ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka Podcast By Tracy Otsuka cover art

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

By: Tracy Otsuka
Listen for free

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.

© 2026 ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Neurodiversity
Episodes
  • EP. 377: Decluttering and the ADHD Brain

    EP. 377: Decluttering and the ADHD Brain
    Mar 25 2026

    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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    Clutter is not just about stuff. It is about how your brain processes what is in front of you. In this episode, I walk through the connection between clutter, overwhelm, and how ADHD brains track what matters.

    For a lot of us, clutter builds up not because we do not care, but because when something is out of sight, our brain stops tracking it. So we leave things out. Papers on the counter, sticky notes everywhere, piles that slowly grow. Over time, that visual noise turns into stress, decision fatigue, and avoidance.

    The shift is realizing clutter is not just physical. It is emotional too. Every pile can carry delayed decisions, unfinished tasks, and stories we start to believe about ourselves. In this episode, I talk about why clutter builds up for ADHD brains, how it reinforces overwhelm, how tapping can help regulate the emotional response, and simple ways to get started without freezing. If clutter has been weighing on you, start smaller than you think. One surface. Five minutes. That is enough to shift your energy and begin building trust with yourself again.

    Remember: the goal isn't a Pinterest-worthy desk. It's one shift forward that makes your brain feel like it can breathe again.


    Resources:

    • Download a quick start tapping guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bgo4UztHoYd2E3OFsZn3dvrvemTxpaQQ/view?usp=sharing
    • Website: tracyotsuka.com
    • Instagram: https://instagram.com/tracyotsuka
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tracyotsuka4796
    • 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, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift

    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

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • EP. 376: Rethinking How We Learn (Because It’s Not Working) with Deena Kara Shaffer

    EP. 376: Rethinking How We Learn (Because It’s Not Working) with Deena Kara Shaffer
    Mar 18 2026

    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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    What if the problem was never that you were bad at learning, but that no one ever taught you how to learn in a way that fits your brain?

    Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer is the founder of Awakened Learning, bestselling author of Feel Good Learning and Raising Well Learners, and a learning strategist who helps students, families, educators, and leaders build systems that work in real life.

    Her work began with bright students who were struggling, not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked the right support. Over time, she realized that study skills alone were too narrow. What people really need are learning strategies that take attention, memory, time, well-being, and emotional capacity into account.

    In this episode, Tracy and Deena talk about why sleep matters for learning, how chunking tasks can reduce overwhelm, why learning styles are a myth, and how tools like NotebookLM, Magic To Do, and ChatGPT’s study mode can support ADHD brains.

    If learning has ever felt harder than it should, this conversation is a reminder that struggling does not mean you are not smart. It may simply mean you have not been taught in a way that fits your brain.


    Resources:

    Website: https://www.awakenedlearning.ca/deena
    LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/deenakarashaffer
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakenedlearning
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@awakenedlearning

    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/shift

    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

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 16 mins
  • EP. 375: You Get to Decide Who You Are

    EP. 375: You Get to Decide Who You Are
    Mar 11 2026

    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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    Most of us never actually choose our values. We absorb them from parents, culture, and community, and then wonder why our lives feel like a scratchy sweater we can't take off. That works for a while until something starts to feel off. Nothing is technically wrong, but you have the sense that the life you're living may not actually fit you.

    Procrastination lives in the same neighborhood. It's not about the task. It's about the feeling the task creates, boredom, confusion, fear, or perfectionism, which is fear in a tailored blazer.
    The shift comes when you realize you get to choose.

    You can drop values that feel like an uncomfortable sweater and replace them with ones that actually feel right.

    In this episode, let’s talk about how to identify what you actually value, why motivation follows action and never the other way around, how to shrink the start so small your brain can't resist, and how to hack dopamine so it works for you instead of against you.
    If you've been waiting to feel ready, motivated, or confident before you start, this episode will flip that. You don't become the person first. Every small action teaches your brain who you are becoming.

    Resources:

    • Website: tracyotsuka.com
    • Instagram: https://instagram.com/tracyotsuka
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tracyotsuka4796
    • 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, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift

    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

    Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com

    Show more Show less
    34 mins
All stars
Most relevant
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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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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One, two, three, four, Five, six, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything, Everything

Understanding

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