Brain Friendly Systems

Aga Gajownik
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Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik is a weekly podcast for late-diagnosed neurodivergent professionals and leaders who are done with advice that doesn't fit how their brain works. Hosted by Aga Gajownik, AuDHD practitioner, systems strategist, and founder of Innovation and Integration. Each episode covers the neuroscience, operational systems, and identity work that actually moves things forward. Published on Tuesdays. Based in Singapore. Working with professionals internationally.

  1. 3d ago

    From Innotainment to Brain Friendly Systems - bonus

    A LinkedIn Live conversation about the pivot, what's ending, and what's launching on 30 June 2026   Innotainment is closing, and Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik launches soon.   In this solo episode, Aga walks through the year of running Innotainment: the operational learning curve, the decision to track qualitative signal over download numbers, and the personal rebuilding that came with returning to work after maternity leave while managing ADHD. She breaks down the three shifts that led to the pivot, a reframing conversation with an HR leader, the response to personal episodes about neurodivergence, and an AI experiment that clarified what she didn't want to build, and the three-month process of naming the new show.   If you've ever sat with a pivot that felt bigger than it should, or wondered how to actually use qualitative data to make a decision, this one's for you.   What's covered Why Innotainment started, and why it's ending The three things Aga was juggling during Innotainment's first year (operational learning, resisting early optimisation, rebuilding professional identity) Why qualitative signal (messages, forwarded episodes, reactions) mattered more than download numbers, and what happened when she finally looked at the numbers The HR conversation that reframed who the work is for Why the personal episodes about ADHD and autism produced the strongest response, and the editorial line between sharing experience and doing therapy work The AI experiment, and why it confirmed Aga doesn't want to build content tied to the news cycle The three-month process of naming Brain Friendly Systems, including the name that almost stuck and why it didn't What this process can teach you about running your own pivot, using qualitative data, and staying in an experiment long enough to get a real signal Brain Friendly Systems launches 30 June Published on Tuesdays, a mix of solo episodes and guest conversations, focused on how late-diagnosed neurodivergent professionals, and people who suspect they might be but don't have a diagnosis, build working lives that actually fit how their brains work.   Episode 1, "Start Here: What Are Brain Friendly Systems," is already in production.   Links mentioned Suzanne Charlotte Voss - LinkedIn  ING Singapore innovation project  Rhianne Lovell-Boland - Linkedin / More talk media  Brain Friendly Systems on Spotify Brain Friendly Systems on Apple Podcasts:  Brain Friendly Systems on YouTube  Innotainment archive on Podbean  Aga's Integration Notes newsletter signup Follow Brain Friendly Systems Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Podbean Brain Friendly Systems is the continuation of the Innotainment Podcast. Past episodes remain available as archived history.

    29 min
  2. Leading through transformation w/ Denise Shillito Ep 35

    May 25

    Leading through transformation w/ Denise Shillito Ep 35

    In this finale episode, Aga Gajownik is joined by Denise Shillito, founder of Purple Circle and former CHRO, to close out the season with the perspective of someone who has spent decades in the room where the decisions actually get made.   A conversation about what it actually takes to lead through AI transformation, and why the organisations getting it right are asking fundamentally different questions than everyone else.   Topics include: Why starting with the shiny tool instead of the real problem leads to failures in AI transformation The centaur and reverse centaur world and which one we're building towards Burnout as a systemic problem, not an individual one, and what leaders are getting wrong AI agents in the team: what guardrails, data ownership and psychological safety actually look like How IKEA and Unilever turned AI adoption into growth without defaulting to headcount cuts What a CHRO should do first when an AI rollout isn't working Psychological safety in practice: what it actually looks like for leaders who build it Why AI is not the answer for everything and how to know when it isn't   This episode is especially relevant for CHROs, CTOs and senior leaders navigating AI transformation, people leaders designing change programmes that actually stick, and anyone who has watched a well intentioned technology rollout quietly break a team.   This is the final episode of the Innotainment Podcast. Next week, it becomes something new.   Links mentioned in this episode: ⁠Denise Shillito⁠ — Founder, ⁠Purple Circle⁠ ⁠Aga Gajownik⁠ – Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration ⁠⁠⁠⁠Innotainment podcast⁠⁠ –⁠ ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram⁠ ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain⁠

    39 min
  3. Are we outsourcing our thinking? AI, Anxiety, ADHD and Mental Load chat w/ Karyen Chai Ep 34

    May 12

    Are we outsourcing our thinking? AI, Anxiety, ADHD and Mental Load chat w/ Karyen Chai Ep 34

    In this bonus episode, Aga Gajownik is joined by Karyen Chai, psychologist, lecturer and PhD candidate researching ADHD and sleep, for a conversation that sits underneath all the noise about tools and productivity.   Because what's rarely being asked is what rapid AI change is actually doing to us: to our thinking, our sense of value, our emotional regulation and our identity as professionals. Karyen brings a uniquely grounded perspective as someone who teaches students, sits with therapy clients and works inside organisations navigating AI transformation, all at once.   Together, they explore what happens when people stop trusting their own thinking, why AI anxiety is less about the technology and more about identity, and how to figure out when AI is genuinely helping versus quietly accelerating the overwhelm.   Topics include: Why students and professionals are losing trust in their own thinking, and what that means long term AI as supplement versus AI as outsourcing, and how to know the difference The double stress: AI raises expectations and creates more cleanup work at the same time How ADHD brains and AI interact, and why the combination can accelerate overwhelm What good thinking actually looks like in an AI-supported environment The one mindset shift that makes navigating all of this easier Digital minimalism, the analogue comeback and why Gen Z might be onto something This episode is especially relevant for leaders and managers trying to support teams through AI-driven change without burning people out, neurodivergent professionals whose brains interact with AI tools in ways that are not always helpful, anyone feeling the quiet anxiety of not keeping up, and students, educators and knowledge workers rethinking what their value actually is in an AI world.   This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   Links mentioned in this episode: Karyen Chai - Psychologist, Lecturer and PhD Candidate Aga Gajownik - Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration Innotainment podcast⁠ -  ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    31 min
  4. AI Transformation: Why 99% of It Is a Human Problem, Not a Technology One w/ Victoria Wymark

    May 5

    AI Transformation: Why 99% of It Is a Human Problem, Not a Technology One w/ Victoria Wymark

    In this bonus episode, Aga Gajownik is joined by Victoria Weimark, AI and Data Transformation Director, to slow down and have an honest conversation about what AI transformation actually looks like on the ground for organisations, and the humans living through it.   A conversation that goes beyond hype and asks what we actually want from all of this, and whether we're designing for that.   Topics include: Why some organisations are treating AI as a solution without looking for a problem The real reasons AI proof of concepts fail: data, governance and people adoption Why AI transformation is 99 percent a human shift, not a technology rollout The quiet anxiety and cognitive overload building underneath the hype What leaders should actually be doing This episode is especially relevant for leaders and managers navigating AI adoption in their organisations, neurodivergent professionals feeling the cognitive overload of constant change, and anyone who wants a grounded, human-first perspective on what's really happening with AI right now.   This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   Links mentioned in this episode: ⁠Victoria Wymark – AI and Data Transformation Director⁠  ⁠State of AI in business 2025 ⁠ ⁠Claude Mythos & Project Glasswing⁠ - A more critical lens  ⁠Anthropic's Project Glasswing⁠ - Straight from the source  Aga Gajownik - Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration Innotainment podcast⁠ -  ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    43 min
  5. Gen Z at Work: Why the Entry-Level System Is Broken and Who Gets Hurt w/ Hazel Hua Ep 32

    Apr 16

    Gen Z at Work: Why the Entry-Level System Is Broken and Who Gets Hurt w/ Hazel Hua Ep 32

    In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik sits down with Hazel Hua, a recent graduate, community builder and multi hyphenate young professional to explore what the job market actually looks like from the candidate's side.   Following the inclusive hiring conversation with Cara Norkett, Aga wanted to hear from someone living the experience right now. Hazel brings a sharp, honest perspective on what it takes to break into the workforce in 2025: the internship wars, the AI-shaped landscape, the five-round interview gauntlets and the deeper questions that ambitious young professionals are asking themselves before they even apply. Together, they unpack the gap between what organisations think motivates young talent and what actually keeps them engaged, why the prefrontal cortex matters more than most managers realise, and what both sides of the hiring table can do to make early careers less of a survival sport and more of a genuine starting point. Topics include: The "internship wars": why graduates are racking up five or six internships just to stay competitive How AI is eliminating entry-level roles and creating a catch-22 loop for young job seekers What Gen Z actually looks for in a role beyond salary The neuroscience of the early twenties, where the brain is still developing and what that means for careers Neuroplasticity, the Odyssey Years, and why your twenties are for building paths, not finding the perfect one What organisations get wrong about motivating young talent One piece of advice from each side of the table This episode is especially relevant for early career professionals navigating a competitive and fast-changing job market, managers and leaders working with Gen Z colleagues and graduates, founders and HR professionals designing graduate programmes or early career pathways, and anyone interested in brain-friendly approaches to talent development and retention.   This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   🔗 Links mentioned in this episode Hazel Hua - LinkedIn Singapore Health Connect - Community for healthcare, biotech and medtech professionals in Singapore ⁠Innotainment podcast⁠ - ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    33 min
  6. You Don't Look Autistic: What That Phrase Really Says About Your Assumptions Ep. 30

    Apr 2

    You Don't Look Autistic: What That Phrase Really Says About Your Assumptions Ep. 30

    In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik gets personal about what it means to be autistic in a world that didn't expect it, and what that reveals about how we work with, support and design for neurodivergent colleagues.   Drawing on over a decade of working with neurodivergent brains, her own late-identified autism, and emerging research that challenges how we understand neurodivergence altogether, Aga unpacks why labels are not strategies, why masking comes at a real cost, and why curiosity is the most underrated leadership skill in any brain-friendly workplace.   This conversation goes beyond awareness and offers a practical starting point for anyone who wants to move from knowing that neurodivergent colleagues exist in their team to actually doing something useful about it  without defaulting to assumptions, checklists or one-size-fits-all approaches.   Topics include: Why "you don't look autistic" says more about our assumptions than about the person in front of us The real cost of masking and why high-functioning people are often the least supported New research from Nature on why autism doesn't follow one fixed pattern across different people Why labels give us context but not strategy, and what to do instead Practical brain-friendly adjustments any team can experiment with immediately How retrospectives, structured agendas and flexible check-ins create workplaces that work for everyone What Autism Acceptance Day actually asks of us, beyond awareness This episode is especially relevant for leaders and managers with neurodivergent people in their teams, HR professionals and people leaders designing more inclusive workplaces, neurodivergent founders and professionals who have been told they don't "look" like their diagnosis, and anyone who has ever masked at work and felt the weight of it. Recorded for World Autism Acceptance Day. This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   Links mentioned in this episode Aga Gajownik – Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis - Nature.com ⁠Innotainment podcast⁠ – ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    10 min
  7. Tech to Leadership: Why Your Best Engineer Is Not Automatically Your Best Leader w/ Andy Skipper Ep 30

    Mar 24

    Tech to Leadership: Why Your Best Engineer Is Not Automatically Your Best Leader w/ Andy Skipper Ep 30

    In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik sits down with Andy Skipper, founder of CTO Craft, to explore one of the most common and least discussed transitions in tech: what happens when your best engineer becomes a leader and nobody prepares them for it.   Andy brings a grounded, practitioner perspective built from his own experience as a first-time CTO and years of coaching senior technology leaders around the world. Together, they unpack why the skills that make someone brilliant at building things are often the very skills that trip them up when they step into leadership, how ego and identity shape the transition, and why leading in isolation is one of the fastest paths to burnout.   Discover: Why the move from individual contributor to CTO is one of the most under-supported transitions in tech The identity and ego shifts that come with seniority, and how to navigate them without burning out Stakeholder management, commercial awareness and translation skills that no one teaches you How to lead highly autonomous, highly intelligent people without micromanaging or losing yourself The difference between leading and managing, and why you can do one without the other Why isolation accelerates burnout and what finding your tribe actually looks like Whether you're a CTO, a founder building a tech team, or a leader who got promoted without a roadmap and is figuring it out as they go, this episode offers honest, experience-led insight into growing as a leader without losing yourself in the process.   This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   Links mentioned in this episode: Andy Skipper - Founder of CTO Craft (LinkedIn) CTO Craft - Community, events and resources for senior technology leaders ⁠Innotainment podcast⁠ - ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    43 min
  8. Inclusive Hiring: Why AI Is Making Bias Faster, Not Smaller w/ Cara Norkett Ep 29

    Mar 17

    Inclusive Hiring: Why AI Is Making Bias Faster, Not Smaller w/ Cara Norkett Ep 29

    In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik sits down with Cara Norkett, Talent Acquisition, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Charles Taylor, to explore what inclusive hiring really looks like in today’s AI-influenced recruitment landscape.   Cara brings a grounded, practitioner perspective from inside medium-sized global organisations navigating talent shortages, generational shifts and rising expectations around flexibility and inclusion. Together, they unpack where bias still hides in recruitment processes, why “culture fit” may be holding teams back, and how small, practical adjustments can create hiring experiences that are more brain-friendly and more human.   From adapting interview formats to rethinking how we assess energy, enthusiasm and “fit,” this episode challenges traditional recruitment norms and asks a bigger question: if we say we value diversity, does our hiring process reflect it?   Discover: How structured, skills-based assessment reduces bias without losing the human element Why candidates care more about lived experience than polished employer branding Practical, cost-free interview adjustments that support neurodivergent and disabled candidates How inclusive hiring connects directly to creativity, innovation and business performance Why recruitment teams must be diversity advocates Whether you're a hiring manager, HR leader, founder or building your first team, this episode offers practical, real-world insight into designing recruitment processes that are fair, sustainable and aligned with the inclusive culture you claim to represent.   This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik.   Links mentioned in this episode: Cara Norkett - Talent Acquisition, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Charles Taylor: sg.linkedin.com/in/cara-norkett-talent-specialist Aga Gajownik - Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration Innotainment podcast⁠ -  ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain

    47 min
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About

Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik is a weekly podcast for late-diagnosed neurodivergent professionals and leaders who are done with advice that doesn't fit how their brain works. Hosted by Aga Gajownik, AuDHD practitioner, systems strategist, and founder of Innovation and Integration. Each episode covers the neuroscience, operational systems, and identity work that actually moves things forward. Published on Tuesdays. Based in Singapore. Working with professionals internationally.

Information

  • Creator
    Aga Gajownik
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Brain Friendly Systems