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Event 24: Celebrating Different Minds: Future Directions and Continuing Conversations

90 minutes

Friday 21 March 2025

15:30 to 17:00 (GMT)



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About the event

Join us for a forward-looking session to close this year's Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This pivotal event invites panellists to reflect on the key learnings, experiences, and hot topics discussed throughout the week. 


It serves as a dynamic forum to explore the future of neurodiversity advocacy and the next steps we can collectively take to enhance understanding, support, and inclusion for neurodivergent individuals. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the shaping of NCW’s future and to continue the vital conversation on embracing and celebrating different minds.


This is a free online event via Zoom.

Susie Phillips-Baker CPsychol, PhD | Event Chair

Principal Psychologist, Lexxic

Susie is a Chartered Coaching and Occupational Psychologist with 20 years+ experience working in the private and public sectors in the UK and Ireland. Working for a national policing organisation, Susie worked in selection and assessment and managed a coaching programme for police officers and staff across the UK. She has worked as a coach on national leadership development programmes. Prior to her current role at Lexxic, Susie was Course Director for an MSc in Business Psychology. Since 2016, Susie has also supported many clients who are neurodivergent through assessment and coaching and has been diagnosed as an adult with Autism/ADHD.

Charlie Hart

Keynote Speaker, Director of Ausome Charlie Ltd

Charlie Hart, also known as ‘Ausome Charlie’, is a professional speaker with a 20-year background in HR Analytics. Charlie is multiple-neurodivergent (Autistic, ADHD, Complex PTSD). She speaks about neurodiversity acceptance and inclusion, and intersecting identities, specialising in the ‘double rainbow’ intersection: LGBTQIA+ and Autistic.

Combining neurodivergent lived experience with HR expertise and inclusion best practice, Charlie delivers engaging, impactful talks infused with humour and authentic autistic quirkiness. Not just another happy flappy neurodiversity evangelist, Charlie speaks of dark clouds and silver linings, of strengths and challenges, with pragmatic takeaways that smash the anti-woke backlash.

Hester Grainger

Co-Founder Perfectly Autistic and ADHD coach

Having been diagnosed with ADHD at 43, former TV and radio presenter Hester Grainger is a certified ADHD coach, public speaker and co-founder of neurodiversity consultancy Perfectly Autistic. Hester is also mum to her two autistic/ADHD teens.

Hester started her career presenting on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, then working on Loose Women at ITV, before moving into a successful career in PR. Recently she had her own show on BBC radio. This year Hester is going on tour with her UK wide theatre tour ADHD Unmasked. This unique and interactive event is a refreshing, engaging and fun opportunity to take a closer look at ADHD and hear inspiring stories and experiences in during the dopamine filled evening.

With her husband Kelly, they launched Perfectly Autistic in 2020, after Kelly was diagnosed as autistic and with ADHD. They support companies with training, talks, workplace mediation and coaching.

Marius Frank

Co-Head of Education Microlink PC UK Ltd

Marius Frank is Co-Head of Education at Microlink PC UK Ltd, a company committed to opening up pathways of opportunity from the classroom to the boardroom for any child with barriers to learning and progress. He is the creator of Raising Attainment with Wellbeing, Be ThAT Teacher (introducing Assistive Technologies into mainstream classrooms) and is an accredited Emotion Coach.

He currently works directly and indirectly with over 600 primary and secondary schools across the UK. Prior to that, Marius was an inner-city teacher, ten successful years in charge of a very challenging Secondary School community, was CEO of ASDAN Education, then a Director at Achievement for All.

Emma Case

Founder at Women Beyond the Box, Coach and Consultant

Emma Case is the award winning founder of Women Beyond the Box, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion company committed to cultivating neuro-inclusive workplaces. Women Beyond the Box is home to the annual Top 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women list, a groundbreaking initiative that shines a spotlight on and honours the professional journeys of neurodivergent women.
Drawing from her expertise in women's leadership development, Emma extends her impact by coaching and mentoring neurodivergent women and teams. Her guidance empowers them to navigate the intricacies of the workplace with resilience and to forge confident career paths.

Aidy Smith

TV Presenter, Journalist & Broadcaster

Aidy Smith is an award-winning TV Presenter, broadcaster, and journalist. His is the only active TV Presenter in the UK with Tourette Syndrome. As the executive producer and presenter of The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime, Aidy built his own TV series via branded content having been told he would never achieve his goal of being on screen due to his condition. As a proud part of the neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ communities Aidy now inspires others to overcome their hurdles. He works closely with the ADHD Foundation as a Patron and the Tourette Association of America as a Global Ambassador.

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