Some incredibly famous entrepreneurs who have talked about being neurodivergent include Steven Bartlett, Richard Branson, and Barbara Corcoran.

I am Charlotte Mather, a highly qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, and Life Coach with a thriving practice. I have two teenage children that are both neurodivergent and was late diagnosed with ADHD myself. For me, my diagnosis answered so many questions, but also raised many more and I began my hyperfocus on all the things that I struggled with as a business owner and what would help to overcome the challenges I experienced.

This led to me launching a new venture ‘Neuro Network’, alongside my daughter Erin Mather, who is Autistic and has Misophonia, to revolutionise the way people network in business, making sure everyone feels welcome and specifically catering to neurodivergent entrepreneurs and businesses that support the neurodivergent community seeking connection, collaboration, and creative inspiration.

Frustrated by the lack of accommodations in traditional networking events, we decided to create a space that addressed our needs and many others’ specific needs, having found that; loud environments, rigid social interactions and a lack of understanding of neurodivergence to be significant barriers.

My own experiences in the corporate world and Erin's school journey, have deeply influenced the creation of ‘Neuro Network’.

Erin struggled and endured bullying, and sensory overload throughout her school and college years. Erin shares: “I’ve always struggled to fit in. Ever since I can remember I have felt like I’m different. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with Misophonia with the help of my mum, who’s my biggest advocate. Misophonia is a neurological disability where my fight or flight response is triggered by certain sounds. As I got older and met other neurodivergent people I started to realise that maybe I had autism. I researched the hell out of it and eventually found myself in the AuDHD community which is autism and ADHD. I finally felt as though I fit in somewhere. I’ve always had an incredibly strong sense of justice and I care a lot about equality. Starting Neuro Network with my mum gave me a way to express these feelings and a way to make a difference in the world.”

Having navigated six figure salary strategic roles in finance and analytics, I personally faced problems around; navigating changes, feeling like an outsider and being ‘un-boss-about-able’, believing this is due to my ADHD.

We are both eager to share our story because we believe it will inspire others. Often, people see our success on social media and think we're effortlessly thriving. What they don't realise is the challenges we've overcome to reach this point. It's crucial for us to highlight that despite the hardships, achieving your goals is possible – we’re here to help change the narrative.

‘Neuro Network’ offers thoughtful accommodations to ensure an encouraging and productive experience, prioritising accessibility for all attendees. With amenities like quiet zones for those who may become overwhelmed by overstimulation. We also offer pre-visit video tours to manage anxiety and attention to detail by eliminating distracting noises such as clinking cups and saucers. Additionally, attendees can choose their preferred greeting style and receive contact details electronically, taking away the stress of remembering to collect business cards. Understanding that attention spans can vary, ‘Neuro Network’ features short, 10-minute presentations designed to be engaging and informative.

This is one-of-a-kind networking that has been missing from the business world. We celebrate the beauty of unique minds because great minds DON’T think alike. Through ‘Neuro Network’, we are not just building a business – we're building a movement towards a more inclusive and understanding world, changing the way people connect in business, one step at a time.

The early response to ‘Neuro Network’ has been overwhelmingly positive. Attendees, some travelling long distances, have expressed a sense of safety and belonging that they haven't found elsewhere.