Workplaces are designed for the \"average\" employee — fixed hours, open floors, one-size-fits-all motivation. But what if the average employee doesn't exist? In this episode of Tough Day’s Podcast, KVJ sits down with Morra Aarons-Mele — author, Harvard executive educator, and host of The Anxious Achiever podcast — to explore what it means to be neurodistinct, and how to design a workplace that embraces our distinct needs and complementary super powers to achieve our goals.
Morra's new book, The Atypical Achiever: Leading and Thriving When Your Brain Is Wired Differently (coming June 2027), makes the case that the way most organizations think about high performance is leaving some of their best people behind. She also ran the Neurostrength Study — surveying 1,286 professionals across ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, learning differences, and more — and brings those findings into the conversation alongside her own personal experience and decades of work in this space.
What we cover:
Resources Mentioned:
One Mind at Work Mental Health at Work Index: https://mentalhealthindex.org/
Incorruptible by Eric Ries: https://www.incorruptible.co/
Sovereign by Emma Seppälä: https://www.iamsov.com/
Values Bridge by Suzy Welch: https://thevaluesbridge.com/
Lyra Health Report: https://www.lyrahealth.com/resources/report/2026-state-of-workforce-mental-health-report/
Learn more about Morra Aarons-Mele:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morraaaronsmele
Website: https://morraam.com/
Books: https://morraam.com/books
Podcast: https://morraam.com/podcast
Neurostrength Study: https://morraam.com/neurostrength-survey
Learn more about KVJ | Tough Day
Website: https://tough.day/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kvonjan