The AuDHD Boss: Neurodiversity at Work with Brett Whitmarsh

Self-employed with ADHD or autism? For a lot of people, it's not a lifestyle choice, it's the only option left when a corporate job stops working. Brett talks with Liora, founder of Colorful Futures, a neurodivergent, queer-run HR and career consulting business. Liora spent years as a recruiter before starting the business, and this conversation gets into what actually triggers the leap in...

Have you ever gotten the feedback that you're unlikeable at work? For a lot of neurodivergent professionals, that label arrives while you're already burning significant cognitive energy just to show up and function. In this episode, Dr. Bowen Marshall and Brett dig into why masking reads as coldness, where the term masking actually comes from historically, and what warm cues are and how th...

I was more nervous to tell people at work I was autistic than I was coming out bisexual. That's not a punchline. It tells you something about how similar these two journeys actually are. In this episode Brett shares how coming out as bisexual in his 30s and getting a late AuDHD diagnosis a few years later followed the same emotional architecture — recontextualizing your entire life, grieving the p...

"Don't be too good at your job." That line from Dr. Bowen Marshall hit nearly a million views on Instagram. So we came back to respond to your comments. For neurodivergent professionals, overperforming isn't just exhausting. It sets a trap — a higher bar every annual review, burnout that builds without a clear cause, and a workplace that stops taking your limitations seriously be...

A new national survey from NEXT for AUTISM puts hard data on what autistic and AuDHD employees have been describing for years — and the findings challenge most of what workplaces assume about disclosure, accommodations, and what actually drives retention. I sat down with Candi Weaver-Dowds, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives at NEXT for AUTISM and the lead on this research, and Abigayle Jayro...

Most workplace advice was built for neurotypical brains. Dr. Ludmila Praslova's  The Canary Code  was built for the rest of us. Brett sits down with Dr. Praslova — organizational psychologist, Vanguard University professor, 2025 Thinkers50 Talent Award winner, and the first person to publish in  Harvard Business Review  from an autistic perspective. Her book reframes the coal-mine metaphor thr...

Getting a diagnosis as an adult can feel like an answer. Then you're sitting with that information, years into a career, with no real roadmap for what comes next. You don't know what you need. You don't know how to ask for it. And you're not sure whether telling your employer is going to help you or hurt you. Brett continues his conversation with Dr. Bowen Marshall, PhD — licensed...

Making friends as a neurodivergent adult is harder than anyone tells you — and there are real, brain-based reasons why. This isn't a willpower problem or a personality flaw. It's a wiring difference that nobody ever explained to most of us. Caroline Maguire is a social-emotional learning expert, TEDx speaker, and neurodivergent person herself — ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. He...

Getting promoted because you're good at your job is the easy part. Most AuDHD professionals find out quickly that the role they were promoted into requires skills nobody taught them and nobody mentioned were part of the deal. Brett sits down with Dr. Bowen Marshall, PhD, a licensed psychotherapist, author, and career coach specializing in ADHD, Autism, and neurodivergent career development. Dr...

Most neurodivergent employees don't know what accommodations they can ask for — and without that, the process stalls before it starts. In this episode, I walk through the 10 most commonly requested AuDHD workplace accommodations according to Job Accommodation Network data, with the exact functional limitation language and scripting you can adapt for your own request. Each accommodation include...

If you're neurodivergent and considering a workplace accommodation request, disclosure is probably the thing stopping you. Do you have to tell HR you're autistic or have ADHD? Who else finds out? The answer is more nuanced than most people explain — and in this episode, I'm giving you the version that holds up, including the part most content on this topic gets wrong. We cover the info...

In this episode, I’m talking about emotional flooding at work and what it feels like for me as someone with ADHD and autism. I share how misunderstanding, conflict, masking, and nervous system overload can affect my processing, my body, and the rest of my day. I also talk about what helps me move through it and why context and thoughtful communication matter so much at work. Chapter: 00:00 What em...

Purity culture. High control religion. Autistic masking. In this episode, Brett (The AuDHD Boss) gets vulnerable about growing up in a fundamentalist evangelical environment—and how rigid rules and shame can stay in your body long after you’ve “left.” Brett is late-diagnosed Autistic + ADHD, and in this conversation with author and educator  Erica Smith , they explore why purity culture can feel e...

What was that moment you thought,  “Oh… I think I have ADHD” ? In this episode, I’m joined by  Cate Osborn (Catieosaurus)  and  Erik Gude (Hey Gude) —the authors of  The ADHD Field Guide for Adults —for a practical, honest conversation about what it actually looks like to live with  ADHD as an adult . We talk about why so much “helpful” advice doesn’t work for ADHD brains, how to build systems you...

Self-esteem has been a complicated one for me as an AuDHD adult (autism + ADHD). I can be confident and capable in certain areas—and then hit a wall in others and immediately start wondering,  “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I do the thing?” In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about how AuDHD can impact self-esteem for me—especially on the other side of diagnosis—along with what I try...

For the first time in my life, I’m starting a job as my full AuDHD self—fully diagnosed, fully open, and not trying to pretend I’m neurotypical. And it made me ask a question I think every AuDHD person deserves to ask: What kind of employee do you want to be when masking isn’t the price of admission? In this episode, I reflect on masking in new roles, what changed after my late autism + ADHD diagn...

Ever googled “best jobs for ADHD” or “best jobs for autism” — especially after a late diagnosis — and hoped someone would finally hand you  the answer ? In this episode, I’m going to give you the real answer: there isn’t one perfect job title for AuDHD (ADHD + autism). What actually matters is  job fit  — the match between your interests, your work environment needs, and the communication style yo...

Finding a neurodivergent-affirming provider shouldn’t feel impossible — but for many autistic and ADHD adults, the healthcare system can be invalidating, confusing, or even overwhelming. In this episode, I’m sharing five questions that will help you determine whether a doctor, therapist, or assessor is truly affirming, respectful, and informed. In this episode you’ll learn: What “neurodivergent-af...

Annual review season can feel overwhelming — especially if you’re ADHD, autistic, or otherwise neurodivergent. Memory gaps, freeze responses, stalled processing, panic, and the pressure to recall a whole year of work can make self-evaluations feel impossible. In this episode, I walk you through a  neurodivergent-friendly, step-by-step process  for writing your annual self-review — even if you didn...

Career coach Alex Lahmeyer joins Brett Whitmarsh (The AuDHD Boss) to talk about finding a workplace where you can truly belong as a queer and neurodivergent professional — from navigating interviews to building inclusive Employee Resource Groups and sustaining psychological safety at work. In this episode of  The AuDHD Boss , Brett sits down with career coach and talent consultant  Alex Lahmeyer (...

After being laid off, I learned that you can’t skip the grieving process — especially when your work was tied to your identity. In this episode, I share what it’s been like to process grief, burnout, and identity loss as an autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) leader after job loss. From losing community and structure to rediscovering creativity and unmasking, this is an honest look at what recovery really f...

I recently lost my job leaving me staring at a blank resume wondering  “where do I even start?”  — especially with an ADHD brain. So I turned to career coach  Liora Natania , founder of  Colorful Futures , a neurodivergent queer-run HR and career consulting business. They bring a more holistic approach this job search process. Liora has a background in recruitment and their company is dedicated to...

When an employee shares that they have ADHD or autism, how should a manager respond? What words build trust, and what words damage it? In this episode, Brett — The AuDHD Boss — shares a manager’s guide to responding with empathy, professionalism, and support when someone discloses ADHD or autism at work. Drawing on 12+ years of leadership experience as an autistic manager with ADHD, Brett breaks d...

Stepping into management as an autistic professional with ADHD brought a unique mix of strengths—and a lot of anxiety. In this episode, I share my personal story of transitioning from individual contributor to manager, and how I faced professional anxiety, imposter syndrome, and the fear of letting others down. We’ll explore: Why new managers often feel overwhelmed by expectations The push-and-pul...

In this episode, I share my journey of coming out as queer and how it unexpectedly became the beginning of unmasking my autistic and ADHD identity. From growing up in a high-control religious environment to finding safety in the workplace, I talk about the challenges of masking, the fear of showing my true self, and the deep relief of self-acceptance. You’ll hear how coming out helped me step into...