Rachel has spent her career doing seemingly everything. She built multiple successful award-winning businesses, impacted the lives of over a million people, and even started a micro-farm alongside all the normal stuff of having a family, travelling the world and attempting to manage two useless cats. But she did this without the support and abilities that most other people have. Being rejected from community after community. Having exceptionally low executive function. Anxiety that meant she sometimes couldn’t even move. And a brain that was basically a collection of broken arcade machines. 

She did “everything” not despite these challenges, but because of them. Her transformation came when she developed the idea of mental diversity – the recognition that there is no normal brain and the world we inhabit suits no-one.

And that’s the part that could change your life. When you realise how many things we do that don’t serve us, how much of our lives are built around pleasing people who don’t even notice us. How our decisions are shaped by people we’ve never met, and our own desires are pushed aside in favour of what someone else expects us to do.

The story is specific but the message is universal.

Audience takeaways:

• You don’t need the things you think you need to overcome your challenges
• “Everything” and “nothing” are more about your feelings than facts
• How throwing expectations in the bin can be life changing

Ideal audience: Mid-level and senior professionals and leaders; ambitious early-career professionals

For your event if:

• You want to inspire real change in audience members’ personal and professional lives
• You need an emotional and uplifting opening or close
• A genuinely unique angle with tangible outcomes would land with the audience

Not for your event if:

• Your audience wants a high level of technical detail
• The “overcoming challenges” approach doesn’t fit with the programme or audience

It’s not easy being a leader in today’s world; navigating culture shifts, technological developments and even your own changing values. In this insightful and empowering session, you’ll discover how to balance diversity and inclusion with the realities of the modern workplace, without getting overloaded. You’ll get a unique insight into what is next for diversity and inclusion, and we’ll take a look at some examples of pioneering organisations who are already embracing innovative, effective ideas. We’ll show you how they make these strategies work, and how you can make them work for you too.

Audience Takeaways:

• How to move “beyond woke” and become a pioneering leader
• Proven strategies to stay ahead of your competition
• How to do it all while upholding your own values

Ideal audience: Senior leaders in medium and large organisations who are progressive and future-focused

For your event if:

• You want to give the audience a huge amount of practical advice
• The audience is progressive and keen to learn
• You want to attract senior leaders looking for something new

Not for your event if:

• Your audience is not ready to make changes
• They are mainly freelancers or solopreneurs

Building on years of working in neurodiversity, Rachel shares what she’s learnt about human variation. You’ll understand the difference between conditions that fluctuate and need treatment, and those that are simply different, not deficits. We’ll look at why the conversation needs to move away from accommodation and towards a workplace that suits everyone, embedding systemic inclusion while empowering those most marginalised.

You’ll leave with an understanding of why conformity doesn’t work, and why it harms you personally. How the stuff that neurodivergent people have quietly been advocating for can benefit everyone. And how we can do extraordinary things when we realise that everyone in our organisation is extraordinary, not just that autistic dude who can name every winner of the FA cup since 1963.

Ideal audience: Mid-level and senior leaders in progressive organisations

For your event if:

• It’s the ideal event to introduce a brand new concept
• Audience members are ready to move beyond current workplace norms
• You want to attract leaders who need practical, uncomplicated support

Not for your event if:

• Your audience is still at the beginning of their DEI journey
• It’s focused on established frameworks, not new ideas

You will get an insight into dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism. You’ll understand what neurodiversity is and isn’t, and where mental health fits into it all. Rachel will also show you why inclusion isn’t just a “nice to have”, it’s an essential part of any organisation wanting a competitive advantage or improved efficiency. Inclusion tips are tailored to your team to ensure they are practical and workable, recognising that they know their team best.

Weaving stories, humour and “an inability to get offended” through this talk, Rachel brings you a deeper understanding of neurodiversity with compassion and the recognition that whatever you do, doing something is the most important thing.

Ideal audience: Teams at organisations who are keen to learn about neurodiversity but currently lack knowledge.

For your event if:

• The audience is fairly new to understanding neurodiversity
• The event needs a DEI talk which is unusual in its approach
• Attendees need practical, non-judgemental support and advice

Not for your event if:

• Your audience has “done” neurodiversity and needs the next step
• There’s no space for DEI at the event