In this unfiltered, soul-resonant episode of Mental Health News Radio, Kristin Sunanta Walker, sits down with her dear friend Chaya Mallavaram—artist, technologist, and founder of Spark Launch, the company behind the neurodivergent-centered platform Sparkade. What begins as a casual reconnection blooms into a radiant, multidimensional conversation about art, grief, ADHD, cultural legacy, and the spiritual technology of the body. Early in the episode, Chaya shares that her late mother’s name was Sunanda—a revelation that strikes Kristin deeply, as her own Thai name is Sunanta. This name resonance becomes a symbolic thread, weaving their shared lineage, creativity, and healing paths together across continents and generations. These are two neurodivergent women who both run their own companies and genuinely dig each other's company. This episode is a reminder of how people like us actually speak—luminous, layered, nonlinear, and fully alive. Chaya Mallavaram is a technologist, professional artist, and advocate who brings her own life experience to the heart of neurodivergent empowerment. For more than two decades, Chaya thrived in the software world — not despite her ADHD, but because of it. Her creative problem-solving, pattern recognition, hyperfocus, and nonlinear thinking weren’t obstacles. They were assets.Everything shifted in 2020, when her son was diagnosed with ADHD. That moment brought not only clarity, but a calling: to build the kind of support system she wished she and her son had growing up. Today, Chaya leads Spark Launch with a rare blend of technical expertise, artistic vision, and deep personal insight. Whether she’s developing tools, leading strategy, or co-hosting the Spark Launch podcast, she’s creating spaces where neurodivergent minds are seen, heard, and celebrated. Her work is rooted in one belief: When we stop trying to fix neurodivergent people — and start designing systems that work for them — everyone benefits. www.sparklaunch.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.
