For our third session of the Speaker Series, we are joined by Dr. Jenny Mai Phan—autistic researcher and advocate—as she details navigating her career in academia as a neurodivergent person with multiple intersecting identities (including race, gender, and class).

Like many women, Dr. Phan was not diagnosed with autism until she reached adulthood. As the daughter of two Vietnamese immigrants, she describes how neurodiversity and mental health were never topics of conversation during her upbringing. As a teenager, Dr. Phan’s household dipped in and out of poverty, so she had to work throughout high school to pay for her tuition. While this experience built resilience, her preoccupation with supporting herself prevented her from identifying her developmental differences. In fact, it was not until she became the mother of an autistic son that she started to “connect the dots” between characteristics in him that were present in herself. 

Due to her late diagnosis, Dr. Phan never had access to the necessary supports throughout her education and emerging career. She notes in her article that neurodiversity, while acknowledged, is inadequately supported in academia. She states that the difficulties faced by autistic students and academics can be mitigated with proper support and highlights the urgent need for an understanding of neurodivergence, especially from an intersectional perspective. Dr. Phan suggests that improving mentorship, accessibility, and community engagement can lay the groundwork for long-term inclusivity and empower the next generation of autistic researchers. 

Dr. Phan provides tangible and empowering advice to autistic and neurodivergent audience members interested in or currently pursuing academia (including how to hone in on skills and access helpful accommodations). She encouraged attendees to connect with networks that align with their values and to take ownership of their narratives. While Dr. Phan radiates care and conviction throughout her talk, perhaps no time is this made clearer than when she reminds the audience, “You are worth a community of support.” Her session reminded us that neurodiversity-affirming support must be intersectional—and that no one should have to mask who they are to succeed.

In our fourth session of the Speaker Series, Brooke Leifso—disabled “crip” artist, academic, and expressive arts practitioner—and Robert Lamont—musical composer, director, and educator—share their personal stories and hard-earned wisdom about navigating careers in the arts while holding neurodivergent and queer identities. Structured as a panel discussion between the speakers and facilitators (Dr. Heather Brown and members of the AIDAN Lab), the session explores the powerful intersections between neurodivergence, queerness, and creativity.

Both speakers illustrate how neurodivergence not only shapes the creative process, but fuels it. Their experiences highlight the deep well of innovation, perspective, and passion that neurodivergent artists bring to their work. Art becomes a natural outlet for self-expression, and a space where unique ways of thinking are not only accepted, but celebrated.

At the same time, Brooke and Robert are candid about the structural barriers that remain. Brooke critiques the ableist "hidden curriculum" in fine arts education and calls for greater transparency around who receives support and why. She also challenges the myth of meritocracy in the professional arts world, a narrative that often excludes neurodivergent voices. Robert echoes these concerns, emphasizing the need for better training and resources for educators to support neurodivergent students meaningfully, not just superficially.

Both speakers offer advice for young neurodivergent artists: Brooke reminds us that art careers are full of "peaks and valleys," and that no single opportunity will make or break you. Robert emphasizes that while finding community is important, it starts with knowing yourself first. Success isn’t about squeezing into someone else’s idea of achievement; it’s about building a path that actually fits who you are. 

Brooke and Robert challenge us to rethink how we define success in the arts altogether. When we make space for different ways of thinking, feeling, and creating, we don’t just include neurodivergent artists—we change and enrich the arts as a whole.

In our fifth session of the Speaker Series, Jeff Warren—meditation teacher and co-author of Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics—explored the importance of mindfulness, and how meditation can be made more accessible for neurodivergent minds. His talk centered around one core message: you don’t need to fix your brain to meditate, you just need to show up as you are.

Jeff shares a bit of his background with the audience, explaining how it took him a very long time to embrace meditation. As someone with ADHD and bipolar disorder, he found it challenging to regulate his thoughts, emotions, and stress levels. These challenges led him to learn more about neuroscience and mindfulness, eventually writing a book aimed at helping people who feel like meditation isn’t for them. He emphasized the strengths within neurodiversity (including sensitivity and creativity) but also noted that these strengths need real support in order to thrive. He shares his three main steps on “How to Get Through This (Life),” which includes regulating in the moment, in an activity, and connecting with others. 

Jeff then guided the audience through a meditation practice, keeping it approachable and unintimidating. He began with a simple invitation: pause and feel the sense of being a body. From there, he encouraged everyone to check in. How am I? What do I need right now? He reminded us that meditation isn’t about doing it “right” or achieving some special state, it’s about learning how we are and meeting ourselves with understanding.

He encouraged starting small (such as just two minutes a day). It doesn’t have to look like meditation, so long as it helps you slow down, notice how you’re doing, and settle a bit. Jeff also pointed out that many of us don’t even realize how disconnected we are from our emotional states until we try to name them. He offered some helpful reflective questions to guide that process, especially for those navigating a world that often doesn’t make space for neurodivergent ways of being.

With warmth, humour, and clarity, Jeff offered practices that felt gentle and genuinely doable (especially for minds that wonder and wander!). His session left many with a sense of relief: meditation doesn’t ask you to be anyone else, it just asks you to be here.

In our sixth session of the Speaker Series, Nicholas Bennett—paralympic gold medalist—and his sister and coach, Haley Bennett-Osborne, sit down with Dr. Heather Brown and the AIDAN Lab team for a panel-like discussion about neurodivergence, athletic success, and the importance of genuine support to thrive in high-performance environments. 

Nicholas spoke about the intense stress he felt during the games, which is something audiences aren’t often privy to. There were days he could barely talk to Haley, caught up in the mental strain of navigating overwhelming environments on top of the usual athletic demands. He additionally opened up about how the characteristics of autism are not widely understood or validated by coaches or other athletes, which is part of what made Haley’s guidance so imperative. Despite the difficulty, he described his victory as a “starstruck” momen, and a joint effort between himself and his sister, whose support allowed him to show up as his best self when it mattered most.

Haley vulnerably shared how nerve-wracking it was to watch Nicholas compete followed by the rush of emotions at witnessing his victory. She reflected on her own neurodivergent experiences, and how this strengthened her coaching. She emphasized that success starts with recognizing and respecting individual needs, which for Nicholas included keeping a consistent routine, or being blunt and straightforward when delivering feedback. For Haley, coaching is about meeting each athlete where they are, not where you expect them to be. 

At the heart of their conversation was an important reminder: just because something feels hard doesn't mean you're doing it wrong, or that there’s something wrong with you. Neurodivergent success doesn't come from forcing yourself to fit an impossible standard, or match what other people are doing; it comes from building systems of support that work for you. Ultimately, this session was about more than medals. It was about what becomes possible when people are seen, validated, and supported for who they are; not who they’re expected to be. Nicholas and Haley showed that real strength comes from understanding your needs, advocating for them, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in your success.