No Such Thing as Normal

Why do so many neurodivergent people struggle in the workplace; even when they are highly capable?
In this episode, Sonia speaks to workplace strategist Rich Rowley about why modern workplaces value one narrow style of thinking, and how that can leave ADHD, autistic and dyslexic employees exhausted, ashamed and underperforming.
Rich argues neurodivergent people are not simply workers who need accommodations and support; they’re an untapped valuable resource for organisations.
Neurodivergent minds often excel at complex problem-solving, and workplace culture can either unlock or suppress that potential. Rich says that when organisations get this right, every metric improves - including the bottom line. Because true neuroinclusion benefits everyone.
Guest: Rich Rowley
For more on Brainbadge go to ​​https://neurofusion.co.nz/
In this episode:
Why ADHD, autistic and dyslexic employees often struggle in traditional workplaces
The hidden toll of masking, burnout and “fitting in” at work
Why neurodivergent people may excel at solving complex problems
How businesses may be overlooking their most valuable thinkers
The Values–Decisions Gap
Why psychological safety is the foundation of true neuroinclusion
How better workplace design can benefit all employees
No Such Thing as Normal is made with support from NZ On Air
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isabella* is just 22, but she’d been living with severe contamination OCD for eight years. It had taken over her life - touching people, objects, even parts of her own home, felt dangerous. Every interaction came with a cost: hours of cleaning, sanitising and rituals.
In this episode we follow Isabella’s story. From a life ruled by OCD to her experience with a revolutionary therapy: the Bergen 4 day Treatment (B4DT).

Over 100 thousand New Zealanders are estimated to suffer from OCD and access to treatment is difficult. Thanks to the charity Open Closed Doors the B4DT had it’s first New Zealand trial in January of this year. And the results were phenomenal.

Guests:
Isabella*
Dr Bjarne Hansen
Dr Marthinus Bekker
Emma Chapman
Mihi Gillies

To find out more, or to support the charity go to Open Closed Doors.

Resources:
Open Closed Doors.
Fixate - FB group
In this episode:
Isabella’s story: what OCD feels like from the inside
The hidden cost of OCD: intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and the exhausting mental load
Why OCD is so often misunderstood, and why logic alone doesn’t work
The impact on families, relationships, and daily life
The gold-standard treatment: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and its limitations
The first New Zealand trial of the Bergen 4-day Treatment (B4DT) - an intensive four-day therapy
Insights from co-founder Bjarne Hansen on anxiety, intention, and “cracking the code”
Willingness: the key predictor of recovery
A strengths-based reframe of OCD: these traits are not weaknesses.
“Don’t feed the cat”. Learning to respond differently to intrusive thoughts
What recovery looks like in real life.
Honest reflections on early recovery, the highs, the doubts, and what comes next
Practical insights for parents and families: supporting without reinforcing OCD
No Such Thing as Normal is made with support from NZ On Air

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ADHD is being talked about more than ever. But for many, life still feels harder than it should. Even with a diagnosis there can be a lingering sense of “Why is life still so difficult?”
In this episode, Sonia speaks with ADHD coach Alex Campbell, to find out what we’re missing.
Alex says ADHD brains are motivated by interest, not importance. But the world expects the opposite, and that’s the where issues arise.
People often develop hidden systems to try to meet life’s demands - hypervigilance, hyper-independence and a harsh inner-critic. But these come at a cost. Their are high rates of burnout and exhaustion for those with ADHD.
This conversation explores a different way forward: understanding how your brain works, and learning how to work with it, rather than constantly pushing against it.
In this episode:
How interest acts as the fuel for focus and executive function
Why simple tasks can feel disproportionately hard to start
How the brain creates stimulation when things feel boring
Negative interest: why anxiety and urgency often become the default fuel
The hidden coping systems (hypervigilance, masking, hyper-independence)
The role of the inner critic
The long-term cost: exhaustion, stress and burnout
Internal vs external hyperactivity.
ADHD and emotional intensity
Spiky strengths: brilliant in some areas, challenged in others
Practical ways to begin working with your ADHD brain, rather than against it
The value of connection
Identifying strengths, and using them to get activated
Guest: Alex Campbell ADHD Coach
Alex’s book ADHD… Now What? Is available here.
Resources:
VIA Character Strengths
ADHD NZ
No Such Thing as Normal is made with the support of NZ On Air
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sonia Gray speaks with 12-year-old Benjamin, whose extraordinary creativity sits alongside the challenges of dyslexia. His mother, Gretchen, reflects on the hidden effort behind his learning, and what changed when his strengths were recognised and understood.
Dyslexia advocate Dean Bragonier returns, making the case that strengths-based education is not just better for individuals, but for society. He argues that when we fail to recognise neurodivergent strengths, we fail to realise that potential, along with the innovation and creativity that come with it.
The Hyphen Project in Auckland offers a different model of learning for gifted and neurodivergent teenagers who have struggled in mainstream education.
For 17-year-old Travis, who has ADHD, that shift has been life-changing. A talented digital artist, Travis couldn’t find his place in the traditional school system. He arrived at Hyphen in a mental health crisis — and found an environment that worked with his brain, not against it.
In this episode:
Strengths-based education in practice at The Hyphen Project
ADHD, dyslexia and “spiky” learning profiles
Why many neurodivergent students disengage from school
The link between anxiety, mental health and learning
The role of belonging in re-engaging young people
How motivation changes when learning is built around strengths
Real-world pathways for creative and neurodivergent thinkers
The “opportunity cost” of overlooked potential
This is a continuation of the previous episode, Strengths-based education: Unlocking the gifts, which explores how identifying strengths early can transform a child’s experience of learning.

Guests:
Dean Bragonier Noticeability
Benjamin
Gretchen
Holly Gooch The Hyphen Project
Travis

Resources: Dyslexia Foundation NZ

No Such Thing as Normal is made with the support of NZ On Air
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many dyslexic children, school is where self-doubt begins. Literacy and numeracy sit at the centre of how ability is measured, so it doesn’t take long for kids who struggle in these areas to absorb the message that something is wrong with them.
And this extends beyond dyslexia. Many neurodivergent learners - including those with ADHD and autism - have strengths that sit outside the narrow skills schools traditionally measure.
Ensuring all kids learn to read and write is important, and many will need targeted support. But are we missing something vital in this process? Should the same emphasis be placed on the unique gifts of those with learning difficulties?
Dean Bragonier is an international dyslexia advocate and founder of non-profit organisation NoticeAbility. He held a series of workshops in New Zealand, designed to help dyslexic students recognise their cognitive strengths.
In this episode, Sonia speaks to Dean, and from some of the children who took part in the workshops here.
This conversation focuses on dyslexia, but the idea reaches far beyond it.
When young people discover their strengths, the story they tell about themselves can begin to change.
In this episode you’ll hear:
Why many dyslexic students internalise the belief that they’re “not smart”.
How the changing nature of the workplace may favour neurodivergent strengths.
Why a negative self-perception created in school can have lifelong effects.
Advice for parents of dyslexic learners.
Why learning ‘the basics’ is hard for non-linear learners.
This is Part 1 of a two-part focus on Strengths-based education.
Guests:
Dean Bragonier NoticeAbility
Ella
Deanna
Emily

Resources:
Dyslexia Foundation NZ
TED X: The True Gifts of a Dyslexic Mind | Dean Bragonier
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