Episode 30 – S2 Episode 10 | You Don't Look Autistic: Working With Neurodivergent Colleagues

Leading through transformation w/ Denise Shillito

In this finale episode, Aga Gajownik [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agagajownik/] is joined by Denise Shillito [https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-shillito-ma-81633a10/], founder of Purple Circle and former CHRO, to close out the season with the perspective of someone who has spent decades in the room where the decisions actually get made.   A conversation about what it actually takes to lead through AI transformation, and why the organisations getting it right are asking fundamentally different questions than everyone else.   Topics include: * Why starting with the shiny tool instead of the real problem leads to failures in AI transformation * The centaur and reverse centaur world and which one we're building towards * Burnout as a systemic problem, not an individual one, and what leaders are getting wrong * AI agents in the team: what guardrails, data ownership and psychological safety actually look like * How IKEA and Unilever turned AI adoption into growth without defaulting to headcount cuts * What a CHRO should do first when an AI rollout isn't working * Psychological safety in practice: what it actually looks like for leaders who build it * Why AI is not the answer for everything and how to know when it isn't   This episode is especially relevant for CHROs, CTOs and senior leaders navigating AI transformation, people leaders designing change programmes that actually stick, and anyone who has watched a well intentioned technology rollout quietly break a team.   This is the final episode of the Innotainment Podcast. Next week, it becomes something new.   Links mentioned in this episode: * ⁠Denise Shillito⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-shillito-ma-81633a10/] — Founder, ⁠Purple Circle⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/purple-circle-consult/] * ⁠Aga Gajownik⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agagajownik/] – Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration * ⁠⁠⁠ [https://adhdgirls.co.uk/]⁠Innotainment podcast⁠⁠ [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment] –⁠ ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1] : Submit questions for future episodes * Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram⁠ ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/innotainment_podcast/] ⁠ ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/myquirkyadhdbrain/?hl=en]

Are we outsourcing our thinking? AI, Anxiety, ADHD and Mental Load chat w/ Karyen Chai

In this bonus episode, Aga Gajownik [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agagajownik/] is joined by Karyen Chai [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyen-chai-768496154/], psychologist, lecturer and PhD candidate researching ADHD and sleep, for a conversation that sits underneath all the noise about tools and productivity. Because what's rarely being asked is what rapid AI change is actually doing to us: to our thinking, our sense of value, our emotional regulation and our identity as professionals. Karyen brings a uniquely grounded perspective as someone who teaches students, sits with therapy clients and works inside organisations navigating AI transformation, all at once. Together, they explore what happens when people stop trusting their own thinking, why AI anxiety is less about the technology and more about identity, and how to figure out when AI is genuinely helping versus quietly accelerating the overwhelm.   Topics include: * Why students and professionals are losing trust in their own thinking, and what that means long term * AI as supplement versus AI as outsourcing, and how to know the difference * The double stress: AI raises expectations and creates more cleanup work at the same time * How ADHD brains and AI interact, and why the combination can accelerate overwhelm * What good thinking actually looks like in an AI-supported environment * The one mindset shift that makes navigating all of this easier * Digital minimalism, the analogue comeback and why Gen Z might be onto something This episode is especially relevant for leaders and managers trying to support teams through AI-driven change without burning people out, neurodivergent professionals whose brains interact with AI tools in ways that are not always helpful, anyone feeling the quiet anxiety of not keeping up, and students, educators and knowledge workers rethinking what their value actually is in an AI world. This is Season 2 of the Innotainment Podcast, now continuing as Brain Friendly Systems with Aga Gajownik. Links mentioned in this episode: * Karyen Chai [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyen-chai-768496154/]— Psychologist, Lecturer and PhD Candidate * Innotainment podcast [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment]⁠ [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment] – ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1]⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1] : Submit questions for future episodes * Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/innotainment_podcast/]  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain [https://www.instagram.com/myquirkyadhdbrain/?hl=en]

Cutting through the AI noise : What's real, what's hype and what leaders should do next w/ Victoria Wymark

In this bonus episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik is joined by Victoria Wymark, AI and Data Transformation Director, to slow down and have an honest conversation about what AI transformation actually looks like on the ground for organisations, and the humans living through it.   A conversation that asks what we actually want from all of this, going beyond hype and whether we're designing for that.   Topics include: - Why some organisations are treating AI as a solution without looking for a problem - The real reasons AI proof of concepts fail: data, governance and people adoption - Why AI transformation is 99% a human shift, not a technology rollout - The quiet anxiety and  cognitive overload building underneath the hype - What leaders should actually be doing   This episode is especially relevant for: - Leaders and managers navigating AI adoption in their organisations - Neurodivergent professionals feeling the cognitive overload of constant change - Anyone who wants a grounded, human-first perspective on what's really happening with AI right now   🔗 Links mentioned in this episode * ⁠Victoria Wymark – AI and Data Transformation Director⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vwymark/]  * ⁠State of AI in business 2025 ⁠ [https://mlq.ai/media/quarterly_decks/v0.1_State_of_AI_in_Business_2025_Report.pdf] * ⁠Claude Mythos & Project Glasswing⁠ [https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/04/on-anthropics-mythos-preview-and-project-glasswing.html] - A more critical lens  * ⁠Anthropic's Project Glasswing⁠ [https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing] - Straight from the source  * ⁠⁠⁠ [https://adhdgirls.co.uk/]⁠Innotainment podcast⁠⁠ [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment] –⁠ ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1] : Submit questions for future episodes * Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram⁠ ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/innotainment_podcast/] ⁠ ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/myquirkyadhdbrain/?hl=en]

The Internship Wars: What Gen Z Really Wants from Work w/ Hazel Hua

In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agagajownik/] sits down with Hazel Hua [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazel-hua-416a63203/], a recent graduate, community builder and multi hyphenate young professional to explore what the job market actually looks like from the candidate's side.   Following the inclusive hiring conversation with Cara Norkett, Aga wanted to hear from someone living the experience right now. Hazel brings a sharp, honest perspective on what it takes to break into the workforce in 2025: the internship wars, the AI shaped landscape, the five round interview gauntlets and the deeper questions that ambitious young professionals are asking themselves before they even apply.   Together, they unpack the gap between what organisations think motivates young talent and what actually keeps them engaged, why the prefrontal cortex matters more than most managers realise, and what both sides of the hiring table can do to make early careers less of a survival sport and more of a genuine starting point.   Topics include: * The "internship wars" why graduates are racking up five or six internships just to stay competitive * How AI is eliminating entry level roles and creating a ‘catch 22’ loop for young job seekers * What Gen Z actually looks for in a role beyond salary * The neuroscience of the early twenties, where the brain is still developing and what that means for careers * Neuroplasticity, the Odyssey years and why your twenties are for building paths, not finding the perfect one * What organisations get wrong about motivating young talent * One piece of advice from each side of the table   This episode is especially relevant for: * Early career professionals navigating a competitive and fast-changing job market * Managers and leaders working with Gen Z colleagues and graduates * Founders and HR professionals designing graduate programmes or early career pathways * Anyone interested in brain-friendly approaches to talent development and retention 🔗 Links mentioned in this episode * Hazel Hua [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazel-hua-416a63203/] – LinkedIn * Singapore Health Connect [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14716746/] – Community for healthcare, biotech and medtech professionals in Singapore * ⁠ [https://adhdgirls.co.uk/]Innotainment podcast⁠ [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment] – ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1] : Submit questions for future episodes * Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/innotainment_podcast/]  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain [https://www.instagram.com/myquirkyadhdbrain/?hl=en]

Episode 30 – S2 Episode 10 | You Don't Look Autistic: Working With Neurodivergent Colleagues

In this episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik gets personal about what it means to be autistic in a world that didn't expect it, and what that reveals about how we work with, support and design for neurodivergent colleagues.   Drawing on over a decade of working with neurodivergent brains, her own late-identified autism, and emerging research that challenges how we understand neurodivergence altogether, Aga unpacks why labels are not strategies, why masking comes at a real cost, and why curiosity is the most underrated leadership skill in any brain-friendly workplace.   This conversation goes beyond awareness and offers a practical starting point for anyone who wants to move from knowing that neurodivergent colleagues exist in their team to actually doing something useful about it  without defaulting to assumptions, checklists or one-size-fits-all approaches.   Topics include: * Why "you don't look autistic" says more about our assumptions than about the person in front of us * The real cost of masking and why high-functioning people are often the least supported. * New research from Nature on why autism doesn't follow one fixed pattern across different people * Why labels give us context but not strategy and what to do instead * Practical brain-friendly adjustments any team can experiment with immediately * How retrospectives, structured agendas and flexible check-ins create workplaces that work for everyone * What Autism Acceptance Day actually asks of us, beyond awareness.   This episode is especially relevant for: * Leaders and managers with neurodivergent people in their teams * HR professionals and people leaders designing more inclusive workplaces * Neurodivergent founders and professionals who have been told they don't "look" like their diagnosis * Anyone who has ever masked at work and felt the weight of it   🔗 Links mentioned in this episode * Aga Gajownik [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agagajownik/] – Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration * Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09542-6] - Nature.com * ⁠ [https://adhdgirls.co.uk/]Innotainment podcast⁠ [https://www.iandi.eu/innotainment] – ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemKgevHavjoRCNWOCXo1ZHKAt-KQOEu1RGX7oYhcObx-Bupw/viewform?pli=1] : Submit questions for future episodes * Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/innotainment_podcast/]  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain [https://www.instagram.com/myquirkyadhdbrain/?hl=en]