ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

Tracy Otsuka
  • 4.8 (1.5K)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

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. 

  1. 1d ago

    Break the Spell

    Stuck in an ADHD pattern that keeps repeating? SHIFT is a collection of 120 guided audio experiences designed to help you see yourself and your ADHD brain differently. Explore SHIFT here: https://tracyotsuka.com/shift _ Have you ever noticed that some tasks feel impossible to start, even when they are not actually difficult? Maybe it is an email, a budget, a project, a decision, or one small thing you keep avoiding. From the outside, it looks like procrastination. But what if the task is not the real problem? In this first Monday Shift episode, I want to introduce you to a new way of looking at avoidance. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” I want you to ask a better question: “What does my brain think this means?” Because sometimes your ADHD brain is not resisting the task itself. It is reacting to the meaning attached to it. If you have ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to begin something that should be simple, this episode will help you look underneath the avoidance with curiosity instead of judgment. Resources: SHIFT: https://tracyotsuka.com/shift Free resources: https://tracyotsuka.com/learn Get the book, ADHD for Smart Ass Women: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit my website: https://tracyotsuka.com/ Explore more from me: 🧘 SHIFT: https://tracyotsuka.com/shift 📚 Free resources: https://tracyotsuka.com/learn 📖 Get the book, ADHD for Smart Ass Women: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book 🧠 Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok 🌐 Visit my website: https://tracyotsuka.com/ Listen to ADHD for Smart Ass Women: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adhd-for-smart-ass-women-with-tracy-otsuka/id1443678424 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7bG9rgwPgi8zRkQxV6ykk0 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tracyotsuka4796 Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    12 min

  2. 6d ago

    EP. 388: How to Get Your Brain Online

    *This episode has been updated. Please re-download the episode to hear the latest version. Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ You know what to do. So why can't you make yourself do it? If you have ever stared at one small task and quietly wondered what is wrong with you, I want to offer a different possibility. Nothing is wrong with you. Your brain already made a prediction about how that task was going to feel before you ever started, and a lot of the time you are not avoiding the task at all. You are avoiding that prediction.  The email isn't an email anymore. It's criticism.  The budget isn't a budget. It's shame.  Once the task stops being the task, no amount of yelling at yourself is going to move you. In this episode I talk about why the same woman who can't answer an email can build a company, why your brain reaches for Instagram over the thing that actually matters, and the practical ways to break the spell: changing your visual field, moving your body, getting curious, and becoming a detective about what your brain thinks the task really means. If you have ever called yourself lazy for avoiding something you genuinely wanted to do, this one is for you. The problem was never willpower. It was the prediction. Explore more from me: 🧘 SHIFT: https://tracyotsuka.com/shift 📚 Free resources: https://tracyotsuka.com/learn 📖 Get the book, ADHD for Smart Ass Women: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book 🧠 Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok 🌐 Visit my website: https://tracyotsuka.com Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    30 min

  3. Jun 3

    EP. 387: The Hidden Cost of Being a High-Performing Woman with ADHD (with Kristen Baird-Goldman)

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ You look like you have it all handled. So why are you so exhausted? Kristen Baird-Goldman is a licensed therapist, ADHD specialist, and author of The CBT Workbook for Adults with ADHD. She has spent more than 15 years working with high-achieving neurodivergent women, and she is the owner and clinical director of the Neurodiversity Care Center in Los Angeles. Diagnosed with ADHD in her 40s, and someone medication never worked for, Kristen has built her practice around the quiet cost of high performance, especially for women moving through perimenopause. She treats ADHD as a whole-body issue, looking at the nervous system, hormones, and functional health instead of one more productivity hack. In this episode, Tracy and Kristen get into why hyperfocus fools you into thinking you are fine, what high performance is actually doing to your brain and body underneath the productivity, and what real recovery looks like. If you have built an identity around doing more and pushing through, this one is your permission slip to stop. Resources: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristen.bairdgoldmanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadhdguruLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-baird-goldman-6178817Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KristenBaird-Goldman Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    1h 1m

  4. May 27

    EP. 386: The Gender Bias Around ADHD in Women

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ As women with ADHD, we are not only dealing with executive dysfunction. We are also dealing with medical systems, gender roles, and social expectations never built with us in mind. In this episode, I’m talking about why ADHD in women is so often missed, misunderstood, and shaped by gender bias. We’ll start with Tiffany McIntosh’s story of growing up “too much” in a world where she was expected to sit down, be quiet, and become the kind of woman society wanted. Her story speaks to so many ADHD women who are ambitious, curious, intense, and brilliant, while also carrying shame because domestic expectations, caregiving roles, and feminine ideals don’t fit the way their brains work. Let’s break down how medical misogyny, gendered roles, and gendered bias shape ADHD diagnosis, treatment, motherhood, domestic labor, and self-worth. If you have ever thought, “I should be able to do this,” this episode will help you question who taught you that, who benefits from it, and what changes when you stop measuring your worth by work you were never designed to carry alone. Resources: Website: tracyotsuka.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/tracyotsuka YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tracyotsuka4796FREE 3-days to Fall in Love With Your ADHD Brain training on Jan 6th:  https://tracyotsuka.com/ilovemybrain Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com  Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    46 min

  5. May 20

    EP. 385: When Anxiety Runs Your ADHD Brain with Dr. Tamara Rosier

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ A lot of ADHD women are not using executive function to get things done. They are using anxiety. If panic, pressure, or shame is what finally gets you moving, this episode explains why. Dr. Tamara Rosier is an ADHD coach, founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan, and author of Your Brain’s Not Broken. Through her work with adults, families, and students, she helps people understand the emotional side of ADHD in a way that feels practical, concrete, and deeply human. Tamara realized that many ADHD brains are not relying on calm systems to transition, prioritize, or follow through. Instead, they are using emotional intensity to create enough urgency to act. Fear to remember. Shame to stay motivated. Anxiety to get started. That shift changed how she approached ADHD support. Instead of focusing only on productivity strategies, she began helping people understand the emotional patterns underneath the behavior first. Because when the nervous system is overloaded, no planner or system will stick for long. In this episode, we talk about the “angry neighbor” versus the “butler” brain, why transitions feel so hard, and how divergent thinking can turn one small problem into twenty imagined outcomes. We also get into emotional overwhelm, perfectionism, humor as regulation, and why so many ADHD women feel emotionally exhausted even when they look high-functioning on the outside. If you have ever wondered why you can only seem to function under pressure, this episode will help you understand what your brain has been relying on all along. Resources: Website: https://www.tamararosier.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.tamararosier  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-rosier-phd Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    1h 9m

  6. May 13

    EP. 384: ADHD Women Were Never Meant to Work Like This with Meghan French Dunbar

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ You worked harder than everyone around you and still felt like you were falling behind. This episode unpacks why the workplace was never built for your ADHD brain. Meghan French Dunbar, author of This Isn’t Working, is an entrepreneur, former business journalist, CEO, speaker, and workplace consultant. After years of building and selling a company, going to grad school, launching a media career, and burning out more than once, Meghan was diagnosed with ADHD only four years ago. That diagnosis reframed everything. Instead of forcing herself into traditional work models, Meghan started building systems around how her brain works best, from stronger boundaries and values-based decisions to AI support, intentional work hours, and a new definition of success. In this episode, Tracy and Meghan talk about late ADHD diagnosis, ADHD workplace burnout, entrepreneurship, guilt, toxic management, and why so many high-achieving women leave jobs before anyone connects the dots with ADHD. If achievement has always been your scorecard, this conversation offers a better one: purpose, passion, quality of life, and work your brain is able to sustain. Resources: Website: https://www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanfrenchdunbar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanfrenchdunbarTEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZfuHsa27yk&authuser=0 Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    1h 12m

  7. May 6

    EP. 383: It’s Not Your ADHD. It’s Your Nervous System with Liz Tenuto, The Workout Witch

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ What if your “motivation problem” has nothing to do with discipline? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Liz Tenuto, better known as The Workout Witch, to talk about the body, trauma, neurodivergence, and why so many ADHD women feel stuck even when they know exactly what they need to do. Liz’s work focuses on somatic healing, using small, accessible movements to help the nervous system release stress and come out of survival mode. But this conversation goes far beyond movement. Liz and Tracy talk about what happens when a body has spent years bracing, masking, people-pleasing, and trying to stay safe. They get into CPTSD, ADHD, autism, sensory sensitivities, functional freeze, and the difference between pushing through and actually feeling regulated enough to act. Liz also shares how her own diagnoses helped her understand parts of herself she had spent years trying to explain away. This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and thought, “I know what to do, so why can’t I do it?” Because the answer isn’t always more motivation. Sometimes, the first step is helping your body feel safe enough to move. Resources: Website: https://liztenuto.com The Workout Witch Website: https://theworkoutwitch.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkoutwitch Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkoutwitch YouTube: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkoutwitch  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-tenuto Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    52 min

  8. Apr 29

    EP. 382: What’s Really Behind RSD? with Dr. Shawn Horn Pt 2

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup _____ In part one, we talked about her story. In this episode, we go deeper into what shame actually is. She explains that shame is not internal. It is a social emotion that forms when we feel like we have violated someone else’s standard, and for many ADHD women, that correction starts early and happens often. That matters because ADHD creates what she calls the perfect storm. A sensitive nervous system, frequent correction, and social exclusion all combine over time, shaping how we interpret ourselves and others. Without understanding what is happening, those moments do not just pass. They become identity. In this episode, we talk about the difference between shame and guilt, why ADHD makes you more vulnerable to shame, and how rejection sensitive dysphoria is actually a trauma response. We also get into neuroception, what your body is scanning for at all times, and why social media can trigger the shame reflex even when nothing is actually wrong. If you have ever wondered why your reactions feel so intense or why you keep replaying social moments long after they happen, this episode will help you understand what is happening in your body and not just your mind. Resources: Website: https://www.drshawnhorn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drshawnhorn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshawnhorn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/drshawnhorn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shawn-horn-2934347  Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, start with my free training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You’re Not Broken. ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick. They were not designed for how your brain actually works. If you’re ready to stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits, start with the free training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heytracyotsuka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyotsuka/ Are You Ready to Discover Your Brilliance? Order Now: https://tracyotsuka.com/adhd-book Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    1h 7m
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About

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. 

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