Trauma-informed networking for
neurodivergent humans means
connecting without masking.
neurodivergent humans means
connecting without masking.
As neurospicy individuals, networking events take a toll on our mental health: the sensory overload of lights, smells or voices, the hypervigilance for unspoken rules or body language, and feeling like we need to sacrifice our authenticity for fake acceptance.
A framework for how we design and facilitate this event to create a space that minimizes anxiety, prevents re-traumatization, and empowers all participants to connect authentically. This approach is guided by 5 principles:
Prioritizing Physical, Emotional, and Sensory Safety
Our Approach: The first priority is to create an environment where you feel safe to be your authentic self. This goes beyond physical safety (in a virtual space) to encompass emotional and sensory well-being.
In Practice: This means your camera can be off, your microphone muted. You are encouraged to use the chat 100% of the time. You can leave at any time without explanation. We will avoid sudden changes and provide a clear, predictable structure. Stimming is welcomed and normalized.
2. Trustworthiness & Transparency – Building Confidence Through Clarity
Our Approach: We build trust by being clear, consistent, and respectful of your boundaries. There are no hidden agendas or social subtexts you are expected to decode.
In Practice: The agenda, including timings, prompts, and activities, is shared in advance. All norms are stated explicitly at the start and upheld. The facilitator's role is to guide, not to pressure. What you share is treated with respect, and no one will be put on the spot.
3. Choice & Autonomy – You are the Expert on Your Own Needs
Our Approach: You have full control over your level of participation. The more agency you have over your experience, the more comfortable and empowered you will feel to engage.
In Practice: You choose how to participate (voice, chat). You can select breakout rooms based on your interests or opt out entirely. You can rename yourself to indicate your pronouns. Your boundaries are respected without question.
4. Collaboration & Mutuality – We Are Building This Together
Our Approach: This is not a top-down event. We are all peers here to connect and learn from each other. Your expertise and contributions are valued equally.
In Practice: The event is designed for peer-to-peer connection, not one-directional advice. Breakout rooms use collaborative prompts. The chat is a shared space for co-creation, resource-sharing and validation. The facilitator participates as a member of the community, not as an authority figure.
5. Empowerment & Strengths-Based – Highlighting Your Value
Our Approach: The focus is celebrating the unique strengths, skills, and perspectives that neurodivergent minds bring. The goal is to build confidence and a resilient professional network, not to fix "deficits".
In Practice: Conversations are framed around your skills, special interests, and what you can do. The networking is designed to help you find referrals, body-doubling partners, or collaborators who appreciate your direct communication and neurodivergent strengths. We empower you to build a professional life that works for your brain.
By adhering to these principles, we aim to create a networking event that is not only effective but also respectful, validating, and a genuine relief from the pressures of typical networking events.
Real life:
I'm a late-diagnosed autistic Mexican woman who moved to Switzerland 7 years ago. I'm also a mom to a non-speaking human.
I've been working fully remote since I arrived in Switzerland but I want to find a job here. I decided to create this event because networking is extremely hard for me: the masking and sensory overload mean I need to recover for a day or two after attending, which, under capitalism, is practically impossible. I risk my mental health if I don't rest.
Personally, after an 11-year relationship ended, I've found myself with no real network of my own, and I want to change that while supporting other neurospicy folks in similar circumstances.
Quests in "The Matrix" - a.k.a professional experience:
I have 15+ years of experience in Global Marketing & Comms Strategies, Partnership Development, and Operational Management. I'm also trained in Intentional Peer Support, Autism, Trauma, Educational Diversity, Racism and Xenophobia, Children's Political Participation, and other social equity topics.
I've led and organized peer learning and support groups for Autistic and AuDHD people and their families in Latam through my platform Autismo Incondicional. Now, I'm offering my expertise in service of the Neurodivergent community in Switzerland.
I'm hyped to connect with other divergent humans in this and other projects led by us and for us.
Lineage of Knowledge
I have read or studied the works of the following people/theories, and they inform how I think about and engage in:
Work: Design Thinking, Agile, Scrum, Failure Management, Servant Leadership, Psychological Safety via Polyvagal Theory, Radical Candor, Non-Violent Communication
Total liberation: Decolonial Theory, Critical Race Theory, Critical Disability Studies, Disability Justice Activists like Alice Wong and Mel Baggs, Psychiatric Abolition & Non-Carceral Care, Trauma Theory, Anarchism, Animal Rights, Environmental Justice, Land Back Movement, IPS, Project LETS, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Frantz Fanon, James Baldwin, Ibram X. Kendi, Asiatu Lawoyin, Devon Price, Gabor Maté, Alfie Kohn, The Wheel of Consent, Attachment & Conscious Parenting, Psychedelic Assisted Therapies
(yes, in low caps)
A one-stop shop for neurodivergent-vetted-and-approved courses, resources, events, and health providers in Europe, with special focus on the DACH region.
neurodiversia seeks to educate and connect humans through accessibility, knowledge, information, peer learning, peer support and community.
Unapologetically political yet focused on joy through alignment, neurodiversia is looking for co-founders and co-conspirators willing to grow through healthy discomfort and launch neurodiversia, officially.
Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are decades behind in neurodiversity literacy and disability rights for psychosocial disabilities. It's time to change this ableist narrative. If you're curious to know what I have in mind, connect with me and send me a DM on LinkedIn.
Let's build something meaningful and sustainable.