Think Differently with Dr. Theresa Haskins

Hosted by Dr. Theresa Haskins

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Think Differently with Dr. Theresa Haskins is a podcast dedicated to exploring the power of neurodiversity and sharing practical strategies for creating more inclusive opportunities in work and life. Hosted by Dr. Theresa Haskins, a diversity and inclusion expert, this podcast provides valuable guidance and inspiration for leaders and individuals looking to maximize strengths and think differently to create a more inclusive world.

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52 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 912 min

What To Do When Leadership Stops Seeing You

Send us Fan MailA new manager arrives. Your work gets reduced to your current role. Your history, your ideas, your potential — invisible.In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins names what's really happening when leadership stops seeing you — and why it's not a verdict on your talent, even when it feels that way. Drawing on nearly three decades of corporate experience, she shares two real stories that show how the same situation can end two very different ways depending on whether a leader bothers to ask.If you've ever been overlooked, underestimated, or reduced to a title, this one is for you. Dr. Haskins walks through exactly what to do — from naming the pattern, to having the right conversation, to knowing when to pivot and when to leave.The problem was never your capability. It was their willingness to see it.

May 21, 2026Episode 812 min

You Love Them. But Would You Hire Them?

Send us Fan MailWe're often told that inclusion starts with awareness and empathy. But what happens when the people we love most are the same people our systems would quietly screen out? In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores the uncomfortable gap between loving neurodivergent people personally and creating real opportunities for them professionally. From hallway conversations with parents and leaders to hiring rooms where "fit" often outweighs capability, she examines how workplaces continue to confuse social performance with actual potential. The question isn't whether neurodivergent people exist in your life. The question is whether they'd get a chance in the rooms you're responsible for.

May 7, 2026Episode 715 min

When It All Stops — and Your Brain Doesn’t

Send us Fan MailWe’re often told that when everything slows down, we should feel better. That once the deadlines are over and the pressure lifts, relief will follow.But what if that’s not actually how it works?In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores what happens in the space between high pressure and supposed rest—when the structure that’s been holding everything together suddenly disappears, and your brain doesn’t follow. This is especially relevant for neurodistinct individuals, whose ability to function is often closely tied to routine, urgency, and external demands.She also reflects on the tension between needing a break… and not knowing how to exist without the structure that made everything work. Because sometimes, it’s not about doing more—or doing less. It’s about learning how to land when everything finally stops.

April 23, 2026Episode 611 min

What If Masking Was Never the Answer?

Send us Fan MailWe’re often told that if we work hard, follow the process, and do everything “right,” opportunity will follow. But what if that’s not actually how it works?In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores the gap between effort and access—the reality that some opportunities don’t come from the path at all, but from being seen by the right people at the right time. This is especially relevant for neurodivergent individuals, whose strengths don’t always show up clearly in traditional systems or processes.She also reflects on the tension between masking to fit… and what happens when someone is recognized without having to perform. Because sometimes, it’s not about doing more. It’s about whether anyone is actually looking.

April 9, 2026Episode 515 min

Why Trying Harder Isn’t Enough

Send us Fan MailWe've all heard it. Try harder. Work harder. Push through. And sometimes that's true — effort matters. But for a lot of people, especially those with ADHD, autism, or different neurological wiring, trying harder isn't the problem. It never was. In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins makes the case that when effort stops producing results, it's rarely about capability or drive — it's about alignment. It's about being asked to work in a system that was never designed for your brain. If you've ever felt like you were working twice as hard as everyone else and still coming up short, this episode is for you.

March 12, 2026Episode 417 min

Different Doesn’t Mean Deficient

Send us Fan MailWe say we value difference. But when someone works differently than we do, we often treat it as a problem.In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores why “different” so quickly becomes “deficient” in the workplace — especially when we over-index on process, presence, and personality instead of outcomes. Autism isn’t ADHD. ADHD isn’t PTSD. Yet the leadership practices that support people are often the same: clarity, structure, written expectations, and psychological safety.The real issue isn’t diagnosis. It’s design.When we wait for disclosure before improving systems, we reveal how narrow those systems are. Inclusive leadership isn’t about lowering standards — it’s about widening the path so more than one way of working can lead to excellence.Because there is more than one way to be effective.

February 26, 2026Episode 316 min

What Do You Mean by Neurodivergent?

Send us Fan MailThe word neurodivergent is everywhere — in research, in workplaces, in identity conversations. But what do we actually mean when we use it?In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores the tension between umbrella language and lived experience. While neurodivergence connects many cognitive profiles, shared divergence does not automatically mean shared needs, accommodations, or stigma.From dissertation design and workplace policy to personal disclosure, this conversation asks a critical question: When does the umbrella help — and when does precision matter more?Clarity doesn’t weaken inclusion. It makes it more effective.

February 12, 2026Episode 213 min

Pretending as Survival

Send us Fan MailMost people don’t ask questions when expectations are unclear. They pretend they understand.In this episode of Think Differently, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores pretending — or masking — as a rational response to ambiguity in workplaces, schools, families, and relationships. Rather than framing silence and assimilation as personal shortcomings, she examines how systems reward appearing competent while quietly penalizing honesty and clarity-seeking.Drawing on neurodivergent perspectives and well-established patterns from research on psychological safety, cognitive load, and masking, this episode unpacks why pretending works — until it doesn’t — and why the cost is almost always carried by the individual, not the system.

January 29, 2026Episode 116 min

“You Should Have Known” Culture

Send us Fan MailWhen something goes wrong, the focus often shifts quickly to the individual — their judgment, their awareness, their ability to “read the room.” But what happens when expectations were never made clear in the first place?In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins names “you should have known” culture—the unwritten rules and implicit expectations that quietly shift responsibility to individuals while shielding the system itself from scrutiny.Through familiar workplace examples, she explores how this pattern shows up in leadership, education, and everyday interactions — and why neurodivergent people often encounter these breakdowns first and can signal needed change before incidents occur.This episode asks us all to move away from debate and blame and to focus on clarity, accountability, and what helps people succeed, instead of guessing our way through.

December 30, 2025Episode 1211 min

When Time Loses Shape: Holiday Anxiety and the Struggle to Rest

Send us Fan MailWe often look forward to time off — especially during the holidays — expecting rest and relief. But for many people, unstructured time doesn’t feel restorative at all. It feels disorienting. In this episode, Dr. Theresa Haskins explores why holiday downtime can trigger anxiety, low mood, and a sense of drift, particularly for neurodivergent individuals and those with executive functioning differences. Drawing on behavioral psychology, executive function research, and lived experience, she explains how the sudden loss of routine disrupts nervous system regulation — and why this reaction is not a personal failure. If time feels heavier or harder to hold during the holidays, this episode offers language, validation, and a more compassionate way to understand what’s happening.