Episode 107: [BOOK CLUB] ADHD For Smart Ass Women by Tracy Otsuka

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I recently read a book that stopped me in my tracks: ADHD for Smart Ass Women by Tracy Otsuka. I picked it up out of curiosity. I did not expect to see so much of myself in its pages.
As a woman who just turned 50, I grew up in a time when ADHD in girls was rarely part of the conversation. If anything, we were given vague explanations about learning differences or processing challenges, but very little insight into what our brains were actually doing.
Reading this book reframed so much of my own story. Instead of treating ADHD as a deficit, Otsuka approaches it from a strengths-based perspective. Curiosity. Creative intensity. Hyperfocus. Pattern recognition. The ability to notice things other people miss. When I read those descriptions, I immediately thought about writers. So many of the traits we associate with ADHD are the exact traits that make someone a powerful storyteller. Writers are curious. Writers observe people closely. Writers connect ideas in ways others might not.
And when something truly captures our interest, we can go deep. Many writers worry that they are not disciplined enough to finish a book. They start a project with enthusiasm, life interrupts, attention shifts, and the manuscript sits for months. It can feel discouraging.
But what I have started to understand is that this is often not a motivation problem. It is a systems problem. Different brains need different structures. For me, that has meant learning when my brain is ready to write and taking advantage of those moments of deep focus. It has meant finding environments that help me concentrate. Coffee shops have always worked for me. It has meant using tools like body doubling, where simply being in a room with other writers helps my brain settle into the work. And it has meant embracing the reality that writing does not have to be a solitary experience. Community changes everything.

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