What Neurodistinct Professionals Really Think About Their Careers with Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio

The Anxious Achiever

Morra Aarons-Mele

Business, Careers, Management, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.7 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you’ve ever wondered how to lead and thrive with a different brain, this conversation will help you feel less alone and better understand your neurodistinct strengths and challenges. I unpack findings from my "Neurostrength survey" taken by 1286 professionals with ADHD, Autism, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, learning differences, and other brain differences. I'm joined by sociologist, research scientist, and leadership coach Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio. We cover the real advantages (pattern recognition, creative problem-solving, empathy, hyperfocus), the common friction points (processing speed mismatches, focus, emotional regulation) of someone whose brain works differently at work. You’ll learn practical ways to self-advocate, how to job-craft for your strengths, and a simple framework to design your best workday. You’ll leave with strategies to make thrive at work, get what you need, and build psychologically safe, high-performing teams. Read the survey report here, for free: https://morraam.com/neurostrength-survey Check out our sponsors: Northwest Registered Agent - Protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes! Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/achieverfree In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Science behind thriving at work: breaking down the results of my NeuroStrength survey. 16:15 What we learned about the leaders who responded to our survey. 21:00 Revealing the MYTH that neurodistinct people aren’t good at managing people. 24:30 How many people that completed the survey identified themselves as neurodivergent or neurodistinct? 28:45 How many survey participants who identify as neurodivergent/neurodistinct have been diagnosed? 35:30 Ways having a different brain has impacted careers (from challenges to strengths.) 39:00 Superpowers neurodistinct people have reported that are advantages in the workplace. 43:15 How to self-advocate and set up your environment to perform at your best. 52:30 Common task-related challenges of our survey participants. 57:00 The TAAM framework to best manage your time. Resources + Links Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever Watch the podcast on YouTube Find more resources on our website morraam.com Follow Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam Dr. Diane Biray Gregorio: @drdbgregorio

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, a guide to leading and thriving with a different brain.
0:11.6	With insight and data from you, I'm Maura Aaron Smiley, and this is the anxious achiever,
0:18.2	the show that looks at the intersection of mental health and leadership
0:21.9	and work, and asks, how can we do it all better? At the beginning of this year, I asked you
0:30.0	to share your experiences. I asked working professionals who have ADHD or who are on the autism spectrum or who might
0:39.5	have a learning difference, who might have bipolar disorder, or OCD, or chronic clinical anxiety
0:46.7	and depression to share what their careers have been like, their challenges, their gifts, the tactics and strategies they use
0:56.8	to thrive, and how they feel about the workplace. Is it meant for us? Well, the response was
1:04.0	overwhelming. I have 1286 recorded responses. I had many more people come and start the survey, you know, and not finish it. It was very overwhelming. I had over 400 people say they wanted to speak to me one on one about their journey with their different brain. We also conducted three focus groups. And I was touched at your candor and your enthusiasm. and what I felt was a real need to talk about
1:31.6	this stuff, right? So today I sit with Dr. Diane Birai Gregorio, who is a Harvard-trained PhD
1:40.3	scientist. She's a sociologist. And now she actually works as a leadership coach to talk about
1:46.4	what we found in the data and what we think is super interesting. So you should actually look at the
1:52.6	data, maybe while you're listening to this, if you want, it's available on my website at
1:57.8	moraam.com. To me, the punchline was that 98% of you say that your different
2:06.8	brain has influenced your career. And 91% of you believe that your different brain has given
2:13.2	you abilities in performing tasks that have been useful and helpful in your career. But the impact of your
2:22.3	neurodistinction on your career is not purely positive and not purely negative. It's complex.
2:29.3	64% of you say it's complex. 75% of you say that you think your different brain gives you superpowers.
2:37.7	Among those of you who identify as neurodivergent and neurodistinct, this rises to 80%,
2:44.7	which I think is really interesting.
2:47.2	Now, of course, you have gifts, you have challenges.
2:50.1	So today, we dive into all of that in the Neurostranks study,
	...

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