Tracy is delighted to welcome Dr. Kirsten Milliken to Episode #71 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Dr. Milliken is a licensed clinical psychologist, an ADHD Coach, and the Author of PlayDHD: Permission to Play. A Prescription For Adults With ADHD. Dr. Milliken lives in Portland, Maine with her two amazing children, her partner, Perry, and her two dogs.

As a licensed clinical psychologist Kirsten has worked in a variety of fields including juvenile justice, geriatric mental health, school psychology, community mental health and nonprofit development. Currently, Kirsten has a private practice where she offers services to military veterans, provides diagnostic evaluations, and coaches teens and adults with ADHD.

Kirsten shares with Tracy:

• The circumstances surrounding her late in life ADHD diagnosis
• The symptoms she struggled with
• How she missed the diagnosis in herself
• What has changed since she was diagnosed
• How and why she educates her clients on the value of play, as a naturopathic treatment for ADHD
• The exciting project, World Without ADHD that she started with Kris Mitchell. Its goal is to increase the awareness of the positive impact of ADHD on society
• How to submit written and visual works for potential publication
• What ADHD traits she feels are responsible for her success
• Her favorite ADHD workarounds

Resources:

http://www.worldwithoutadhd.com/

PlayDHD: Permission to Play… A Prescription for Adults With ADHD by Kirsten Milliken, PhD., PCC

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkirsten/

Join Tracy in Episode #70 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women where she introduces you to Kelsie Elizabeth. Kelsie grew up in NH and went to a small liberal arts school in Massachusetts where she earned a BS in clinical and research psychology and a second BS in music with a concentration in piano. Kelsie was also three credits short of a third degree in social welfare because she couldn’t make up her mind. Sounds pretty ADHD, doesn’t it?

Kelsie was diagnosed with ADHD last year at the age of 25. At her young age, she has so much insight and wisdom and a remarkable sense of who she is. Tracy just knew that you would love Kelsie’s story.

Kelsie shares:

• The circumstances around her diagnosis
• What her symptoms were
• Her struggle with disabling social anxiety
• Her love of psychology
• Her early career struggles
• What she finally did to right herself
• How the correct diagnosis helped to regain her confidence
• What her favorite ADHD traits are
• How her ADHD makes her even better at her job
• Her keys to living successfully with ADHD 
• Her ADHD workarounds

Resources:

Kelsie’s email - [email protected]

Tracy introduces you to Sally Mouzon. Sally is a member of the acclaimed San Francisco Opera Chorus. She has appeared in numerous roles with the company, including Second Priestess in Iphigénie en Tauride, Second Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro, Second Girl in Show Boat, and Second Orphan in Der Rosenkavalier. She has also created roles in three world premieres; La Popolana in Two Women, Joan in Heart of a Soldier, and Sister Lillianne in Dead Man Walking.

In real life Sally is an avid reader, union activist, baseball fan (Go Giants!), and single mother of a collegiate Shakespeare nerd. She is a dedicated alumna of the University of Virginia and now lives in the Bay Area.

In this delightful interview, Sally shares:

• How an article about time blindness resulted in her adult ADHD diagnosis
• Her ADHD symptoms which were present since childhood
• Her music filled childhood
• Why structure was so important to her academic success
• How she pivoted back into music and ultimately parlayed her love of music into an audition with the San Francisco Opera
• How her degrees in African American Studies and Russian Literature help her to be a better opera singer
• The ADHD traits that she feels are responsible for her professional success?
• The key to living successfully with ADHD
• Her ADHD workarounds

Resources:

Sallymouzon.com

Twitter, Instagram: @sallymezzo

Circa Levenger SmartPlanner Master Agenda - Weekly Jr

Circa Starter Kit

Tracy talks about how to train your ADHD brain to deal with fear. This is an extension of last week’s episode and Tracy’s stab at simplifying concepts so they can be applied today if her listeners are struggling with their emotions. 

Learn about:

• Abraham Hicks 
• The first place you should go if you’re feeling fear?
• How your inner guidance system (your intuition) can help you
• How fear can act as your rudder and is just information
• What it means to always reach for a better feeling
• Why controlling your environment doesn’t make you happier
• How to use your thoughts to always feel better regardless of the circumstances
• The importance of the journey
• The only freedom you will ever experience
• How to train your brain to always tune into positive emotions

Resources:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/managing-our-children-our-adhd-in-time-covid-19-ep/id1443678424?i=1000470173218

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-yhCO76xEU&list=FLPphZhYJuP72U1XDfWTf02A&index=18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DhHXoIC0iU&list=FLPphZhYJuP72U1XDfWTf02A&index=15&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqCJrbmCfIQ

https://www.abraham-hicks.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Law-Attraction-Collection-ebook/dp/B00EA8UFNU/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Abraham+Hicks&qid=1585184316&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011&rnid=2661617011&sr=8-3

Tracy wanted to talk to Vera because many believe that the ADHD brain is incapable of a career in accounting or finance. In fact, Vera is going to tell us how she took her nonlinear brain and created a really interesting niche for herself in accounting. 

Vera shares with us:

• The circumstances around her ADHD diagnosis in sixth grade
• Her very difficult teen years 
• The ADHD program in Wyoming that changed her life
• How she finally learned executive function skills
• How she ended up in bookkeeping and ultimately accounting
• The “social handbook” that she finally read that explained so much of her struggles with other people and helped her to build her confidence back up
• The THING she started to embrace that turned her life around rapidly
• Why accounting plays into one of her biggest strengths. Hint: it’s problem-solving
• How her dog Atlas gives her the structure she needs to succeed

Resources:

The Four Tendencies Quiz

Academy at SOAR

https://www.verafiedaccounting.com

Braving the Wilderness

Discover:

• What Mister Rogers taught journalist Tom Junod. 
• Why anything that is mentionable is manageable
• How panic comes from uncertainty and trying to control what we can’t control whether we’re talking about a pandemic or anything else
• What you really fear when you’re feeling uncertainty
• Why worrying has nothing to do with being prepared
• Why the journey is so important 
• The importance of our thoughts
• What dictates our feelings/emotions 
• What fear really is
• How the ADHD brain is motivated 
• The formula that involves our thoughts, feelings/emotions, actions and results. 
• How to control your thoughts 
• What mindfulness is
• How mindfulness helps ADHD
• Who connected mindfulness with brain science
• ADDitudeMag’s mindfulness acronym STOP
• Tracy’s list of 100 experiences, observations that generate positive emotion and wouldn’t have come about but for the coronavirus 

Resources:

ADDitude’s FREE Mindfulness and Other Natural Treatments eBook

Podcast #53: Neuroplasticity, Mindfulness, Meditation and ADHD

Podcast #50: Meditation That Even You Can Do  with ADHD Life Coach Diann Wingert

https://www.instagram.com/tracyotsuka/

Jaime shares: 

• the circumstances around her ADHD diagnosis
• why ADHD mothers make great parents
• how her and her husband manage their household of five children under normal circumstances
• how her family is actually doing in the midst of COVID19
• good news on the resilience of children
• what she works on paying attention to during this time 
• her advice around learning and children
• why rituals are important during times of stress
• her personal ADHD workaround

Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/heynewmamas/

As a college dropout, Fran mined her creative talents for skills she could use to pay the rent in New York City. Along the way she carved out a career as a children’s book illustrator, professional actor, co-founder of a downtown theater company and eventually, as a filmmaker and CEO of MovieBaby Productions, a Tribeca-based media company creating innovative videos, independent films and tv promotional campaigns.

After 9/11, Fran went back to the basics, earning her degree in Media Arts as well as the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. While making her mark in the fine arts and interior design, she penned and performed three theatrical productions, curated The Cinema-Femina film series and, created Believe Women, a rape activist initiative that championed the Cosby survivors along their journey to justice.

Fran is one of the founding members of ADHD for Smart Ass Women and is now one of our administrators. I regularly introduce her as the most creative person I know. I have talked about her in my podcast and actually have women request to join the ADHD for Smart Ass Women’s FB group just because they want to meet Fran.

Fran shares with us:

• The circumstances surrounding her ADHD diagnosis
• Her ADHD symptoms
• How her symptoms got worse in midlife?
• How important interest is to her driven brain
• The ADHD traits that she feels are responsible for her success?
• What she feels is the key to living successfully with ADHD
• Some ADHD workarounds

Resources:

MESSAGES - Facebook PM 

WEBSITE - http://www.francescarizzo.com/

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/francescarizzo

INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/francescarizzonyc/

GREAT DAMES MEDIA - https://www.facebook.com/greatdamesmedia/

FRANCESCA UNLIMITED - https://www.facebook.com/francescaunlimited/

IMDB -  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0729883/

VIMEO - https://vimeo.com/francescarizzo

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/user/Francescanj/videos

Learn about:

• BMW - and it’s not the car
• The science behind why rumination is bad for our brains
• Why what we say to ourselves matters
• What my definition of high-functioning with ADHD looks like
• What kinds of people I choose to have in my life

Discover:

• A different way to see your ADHD and it’s not disordered
• What demotivates the ADHD brain
• What you need to focus on to drive your motivation
• How to become the hero in your own life
• The importance of mindset
• The importance of gratitude
• The easiest thing you can do to start slowly shifting your mindset
• What makes the ADHD brain happier

Tracy then shares an amazing lesson that a young woman in her FB group taught her about her own beliefs around the brain, honesty, her own power and abilities.

Resources:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adhd-and-rumination-ep-23/id1443678424?i=1000440657223

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/learned-helplessness-and-adhd-ep-12/id1443678424?i=1000432464141

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-how-can-ithhelp/id1443678424?i=1000446344745

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meditation-that-even-you-can-do-especially-if-youre/id1443678424?i=1000459956149

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tracys-strength-focused-adhd-book-list-ep-26/id1443678424?i=1000442848440

Discover:

• The history of cannabis in the United States
• Why the name was changed from cannabis to marijuana
• How immigrants popularized the recreational use of marijuana
• What state first passed the Cannabis Prohibition law. 
• How the propaganda film Reefer Madness effectively criminalized marijuana
• What happened to cannabis in the 60s and 70s
• What the reports commissioned by Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson said about marijuana

Tracy then shares why she initially thought that cannabis was safer than substances like alcohol and her experience at a cannabis dispensary close to her home.

Learn:

• The truth about whether or not there really are medicinal and or therapeutic benefits of cannabis to the ADHD brain.
• The two active compounds that make up cannabis
• If research supports the use of CBD oil as a treatment for ADHD
• At what age the frontal lobe is fully matured in the ADHD brain
• What THC actually does in the brain
• What the FDA has approved medical marijuana for
• What rates of cannabis use look like for adolescents and young adults. 
• The negative affects of cannabis and how this mimics the symptoms of ADHD
• How dendrites help a healthy brain process and learn better
• How THC can alter the architecture of your brain
• Why fully formed brains are at much less risk for damage by THC
• If THC is a gateway drug
• Cannabis’ effect on the heart
• Cannabis’ effect on mental health
• If cannabis is addictive and if so, who is more likely to be addicted
• What it means to be chasing dopamine and why those with ADHD are at a greater risk for this
• What Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is
• What the link between CUD and psychosis is
• Why cannabis is so appealing to the ADHD brain
• How to treat CUD and ADHD

Resources:

• 1-800-662- HELP to locate a treatment center
• https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
• Reefer Madness! The Twisted History of America's Marijuana Laws
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882033/
• https://www.additudemag.com/treating-marijuana-abuse-and-adhd/
• https://chadd.org/attention-article/adhd-recreational-marijuana/
• https://www.additudemag.com/podcast-marijuana-cannabis-use-disorder-adhd-brain-olivardia/
• https://www.additudemag.com/the-truth-about-adhd-and-addiction/
• https://www.additudemag.com/cbd-oil-adhd-symptoms-natural-treatment/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871613003025

Laurie has a bachelor’s degree in Special Education. She spent 8 years teaching students with learning disabilities in grades K-12. She has a Master’s Degree in Special Education with an emphasis on assessment and a second Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling. Laurie is also the mother of two boys.

Learn about:

• the circumstances around Laurie Peterson’s ADHD diagnosis. 
• Laurie’s symptoms in childhood
• how she got into diagnostic testing
• the difference between neuropsychological testing and diagnostic testing
• where diagnostic testing falls in the ADHD picture
• what signs parents should look for in their kids when considering diagnostic testing?
• the cost of diagnostic testing?
• how testing for giftedness and ADHD differs from standard ADHD testing?
• how Laurie’s ADHD makes her better at what she does?
• what Laurie feels the key to living successfully with ADHD is?
• Laurie’s number one ADHD workaround

Resources:

How to use a bullet journal - https://bulletjournal.com/pages/learn

https://diagnostic-learning.com/

https://ediagnosticlearning.com

She has co-authored a book related to preschool literacy curriculum, written numerous articles found within national journals regarding literacy instruction, and presented across the country at education conferences, sharing her knowledge and passion about how to best help students succeed. Brandi is also the mother of three. 

In 2016, while recovering from her second major hip reconstruction due to hip dysplasia, Brandi founded the Bucket List Adventure Company Ohio. Her focus was on bringing people together by encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zones to overcome their fears. 

Over the last few years Brandi has jumped out of a perfectly good plane, free-dived with sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, walked across fire, kayaked in alligator-infested waterways, ice climbed, rock climbed, and rappelled her way through much of the United State’s most strenuous and iconic trails.  

No surprise that Brandi’s also one of us. She has ADHD! 

Brandi shares: 

• How she completed her Ph.D. in three years while working two part-time jobs with three children
• The circumstances surrounding her own ADHD diagnosis 
• Symptoms that she always wondered about but now with the benefit of hindsight she recognizes as clearly ADHD?
• What has changed since her diagnosis?
• Why she decided to start her travel company?
• Why she started the “Adventure Club?”
• The knowledge that Brandi imparts on every one of her students
• What she believes the key to living successfully with ADHD is?
• Her number one ADHD workaround
• Her advice to a young woman just diagnosed with ADHD

Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/bucketlistadventurecompanyohio

https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistadventurecompanyoh/?hl=en&fbclid=IwAR37cFKgc8hnjnS0lgrsOEFn6HKLeH2PAT_HXjGu5oArZmkpGbWxuEESw6E

Email: [email protected]

Attorneys volunteering with Annunciation House provided legal consultations and pro bono reunification to more than 400 separated families. Currently, Taylor focuses her work on asylum-seeking families who have been returned to Mexico under the “Remain in Mexico” program. She also mentors attorneys from around the country on these cases and does advocacy, media, and policy work centered on protecting vulnerable asylum seekers arriving at our border.

Taylor talks about an article that ProPublica just published about her clients, Honduran refugees Mirza, David and their kids. 

Taylor also shares:

• How she ended up in law school while working full time and raising a child as a single mother
• The circumstances surrounding her own ADHD diagnosis 
• Symptoms that she always wondered about but now with the benefit of hindsight she recognizes as clearly ADHD?
• What has changed since her diagnosis?
• How she ended up representing immigrants and asylum seekers before she even went to law school
• What she believes the key to living successfully with ADHD is?
• Her novel approach to medication
• Her number one workaround
• Her advice to a young woman just diagnosed with ADHD
• Information about the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Hybrid Program

Resources:

Taylor’s email: [email protected]

https://www.propublica.org/article/women-to-one-side-men-to-the-other-how-the-border-patrol-new-powers-and-old-carelessness-separated-a-family?fbclid=IwAR1cyQ24MclMBGa0MPWZpsrZH13O1Nl6bxMsz_NzdTLryah4zpZCe5dUt2U

The nonprofit that Taylor mentioned: www.santafedreamersproject.org

The Santa Fe Dreamers Project provides free legal services to immigrants and refugees to promote economic empowerment, community development, family unity, and liberation from detention. 

And Taylor’s law school! https://mitchellhamline.edu/academics/j-d-enrollment-options/blended-learning-at-mitchell-hamline/

In Episode 58 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy shares five hacks that have changed her professional and personal productivity and play well with her ADHD brain. 

They are:

• Stickies app for IOS (or Sticky Notes for Windows),
• Multiple Desktops which is available for both IOS and Windows, 
• TabResize app,
• Bear app; and 
• New Kajabi, a platform for online businesses

Tracy talks about:

• Her love - hate relationship with Post-it-notes 
• The two things that new applications need in order to work well with her ADHD brain
• How to organize your computer workspace with multiple desktops
• How to automatically organize your desktop so it’s never a mess
• The application that keeps her the most focused because it allows her to stay within the four corners of one computer screen
• The application that ensures you will never lose another note, book or restaurant suggestion or link again
• The application that finally allowed her to understand all parts of her online business rather than delegating that which she didn’t understand

Resources:

https://support.apple.com/guide/stickies/welcome/mac

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/work-in-multiple-spaces-mh14112/mac

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209101

https://www.howtogeek.com/355173/how-to-get-macos-mojave-style-desktop-stacks-on-windows/

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-resize-split-screen-l/bkpenclhmiealbebdopglffmfdiilejc

https://bear.app/

https://www.tracyotsuka.com/kajabi

In Episode #57 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy invites her good friend Sandra Centorino to the podcast to talk about her recent mid-life ADHD diagnosis. Sandra is currently the founder of RealWomenGoLive where her mission is to help, inspire, share and connect real women to the power of their voice through audio and video. Prior to that, Sandra ran a non-profit called The CUREchief Foundation where she recruited and trained thousands of volunteers for more than a decade. 

Sandra shares:

• Why she decided to seek a diagnosis
• How her symptoms got worse in midlife
• Her families response to her diagnosis
• What has changed since she was diagnosed
• Her experience with medication
• Her number one ADHD workaround
• Her advice to anyone who’s listening who has not yet been diagnosed 

Resources:

https://www.realwomengolive.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/realwomengolive/

https://www.instagram.com/sandracentorinolive/

Linda shares with us:

• Her symptoms in childhood 
• Her ADHD diagnosis
• How she figured out that she had something more than just ADHD
• Her Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) diagnosis
• What NVLD looks like 
• What percentage of communication is verbal vs non-verbal and why that matters 
• Why those with NVLD actually talk more, not less
• What it means to not understand the meaning behind words and take things literally 
• How to tell the difference between ADHD and NVLD
• Why those with NVLD are often misdiagnosed with ADHD
• Why NVLD is still not recognized in the DSM even though they are both brain-based conditions
• What happens to those with NVLD who are left untreated

Linda then shares the current treatment options for NVLD and explains why she believes they don’t work. She also shares what she has discovered does work. 

Resources:

Join Linda's new Facebook Group, NVLD Pioneers here.

Addvantageslearningcenter.com

Symptom test for adults, Could I have non-Verbal Learning Disorder? https://www.additudemag.com/screener-nonverbal-learning-disorder-symptoms-test-adults/

Article that appeared in Additude magazine on NVLD: https://addvantageslearningcenter.com/adhd-vs-nv

Another article by Linda Karanzalis for ADDitude magazine.

https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-nonverbal-learning-disorder-symptoms-and-diagnosis/

If you’d like to write a review for the podcast ADHD for Smart Ass Women, click on this link ON YOUR PHONE ONLY. Scroll down to the very bottom after all episodes to Ratings & Reviews. There you will find a link that states “Write a Review.” Thank you!

Tracy talks about what she’s learned in the year since she started her podcast, ADHD for Smart Ass Women. She is hoping that her story might inspire you to tackle that one big bucket list item that you really want to do but are scared to start. After all, she’s been there.

Tracy shares:

• Why she started the podcast
• What her biggest fear was around having a podcast
• How she feels about planning
• Her thoughts about accountability vs. responsibility
• The importance of structure
• Why she listens more and talks less
• How her podcast helped her to develop more tools and strategies for herself
• The importance of reminders
• How starting a podcast solidified for Tracy, her beliefs around ADHD not being a disorder but rather a brain difference that just requires another way of doing things
• How those with ADHD are gold star people
• How the members of her ADHD for Smart Ass Women Facebook Group and listeners of the podcast helped her to grow in her knowledge of ADHD
• What her podcast taught her about confidence

Resources:

https://addca.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541724249266515/

Esther shares:

• why learning to breathe properly is a powerful tool in managing the ADHD brain 
• how she connected breath to so much of her own personal struggles stemming from ADHD and how it changed her life
• how proper breathing reduces stress, stabilizes emotions, and makes us more mindful
• how breathing balances the autonomic nervous system and helps us to be more attentive (focused) and more relaxed.
• some simple steps for breathing properly and doing it anywhere
• her FREE 10-day breathing course

----------------

Resources:

https://spacetobreatheacademy.com/

https://spacetobreatheacademy.com/smartassbreath/ (this is the FREE 10-day breathing course that Esther mentioned)

https://www.additudemag.com/deep-breathing-exercises-for-adhd-meditation/