Dyslexia, Stigma & Men's Mental Health: "Society Didn't Know How to Talk to Me" | Jon Salmon

Dyslexia, Stigma & Men's Mental Health: "Society Didn't Know How to Talk to Me" | Jon Salmon

⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes open discussion of suicide, bereavement by suicide, mental health crisis and hospitalisation. Please take care while listening - pause or skip if you need to. Support resources are listed below. Jon Salmon kept his mental health experience hidden for almost 20 years - but the shame he felt about being dyslexic was even harder to talk about. Host Meryem Hassan is joined by award-winning Executive Producer Jon Salmon to explore dyslexia, late diagnosis, masking, grief, recovery, and what becomes possible when we remove shame and stigma from the conversation. 🔎 What This Episode Covers A late dyslexia diagnosis and the "I must be thick" years; masking as survival at school; how education still fails neurodivergent children; losing his father to suicide at 17; "man up" culture and buried emotions; being sectioned early in his career; shame and stigma as the barrier to asking for help; speaking publicly for the first time through Heads Together; diverse teams and showing up as your true self at work; the "dyslexic thinking as a superpower" debate; and Listen Out, his new project using music to signpost people to support. 👤 Guest: Jon Salmon Award-winning Executive Producer, Co-Founder of social impact agency Byte Entertainment, and Co-CEO of lived experience community Speakers Collective. Dyslexic, Jon has built his career by thinking differently - 25+ years leading digital and creative projects across entertainment, health, sport, government and the charity sector, from the first Reading Festival livestreams and the launch of BFI Player to NHS England's Opening Doors suicide prevention resources. Trustee of Let's Talk About Loss. Find Jon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsalmon | https://www.instagram.com/j0nsalmon | https://www.twitter.com/jonsalmon | https://www.tiktok.com/@jonsalmon  https://www.byteentertainment.com | https://www.speakerscollective.org |  https://www.jon-salmon.com | https://www.letstalkaboutloss.org [https://www.letstalkaboutloss.org] ⏱ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction & welcome 00:57 Early school years & dyslexia  01:19 A late diagnosis - "thinking you're thick"  04:06 Masking and hiding in the classroom  05:00 "Man up" - boys don't cry  07:27 Exclusion & the pre-prescribed mould  09:34 Jon's father - decline and loss  10:16 Losing his dad at 17  10:54 Stigma around how he died  12:05 Internalising & heightened sensory response  14:29 1999, AOL & the dot-com boom  15:51 From work to hospital - being sectioned  17:11 A year off work & the road to recovery  17:51 Shame, stigma & fear of judgement  19:45 Getting through - the role of friends  20:52 Asking the question - suicide prevention  22:28 Men, internalising & safe environments  24:27 The mental health campaign  26:06 Losing a friend to postnatal depression  27:16 Heads Together - a watershed moment  28:50 Sharing his story for the first time  30:39 Diverse teams & different neurostyles  31:52 Showing up as your true self at work  32:42 Is "dyslexic thinking" a superpower?  35:04 Listen Out - Jon's new project  38:10 Finding help & support pathways  40:00 Closing thoughts 💜 SUPPORT & RESOURCES If anything in this episode affects you, please reach out. You don't have to be in crisis to ask for help. Listen Out: https://www.byteentertainment.com/listen-out  Hub of Hope — the UK's largest mental health directory: https://hubofhope.co.uk Samaritans — call 116 123, free, any time: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  Shout — text SHOUT to 85258: https://crisistextline.uk [https://crisistextline.uk] 🌍 These services are UK-based. If you are outside the UK, please seek support local to you — findahelpline.com lists free, confidential support in over 100 countries. 📌 About The Neurodivergent Lens A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. Brought to you by Dyscourse - empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations: https://dyscourse.org [https://dyscourse.org/] 🧠 Keywords Dyslexia and stigma | Men's mental health | Mental health stigma | Dyslexic thinking | Late diagnosis | Neurodivergent masking | Shame and neurodivergence | Suicide prevention | Heads Together | Made By Dyslexia | Neurodiversity at work | Jon Salmon | Lived experience 👏🏻 Special Thanks:  Sue McMillan - Strumhum Creatives (production, filming, editing, music), Jon Salmon (guest) Watch, Listen & Connect Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast/] Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast [https://dyscourse.org/podcast] Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS [https://apple.co/4wVeWmS] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43] Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ [https://dyscourse.org/] (above footer) Follow: Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens [https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens/] LinkedIn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2569560/%20https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/Dyscourse [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/] Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens [https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Coaching, Culture & Neurodivergence in Women's Football | Carly Williams (Brentford FC Women)

What does it take to build a football/soccer environment where neurodivergent players truly belong? In this episode, host Meryem Hassan is joined by Carly Williams - Head Coach of Brentford FC Women's First Team - to explore neurodivergence, elite coaching, player care, and the culture of belonging in the women's game of football/soccer. Carly shares her journey from grassroots to elite football, the pioneering player care role she built from scratch at Arsenal Women's Academy, and how coaches can accommodate neurodivergent traits and support neurodivergent individuals. Together they discuss psychological safety, coaching to "the why", working with clashing neuro-styles in a team, Lucy Bronze and the bravery of disclosure in the spotlight, the barriers Carly faced as a female coach from a minority ethnic background, and how sport can be a powerful space for belonging, confidence and mental health. Her advice to young neurodivergent women who dream of a career in the game? Find the environment that works for you, find your allies, and don't give up the love of the game. Guest: Carly Williams Head Coach of Brentford FC Women's First Team. Former Arsenal Women's Academy coach and player care pioneer, England Schools U15s manager, FA coach, mentor and tutor, and two-time Football Black List Coaching & Management Award winner. Ex Tottenham Hotspur & Enfield Town player. This episode is for neurodivergent individuals in sport, coaches and clubs building inclusive environments, and anyone interested in women's football and neurodiversity. Find Carly here: Instagram (@_cwcoaching [https://www.instagram.com/_cwcoaching/]) Brentford FC Women: Instagram (@brentfordfcwomen [https://www.instagram.com/brentfordfcwomen/]) | X (@BrentfordFCW) | TikTok (@brentfordfcwomen [https://www.tiktok.com/@brentfordfc]) | https://www.brentfordfc.com/en [https://www.brentfordfc.com/en] 📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse - empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org [https://dyscourse.org/] Watch, Listen & Connect Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast/] Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast [https://dyscourse.org/podcast] Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS [https://apple.co/4wVeWmS] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43] Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ [https://dyscourse.org/] (above footer) Follow: Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens [https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens/] LinkedIn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2569560/%20https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/Dyscourse [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/] Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens [https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

The Truth About Neurodivergent Empathy

Do neurodivergent people lack empathy? It's one of the most damaging and persistent myths out there - particularly about autistic individuals. In Episode 5, we challenge that assumption head on, exploring how empathy is genuinely felt and expressed across neurodivergence, and why so much of the misunderstanding comes down to difference, not deficit. What This Episode Covers In this episode, we discuss: * The myth that autistic and neurodivergent people lack empathy * Why empathy is experienced and expressed in many different ways * The spectrum of neurodivergent traits - the "television pixels" analogy * How relating through your own example can be misread as self-centred * Cognitive empathy vs affective empathy explained * Heightened sensory responses and intuitive feeling * How lived experience can deepen empathic capacity * Why neurodivergent people often empathise easily with each other * The role of intuition in empathy * Reciprocal empathy - and the neurotypical expectations around it * Curiosity over judgement when empathy looks different * Expressive vs internalised empathy in relationships * How misunderstanding fuels conflict - and why communication matters most This episode is for: Neurodivergent individuals who've been wrongly labelled as lacking empathy. Educators, leaders, and clinicians wanting to challenge outdated assumptions. Anyone exploring autism, ADHD, and the realities of neurodivergent emotional experience. Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins Founder of Rethink Inclusion, Emma provides consultancy and neurodiversity training informed by both professional and lived experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, she is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people. Find Emma here: Website [https://www.rethink-inclusion.org/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-lord-a21679b0/] | Instagram (@rethink_inclusion) [https://www.instagram.com/rethink_inclusion/] Timestamps 00:00 Introduction  00:32 The empathy debate & common misconceptions  00:59 Understanding the spectrum - the television analogy  01:52 Empathy is experienced & expressed in many ways  02:08 Misconceptions across different neurodivergent traits  03:03 Relating through your own example - mirroring  04:12 Cognitive empathy vs affective empathy  05:12 Heightened sensory responses & intuitive feeling  06:16 How lived experience can deepen empathy  07:11 Neurotypical vs neurodivergent - relating to each other  07:55 Intuition and empathy  08:18 Autistic people do feel & have empathy  09:19 The importance of reciprocal empathy  09:45 Curiosity over judgement  10:39 Expressive vs internalised empathy  11:17 Empathy, relationships & misunderstanding  12:17 Communication & asking better questions  12:51 Outro  Why This Matters The belief that neurodivergent people - and autistic people in particular - lack empathy is not only inaccurate, it's harmful. It shapes how people are judged, treated, and understood in workplaces, relationships, and society. This episode reframes empathy as something felt and expressed in diverse ways, challenging stigma and opening up a more compassionate, curious conversation. About The Neurodivergent Lens A video podcast exploring neurodivergence through conversations with lived and professional experience. We challenge assumptions, reduce stigma, and promote a more inclusive, strengths-based understanding. This podcast is brought to you by Dyscourse - a consultancy, training, and mentoring organisation empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. Find out more: https://dyscourse.org [https://dyscourse.org/] Keywords Neurodivergent empathy | Autism and empathy | Do autistic people have empathy | Cognitive empathy | Affective empathy | Empathy misconceptions | Double empathy problem | Neurodivergent vs neurotypical | Heightened sensory response | Reciprocal empathy | ADHD empathy | Autism myths | Neurodivergent communication | Neurodiversity | Lived experience Special Thanks: Sue McMillan - Strumhum Creatives (production, editing, music), Hannah Taylor - The Lens Box (filming, photography), Emma Lord-Jenkins (guest) Watch, Listen & Connect Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast/] Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast [https://dyscourse.org/podcast] Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS [https://apple.co/4wVeWmS] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43] Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ [https://dyscourse.org/] (above footer) Follow: Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens [https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens/] LinkedIn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2569560/%20https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/Dyscourse [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/] Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens [https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Why time feels different when you’re neurodivergent

Does time feel like your enemy? In Episode 4, we explore why neurodivergent individuals experience time so differently - from time blindness and hyperfocus to punctuality, executive functioning, and the shame of never quite keeping up. We cover: time slippage vs time management, why the language matters, time blindness and the neurodivergent brain, hyperfocus and losing track of time completely, the shame around needing support with something "everyone else can do", practical strategies including the Pomodoro technique, contingency planning and setting alarms, how COVID changed workplace expectations, and how unstructured time can become a genuine neurodivergent strength. 👤 Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins Founder of Rethink Inclusion - neurodiversity consultancy and training informed by lived and professional experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Emma is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people. This episode is for neurodivergent individuals who've struggled with time and punctuality, and for employers, educators, and HR professionals wanting to better understand and support neurodivergent people. 📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse — empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org [https://dyscourse.org/] Watch, Listen & Connect Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast/] Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast [https://dyscourse.org/podcast] Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS [https://apple.co/4wVeWmS] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43] Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ [https://dyscourse.org/] (above footer) Follow: Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens [https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens/] LinkedIn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2569560/%20https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/Dyscourse [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/] Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens [https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.

Why Do Neurodivergent Individuals Experience Decision Paralysis?

Why Do Neurodivergent Individuals Experience Decision Paralysis? Do you freeze when faced with a decision? In Episode 3, we explore decision paralysis and the "don't knows" - unpacking why neurodivergent individuals are disproportionately affected, how alexithymia, shame, and anxiety intersect, and what self-understanding and psychological safety can unlock. In this episode, we discuss: decision paralysis and alexithymia, nervous system shutdown and overwhelm, the duality of shutdown vs impulsive over-commitment, rejection sensitivity, shame and trauma, processing speed and working memory, the ADHD brain and decision-making, psychological safety, reasonable adjustments at work, and self-coaching strategies. 👤 Guest: Emma Lord-Jenkins Founder of Rethink Inclusion — neurodiversity consultancy and training informed by lived and professional experience. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Emma is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces and removing barriers for neurodivergent people. This episode is for neurodivergent individuals who've felt frozen or overwhelmed, and for educators, leaders, and HR professionals wanting to better support neurodivergent people. 📌 Brought to you by Dyscourse - a consultancy, training, and mentoring organisation empowering neurodivergent individuals and organisations. https://dyscourse.org [https://dyscourse.org/] Watch, Listen & Connect Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeurodivergentLensPodcast/] Website: https://dyscourse.org/podcast [https://dyscourse.org/podcast] Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4wVeWmS [https://apple.co/4wVeWmS] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43 [https://open.spotify.com/show/6Vzy9a6fLbo3YnmNUuiM43] Download our free PDF guide on Myths & Misconceptions: https://dyscourse.org/ [https://dyscourse.org/] (above footer) Follow: Instagram: @the.neurodivergent.lens [https://www.instagram.com/the.neurodivergent.lens/] LinkedIn: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2569560/%20https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/Dyscourse [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyscourse/] Facebook: TheNeurodivergentLens [https://www.facebook.com/TheNeurodivergentLens/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional support. Please seek qualified guidance where needed.