Neurodiversity Keynote Speaker
Thought-provoking and practical talks that help audiences better understand neurodiversity, challenge outdated assumptions, and leave with meaningful, actionable insight. Nat Hawley combines lived experience, applied neuroscience, storytelling, and workplace expertise to deliver engaging talks that connect emotionally and inspire action. Available for conferences, leadership events, awareness weeks, panels, town halls, and internal learning events.
Ideal For
Conferences, leadership teams, ERGs, awareness weeks and internal events
Formats
Keynote speeches, panels, fireside
chats, hosted Q&As (virtual or in
person)
Known For
Warmth, credibility, storytelling,
practical insight and strong audience connection
Why event organisers book Nat
Nat Hawley is a UK-based neurodiversity keynote speaker, consultant and founder of Divergent Thinking. A TEDx speaker with an MSc in Applied Neuroscience, he is known for translating complex ideas into practical insight that leaders and organisations can actually use. His talks are designed to do more than inspire. They help people rethink what neurodiversity really means, why it matters and what more inclusive practice looks like in real life.
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Nat Hawley brings warmth, clarity, and constructive challenge in equal measure. His talks engage audiences emotionally while delivering practical insight, a deeper understanding of neurodiversity, and clear actions people can take forward.
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Nat Hawley speaks to senior leaders, managers, employees, educators, and mixed audiences across a wide range of sectors and levels of seniority.
Why Book Nat?
A speaker who connects emotionally, challenges assumptions and leaves people with something useful to take away. Nat's speaking style blends personal story, evidence-informed insight and practical relevance. Audiences leave feeling more informed, more reflective and more confident about what to do next.
Grounded in Lived Experience
Rooted in both personal experience and professional
expertise in neuroscience and inclusion.
Challenges Without Overwhelming
Designed to challenge myths and outdated assumptions in a way that lands well and sparks reflection.
Accessible for Mixed Audiences
Clear, engaging and designed to work across different levels of familiarity with the topic.
Practical Enough to Spark Action
Not just awareness. Audiences leave with something
genuinely useful they can apply immediately.
This is not a keynote that sounds good in the room and fades afterwards. It is designed to stay with people.
What Makes Nat's Talks Different
Nat Hawley combines lived experience with expertise in applied neuroscience and organisational practice to deliver talks that are both credible and relatable. His sessions connect emotionally while giving audiences practical insight, clearer understanding, and meaningful next steps that stay with people long after the event.
By linking neurodiversity to leadership, communication, wellbeing, retention, culture, and performance, Nat helps organisations understand its relevance across the workplace.
Popular Keynote Topics
Topics can be delivered as standalone keynotes or adapted into other formats. Typical talks include:
Why We Need Neurodiversity
Inspired by Nat's TEDx message, challenging narrow ideas of "normal" and inviting audiences to rethink inclusion, talent and human potential.
Beyond Awareness: Building Neuroinclusive Workplaces That Actually Work
A practical talk for organisations that want to move beyond good intentions and make inclusion more embedded, consistent and workable.
Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage
Ideal for leadership, innovation and business audiences. Explores how cognitive diversity can strengthen problem-solving, creativity, communication and performance.
Inclusive Leadership for Neurodiverse Teams
A strong fit for leaders and managers who want to better support different working styles without reducing inclusion to policy alone.
Communication and the Double Empathy Problem at Work
Explores how misunderstanding is often mutual, how communication norms can exclude, and what more effective workplace communication can look like.
Neurodivergent Burnout and Sustainable Performance
A timely talk on pressure, masking, cognitive load and what sustainable high performance really requires from teams and organisations.
AI, Algorithms and Neurodiversity in the Future of Work
A future-facing keynote exploring how technology and workplace systems can either widen barriers or create better support, depending on how they are designed.
Neurodiversity in Recruitment and Progression
A practical session on how talent can be missed or blocked by narrow expectations, and what more inclusive recruitment and progression can look like.
What Audiences Often Leave With
Sessions are designed to shift perspective as well as inform — helping audiences feel more confident and better equipped.
Clearer Understanding
A work-relevant, accessible
understanding of neurodiversity and what it really means.
Greater Empathy and Insight
A stronger sense of what
neurodivergent experience looks and feels like in real working life.
Practical Ideas
Concrete things they can apply
immediately — not just inspiration
that fades once the event is over.
More Confidence
More confidence talking about neurodiversity well, without fear of saying the wrong thing.
A Shift in Perspective
Fresh thinking around difference, performance and potential that genuinely changes how people see things.
Who This Is Especially Relevant For
This service is especially useful for those planning events where neurodiversity, inclusion or leadership is a central theme.
Nat Hawley speaks at conferences and summits, leadership days and away days, awareness week events, town halls, internal events, and ERG or staff network sessions.​ He is well suited to internal teams and professionals, particularly HR, People, and DEI leaders who want a speaker who brings credibility, warmth, and practical relevance to inclusion-focused events.
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He also works with the education and public sector, including universities, schools, local authorities, and NHS trusts, delivering accessible and engaging talks for both staff and leadership audiences.
Every Talk Can Be Tailored
Nat Hawley tailors each session to your sector and context, using relevant examples from corporate, education, nonprofit, or public sector environments. Talks are shaped for your audience—whether senior leaders, managers, mixed staff groups, or specialist teams—and aligned to your event theme, including conferences, awareness campaigns, or inclusion strategies. Each session is adapted in tone and format to balance warmth, challenge, and practical depth, while staying focused on your wider goals such as inclusion, leadership development, culture change, and engagement.
Trusted by Organisations Across Sectors
Nat has spoken for organisations across corporate, education, nonprofit and public sector settings, combining lived experience, neuroscience and practical workplace insight. Trusted by organisations including HSBC, Disney, Universal Music UK, Oxfordshire County Council, UCL, Sage, Kantar, Phoenix Group and more.
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"Nat's neurodiversity awareness session was truly outstanding. He shared practical insights, challenged perceptions, and made complex topics accessible — colleagues left inspired and equipped to better support neurodiverse talent."
- Karen, Inclusion & Diversity Manager, Bakkavor
Why We Need Neurodiversity
Our founder, Nat Hawley, took the stage at TEDx to share a powerful message: why the world needs neurodiversity now more than ever. In this inspiring talk, Nat explores how embracing different ways of thinking isn’t just about inclusion—it’s about unlocking creativity, innovation, and human potential. Click the button below to learn more about Nat's journey.
Looking for a Speaker Who Can Connect, Challenge and Add Real Value?
If you are planning a conference, internal event, panel or awareness campaign, Nat would love to hear more. Whether you need a keynote, a practical talk or a tailored session linked to a wider inclusion goal, Divergent Thinking can help shape something that fits your audience, tone and objectives.