Chaos & Caffeine - ADHD Parenting Podcast

Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
What happens when your child is diagnosed with ADHD… and suddenly everything about your own life starts making sense?
In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine, I’m joined by Tracy Otsuka, ADHD coach, podcast host, and fellow late-diagnosed ADHD mom, for a conversation that so many parents don’t even realize they’re about to have.
We talk about:
Discovering your own ADHD after your child’s diagnosis
Why so many moms—especially high-achieving, high-masking women—are diagnosed last
The grief, relief, rage, and validation that come with a late ADHD diagnosis
Letting go of shame, perfectionism, and “why can’t I just handle this?”
And the reminder every overwhelmed ADHD parent needs to hear: it’s all going to work out
This episode is for the parent who:
Was “fine” until their kid was diagnosed
Suddenly sees their childhood, burnout, anxiety, and coping strategies in a whole new light
Is trying to parent an ADHD child while re-parenting themselves
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, self-identified, or quietly wondering if ADHD has been the missing piece all along—this conversation will make you feel seen, steadied, and hopeful.
Grab your coffee. Take a breath. You didn’t miss the boat. You’re right on time.
Connect with Tracy 👉 Tracy Otsuka
This Month's Sponsors:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center 
A strength-based practice co-founded by Dr. Edward Hallowell that actually gets ADHD. They offer evaluations, therapy, coaching, medication management, and parent support that focuses on what’s strong about your kid, not just what’s hard.  
✨ Social Thinking 
Social learning that helps kids, teens, and adults understand the why behind social behavior, not just memorize a checklist of “correct” moves. Their tools, curricula, and resources teach social cognition, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, and real-world problem-solving.
📱 Talkspace 
Therapy that fits real life. With Talkspace, you can message or chat with a licensed therapist right from your phone, no face-to-face required. Perfect if you’re shy, anxious, overwhelmed, or just communicate better in writing. 
🎒 Miacademy 
An online learning platform that makes school feel less like a daily power struggle. With engaging videos, games, quizzes, and built-in rewards, Miacademy helps K-8 kids stay motivated while giving parents tools to track progress without hovering. 
Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].
Support the show

Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves!
What if the missing piece in ADHD parenting isn’t more structure, stricter consequences, or better behavior charts—but permission?
In this powerful, grounding conversation, I’m joined by ADHD-informed parent coach and educator Dana Crews to talk about what it really means to see ADHD in full permission—for our kids and ourselves.
Inspired by Dana’s work with CHADD, this episode explores how permission-based ADHD care helps parents move out of constant crisis mode and into something far more sustainable: connection, regulation, and trust.
We unpack:
 – Why control-based parenting often increases meltdowns and power struggles in ADHD kids
 – The difference between permissive parenting and permission-based care
 – How nervous system regulation—not compliance—is the foundation of effective ADHD support
 – What “letting go” actually looks like without sacrificing boundaries
This episode is part of the New Year, Less Chaos campaign—a series designed to help ADHD families reduce overwhelm, lower stress, and build rhythms that actually work in real life.
If you’re parenting a child with ADHD and feel exhausted by advice that sounds good but collapses under pressure, this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. 🎧
Connect with Dana 👉 Second Arrow Coaching 
This Month's Sponsors:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center 
A strength-based practice co-founded by Dr. Edward Hallowell that actually gets ADHD. They offer evaluations, therapy, coaching, medication management, and parent support that focuses on what’s strong about your kid, not just what’s hard.  
✨ Social Thinking 
Social learning that helps kids, teens, and adults understand the why behind social behavior, not just memorize a checklist of “correct” moves. Their tools, curricula, and resources teach social cognition, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, and real-world problem-solving.
📱 Talkspace 
Therapy that fits real life. With Talkspace, you can message or chat with a licensed therapist right from your phone, no face-to-face required. Perfect if you’re shy, anxious, overwhelmed, or just communicate better in writing. 
🎒 Miacademy 
An online learning platform that makes school feel less like a daily power struggle. With engaging videos, games, quizzes, and built-in rewards, Miacademy helps K-8 kids stay motivated while giving parents tools to track progress without hovering. 
Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].
Support the show

Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves!
If your ADHD household completely unraveled after the holidays, school breaks, or time off, this episode is for you.
In this kickoff episode of the New Year, Less Chaos series, ADHD educator and parent coach Peggy Gomula joins Chaos & Caffeine to break down why ADHD routines fall apart after breaks and how parents can reset without punishment, power struggles, or burnout.
Peggy’s approach to ADHD parenting is refreshingly different. Instead of focusing on compliance and correction, she teaches families how to lead with connection over correction, understand how ADHD brains actually work, and rebuild routines in a way that sticks — not just in January, but all year long.
In this episode, we cover:
Why transitions and breaks are especially hard for ADHD kids
How to reset routines after holidays, school breaks, and chaotic weeks
What “connection over correction” actually looks like in real life
Practical, ADHD-friendly strategies that work beyond the New Year
These strategies aren’t about perfection. They’re about understanding, flexibility, and creating systems that support ADHD brains even when life interrupts your routines (because it always does).
If you’re an ADHD parent looking for realistic tools, science-backed insight, and zero shame, this episode will help you start your year — or your reset — with more confidence and less chaos. 🎧 
This Month's Sponsors:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center 
A strength-based practice co-founded by Dr. Edward Hallowell that actually gets ADHD. They offer evaluations, therapy, coaching, medication management, and parent support that focuses on what’s strong about your kid, not just what’s hard.  If you’re done with shame-based care and ready for science-backed, human-first support for neurodivergent families, head to hallowelltodaro.com. Because ADHD doesn’t need fixing, it needs understanding and the right tools.
✨ Social Thinking 
Social learning that helps kids, teens, and adults understand the why behind social behavior, not just memorize a checklist of “correct” moves. Their tools, curricula, and resources teach social cognition, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, and real-world problem-solving, so your neurodivergent kiddo can navigate friendships, conversations, and social stress with more awareness and less guessing. If you want practical frameworks and language to help your child think socially (not just act like they’re supposed to), check out socialthinking.com.
📱 Talkspace 
Therapy that fits real life. With Talkspace, you can message or chat with a licensed therapist right from your phone, no face-to-face required. Perfect if you’re shy, anxious, overwhelmed, or just communicate better in writing. No waiting rooms. No pressure to perform. Just support that meets you where you are. Visit talkspace.com to start therapy on your terms, because help shouldn’t feel harder than the problem.
Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].
Support the show

Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
What if the secret to less chaos in 2026 isn’t another planner, routine, reward chart, or parenting hack — but a fundamental shift you may not be ready to hear?
In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine, Danielle sits down with Dr. Michael W. Elice, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and internationally recognized expert in complex neurodevelopmental conditions, to unpack the one change that could radically reduce chaos in your home — and fair warning: you’re either going to love it… or absolutely hate it.
Dr. Elice brings decades of experience working with children and families navigating ADHD, autism, immune dysfunction, PANDAS, metabolic and mitochondrial disorders, and the messy gray areas that don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis. He’s taught at NYU Medical School and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, lectured globally through MAPS and the Autism Research Institute, and contributed to cutting-edge research and clinical education in pediatric neurodevelopment.
In this conversation, we talk about:
Why chaos persists even when parents “do everything right”
The biggest mindset mistake neurodivergent families are taught to believe
What actually reduces overwhelm — for kids and parents
Why this change feels uncomfortable (and why that matters)
How to approach 2026 with less reactivity and more regulation
This episode is part of our New Year, Less Chaos series — created for parents who are done chasing perfection and ready for something that actually works.
🎧 Listen now — and don’t be surprised if this episode sticks with you long after it ends.
Connect with Dr Elice 👉 Aim Integrative Medicine 
This Month’s Sponsors:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center 
A strength-based practice co-founded by Dr. Edward Hallowell that actually gets ADHD. They offer evaluations, therapy, coaching, medication management, and parent support that focuses on what’s strong about your kid, not just what’s hard.  If you’re done with shame-based care and ready for science-backed, human-first support for neurodivergent families, head to hallowelltodaro.com. Because ADHD doesn’t need fixing — it needs understanding and the right tools.
✨ Social Thinking 
A strength-based approach to social learning that helps kids, teens, and adults understand the why behind social behavior, not just memorize a checklist of “correct” moves. Their tools, curricula, and resources teach social cognition, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, and real-world problem-solving — so your neurodivergent kiddo can navigate friendships, conversations, and social stress with more awareness and less guessing. If you want practical frameworks and language to help your child think socially (not just act like they’re supposed to), check out socialthinking.com.
Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].
Support the show

Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves!
If Christmas break has turned into nonstop power struggles, emotional blowups, and you wondering how did we get here before noon, this episode is your reset.
In this powerful replay, I’m joined by Dr. Nerissa Bauer, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and ADHD expert, to talk about one of the most game-changing shifts in ADHD parenting: connection before correction.
Because when routines disappear, screens increase, and everyone’s nervous system is fried, traditional discipline strategies stop working — especially for ADHD kids. Dr. Bauer explains why our neurodivergent kids struggle most during unstructured time and how parents can respond in ways that actually calm the brain instead of escalating the chaos.
This episode is packed with science-backed, compassionate tools for parents who are exhausted from correcting behaviors and ready to reconnect with their kids — without permissiveness, guilt, or losing authority.
This is not about being a perfect parent. It’s about understanding the ADHD brain, regulating yourself first, and building the kind of relationship that actually leads to cooperation — especially when everyone is running on sugar, no sleep, and vibes.
If you’re parenting an ADHD child and feel stuck in a cycle of correcting, lecturing, and yelling — this episode will remind you that connection isn’t the soft option. It’s the most effective one.
Connect with Dr Bauer 👉 Let's Talk Kids Health
This Month’s Sponsors:
🧮 Pop Sugar Cafe 
The printable shop saving ADHD parents everywhere from pure morning meltdown chaos. Their visual schedules, routine charts, and emotion trackers are actually cute and neurodivergent-friendly. 
🎁 Play Therapy Supply
Because sometimes the best gifts aren’t found in the toy aisle. Play Therapy Supply curates sensory-friendly tools, fidgets, and therapeutic toys that actually help kids calm their bodies and connect with their feelings.
🪑 Ted Kangaroo
A line of science-backed sensory furniture and tools designed for kids who feel everything — loudly, quickly, and all at once. Ted Kangaroo’s patented chairs, vests, and rockers give your child a safe, calming, multi-sensory space to refocus, self-soothe, and regulate their emotions. 
Join Our Newsletter and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].
Support the show