I have NEVER met an ADHD woman who wasn't truly brilliant at something! **This podcast with over 5 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! **ADHD for Smart Ass Women is globally ranked in the top one-half percent of all podcasts in the world on any subject. It's streamed in more ...
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EP. 276: Embracing ADHD and Autism: The Mindful Misfit's Guide to Movement and Magic for Every Body
1:03:45
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Recognizing the importance of self-care and body connection is crucial for those with ADHD, which is what makes Caitlin Doherty’s work with Mindful Movement for Misfits so significant. As a therapeutic yoga and movement practitioner, Caitlin not only offers guidance but also embodies the vibrant possibilities of living with ADHD and autism. Her per…
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EP. 275: From Soft Bones to Solid Laughs with Comedian Ellie Hino
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Get ready to crack up and nod in agreement as the hilarious Ellie Hino, a Minneapolis gem in the stand-up comedy realm, joins me, Tracy Otsuka, for this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. llie's candid recount of her diagnosis following the trials of motherhood, her journey through emotional regulation, and the quest for effective coping strategi…
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EP. 274: Embracing Diversity at the Dinner Table: Transforming ‘Picky Eating’ with Stephanie Sorrentino Mulholland
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In a world where ADHD and neurodiversity often complicate the seemingly simple task of eating, Stephanie Sorrentino Mulholland brings a refreshing and enlightening perspective to the table. As a pediatric speech-language pathologist and a neurodivergent individual herself, Stephanie delves deep into the heart of 'picky eating,' transforming it from…
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EP. 273: Empowerment Beyond Misdiagnosis with Alyssa Fontaine
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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…
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EP. 272: Grieving and Healing through ADHD Perspective with Laurie Peterson, Anita Robertson, and Sandra Centorino
1:25:37
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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 an…
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EP. 271: Navigating ADHD and Public Service with Dulce Vasquez
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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 …
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EP. 270: The ADHD Toolbox: Brooke Schnittman's Strategies for Success
1:00:46
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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 …
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EP. 269: How to Feel Good with Taylor Elyse Morrison
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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 listeni…
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EP. 268: Dissecting RSD, People Pleasing, Neurofibromatosis and Pet Nutrition with Priscilla Tollin
1:06:52
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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 unde…
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EP. 267: Harnessing EMDR and Polyvagal Theory for Stress Mastery with Gabrielle Juliano-Villani
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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 i…
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EP. 266: ADHD in the C-Suite: Katy McFee's Blueprint for Women in Leadership
1:08:39
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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 …
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EP. 265: Harnessing Your ADHD Superpower: A Chat with Jessica McCabe from How to ADHD
1:00:47
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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 …
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EP. 264: Doing Veterinary Medicine Her Way with Dr. Ashley Portmann
1:08:50
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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 …
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EP. 263: Melinda Shepherdson's Odyssey from World Explorer to Adventure Bush Therapy
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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…
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EP. 262: Navigating Relationships: Understanding Coercive Control, Trauma, and ADHD with Maya Ann
1:24:13
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Are you ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leveraging your ADHD strengths? If so, join me for "Your ADHD Brain is A-OK," a six-week journey beginning next week. We’ll explore your unique brilliance—not just managing ADHD, but celebrating it. Discover and fall in love with the strengths and quirks of your ADHD brain. Sign up at adhdforsmar…
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EP. 261: From Our Pages to Their Lives: 4 More Stories of ADHD and Insight
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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 boo…
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EP. 260: From Our Pages to Their Lives: 5 Stories of ADHD and Discovery
1:13:12
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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 generousl…
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EP. 259: Exploring the Heart of ADHD Women An Interview of Tracy Otsuka by Dr. Christine Li
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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…
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EP. 258: The Power of Hope: Rewriting the ADHD Narrative
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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 wron…
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EP. 257: The Challenges of ADHD and Aging in Women with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau
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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, sh…
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Ep. 256 Cults, Child Marriage and ADHD Optimism with Dr. Tamara MC
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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 i…
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EP. 255: Emotional Resilience in ADHD: Building a Happier Brain
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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, wh…
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EP. 254: In the ADHD/Autism Trenches with Dr. Nanci Smith
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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 childr…
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EP. 253: When You Feel Unexplainably Unwell: Your Nervous System and ADHD with Pharmacist & Patient Advocate, Kalin Johnson
1:23:34
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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…
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EP. 252: ADHD in the Workplace with Lisa Lewis
1:22:26
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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 workp…
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EP. 251: What Happens When We Learn How to Lead with Alice Gendron
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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, h…
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EP. 250: Coaching Yourself with Executive Leadership Coach Antonia Bowring
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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 …
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Bonus EP: Are We Really Stubborn, Irreverent, and Oppositional?
30:29
30:29
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Resources: Visit: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka Are you ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leveraging your ADHD strengths? If so, join me for "Your ADHD Brain is A-OK," a six-week journey beginning next week. We’ll explore your unique brilliance—not just managing ADHD, but celebrating it. Discover and fall in love with the strengt…
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EP. 249: Adieu Beautiful Mama: ADHD and Grief
1:15:28
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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…
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EP. 248: Educating Neurodivergent Students with Former NYU Professor and Author Sivan Hong
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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 diagnos…
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EP. 247: Breaking Up with Booze and Living Your Best Life with Amanda Kuda
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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 …
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EP. 246: Make it Funny with Comedian, Blaire Postman
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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 …
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EP. 245: When You Love What You Do, it Rarely Feels Like Work with Stephanie Calderon
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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 var…
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EP. 244: Perfectionism, Confidence and ADHD with Dr. Fiona Peters
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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…
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EP. 243: Learning to Trust Yourself with Sarah McCall
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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 unders…
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EP. 242: Hyperfocus Your Way to Success as an Artist Entrepreneur, with Jessica Liddell
1:06:34
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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 realize…
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Ep. 241: ADHD, Adventure and Doing Things Her Own Way, with Expat Entrepreneur, Jessi Kingan
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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 …
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EP. 240: How We Lead in What We Love with YouTube Influencer Kathy Joseph of Kathy Loves Physics
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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, engineeri…
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EP. 239: ADHD, Autism and Other Neurodivergent Insights with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Megan Anna Neff
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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…
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EP. 238: Regulating our ADHD Nervous System with Psychologist Anna Daphna
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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…
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EP. 237: What Do I Do If I Really Hate My Job/Career with Shell Mendelson
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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 …
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EP. 236: The Golden Ticket All Kids Really Need with Irena Smith
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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…
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Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with JULIANNE DECKER
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Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: with the code PODCASTSASS Juliann Decker: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka Are you ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leveraging your ADHD strengths? If so, join me for "Your ADHD Brain is A-OK," a six-week journey beginning next week. We’ll explore your unique brilliance—not just ma…
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EP. 235: ADHD Life in a Nudist Colony with Award-Winning Documentarian Mandy Zelinka
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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 wh…
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Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with TRINLEE CHODREN
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Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: with the code PODCASTSASS Trinlee Chodren: Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka Are you ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leveraging your ADHD strengths? If so, join me for "Your ADHD Brain is A-OK," a six-week journey beginning next week. We’ll explore your unique brilliance—not just m…
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EP. 234: How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Start Anything with Laura Vig
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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 li…
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Bonus EP: ADHD Success Story with Haley Lin
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Hey there! This is a bonus episode Resources: AOK: or with the code PODCASTSASS Haley Lin: Instagram @7am.hlz Tracy Otsuka: Instagram: @tracyotsuka Are you ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leveraging your ADHD strengths? If so, join me for "Your ADHD Brain is A-OK," a six-week journey beginning next week. We’ll explore your unique brill…
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EP. 233: The Overlap of ADHD and Autism with Andonette Wilkinson
1:15:56
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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 …
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EP. 232: You Can Change Your Brain and So Can Your Child with Neuroeducation Expert Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
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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 …
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EP. 231: Inattentive ADHD with Cynthia Hammer
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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 Cynthi…
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