photographer: carly wollaert © | make-up artist: merve from art of colors
coachbridge
we’re joining because visibility is core to what coachbridge does. our work is built on the idea that neurodivergent people aren’t broken versions of a “normal” mind, they think differently, and that difference comes with real strengths once the right support is in place. alongside coaching, we train neurodivergent people and the colleagues, managers and educators who work alongside them. campaigns like this matter because so many neurodivergent people, including plenty already in leadership, have never had that difference properly understood, and that’s what we want to help change.
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anya de saram-larssen
co-founder at coachbridge
about
i’m studying ai at vrije universiteit amsterdam, minoring in technology, law and ethics. a few years ago, i helped start coachbridge, which helps companies and universities unlock the potential of their neurodivergent talent through coaching and training. i’m neurodivergent myself, with sri lankan and norwegian roots. growing up, i spent time on conservation projects and writing about issues i cared about. studying ai now, while helping build something that tries to do right by people, is teaching me that you learn most by just starting.
why do you think it is important that role models need to be visible?
growing up, i didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me, neurodivergent, mixed heritage, doing the things i was into. that stuck with me. when you can point to someone and go “they did that, and they’re kind of like me,” things feel more possible. i see this at coachbridge all the time too, people finally naming their own neurodivergence once someone else has been open about theirs first. that’s really the point of visibility, it does the job no explanation ever could. it shows people what’s possible.
coachbridge
we’re joining because visibility is core to what coachbridge does. our work is built on the idea that neurodivergent people aren’t broken versions of a “normal” mind, they think differently, and that difference comes with real strengths once the right support is in place. alongside coaching, we train neurodivergent people and the colleagues, managers and educators who work alongside them. campaigns like this matter because so many neurodivergent people, including plenty already in leadership, have never had that difference properly understood, and that’s what we want to help change.