The Power of Divergent Thinking With David Flink

The Power of Divergent Thinking With David Flink

From The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

May 26, 2026 · 1h 6m · Episode 323

About this episode

David Flink discusses navigating work and identity as a neurodivergent person and the importance of building life around strengths.

What if the problem isn’t your brain, but the systems you’ve spent your life trying to fit into? In this episode, I sit down with David Flink, founder of the Neurodiversity Alliance. We talk about what it means to navigate work, leadership, and identity as a neurodivergent person. David shares how he learned to stop forcing himself into systems that didn’t fit, how metacognition changed his life, and why today’s younger workers are approaching neurodivergence differently. Get ready to build your life around your strengths instead of constantly trying to fix your weaknesses. Check out our sponsors: Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to shopify.com/anxiousachiever Chime - Head to chime.com/achiever to sign up Quince - Head to quince.com/ACHIEVER for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns Monarch - Use code ACHIEVER at monarch.com to get 50% off your first year Physician’s Choice - Use code PCPODCAST10 at physicianschoice.com to get 10% off your entire order In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 How do you define leadership? 04:00 What became easier for you as you got older as a neurodivergent leader? 08:00 The strengths David has come to love about his…

People in this episode

Host: Morra Aarons-Mele

Guest: David Flink

Topics covered

  • neurodiversity
  • leadership
  • metacognition
  • workplace
  • identity
  • strengths

Keywords

  • neurodivergent
  • leadership
  • metacognition
  • dyslexia
  • ADHD
  • learning styles
  • shame
  • strengths

Sponsors

Shopify, Chime, Quince, Monarch, Physician’s Choice

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Neurodiversity Alliance

More episodes of The Anxious Achiever

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Anxious Achiever podcast page.