Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here.
January 26, 2026
If you feel busy, stimulated, but still oddly unsatisfied, this episode will explain why. ADHD isn’t a dopamine deficiency. It’s a regulation problem. Tracy breaks down what dopamine actually does in the ADHD brain and why chasing it through scrolling, shopping, sugar, urgency, or constant stimulation leaves so many women feeling flat or burned out. ADHD brains don’t have a broken gas tank. They have a sticky accelerator. The issue isn’t pleasure. It’s how often and how intensely we spike it.
Tracy explains dopamine spikes versus baseline, why wanting outpaces liking, and why novelty driven motivation fades so quickly for ADHD brains. Drawing on neuroscience research, she shows how constant stimulation lowers baseline motivation and turns productivity hacks, new planners, and systems into part of the same dopamine loop. This has nothing to do with discipline or follow through. It’s biology.
The episode closes with practical ways to work with dopamine instead of fighting it, including dopamine pauses, time bound resets, replacement instead of restriction, and small doses of productive discomfort. Tracy explains why confidence comes from self trust and why environment design matters more than willpower. Dopamine isn’t the enemy. It’s fuel. Learning how to steer it changes everything.
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“ADHD is not a lack of dopamine. It’s a regulation problem. We don’t have a broken gas tank, we have a sticky accelerator.”
- Tracy Otsuka
“Every dopamine spike is followed by a dip. The brain always tries to restore balance. When we keep chasing spikes without letting the brain reset, the dips get deeper and last longer.”
- Tracy Otsuka
“Dopamine drives wanting, not liking, and that explains why you can crave something intensely without actually enjoying it.”
-- Tracy Otsuka
"Take a short, intentional break from one high-dopamine habit to recalibrate your baseline, not to punish yourself."
-- Tracy Otsuka
"ADHD brains are great starters, okay middlers, and terrible finishers unless adrenaline shows up or dopamine is managed on purpose."
- Tracy Otsuka
"Dopamine chasing doesn’t just look like scrolling or shopping. Sometimes it looks responsible, like a new planner or a new system that promises to fix you."
- Tracy Otsuka
"The more dopamine we chase, the less joy we feel, and most people don’t realize why."
- Tracy Otsuka
- Tracy frames dopamine chasing as the cookie, scroll, shopping, deadline rush, and even “productive” fixes like new planners and apps.
- She clarifies that ADHD is not a lack of dopamine, it’s a regulation issue, like having a sticky accelerator.
- She invites listeners to identify the habit they can’t stop doing even when they know they’ll regret it later.
[005:30 - 10:45] Pleasure-Pain Seesaw and Wanting vs Liking
- Tracy explains the brain’s pleasure-pain balance using Anna Lembke’s “seesaw” concept and how repeated spikes create deeper dips.
- She distinguishes dopamine spikes from baseline dopamine, and how constant spikes drop baseline motivation and joy.
- She introduces “wanting vs liking” and uses real examples (social media, wine, ice cream, dating patterns) to show craving without enjoyment.
[10:45 - 19:25] Dopamine Resets, Friction, and Designing Your Environment
- Tracy describes dopamine fasting or self-binding as a short, time-bound reset paired with replacement habits and added friction.
- She explains hormesis as “small pain as medicine” and links it to self-trust built by keeping small promises.
- She closes with one-lever action steps (10-minute delay, energy swaps, 24-hour reset) and an identity line about steering dopamine through design.
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
- Website: tracyotsuka.com
- Instagram: @tracyotsuka
- YouTube: @tracyotsuka4796
- FREE 3-days to Fall in Love With Your ADHD Brain training on Jan 6th: tracyotsuka.com/ilovemybrain
- Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: programs.tracyotsuka.com