Polly's Vague Theories

Always wanted to meet a furturist? Here's your moment. The final episode in this exploration of leadership and neurodiversity features Katy Cooper, futurist, strategist, leadership unicorn and all round compassionate being who I am now very happy (with the magic of linear time since recording this episode) to also call my business partner and Co-CEO. As we turn to what's now and what's next in Leadership, Katy and I explore what the future of work looks like, and how we will engage with the wholeness of people and their brains across their span of work and the changing workplace. A fascinating place to land and to end the exploration of how neurodivergent people navigate what is traditionally a layer of work that assumes a neurotypical response to the world. As ideas around neurodiversity become broader, and diagnosis is becoming a different not less than, I hope the arc across episodes has given you the seed to explore your own workplace culture and accommodations so all humans therein (including YOU) can flourish.

Find more about Katy here www.disco.consulting and on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/katycooper/

In the penultimate episode of All Brains Welcome we chat with Dr Sam Perkins, an AuADHDer, Buddhist and petrol head who's career has spanned aeronautical engineering to cellular agriculture. I asked him how being neurodivergent impacted his leadership journey through life, and what organisations are missing out on when they ignore the power and productivity of cognitive diversity.

Sam has worked in more than 10 countries across academia, non-profits, and the private sector. He leans into facilitation, participatory design, and innovation management. His approach is characterised by empathy, authenticity, and a focus on bringing forward people's diverse strengths.

On Episode 8 of All Brains Welcome, meet my friend, colleague and LGBTIQA+ leader Reed Everingham. Like many of the people who have appeared on this series, his diagnosis came late in life, and the evolution of self happened because of, and in spite of, the experience of neurodivergence and how it shaped his navigation of the world.

This is a beautiful episode as Reed thoughtfully and eloquently discusses the intersection of life and his work as a creative and psychotherapist, and the importance of visibility for all of his intersecting parts and communities.

Reed lives in Dharug Country, in the Blue Mountains of NSW. He is a trauma- informed relational therapist and supervisor. Reed has worked in private practice for the past ten years, offering services related to self and narrative, trauma and the body, relationships, and somatic experiencing. He currently practices his in person therapy from a studio in Surry Hills by appointment.

Before working with humans in the here-and-now, Reed worked in the cultural sector in arts funding and as an arts producer for local government. Stepping back even earlier, Reed began his ‘adulting’ as a professional dancer, until he was 24.

Reed is an instructor, supervisor, and educator in Therapy Studies at Western Sydney and Deakin Universities. He shares his full and widening life with his loving husband, pets, garden, and friends. He is the man who lives on the hill — part recluse, the other parts flamboyant, creative, and playful.

He describes himself as a devotional and curious human.

For more about Reed or to enquire about his therapy services https://www.reedeveringham.com/about-reed-everingham/

On Ep7 of the poddy, meet Jeremy Nagel, a neurospicy software developer turned startup founder who is slightly obsessed with habits. He likes to start each day with a 2hr morning routine and sometimes surprises colleagues by riding his elliptical trainer during meetings to keep the energy high. When he's not working on startups, he enjoys cross-country skiing, trail running and cycling with his wife.

Jeremy's startup FocusBear is designed to help AuADHDers focus while at work, which can be a real chore for people with an interest based nervous system who are not always able to have their interests engaged at all times and who might find their mind straying away from productivity (or towards a different kind of productivity!)

I loved our chat, but it was also hard to hear some of the discrimination and rupturing situations Jeremy has had to endure in the workplace because of his neurospicy mind and his way of being in the world. The lack of curiousity, empathy and accommodations from workplaces has meant that if Jeremy hadn't had the talent, drive, support and self awareness he had, many of his dreams and achievements could have been lost to the world. All of which might have changed with a compassionate and curious conversation early on.

Enjoy this episode, check out his cool app, and I invite you to reflect on how your organisation and leadership are working to understand what a truly diverse culture looks like from a behavioural perspective and what talent and ideas might be being left on table or worse never getting in the door.

Website: https://focusbear.io

Jeremy’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy

Focus Bear LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/ 

Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear

10 News First: Melbourne Inventions Helping Those With Disabilities

On this episode of All Brains Welcome the incredible Bianca Welsh - read her bio below to see what I mean. Bianca has a multifaceted insight into neurodiversity as an employer of many young people in her restaurants, as a partner and through her mental health business From Experience. I love Bianca's capacity for action and contemplation as she navigates through life, and am very glad she made time so share her thoughts on the poddy. Enjoy!

Bianca Welsh (she/her) is a proud Launcestonian, however, born and adopted from South Korea, she co-owns Stillwater Restaurant and Seven Rooms since 2010 and has her own mental health business – From Experience, providing education and advice to workplaces on how to be a mentally healthy workplace and is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor. She was also a co-founder and operator of Black Cow Bistro for 14 years and is passionate about Launceston as a food destination.

She currently sits on the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and is a non-executive director at TasTafe. Bianca previously sat on the Cornerstone Youth Services board for 7 years, chaired Design Tasmania, had a brief stint on the Visit Northern Tasmania board and recently 2 years on the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania board. In addition she chaired a government advisory committee for workforce skills in tourism and hospitality.

Bianca never rests on her laurels and loves learning new things, she was determined to understand her team better and the challenges around mental health and completed a Bachelor of Behavioural Science at UTAS in 2018.

Bianca has been recognised for her work in the industry and community with accolades such as Young Restaurateur of the Year (2015), Young Tasmanian Australian of the Year Finalist (2016), Young Professional of the Year (2017), Tourism Minister’s Young Achiever (2019) and most recently made the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australian

List in 2022. She also was a TV host for a local travel show – Left Off the Map and Award Winning Tasmania.

A devoted mum to three children (a busy 7 year old boy, a son who died at 37 weeks gestation in January 2022 and a baby girl, Rani, born in August 2023) her lived experience with mental health and illness, baby loss, termination for medical reasons, grief, PTSD and trauma, inter-country adoption, racism, discrimination, leadership, hospitality, skills and training and more means she is a diverse person who’s most important values are kindness, honesty and compassion.

She is currently upskilling in the trauma and grief area and hopes to turn these learnings in to practical solutions for workplaces to consider.

The education system is the entry point for many people where their neurodivergence is noticed and begins to come up against some of the hard baked neurotypical barriers that continue into the systems of work. On this episode we meet Jocelyn Brewer, a Sydney-based psychologist with a special interest in the psychology of technology and staying human in a digitally-saturated age.

She created Digital Nutrition in 2013 as a positive framework for addressing digital wellbeing issues and our love-hate relationship with technology and in 2021 completed a Masters in Cyberpsychology at Sydney University.

In addition to her small private psychology practice where she works with adolescents and adults, Jocelyn is a sought-after speaker, educator and media commentator on issues relating to cyberpsychology, digital wellbeing and mental health.

Joce has a lot to say about all things neurodiverse and leadership, especially as it relates to early educational experiences and their impacts. The intersectionality be real!

Season Three of Polly's Vague Theories explores neurodiversity, leadership and inclusion through the stories of lived experience. How do people with neurodivergent brains navigate the complexity of contemporary leadership? How can cultures better accommodate people to lead from authenticity, connection and creativity rather than survival? Does a diagnosis matter and why. 

Episode 4 we meet Creative Technologist Joe Robinson. Joe is woven into my own diagnosis story, as well as being a solidly awesome colleague and pal. Flipping around in his brain is a genuinely fun pastime, and we definitely see the creative ADHD superpowers emerging across his story.

What you need to know is Joe is a multidisciplinary technologist, designer and artist based in Lutruwita/Tasmania. As principal consultant for The Creative Technologist, Joe's work focuses on digital inclusion and accessibility for communities through digital strategy, policy, and program development.

Having been diagnosed with both ADHD and autism in adulthood, Joe has a personal understanding of the significance of creating environments that are inclusive for people with diverse needs. His lived experience is a key driver of his work.

Outside of work Joe has a passion for creative pursuits and can often be found making, from woodwork and metalwork to coding and 3D printing.

Check that cobber out here:

https://thecreative.tech/about

Season Three of Polly's Vague Theories explores neurodiversity, leadership and inclusion through the stories of lived experience. How do people with neurodivergent brains navigate the complexity of  contemporary leadership? How can cultures better accommodate people to lead from authenticity, connection and creativity rather than survival? Does a diagnosis matter and why. 

On Episode Two, meet Zoe Wyllie. Zoe is an earth scientist who started her career at the age of 30 because she fell in love with a fossil deposit and wanted to study these creatures in more detail. She also picked up geophysics and geology and has worked in various institutions as an earth scientist, including government and industry. She has three kids, all of whom are grown up, two dogs who are elderly, and loves the wild West Coast of Tasmania where she now lives in Queenstown. Zoe's interests are the intersection between class and neurodivergence in the workplace, specifically leadership in technical departments.

Season Three of Polly's Vague Theories explores neurodiversity, leadership and inclusion through the stories of lived experience. How do people with neurodivergent brains navigate the complexity of  contemporary leadership? How can cultures better accommodate people to lead from authenticity, connection and creativity rather than survival? Does a diagnosis matter and why. 

On Ep3 meet Bree Gorman, a Diversity and Inclusion consultant and educator working with organisations to create sustainable meaningful change. Bree’s expertise is in tackling systemic barriers to inclusion. They have worked with Universities, Government departments, and corporates. They have lived experience as a genderqueer bisexual, are neurodiverse and parent two children. Bree and I discuss what inclusion is, how to tackle inequality in systems and simple actions for neurodiverse leadership with big impacts.

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/BGconsulting

Instagram -@breegormanconsulting

Linkedin  https://www.linkedin.com/company/bree-gorman-consulting
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxTZjyGc0HF0QaW3qtis5uA

Season Three of Polly's Vague Theories explores neurodiversity, leadership, and inclusion through the stories of lived experience. How do people with neurodivergent brains navigate the complexity of contemporary leadership? How can cultures better accommodate people to lead from authenticity, connection and creativity rather than survival? Does a diagnosis matter and why. 

On Episode One, I am kicking off the series with some personal deep diving into why this topic became important enough for me to make a whole series about after my own AuADHD diagnosis. Across the episode we look at the intersection with the recognition that leadership is more often than not made for neurotypical brains and nervous systems, begging the question - who is being left behind and what can we do to change all that?