EXPLORE | Valuing Neurodivergent Talent

and why we're pushed or drawn to Self Employment

Dear neurokin,

At the end of February I went to a brilliant event in London; ✨ N⚡️D Leaders: A Celebration of Neurodivergent Excellence✨ by The Future is ND

I was blown away by the energy and confidence in the room, generated by both the brilliant speakers and everyone who attended.

The confidence was about what neurodivergence gives the world and how much, now more than ever, this is needed in this world.

Our neurodivergence brings pattern recognition, alternative insights, ability to see the connections all of which makes us creative and innovative.

The vast majority of us at the event are Self Employed, either through choice or necessity, we work this way so we can have flexibility, aligned with our bursts of huge creative output and need for recovery time.

Neurokin have been pushed or drawn to Self Employed work that allow us:

• Peace from the never ending tangle of politics and drama that comes with being employed in one business

• To work in ways that are aligned to how our brain processes information and generates output

• Gives us space to contemplate the patterns and connections in potential outcomes

• To escape the burnout cycle that can come with

  • high levels of stress

  • never ending changes in direction

  • work environments that distract and dysregulate us

  • playing the presenteeism game (with little productive benefit)

  • working longer hours than anyone else, just to get peace during quieter times to concentrate.

I suspect that many of us at the Neurodivergent Excellence event had also been leaders in organisations with huge amount of talent to contribute.

We’d left employment burned out, carrying shame and losing sight of our own unique talents and brilliance.

Redefining what leadership means to us, alongside freedom to work in ways that work for our neurodivergence and allow us to live our neurodivergent lives in healthy and fulfilling ways is possible….That’s where I’m heading, are you coming with me?

Why do so many neurodivergent humans undervalue our own talents?

As the vast majority of us are only just learning of our neurodivergence later in life, we have spent the vast majority of our life being messaged that our alternative ways of

• interpreting information

• communicating

• interacting with people and our environments

are wrong.

That’s a lie! they are not wrong, they are different!

We use up huge amounts of our energy just to cover up our different ways and to adapt to ways that suit the neuro majority.

All that energy that could be better spent doing what we do best!

Here’s how you can start to value your neurodivergent talent and contribution this month with BELONG…we are neurokin

We’ll be looking at this topic from 3 different perspectives: EXPLORE | LEARN | GROW

The contribution of Self Employed neurokin: The Stats

In the UK, it is estimated that between 20% and 35% of the 6.5 million freelancers and self-employed individuals are neurodivergent. This equates to approximately 1.3 to 2.3 million neurodivergent self-employed workers.

• Economic Contribution of the Self-Employed: The self-employed sector contributes significantly to the UK economy. For example, freelancers alone contributed an estimated £125 billion in 2022.

  • If we assume neurodivergent individuals contribute proportionally, their share would range between £25 billion and £43.75 billion annually.

• Contributions by Sector: Neurodivergent individuals are often overrepresented in creative and entrepreneurial sectors, which are known for their high economic impact. For instance, nearly 20% of employed neurodivergent individuals work in the creative economy, compared to 10% of the general workforce 8

These estimates highlight that neurodivergent self-employed workers play a substantial role in driving innovation and productivity across various industries in the UK.

What the research further tells us about why neurokin are pushed or drawn to Self Employment

Flexibility and Control

1. Customizable Work Schedule: Self-employment allows neurodivergent individuals to set their own hours and work during periods of peak productivity, helping them manage energy levels and avoid burnout13.

2. Tailored Work Environment: They can create workspaces that accommodate their sensory needs, avoiding challenges like bright lights, strong odors, or noisy open offices2.

Avoiding Traditional Workplace Challenges

1. Reduced Social Pressure: Self-employment eliminates the need to navigate office dynamics and social expectations, which can be exhausting for many neurodivergent individuals23.

2. Less Masking: Working independently removes the pressure to "mask" or hide neurodivergent traits to fit in socially2.

3. Bypass Traditional Hiring Processes: Self-employment avoids formal interviews and other recruitment methods that can disadvantage neurodiverse candidates2.

Leveraging Strengths

1. Focus on Skills and Passions: Self-employment allows neurodivergent individuals to build careers around their strengths and interests12.

2. Task Prioritization: They can concentrate on preferred tasks and outsource challenging ones, like administrative work12.

Necessity and Adaptation

1. Limited Options: For some, self-employment is a necessity due to difficulties finding accommodating traditional employment26.

2. Overcoming Workplace Barriers: Self-employment offers a way to work productively despite challenges in conventional work environments3.

The risks to neurokin of Self Employment

The risks of Self Employment, given the associated risk of chronic illness to neurodivergent people is a whole article of its own.

There is no safety net for Self Employed workers when we’re chronically or terminally ill.

There is a huge lack of security to us, particularly in the creative sectors which have been most badly hit and slowest to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

While self-employment provides numerous benefits, it's important to note that it also comes with challenges such as financial instability and potential isolation23.

Shifting your mindset on the value of your neurodivergent talent and contribution

For many neurodivergent individuals, the autonomy and flexibility of self-employment outweigh these drawbacks, making it an attractive career path.

It can be the key to taking control of our own health, sustainable wellbeing and access to work that is rewarding and fulfilling.

Speaking from my own experience, freedom is a not only a huge personal value of mine, independence is also a key feature of my neurodivergence.

I didn’t know I was neurodivergent when I started out my self employment route, it was necessary for my wellbeing and accidental, in that I didn’t really recognise it was my neurodivergent talent!

That’s why this month I am delighted to be giving you space to contemplate the value of your own neurodivergent talent and brilliant contribution.

For our next LEARN article, which paid subscribers will receive next week, I will be in conversation with

Hannah Anstee ✹Woman Unmasked✹

Hannah is a Business Coach for neurodivergent women and she is here to show you another way.

In just 30 minutes of being in conversation with Hannah she already shifted my mindset, I found myself telling her “I am a Learning Leader!”

Learn how you can embrace the genius and specialness of your insight, intuition, and come away knowing and valuing your own contribution.

And do check out Hannah’s | Woman Unmasked | Substack