Neurodiversity Unboxed: Insights and Strategies for Inclusive Workplaces

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IWe live in a culture that embraces busyness. We want our people to look like they’re working. As long as we’re answering emails, attending meetings, taking thorough notes, and keeping up with messages, we feel productive. But what happens when the appearance of busyness gets in the way of the deep work that needs to be done? For most of us, shifting into deep work can feel like an uphill battle. According to Andrew Huberman, this resistance is something most of us experience and we need to work through. But for employees with executive function challenges, this resistance can be significantly more intense. The initial inertia to get started can feel like a mountain of effort. This is real. And it really is due to the way their brain works. Externally, this might look like: Procrastination Laziness A lack of motivation or work ethic Someone keeping up with emails and meetings but not making progress on deep work How Managers Can Help Fortunately, there are strategies to support employees who experience this kind of resistance to deep work. Here are a few: Provide a quiet, reliable space to work. Having a consistent, distraction-free environment makes it significantly easier to transition into focus mode. Help them develop an “opening” routine. This is a deliberate, mindful process of setting up the workspace and minimizing distractions. Encourage them to say “I’m ready to start this task.” (I actually will say this out loud.) This can help signal to the brain that it’s time to focus. Support structured transitions between tasks. When moving from one task to another, reverse the opening routine. "Close" the previous task before "opening" the next. A short movement break between tasks can also help reset focus. Be explicit about which meetings are required. Employees with executive function challenges may default to attending every meeting because it’s not always clear which are essential. Too many meetings can create unnecessary workflow disruptions for someone who already struggles with this. If you’re interested in better understanding executive functions and how they impact your employees, check out this week’s Neurodiversity Insights in 20 recording. I also dive into how sensory overwhelm affects productivity and what you can do to help.

Am I the only parent who feels like summers are a bit (or a lot!) more chaotic? Maybe it’s because I work from home and now there’s another human around who needs my attention. I feel this constant pressure to balance work, be available, be present with work and with my daughter, to limit screen time. It’s like an emotional tug-of-war. It feels a little out of control. Each year, I try to mentally prepare for the seismic shift that is having a kid out of school. But it still gets me. Whatever age your kids are, if they spend 9 months out of the year at school outside of your house, having them home is a big adjustment . Whether you’re: juggling daycare pickups and drop-offs, organizing summer camps, helping them navigate their first job, trying to limit tech use, or squeezing in lake trips and pool days... It’s a lot. And all of that is on top of the regular household responsibilities you manage and the work you do outside (or inside) your home. If this sounds a bit like your world, here’s a thought: Let’s pause for mid-year resolutions . Or, more specifically, summer resolutions . I’ve been doing this quietly for a few years now without really realizing it, and I think it helps. I take a little time to re-prioritize. Ask myself: What do I want from this summer? What do I want more of? And maybe more importantly, what can I let go of? Because if you're like me, the days may be longer, but the time somehow feels shorter. For me, this summer’s resolutions look like: Simpler dinners (I love to cook, but good, healthy food does not need to be complicated) A messier house (so I won't be hosting, sorry...) Starting work earlier in the morning (I’m a morning person and lucky to have a flexible schedule) Prioritizing screen-free fun with my daughter in the afternoons Active family weekends So, if you're heading into a wild summer too, take a pause and try writing your own summer resolutions. And, please share, what are you choosing to let go of? We need to support each other. Want to learn more about my work? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genie-love-beyond-coaching/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ciMlkbqElTXqRZLLWWGg

I've had this conversation a few times recently, so I thought I’d share it here with you too. Do you ever just talk to ChatGPT about what’s going on in your brain? For me, it’s kind of like journaling (which I do in the mornings), but with feedback. I often have way too many ideas spinning around in my head , and I struggle to prioritize or figure out where to start. It all just feels so big. So, I’ve created a little ChatGPT “notebook” just for brain dumping. First, I just brain dump. Then I ask it to: Pull out the big ideas Help me prioritize Suggest first steps Create a timeline (if that’s what I need) I’ve been doing this for a while now, so it “knows” me and what matters to me. It can pull from previous conversations to help guide me forward. What about your oppositional defiant brain? You know...the part of you that immediately says no to anything someone suggests? Try bringing that to ChatGPT. Let it generate ideas without triggering the emotional response that sometimes comes when another person gives you feedback. No judgment. Just ideas. What about supporting emotional regulation? Sometimes it helps just to make a list of your stressors and get them out of your head, so you can see them. Because when they stay inside, your brain thinks it has to solve all of them right now. But once they’re on paper (or screen), you can start to: Notice which stressors are smaller than you thought Realize which ones you’ve already handled Identify what can wait Decide what to tackle today You can even check in with ChatGPT regularly to update your list, letting go of the things that have been resolved and adding new ones as they arise. These are just a few ways I’ve used this tool.  Give me some other ideas! What have you tried that has worked?

I've had this conversation a few times recently, so I thought I’d share it here with you too. Do you ever just talk to ChatGPT about what’s going on in your brain? For me, it’s kind of like journaling (which I do in the mornings), but with feedback. I often have way too many ideas spinning around in my head , and I struggle to prioritize or figure out where to start. It all just feels so big. So, I’ve created a little ChatGPT “notebook” just for brain dumping. First, I just brain dump. Then I ask it to: Pull out the big ideas Help me prioritize Suggest first steps Create a timeline (if that’s what I need) I’ve been doing this for a while now, so it “knows” me and what matters to me. It can pull from previous conversations to help guide me forward. What about your oppositional defiant brain? You know...the part of you that immediately says no to anything someone suggests? Try bringing that to ChatGPT. Let it generate ideas without triggering the emotional response that sometimes comes when another person gives you feedback. No judgment. Just ideas. What about supporting emotional regulation? Sometimes it helps just to make a list of your stressors and get them out of your head, so you can see them. Because when they stay inside, your brain thinks it has to solve all of them right now. But once they’re on paper (or screen), you can start to: Notice which stressors are smaller than you thought Realize which ones you’ve already handled Identify what can wait Decide what to tackle today You can even check in with ChatGPT regularly to update your list, letting go of the things that have been resolved and adding new ones as they arise. These are just a few ways I’ve used this tool.  Give me some other ideas! What have you tried that has worked?

I love to occasionally circle back to one of my favorite tools: energy blocking . And, it aligns well with last week’s newsletter on defining what a baseline successful day looks like...

I’ve just felt a little off-center this past month. Some things have come up in my personal life that have thrown me a bit. I'm feeling a little shaken as I learn about Internal Family Systems (IFS) and digging deeper into some of the choices I make. I’ve also intentionally put myself in a beginner’s role in a few areas of my life. After two decades of being a well-respected teacher, I’m now a beginner at corporate consulting—learning marketing, sales, and business development. I’m also a beginner at Taekwondo, practicing in a room with black belts...from high school students to people in their 60s who’ve been training their whole lives. There’s so much to learn, and so many mistakes to make. Maybe you can relate? Those times when you feel like you’re off your game and just trying to manage the overwhelm and get back to baseline. Sometimes my coaching clients feel a little off-center. They might be coming to terms with a new diagnosis, and it’s bringing a flood of old patterns and behaviors up for reexamination. Others have hit their personal threshold of overwhelm and feel frozen. Some are coming out of a long “meltdown” phase, trying to find themselves again...or maybe for the first time. And you might not even know this is happening with someone on your team. Maybe they’re so good at masking or pushing through that you don’t recognize the signs of overwhelm—until they can’t take it anymore. And by then, it might show up as an emotional moment at work… or a quiet decision to leave. Here’s what I teach when people are feeling off: At the very minimum, what do you need to do to have a baseline successful day? Not your ideal day. Not your most productive day. Just the minimum. Here are a couple of things on my personal list: Morning journaling . Oddly, for someone who doesn’t love writing, I really look forward to getting up earlier than everyone else and getting my thoughts out. Even if just for a few minutes. Cyclical breathing breaks throughout the day. They’re short, they’re easy, and they’re active. It makes me feel like I’ve done something good for my mental health. A walk outside. Even a few minutes just to feel the air on my face. Prioritizing the top things I must get done for work—and time-blocking them. And... surprise! Here’s what doesn’t make my baseline list: Meditation. I have an app I love. I know it’s good for me. But on some days, I just can’t make myself stop moving and do it. And that’s okay. My baseline list has to be healthy and achievable. So, how about you? I bet your list looks different from mine. Maybe just pause for a minute and ask...What are the small but meaningful things that help you feel like you’ve had a baseline successful day? And how can you use this strategy to support your team members who may be struggling whether it's visible or invisible?

It’s World Autism Awareness Day , and I want to say how much I appreciate all of you who are actively supporting your autistic employees and team members.