In Conversation with ... Jo Casey

**This episode was originally an Instagram Live, so at the point of going live on the podcast, the rest challenge we talk about has already happened – however, the Making Design Circular Conference is happening on Thursday 05 September 2024 – find out more get your ticket for that HERE >>> **

 

In this episode, Katie talks to Jo Casey. Jo Casey is an Autistic and ADHD speaker and business coach who helps fellow quirky-brained entrepreneurs align their business strategies with their unique mental wiring. With over 20 years of coaching experience and 15 years of successfully wrangling her own neurodivergent business, Jo has mastered the art of turning cognitive curveballs into powerful business assets.

Their innovative approach enables established entrepreneurs to work smarter, often achieving twice the results in half the time - without having to start from scratch or pretend to be neurotypical. At a time when neurodiversity is finally getting its moment in the spotlight, Jo's work is redefining success in the business world, proving that neurodivergent traits can be entrepreneurial superpowers in disguise.

Jo's expertise has sparked meaningful conversations about neurodiversity in business, challenging traditional norms and paving the way for a more inclusive (and interesting!) approach to entrepreneurship. They’ve been featured in the Huffington Post, Kind Over Matter, and Tiny Buddha, among others.

When not kicking the business world up the butt, Jo can be found curating the perfect playlist for her latest textile crafting session or passionately explaining to puzzled friends why Jesus Christ Superstar is, without a doubt, the greatest musical ever written.

During this Katie & Jo discuss:

• The difference between physical tiredness and sensory overload 
• How to spot the signs of sensory overload
• How to prevent sensory overload and take care of yourself when it happens
• How neurodivergent folk sometimes need sensory rest, but sometimes sensory stimulation
• Why physical and sensory rest is so important for purpose-driven founders of making based businesses making imperfect progress towards genuine sustainability 

 

You can connect with Jo here:

Website: https://www.jocasey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocaseyb/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoCaseyB/

…and Jo has an amazing energy mapping tool, which will help with some of the stuff we discussed, which you can access here: https://www.jocasey.com/nd-energy-kit/

 

Here are some highlights:

Depletion versus Nourishing

“One of the concepts we talk about is the things that deplete you and things that nourish you – and I really like that concept because I could be doing something that is really calm, but I’m finding it really quite depleting, or I could be doing something that is really energetic, but you’re finding it really nourishing. I really like this idea of what is depleting and what is nourishing.” 

 

How to know when you’re experiencing sensory overload

“Treat yourself like a glorious experiment... tune into to what’s going on in your body.”

 

On rest as disruption 

“These are my needs – and it’s perfectly fine, in fact it’s admirable, to meet my needs. Exploitative capitalism teaches us to exploit resources to the point of depletion and we are our own primary resource.”

 

Being the change we want to see

“There i