The Neurodivergent Lens

Why can you do in two hours at 11:37pm the night before a deadline, what you couldn’t start for two weeks? If that question lands a little too close to home, this episode is for you.

In this solo reflection, host Meryem Hassan explores ADHD and our relationship with time through two ancient Greek ideas: Chronos - clock time, the time we measure and organise our lives around - and Kairos - the opportune moment, the point at which something finally becomes possible enough to act on. It’s a storytelling lens, not a scientific model, and a genuinely different way to think about time blindness, procrastination, and the gap between knowing you need to start and actually being able to.

Together we explore why a deadline can be real on Monday yet weightless until Thursday night; procrastination when you genuinely care about the outcome; how practical struggles with time quietly become stories about our character (“late = unreliable,” “not started = lazy”); why shame is a poor timekeeper; and a strengths-based, self-compassionate toolkit - visible timers, bringing the future closer, body doubling, starting rituals, and “episodic future thinking.”

A note for the parents, partners, teachers, employers and professionals listening too: this one offers a gentler, more useful way to read behaviour that’s easy to mistake for intention.

Where does time disappear for you? What helps something become your moment of action? Tell us in the comments, or get in touch through The Neurodivergent Lens.

A NOTE ON THIS EPISODE
This episode uses Chronos and Kairos as a storytelling metaphor, not a scientific model of ADHD. Where research is referenced, it is for general understanding — always speak to a qualified professional about your own circumstances.

FREE GUIDE
Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence — covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia — at https://dyscourse.org

ABOUT THE SHOW
The Neurodivergent Lens is a video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse — changing minds and empowering differences around neurodivergence.

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/

Produced, filmed, edited and scored by Sue McMillan — Strumhum Creatives.

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

She was diagnosed with ADHD at 16 in the US, thought she'd grown out of it, then diagnosed again in her 20s after the pandemic pulled the routine out from under her. In this episode, former GB tag rugby player and Tag Rugby World Cup bronze medallist Sophia Prout joins Meryem to talk about masking, rejection sensitivity dysphoria and the "shame spirals," and the striking contrast between the coaching environment that made her question everything and the one where she thrived and medalled.

Sophia is business manager at Neurodiverse Sport and co-founder of Women in Tag Rugby, which she helped set up. She and Meryem also get into burnout warning signs, the under-researched link between hormones and ADHD, and what a traits-based approach to inclusion in sport actually looks like.

What This Episode Covers

• Sophia's ADHD diagnosis, twice over, in two different countries
• Why so many women and girls are missed or misdiagnosed
• The exact coaching differences between the team where she struggled and the team where she won bronze
• Rejection sensitivity dysphoria and managing the internal critical voice
• Founding Women in Tag Rugby, from see-through World Cup kit to real change in shorts sizing
• Recognising burnout before it hits, and giving yourself permission to rest
• Her advice to her younger self

Guest: Sophia Prout

Sophia Prout is Business Manager at Neurodiverse Sport and a former international tag rugby player who represented Great Britain from 2019 to 2024, winning bronze at the 2023 Tag Rugby World Cup. Drawing on 15 years in science communication and her lived experience of ADHD, Sophia advocates for greater understanding and support-particularly for women. She is also passionate about making sport more equitable and inclusive and co-founded Women in Tag Rugby to amplify underrepresented voices in the sport.

Timestamps

0:00 – Diagnosed Twice, Two Countries 

4:07 – Masking and Speaking Up 

6:49 – GB Coaching Gap 

19:19 – Rejection Sensitivity and Self-Talk 

27:05 – The See-Through Shorts Story

35:56 – Hyperfocus, Pressure and Authenticity

45:45 – Recognising the Burnout Cycle 

52:20 – Neurodiverse Sport and Advice 

About The Neurodivergent Lens

A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse - changing minds and empowering differences around neurodivergence: https://dyscourse.org

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

"Think differently means at Holmewood we think differently - because we're neurodivergent." That's how one of her own students corrected Bridget Young on what her school's tagline actually means.

Bridget is Head Teacher of The Holmewood School, London - a specialist school built around neurodivergent young people - and has spent more than 20 years in education. Host Meryem Hassan sits down with her for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from double empathy and masking in the classroom, through the realities parents face getting a place, to the emotional intelligence work Bridget believes should be taught in every school.

🔎 What This Episode Covers

Twenty years in education and how Bridget found her calling by accident; her own ADHD diagnosis and why she's chosen not to make it "her thing"; what really sets an independent specialist school apart, including double empathy, masking and rejection sensitivity dysphoria; the 30/70 gender split at Holmewood and how masking shows up differently in girls; body doubling, co-regulation and wellbeing-first behaviour support; the reality of tribunals and the fight parents go through for a place; preparing neurodivergent young people for work, and the unpublished Milburn Review's NEET statistics; emotional intelligence as a teachable skill, alexithymia, and learning to name her own anxiety; a show-and-tell of the sensory tools she's designed, and what her school's "Think Differently" tagline actually means; reframing the "spiky profile" and protecting strengths instead of just fixing weaknesses; and her advice to her younger self.

👤 Guest: Bridget Young

Head Teacher of The Holmewood School, London, with more than 20 years in education. Bridget holds a degree in education, the National Professional Qualification for Headship, the National Award for SEN Coordination, and a Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching, and her thinking today sits at the crossroads of neurodivergent leadership, coaching and emotional intelligence. Bridget is neurodivergent.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Meet Bridget Young 

05:44 Inside Holmewood School 

16:15 A Day at Holmewood 

25:22 Supporting Parents & Families 

30:02 Preparing Students for Work 

36:35 A Success Story 

39:47 Teaching Emotional Intelligence 

48:40 Sensory Tools & Think Differently 

57:22 Strengths & Final Advice

📌 About The Neurodivergent Lens

A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse - changing minds and empowering differences around neurodivergence: https://dyscourse.org

🧠 Keywords

Neurodivergent school | Autism school London | Independent SEN school | Holmewood School | Bridget Young | Double empathy | Body doubling | Executive functioning | Emotional intelligence | Alexithymia | Spiky profile | NEET | Milburn Review | Rejection sensitivity dysphoria | Neurodiversity | ADHD | Autism | Dyslexia | Meryem Hassan | Neurodivergent lived experience

👏🏻 Special Thanks: 

Sue McMillan - Strumhum Creatives (filming, production, editing, music), Bridget Young (guest)

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

"I was told I just didn't read enough." For years, that was the explanation for Dr Rohini Sabherwal's struggles at school. It wasn't until she was 37 - mid-way through a Master's, and already a practising GP - that a chance moment revealed the truth: she's dyslexic.

Host Meryem Hassan sits down with Rohini for a warm, honest and genuinely illuminating conversation about growing up undiagnosed, the "lightbulb moment" that changed everything, and what her dual perspective - as a dyslexic person and a doctor - reveals about how neurodivergence is understood, missed, and better supported.

Together they explore growing up dyslexic and undiagnosed in 90s Northern Ireland; the childhood "careless mistakes" she still carries; being diagnosed at 37, and the grief, relief and vindication that followed; how dyslexia really shows up beyond the myths; the strengths it brings, from pattern recognition to thinking in pictures; the stigma that still surrounds neurodivergence in healthcare; the surge in late diagnosis and the divide behind who gets assessed; how women in particular have been misdiagnosed; teaching the next generation of doctors; self-care; and her advice to her younger self.

A warm, strengths-based listen for anyone who's ever wondered, felt missed, or is still finding the words for their own story.

GUEST: Dr Rohini Sabherwal

A dedicated East London GP with immigrant roots and a passion for advancing women's health and equitable care. She's also a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Community-Based Medical Education at Queen Mary University of London, helping to shape the doctors of tomorrow. Rohini is dyslexic.

A NOTE ON THIS EPISODE

This is a warm, informative conversation. Where medication is discussed, it is for general information only - please always speak to your GP or a qualified professional about your own circumstances, rather than relying on anything heard here or on social media.

FREE GUIDE

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia - at https://dyscourse.org

ABOUT THE SHOW

The Neurodivergent Lens is a video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse - changing minds and empowering differences around neurodivergence.

Special thanks: Sue McMillan, Strumhum Creatives (production, editing, music); Hannah Taylor, The Lens Box (filming, photography); and our guest, Dr Rohini Sabherwal.

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes open discussion of suicide, bereavement by suicide, mental health crisis and hospitalisation. Please take care while listening - pause or skip if you need to. Support resources are listed below.

Jon Salmon kept his mental health experience hidden for almost 20 years - but the shame he felt about being dyslexic was even harder to talk about. Host Meryem Hassan is joined by award-winning Executive Producer Jon Salmon to explore dyslexia, late diagnosis, masking, grief, recovery, and what becomes possible when we remove shame and stigma from the conversation.

🔎 What This Episode Covers

A late dyslexia diagnosis and the "I must be thick" years; masking as survival at school; how education still fails neurodivergent children; losing his father to suicide at 17; "man up" culture and buried emotions; being sectioned early in his career; shame and stigma as the barrier to asking for help; speaking publicly for the first time through Heads Together; diverse teams and showing up as your true self at work; the "dyslexic thinking as a superpower" debate; and Listen Out, his new project using music to signpost people to support.

👤 Guest: Jon Salmon

Award-winning Executive Producer, Co-Founder of social impact agency Byte Entertainment, and Co-CEO of lived experience community Speakers Collective. Dyslexic, Jon has built his career by thinking differently - 25+ years leading digital and creative projects across entertainment, health, sport, government and the charity sector, from the first Reading Festival livestreams and the launch of BFI Player to NHS England's Opening Doors suicide prevention resources. Trustee of Let's Talk About Loss.

Find Jon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsalmon | https://www.instagram.com/j0nsalmon | https://www.twitter.com/jonsalmon | https://www.tiktok.com/@jonsalmon 

https://www.byteentertainment.com | https://www.speakerscollective.org | 

https://www.jon-salmon.com | https://www.letstalkaboutloss.org

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction & welcome

00:57 Early school years & dyslexia 

01:19 A late diagnosis - "thinking you're thick" 

04:06 Masking and hiding in the classroom 

05:00 "Man up" - boys don't cry 

07:27 Exclusion & the pre-prescribed mould 

09:34 Jon's father - decline and loss 

10:16 Losing his dad at 17 

10:54 Stigma around how he died 

12:05 Internalising & heightened sensory response 

14:29 1999, AOL & the dot-com boom 

15:51 From work to hospital - being sectioned 

17:11 A year off work & the road to recovery 

17:51 Shame, stigma & fear of judgement 

19:45 Getting through - the role of friends 

20:52 Asking the question - suicide prevention 

22:28 Men, internalising & safe environments 

24:27 The mental health campaign 

26:06 Losing a friend to postnatal depression 

27:16 Heads Together - a watershed moment 

28:50 Sharing his story for the first time 

30:39 Diverse teams & different neurostyles 

31:52 Showing up as your true self at work 

32:42 Is "dyslexic thinking" a superpower? 

35:04 Listen Out - Jon's new project 

38:10 Finding help & support pathways 

40:00 Closing thoughts

💜 SUPPORT & RESOURCES

If anything in this episode affects you, please reach out. You don't have to be in crisis to ask for help.

Listen Out: https://www.byteentertainment.com/listen-out 

Hub of Hope — the UK's largest mental health directory: https://hubofhope.co.uk Samaritans — call 116 123, free, any time: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ 

Shout — text SHOUT to 85258: https://crisistextline.uk

🌍 These services are UK-based. If you are outside the UK, please seek support local to you — findahelpline.com lists free, confidential support in over 100 countries.

📌 About The Neurodivergent Lens

A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse - empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations: https://dyscourse.org

🧠 Keywords

Dyslexia and stigma | Men's mental health | Mental health stigma | Dyslexic thinking | Late diagnosis | Neurodivergent masking | Shame and neurodivergence | Suicide prevention | Heads Together | Made By Dyslexia | Neurodiversity at work | Jon Salmon | Lived experience

👏🏻 Special Thanks: 

Sue McMillan - Strumhum Creatives (production, filming, editing, music), Jon Salmon (guest)

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

What does it take to build a football/soccer environment where neurodivergent players truly belong? In this episode, host Meryem Hassan is joined by Carly Williams - Head Coach of Brentford FC Women's First Team - to explore neurodivergence, elite coaching, player care, and the culture of belonging in the women's game of football/soccer.

Carly shares her journey from grassroots to elite football, the pioneering player care role she built from scratch at Arsenal Women's Academy, and how coaches can accommodate neurodivergent traits and support neurodivergent individuals. Together they discuss psychological safety, coaching to "the why", working with clashing neuro-styles in a team, Lucy Bronze and the bravery of disclosure in the spotlight, the barriers Carly faced as a female coach from a minority ethnic background, and how sport can be a powerful space for belonging, confidence and mental health.

Her advice to young neurodivergent women who dream of a career in the game? Find the environment that works for you, find your allies, and don't give up the love of the game.

Guest: Carly Williams
Head Coach of Brentford FC Women's First Team. Former Arsenal Women's Academy coach and player care pioneer, England Schools U15s manager, FA coach, mentor and tutor, and two-time Football Black List Coaching & Management Award winner. Ex Tottenham Hotspur & Enfield Town player.

This episode is for neurodivergent individuals in sport, coaches and clubs building inclusive environments, and anyone interested in women's football and neurodiversity.

Find Carly here: Instagram (@_cwcoaching)

Brentford FC Women: Instagram (@brentfordfcwomen) | X (@BrentfordFCW) | TikTok (@brentfordfcwomen) | https://www.brentfordfc.com/en

📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse - empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Do neurodivergent people lack empathy? It's one of the most damaging and persistent myths out there - particularly about autistic individuals. In Episode 5, we challenge that assumption head on, exploring how empathy is genuinely felt and expressed across neurodivergence, and why so much of the misunderstanding comes down to difference, not deficit.

What This Episode Covers

In this episode, we discuss:

• The myth that autistic and neurodivergent people lack empathy
• Why empathy is experienced and expressed in many different ways
• The spectrum of neurodivergent traits - the "television pixels" analogy
• How relating through your own example can be misread as self-centred
• Cognitive empathy vs affective empathy explained
• Heightened sensory responses and intuitive feeling
• How lived experience can deepen empathic capacity
• Why neurodivergent people often empathise easily with each other
• The role of intuition in empathy
• Reciprocal empathy - and the neurotypical expectations around it
• Curiosity over judgement when empathy looks different
• Expressive vs internalised empathy in relationships
• How misunderstanding fuels conflict - and why communication matters most

This episode is for: Neurodivergent individuals who've been wrongly labelled as lacking empathy. Educators, leaders, and clinicians wanting to challenge outdated assumptions. Anyone exploring autism, ADHD, and the realities of neurodivergent emotional experience.

Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins

Founder of Rethink Inclusion, Emma provides consultancy and neurodiversity training informed by both professional and lived experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, she is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people.

Find Emma here:

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram (@rethink_inclusion)

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction 

00:32 The empathy debate & common misconceptions 

00:59 Understanding the spectrum - the television analogy 

01:52 Empathy is experienced & expressed in many ways 

02:08 Misconceptions across different neurodivergent traits 

03:03 Relating through your own example - mirroring 

04:12 Cognitive empathy vs affective empathy 

05:12 Heightened sensory responses & intuitive feeling 

06:16 How lived experience can deepen empathy 

07:11 Neurotypical vs neurodivergent - relating to each other 

07:55 Intuition and empathy 

08:18 Autistic people do feel & have empathy 

09:19 The importance of reciprocal empathy 

09:45 Curiosity over judgement 

10:39 Expressive vs internalised empathy 

11:17 Empathy, relationships & misunderstanding 

12:17 Communication & asking better questions 

12:51 Outro 

Why This Matters

The belief that neurodivergent people - and autistic people in particular - lack empathy is not only inaccurate, it's harmful. It shapes how people are judged, treated, and understood in workplaces, relationships, and society. This episode reframes empathy as something felt and expressed in diverse ways, challenging stigma and opening up a more compassionate, curious conversation.

About The Neurodivergent Lens

A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. We challenge assumptions, reduce stigma, and promote a more inclusive, strengths-based understanding. This podcast is brought to you by Dyscourse - a consultancy, training, and mentoring organisation empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. Find out more: https://dyscourse.org

Keywords

Neurodivergent empathy | Autism and empathy | Do autistic people have empathy | Cognitive empathy | Affective empathy | Empathy misconceptions | Double empathy problem | Neurodivergent vs neurotypical | Heightened sensory response | Reciprocal empathy | ADHD empathy | Autism myths | Neurodivergent communication | Neurodiversity | Lived experience

Special Thanks:

Sue McMillan - Strumhum Creatives (production, editing, music), Hannah Taylor - The Lens Box (filming, photography), Emma Lord-Jenkins (guest)

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Does time feel like your enemy? In Episode 4, we explore why neurodivergent individuals experience time so differently - from time blindness and hyperfocus to punctuality, executive functioning, and the shame of never quite keeping up.

We cover: time slippage vs time management, why the language matters, time blindness and the neurodivergent brain, hyperfocus and losing track of time completely, the shame around needing support with something "everyone else can do", practical strategies including the Pomodoro technique, contingency planning and setting alarms, how COVID changed workplace expectations, and how unstructured time can become a genuine neurodivergent strength.

👤 Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins Founder of Rethink Inclusion - neurodiversity consultancy and training informed by lived and professional experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Emma is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people.

This episode is for neurodivergent individuals who've struggled with time and punctuality, and for employers, educators, and HR professionals wanting to better understand and support neurodivergent people.

📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse — empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Why Do Neurodivergent Individuals Experience Decision Paralysis?

Do you freeze when faced with a decision? In Episode 3, we explore decision paralysis and the "don't knows" - unpacking why neurodivergent individuals are disproportionately affected, how alexithymia, shame, and anxiety intersect, and what self-understanding and psychological safety can unlock.

In this episode, we discuss: decision paralysis and alexithymia, nervous system shutdown and overwhelm, the duality of shutdown vs impulsive over-commitment, rejection sensitivity, shame and trauma, processing speed and working memory, the ADHD brain and decision-making, psychological safety, reasonable adjustments at work, and self-coaching strategies.

👤 Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins Founder of Rethink Inclusion — neurodiversity consultancy and training informed by lived and professional experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Emma is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people.

This episode is for neurodivergent individuals who've felt frozen or overwhelmed, and for educators, leaders, and HR professionals wanting to better support neurodivergent people.

📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse - a consultancy, training, and mentoring organisation empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org

Free Guide

Download our free guide, Myths & Misconceptions: Understanding Neurodivergence - covering autism, ADHD and dyslexia at https://dyscourse.org

Watch, Listen & Connect

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast

Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43

Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ (above footer)

Follow:

Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens

LinkedIn: Dyscourse

Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens

Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Episode Summary

Does shame hold neurodivergent people back? In Episode 2, we unpack the links between shame, trauma, bias, disclosure, and self-worth, while also exploring resilience, creativity, advocacy, and what becomes possible on the other side of shame.

What We Cover

• How shame can shape the neurodivergent experience
• The link between shame, trauma, and the internal critic
• Healthy shame vs toxic shame
• Self-esteem, inferiority, and feeling held back
• Visibility of traits, disclosure, and workplace challenges
• Job interviews, communication differences, and body language
• Cultural bias, affinity bias, and barriers to inclusion
• Dyslexia, disclosure, and neurodivergence in employment
• Intersectionality and overlapping lived experiences
• Neurodivergence in prisons and wider systemic inequality
• Medication, chemical sensitivity, and individual differences
• Self-advocacy, finding your voice, and building confidence
• Resilience and creativity
• People pleasing and trouble saying “no”
• Authenticity, reframing, and what can lie on the other side of shame

About the Guest

Emma Lord-Jenkins is the founder of Rethink Inclusion, providing consultancy and neurodiversity training informed by both professional and lived experience.

With a background in careers guidance and supported employment, and as a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Emma is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people across all areas of life.

Find Emma:

Website: Rethink Inclusion

LinkedIn: Emma Lord | LinkedIn

Instagram: @rethink_inclusion

Why This Conversation Matters

Neurodivergent individuals are too often misunderstood through deficit-based narratives and outdated assumptions. In this episode, we explore the relationship between shame and neurodivergence through lived experience, challenging stigma and inviting more inclusive ways of thinking.

About The Neurodivergent Lens

The Neurodivergent Lens is a video podcast exploring neurodivergence through thoughtful conversations and lived experience.

Through interviews with individuals of lived and professional insight, the podcast challenges assumptions, reduces stigma, and promotes a strengths-based understanding of neurodivergent identity.

This podcast is brought to you by Dyscourse — a consultancy, training and mentoring organisation working to change how society understands and supports neurodivergent people.

Free Guide

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Disclaimer:

This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.