Do leaders need to know who is neurodivergent before they can lead more inclusively? I’m joined by Mariane Power, a behavioural scientist and former clinical psychologist whose work sits at the intersection of neurodiversity and leadership. Mariane works with neurodivergent founders and executives, workplace and government teams, and elite sport. She is also the creator of Master Your Magic and host of the Jagged Brilliance series. Many leaders want to create a more neuroinclusive workplace, but are unsure where to begin. They may be worried about using the wrong language, making assumptions or asking people to disclose something they would rather keep private. Mariane brings a thoughtful and practical perspective to those questions. We look at what leaders can do without knowing anyone’s diagnosis, why the day-to-day experience of work matters as much as policy, and how to make space for different ways of thinking and working. We also get into one of the harder tensions in this space: how leaders can offer flexibility and support while still having honest conversations about expectations, feedback and accountability. In this episode, we cover: What neuroinclusive leadership means beyond labels and formal accommodations Why some people choose not to disclose their neurodivergence at work What leaders can ask instead of making assumptions about what someone needs How psychological safety shapes people’s experience of inclusion What universal design can teach us about creating better workplaces The opportunities and challenges facing neurodivergent leaders How flexibility, feedback and accountability can sit alongside one another I wanted to ask Mariane some of the questions leaders may be thinking but feel nervous to ask. What if someone does not want to disclose? What if a leader gets the language wrong? And what happens when a request for flexibility begins to affect the role, the team or the work? Mariane does not reduce these questions to easy answers. She gives leaders a more useful place to start. If you are thinking about neurodiversity in your team, or wondering whether your workplace genuinely works for different minds, listen to the full episode and share it with someone who is part of that conversation. 00:00 – Why neurodiversity is becoming a leadership conversation 01:00 – Mariane Power’s path from clinical psychology to neuroinclusive leadership 02:40 – Moving beyond a deficit-based view of neurodivergence 07:00 – Why leaders find neurodiversity conversations difficult 12:00 – What workplaces can learn from inclusive education 17:00 – Disclosure, stigma and psychological safety 24:00 – Difference, masking and the double empathy problem 31:00 – Why teams should not diagnose one another 34:00 – Visibility, belonging and justice 40:00 – Universal design in practice 43:00 – Practical habits of a neuroinclusive leader 46:00 – Sustainable performance for neurodivergent leaders 50:00 – Neurodivergence, feedback and accountability 54:00 – Mariane’s message for thriving teams Resources Mariane Power website: https://www.marianepower.com.au/ Mariane Power on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianepower/ Master Your Magic: https://www.marianepower.com.au/masteryourmagic Jagged Brilliance: https://www.marianepower.com.au/jaggedbrilliance Jagged Brilliance YouTube series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdkWnsCuGuyLa9Kh-65uJYW1q-2j-uxvg Neurodiversity in Business and Birkbeck, University of London, Research Report 2023 (McDowall & Doyle, 2023): https://www.neurodiversityinbusiness.org/research/neurodiversity-in-business-research-report-2023 Neurodiversity in Business and Birkbeck, Research Report 2026 (McDowall & Srinivasan, 2026): https://neurodiversity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Neurodiversity_in_Business_Birbeck_Research_Report_2026.pdf Six-takeaways summary by Dr Nancy Doyle (Forbes): https://www.forbes.com/sites/drnancydoyle/2026/07/29/neurodiversity-in-business-report-2026-six-key-takeaways/ The three climates for psychological safety (Bruyère & Colella, 2022): https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/d77b6b1d-9111-4004-a35d-b2f3257139a9/9781003023616_1043249781003023616-2.pdf The double empathy problem (Milton, 2012): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008 Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective (Crompton, Ropar, Evans-Williams, Flynn & Fletcher-Watson, 2020, Autism): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362361320919286 The 7 Principles of Universal Design (Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University, 1997): https://universaldesign.ie/about-universal-design/the-7-principles-of-universal-design/ Subscribe to the Thriving Leaders Podcast for practical conversations about leadership, team performance, psychological safety and building cultures where people can thrive. #NeurodiversityAtWork #InclusiveLeadership #ThrivingLeaders
