ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

EP. 273: Empowerment Beyond Misdiagnosis with Alyssa Fontaine

Alyssa Fontaine's life story highlights the crucial need for mental health diagnosis and care accuracy. Misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, she faced the challenges of ADHD and medication mismanagement, which set her on a path to self-advocacy and profound change. This experience fueled her passion to support women entangled in cycles of incarceration and addiction and to lead a transformative cheerleading program in her hometown, demonstrating the power of empathy and proper c...

Empowerment Beyond Misdiagnosis with Alyssa Fontaine

Alyssa Fontaine's life story highlights the crucial need for mental health diagnosis and care accuracy. Misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, she faced the challenges of ADHD and medication mismanagement, which set her on a path to self-advocacy and profound change. This experience fueled her passion to support women entangled in cycles of incarceration and addiction and to lead a transformative cheerleading program in her hometown, demonstrating the power of empathy and proper c...

EP. 272: Grieving and Healing through ADHD Perspective with Laurie Peterson, Anita Robertson, and Sandra Centorino

Navigating grief can be a challenging and emotional journey, especially when coupled with the complexities of ADHD. However, it can also be an opportunity for growth and resilience. In this upcoming discussion, we'll hear from a group of remarkable women, including Sandra Centorino, the beacon of positivity, Laurie Peterson, an authority on ADHD and educational assessments, and Anita Robertson, the insightful psychotherapist, as they share their personal experiences of loss and how they have...

EP. 271: Navigating ADHD and Public Service with Dulce Vasquez

In this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, I have the pleasure of chatting with Dulce Vasquez, who's not only making waves in the political arena by running for California State Assembly District 57 but also reshaping the conversation around ADHD and mental health. At 36, Dulce's life took a transformative turn with her ADHD diagnosis, providing her with the clarity she'd been seeking in both her academic pursuits and political endeavors. As a formerly undocumented LGBTQ+ Latina, Dulce br...

EP. 270: The ADHD Toolbox: Brooke Schnittman's Strategies for Success

Brooke Schnittman worked closely with ADHDers for years providing disability supports, not realizing she had ADHD herself until she moved to virtual coaching and was suddenly unable to focus and stay on top of administrative tasks like she was before.  Getting a diagnosis gave Brooke the tools and understanding to take her services and self-care to the next level. Through her company, Coaching with Brooke, she and her eight coaches help ADHDers transform their chaos and frustration into focus...

EP. 269: How to Feel Good with Taylor Elyse Morrison

The term “self-care” has become synonymous with bubble baths and meditation classes, but for ADHDers who are already overwhelmed by endless to-do lists, the last thing we need is to pile more “shoulds” onto our plates. Taylor Elyse Morrison always felt overwhelmed by the idea of self-care until she realized that, in her words, “self-care is listening within and responding in the most loving way possible,” and it completely changed her perspective on what it looks like to care for herself.    ...

EP. 268: Dissecting RSD, People Pleasing, Neurofibromatosis and Pet Nutrition with Priscilla Tollin

Priscilla Tollin was born with neurofibromatosis (NF), a neurological disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue and can impact mobility. Priscilla’s physical limitations meant that any hyperactivity she experienced growing up was turned inwards, and her ADHD flew under the radar until finally getting a diagnosis at 32.    Once Priscilla understood her ADHD brain, so many pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She was able to address her RSD, to shift her mindset to one of optimism an...

EP. 267: Harnessing EMDR and Polyvagal Theory for Stress Mastery with Gabrielle Juliano-Villani

Many people know I'm a gusher, meaning that when I find something I really believe in, I want the whole world to know about it. I truly believe that the bottom-line goal with ADHD is to master our nervous systems, which is why I'm so delighted to sit down with clinical social worker and coach, Gabrielle Juliano-Villani.   Gabrielle began her career in child protective and victim’s services and eventually started her own private practice working with older adults, folks with chronic pain and i...

EP. 266: ADHD in the C-Suite: Katy McFee's Blueprint for Women in Leadership

Katy McFee spent the bulk of her career undiagnosed, and struggled for years until she learned how to work with her ADHD and not against it. After 18 years in the corporate world she founded her company, Insights to Action, which is on a mission to help close the gender gap in senior leadership.    Katy discovered through her entrepreneurship journey and ADHD diagnosis that we can all thrive as our authentic selves once we are ready to accept ourselves for who we are. She is passionate about ...

EP. 265: Harnessing Your ADHD Superpower: A Chat with Jessica McCabe from How to ADHD

After being diagnosed with ADHD at age twelve, Jessica McCabe struggled with a brain she didn’t understand. Determined to understand her challenges, Jessica reached out to experts, read articles, and decided to share her findings with others. This determination and curiosity set her on the incredible path she’s on today.    Jessica is now the founder and host of the award-winning YouTube channel, How to ADHD, where she has built a community of millions who follow along as she uses up-to-date ...

EP. 264: Doing Veterinary Medicine Her Way with Dr. Ashley Portmann

Dr. Ashley Portmann had always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian ever since she was a little girl, but like with many fast-paced careers in the medical field she soon found herself hitting burnout from the chaos of general practice. Ashley attended a conference on home hospice care and realized that maybe she wouldn’t have to leave the profession she loved so much after all, maybe she could pivot in a new direction that would work for her ADHD brain and allow her to dig her way out of burnou...

EP. 263: Melinda Shepherdson's Odyssey from World Explorer to Adventure Bush Therapy

Melinda Shepherdson’s sense of adventure has led her up mountains, down rivers, and across the world. Her long list of travel destinations is impressive, but what Melinda cares about most on these adventures is her connection with nature. The outdoors provides her with regulation, energy, positivity, and helps to calm her ADHD mind–all benefits she knew she had to share with others when starting a business.    In the last few years, Melinda discovered the Adventure Bush Therapy space and part...

EP. 262: Navigating Relationships: Understanding Coercive Control, Trauma, and ADHD with Maya Ann

EP. 261: From Our Pages to Their Lives: 4 More Stories of ADHD and Insight

Last episode, I had the pleasure of introducing you to five brilliant women who were all in different stages of their own ADHD journey, and what I discovered is they found reflection and resonance within our book. All of these women shared their personal stories that showcase the unique paths they've walked, and they discuss the impact that our book had on them.   In this episode, we’ll hear from four more incredible women who share their warmth, wisdom, and community in their stories and ins...

EP. 260: From Our Pages to Their Lives: 5 Stories of ADHD and Discovery

For this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women and the next episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with 9 real women who are in different stages of their ADHD journey and have also found reflection and resonance within our book. You’re going to meet 5 of them and then in our next episode you’ll meet 4 more of these wonderful women. They've generously shared their personal stories, that showcase the unique paths they've walked, and they'll share with us the impact our 📖 has had on them. You'll...

EP. 259: Exploring the Heart of ADHD Women An Interview of Tracy Otsuka by Dr. Christine Li

This is going to be a very different episode than anything we've ever done here. I have invited my good friend, Dr. Christine Lee, to the podcast to interview me about my new book, ADHD for SMART ASS WOMEN. Christine is a procrastination coach, a seasoned clinical psychologist, and was the first ever guest on my podcast, which makes her the perfect person to help me reflect back on how far we’ve come and what I’m hoping for this book.   Christine and I discuss my relationship with control and...

EP. 258: The Power of Hope: Rewriting the ADHD Narrative

Doing this kind of work, I often feel like I’m going up against an industry that sees ADHD only as a weakness. But not only is there science and research to refute these negative misconceptions, there's also you, the thousands of ADHD women that I've had the privilege of meeting. And I just know after meeting all of you that they're getting it wrong.    Everywhere I go, there's another kick-ass entrepreneur who tells me that they have ADHD too. So the way I see it, I had to write this book no...

EP. 257: The Challenges of ADHD and Aging in Women with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau

We’ve known for quite some time that ADHD doesn’t just “go away” with age, yet only about 4% of boomers have a diagnosis. So why the huge discrepancy, what are the impacts, and most importantly, what can we do about it?   Dr. Kathleen Nadeau has been working to answer these questions for the last few decades. Along with many other accomplishments, she’s the author of Still Distracted After All These Years, the only book focusing on the needs of older adults with ADHD.    During my conversatio...

Ep. 256 Cults, Child Marriage and ADHD Optimism with Dr. Tamara MC

Show Notes–Ep. 256: Cults, Child Marriage and ADHD Optimism with Dr. Tamara MC   Dr. Tamara MC is a cult, child marriage, and human trafficking Lived Experience Expert who advocates for girls and women to live free from gender-based violence worldwide. Married off at 12, Tamara has firsthand experience with fundamentalist cults, giving her valuable insight into how these organizations operate. She now uses her experience combined with her PhD in applied linguistics to research and educate oth...

EP. 255: Emotional Resilience in ADHD: Building a Happier Brain

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought the topic of ADHD and gratitude couldn’t be more perfect. Gratitude is so important for every single human to feel good, but for those of us with ADHD, it's crucial. With our dopamine deficiency, we can't get anything if we’re not in positive emotion!    Positive emotion has been shown to increase dopamine, which drives our memory, our behavior, our focus, and our motivation. When we're in positive emotion, we get stuff done, we're happier, and we're ...

EP. 254: In the ADHD/Autism Trenches with Dr. Nanci Smith

When Dr. Nanci Smith realized her neurodiverse childrens’ needs weren’t going to be met by the public school system, she knew she had to try a different approach to education. Luckily, Nanci has a background in psychobiology and is motivated by a challenge, so the transition to homeschooling was a no-brainer.    Nanci learned how to support her childrens’ sensory, socio-emotional, and executive functioning needs, and along the way she learned how to support her own unique brain as well. She h...

EP. 253: When You Feel Unexplainably Unwell: Your Nervous System and ADHD with Pharmacist & Patient Advocate, Kalin Johnson

For years, Kalin Johnson was operating with a dysregulated nervous system and putting her body through unnecessary stress, and it was only once she started listening to her body’s needs that she realized how much easier things could be. Kalin now combines her personal experience with her professional training as a healthcare provider to help others bridge the gap between mental and physical health. Through her work, she shows high-achieving, neurodivergent, and hypermobile individuals how to ...

EP. 252: ADHD in the Workplace with Lisa Lewis

    Lisa Lewis’s skill of talking to anyone and everyone has taken her on unexpected adventures around the world, from the Scottish Highlands to the running of the bulls, and now she’s here to talk to us about her ADHD journey. For the last twelve years Lisa has worked as an HR professional who focuses on diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. She received a late diagnosis of ADHD and now attributes her diverse background and success to her neurodiversity. Join my conversation w...

EP. 251: What Happens When We Learn How to Lead with Alice Gendron

When Alice Gendron entered the workforce, she struggled to manage the workload of a nine-to-five job and also stay on top of the endless demands of adulting. When she was diagnosed with ADHD at 29, it all finally made sense.  Alice started making doodles about her ADHD experience, a skill she had been honing since grade school. Before she knew it, her illustrations had grown into the popular online platform ‘The Mini ADHD Coach’, with over half a million Instagram followers and a brand new bo...

EP. 250: Coaching Yourself with Executive Leadership Coach Antonia Bowring

Antonia Bowring is a top executive coach who works with founders, C-Suite executives, and leadership teams. One of Antonia’s areas of expertise is helping neurodiverse leaders create the necessary scaffolding to leverage their gifts and maintain their focus.   She is a frequent speaker to companies and groups on topics ranging from mindfulness, ADHD in the workplace, and communication best practices. Her new book, Coach Yourself! Increase Awareness, Change Behavior and Thrive provides practic...

Bonus EP: Are We Really Stubborn, Irreverent, and Oppositional?

Resources: Visit: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka

EP. 249: Adieu Beautiful Mama: ADHD and Grief

This is the hardest episode I’ve had to record to date. In truth, I’ve been avoiding it like the plague, which means procrastinating everything so I don’t have to go there, but I knew I had to do it for my beautiful mother.   Since starting this podcast back in 2019, many of you have asked for an episode on grief. Just like my episodes on trauma that took years, I dug my heels in because the words I was telling myself sounded like, “how can you talk about grief when you haven’t experienced it...

EP. 248: Educating Neurodivergent Students with Former NYU Professor and Author Sivan Hong

Growing up, Author Sivan Hong struggled to focus on reading long enough to connect with the text, until she discovered audiobooks and a whole new world opened up for her. Years later Sivan was diagnosed with ADHD and she finally understood why visual reading had been such a challenge for her and had caused so much unnecessary shame.    Sivan’s diagnosis opened her eyes to how much easier things could’ve been if her different learning style had been encouraged and she was inspired to start wri...

EP. 247: Breaking Up with Booze and Living Your Best Life with Amanda Kuda

Show Notes–Ep. 247: Breaking Up with Booze and Living Your Best Life with Amanda Kuda   Amanda Kuda was acutely aware of being different from her peers growing up–the movie Matilda made her feel seen, minus the telekinesis–so when she discovered that alcohol made it easier for her to fit in, it became a regular part of her social life. After an ADHD diagnosis in her early 20’s, Amanda started to take note of what was and wasn’t helpful for managing her symptoms and realized the habit change t...

EP. 246: Make it Funny with Comedian, Blaire Postman

Personally, I can't think of anything scarier than being a live performer, but there's something about the ADHD brain that seems to make us happier when we're running into the fire rather than away from it.    For comedian Blaire Postman, what scared her more than getting up on a stage was the idea of never trying, which is why at 43 she chose to run headfirst into that metaphorical fire and turned her passion for comedy into a full-time career.   Speaking with Blaire, it's easy to see why sh...

EP. 245: When You Love What You Do, it Rarely Feels Like Work with Stephanie Calderon

Stephanie Caldero is a self-made, self-taught interior designer who owns a boutique design firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephanie has always loved interior design starting when she was a child circling items in catalogs and learning from her seamstress grandmother. For years she designed for friends and family on the side while she worked various marketing jobs, until 2021 when she finally turned her side hustle into her main hustle and never looked back. Stephanie knew she had to turn ...

EP. 244: Perfectionism, Confidence and ADHD with Dr. Fiona Peters

Perfectionism causes so many of us ADHD women to get in our own way and stops us from reaching our full creative potential for fear of criticism. My guest this episode, Dr. Fiona Peters knows firsthand just how disabling the anxiety-perfectionism spiral can be, which is why she’s so passionate about helping others escape it.  Dr. Peters is a speaker and trainer for schools and is currently touring with her talk entitled "Perfectionism and Anxiety,” with which she helps parents, educators, and...

EP. 243: Learning to Trust Yourself with Sarah McCall

Sarah McCall is the author of the book, Cecil Gets a Haircut, which she wrote as a tool to help parents, educators, and superintendents of schools work with children with anxiety. Her work both on the pages and in the classrooms helps get the conversation started about ADHD, autism, and mental health, making it easier for students to get the understanding and support they deserve.    Sarah’s life goal is to help children and their adults better understand mental health, but it wasn’t until sh...

EP. 242: Hyperfocus Your Way to Success as an Artist Entrepreneur, with Jessica Liddell

Jessica Liddell is a professional mosaic/mural artist and the owner and founder of Bella Mosaic Art, where she’s been making mosaics professionally since 1997. Before becoming a professional artist Jessica tried pursuing a more practical career in teaching, but after an eye-opening trip to Barcelona, with its exquisite mosaic buildings, she realized that art is where her true passion lies.    When Jessica returned home she dove headfirst into mosaic art, eventually merging her two passions of...

Ep. 241: ADHD, Adventure and Doing Things Her Own Way, with Expat Entrepreneur, Jessi Kingan

Jessi Kingan left the United States at age 22 for what was meant to be a six-month adventure of traveling and teaching scuba diving around the world. Like so many ADHDers with a plan though, she ended up on a completely different path than she was expecting.    Now almost 13 years later, Jessi lives with her husband and children in Iceland, where she owns and operates a restaurant, hostel, and apartment hotel on the south coast, and she couldn’t be happier. Jessi makes entrepreneurship work f...

EP. 240: How We Lead in What We Love with YouTube Influencer Kathy Joseph of Kathy Loves Physics

Growing up, Kathy Joseph was convinced she wasn’t smart because she struggled to memorize facts like everyone else. But as she got older she realized she is smart, she just has to do things her own way.    Kathy leaned into her pattern recognition skills and became a math whiz; she went on to receive four higher education degrees in physics, engineering, and science education and spent 12 years teaching high school physics before ultimately starting her popular YouTube channel, Kathy Loves Ph...

EP. 239: ADHD, Autism and Other Neurodivergent Insights with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Megan Anna Neff

I have been searching high and low for the perfect specialist to come on the podcast and talk about autism and ADHD, and I think I finally achieved that with this episode’s guest, Dr. Megan Anna Neff.    Dr. Neff is not only a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with neurodivergent adults, but she herself is an autistic ADHDer, giving her an essential understanding of the internal experience. She was officially diagnosed at 37, and since then her work has grown to focus on educat...

EP. 238: Regulating our ADHD Nervous System with Psychologist Anna Daphna

Anna Daphna is an ADHD and executive function coach, mentor, and psychologist based in London. She started off her career in education with the goal of giving kids a better school experience than she had herself, but eventually she felt called to psychology and pursued a psychology degree. Now, Anna combines her two passions by coaching people with ADHD using holistic and neuroscience-based strategies specifically designed for neurodivergent brains to maximize happiness, confidence and perfor...

EP. 237: What Do I Do If I Really Hate My Job/Career with Shell Mendelson

ADHDers tend to be good at a bunch of different things, but just because we're good at something doesn't necessarily mean it's the right career path for us. In fact, career counselor Shell Mendelson is here to ask us: forget about the things you’re good at, what are the skills you love using?    As a career coach and counselor of 30 plus years, Shell specializes in supporting ADHD adults in building lasting, fully satisfying careers and businesses. She has developed a unique career counseling...

EP. 236: The Golden Ticket All Kids Really Need with Irena Smith

Applying to college feels more like a grueling competition these days, with an acceptance into one of the top 20 schools being the ultimate prize. But when you “win” the competition, what are you actually winning? That’s a question author Irena Smith poses in her recent memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays.  Irena, who also runs a private college counseling practice, has seen how much the pressures of college are impacting our kids’ mental health and limiting their f...

Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with JULIANNE DECKER

Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: with the code PODCASTSASS Juliann Decker: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka

EP. 235: ADHD Life in a Nudist Colony with Award-Winning Documentarian Mandy Zelinka

When Mandy Zelinka and I first crossed paths in a women's marketing mastermind group years ago, her vibrant energy and unmistakable talent made it clear she was headed for big things. However, nobody including Mandy could’ve predicted the eccentric places her creative ADHD brain would wind up taking her.    Mandy’s foray into filmmaking first began when she got bored and convinced her Mayor husband to run off to a nudist colony and live in a tiny RV nestled in the Issaquah Alps. Their three-y...

Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with TRINLEE CHODREN

Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: with the code PODCASTSASS Trinlee Chodren: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka

EP. 234: How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Start Anything with Laura Vig

Whether it scares or excites us, artificial intelligence is here to stay. So instead of fighting it, what if we learned how to make it work for our ADHD brains? Unfortunately, even talking about AI is completely out of my wheelhouse, which is why I invited product designer Laura Vig onto the podcast to talk about how we can use AI to improve our lives. Laura recently got her ADHD diagnosis back in February, which unlocked a new level of understanding and insight into how to best support hers...

Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with Haley Lin

Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: or with the code PODCASTSASS Haley Lin: Instagram @7am.hlz  Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka

EP. 233: The Overlap of ADHD and Autism with Andonette Wilkinson

If you connect with some of the ADHD traits but have never really felt like the label fits you perfectly, you might relate to my guest this episode, Andi Wilkinson, who has both ADHD and autism and describes the combination as “having internal opposite personalities that are constantly fighting with each other.” Andi, who is a creative and digital marketer, didn’t get her ADHD and autism diagnoses until 45, but once she did she realized just how much it explained about her life–why she’s so ...

EP. 232: You Can Change Your Brain and So Can Your Child with Neuroeducation Expert Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

I don't think I've broken my rule yet that all guests must be women who are either diagnosed or have a child who is diagnosed with ADHD, but I think that what our guest is going to talk about in this episode warrants me breaking my rule. Besides, as I told her during our interview, she has a lot of ADHD traits.   An innovator and author in the field of neuroeducation, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s work utilizing the principles of neuroplasticity is used worldwide to enhance cognitive functioning...

EP. 231: Inattentive ADHD with Cynthia Hammer

Author Cynthia Hammer’s journey with inattentive ADHD first began when she received her diagnosis at the age of 49, a pivotal moment that sparked her passion for advocacy and education. She founded the non-profit ADD Resources, which aimed to educate adults about ADHD and grew to become a thriving organization.    Then, while in Covid isolation Cynthia wrote her memoir, Living with Inattentive ADHD, and through her book she discovered the disheartening truth that children and adults with inat...

EP. 230: Why ADHD is a Feminist Issue

Thanks to fearmongering and misinformation, being a feminist nowadays comes with all kinds of political baggage that leaves many running away from this label. But put quite simply, a feminist includes anyone who supports equal rights for women. So if you believe that you or the women in your life should have equal rights to a man, then congratulations, you’re a feminist!   Viewing ADHD through a feminist lens allows us to see how gender factors into our experiences, from diagnosis and treatme...

EP. 229: A Strength-Focused Approach to Relationships with Psychotherapist, Anita Robertson, LCSW

If you’ve ever wished for a compass to help you navigate the complexities of ADHD relationships, look no further than psychotherapist Anita Robertson and her book, ADHD & Us: A Couple's Guide to Loving and Living with Adult ADHD. Anita’s book, is built around what she calls the five pillars. These pillars –praise, growth mindset, games, positive acceptance, and acknowledgement– provide a much-needed foundation for couples to return to whenever they find themselves drifting apart. Anita's wo...