We Did It! Also: What’s YOUR Crazy Idea?

NeuroDiversion wrap-up and more.

Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD speaks on the main stage of NeuroDiversion 25.

Last week I hosted an all-new event to bring together the neurodivergent community (broadly speaking) for a 3-day celebration in Austin, Texas.

I always crash after an experience like this, and it takes me a while to process it all. But for now I’ll say: it was very, very special.

I’m thankful to our all-volunteer team, our 30+ speakers, and everyone who made the trek to join in for our inaugural event.

We’re going to do it again next year—bigger and better—and if you’d like to be the first to learn about it, join the waiting list on the site. And stay tuned, because we’ll have lots of footage, photos, and recaps to share in the months to come. (Follow @neurodiversionevent on Instagram, if you like that sort of thing.)

I’ll share a few short photo highlights below, but I don’t mean to make this post all about an event that most readers didn’t attend. I think the greater point is: it’s good to follow your crazy ideas.

As I wrote a while back:

One of the guiding forces of my life has been paying attention to ideas that won’t leave me alone. The principle is: not all of our “crazy” ideas are worth doing, but one way to tell the good from the bad is by how much time they take up in your brain.

So I encourage YOU to pursue those little ideas that stick in your head and won’t leave you alone. Odds are, they’re there for a reason. You should follow-up. :)

Alright, for those who are curious—below I’ll share a few initial photos (out of 900+) from the weekend. And here’s a photo album of our top 60. We’re also working on a recap video, long-form videos of speaker keynotes, and much more. It was meaningful and fun, and I really appreciate everyone who took part.

We played an epic Rock, Paper, Scissors championship to kick off the opening party.

Backstage with friends and team members.

Dr. Brandi Walker, a clinical psychologist with 20 years of experience working with the military, speaks from the main stage.

Longtime WDS attendees were a big part of the first NeuroDiversion.

Kelly Baums leads a breakout session. We used “silent disco” headphones to help reduce the noise from concurrent sessions.

Karla Starr gives a talk on AI and ADHD.

A content creator panel featuring Dani Donovan, Jesse J. Anderson, Chris Wang, and Trina Haynes.

Even Buzz Lightyear made an appearance. “To executive functioning and beyond!”

Orientation for our 20+ crew of volunteer “Ambassadors.”

Welcoming attendees on night one.

Trystan Reese checks in at registration.

Yes, we even had a marching band! As one does.

Seeing old friends and making new ones was a big part of the event.

Oh, one more thing: before the event kicked off,

Trina Haynes

and I went live on Studio 512, a popular Austin morning show. The host was well-prepared and gave us a lot of time!

That’s all for now—I’ll be back next week with a new post. Thank you for reading and for being part of my world. 🙏

Remember: pay attention to your crazy ideas!