddled with guilt, a constant reminder that you are a spacey, unorganized ADHD mom.

Not. Anymore.

Stacey takes you through -- step by step -- how to actually tackle the graveyard. How to go through all the items, open them up, and actually use them.

Yes, it's simple. But it's not easy. But as you'll learn, half the battle is starting.

Pop your air pods in and tackle your "graveyard" with Stacey. You won't believe how good you'll feel afterwards.

To tackle more tedious boring life tasks with Stace and Steph on a regular basis, join the ADHD Moms club. We cannot wait to see you there!
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-mom-club-waitlist



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In Part I of our conversation with the incomparable Tracy Otsuka, we share the story of how we came to find her, and introduce her podcast and incredible book to our listeners. We discuss Tracy's superpowers as a woman with ADHD, and how her story may be unlike other ADHD women because of her confidence and comfort level with being "different."

The Cliff's Notes Version:
Tracy shares something that sets her apart from other ADHD women—she has never cared that she is different, and has used that to her advantage. Women with undiagnosed ADHD may mask, compensate, and craft harmful narratives like, "I guess I'm not that smart" or "I have no idea what's going on." Tracy breaks down hyperactive and inattentive type ADHD and how they affect confidence and learned helplessness.We dive into why motherhood can be more difficult for women with ADHD—our daily routines feel like Groundhog's Day, the tasks required can be boring for our creative brains, and the compromised Executive Functioning skills create overwhelm. Tracy breaks down DMN (default mode network) and TPN (task positive network), and explains how the challenge toggling between them makes transitions more difficult for ADHD women. We learn some strategies to manage our DMN and TPN and how to work with our brains, taking charge and learning to switch gears. 
ABOUT TRACY OTSUKA
Tracy Otsuka, JD, is a certified ADHD coach and the host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast. Over the past decade, she has empowered thousands of clients (from doctors and therapists to C-suite executives and entrepreneurs) to see their neurodivergence as a strength–not a weakness. Tracy leverages her analytical skills from being a lead counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to identify the right questions to ask her clients so they can boost their productivity, improve their finances, save failing relationships and live happier lives.

Tracy’s expertise and experience as an adult living with ADHD are regularly sought out by top tier media including Inc, Forbes, ADDitude magazine, and The Goal Digger Podcast.  She hosts her own podcast which ranks #1 in its category and has over 5 million downloads across 160 countries. She also moderates a Facebook group with nearly 100,000 members. A married mother of two, Tracy lives in Sonoma County outside of San Francisco.

Tracy's website: https://www.tracyotsuka.com/
Tracy's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adhd-for-smart-ass-women-with-tracy-otsuka/id1443678424
Tracy's instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka/?hl=en

If you are nodding your head to everything in this episode, and you've been looking for your people and feel like you've FINALLY found them, please join us in the ADHD Mom Club. We cannot wait to see you there:
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-mom-club-waitlist
MOTHER PLUS INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mother_plus_podcast/

MOTHER PLUS FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/motherpluspodcast

MOTHER PLUS PERMISSION SLIP: https://www.motherplusser.com/Permission-Slip

MOTHER PLUS NEWSLETTER: https://www.motherplusser.com/signup-page

MOTHER PLUS BLOG: https://www.motherplusser.com/blog

This Tedious Task of the Week is putting the laundry away—we hate doing this! Steph shares her step-by-step guide to pouring out the laundry basket, sorting the clothes, and getting it put away in a less soul-crushing way. We are all about making dreaded household care tasks less painful, so let's tackle it together! 

Here's the Cliff's Notes:
Steph shares how Stacey's "love letters to yourself" bonus episode last week impacted her and inspired her to set out her yoga stuff the night before. Remember why we do the tedious task of the week together? It's not to shame ourselves into being "better" at chores, but to give ourselves love letters to our future selves by making our lives easier and not procrastinating. This week's Tedious Task: Putting the laundry away. Not washing it or switching it or even folding it—JUST putting it away. Putting the laundry away is often the step that ADHD women hate the most and put off, causing us to live out of our laundry baskets. Steph shares her step-by-step system for dumping the laundry out of the basket and getting every single item put away where it belongs. Strategies like engaging your senses, body doubling, and tuning into what feels most motivating to you will help you be more successful. Sign up for our ADHD Moms Club here. Free community for moms with ADHD coming at the end of this month—get on the waitlist to join a group of women who get you and can celebrate your successes, understand your stresses, and share resources. 


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Did you ever imagine a day where you could go to your therapist office, and pull out the tarot cards?  Today, we’re talking to holistic therapist, yogi, meditation teacher and author, Chris McDonald. "Tarot friendly" is literally on her about page. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take her seriously. 

By the end of today’s episode, you will understand how therapy and spirituality can work together, and most importantly, how that can help women with ADHD.

We're going to cover:
Spirituality means something different to everybody, and Chris talks about the value of bringing body/mind/spirit integration into her work and how it can benefit women with ADHD. Bringing the body into therapy through yoga and somatic work can help women with ADHD who have struggled to get out of their heads and into their bodies. Chris explains the concept of a "window of tolerance" and how she helps her clients by giving them tools to be less reactive when stressors arise. We learn about the importance of self-compassion for the ADHD mom, and Chris walks us through a "compassion break."Spiritual practices can help women with ADHD shift their perspective as well as find community. SLOW DOWN is our new mantra. Instead of "What's the most I can do?" ask yourself "What's the least I can do?" during stressful moments: nervous system regulation is extremely important for ADHD moms. Chris talks about meds, finding tools and strategies that fit, and how to go about finding a therapist who is a good fit for you. In today's episode, we meet Chris McDonald, who introduces us to the world of holistic therapy and explains to us how her practice is different from other mental health therapists. Chris teaches the importance of power of incorporating body, mind, and spirit into sessions. She incorporates emotional work plus the practical problem solving and executive functioning tasks like time management and organization. We discuss Chris's take on experimenting to find what works for you, in terms of medication and strategies for ADHD management.

For Chris's self-compassion steps, email hello@motherplusser.com and we'll send them right to you :)

To find your people and a place to be yourself, join the ADHD Moms Club, click here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-mom-club-waitlist

Chris's website:
https://pathtohopecounseling.com/

Chris's instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/path2hoperaleigh/
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What is one thing you can do for your tomorrow self today? 
The answer to this question will give you all the material you need to create love notes for yourself, i.e. beautiful gestures throughout the house to help ease that scattered ADHD brain of yours. 
We’re going to talk about:
How the book “Mindful Loving” by Henry Grayson changed the way Stacey looks at relationships and herself (hint: It’s the opposite of the famous “You complete me” line from Jerry Maguire.)The importance of loving — and taking care of — ourselves in our ADHD Motherhood. As we've learned in past episodes, nobody is coming into save us. We have to be our own "prince charming"How Stacey’s morning workout routine lead to her epiphany of “love notes,” completely changing her morning experience, most mornings at least.A laundry list of love notes for you to try, and the way you can create love notes that work for you and your life.Things referenced in this episode:
"Mindful Loving" by Henry Grayson
Cycle Sync With Me Part 1
Cycle Sync With Me Part 2

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To download our free ADHD Meditation, click here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-meditation
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