Made Different is the next extension of my personal manifesto: “until everyone would be willing to trade places with anyone, there is work to be done.”

Too often, we ask people to adapt to systems, environments and expectations that were never designed with them in mind.

Seeing this play out around the world is what led me to participatory design - working with individuals and communities to understand the problems and opportunities they face, and to design the solutions they want to see.

That feels particularly relevant for neurodivergent people. Too often, the focus is on deficits, accommodations, coping strategies or fitting in better, rather than understanding how someone actually thinks, works, recharges and performs - authentically, as they are - and working with the potential that already exists within them.

We think there is a better way.

Made Different starts with understanding: the individual, the environment around them and critically, the interaction between the two.

From there, we identify where influence lies and design changes that reduce unnecessary friction, support recharge and create the conditions for people to work, contribute and perform in ways that are sustainable and authentic to who they are.

The same principle applies to organisations. We are not just here to raise awareness or introduce accommodations.

We are here to bring forward the hidden brilliance in every organisation.

We lead with recognising the value of cognitive diversity and aim to co-create the conditions for different ways of thinking to strengthen how organisations solve problems, make decisions, innovate and perform. It means looking at how work is designed, how people communicate and collaborate, and whether different minds are genuinely able to contribute at their best - as they are.

Made Different brings together coaching, facilitation and participatory design to enable individuals and organisations better understand difference - and design for it deliberately.