07 Feb In conversation with…Cherie Clonan

Image description: a variety of different coloured stim (fidget) tools offered at The Digital Picnic office.

I am passionate about neurodiversity in the workplace. I also believe that storytelling is a powerful way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, providing us an opportunity to listen to authentic, lived experience.

My search for authentic stories led me to meet 🌈 Cherie Clonan in 2022 – the proudly Autistic Creative Director and Founder of The Digital Picnic.

I was keen to talk to her about how she leads her team and how she creates an inclusive culture that is proudly autistic led. I was also interested in the challenges she faces with double empathy and object permanence.

Towards the end of our discussion, I asked Cherie what she would say if she had a captive audience of organisational leaders looking for advice on neurodivergent inclusion. She said “take the time to connect, listen to lived experiences and commit to learning more so you can do more”.

A year after launching www.Inc-change.com, it was high time I invested in my own social media content skills – a perfect opportunity to connect with TDP again. Truth be told, I was excited to visit the TDP office and experience what I knew would be a really welcoming space.

The Digital Picnic welcomes employees and clients of all neurotypes into their workspace. You don’t have to identify as neurodivergent to benefit from a box of sensory tools (aka fidget toys, stim toys). But what a powerful, inexpensive and subtle way to communicate that everyone is welcome – without saying a word!