ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka Podcast Por Tracy Otsuka arte de portada

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

De: Tracy Otsuka
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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

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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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adhdforsmartwomen.com

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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.

© 2025 ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka Higiene y Vida Saludable Medicina Alternativa y Complementaria Neurodiversidad
Episodios
  • EP. 343: Raising Emotionally Safe Kids After Domestic Abuse with Dr. Shafer Stedron

    EP. 343: Raising Emotionally Safe Kids After Domestic Abuse with Dr. Shafer Stedron
    Jul 30 2025

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup
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    Sometimes the biggest breakthrough comes from dropping the mask and reclaiming your story after decades of living someone else's version of your life. Dr. Shafer Stedron knows this journey intimately.

    Dr. Shafer is a neurologist, life coach, author, and host of Talks with Dr. Shafer. Drawing from both clinical expertise and lived experience, she helps others reframe their stories with creativity, compassion, and courage. Her work explores the intersections of burnout, movement, and emotional regulation, plus why traditional systems often fail ADHD minds.

    In this conversation, Dr. Shafer and Tracy dive into the reality of being neurodivergent in medicine—from the 2016 study showing 34% of medical students with disabilities have ADHD, to why doctors with ADHD often catch things others miss (hello, pattern recognition and environmental scanning). They explore Shafer's journey from a 19-year-old who said yes to marriage after two weeks, through decades of domestic abuse, to finally learning to listen to her "harm alarm" and reclaim her story.

    Dr. Shafer also shares her approach to helping people drop the mask and create what she calls a "bubble sheet"—not a linear trajectory, but a sheet covered with all your goals and interests, because that's who you are as a person. Plus, she breaks down her children's book The Boy and His Brightly Colored Blocks, which explores pathological demand avoidance and why connection beats correction every time.

    Resources:

    Website: drshaferstedronova.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talks_with_dr_shafer
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkswithDrShafer
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafer-stedron-4b7a19263

    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    Instead 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-academy

    Learn 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

    Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Más Menos
    1 h y 1 m
  • EP. 342: Not Done Yet: Redefining the Third Act with ADHD with Sandy Reynolds

    EP. 342: Not Done Yet: Redefining the Third Act with ADHD with Sandy Reynolds
    Jul 23 2025

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup

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    Aging with ADHD isn't about decline—it's about finally coming into your own. Sandy Reynolds is challenging everything we've been told about getting older, especially as neurodivergent women.

    Sandy is a coach, facilitator, and fierce advocate for women navigating their third act. With more than 25 years of leadership and adult education experience, she helps women untangle themselves from outdated roles, people-pleasing patterns, and identities that no longer fit. Diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s after a fellow grad student pointed out that she "checked out a lot," Sandy brings lived experience to conscious aging—an approach that's about healing the past and embracing the future so you can flourish now.

    In this conversation, Sandy and Tracy explore why ADHD women often look and feel 10 years younger, how our relentless curiosity keeps us growing when others stagnate, and why so many of us hit our stride in our 50s instead of winding down. They dive into the intersection of hormones, dopamine, and aging, discuss why Sandy's closest friend and she "carry on like they're 35," and explore how conscious aging reframes getting older as gaining wisdom rather than losing relevance.

    Sandy also shares her approach to life review and life repair, explains why one-third of people don't have wills (hint: executive function), and reveals her number one ADHD workaround that no guest has mentioned in 350+ episodes. From Cambodia's reverence for elders to our culture's ageism, this episode will make you rethink everything about what it means to age as a neurodivergent woman.


    Resources:

    Website: https://www.sandyreynolds.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandyareynolds
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyreynolds
    Substack: A Crone in the Woods: https://crone.substack.com

    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    Instead 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-academy

    Learn 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

    Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Más Menos
    48 m
  • EP. 341: Friendship, ADHD, and Building a Kinder Workplace

    EP. 341: Friendship, ADHD, and Building a Kinder Workplace
    Jul 16 2025

    Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup

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    When you're the eldest daughter of immigrants with ADHD and autism, you learn to mask early and master systems—but at what cost? Meral Alizada knows this story intimately, and she's using it to transform how companies think about neurodivergent talent.

    Meral is the founder of Results of Kindness (ROK), where she helps organizations build workplaces where neurodivergent minds aren't just accommodated, they're celebrated. With degrees in Law and Psychology and a background in organizational psychology, she knows how to navigate systems. But what sets her apart is how she redesigns them with empathy, creativity, and a deep understanding of what actually works for ADHD and autistic brains.

    Diagnosed with both ADHD and autism in her late twenties while working one-on-one with a brilliant child who shared her traits, Meral's journey from law to psychology to entrepreneurship is as nonlinear as her thinking. In this conversation, she and Tracy explore the weight of being ultra-organized out of anxiety, the loneliness of outgrowing friendships, and why our relentless drive for self-development might be our greatest superpower.

    Meral also breaks down her "Genius Retention" program, explaining why kindness isn't just nice to have—it's profitable. When 89% of workers want kindness in the workplace but 77% are disengaged globally, she argues that treating people as human beings strengthens the hands with which they contribute to organizations. Born to Afghan-Uzbek parents and raised across Europe, Meral brings both global perspective and deeply personal insight to the future of work.


    Resources:

    • Website: https://resultsofkindness.co.uk
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeralalizada
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meralalizada

    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    Instead 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-academy

    Learn 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

    Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Más Menos
    1 h y 25 m
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This podcast was excellent. I have only listened to a few episodes in the series because I just found it, but so far, the ones I've listened to have been great! I was so happy to hear the interview with Kailin. I feel like my medication isn't working (or helping) the way it should be, but I've only been diagnosed and on meds for 2 years. It took SO long to try this dose to start and give it a few weeks, step up a tiny bit higher and try that for a while, step a bit higher again - over and over and over, I'm afraid to try something different because it is such a difficult process! She also made me question my diagnosis. I've been on various antidepressants for about 20 years now, which started in college. I have such similar traits to Kailin, I'm wondering if there isn't something more to my Neuro divergence. I knew that ADHDers have super powers and are amazing at some specific things, but I had never heard anything about ADHD in high achieving women. First I opened up Kailinjohnson.com so I didn't have to worry about remembering the url. Next up, a Google search for ADHD in high achieving women. Thank you!

So great! Highly recommend. There is hope!

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This is so helpful. I love a lot of this episodes. the one about learned helplessness was very helpful. thank you so much. it is entertaining, informative and engaging.

Getting to know myself.

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Great and helpful information!! I love listening to these podcasts everyday while driving to work.

thank you!!!

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One, two, three, four, Five, six, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything

Understanding

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All great points and good to not feel so alone in it but ... acknowledging medication and doing the work sometimes doesn't make life livable.

Really helpfull

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As a woman with ADHD I so appreciate this! I feel so seen when listening but would LOVE to hear from more women diagnosed later in life (I was as diagnosed at 42-after my son was). I still struggle with imposter syndrome (despite proven success) and am terrified to be “out” in a professional capacity. Would love to hear more of a GenX perspective on these issues.

LOVE THIS PODCAST

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I'm 59 and just going through this. This episode was so very empowering and helpful

this is me!!

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I have been on my own journey and slowly discovering that I have ADHD. I have not been officially diagnosed but my 5yo son is about to go through the process. Listening to the first few episodes confirmed in my soul he had something more going on with him than just behavior problems. It's also helped give me the confidence to be able to walk this journey with my son and be his advocate.

I have never felt so heard and understood in my life! Love listening to this podcast. Tracy is fun to listen to and love her perspective on the subject!

Love this podcast!

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I just found this podcast and have been listening non stop. For the longest time I felt like I was the only woman with ADHD. To hear others talking about their journey, so often it’s like I’m hearing myself. I don’t personally know any other woman struggling with ADHD. It gives me hope things can and will change for me, hearing others have been able to get control of their ADHD and thrive.

Thank you for doing these podcasts

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Can I tell you from a young age, going into the mall or specifically Wal-Mart I would get tired, foggy, spacey and couldn't think straight. Restaurants that are busy I can't focus. I was always told it was depression/anxiety. I do have anxiety... but so many years I was trying to find out why I felt this way. I got diagnosed 2 years ago and I still fight it. (Why can't I do this like normal people) But it's also relieving to have an explanation. I still naturally want to keep searching and I need to accept this is MY normal! love the podcast :)

FINALLY!

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