I’m a social scientist with a background in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, dedicated to reshaping how we understand neurodivergence—especially among autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent people assigned female at birth, including cis women, trans men, and non-binary folks.

At Neurodiversity Belgium, as President, I am responsible for leading our team of dedicated volunteers, driving strategy and proudly representing our organisation. I also co-lead peer support groups.

My own journey reflects the complexity of late-identified neurodivergence: I was autistic for decades before discovering I also had ADHD and tic-related traits. Like many, I tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to mask what I couldn’t explain.

Today, I embrace the full, interconnected picture hypermobility, chronic pain, dyscalculia, tics, OCD, and what I jokingly call “ideas-for-days” creativity, or sometimes just “analysis-paralysis.” I channel this fast-thinking brain into reducing complexity into clarity.

My work is rooted in a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approach that values lived experience alongside academic knowledge and clinical insight. I focus on gendered expressions of neurodivergence, psychosomatic health, and integrated well-being.

I am am passionate about ensuring the work we do centers the communities involved, whether they be Neuroqueer, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC. My aim is to create safe spaces that reflect the real needs of our community with the respect, dignity, and validation we all deserve. We are worthy of love and a seat at the table just as we are.

After a late diagnosis of giftedness (at 58) I learned more and more about neurodiversity in all its fascinating forms and about my own functioning.

I understood many things that were issues for me so much better, and I became more compassionate and positive about myself instead of self-critical and judging. I wished I had known all this sooner, and so I also became convinced of the urgent need to spread information, awareness, and help so people with these profiles could live better lives.

Through my friend (from previous volunteering) Beverley I became acquainted with ADHD, ASC & LD Belgium of which she is President. It was a natural match and I am very happy to volunteer as Vice President.

I have also discovered my ADHD profile in the meantime, which has led me to attend a training course in ADHD coaching which complements the coaching training I already did. It is great to accompany clients with neurodivergent profiles and to see how they can flourish with all the qualities they have.

Support, as we provide through our support groups, remains very important. The feeling of belonging is something that is often elusive for people with our profiles.

I recently joined Neurodiversity Belgium following a move to Brussels in 2025. My career history has primarily involved leading and managing in non-profit and educational organisations. I am passionate about building dynamic, resilient, for-purpose organisations that deliver meaningful, tangible outcomes for the communities they serve.

My personal journey with neurodivergence has been unfortunately very typical for women in my age group – years of misdiagnoses including depressive disorder, generalized anxiety,  post-natal depression, followed by years trying to get a formal assessment, and then eventually an Autism and ADHD diagnosis. Although many of those closest to me were not at all surprised, my struggles were mostly hidden from view as a high performer with a successful career; I constantly strived to present the public face I believed others expected to see.

I truly believe in the importance of the work we do at Neurodiversity Belgium, bringing information, support and guidance to those in, and surrounding, the neurodivergent community in an effort to make living a little more ordinary for all of us who think and feel things differently.

My history with our organisation began in late 2019 when I started to suspect for the first time that I was autistic. Interacting with other autistic people in the neurodivergent adults meetings, my own research and finding a medical expert with knowledge on the topic helped me foster my autistic identity so that I am now sure that I am on the spectrum. Being at the same time bipolar (only bipolar II but still) provides a mix of neurodivergence with many opportunities but also challenges.

My core special interest is and always has been politics. After studying political science, history and European studies as well as being active in a variety of civil society organisations, I started working for NGOs lobbying the European Union on social and education policy. Finding out about my own disabilities and the countless injustices and crimes committed against disabled people throughout history until today led to me to become a lobbyist for disability rights.

In my full time job at the European Network on Independent Living, I work every day with many other dedicated people to dismantle the many barriers preventing disabled people from participating in society, most of all confinement to institutions but also countless discriminations committed when it comes to access areas such as education, health care or employment.

I joined Neurodiversity Belgium as a Board member in 2022, to further raise awareness of the infinite possibilities of neurodiverse children (identified or unidentified), with learning difficulties.

Embracing neurodiversity, to me, is to embrace creativity – the way we do things today, may not be the way we will do it tomorrow, evolving systems foster further social collusion. These opportunities have been created in the past by famous identified neurodiverse mathematicians (Albert Einstein), investors (Barbara Corcoran), story tellers (Emily Dickinson, Hans Christian Andersen), software developers (Bill Gates), scientific explorers (Jean-Louis Étienne), actor/singers (Cher) and furniture designers (Ingvar Kamprad). We all acknowledge, the educational system was created in a time, where neuroscience did not truly understand neurodiversity. Navigating the educational system in your newly acquired home country has its challenges. Supporting both educational professionals and families navigate inclusion is very much needed. Today, we all have an opportunity, to implement the accommodations needed in school, to embrace the neurodiverse talents of children during their education journey, fostering their belonging, self esteem, to create a brighter future for tomorrow.

I am passionate to continue the conversation, where all perspectives are shared, to realise compromise and promote inclusion. I wish to contribute my knowledge and experiences in advocacy, communications and capacity building, from working with corporates, governments, think tanks and NGOs, across the Asia Pacific, African and European regions. I hold qualifications in engineering, political science and child phycology, and have lived in 7 countries, so far. I am an Australian, living in Belgium with my husband and two children.

I see a beautiful opportunity and challenge – on how to navigate this rather emotional and personal journey collectively, developing both the social norms and guidelines, while shaping today for tomorrow.

I’m a youth and career coach and counsellor.  I accompany my clients in their journey to discover their strengths and become self-aware of what they can do in life, both from the personal as from the educational/career-wise point of view.

My mission is to make personal development as widely spread as possible, and also accessible to many more students, adolescents, and young adults. My support includes the neurodivergent population.

Over the past six years, I had counselled and coached about 600 people, both (young) adults as well students. I also gave courses on career development for the secondary cycle pupils.

What distinguishes my style is the genuine interest in working with others, curiosity, and commitment to building relationships with people, the ability to communicate and listen as well as well as a motivating and resourceful approach.

I’m a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I did my formal training with the Leading and Coaching Academy in Belgium. In addition, I accomplished a specialised Youth coaching training there.

Apart from being a professional coach, I work in human resources. My background entails recruitment, selection, head-hunting, career counselling and training.

Furthermore, if I can help by offering my spare time for volunteering, you don’t have to ask me twice. With my expertise and experience, I am ready to assist neurodiversity.be in achieving their goals.