EP. 342: Not Done Yet: Redefining the Third Act with ADHD with Sandy Reynolds
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Aging with ADHD isn't about decline—it's about finally coming into your own. Sandy Reynolds is challenging everything we've been told about getting older, especially as neurodivergent women.Sandy is a coach, facilitator, and fierce advocate for women navigating their third act. With more than 25 years of leadership and adult education experience, she helps women untangle themselves from outdated roles, people-pleasing patterns, and identities that no longer fit. Diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s after a fellow grad student pointed out that she "checked out a lot," Sandy brings lived experience to conscious aging—an approach that's about healing the past and embracing the future so you can flourish now.In this conversation, Sandy and Tracy explore why ADHD women often look and feel 10 years younger, how our relentless curiosity keeps us growing when others stagnate, and why so many of us hit our stride in our 50s instead of winding down. They dive into the intersection of hormones, dopamine, and aging, discuss why Sandy's closest friend and she "carry on like they're 35," and explore how conscious aging reframes getting older as gaining wisdom rather than losing relevance.Sandy also shares her approach to life review and life repair, explains why one-third of people don't have wills (hint: executive function), and reveals her number one ADHD workaround that no guest has mentioned in 350+ episodes. From Cambodia's reverence for elders to our culture's ageism, this episode will make you rethink everything about what it means to age as a neurodivergent woman.Resources:Website: https://www.sandyreynolds.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandyareynolds LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyreynolds Substack: A Crone in the Woods: https://crone.substack.com Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy 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://tracyotsuka.com/book2Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com
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EP. 341: Friendship, ADHD, and Building a Kinder Workplace
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___When you're the eldest daughter of immigrants with ADHD and autism, you learn to mask early and master systems—but at what cost? Meral Alizada knows this story intimately, and she's using it to transform how companies think about neurodivergent talent.Meral is the founder of Results of Kindness (ROK), where she helps organizations build workplaces where neurodivergent minds aren't just accommodated, they're celebrated. With degrees in Law and Psychology and a background in organizational psychology, she knows how to navigate systems. But what sets her apart is how she redesigns them with empathy, creativity, and a deep understanding of what actually works for ADHD and autistic brains.Diagnosed with both ADHD and autism in her late twenties while working one-on-one with a brilliant child who shared her traits, Meral's journey from law to psychology to entrepreneurship is as nonlinear as her thinking. In this conversation, she and Tracy explore the weight of being ultra-organized out of anxiety, the loneliness of outgrowing friendships, and why our relentless drive for self-development might be our greatest superpower.Meral also breaks down her "Genius Retention" program, explaining why kindness isn't just nice to have—it's profitable. When 89% of workers want kindness in the workplace but 77% are disengaged globally, she argues that treating people as human beings strengthens the hands with which they contribute to organizations. Born to Afghan-Uzbek parents and raised across Europe, Meral brings both global perspective and deeply personal insight to the future of work.Resources:Website: https://resultsofkindness.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeralalizada LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meralalizada Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy 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://tracyotsuka.com/book2Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com
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EP. 340: AI, Intuition, and the ADHD Advantage with Muxin Li
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___People with ADHD are built for the future of work. While everyone else worries about AI taking over jobs, we're the ones who'll figure out what to do with it next.Muxin Li studied at UVA and Rice, but her real education came from following a winding path through anthropology, teaching, journalism, and now AI. Today, she's building tools designed to reduce cognitive overload and help people focus on what actually matters. Diagnosed with ADHD in business school after struggling through chaotic team meetings, Muxin brings a neurodivergent lens to the future of tech—one that sees ADHD not as a barrier, but as a design blueprint.In this episode, Muxin and Tracy explore why the traits we're told to tone down—intuition, creativity, nonlinear thinking—are exactly what the world needs more of. They dive into how ADHD brains connect dots in ways others can't, why we're naturally drawn to entrepreneurship (hello, 50-60% of founders), and how our bottom-up processing gives us superpowers in an AI-driven world.Muxin also shares a profound synchronicity experience that shifted her understanding of intuition, love, and possibility. From Carl Jung's scarab beetle to her own moment of cosmic clarity, she explores how tuning into that deeper intelligence might be the key to creating the future we actually want to live in. Plus, she breaks down the AI tools that are actually helping her manage the chaos of modern life—and previews Maestro, the project management tool she's building for brains like ours.Resources:Website: https://www.muxinli.com X: https://x.com/muxin_li LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muxinli Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy 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://tracyotsuka.com/book2Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com
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EP. 339: The Science of Feeling Better Without Fixing Yourself with Julia Hotz
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___What if your doctor could prescribe a fishing group instead of another medication? A birdwatching club for your anxiety. An art class for your depression. Welcome to social prescribing—a healthcare movement that's changing how we think about healing by focusing on connection, not just pills.Julia Hotz is a journalist and author of The Connection Cure, the first book to explore the science behind social prescribing. As someone who recognizes herself in ADHD symptoms—the scattered attention, the 10,000 browser tabs, the plates left out for days—she's discovered something fascinating: when do we feel our symptoms the least?In this conversation, Julia and Tracy dive into why ADHD brains are particularly sensitive to loneliness and disconnection, and how social prescriptions can be game-changing. From Dave's fishing group that helped him overcome addiction and ADHD symptoms, to forest bathing backed by Japanese research, to bibliotherapy that eases anxiety, Julia shares real examples of how connection-based healing works.They explore attention restoration theory, why 20 minutes in nature can work as well as Ritalin, and how moving from "what's wrong with you" to "what matters to you" can transform everything. Julia shows us how giving our brains what they actually need—connection, nature, purpose—can help us thrive alongside traditional treatments.Resources: Website: https://www.hotzthoughts.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotzthoughtsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-hotz-06510161 Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy 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://tracyotsuka.com/book2Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com
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EP. 338: ADHD and Pregnancy: What No One Tells You
Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup___Nobody prepares you for ADHD pregnancy brain. Decisions become impossible when choosing between 200 strollers for a baby you've never met, how appointments can completely derail your routine, and focus. The brain fog that hits like a wall, or the surprising clarity that some women experience when hormones align just right with their neurodivergent wiring.Dr. Kalin Johnson is back, and this time she's sharing what she learned from experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood with ADHD firsthand. Diagnosed with ADHD, autism, PTSD, and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in adulthood, Kalin recently welcomed her daughter Indie Rue—and discovered just how much the medical system doesn't prepare ADHD women for this journey.In this episode, Tracy and Kalin explore the hormonal rollercoaster of each trimester, why some ADHD women experience incredible focus during pregnancy while others struggle with brain fog, and how conditions like MCAS, dysautonomia, and hypermobility intersect with ADHD. They dive deep into medication decisions, the realities of postpartum life, and why being kinder to yourself isn't optional—it's essential for being the parent you want to be.Whether you're thinking about pregnancy, currently pregnant, or supporting someone who is, this conversation will give you the real talk nobody else is having—and the science to back it up.Resources:Website: https://www.kalinjohnson.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalinpharmd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalin-johnsonpharmd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@queensoftheneuroverse?si=kuneU-Fcnz1Ea2RI&sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LqfhlyNcPLo1CmJXGJvEw Send a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Instead of Struggling to figure out what to do next? ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem. That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/aok-academy 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://tracyotsuka.com/book2Join Your ADHD Brain is A-OK: https://tracyotsuka.com/aok Visit our website: https://tracyotsuka.com
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*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!**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.**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.**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.**adhdforsmartwomen.com**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.
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