I always felt I was different to most of the world, and as of summer 2021 I found out that I really am.
By day, I'm a creative, curious, connected Chief Exec - running a busy Social Enterprise in the heart of the UK's second city. My team and I help social entrepreneurs start up and grow their dream businesses. All of them with a social purpose, helping to make lives better, build strong communities and change the way we do business. I love my job.
People are at the heart of any business, and my focus for years now has been to encourage a human style of leadership, creating communities of belonging, fun and success that have a positive impact inside and out. Being able to be yourself at work, accepted and welcomed for all that you are, should be the norm for everyone.
By night, I'm forgetful, distracted, impulsive and prone to procrastinate. Diagnosed with severe ADHD in my early 50's, I am now navigating a new world of neurodivergence. Being honest about the difficulties I experience in the workplace is as important as the strengths the condition brings. Upwards of 10% of us have a neurodivergent brain. That could be as high as 40% in the entrepreneurial population. Many of us, women especially, don't even know. We live with a creeping feeling that we're different, that we should be more, that everyone else doesn't struggle like we do, and being unable to admit any of that.
Now I know why I'm different, I'm on a mission. To bring all of me to work. To raise understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace however I can. And to reach out a helping hand to anyone thinking they are in that position I was in, constantly feeling that I must be lazy, a failure, not all I could be, useless. I'm not, and neither are you.
Projects credited in
- Top 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women 2022For the second time, Women Beyond The Box is proud to launch the UK’s only list showcasing Influential Neurodivergent Women. It is estimated that at least 10% of the UK population is Neurodivergent, that is Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Autism, ADHD and Tourette’s. The list was born from a desire to amplify the voices of women who are creating ripples of change within their industries by challenging the narrative around Neurodiversity. We are Founders, Scientists, Designers, Creatives, A51