NOTE: This episode's video is out of sync despite our better efforts but we chose to feature its content as the discussion is important and the message too valuable to waste.
Most companies talk about inclusion. Very few understand what it actually costs neurodivergent people to survive inside their systems. This episode makes that visible.
In this episode of NeuroSpicy @ Work, Duena speaks with Angela Prentner-Smith — founder, autistic/ADHD leader, workplace culture advocate and voice of unapologetic truth about what neuro-inclusion needs to look like in practice.
Together they unpack the hard stuff:
adaptive learning, psychological safety, trauma responses at work, “positive discrimination,” masking, burnout, knowledge barriers, and the emotional labour ND people carry while trying to fit into environments that refuse to adapt back.
Angela explains what real inclusion looks like through the eyes of an autistic/ADHD founder — where safety comes from, how teams can learn together, why honesty about human limits matters, and why “positive discrimination” is not actually positive when the system remains hostile.
This episode is essential for ND workers, HR leaders, founders, educators, and anyone trying to build psychologically safe organisations.
KEY THEMES
autism, ADHD, neurodiversity, psychological safety, trauma response, adaptive learning, burnout, masking, inclusion, positive discrimination, ND leadership, workplace culture, human debt, neurodivergent founder
- Adaptive learning & neurodivergent ways of processing
- Psychological safety: what ND people need vs what organisations think they need
- “Positive discrimination” and why it often backfires
- Trauma responses in the workplace
- Masking, burnout & the cost of constant self-suppression
- The difference between fitting in and being included
- Leadership, honesty, and designing human-centred teams
RESOURCES
Podcast homepage: https://neurospicyatwork.com NeuroSpicy Assessment: https://amineurospicy.com About Duena’s research & books: https://www.duenablomstrom.comCONTEXT SUMMARY
NeuroSpicy @ Work, Season 1 Episode 4. Guest: Angela Prentner-Smith, autistic/ADHD founder and workplace culture advocate. Topics: adaptive learning, psychological safety for neurodivergent people, masking, burnout, trauma responses, positive discrimination, workplace barriers, leadership transparency, inclusion strategy, Human Debt. Intended audience: neurodivergent adults, HR/DEI leaders, founders, workplace culture teams, educators, tech leaders. Host: Duena Blomstrom, autistic/ADHD author & Human Debt theorist.
New episodes every week.
Full episode archive + transcripts:
https://neurospicyatwork.com Learn more about Duena:
https://www.duenablomstrom.com----------
00:00 — Intro & who is Angela Prentner-Smith
02:14 — Adaptive learning: how ND people actually process information
05:28 — Psychological safety: what ND teams need
08:46 — Masking, burnout & chronic suppression
12:33 — Trauma responses at work
15:01 — “Positive discrimination” and why it often harms ND people
18:40 — Inclusion vs belonging
22:55 — Leadership honesty & human-centred teams
26:30 — What real ND inclusion must look like
30:10 — Final reflections & advice
S1E4
