The AuDHD Boss: Neurodiversity at Work with Brett Whitmarsh

We’re doing something a little different today. I’m sharing an episode from The ADHD Channel for Women.
It’s from Understood.org, a nonprofit helping millions navigate neurodivergence. Their channel features three distinct shows covering relationships, neurodivergence in current news, and practical strategy from an ADHD clinical psychologist —who you’ll hear today. The episode I’m about to play for you is called, “ADHD and living up to potential.”

Dr. Monica Johnson, also known as Dr. J, helps us with that voice in many of our heads that often makes us feel those elements of shame for not being perfect because of our ADHD.

Here is the episode from the ADHD Channel for Women called: ADHD and living up to potential.

You can learn more about Understood.org and the ADHD Channel for Women here:
https://lnk.to/adhdchannelforwomenFD!theaudhdboss

If you've been placed on a Performance Improvement Plan—or think one might be coming—you may be wondering whether it's actually a chance to improve or whether your company has already decided it's time for you to go.
In this episode, I talk with Vicki Yang, a fractional people leader with more than 20 years of HR experience, about what Performance Improvement Plans, or PiPs, are supposed to do, what they may mean for your job, and whether it's possible to come back from one.
We talk about what can make a PiP more recoverable, warning signs that performance concerns may be escalating, what to know when you're asked to sign a PiP, and what to consider once you've been placed on one.
We also dig into the experience of autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD employees—including vague expectations, unclear feedback, documentation, workplace accommodations, and the communication breakdowns that can happen long before someone reaches a PIP.
Vicki also shares what managers can do differently, including giving clearer feedback, explaining what expectations actually look like, checking for understanding, and addressing problems before they reach the point of a formal performance plan.
This conversation is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Employment laws vary by location, and workplace policies and individual circumstances differ.
For more information about Vicki:
https://www.victoriayang.com/

Can you take a special interest or hyperfixation and turn it into a job?
I never intended to become a vice president. It happened accidentally.
When I look back at my career—from video production and broadcast journalism to social media, podcasting, publishing, leadership, and the work I do now—I can see how one interest kept leading to another.
In this episode, I talk about how I used transferable skills to move from one kind of work into another, and how breaking down the things you do around a hobby, special interest, or hyperfixation can help you identify skills you may be able to use on a résumé, in a cover letter, or during an interview.
I also talk about how discovering that I'm autistic and ADHD helped me understand my own career differently: the hyperfixations, the monotropism, and why I needed work that interested me and gave me energy.
Because when you break an interest down into the individual things you're actually doing, you may find skills you can take with you into other kinds of work.
Skills are skills.
Check out the Drains and Sparks AuDHD Workplace Workbook

My AuDHD masked persona helped me succeed at work. The problem is, the more successful that persona became, the more I leaned into it—and now I’m trying to figure out how to let it go.
In this episode, I talk about autistic and ADHD masking, the different personas I’ve created throughout my life, and how one of the strongest became my workplace persona.
I look back at how I learned the language of corporate leadership, why that persona worked so well for me, what happened when my work and personal personas collided, and why it can be so hard for me to turn the work version of myself off.
I also talk about growing up and adopting different personas long before I understood masking, my connection to Jim Carrey and The Mask, the difficulty of work social events, burnout, unmasking, and the question I keep coming back to:
Did the same masking that helped me succeed also hold me back?
At the same time, I still need masking. For me, it can be protective. So this isn’t about simply taking the mask off. It’s about trying to figure out the balance between safety, success, and getting closer to my authentic voice.
If you’re autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD and have ever felt like you became a different version of yourself at work, I’d love to know if this feels familiar.
You can also find my AuDHD Workplace Workbook, coaching, speaking, consulting, and more at:
AuDHDBoss.com

There's a certain tension that comes up. A wall. An invisible force field around my body, my brain, my mind, that I can't move past no matter how much I want to.
That's what masking actually feels like for me, not as a concept, but as a physical sensation. In this episode I break down what masking actually is, where it started for me, and what it took to finally start recognizing it happening in real time.
Drawing on Dr. Megan Anna Neff's work in the Autistic Burnout Workbook, I walk through the different forms masking takes, scripting, mimicking, assimilation, camouflage, code-switching, excessive helpfulness, and how each one shows up for me specifically. I get into where this started as a kid, why I built a different persona for every room I walked into, and how switching between those personas has come to feel like regenerating into a new person every time, the way the Doctor does in Doctor Who.
Then I get into the part I most wanted to talk about, what masking actually feels like in my body. The tension. The wall. What I can only describe as shields going up. And why recognizing that sensation, even before I could name it, changed how I handle it.
I also talk through what an actual unmasking plan looks like for me, why I can only fully unmask alone, and why recovery isn't about getting back to who you were before, it's about getting somewhere healthier than that ever was.
Resources mentioned on play and AuDHD Burnout:
What does Play look/feel like for an adult from AtsedeScarseth AuDHD Therapist:https://www.tiktok.com/@atsedescarseth/video/7675894691077950751https://www.tiktok.com/@atsedescarseth/video/7675894019267857695The direct line from masking to AuDHD burnouthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loz1viIIB9U

Wondering how to manage you needs at work as a late-diagnosed AuDhd, ADHD or Autistic adult? Check out my Drains and Sparks Workplace Workbook.
A video version of this episode, with chapters, is also up on YouTube if you'd rather watch. I'm starting a series on Substack going deeper into unmasking, link in the show notes if you want to follow along.
I offer workplace talks and coaching for organizations and professionals navigating autism, ADHD, and AuDHD at work, especially for managers and HR teams. Reach out through my website if that's something you need.