Podcast Summary: ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

Episode 361: Gratitude Will Change Your Life
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Tracy Otsuka

Main Theme & Purpose

In this insightful solo episode, Tracy Otsuka dives deep into the transformative power of gratitude—especially for women with ADHD. As the holiday season begins, Tracy unpacks why gratitude is not just a nicety but a necessity for ADHD brains, detailing the neuroscience behind positive emotion, practical ways to build gratitude habits, and the real-world outcomes of living gratefully. She also introduces her patented system for helping ADHD women leverage their unique strengths.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gratitude Is Foundational for ADHD Brains

• Emotional Processing & Dopamine:
  • "Gratitude matters for every human, but for those of us with ADHD, it's not optional. It is literally foundational." (03:15)
  • ADHD brains rely on positive emotion to function well: Positive emotion spikes dopamine, which is critical for memory, behavior, focus, and motivation.
  • “We don’t really do motivation, more our inspiration. And emotions don’t just make us feel things. They cause us to act.” (04:02)
• Dopamine and Action:
  • Actions like checklists, exercise, and gratitude all spike dopamine, creating momentum for further action.

2. How Gratitude Directly Improves ADHD Symptoms

• Sleep and Executive Function:
  • “Gratitude improves our sleep, and sleep improves our executive functions…Our ability to focus, plan, make decisions, and emotional regulation.” (05:02)
  • Good sleep, sparked by gratitude, creates a positive feedback loop for mood and executive function.
• Building Habits Through Positivity:
  • “Dopamine feels good, so your brain repeats whatever created it. If gratitude gives you even a tiny lift, your brain starts scanning for more things to be grateful for.” (07:15)
• Shifting Focus Away from Negativity:
  • ADHD brains are “Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive,” often latching on to tiny setbacks instead of many wins. Research suggests it takes five positives to counteract one negative—Tracy speculates it may take even more for ADHD brains. (09:08)

3. Practical Tools: Gratitude Journaling & Positive Dossier

• The Five Minute Journal:
  • Tracy details her experience with this structured gratitude journal, praising its ADHD-friendly design:
    • Morning: Three things you’re grateful for, what would make today great, a daily “I am” affirmation.
    • Evening: Highlight of the day, what was learned that day.
  • “For the longest time, what I would do is I used this journal before I got out of bed…And then in the evening before I went to bed, I would fill out two evening prompts.” (15:37)
• Positive Emotion Dossier:
  • A running list of personal wins and proud moments, from childhood to present, to revisit in low moments.
  • “We need evidence. We need reminders of our brilliance. Because otherwise we can forget.” (18:35)

4. The Power of Giving and Receiving

• 29 Gifts Practice:
  • Inspired by the book 29 Gifts by Cammie Walker, Tracy shares how giving one gift each day (to others and herself) shifted her holiday outlook.
    • Gifts can be small acts—time, acknowledgment, smiles.
    • The key lesson: “The part that changed me the most was I also had to give a daily gift to myself…I saw more of them throughout the day.” (21:08)

5. Understanding Gratitude as Energy & Receiving

• Gratitude as a Frequency:
  • “Gratitude is actually the emotional state of receiving. So when you’re in gratitude, you’re basically living in a perpetual state of receiving. Your brain is on the frequency of, you know what, good things come to me…” (25:30)

6. The “Gap” Trap: Conditional Gratitude and the ADHD Futurist

• Women with ADHD as Visionaries:
  • “We are actually visionaries. We live half of our lives in the future…And this is a strength until we look at where we are right now and immediately notice this gap between where we are and where we want to be.” (27:15)
  • The trap: believing joy and gratitude will arrive after achieving a goal ("I'll be grateful once I…").
• The Solution:
  • You must change the emotion first—not wait for outside circumstances to change.

7. The Five Levels of Gratitude

Tracy elaborates on the spectrum of gratitude, adapted from Abraham Hicks:

• Level 1: No appreciation, constant complaint (“Eeyore mode”).
• Level 2: Appreciation for what's good—starting to make lists and notice blessings.
• Level 3: Gratitude for what's coming—trusting that current struggles are opening doors.
• Level 4: Gratitude for the hard stuff—viewing setbacks as valuable information.
• Level 5: There is no bad—believing all experiences are happening for you, not to you.
  • “There is no failure. There is no problem that you can’t solve. And everything is happening for you, not to you.” (33:15)

8. Redefining Problems & Post-Traumatic Growth

• Problems are the Curriculum:
  • “Problems are not an interruption of your life. Problems are your life. And solving problems, that's how we build confidence… They are the curriculum.” (36:24)
• Trauma Caveat:
  • While gratitude is powerful, those with trauma need more support; healing can eventually foster “post-traumatic growth”—a deeper groundedness and sense of meaning.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“No one ever made a difference by being too little.”
—Tracy Otsuka (02:57)

“Positive emotion, it spikes our dopamine. And dopamine is what runs the show.”
—Tracy Otsuka (03:32)

“Dopamine feels good, so your brain repeats whatever created it. If gratitude gives you even a tiny lift, your brain starts scanning for more things to be grateful for.”
—Tracy Otsuka (07:15)

“ADHD brains, we can sometimes be Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive.”
—Tracy Otsuka (08:49)

“You have to change the emotion before the circumstances shift. Otherwise you’re going to drag the same patterns, the same thoughts, the same emotional habits into every new chapter.”
—Tracy Otsuka (29:09)

“Problems are not an interruption of your life. Problems are your life. And solving problems, that’s how we build confidence.”
—Tracy Otsuka (36:25)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–03:15 | Introduction, ADHD strengths, why gratitude needs attention
• 03:16–07:20 | The neuroscience of positive emotion, dopamine, and taking action
• 07:21–10:00 | How gratitude builds habits and shifts focus from negativity
• 15:35–18:35 | The Five Minute Journal and “positive emotion dossier” in building gratitude
• 21:08–23:29 | The 29 Gifts experience: giving and receiving shifts perspective
• 25:30–27:30 | Gratitude as a “frequency” and state of receiving
• 27:31–30:10 | The “gap” trap, conditional gratitude, and stepping into gratitude now
• 33:00–36:30 | Five levels of gratitude and why problems are necessary
• 38:10–end | Trauma and post-traumatic growth; closing reflections

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Tracy’s tone is upbeat, validating, and genuinely motivational. She balances neuroscience, personal stories, and practical advice in a way that’s direct, relatable, and empowering. The clear message: Gratitude is a game-changer, not just a feel-good practice—and for ADHD women, it’s a tool for transformation, resilience, and self-trust.

For more tools and resources, visit adhdforsmartwomen.com.