Using stories in coaching neurodiverse/ twice exceptional people to reframe perspective and succeed in life

Balanced research and practice

Inspirational talk

I learned about giftedness through my son. He rebelled at elementary school, and after a tough journey he finished school with Abitur (A-levels) at the age of 16. As he did not fit in, I had to give up my career to support him. I joined the DGhK, qualified as an ECHA Coach and invested two years of lobbying. The outcome was that a group of parents succeded in changing schools in Hamburg- since 2016, support for gifted and talented pupils is mandatory. (see ECHA magazine 2016).

Aims

Encouragement to use storytelling for change and as a method to reframe and engage people

Description of the talk

Without my son acting like he did at school and without the power of storytelling, change would not have happened. In the talk I will share our story of collective impact and how storytelling can be used in coaching and campaigning.

Summary

1. My background story

2. How storytelling works the brain

3. How strategic storytelling can be used to change perspective and engage people to act diffenrently

4. Why stories and reframing are successful in coaching gifted and talented/ 2E/ neurodiverse people

5. What I learned personally on the journey

6. How my career path has changed through the challenges I met along the way