The AuDHD Boss: Neurodiversity at Work with Brett Whitmarsh

Brett, The AuDHD Boss
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The AuDHD podcast for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD professionals navigating corporate environments — and the managers supporting them. Hosted by Brett Whitmarsh, a late-diagnosed AuDHD corporate leader with 12 years of management experience. Topics: masking, autistic burnout, late diagnosis, workplace accommodations, neurodivergent leadership, executive dysfunction, career transitions, neuroqueer and neuro-inclusive work. Visit audhdboss.com and brettwhitmarsh.substack.com

  1. APR 29

    Late Diagnosis ADHD at Work: How to Figure Out What You Need and Whether to Disclose | Dr. Bowen Marshall

    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 psychotherapist, author, and career coach specializing in ADHD, Autism, and neurodivergent career development. Dr. Marshall works with ADHDers, AuDHDers, and Autistics to help them build the systems, workflows, and strategies that let them thrive at work and in life. This episode gets into what late diagnosis actually looks like from a therapeutic perspective — why so many late-diagnosed adults don't yet know what they need even after getting a diagnosis, and how burnout accumulates when you've spent years running your nervous system without the right supports in place. They also cover the disclosure decision directly. Not a simple yes or no, but a real framework for thinking through who benefits, what the risks are, and how to read your specific workplace before making a call that has actual career consequences. Dr. Marshall closes with something worth sitting with: rejection is protection. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Part 1 covers the AuDHD leadership trap, unspoken corporate rules, and the real difference between masking and code switching. Linked below. Connect with Dr. Bowen Marshall:  Substack: https://substack.com/@bowentylermarshallTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbotyler https://www.YouTube.com/ @DrBoTyler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Drbotyler

    13 min

  2. APR 16

    Why Neurodivergent Adults Struggle to Make Friends (And What to Do About It) | Caroline Maguire

    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. Her new book, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults, is the practical, science-backed guide most of us needed years ago. This is Part 1 of our conversation — the personal side. We get into why friendship feels so unintuitive for ND brains, the mindsets that quietly sabotage your connections before you realize it, what flooding and anxious overcorrection actually look like in practice, and how to stop masking your way into rooms that will never be right for you. Part 2 — workplace friendships, trust, and navigating ND social dynamics on the job — drops next week. What we cover: Why the "friendship should be easy" myth hits differently when you're late-diagnosedHow your past experiences are secretly running your social life right nowFinding what actually fills your connection cup — and stopping what doesn'tMasking vs. authentic connection, and why masking costs you the friendships you wantFlooding, triggers, and the "writing a story" spiral after a social eventAnxious overcorrection — why we send 45 texts explaining the thingPeople pleasing, rushing in, and the fortress mindset📖 Get Caroline's book: https://bookshop.org/a/108800/9781538773086z

    37 min

  3. APR 11

    You Got Promoted. Now What? AuDHD Leadership, Unspoken Rules, and the Masking Tax | Dr. Bowen Marshall

    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. Marshall works with ADHDers, AuDHDers, and Autistics to help them build systems, workflows, and leadership approaches that work for their brains at work and in life. The conversation starts where a lot of AuDHD careers start to get complicated: outperforming everyone around you, getting promoted because of it, and then discovering that managing people is a completely different job than doing the work. Dr. Marshall introduces a Harvard Business Review leadership framework that describes this pattern specifically. From there they get into the unwritten rules most corporate environments run on, how warmth and competence function as the two factors that shape how you're perceived at work, and what happens when you're four steps ahead of the room and keep getting dismissed for it. The conversation closes on a distinction worth understanding clearly: the difference between masking and code switching. Most people treat these as the same thing. They aren't, and the difference matters when you're trying to figure out where your energy is actually going. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 covers late diagnosis, burnout, and the decision of whether to disclose your diagnosis at work. Connect with Dr. Bowen Marshall:  Substack: https://substack.com/@bowentylermarshallTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbotyler YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrBoTylerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Drbotyler Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction 02:33 Technical skill vs. leadership skill 03:55 The Pacesetter Leadership Style 06:35 From expert to teacher 07:48 "Don't be too good at your job" 09:00 Unspoken corporate rules 11:59 Warmth and competence 12:42 The Cassandra Effect 15:03 Calibrating what you share at work 16:13 Masking vs. code switching 19:36 Companies and neurodivergent brains 20:56 Burnout and entrepreneurship ABOUT AUDHD BOSS:AuDHD Boss is Brett Whitmarsh's channel covering ADHD and Autism in the workplace. Brett has over 12 years of leadership experience and a formal diagnosis of ADHD and Autism.Substack: https://substack.com/@brettwhitmarshWebsite: https://audhdboss.com

    22 min

  4. APR 2

    10 AuDHD Workplace Accommodations: What to Ask For and How to Say It

    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 includes the framing the JAN recommends, plus real-world context from someone who spent over 12 years in corporate leadership — including as a VP — before their own late ADHD and autism diagnosis. We cover quiet workspaces, noise-canceling headphones, remote work, written follow-up after verbal instructions, flexible scheduling, structured check-ins, structured breaks, advance notice of changes, assistive technology, and neurodiversity coaching through an EAP. For every one, you'll hear why it works and exactly how to say it. Free resource: The AuDHD Accommodations Prep Guide — Know What to Ask For and How to Say It is linked below. payhip.com/b/j0rvk

    15 min

  5. APR 1

    Disclosing Your ADHD or Autism Diagnosis at Work: What HR Actually Needs to Know

    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 informal path (manager only, no HR, no paperwork) versus what actually happens once the formal process starts. What the ADA protects — and what it doesn't. And the practical call on who to approach first, with real context from someone who has been on the management side of this conversation. Free resource: Download The AuDHD Accommodations Prep Guide — Know What to Ask For and How to Say It at http://payhip.com/b/j0rvk Topics: ADHD at work, autism at work, AuDHD, workplace accommodations, ADA accommodations, disability disclosure, how to request accommodations, neurodivergent employees, HR and disability, accommodation request process

    16 min

  6. MAR 21

    What Emotional Flooding Feels Like for Me at Work

    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 emotional flooding is for me 01:46 What happens in my body 03:32 Masking while overwhelmed 05:08 Why I need verbal processing 06:46 Spiraling and trying not to react 08:10 The crash afterward 08:58 When more context changes everything 10:43 Why this matters at work Resources mentioned: Substack: [link] Coaching: [link] Workbook: [link] Caroline Maguire: [link] Bridget’s post: [link]

    16 min

  7. MAR 3

    Purity Culture Recovery: Shame, Deconstruction, and Autistic Masking (w/ Erica Smith)

    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 especially “sticky” when you’re used to rule-following, people-pleasing, and masking for safety. Erica is the author of The Purity Culture Recovery Guide: The Shame-Free Sex Education You Deserve and founder of the Purity Culture Dropout Program—inclusive, trauma-informed education many of us never received. In this episode we talk about: What purity culture is (and how it became a movement) How shame and fear shape relationships and identity Why rigid rules can feel “safe”—and how to replace them with your values What “deconstruction” means and how it can support healing “Is it too late?” (No. Ever.) Late coming-out, “second adolescence,” and reclaiming your timeline How to talk to partners about your background without apologizing for it Links & resources:Erica Smith’s book (affiliate): https://bookshop.org/a/108800/9798881801304Purity Culture Dropout Program: https://www.ericasmitheac.com/the-purity-culture-dropout-programMore from AuDHD Boss: AuDHDboss.com (For education and lived experience—not medical advice.) 00:00 Purity culture, high control religion & autistic masking00:56 Leaving the church, carrying shame + rigid rules01:47 Meet Erica Smith + The Purity Culture Recovery Guide02:47 What purity culture is (broad + specific)04:15 Why it took hold in the 90s (True Love Waits)05:46 Reading recovery work when it feels activating07:42 Skip to the chapters you need (how Erica designed the book)10:10 Myths and misinformation purity culture taught12:59 Long-term impacts: fear, paralysis, pain, disconnection14:53 Autistic masking + rigid rule-following overlap16:04 Replacing rules with your values18:02 What “deconstruction” means18:47 “Is it too late?”21:27 Late coming-out + “second adolescence”24:49 Why “waiting for marriage” still has a hold28:02 Talking to partners without apologizing30:18 Final thoughts + where to find Erica

    31 min
  8. Adult ADHD, Finally Explained (with Cate Osborn + Erik Gude)

    FEB 25

    Adult ADHD, Finally Explained (with Cate Osborn + Erik Gude)

    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 can restart without shame, and what support can look like when you’re late-diagnosed (including when ADHD overlaps with autism/AuDHD). And yes—we also go into the adult stuff: relationships, intimacy, sex, communication, and the parts of ADHD life people don’t always say out loud. In this episode, we cover: How Cate and Erik approached writing a book as two people with ADHD Executive dysfunction, motivation, and why “simple” solutions often fail ADHD-friendly systems, accommodations, and sustainable routines ADHD and relationships: intimacy, communication, and repair Self-compassion and personal responsibility—holding both at once  The ADHD Field Guide for Adults If you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe and leave a review—it helps more neurodivergent adults find the show.

    30 min
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About

The AuDHD podcast for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD professionals navigating corporate environments — and the managers supporting them. Hosted by Brett Whitmarsh, a late-diagnosed AuDHD corporate leader with 12 years of management experience. Topics: masking, autistic burnout, late diagnosis, workplace accommodations, neurodivergent leadership, executive dysfunction, career transitions, neuroqueer and neuro-inclusive work. Visit audhdboss.com and brettwhitmarsh.substack.com

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