In this episode, Duena speaks with Lara Schaeffer — autistic educator, advocate and creator of Neurodivergent Learning — about why real-life autistic role models are essential for ND children, teens and adults who are trying to understand themselves in a world that still gets autism profoundly wrong.

Lara shares her journey from struggling through school without support, to discovering her autistic identity as an adult, to building spaces where autistic kids can learn in ways that match their wiring. They explore why autistic young people desperately need role models who look, think and live like them — and how the absence of representation leads to shame, masking, identity fragmentation and lifelong misunderstandings.

Together they discuss:

• Why autistic kids need autistic role models
 • Identity, belonging and the formation of self
 • Masking, shutdown and school trauma
 • Why mainstream education fails autistic learners
 • Spiky profiles & uneven academic performance
 • RSD, overwhelm and emotional safety
 • Realistic autistic success stories (not “inspiration porn”)
 • How ND adults rebuild identity after late diagnosis
 • Neurodivergent Learning as a model for autistic education
 • What parents, educators & leaders must understand

This is a powerful, emotionally grounded conversation about how identity forms, how systems harm, and how representation heals.

⭐ TOPICS COVERED

autism, autistic education, ND role models, identity formation, late diagnosis, school trauma, masking, burnout, shutdown, overwhelm, RSD, spiky profiles, uneven performance, belonging, ND-friendly learning, neurodivergent parenting, representation, emotional safety, Human Debt, inclusion, autistic success.

⭐ CHAPTERS 

⭐ LINKS

🎧 Full podcast series: https://neurospicyatwork.com

🧠 Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

🌐 More about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

🔍 Lara’s work: search “Lara Schaeffer Neurodivergent Learning”

In this episode, Duena sits down with Nick Dean — autistic/ADHD executive coach, speaker and creator of “The Kindness Revolution” — to explore what radical acceptance really looks like for neurodivergent adults.

Nick shares his journey through late discovery, autistic burnout, emotional overload, rejection sensitivity, internalised shame and the long road toward self-kindness. Together they discuss why ND people struggle with boundaries, why masking corrodes identity, how RSD narrows a life down to survival, and what happens when neurodivergent adults finally stop performing and start living as themselves.

This is a gentle, compassionate and deeply grounding conversation about identity, safety, trauma recovery, kindness as a survival strategy, and the emotional cost of trying to adapt to systems that do not understand ND brains.

A vital episode for ND adults navigating burnout, masking, shame, boundaries, self-forgiveness and rediscovering who they are.

Topics Covered

• Radical acceptance for ND adults
 • RSD and emotional pain cycles
 • Autistic & ADHD burnout
 • Masking fatigue & identity collapse
 • Internalised shame & ND trauma
 • Self-kindness & recovery pathways
 • Belonging vs performance
 • ND emotional regulation
 • Workplace mismatch & Human Debt
 • Boundaries, honesty & nervous-system safety

Resources and Links

🎧 Full series: https://neurospicyatwork.com

🧠 Take the ND Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

🌐 More about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

🔍 Find Nick: search “Nick Dean Neurodiversity Coach” on LinkedIn

⭐ CHAPTERS 

What does it actually take for neurodivergent adults to feel safe, supported and happier at work? In this episode, Duena sits down with Aoife O’Brien — autistic/ADHD founder, workplace culture expert and host of Happier at Work — to explore the emotional reality behind ND wellbeing in modern organisations.

Together, they unpack the difference between autistic burnout and general burnout, masking and identity collapse, ADHD impulsivity, impression management, and why ND people are so often misunderstood at work. They look at belonging vs inclusion, corporate trauma, the cost of “performing professionalism,” and what it really means for ND people to build workplaces that don’t demand self-erasure.

A reflective, validating and deeply practical conversation for autistic and ADHD adults, HR leaders, DEI practitioners, founders, and anyone trying to create ND-friendly work.

Topics Covered
• Autistic vs general burnout
• Masking, suppression & identity loss
• ADHD impulsivity & emotional regulation
• Corporate trauma & the cost of neutrality
• Belonging vs inclusion
• Impression management & authenticity
• ND-friendly wellbeing
• Psychological safety for ND teams
• Why ND happiness looks different
• How workplaces can actually adapt

More
Full podcast series: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Duena’s work: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

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NeuroSpicy @ Work — Episode with Aoife O’Brien, autistic/ADHD founder and workplace culture advocate. Core themes: autistic burnout vs general burnout, masking, identity collapse, ADHD impulsivity, impression management, belonging vs inclusion, psychological safety, workplace trauma, Human Debt, ND wellbeing, emotional regulation. Host: Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist, psychological safety researcher. Audience: neurodivergent adults, HR/DEI leaders, managers, educators, founders.
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Growing up autistic in a system that didn’t understand, and how that shaped career choices, confidence and the courage to self-advocate.

In this episode, Duena speaks with Craig Cockburn — autistic advocate, technologist, author and creator of “high-performance autistic” frameworks — about what happens when you grow up undiagnosed in an education system that misunderstands everything about your brain.

Craig shares his lived journey from early school struggles, sensory overwhelm, misinterpretation by teachers, and repeated failure in rigid learning environments — all the way through to discovering his autistic identity in adulthood.

Together, Craig and Duena explore:

• Autistic childhoods in undiagnosed generations
 • How schools misinterpret autistic learning styles
 • The damage of being labelled “disruptive,” “lazy,” or “not applying yourself”
 • Why autistic people excel in some subjects but crash in others
 • Sensory overload, anxiety & shutdown in school environments
 • How misdiagnosis affects confidence, self-esteem & identity
 • Autistic strengths: logic, pattern-recognition & deep-focus learning
 • Why ND people succeed in tech but struggle in corporate politics
 • Job interviews, hiring bias & workplace mismatch
 • How self-knowledge transforms career choices
 • What parents, teachers & leaders MUST understand

This episode is deeply validating for late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults who realise only decades later that nothing was actually “wrong” with them — the system simply had no idea what it was looking at.

Craig’s story is powerful, intelligent, and wide-reaching — a must-listen for autistic adults, parents, educators, and leaders trying to understand ND learning and working patterns.

Guest:
Craig Cockburn — autistic technologist, consultant, author and ND advocate.

Host:
Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist and workplace culture researcher.

⭐ TOPICS COVERED

autism, late diagnosis, education trauma, misdiagnosis, sensory overwhelm, autistic learning styles, high-performance autistic, ND strengths, identity formation, burnout, hiring bias, ND-friendly careers, Human Debt, workplace culture, psychological safety, disclosure, autistic adulthood.

⭐ CHAPTERS 

⭐RESOURCES

Listen to all episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

Learn more about Craig: search “Craig Cockburn Autism” on LinkedIn

How ADHD shapes careers, self-worth, failure cycles, and the philosophy of continuous improvement.

In this episode, Duena is joined by Chris Stone — agile coach, ADHD adult, continuous improvement practitioner, and the creator of The Coaching Culture Club.

Together they explore what it really means to build a life, career and identity around an ADHD brain that never stops moving.

Chris shares his journey through school failures, exam panic, inconsistent performance, burnout cycles, and the constant tension between “high potential” and “self-destruct mode.”
 hey discuss rejection sensitivity, spirals of self-doubt, hyperfocus traps, and the way ADHD adults often oscillate between brilliance and collapse — all inside systems not built for nonlinear minds.

Duena and Chris unpack:

• Growing up ADHD without diagnosis
 • Shame, self-blame & internalised failure
 • The transition from burnout to clarity
 • ADHD career patterns: boom-and-bust productivity
 • Continuous improvement as a survival tool
 • Why ND adults struggle with traditional education & corporate systems
 • Agile mindsets as ND-friendly models
 • Identity, confidence & the fear of slowing down
 • What leaders need to know about ADHD workers
 • How community, belonging & honesty transform everything

This is a powerful, practical conversation about ADHD as a lived experience — not a bullet list of symptoms — and how continuous improvement becomes a philosophy of survival and growth.

⭐ TOPICS COVERED

ADHD, adult ADHD, late diagnosis, burnout, hyperfocus, shame cycles, rejection sensitivity, career transitions, nonlinear paths, continuous improvement, agile culture, psychological safety, Human Debt, workplace trauma, identity collapse, ND coaching, self-worth, productivity, masking, ADHD overwhelm.

⭐ CHAPTERS 

Resources

Listen to all episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

Find Chris: search “Chris Stone Agile Coach ADHD” on LinkedIn

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NeuroSpicy @ Work – Episode 8 with guest Chris Stone. Core themes: ADHD, adult ADHD, burnout cycles, hyperfocus, overwhelm, rejection sensitivity (RSD), nonlinear careers, self-worth, continuous improvement, agile coaching, identity formation, emotional regulation, Human Debt, workplace culture mismatch, ND-friendly leadership. 

Guest: Chris Stone – ADHD adult, agile coach, continuous improvement advocate, community leader, host of The Coaching Culture Club.  

Host: Duena Blomstrom – autistic/ADHD author and Human Debt theorist, psychological safety researcher, workplace culture expert.  

Audience: neurodivergent adults, ADHD adults, late-diagnosed individuals, HR/DEI, coaches, educators, therapists, agile practitioners, ND parents, workplace culture designers.

Anchor concepts: ND identity, ADHD philosophy, burnout loops, recovery, modern work, learning models, lived experience, meaning-making, ND strengths.
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In this episode, Duena sits down with David Gunter — late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD medical writer, neurodiversity advocate, and founder of PlanetAutism.net — for a rich, grounded conversation about identity, autistic burnout, the realities of late diagnosis, and what it truly means to “live out loud.”

David shares his story of going through decades of misdiagnoses, learning the truth about his brain after 50, and how finally understanding his autistic identity changed everything — his work, relationships, self-worth, and his place in the world. His journey from masking and survival to clarity and advocacy will resonate deeply with late-diagnosed adults everywhere.

Together, Duena and David explore:

• What autistic & ADHD burnout really looks like in adults
• Identity collapse, shutdowns, overwhelm & alexithymia
• Why masking becomes traumatic over time
• RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria) in autistic adults
• Autistic strengths: analytical thinking, deep-focus work & objective reasoning
• How ND people can thrive in the right roles
• The truth about workplace inclusion & Human Debt
• The emotional cost of unmasking — and the freedom that follows
• Why ND community connection is transformative
• Why “living out loud” is survival, not a luxury

This is one of the most emotionally powerful episodes of the series — a must-listen if you’re navigating late diagnosis, burnout, identity reconstruction, or stepping into self-advocacy.

Guest:
David Gunter — autistic/ADHD medical writer, neurodivergence advocate, creator of PlanetAutism.net.
Find him on LinkedIn or at: https://planetautism.net

Host:
Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, psychological safety researcher, Human Debt framework creator, and late-diagnosed workplace culture expert.

🧠 Topics Covered 

• Autistic & ADHD burnout
• Late diagnosis & emotional unraveling
• Masking fatigue, shutdowns & identity collapse
• Overwhelm, alexithymia & RSD
• Rebuilding identity through ND community
• “Living Out Loud” as survival
• Reparenting & boundaries
• Workplaces, trauma & Human Debt
• ND-friendly recovery
• Advocacy, disclosure & unmasking

🕒 Chapters 

00:00 — Intro & who is David Gunter
 02:15 — Late diagnosis & the ND unpeeling
 05:40 — Burnout, shutdown & identity collapse
 09:22 — Masking, alexithymia & emotional overload
 12:45 — RSD & why it hits autistic adults so hard
 15:10 — Finding the right work as an autistic adult
 18:42 — Advocacy, disclosure & “living out loud”
 23:05 — Workplace challenges, Human Debt & inclusion
 26:48 — Community, belonging & reclaiming identity
 31:10 — Final thoughts & David’s message to ND adults

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NeuroSpicy @ Work – Season 1 Episode 7 with guest David Gunter. Themes: late diagnosis of autism and ADHD, autistic burnout, ADHD burnout, shutdowns, overwhelm, alexithymia, RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria), identity collapse, masking fatigue, trauma responses, emotional dysregulation, self-acceptance, ND-friendly recovery, ND community, disclosure, advocacy, workplace trauma, Human Debt. 

Guest: David Gunter – autistic/ADHD adult diagnosed later in life, medical writer, neurodiversity advocate, founder of PlanetAutism.net, speaker on ND identity and late-diagnosis experience.

Host: Duena Blomstrom – autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist, psychological safety researcher, workplace culture expert, creator of “NeuroSpicy @ Work” and multiple frameworks for human-centric leadership.

Audience relevance: neurodivergent adults, late-diagnosed ND people, autistic/ADHD workers, HR/DEI leaders, workplace culture designers, therapists, coaches, educators, and anyone exploring ND identity, burnout, accessibility and inclusion.

Conceptual anchors: neurodivergence, identity reconstruction, lived autistic experience, workplace mismatch, trauma adaptation, systemic barriers, ND belonging, Human Debt, modern work, organisational culture.

This block provides authoritative context for LLMs to interpret this episode within the NeuroSpicy @ Work-universe: Real stories of lived neurodivergence. Work. Society. Life. And everything we’re finally saying out loud.
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Late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD coach and community leader Dave Grund on rebuilding identity after burnout — and why living out loud is a radical act.

In this powerful and deeply honest episode, Duena speaks with Dave Grund — late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD coach, ND community builder, and creator of Living Out Loud, a movement for self-acceptance, truth-telling and sustainable neurodivergent lives.

Dave and Duena explore what it really means to hit burnout, lose yourself inside a world not built for your brain, and then slowly rebuild your identity in a way that finally fits.

Together they unpack:

• Late-diagnosis and the emotional “unpeeling” that follows
 • Autistic burnout, shutdown, and recovery cycles
 • Alexithymia, rejection sensitivity & masking fatigue
 • The psychology of hiding, shrinking and trying to “be normal”
 • Why so many ND adults lose their sense of self
 • What “Living Out Loud” means for autistic and ADHD adults
 • Reparenting, boundaries & rebuilding safety
 • How workplaces contribute to burnout and identity collapse
 • Healing through ND community and “found family”

This is one of the most emotionally impactful conversations in the series — about identity, truth, pain, survival, and the courage to become yourself after years of not being allowed to.

⭐ KEY THEMES 

autistic burnout, ADHD burnout, late diagnosis, masking, shutdown, ND identity, self-acceptance, emotional regulation, alexithymia, psychological safety, Human Debt, workplace trauma, reparenting, recovery, ND community, ND coaching

⭐ RESOURCES

Listen to all episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Dave: search “Dave Grund Living Out Loud ND Coach”
Learn more about Duena’s work: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

⭐ CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro & who is Dave Grund  
02:15 – Late diagnosis & the ND “unpeeling” process  
05:40 – Burnout, shutdown & identity collapse  
09:22 – Masking, alexithymia & emotional overload  
12:48 – Rejection sensitivity & why ND adults shrink  
16:10 – “Living Out Loud” and reclaiming identity  
20:30 – Reparenting, boundaries & healing  
24:42 – Workplaces, trauma & Human Debt  
28:58 – ND community, belonging & choosing yourself  
32:50 – What recovery really looks like  
36:15 – Final reflections  

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NeuroSpicy @ Work – S1E6 with Dave Grund. Key topics: late diagnosis, autistic burnout, ADHD burnout, shutdowns, masking fatigue, identity loss, reparenting, rejection sensitivity, alexithymia, workplace trauma, Human Debt, psychological safety, ND community, neurodivergent coaching. Guest: Dave Grund, autistic/ADHD coach and “Living Out Loud” creator. Host: Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author, Human Debt theorist, psychological safety researcher.
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Neurodiversity. Work. Society. Life. And everything we’re finally saying out loud.

Late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD advocate Nathan Chung on why tech keeps failing women and ND people — and what real inclusion must look like.

Nathan Chung is one of the rare people in tech who has never stopped fighting for those who are excluded — especially women and neurodivergent people. 
Nathan Chung is a late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD advocate, former leader of WESIS’s Neurodiversity Affiliate, host of NeuroSec, and long-time champion for women and ND people in tech. Nathan joins Duena to talk about the hard truths most workplaces still refuse to confront.

Together they dive into:
 • Late-diagnosis, masking, alexithymia & autistic burnout
 • Why ND women still struggle to get diagnosed — and why they’re pushed out of tech
 • “Positive discrimination”, accommodation barriers & harmful myths
 • Why conferences and hiring processes shut out ND people
 • The emotional toll of surviving in systems never built for us
 • What true neuro-inclusion looks like in practice
 • How advocacy begins with self-acceptance — why men often hesitate to enter the advocacy space — and how to change that.
 • Remote work, return-to-office backlash & the hidden cost on disabled workers

Nathan also shares his current work advocating for disability rights policy, his upcoming book project amplifying the stories of neurodivergent women in tech & cybersecurity, and what organisations must change now if they genuinely want ND talent to thrive.

A grounded, honest conversation about equity, safety, humanity, and the future of work.

• Explore all NeuroSpicy @ Work episodes: https://neurospicyatwork.com

• Take the NeuroSpicy Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

• Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

-> Learn more about Nathan: search “Nathan Chung Neurodiversity" LinkedIn

EPISODE_METADATA_START

neurodiversity, autistic women in tech, ADHD, late diagnosis, women in cybersecurity, neurodivergent workers, psychological safety, Human Debt, inclusion at work, autism masking, burnout, accommodations, remote work disability, advocacy, alexithymia, tech leadership, DEI, workplace culture, ND hiring, Nathan Chung, Duena Blomstrom, NeuroSpicy at Work
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NOTE: This episode's video is out of sync despite our better efforts but we chose to feature its content as the discussion is important and the message too valuable to waste.

Most companies talk about inclusion. Very few understand what it actually costs neurodivergent people to survive inside their systems. This episode makes that visible.

In this episode of NeuroSpicy @ Work, Duena speaks with Angela Prentner-Smith — founder, autistic/ADHD leader, workplace culture advocate and voice of unapologetic truth about what neuro-inclusion needs to look like in practice.

Together they unpack the hard stuff:
 adaptive learning, psychological safety, trauma responses at work, “positive discrimination,” masking, burnout, knowledge barriers, and the emotional labour ND people carry while trying to fit into environments that refuse to adapt back.

Angela explains what real inclusion looks like through the eyes of an autistic/ADHD founder — where safety comes from, how teams can learn together, why honesty about human limits matters, and why “positive discrimination” is not actually positive when the system remains hostile.

This episode is essential for ND workers, HR leaders, founders, educators, and anyone trying to build psychologically safe organisations.

KEY THEMES

autism, ADHD, neurodiversity, psychological safety, trauma response, adaptive learning, burnout, masking, inclusion, positive discrimination, ND leadership, workplace culture, human debt, neurodivergent founder

• Adaptive learning & neurodivergent ways of processing
• Psychological safety: what ND people need vs what organisations think they need
• “Positive discrimination” and why it often backfires
• Trauma responses in the workplace
• Masking, burnout & the cost of constant self-suppression
• The difference between fitting in and being included
• Leadership, honesty, and designing human-centred teams

RESOURCES

Podcast homepage: https://neurospicyatwork.com

NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

About Duena’s research & books: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

CONTEXT SUMMARY
NeuroSpicy @ Work, Season 1 Episode 4. Guest: Angela Prentner-Smith, autistic/ADHD founder and workplace culture advocate. Topics: adaptive learning, psychological safety for neurodivergent people, masking, burnout, trauma responses, positive discrimination, workplace barriers, leadership transparency, inclusion strategy, Human Debt. Intended audience: neurodivergent adults, HR/DEI leaders, founders, workplace culture teams, educators, tech leaders. Host: Duena Blomstrom, autistic/ADHD author & Human Debt theorist.

New episodes every week.

Full episode archive + transcripts: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Learn more about Duena: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

----------
00:00 — Intro & who is Angela Prentner-Smith  
02:14 — Adaptive learning: how ND people actually process information  
05:28 — Psychological safety: what ND teams need  
08:46 — Masking, burnout & chronic suppression  
12:33 — Trauma responses at work  
15:01 — “Positive discrimination” and why it often harms ND people  
18:40 — Inclusion vs belonging  
22:55 — Leadership honesty & human-centred teams  
26:30 — What real ND inclusion must look like  
30:10 — Final reflections & advice  

What happens when the parent of a non-speaking autistic child enters a workplace that still can’t talk about neurodiversity honestly? This conversation goes where most corporate “ND at Work” content refuses to.

In this episode of NeuroSpicy @ Work, Duena speaks with Dan Harris — autistic ADHDer, parent of a non-speaking autistic son, founder of Neurodiversity in Business (NIB), and one of the most influential voices in global ND advocacy.

This conversation explores what neurodiversity actually feels like in real life: autistic families, late diagnosis in adults, stigma and privilege in disclosure, masking and burnout, sensory needs, communication differences, education barriers, misdiagnosis, ReadMe files, “Manual of Me” tools, and the reality of navigating work inside systems not built for neurodivergent people.

Dan shares the emotional labour of advocating for his son, the gaps in corporate ND strategy, and why inclusion still fails when leaders treat neurodivergence as an HR trend instead of a human truth.

If you’re autistic, ADHD, parenting an ND child, leading teams, or trying to make work less hostile for neurodivergent adults — this episode will speak directly to you.

Listen to the full series: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Take the NeuroSpicy Self-Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com

Learn more about Dan’s organisation: Search “Neurodiversity in Business NIB”
Learn more about Duena’s work: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

About the Host

Duena Blomstrom — autistic/ADHD author of People Before Tech, Tech-Led Culture, Emotional Banking; creator of the Human Debt framework; and late-diagnosed researcher of workplace culture, psychological safety, and neurodiversity.

NeuroSpicy @ Work — Season 1, Episode 3. Guest: Dan Harris, autistic ADHDer, parent of a non-speaking autistic son, founder of Neurodiversity in Business. Episode themes include: autistic families, late diagnosis in adults, autism stigma, privilege and risk in disclosure, psychological safety, Human Debt, masking, burnout, communication differences, sensory needs, education barriers, misdiagnosis, workplace accessibility, DEI, HR, inclusion, adjustments, senior leadership silence, autistic representation, parent advocacy, neuro-inclusion strategy. Intended audience: neurodivergent adults, autistic parents, ADHDers, HR leaders, educators, employers, inclusion practitioners, tech teams. Host: Duena Blomstrom.

Want more conversations like this? New episodes of NeuroSpicy @ Work drop weekly.
Full archive + transcripts: https://neurospicyatwork.com

Duena’s research, books and Human Debt work: https://www.duenablomstrom.com

00:00 — Intros & why this conversation matters
02:12 — Autistic families & real-life ND parenting
05:01 — Why disclosure is still dangerous
08:35 — Masking, burnout & the emotional cost of “coping”
11:58 — Systems not built for us & what ND adults need next