Autism, ADHD, Giftedness and the Search for Self-Acceptance | Philipp Wolf
Philipp Wolf has spent his career moving between disciplines: software engineering, web development, automotive engineering, journalism, television, film production, entrepreneurship, and now immersive technology. Along the way, he worked on projects connected to productions such as Game of Thrones, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ghost in the Shell, and Fast & Furious.
But this conversation isn't about career achievements.
It's about what happens when a late diagnosis forces you to re-examine your entire life.
After being diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and giftedness as an adult, Philipp found himself revisiting decades of experiences through a completely different lens. Childhood memories, relationships, school, work, masking, identity, and self-acceptance suddenly started making sense in ways they never had before.
In this episode, we explore the realities of late diagnosis, the hidden cost of masking, sensory differences, executive function challenges, and the importance of building environments that allow people to thrive instead of forcing them to fit in.
We also discuss Swivel, the company Philipp co-founded to help people experience different perspectives through immersive storytelling and virtual reality. Their mission is simple but powerful: helping people move from judgment to curiosity by better understanding how others experience the world.
Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, love someone who is, lead a team, or simply want to better understand human differences, this conversation offers valuable insights into identity, empathy, accessibility, and human potential.
TIMELINE
00:00 The shock of a late diagnosis
02:43 Meet Philipp Wolf
04:15 How unexpected connections shape our lives
08:35 Conversations that feel meant to happen
10:00 Discovering autism, ADHD, and giftedness
14:20 An overlooked support available in Canada
15:17 Looking back at life through a new lens
16:16 "You're not a horse. You're a zebra."
16:45 The existential crisis after diagnosis
17:45 The hidden cost of masking
18:35 Why a $120 water bottle changed his life
19:30 Gamification, routines, and self-support
20:00 The five-minute tasks that take months
22:25 Creating environments that actually work for you
23:00 Why showers can be surprisingly difficult
25:30 How COVID disrupted neurodivergent routines
27:30 The origin story of Swivel
29:00 Perspective vs. perception
30:00 Experiencing neurodiversity through immersive technology
32:30 Virtual reality, empathy, and inclusion
35:00 Sensory overload in everyday environments
37:00 Learning to ask for what you need
38:00 Does "neurotypical" even exist?
40:30 The problem with labels
42:00 Thinking in images instead of words
43:50 When your brain moves faster than language
44:20 "This isn't a talent gap. It's an access gap."
46:00 The economic cost of excluding neurodivergent talent
47:15 Leading and supporting atypical teams
49:15 Why many neurodivergent people remain unidentified
50:00 Accessibility benefits everyone
51:00 Conversations are not debates
52:00 Walking in someone else's shoes
52:20 How to support Swivel
53:00 The most important lesson of the episode
54:20 Self-acceptance and human potential
55:20 Closing thoughts
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