ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka
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
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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adhdforsmartwomen.com
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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.
ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka
EP. 351: Regulation Before Education: Why Calm Brains Learn Best with Meg Schofield
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Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/signup
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Sometimes the thing that saves you is also the thing that masks your greatest struggle.
Swimming was Meg Hennessey Schofield's lifeline through college—three to four miles a day that kept her ADHD brain calm and focused. When she quit her senior year to focus on teaching, everything fell apart. The anxiety and depression that led to her diagnosis at 21 made sense in hindsight, but she pushed the ADHD piece aside. Everyone has a little ADHD, right? It wasn't until postpartum struggles led a provider to revisit that ignored diagnosis that everything changed. Two hours after taking medication, Meg saw herself clearly for the first time in years—the mental noise had quieted.
Meg is a special educator with a Master's in Severe Special Education and co-creator of the SMYLE program, which blends sensory-based yoga with trauma-informed education. Her revelation about regulation didn't just change her life—it transformed her classroom. When she made subtle changes to help manage her own anxiety, her students with severe disabilities began accessing parts of their brains they hadn't reached in years.
In this conversation, Meg and Tracy explore how chronic stress hijacks learning, why "acting out" is actually nervous system dysregulation, and what it looks like to start each school day with regulation instead of demands. Meg shares her coffee cup analogy for how students arrive each morning and how she teaches both kids and adults to reconnect their bodies and minds through breath and movement.
Resources:
Email: meghenscho@gmail.com
Website: sensoryenhancedyoga.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-hennessey-schofield-784449102
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If this podcast helps you understand your ADHD brain, Shift helps you train it. Practice mindset work in just 10 minutes a day. Learn more at tracyotsuka.com/shift
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.
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