Curiously Divergent

03/06/2026

Today I took my 1-year-old daughter along with me to the Youth Trailblazer Network meeting at POSH for two hours.

And honestly? She absolutely smashed it.

As a working mum, business owner, and someone who cares deeply about making spaces more inclusive, moments like this matter. It was a brilliant opportunity to meet local partners, hear about what’s happening across our community, and be part of conversations that support young people’s futures.

It also reminded me how important it is that professional spaces make room for real life. Sometimes that means a baby coming along. Sometimes that means meetings looking a little less traditional. And sometimes it means proving that we can still show up, contribute, connect, and do meaningful work, even with snacks, toys, and a tiny sidekick in tow.

A huge thank you to everyone who made us feel welcome. It was lovely to connect with so many passionate local partners, and I’m excited to see how this work develops.

03/06/2026

Today I took my 1-year-old daughter along with me to the Youth Trailblazer Network meeting at POSH for two hours.

And honestly? She absolutely smashed it.

As a working mum, business owner, and someone who cares deeply about making spaces more inclusive, moments like this matter. It was a brilliant opportunity to meet local partners, hear about what’s happening across our community, and be part of conversations that support young people’s futures.

It also reminded me how important it is that professional spaces make room for real life. Sometimes that means a baby coming along. Sometimes that means meetings looking a little less traditional. And sometimes it means proving that we can still show up, contribute, connect, and do meaningful work, even with snacks, toys, and a tiny sidekick in tow.

A huge thank you to everyone who made us feel welcome. It was lovely to connect with so many passionate local partners, and I’m excited to see how this work develops.

06/05/2026

Meet Hannah, our Operational Lead at Curiously Divergent.

Or, as we like to call her, the glue that holds everything together.

Hannah is the person behind the scenes making sure things actually work. She coordinates services, supports client onboarding, matches people with the right coaches or support workers, and helps make sure every person who comes through our door gets the support they need without unnecessary chaos.

Before joining Curiously Divergent, Hannah has supported neurodivergent entrepreneurs with admin, tech, marketing and strategy. She also used to be a hairdresser and ran her own business, so she knows exactly what it’s like to juggle clients, bookings, finances, communication, creativity, family life and the never-ending pile of life admin that comes with being self-employed.

She brings a brilliant mix of systems thinking, creativity, empathy and practical “let’s make this easier” energy to everything she does.

Hannah is also a neurodivergent mum of three, plus two stepchildren, and lives with fibromyalgia. So when Hannah talks about pacing, burnout, limited spoons and building support around real life, she isn’t speaking from a textbook. She gets it.

Hannah is passionate about creating gentle, sustainable systems that work for real brains, real bodies and real families. She’s calm, thoughtful, practical, and usually powered by a good cup of tea.

We’re very lucky to have her as part of Curiously Divergent.

Please give Hannah a warm welcome.

04/05/2026

Thank you so much for the lovely words and for taking the time to visit Curiously Divergent.

It was brilliant to talk about the work we do, why lived experience matters, and how much still needs to change for neurodivergent and disabled people navigating work, parenting, education, safeguarding and systems that often feel harder than they need to be.

Also, I have to say, the joke about the Peterborough Mayor living here but the Cambridgeshire Mayor not living in Cambridgeshire genuinely had my very literal autistic brain thinking for quite a while afterwards. These are the important follow-up questions, obviously.

On a serious note, it means a lot to have our work recognised locally. Curiously Divergent exists because people deserve support that actually understands the reality of their lives, not just what a form, policy or process says they need.

Thank you again for visiting and for championing local organisations doing things differently.

Slightly shorter version:

Thank you so much for the lovely words and for taking the time to visit Curiously Divergent.

It was brilliant to talk about the work we do and why lived experience matters when supporting neurodivergent and disabled people, parents, families and organisations navigating systems that often don’t meet people’s needs.

Also, the joke about the Peterborough Mayor living here but the Cambridgeshire Mayor not living in Cambridgeshire genuinely had my very literal autistic brain thinking for quite a while afterwards.

On a serious note, it means a lot to have our work recognised locally. Curiously Divergent exists because people deserve support that understands real life, not just policies and paperwork.

Thank you again for visiting and for championing local organisations doing things differently.

⭐️ CURIOUSLY DIVERGENT ⭐️

Great to meet Katie at Curiously Divergent and find out all about her fab organisation 😊

They are a support organisation led and shaped by lived experience of neurodivergence, disability, parenting, safeguarding, and navigating systems that often fail to meet people’s needs. 💙

Smashing people doing great things 👍

29/04/2026

We’re Finalists Up Against BBC & KPMG… On Our Way to London

On the train to London… and it still doesn’t feel real.

Finalists.
Top 3.
Up against the BBC and KPMG.

Running on no sleep, nerves, and a lot of “how did we get here?”

This started with lived experience.
With frustration.
With seeing how many neurodivergent people weren’t being supported properly at work.

And now we’re on the way to an awards ceremony because of it.

Still processing it all.

28/04/2026

We’re in the top 3.
Alongside the and KPMG.

And no… this isn’t just a “nice moment”.

Because this isn’t just about being finalists.

It’s about what this represents.

A neurodivergent-led business
Built from lived experience
Built through barriers, burnout, and being underestimated

Standing in spaces that weren’t designed for us.

This category is recruitment.

And that matters,because too many neurodivergent people are still being overlooked, misunderstood, or pushed out of work entirely.

Everything we do is about changing that.

Creating workplaces where people don’t have to mask
Don’t have to fight for support
Don’t have to choose between their wellbeing and their job

So yes,we’re proud to be here.

But more than that…

We’re here to show that doing things differently isn’t a weakness.
It’s exactly what’s needed.

And we’re only just getting started.

28/04/2026

From Burnout to Business Awards Finalist (Neurodivergent Founder Story)

This nomination didn’t happen overnight.

What you’re seeing is the highlight.
Not the burnout.
Not the breakdowns.
Not the moments I nearly stopped.

You’re not seeing:
Being misunderstood at work
Being treated differently after diagnosis
Masking just to get through the day
Building a business while exhausted
Doing it all alongside motherhood

There were so many points where it would’ve been easier to stay quiet.

But this business was built on those moments.

Now we’re finalists…
Up against the and KPMG.
Let that sink in.

Because this isn’t just about us.

It’s about lived experience being taken seriously.
It’s about doing things differently and it working.
It’s about showing that neurodivergent-led businesses belong here.

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit…

You’re not the problem.
The system is.

And we’re here to change it.

28/04/2026

I believe that the Government’s proposed SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, replace individual plans with packages, reduce appeals, and remove school choice. In my view, children could be left without the support they need as a result.

14/04/2026

I used to think I just needed to “get better” at working.

Sit down. Focus. Don’t move. Don’t get distracted.
Simple, right?

Meanwhile I’m:
standing up every 5 minutes
opening 17 tabs
forgetting what I was doing mid-task
and somehow feeling both overwhelmed and under-stimulated at the same time

For a long time I thought I was the problem.

Turns out… my setup was.

I’ve written a blog sharing my ADHD work setup, the things that actually help me function (not just look like I’ve got my life together):

– tools that reduce overwhelm
– how I deal with time blindness
– what helps when everything feels too loud
– why I stopped trying to work like everyone else

It’s not Pinterest-worthy.
It’s not minimal.
But it works.

Also, quick public service announcement: post-it notes are not a system for me. As that lifestyle is chaos. I end up with 47 of them stuck everywhere, none of them helpful, all of them judging me.

If work has ever felt harder than it “should”, this might make you feel a bit less alone.

https://www.curiouslydivergent.co.uk/blog/adhd-workplace-tools/

And if it’s not just your setup if it’s the admin, the tasks, the mental load building up, that’s exactly what we support with through Curiously Supported.

Because it’s not about trying harder. It’s about making things work for you.

Struggling to focus at work with ADHD? Discover a adhd-friendly workplace with tools that reduce overwhelm, support focus, and oʻmake work more manageable.

14/04/2026

Our latest TikTok has gone viral… and it doesn’t feel like something to celebrate.

The video is about neurodivergent employees who didn’t stay in their jobs.
Not because they weren’t good enough.
Not because they didn’t care.
But because they were unsupported, misunderstood, or pushed out.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRVNf8j8/](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRVNf8j8/

What’s really stayed with us is the comments.

So many people sharing their own experiences:
– Feeling like it was “just them”
– Never being able to stay in a job long-term
– Wanting to belong but feeling exhausted trying to fit in
– Burning out despite being good at what they do

This isn’t a one-off. It’s happening everywhere.

And it’s personal.

Before starting Curiously Divergent, I experienced this myself. Before my ADHD diagnosis, I was seen as capable and high-performing. After I disclosed, nothing about my ability changed… but how I was treated did.

Support disappeared.
Perceptions shifted.
And I experienced discrimination that ultimately pushed me out.

That experience is a big part of why Curiously Divergent exists.

Because no one should have to choose between being themselves and staying in work.

The reality is, people don’t want to keep leaving jobs.
They want stability.
They want to feel safe.
They want to belong somewhere they can actually stay.

Going viral has just highlighted the scale of the problem.

The issue isn’t capability.
It’s a lack of understanding and the right support.

If you’re a neurodivergent person reading this and recognising yourself in those comments, you’re not alone.

We support individuals to navigate work in a way that actually works for them, whether that’s through Access to Work support, coaching, or neuro-affirming virtual assistant support to reduce overwhelm and burnout.

You deserve support, not survival mode.

If you’re struggling, reach out. We’re here to help.

1665 likes, 93 comments. ““The neurodivergent employee that got away…” If you’ve ever left a job and thought “I could have done that… if things were different” This is for you. So many of us weren’t struggling because we weren’t capable. We were struggling because we were trying ...