Culture by Neurodesign

In this special Season 1 finale of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge reflects on a full year of episodes, and explores three themes that have resonated deeply with her listeners. Why neuro-inclusion is your performance infrastructure, not only an ethical add-on. How connecting diverse neurostyles strengthens both wellbeing and organizational results, and why this dual focus is the heart of...

I shared my experience of flying from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport with my autistic son, Chris, two weeks ago, and how thoughtful, human-centered design transformed an overwhelmingly a stressful journey into one that was manageable. The response online was overwhelming. So in a short follow-up series, I’m exploring the key themes that emerged from your comments. Last week’s episode focused on prog...

Last week, I shared my experience of flying from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport with my autistic son, Chris. I was blown away by how thoughtful, human design made a stressful situation manageable, and by the incredible response to that story online. Comments have poured in, and some interesting themes emerged about what what resonated when we think about how to design neuro-inclusion into our cultur...

What happens when inclusion runs on trust instead of control? In this episode, I explore what flying from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport with my autistic son revealed about how trust, flexibility, and how universal design can turn inclusion from a set of exceptions into a reliable system. • My FIT cultural model that turns inclusion from a reaction into a system. • Why the old “accommodations-only”...

Your team’s energy isn’t infinite, but you can design it to go where it counts most. In this episode, Dr Lisa Colledge talks with Rich Ellis, a health and energy coach who helps individuals and teams protect and sustain their energy before burnout hits. 💡 You’ll hear: • Subtle signals of energy mismanagement you can spot early on. • Energy myth: the more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have....

The ADHD brain isn’t broken - it’s built for action. In this fast-moving, funny, and deeply personal conversation, Peter Shankman - five-time entrepreneur, author, and ADHD advocate - shares the life rules and habits that helped him turn distraction into drive. 🔹 Why 3:30 a.m. workouts keep him focused and calm. 🔹 How ADHD shapes his creativity, risk-taking, and speed. 🔹 The mindset shift that...

In these volatile times, the old leadership playbook is cracking under the strain. The same habits that once kept teams safe now hold them back - slowing innovation, draining energy, and disconnecting people from their mission. In this episode, Dr Lisa Colledge shares how leaders can shift their teams from defensive to neuro-inspired, building cultures that thrive in uncertainty by pairing structu...

Leaders often assume communication is clear, but sticking rigidly to your preferred style quietly drains energy and reduces impact. In this episode, I share stories from my own career that reveal how easy it is to leave performance on the table, and how simple shifts reclaim lost impact. You’ll hear: • The hidden costs of sticking to “your” style only. • Why assuming people have read your emails c...

In this episode, I share two simple tips inspired by how my autistic son learns best, and show how we can apply this approach to unlock hidden impact in the workplace. You’ll hear: • Why “implicit” signals and fake questions drain energy. • How to flip invisible energy leaks into focus and measurable impact. • Real-world stories from parenting, corporate, and cross-cultural work. • Why universal d...

🎉 Episode 50 special! I’ve just been named Leadership Consultant of the Year by Corporate LiveWire - and I’m sharing the award-winning innovations that underpin the new leadership playbook. 👉 In this episode: • Why we’re all “high performers” - when enabled. • How autism, dyslexia and ADHD power universal design for teams. • Why designing for neurodivergent extremes lifts everyone’s performance....

🎬 From Independence Day to independent workdays: Steven Puri brings insights from both worlds. He’s led Hollywood studios, raised $20M in venture funding, and now runs The Sukha Company, where he shares the brain hacks and guardrails that help him channel his ADD, dyslexia, and the constant pull of modern distractions into focused, meaningful work. In this episode, Steven and I discuss: • How to...

In this fast-paced, no-fluff conversation for Sabine van Ditzhuizen’s What the DEI? series, I get put on the spot about neuro-inclusive design: what it means, why it matters, and how to make it work without drowning leaders in yet more DEI programs. You’ll hear: • Terminology: neurodiversity and neurodivergence. • Business strengths linked to autism, ADHD and dyslexia - and trade-offs. • Why you d...

Nick Cawthon is a San Francisco–based user experience specialist whose career has been driven by his love of creativity, change, and the magic of the flow state. In this conversation, he shares how his “fast brain” thrives when pushing into the unknown, why “burning the mental bridges” can spark breakthroughs, and how pairing with more structured thinkers brings out his best work. Hear about: • Th...

What if small, values-led businesses are already leading the way in autism-inclusion: quietly, practically, and without a policy document in sight? In this uplifting and highly practical episode: • Will Savell shares real-world inclusion stories from two restaurants in East Tennessee. • We explore how clear communication, calm leadership, and flexible roles support autistic team members. • Learn h...

Discover how designing for diverse neurostyles boosts both fairness and performance. Neuro-inclusion works for autistic, ADHD, and neurotypical thinkers, without trading one group’s opportunity to thrive for another’s. This is the story behind my business, that led to me being recognized as one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs Shaping the Future in 2025: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/inside-vi...

New to neuro-inclusion? This episode is the perfect place to start. In this warm and curious conversation, Kay Suthar asked the big questions, about leadership, team culture, autism, ADHD, and how we build workplaces where everyone contributes. You’ll hear us discussing: • How I accidentally discovered the impact of neurodivergence at work. • The autism-inspired communication tweak that boosted pe...

What happens when masking stops working, and the system starts to make less space for difference? In this powerful, real-world conversation: • Will Savell shares his journey through ADD, executive burnout, and a fresh start. • Why “diversity hire” comments are more common, and more damaging, than we think. • The wide range of responses to neurodivergence — from candid curiosity to quiet discomfort...

What if the very skills your business is missing are ones you’re accidentally screening out? In this high-energy, thought-provoking discussion with organizational psychologist Robert Annis, we cover: • The unexpected strengths of autistic team members, far beyond the tech stereotype. • Cognitive diversity as a business asset for growth and innovation, not just a compliance checkbox. • Our role in...

Most brainstorms favor one type of thinker, and leave the others drained or silent. Discover how to unlock better ideas by designing your brainstorm for ALL neurostyles: introverts, ADHD-style fast thinkers, autistic-type deep processors, and more. ⚡ Includes 3 focus areas, each with 3 tactics, to help your team contribute their best thinking. These are practical, research-backed, neurodivergence...

A real situation. A real team. A real problem. The team believes their lead has ADHD, and blames that for everything: chaos, stress, last-minute scrambles, and sleepless nights. But here’s the truth: 👉 The real problem isn’t what you think it is. And solving it doesn’t require a diagnosis. In this episode, Dr Lisa Colledge shares a team case study: delivering on a deadline feels like a warzone, t...

Your team isn’t your family, but if you’re leading both, you likely have more skills you can interchange between both situations than you realize. In this conversation, Leadership and Team Coach Sharon Lim shares how two decades of guiding executives shaped how she raised her three teenaged sons, and what it taught her about trust, boundaries, and letting go. We explore why leadership isn’t separa...

What if the traits you thought made you ‘weird’… are actually what make you a brilliant leader? In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge speaks with Lee September, Software Engineering Manager at Bol.com. Lee shares how discovering his neurodivergence, and embracing traits like sensitivity, empathy and deep perception, have shaped the way he leads. These traits have become key a...

What does a school play for neurodivergent children have to teach us about leadership and team performance? In this personal episode, I share a moment that reminded me exactly why I started this work: I believe that everyone can do something extraordinary—when you enable them to succeed. - Why our expectations shape outcomes more than we think. - How small sensory anchors created safety and enable...

What do autistic pattern recognition, Temple Grandin’s visual thinking, and Israel’s elite intelligence unit have in common? In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge explores why neurodivergent thinking styles - such as autistic and dyslexic neurotypes - are a natural match for high-performance roles in cybersecurity and intelligence. From Unit 9900 in the Israeli Defence Forces...

Autism hiring programs, like those of SAP and Microsoft, proved that neurodivergent talent can supercharge innovation, retention, and team performance. But what if you’re a team lead, founder, or manager without a big organizational program behind you? In this episode, D. Lisa Colledge explores why these initiatives, while groundbreaking in their time, aren’t enouigh for today’s teams. Often don’t...