ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka cover art

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

By: Tracy Otsuka
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About this listen

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 Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • EP. 337: Internal Family Systems for ADHD Women: Less Shame, More Clarity

    EP. 337: Internal Family Systems for ADHD Women: Less Shame, More Clarity
    Jun 18 2025

    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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    When you live with ADHD, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of overwhelm, shutdown, and shame. But what if there’s a way to interrupt that pattern without judgment, without spiraling, and without trying to “fix” yourself?

    Vanessa Gorelkin is a licensed therapist, executive coach, and returning favorite on the podcast. With 30 years of experience across clinical care and executive leadership, she specializes in helping ADHD women find clarity, stability, and actual tools that work. In this episode, she introduces us to Internal Family Systems (IFS), a powerful framework that helps us make sense of our emotional chaos by getting curious instead of self-critical.

    Tracy and Vanessa dive into the difference between the “manager” and “firefighter” parts of our brain, how IFS can reframe emotional dysregulation, and why so many high-achieving women with ADHD still feel like they’re “too much.” They also talk about the surprising way shame shows up in our daily lives, and how compassion is more than just self-care; it’s a powerful strategy for long-term emotional regulation.

    Vanessa also shares how IFS creates space for your inner world to feel less chaotic, less punishing, and more connected. You’ll learn how identifying and working with your internal parts can build self-awareness, reduce reactive patterns, and unlock a deeper sense of agency.

    Whether you’re new to IFS or already deep into parts work, this episode offers real, relatable guidance for anyone looking to create more emotional balance and self-trust.


    Resources:

    Website: https://vanessagorelkin.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsvanessagorelkin
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessacahngorelkin1



    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    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://adhdforsmartwomen.com/book

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

    Visit our website: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com

    Join our community of ADHD For Smart Ass Women: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracyotsuka

    Join What Do I Do With My Life Masterclass: spyhappy.me/class

    Unlock your best days with Blends: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com/blends
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • EP. 336: Nancy Shapiro on ADHD, Leadership, and Her Legacy at the GRAMMYs

    EP. 336: Nancy Shapiro on ADHD, Leadership, and Her Legacy at the GRAMMYs
    Jun 11 2025

    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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    How do you thrive in one of the most demanding industries in the world, while quietly navigating ADHD the whole time?

    Nancy Shapiro spent 33 years as a senior executive at the Recording Academy, home of the GRAMMYs, where she led all twelve regional chapters and built groundbreaking programs that changed the face of music education and artist development. But behind the scenes, she was often working twice as hard to manage distraction, emotional intensity, and the quiet self-doubt that comes with an undiagnosed ADHD brain.

    In this conversation, Nancy and Tracy discuss drive, resilience, and the unique energy ADHD women bring to leadership. Nancy shares how she built a legacy in the music industry while masking for decades, what changed after her diagnosis, and why executive coaching has become a new mission in this chapter of her life. She opens up about perfectionism, relationships, the power of creative instinct, and how women like us can channel our intensity without burning out.

    They also explore how ADHD can both fuel ambition and quietly sabotage it—and what happens when women finally stop performing and start living in alignment with how they’re wired. Nancy’s story is about more than music. It’s about identity, reinvention, and finally giving yourself the grace you’ve always given everyone else.

    Whether you’re in the music world or not, Nancy’s story is a powerful reminder that ADHD doesn’t disqualify you from success—it’s part of what makes your brilliance so undeniable.


    Resources:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-shapiro-741255218




    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    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://adhdforsmartwomen.com/book

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

    Visit our website: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com

    Join our community of ADHD For Smart Ass Women: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracyotsuka

    Join What Do I Do With My Life Masterclass: spyhappy.me/class

    Unlock your best days with Blends: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com/blends
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
  • EP. 335: Healing the ADHD–Trauma Burnout Loop with Dr. Lorre Laws

    EP. 335: Healing the ADHD–Trauma Burnout Loop with Dr. Lorre Laws
    Jun 4 2025

    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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    You can’t out-organize trauma. You can’t schedule your way out of burnout. But you can begin to heal, and in doing so, everything else starts to shift.

    Dr. Lorre Laws has spent over three decades helping people do just that. Known affectionately as “Dr. Lorre,” she’s a bestselling author, integrative nursing professor, and founder of The Haelan Academy, a nonprofit that supports trauma recovery and holistic well-being. She’s also a woman with ADHD who knows what it’s like to look calm on the outside while feeling dysregulated, scattered, or stuck on the inside.

    In this conversation, she and Tracy explore how trauma and ADHD often intertwine, especially in women who have spent years high-functioning their way through stress, disconnection, and self-doubt. They talk about the nervous system’s role in attention and emotion, why so many ADHD women push themselves past the point of depletion, and how healing often starts with something as simple as breath and awareness.

    Dr. Lorre shares powerful insights from her journey, what changed when she finally connected the dots between trauma, ADHD, and burnout, and how she now helps other women do the same. She offers concrete, compassionate tools for slowing down, listening to your body, and shifting out of survival mode… without shame or overwhelm.

    This episode is for every woman who’s ever thought, Why can’t I just get it together? You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re likely just carrying more than your nervous system was ever meant to hold—and this conversation will help you start to set it down.


    Resources:

    Website: drlorrelaws.com
    Instagram: www.instagram.com/drlorrelaws
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/drlorrelaws

    Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message

    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://adhdforsmartwomen.com/book

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

    Visit our website: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com

    Join our community of ADHD For Smart Ass Women: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracyotsuka

    Join What Do I Do With My Life Masterclass: spyhappy.me/class

    Unlock your best days with Blends: https://adhdforsmartwomen.com/blends
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
All stars
Most relevant  
Life changing. Life saving. RSD. If you know you know. Literally the backdrop of my day.

Back drop for my day

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Suspecting I had adult ADHD, I came across this podcast and it has been so reassuring. I've listened to episodes that I feel relevant to me. There is a wealth of information here. Thank you Tracy for the hard work you do creating these podcasts.

Excellent podcast. Really informative.

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I have spent life so lost and confused, struggling massively with my mental health since I was an early teen. I've seen doctor after doctor who labelled me with anxiety, depression and bpd but something still felt off. No matter how hard I worked to manage my conditions, I still felt like I was failing life as an adult. It wasn't until Christmas when I stumbled across a video about the symptoms of ADHD in women and it stood out, I related to almost all of them, I looked at the comments, it was the same situation, I then did some further research online and sobbed as I realised everything that I had been giving myself a hard time for throughout my life was listed in front of me. I contacted my doctor and have to wait for an assessment but I didn't want to wait 2 years for answers and that's when I found this podcast! I have learned so so much since listening, there has been so much comfort in the sense that I do not feel alone.I cannot begin to describe how much this podcast has given me hope. Both you and your guests are so inspiring and have taught me so much.
Thank you for being such an incredible human 😊❤

A beacon of light.

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If you struggle with ADHD or just know someone that does . this podcast is inspiring!!! And I don’t even drink Coffee!!! Helena has some excellent ideas of work- arounds . If you want to feel inspired today and positive listen to this !!!!

Loved this episode for its Positivity!!

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