Kerri went away and did the reading, and it turns out she'd been calling three different things by one name. Distraction, mind wandering, incubation — one of them comes from outside you, two of them come from inside, and only one of them is what workplaces actually punish you for.

A year to the day since the first message that started all this, we take the tangent that ended the last episode and follow it properly: why offices are built entirely out of interruptions and then blame individuals for not achieving deep work, why lateral thinking only looks illogical from where you're standing, and what it takes to make a room safe enough for someone to say the half-formed thing.

Ever lock into a task for hours without noticing the time, then can't focus for five minutes the next day? In this episode, Luisa and Kerri unpack the differences between flow and focus, and why they so often get confused for one another.

They trace where the idea of flow actually comes from, then get personal about what hyperfocus feels like with ADHD versus flow for an autistic brain, and why one leaves you energised while the other leaves you drained.

They also dig into what workplaces get wrong, from open-plan chaos to rigid schedules that make deep focus nearly impossible, plus practical ways to coax your brain into gear using music, timers, and old habits from childhood.

A curious, down-to-earth conversation that might change how you think about your own focus, and your workspace.

Someone tells you to rest, and your brain goes: rest from what, exactly?

In this episode, Kerri and Luisa pull apart the tangled, oddly loaded idea of "relaxation" and why the version other people mean is so rarely the one that actually works for them. Luisa unpacks why a packed, activity-filled holiday can feel more restorative than doing nothing. Kerri admits her idea of a good time barely resembles "relaxed" at all and that might be exactly the point.

In this episode, we sit down with Andrea Strohmayr, neuroarchitecture expert, to unpack how the spaces we live and work in quietly shape our brains, our moods, and our ability to function like actual humans. Spoiler: modernism has a lot to answer for.

We dig into what "neuroinclusive" design actually means, why your open-plan office might be sabotaging everyone's focus, and how something as simple as a nook, a window, or the right lighting can be the difference between burnout and thriving. We also explore the difference between feeling psychologically safe and neurologically safe — and why most buildings only design for one.

Whether you're an architect, an employer, a teacher, or just someone who's ever hidden in a bathroom stall to escape sensory overload at work — this one's for you.

What does a lanyard have to do with rethinking how we build workplaces? Everything, actually. This episode, Kerri and Luisa dig into what really happens when accessibility gets left to individual goodwill instead of built into the system, sparked by a real incident that reignited debate over the sunflower lanyard. They trace where the scheme came from, why it's so often misunderstood, and how the stigma around visible "asks" for support seeps into workplaces just as much as departure lounges. From there the conversation opens out into bigger questions: what the social model of disability gets right and where it runs out of road, why staff training beats individual heroics every time, and why true inclusion sometimes means the whole community has to accept a bit of inconvenience.

Ever notice how one offhand comment from a boss or an unexpected full stop in a message from a friend can spiral into hours of replaying? That reaction has a name: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, an intense emotional response to perceived criticism that shows up especially often, though not exclusively, for neurodivergent people. In this episode, Luisa and Kerri dig into what RSD actually is and where it comes from, tracing the roots back to early experiences, certain personality traits, and high-pressure environments that can prime the nervous system to treat ordinary feedback like a threat. We also spend real time on how this plays out at work, exploring why performance conversations can feel disproportionately heavy for neurodivergent employees and what that means for managers trying to give feedback that lands without triggering shutdown or shame. Along the way, we talk through practical ways to manage the spiral in the moment, from reframing negative self-talk to grounding techniques like mindfulness and journaling, plus honest conversation about when and how to lean on a therapist or supportive friend rather than carrying it alone. By the end, you'll have language for something you may have felt your whole life without knowing what to call it.

The other week we got into childhood memory: how we form it, what we hold onto, and what we're genuinely not sure about. This week, we're following the thread into adulthood.

If you never had the chance to just be yourself, to practice knowing what you need, how do you ask for it in a workplace? And what happens when organisations are built on the assumption that people will speak up, when most won't?

Luisa brings her 15 years of recruiting experience to the table, and it turns out good interviewing and neuroinclusion have more in common than you'd think. We talk about competency-based interviewing, why "just ask" isn't an inclusion strategy, the very fine legal tightrope of asking about needs during a hiring process, and why clarity — for everyone in the room — changes everything.

We also get into: road signs and what marrying someone after one meeting has to do with hiring.

Kerri and Luisa dig into how ADHD and autism shape the way we form, store, and retrieve memories and why some of us remember the exact texture of a carpet from 1994 but not what we had for breakfast, why so many childhood memories arrive as feelings or sensations rather than scenes, and what it means to look back at your childhood and suddenly understand it differently.

They get into the way masking can leave gaps in your autobiographical record and why journaling might be doing more neurological heavy lifting than you'd expect.

Plus: Inside Out, Series of Unfortunate Events, Bügelperlen beads, and the surprisingly emotional experience of finally having language for who you've always been.

In this episode, Luisa and Kerri make a very compelling case for bringing more joy, play, and shameless enthusiasm into your everyday life. Yes, even at work. Turns out, adulting doesn't have to mean becoming terminally serious.They dive into why embracing your inner child (the curious, giggly, easily-distracted-by-dandelions one) can actually make you more creative, more empathetic, and way better to be around. You'll hear why joy and passion are contagious, how playfulness builds stronger teams, and why creating space for genuine enthusiasm at work isn't "unprofessional".Whether you're a buttoned-up boardroom type or already doing cartwheels in your home office, this one's for you.

This week we sat down with the best of intentions: recommend a book each. Simple, right? Reader, it was not simple. Picking just one book turned out to be its own whole thing, and what followed was less a polished recommendation list and more a live, unfiltered demonstration of what it's actually like inside our brains when faced with too many options and not enough certainty.

We spiralled, we second-guessed and we went on tangents. We talked about books we loved, books we abandoned three chapters in, and books that have been sitting on our to-read pile since approximately forever. But sometimes, this is what neurodivergent decision-making actually looks like so if you've ever spiralled trying to pick a single favourite anything, you're going to feel very seen this episode.