While running her Facebook Group, which is for smart, positive, ADHD women Tracy noticed that there were some brilliant women who just seemed stuck. They weren’t \acknowledging or working in their area of brilliance and were just focused on what’s not working. They had lost sight of what was working and Tracy realized they had just given up. She believed that this was in part because of their ADHD. So she did some research and discovered learned helplessness.

Tracy explains what learned helplessness is and introduces you to Martin Seligman who coined the term and is a psychologist and the godfather of the positive psychology movement.

Learn what happened when Seligman conditioned dogs to expect a negative situation even before it happened and how this can apply to people as well.

Discover the most harmful attributions that you can apply in a situation when something bad happens and why these attributions cause learned helplessness.

Find out what kinds of health problems can result from learned helplessness and how it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Tracy then talks about how learned helplessness can be applied to ADHD women especially those who aren’t diagnosed or were diagnosed later in life.

She cites a study on learned helplessness done on ADHD women by Julie Rucklidge.

Tracy gives an example of a recent situation where she used an internal attribution and just assumed that the problem was with her ADHD brain rather than the fact that an article was just poorly written.

Learn what workarounds you can employ for learned helplessness.

Tracy shares Carol Dweck's research on motivation. She authored the best-selling book Mindset.

Find out the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset and which one of these two mindsets successful people in all fields possess and which mindset causes those with ADHD to give up.

Learn how ADHD can help us build the right mindset and work ethic and why what we say to ourselves matters. You’ll also want to know why praising your kids’ intelligence doesn’t make sense and what you need to do today to get back control over your life.

Tracy talks about giftedness in this podcast.

Learn what the term 2E or Twice Exceptional refers to and that just because you’re gifted in one or more areas (for example mathematically or artistically) doesn’t mean that you might not also be challenged in other areas (you may learn differently or have an emotional or social delay).

And did you know that you can be gifted and have ADHD?

Do you know that here is no one definition of giftedness. In fact, all states have a different definition.

Tracy shares Julie Skolnick's three layer cake definition of giftedness:

• You’ll learn about asynchronous development
• You’ll learn about perfectionism and how harmful it can be
• You’ll learn about the five areas where children can exhibit intense behaviors known as Kazimierz Dabrowski's overexcitabilities or supersensitivities.

Tracy outlines the overexcitabilities and shares that she never thought her son was gifted but is now wondering because he exhibits many traits in all five of these areas.

Tracy also assumed that you can’t be gifted if you struggle in school. Then she discovered AEGUS, The Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students

Find out what else gifted people need to succeed and how giftedness and ADHD can look identical.

Tracy talks about her concern that perhaps we’re medicating bright children so that they can fit into the school environment when really these kids may just be unchallenged.

She worries that it’s the smart capable kids that fall through the cracks in our educational system because when they don’t perform, teacher and parents automatically think it’s because they’re lazy.

Have you ever wondered what does it even mean to be smart.

Learn about Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Could it be that ADHD is connected to specific intelligences?

Tracy then talks about what questions experts ask if they are working with a bright child who isn’t applying themself and what she’s planning to bring into her son’s school to aid in his learning here.

Other resources:

https://www.verywellfamily.com/dabrowskis-overexcitabilities-in-gifted-children-1449118?print

https://www.positivedisintegration.com/Piechowski1999.pdf

We all know that exercise is good for us – but can exercise take the place of ADHD meds? You’ll love to hear about Tracy’s fitness routine and how she incorporates it into her day. What we often don’t think of is how exercise helps with focus, anxiety, mood, etc. It’s not just for looking great! Today, we are going to learn how exercise can help us feel better and start the day off right.

Why does exercise make us feel better?

Hear Tracy speak to the connection between exercise and a reduction in not only ADHD symptoms but also anxiety and depression.

Tracy shares the issues with our culture – sitting for long periods of time, eating crap, and how the first line of defense for mental health issues seems to be medication. Hear how exercise may benefit our mental health and with no side effects! The connections may surprise you!

How does exercise help your brain? Tracy shares some fascinating facts you won’t want to miss from John Ratey's book Spark.

Tracy has always exercised and she thinks that that's what helped her focus in school – but her motivation definitely changed from looking good to feeling good.

Could exercise work better than medication for those with ADHD? Hear Tracy’s scientific explanation.

How does exercise improve our ability to learn? Listen as Tracy uses a scientific study to show how extreme the results can truly be. You definitely won’t want to miss this.

Hear how exercise primes the brain for learning and changes the brain’s neurotransmitters, protein growth, and neurogenesis. Hear how you can continue to grow your brain, all throughout your life.

Should individuals with ADHD become karate masters? Learn how structured activities, such as martial arts, ballet, and even skateboarding along with aerobic exercise help those with ADHD focus and learn better.

Could exercise decrease the need for medication or get rid of the need all together? Hear the science behind it all as Tracy explains how the chemistry in the brain can vastly change with exercise.

Is exercise timing important? Hear Tracy’s discovery in her personal life, and through scientific research.

Listen as Tracy explains the importance of nature, sleep, exercise, and balancing them all together.

Can you even learn while you exercise? If you’re listening to this podcast in the gym, you may already be there!

Tracy shares how nicotine can help us focus but it's unique in that it reduces anxiety as well – but since it is not healthy – Tracy shares how we can cut out nicotine, improve our focus, and live our best life for a long, long time.

Those of us with ADHD often struggle with time. We like to do things when we feel like it. We cannot see or feel time, and we’re easily distracted. Often, hyperfocus can get in our way as well. We start, can’t stop, and have to finish. We also struggle with working memory issues. What was I doing again?

And I don’t know who doesn’t struggle with emotional regulation/dis-regulation – or the “I just don’t feel like it!” feeling.

We must understand why we are the way we are in order to create hacks to be better.

We must learn to pause, even though it’s against our nature because are time optimists and often underestimate how long something will take.

Hear Tracy’s tips for developing time management skills and planning more effectively for the future.

See how Tracy uses the positive emotion of success to motivate her through the planning process.

See how Backward Planning can teach you how to see and feel time, as well as set reasonable goals.

Listen as Tracy shares some hacks for developing Executive Function Skills

How can we create practical methods to get through day-to-day tasks? Listen as Tracy explains how she taught herself to understand how long things take. You won’t want to miss the helpful tool she uses!

Starting the day off right is important. Hear how Tracy sets herself up for success so she doesn’t run late every day- even if it means doing makeup in the car.

Maybe playing a game of “beat the clock” is just what we need! You’ll definitely want to learn how to play this game that can change the way you get things done.

Hear all of Tracy’s hacks and try them out on your own.

• Is the Apple Watch Worth It? Hear how Tracy uses it as her “manager.”
• What calendar may be best for you? Simple may be better! Could it be possible to manage your week on just one page?
• What is the Datexx Cube and how can you use it in your daily life?
• Can working near others help you access your hyperfocus? Find out how Tracy can help you do this with a Body Double Meetup.
• What kind of person do you want to be? Hear how asking yourself this question can help you prioritize.

You won’t want to miss Tracy’s humorous story with her creative approach to time management.

Tracy was inspired to talk about this topic from one of the members of her Facebook group. She shared this member's story about always being late. Not intentionally, but because she doesn’t have a good grasp for how long things will take. When she made the effort to be on time (because it is important to her) it took every bit of her focus. “Why,” she asked, “is time so hard for me?”

Here are Tracy’s insights about time in this part one episode.

Why does the ADHD brain struggle with time?

The first part is understanding why we do what we do. Once we understand why only then can we find actual work-arounds and resources that will work for us. We’ll cover that in detail in part two in the next episode.

You have to hear Tracy’s dating story about showing up late – and then being less than truthful about it. This was one of the experiences that helped her realize that time was an issue for her.

The ADHD brain is time blind. It doesn’t have a good understanding of time because we can't feel time. Often we can't even see time. We don’t know how many minutes or hours a project can take. Find out why this skill is so hard for us.

Cooking a meal and hosting guests is another example of how the lack of time-awareness can cause issues. Hear Tracy’s go-to solution and results.

Hear what she learned when she decided to time herself on a few kitchen-related tasks. Hint: her estimate was not at all accurate!

Being on time professionally is a value for Tracy. Is it a value for you?

Tracy’s research on time explains that time has to be learned. Many ADHD people do not have a fluid awareness of time because we can’t see it or feel it.

Find out why distractions can impact our best time-management strategies.

Time issues are also related to memory issues. Tracy explains why they are linked and how one impacts the other.

Tracy explains future myopia and how it impacts the ADHD person’s understanding of time. You’ll no doubt see yourself in this explanation.

Arguing with time is a thing. Do you find yourself doing this?

How do your beliefs impact your timeliness or lack thereof? Do your time-beliefs work for you?

Recurring appointments, yes or no? Does putting everything on the calendar work for you?

Tracy shares how asking for help with planning and scheduling has helped her.

Emotional regulation is a part of why we struggle with time and Tracy explains how it can impact you. 

Next week Tracy is sharing what’s working for her and others. It starts with understanding ourselves and what matters to us. Having that information is imperative. That’s why Tracy created Coretography.

Entrepreneurs and those with ADHD have some undeniable similarities. But could ADHD itself be the secret to their success? Today, Tracy explores the similarities between entrepreneurs and those with ADHD. We will dive into some scientific evidence, as well as personal examples that show the differences in those with ADHD that make them perfect for being successful when pursuing their passion.

Here are the key connections that Tracy makes between entrepreneurs and those with ADHD.

Listen to Tracy’s anecdote of the first business she ever started - an unsuccessful Christmas Card business in her childhood. It may give you a chuckle.

Tracy’s entrepreneurial spirit spurred her on to even more endeavors in adulthood.

Listen as Tracy explains the pros of entrepreneurialism - from new experiences, never being bored, learning something new every day, etc.

Tracy lists some ADHD characteristics that most entrepreneurs tend to share: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity.

You won’t want to miss the statistics Tracy shares that show a shocking connection between ADHD and entrepreneurship.

Hear Tracy explain how those with ADHD are “left over hunters in a farmer driven world.”

Listen as Tracy shares how the resilience of those with ADHD helps them weather the storms they will face in their entrepreneurial ventures.

Hear how it all may boil down to biology and neurological responses to our environment. 

Tracy explores impulsivity from a scientific standpoint and links it to intuition and impatience/boredom.

Tracy also explains how those with ADHD use intuitive decision making, proactiveness, and risk-taking to succeed.

Entrepreneurs and those with ADHD often love flexibility and love being their own boss. Hear how Tracy explains this from a personal perspective and a scientific point of view.

Find out why acting and seeking novelty are traits that explain the entrepreneurial brain.

Hear how she explains how creativity is impulsivity “gone right.”

Tracy explains “hyperfocus” and how it is the key to success for entrepreneurs. You won’t want to miss the evidence she shares about why it is so important for those of us with ADHD to discover and pursue our passion(s).

We have executive functions that help us in life. They help us organize, plan and control our life
so it’s manageable. It’s how we can take care of ourselves and get things done. Most of us with
ADHD have trouble with one or more of the six executive functions. Today, I am talking about the executive function that involves emotion. It’s what helps us manage frustration and it gives us the ability to regulate our emotions.

Here are the key elements Tracy has learned when dealing with emotions and situations that can become emotional.

Tracy explains emotional dysregulation and how it shows up and how it impacts us.  

How does stress impact our emotions and how do recognize it in ourselves and in others?

Tracy shares how perfectionism and time management affect her emotions and how she’s learned to work around these situations.

Intensity is a big part of ADHD and it’s a big part of managing emotions as well.

Tracy’s experience with the Apple watch, and how it’s helped her be able to cook again!

What can you do when emotional intensity comes up? Listen for some go-to solutions that can help you manage or even remove an emotionally charged situation.

You can choose. Tracy shares that awareness is separate from emotion and thought. How to identify and name what is causing the emotion and doing this exercise can help.

Don’t miss Tracy’s bull frog story. It’ll make you smile.

Why allowing ourselves to feel the feelings can ultimately help you eliminate the feeling.

If you want different results, you need to change your behavior. Emotions don’t always lead to a behavior; sometimes it’s the opposite.

Self-control is a neurobiological trait. It requires the ability to have hind-sight and fore-sight and the ability to wait. Understanding how this impacts behavior is key to managing emotions.

Perry Janssen, Psychotherapist gave us great tips you’ll find helpful.

Join us for more discussions in the ADHD for Smart Aleck Women Facebook Group

Tracy shares her experience with medication for her son and herself. When my son was diagnosed medication was the only thing recommended which didn’t feel right to us. Today we’re talking medications and my personal insights about how they worked (or didn’t work) for us. I hope it’s helpful for you as you navigate the prescription roller coaster.

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

• Tracy shares her extensive list of medications that were prescribed.
• Side effects and how they impacted me.
• Testing options and why it might help your doctor prescribe meds that may work better and have fewer side effects.
• My son’s experience with medication. His feedback and what I noticed wasn't the same, but we both came to the same conclusion.
• I found Dr. Dale Archer’s information helpful. You may appreciate his insights as well.
• Why a medicated “new normal” may not be right for you or your child and how to recognize it.
• The worst-case scenario, and why you have to be proactive.
• Why your family doctor may not understand your ADHD and where they get their info. Hint: It’s not in medical school.
• What we don’t know about these medications especially the long-term effects for the ADHD brain.
• Why ADHD people do well in the military; an unexpected benefit of structure.
• Are we medicating our uniqueness? Is that a good idea?
• Tracy shares a real-life story of a woman’s before and after experience with medication.
• When medication for routine can help and when it can hurt.
• Tracy’s Rx for medication. She breaks down multiple options separate from medication and useful tips for getting the right medication for you.

Here are the links for resources Tracy mentioned.

Genesite

Join the Facebook Group

The ADHD Advantage: What You Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest Strength

• Contact Tracy:

[email protected]

Those with ADHD have a brain that’s wired differently, but we aren’t all the same. That can be frustrating. Understanding ourselves and others is going to help us all.

Tracy shares why she doesn’t see her ADHD as a disorder. Hear why she considers some of her ADHD traits as her super powers.

• Hear the 2 traits that impact everyone with ADHD. You might relate, but they may have never been explained this way before.
• ADHD is not a learning disorder; most of us with ADHD have a higher than average IQ.
• Learn the 3 ways a person with a neuro-typical brain functions when they need to get things done.
• Hear the workarounds for those of us who don’t have this type of brain.
• Learn why procrastination isn’t about will-power or laziness. It’s about our brain and how it works.
• Hear why we have to take ADHD seriously. Understanding why is a life and death issue.
• No one is good at everything. How to do more of what you love and get help with the things you don’t enjoy.
• Tracy shares why fitting in is so hard and encourages those women with ADHD to focus on standing out instead.

Contact Tracy:
[email protected]

Tracy talks about the misconceptions about kids with ADHD and how her son wasn’t your “typical” ADHD kid. When teachers saw her son become “unmotivated” it was chalked up to laziness. Since then, Tracy got answers and began her mission to educate herself and others.

• ADHD isn’t a disorder caused by modern life. Tracy explains why someone with ADHD may be on social media or playing video games more than others. It’s not what you think!

• Hear why Tracy thinks the attention deficit part is all wrong. You probably will too!

• Learn about studies that prove that the brain of ADHD kids is significantly different. This is important in understanding how to thrive with an ADHD brain.

• Tracy shares a list of traits that can be attributed to behavior by ADHD children.

• Hear how ADHD differs from mood disorders. The emotional impact is different.

• Blaming parents for the “behavior” of ADHD kids is not helpful. Self-control is a neurobiological trait. It isn’t something you can teach – no matter how hard you try.

• Find out why the concept of time is a big part of the challenge in dealing with children with ADHD.

• What wired for interest means and why it’s important to understand it.

• Tracy shares how Markus excels when he’s doing things that he enjoys. It’s not that he won’t focus on other things, he literally can’t!

• The dopamine affect – why you need to understand it.

• Helping our ADHD kids figure out their passion and interests contribute to life-long success.

• Hear the positives about ADHD kids. These traits aren’t discussed often so they are not understood but they should be.

• There are disturbing facts about potential issues for our ADHD kids. That’s why it’s so important to understand and guide them to live up to their potential.

Contact Tracy:
[email protected]

Tracy covers the basic facts about an ADHD diagnoses. Find out what’s included, how does it show up, the differences in symptoms in children and adults. She gives specific examples of behaviors that you may find very familiar. She also talks about why many women are not diagnosed and the seldom discussed advantage of having an ADHD brain.
Knowledge is powerful in understanding how the ADHD brain works. Get a practical, real-life understanding of how it affects women.

Here’s what Tracy covers in detail:

• What ADHD can look like in real women.
• Tracy outlines the technical symptoms and shares how ADHD has affected her personally.
• Find out the 3 sub-types of ADHD to see if any of them feel familiar to you.
• ADHD explained, and why it’s not always a negative. This is so important and not discussed enough!
• Why traits aren’t the same in all people and why it varies. This is a big reason why most women have not been diagnosed.
• ADHD is heritable, but it doesn’t always show up the same way. Find out why (related) people who are diagnosed can have much different symptoms.
• Learn what qualifies for a diagnosis as explained in the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
• There are 18 symptoms, 9 focused on inattention and 9 focused on hyperactivity and/or impulsivity. These were developed for diagnosing children.
• Learn what the 9 traits are for adults according to the work done by Russell Barkley.
• Understand how a diagnosis is determined and the differences between how symptoms show up when you are a child vs. as an adult.
• Note: Every ADHD brain is wired differently so symptoms may show up in a variety of ways.
• Tracy outlines 43 general symptoms. You may resonate with many of these – but some may not apply to you at all.
• Tracy covers 24 positive symptoms of ADHD. This is the part that is seldom covered but they should be!
• Find out why exercise is so good for our brains – and why many with ADHD exercise regularly.
• What resonated with you? Is there something that affects you that wasn’t mentioned? I’d love to know so we can all understand the unique ways that ADHD impacts women.

Experts Tracy Mentions:
Thomas Hallowell
John Ratey
Terry Matlin
Russell Barkley
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey

Contact Tracy:
[email protected]

Host Tracy Otsuka is a lawyer, not a doctor, a life-long student, not a coach. She’s also the creator of Coretography a patent pending system that helps smart, driven women understand their own unique ADHD brain and use it to their advantage.

Tracy will be talking about ADHD. Your super powers, your symptoms, your solutions and work-arounds and how you proudly stand out. Tracy credits ADHD for some of her superpowers and much of her success in life.

In this episode:

Tracy shares her personal story as a mom, and a wife and her successful career in law, business, real-estate, and as a creator and entrepreneur.

Hear Tracy’s preferred definition of ADHD. It’s probably not what you’ve heard before, but you might just find yourself nodding your head in agreement.

Are you a hunter or a farmer? This concept will explain how and why your brain works the way it does. And why it was built to serve you. What if it’s just a difference in brain wiring, not a “problem”?

The ADHD success stories are incredible. Tracy shares a list of well-known names who’ve succeeded not despite of but because of their ADHD traits.

Tracy shares about her early life and what happened during a shift in her pre-teen years.

The college years lead to success at work and true to form, Tracy has excelled at a variety of professional endeavors. Much of it rather unpredictably.

Hear how becoming a mom changed Tracy’s life.

The most interesting job in her life was filled with excitement, stimulation and even some danger.

When Tracy’s son was diagnosed, she received advice from a doctor to discourage him from setting high-expectations. Find out what Tracy did instead.

When she was diagnosed a few months later, things started to make sense but what to do now?

ADHD traits and characteristics look different for everyone, even people in the same family. When Tracy was mis-diagnosed with a thyroid issue, she realized she needed to get better answers.

The aha moment. When reading Driven to Distraction made Tracy recognize herself, and she realized that her ADHD was related to, if not completely responsible for her successes.

That’s how ADHD for Smart Ass women began. First the Facebook group, then the Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing and now the podcast. Join us!