About Jason Bennett, Autism, ADHD and AuDHD Business Coach
Hello, I'm Jason. Like many of you, I've walked a path that wasn't always clear or easy. My journey is one of resilience in the face of challenges, leadership that developed through trial and error, and an unwavering pursuit of authenticity in a world that sometimes seems designed for conformity.
My Journey
From Hidden Struggles to Professional Success
The path from young father to tech executive wasn't straightforward, but it revealed how my neurodivergent mind became both my greatest challenge and asset.
Undiagnosed Autism & ADHD
My Early Journey: When I was 19, I received news that changed everything – I was going to be a father. That moment sparked something profound in me. With a child depending on me, I knew I needed to forge a different path. So I stepped away from a life heading nowhere and into the unfamiliar territory of the corporate world.
Looking back now, I can see how my then-undiagnosed neurodivergence (ADHD and Autism/ASD) was both my greatest challenge and asset. It shaped how I viewed the world, how I solved problems, and how I connected with others – though I didn't understand that at the time.
Software Engineer to Tech Executive
Career Evolution: I began my professional life as a software engineer, where my mind found a home in logic and problem-solving. There was something beautiful about creating order from chaos, building systems that worked precisely as designed. My analytical curiosity became my compass.
Driven by a need to provide and prove myself, I discovered I thrived under pressure. My brain's unique wiring – the pattern recognition, conceptual thinking, ability to hyperfocus, and perspective that sometimes saw around corners – became assets that propelled me forward. What started as coding evolved into leadership roles in technology, product development, and operations across global organisations.
Transformation Amid Tension
The Hidden Struggle: But here's what wasn't visible on my résumé or LinkedIn profile: the exhausting effort it took to fit in. Each day required a careful performance – monitoring my speech, managing my emotions, adapting to social norms that never came naturally to me. I was achieving professional success while feeling fundamentally misaligned with the person I was expected to be.
This constant masking – this daily disguise – gradually took its toll. My mental health suffered. My relationships became strained. My sense of self began to fracture. Something had to change.
Finding My Path
Diagnosis, Discovery, and a New Mission
A mid-career diagnosis rewrote my understanding of myself, revealing that what I'd seen as weaknesses were actually my greatest strengths waiting to be unleashed.
Coaching Discovery
A Break Through: My first ray of light came through coaching. Almost by accident, I began integrating coaching principles into my leadership approach. The transformation was remarkable – not just in my effectiveness as a leader, but in my own sense of wellbeing. I developed communication skills that could bridge the gap between different neurological styles. For the first time, I felt I was building authentic connections rather than merely performing them.
Late-Diagnosed Autism & ADHD
A Turning Point: Then came the moment that reframed everything – my diagnosis with autism and ADHD in the middle of my executive career.
Have you ever had an experience where suddenly your entire life story gets rewritten in an instant? That's what happened to me. All those "quirks" and "challenges" – my intense focus that others found overwhelming, my systems thinking that sometimes made me seem rigid, my fluctuating energy levels that didn't match 9-to-5 expectations, my instinct to question workplace norms – they weren't flaws to overcome. They were powerful strengths when properly understood and channeled.
Identifying the Support Gap
The Missing Piece: As I sought to navigate this new understanding of myself, I encountered a frustrating reality – there was almost no one who combined senior leadership experience with genuine understanding of ADHD and Autism. I couldn't find guides who truly understood the complex interplay between these neurological traits and the demands of leadership positions.
I remember thinking: "If I can't find the support I need, others must be facing this same void."
That realisation became my calling. I made the decision to step away from my executive position and become the resource I wished I'd had during my own journey.
Discovering Your Potential
From Personal Journey to Professional Mission
I bring a unique perspective to neurodivergent coaching—blending executive experience, technical expertise, and the lived reality of navigating corporate life with ADHD and autism.
What I Bring: Today, I work with neurodivergent tech professionals who are navigating the complex terrain between their extraordinary capabilities and the sometimes constraining expectations of traditional workplaces.
I don't believe in forcing square pegs into round holes. Instead, I help you discover professional paths that genuinely align with your neurological makeup – honouring your distinctive abilities, values, and perspectives rather than fighting against them.
Neurodivergent Coaching Philosophy
What Sets Me Apart
Lived Experience: When you work with me, you're getting more than coaching theories or textbook approaches. You're getting someone who brings together technical expertise from years in the trenches, leadership lessons from guiding teams through complex challenges, specialised neurodivergent coaching credentials, and most importantly – someone who has walked this path before.
I've personally weathered the storms you may be facing. I've developed adaptations that work in real-world scenarios. I've discovered breakthroughs that transformed my own life. And I've learned how to translate these experiences into practical guidance for others.
Your Neurodivergent Edge
Unlocking Your Potential: Let me be clear about something important: your neurodivergence isn't a limitation to overcome – it's your competitive edge in a world that needs innovative thinking.
When properly understood and channeled, the very traits that may have been labeled as "difficult" or "challenging" become drivers of innovation, success, and meaningful impact. My mission is to help you work with your unique neurological wiring rather than exhausting yourself fighting against it.
My Coaching Philosophy
At its heart, my approach centres on a powerful belief: your neurodivergence isn't a limitation to overcome—it's your competitive edge in a world that needs innovative thinking.
The three pillars: Awareness, Acceptance, Advocacy
At its heart, my approach is beautifully simple: I believe your journey forward unfolds through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-advocacy.
Authenticity as the Path to Success
I've seen the transformation that happens when neurodivergent individuals stop trying to hide or minimise their uniqueness and instead weave it intentionally into the tapestry of their lives. The result isn't just professional success – it's a sense of alignment and authenticity that brings profound fulfilment.
A Shared Journey
This isn't just my professional mission; it's deeply personal. Every time I help someone discover their own path forward – leveraging their natural strengths rather than fighting against their neurological wiring – I honour my own journey as well.
Invitation to Connect
If you've read this far, perhaps something in my story resonates with yours. I'd be honoured to connect and explore how we might work together.
Building a Better Future Together
Thank you for considering this path. I truly believe that together, we can navigate the complexities of the professional world while championing a more inclusive, understanding, and neurodiverse future – not just for ourselves, but for all those who will follow in our footsteps.
Professional Experience & Credibility
Insights that go beyond theory
My 25+ year career across global organisations means I've been where you are and have navigated the challenges you're facing.
Leadership Across Industries
Beyond the textbook: My 25+ year leadership journey has taken me across publishing houses, cybersecurity firms, and technology innovators. I've led transformative initiatives that fundamentally changed how organisations operate and deliver value. The path from software engineer to Vice President of Product and Program Operations taught me lessons no textbook could provide.
Leadership across cultures: Now based in Oxfordshire, England, I've had the privilege of guiding multinational teams across three continents – Asia, Europe, and North America – through periods of complex change and uncertainty. These experiences weren't just about delivering business results (though we did that too). They were laboratories for understanding human potential and organisational dynamics.
Global Team Leadership
A space where you can truly thrive: While directing digital transformations for global enterprises, I made a discovery that would later become central to my coaching: integrating coaching methodologies into leadership created remarkable outcomes for both people and the bottom line. The magic happened when we created environments where people could bring their authentic selves to work.
The Coaching Discovery
Embracing Diverse Thinking
The true potential of neurodivergence: When I established international Agile Centres of Excellence and mentored diverse teams across cultural boundaries, I witnessed firsthand how different thinking styles – when properly supported – created innovation that homogeneous thinking simply couldn't match.
Executive Perspective
I've sat in the decision-maker's chair: I've navigated the sometimes turbulent waters of corporate politics. I've led teams through periods of profound uncertainty. I've championed talent development when others focused solely on immediate deliverables. These experiences now inform how I guide ADHD, autistic, and AuDHD professionals through similar landscapes – not by asking them to conform, but by helping them honour and leverage their unique strengths.
