Neurodiverse Life Episode #3: Neurodiversity and Success 

Welcome to episode three of the Neurodiverse Life podcast from @Cognassist: 

In our final episode, Helen is joined by Chanté Joseph, content creator, presenter of Channel 4’s How Not to Be Racist, and writer for The Guardian, VICE, The Evening Standard, British Vogue and others.  

We talk to Chanté about her journey to success. The ups, the downs and learning to embrace her creativity and work to her strengths. We also explore the changing narrative of neurodiversity, which has often been defined by a gender and racially biased viewpoint. And how the journey of self-discovery really starts after understanding how our own mind works.  

Here’s to celebrating Neurodiverse Life!  

What does success mean? 

We might have different goals and desires, but we all look for opportunities to grow and better our lives. 

And as Chanté says, success isn’t an end result, it’s being in an environment where we’re working to our strengths.  

Each of us had our own strengths, whether that’s our innate abilities or gained experience. But for some, success or this feeling of working to our strengths is harder. It might take more effort or time to figure out what we’re good at and what we want to spend our time doing. 

And that’s ok. 

It’s easy to be tough on ourselves. Focus on every mistake and forget to take time to celebrate how far we’ve come. 

A changing conversation 

One thing that has come far is the growing conversation around neurodiversity. 

Once wrongly defined as pathologies to be fixed, neurodiversity has acknowledged the idea that cognitive differences are a natural part of the human population. We need this diversity to thrive, discover new ideas and build a successful society. 

We talk to Chanté about her experiences as a black woman with ADHD. How hearing the stories of other black woman helped her to identify her own differences in a largely white male narrative. And how the lack of representation has prevented many women from seeking support. 

But things are changing. 

The more conversations and different viewpoints we hear, the more we learn about ourselves and others. 

The journey we all take 

Life is about learning. Learning new skills, learning ways to connect with others and sometimes learning how to cope.  

The journey towards success looks different for everyone because we are all different. 

But the journey we all take is one of self-discovery. Learning more about ourselves and the world around us. 

Who we are is a complex thing. In many ways, it’s a mystery. Yet it is possible to understand more about how you think and learn, tapping into our unique experience of the world to get the most out of life. 

Chanté shares her advice and self-care tips for those struggling to navigate this journey and how we can all reach a place that helps us to support ourselves and others around us. 

Neurodiverse Life – the podcast 

Welcome to Neurodiverse Life, a three-part podcast series that talks about neurodiversity in the real world. To break down barriers and confront the stigma that many of us face. 

We focus on three main aspects of our lives: education, work and our journey to success. Hearing personal stories, acknowledging positive changes and understanding the ways we can do better as a society. 

Join Helen Wilson, Science Communications Manager at Cognassist, and three wonderful guests to better understand and celebrate the different aspects of Neurodiverse Life.