Our Story

The initial concept behind My Outlet emerged from first-hand experience with a profound lack of support, recognition, understanding and community for people with ADHD. A navigation system for individuals and families with ADHD was widely sought after but didn’t exist. I had an unrelenting desire to arm children who have ADHD with the tools to glide effectively through their early years, or at a minimum, travel along less bumpy roads. To me, it was undeniable that the compounding effect of supportive networks, positive experiences and new resources would demonstrate its value in spades as a child would grow.

To address this gap, a kid’s program was born to create an environment where children could feel seen, heard and understood; where they could make friends and foster a positive sense of self identity in a safe, free flowing yet structured environment; where they could build critical skills and acquire tools to increase their confidence, resilience and ability to advocate for themselves. The My Outlet signature program was built on this philosophy.

The more I socialized My Outlet’s mission and initiatives with my network, the more it became clear that ADHD and neurodiversity more broadly is weaved throughout society like different coloured threads of a colourful sweater. The more it became clear that education, programming, and socialization of a new more inclusive norm would establish deeply needed pathways. These initiatives would enable and encourage greater access to society and significantly contribute to our communities and our economy. I found that boundaries didn’t exist when it came to the relevance of an authentic, strength-based, outcomes-oriented conversation about neurodiversity.

I was having meaningful and insightful conversations with vendors at the farmers market, executives in the boardroom, parents on the playground and university students in search of purpose-driven, validating work opportunities. These conversations also flowed into meetings with politicians and policymakers, educators and camp administrators, leaders of disability, inclusion and access networks, think tanks, data and analytics companies and more. What were these conversations about? Consider the following fictional personas:

The employee who does not just benefit from very clear and direct instruction, but who actually requires clarity and bluntness to function and thrive in their role.

The child who impulsively interrupts friends and reacts intensely to common social situations. He understands socially appropriate responses but has difficulty with slowing things down in the moment to evaluate the situation, identify options and to make the best decision.

The camp counsellor who desperately wants to support his cabin, but doesn’t know how to interpret cues, anticipate triggers, or identify antecedents to a camper’s stressful event, leading to avoidable crises.

The university student who lives in a dorm with a friend who has undiagnosed ADHD. The student wants to support and understand her friend better but doesn’t know how to start the conversation or what to offer. The undiagnosed ADHD student is suffering from imposter syndrome. She doesn’t ask for help, for fear of being exposed, and is beginning to spiral. Her mental health is at risk.

The teacher who has a rowdy class, with 15 out of 30 kids on an Individual Education Plan (IEPs). He is struggling to offer education and support that meets the diverse learning and environmental needs and of his students so they can thrive.

The corporate executive with a high performing team and an important talent gap to address. The role requires innovative, outside the box thinking to sustain the company’s competitiveness without materially increasing risk to the business or infringing on regulatory requirements. That same executive who shows up steadfast each day and leads by example, meanwhile has a teenage child at home who is barely making it through high school and struggling with severely compromised organizational skills that impacts their daily functioning; it’s starting to impact the teen’s confidence, self-worth and future career trajectory.

With 20% of our population statistically diagnosed as neurodivergent (anecdotally this number is believed to be much higher by subject matter experts), it came as no surprise that interest in this invisible difference known as neurodiversity appeared across all facets of society.

It became clear that My Outlet needed to evolve into a hub serving a variety of demographics and needs, from programming to education to community and capacity building and more. I embraced this vision, applying a top-down and bottom-up approach.

From a bottom-up, grassroots perspective, we are:

building fit for purpose kids and youth programming, inspired by our participants and families and co-developed with clinicians, educators, and individuals with lived experience
launching a university student program – the Beacon - offering a supportive community where tools and strategies can be acquired, professional networks can be established and motivation, momentum and inspiration can ignite a new movement among the university population.

From a top-down perspective, we are:

engaging with organizational leaders, policy makers, and influencers to bring about positive impact at a systemic level
delivering relevant, accessible and immediately actionable education and training to school administrators and teachers, camp directors and staff, corporate management teams and more
working with champions at a diverse array of organizations to identify the appetite and ambition of their organization to include a neurodiversity lens as they address their human capital and talent management needs, and their overall sustainability strategy.

My Outlet is establishing a trusted forum to open up important yet sensitive conversations in numerous pockets of society.

We are seeking your engagement as we bring together a diverse audience with a shared interest in improved outcomes and experiences for everyone. Each of you will have your “why”; some will be similar, and others will be wildly different. Whatever your “why” is, hold on to it and find the program, service or contribution to My Outlet that speaks to you. Not sure where to begin or if this is for you? Reach out and let’s start a conversation so that together we can address and eventually close the gap.