My name is Dale Tyler, and I didn’t realise I was neurodivergent until later in life. Before that, I just thought I was a f*ck up. - I couldn’t cope with a 9 – 5 job. - I was constantly called rude and unsociable because I didn’t like having people in my house - I was overwhelmed by tasks and the concept of ‘adulting’ - I was scared to death of brown envelopes because I was terrified I’d screwed something up by not understanding it and I was in trouble for it I felt like a 12 year old trapped in a grown up’s body and life and I suffered from crippling anxiety and depression. Every time I tried something new, or I was close to succeeding in some new venture, I’d pull the plug and run away, hiding from the prospect of failing. I mean, you can’t fail something you haven’t tried right? It wasn’t until I became a Director at Not That Kind Of CIC where I found myself working alongside several neurodivergent people that things started to make a little more sense. I realised I was not alone in my experiences, that the feelings I was experiencing were not unique to me, and didn’t make me ‘broken’ – in fact they were completely ‘normal’ (whatever that is!) I feel passionately about helping others going through this journey – those that struggled with schooling and structure, that wondered why the school curriculum never made sense; those that need to know ‘why?’ and can’t just accept arbitrary rules; those who suffer from burnout, overwhelm, a perpetually lost phone; those who are stressed, self doubting and feel like there’s something wrong with them, or that they are incapable and like a failure because starting a simple task can feel insurmountable.