Archives: Podcasts
Latest Episodes
Episode 157: The Best ADHD Treatment With or Without Medication
Well before I was diagnosed with ADHD I was using exercise as a form of self-medication; it’s a way to start the day out right and it helps me to think more clearly and work off my excess energy. All my life I’ve known that exercise helps with focus and self-regulation, but I was curious to find out why that is. After all, if we know the ‘why’ behind something, we’re much more likely to do it.
Episode 156: How to Choose Your Word for the Year
Like many ADHDers, I hate doing the same things everyone else is doing, and New Year’s resolutions are at the top of that list. A few years ago, instead of writing out a long list of unrealistic goals (and then losing that list a couple of days later), I started choosing one word and one word only to set the direction for my new year. Each year my word sums up who I want to be, it’s my compass when making decisions, and it shapes not only my year, but it shapes me as a person.
Episode 155: ADHD, Dyslexia and Unexplained Underachievement with Founding Director of REED Charitable Foundation, Jennifer Knopf
Can you tell that dyslexia is my current hyper-focus? This will be the last episode on the subject for a while (I promise!) but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to speak with my extraordinary guest today, Jennifer Knopf. Jen is the Founding Director of REED Charitable Foundation, which is committed to putting an end to the literacy crisis and ensuring all children learn to read, write and spell by providing financially accessible, best-in-class structure literacy training – known as Orton-Gillingham – to all teachers.
Episode 154: Your Brain is Not Broken; Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and ADHD Life with Dr. Tamara Rosier
Dr. Tamara Rosier is the founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan, where she leads a team of coaches, therapists, and speech pathologists to help individuals, parents, and families develop an understanding and learn effective skills to live with ADHD effectively. Tamara has gained an impressive amount of knowledge from working with ADHDers and those who support them across a variety of setttings, but just as importantly, she explains complex topics like divergent vs. convergent thinking in a way that sticks in my brain. The analogies she uses in the book and during our conversation are brilliant; among many others, Tamara likens the neurotypical brain to a pleasant butler and the ADHD brain to an angry neighbor. It’s simple and made me laugh and explains in real world language how the prefrontal cortex and limbic system impact our brain’s ability to function.
Episode 153: ADHD and Dyslexia with Dyslexia Therapist, Melanie Florsheim
Join us as Melanie provides a comprehensive overview of what dyslexia is, gives some signs of dyslexia to look for even before children hit reading age, and explains how dyslexia therapy can rewire the circuitry of the brain and increase language processing speed. As for whether adults with dyslexia can benefit from dyslexia therapy, Melanie says, “The plasticity of the brain is a real deal, so there’s no age limit in teaching your brain how to read, write, and spell, how to re-circuit your brain to do it better.”
Bonus Episode: 29 Gifts - Let's Ditch the Overwhelm and Put Joy Back into the Holidays, Together
Beginning today, I’m giving away a gift every day for the next 29 days and I want you to join me!
"Rules” are it must be INTENTIONAL, and WRITTEN DOWN. You can keep track in our 29-day journal. Download it at https://bit.ly/3InI2SH
So we can see each other’s generosity in action, be sure to:
(1) Tag me on instagram @tracyotsuka or on Facebook https://bit.ly/3dbFB7i
(2) Use #29SmartAssGifts
I’m going to be highlighting some of your gifts in my stories over the next 29 days!
Episode 152: ADHD and Friends: Blurting, Oversharing and Small Talk with Social Skills Expert, Caroline Maguire
No matter how much we learn about our ADHD, there is always somehow more to uncover. One of my personal ADHD blind spots has always been social skills; for some reason, I was convinced that I didn’t have any difficulties with social skills and had escaped this ADHD trait. That is, until social skills expert and my guest this episode, the wonderful Caroline Maguire, brought me back down to Earth when she told me the areas of social intelligence that she likes to talk about and I realized I actually struggle with every single one. Who knew!
Episode 151: ADHD Moms, What Really Matters? with Patricia Sung
Patricia is a podcaster herself and her work is aimed at helping other ADHD mothers get their “crap” together (as she puts it). She has built a supportive community of women, something she says has been integral to her own motherhood journey. Join us as we chat about our different perspectives on parenthood and Patricia shares her thoughts on how to let go of perfectionism and start seeing ourselves as the amazing mothers we already are.
Episode 150: Intersectionality of Complex Trauma and ADHD for the BIPOC Community with Therapist, Emerald May Rubio
No matter how many extraordinary ADHD women I meet, I’m still constantly blown away by the incredible things they’re capable of, especially once they start to understand their own brains. I first met my guest, therapist Emerald May Rubio, when she took my program Your ADHD Brain is A-OK; within only a few days of classes Emerald had determined that she was interested in activism and started taking steps toward making it happen. Embracing her ADHD unlocked a new level of understanding in herself and ignighted a passion for working with those in the BIPOC community with complex trauma and ADHD.
Episode 149: Simple Steps to Organize Your ADHD Life With Lisa Woodruff
In this episode Lisa takes us through her systems and why they work so well for ADHDers, shares the script she taught her own children to use when they’re feeling overwhelmed by where to start, and explains why we need to stop using our incredible computer brains as to-do lists. Lisa believes we should all be spending as little time as possible doing household work so we can live our unique callings in life and I couldn’t agree more.
