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. May 20

    Inside the Autistic Workforce: A New National Survey on Masking, Managers, and What Actually Helps

    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 Jayroe, SVP of Strategic Operations, to walk through the data and what employers need to do differently. We cover: • Why 79% of autistic employees describe masking and emotional exhaustion as a workplace challenge — and what that costs • The 73% disclosure rate, and why most went to their direct manager rather than HR • Why nearly 7 in 10 autistic employees are building their own support systems outside of work • What the data shows about autistic women carrying a disproportionate burden • Why AuDHD employees — 40% of the sample — may be the largest and most strained subgroup in the autistic workforce About the report Inside the Autistic Workforce: A National Survey of Autistic Employees on Their Workplace Experience — and What Employers Need to Know.  Completed in 2026, this mixed-methods study was developed and led by NEXT for AUTISM, in partnership with Sago, a global research firm, and funded by the Anita Bhatia Foundation for Tomorrow. Read the full report: https://nextforautism.org/inside-the-autistic-workplace/ Chapters  00:00 What the data finally proves 02:12 The strengths-based research approach 03:00 High job satisfaction, hidden cost 04:22 Masking is a second job running in the background 06:06 Why the manager relationship matters most 07:29 What 73% disclosure really means 10:09 The accommodations gap 11:34 Building support outside of work 12:46 The disproportionate burden on autistic women 14:13 Late diagnosis and the workplace 15:21 AuDHD: two operating systems competing 17:47 What workplaces need to do differently 20:27 The neurodivergent manager effect 20:47 Autistic feedback as operational intelligence 23:37 The report, the grants program, and how to take action About AuDHD Boss  I'm Brett Whitmarsh — late-diagnosed AuDHD, former corporate people manager, and host of AuDHD Boss. This show is about what work actually looks like for neurodivergent professionals, and what managers, HR teams, and leaders need to understand to stop losing this talent. Free Accommodations Prep Guide: https://payhip.com/b/j0rvk  Work with me or book a corporate training: https://audhdboss.com

    25 min

  2. May 12

    Dr. Ludmila Praslova on The Canary Code: Why Neurodivergent People Sense Workplace Problems First

    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 through what we now understand about neurodivergent brains. The canary isn't the victim of the story. The canary is the employee whose biology lets them sense problems first. Neurodivergent people — those of us with autism, ADHD, AuDHD, dyslexia, Tourette's, and other ways of processing the world — are playing that role in modern workplaces. We notice broken workflows, toxic culture, and ethical drift before anyone else does. Most organizations treat the signal as the problem. This conversation covers what to do instead — the six principles of The Canary Code, the Platinum Rule, the derailers that quietly kill neurodiversity work, and how to navigate a workplace that isn't ready to change yet. Get the book: https://bookshop.org/a/108800/9798890571601 Connect with Dr. Praslova: thecanarycode.com Chapters (00:00) Introduction  (02:38) The Real History of Canaries in Coal Mines  (04:24) Why Neurodivergent Brains Sense Toxicity First  (05:19) "Sensitive Does Not Mean Broken"  (06:37) The Six Principles of The Canary Code  (09:53) The Platinum Rule and Holistic Belonging  (13:19) Why Common Sense Isn't Common Practice  (16:48) Derailers That Kill Neurodiversity Work  (19:00) Navigating Managers Without Burning Out  (25:09) Why We Need More Neurodivergent Leaders  (25:56) Where to Find The Canary Code If you're an HR or L&D leader interested in bringing this work into your organization, I offer corporate training and consulting. Email brett@audhdboss.com.

    27 min

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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

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