Blogs by Charlie

  • My first TED talk

    Do you remember your first TED talk? During sixth form and university (and my other two Alice in Blunderland years still in Lancaster after flunking university), I spoke like Bill and Ted most of the time. This started as a fun thing to do with my boyfriend Andy when I was 17 (we both loved Read more

  • One year since I did a naughty thing…

    One year ago today, I did a naughty thing and sampled some ADHD medication. They worked, and there was an unexpected side effect, this epiphany: I could no longer tolerate working in HR, and I must become my own boss. And neurodiversity needed to be main mission, not my side quest. Yes, one year ago! Read more

  • The launch of Club Ausome

    Yesterday, I soft-launched ‘Club Ausome’. This is what I am calling the work I am doing to signal-boost my friends who are neurodivergent or disabled, have a lot to offer, and are not getting the recognition they deserve. ‘Club Ausome’ consists of a weekly half-hour live event, with a different guest(s) each week, and a Read more

  • My Autism Acceptance Month talks

    I just received an email with such lovely feedback from my talk yesterday, I just had to share: ‘Thank you also for a brilliant, informative event.We have received lots of positive feedback about it, such as:– Interesting and inspirational speaker.– Great to hear her personal story and tips around allyship.– Very relatable.– Pure honesty about Read more

  • The 5 year anniversary of Iggy leaving this inhospitable world

    I had originally planned to make a big deal yesterday out of the fifth anniversary of Iggy’s death, but on the day I didn’t feel like dwelling on this too much, and didn’t want a social media notification overload, so we got on with life as normal for us. I did manage my traditional thing Read more

  • Professional Membership of the Professional Speaking Association

    I am happy to share that I am now officially a Professional Member of the Professional Speaking Association! When I left my permanent HR job in June 2023 to turn my side quest neurodiversity inclusion into my main mission, I expected to do one or two speaking events some months but mainly do HR EDI consultancy. Read more