How I turned communication into a science experiment.
**This is the cornerstone first-person piece for the Mental Health section.**
Intro Gordon Geraghty has launched award-winning startups, hosted a techno radio show, organised TEDx talks, mentored disabled youth, and worked in viticulture.
The diagnosis Self-diagnosed with Asperger's during high school, with official confirmation shortly after alongside additional neurodiversities. His family received pessimistic predictions about his future. He reframed the diagnosis as **empowering, not limiting**.
The science-experiment approach > "I turned communication into a science experiment where I studied those around me by writing down their conversations, adding time, keeping track of facial expressions, and assigning a value to each input."
Years later he discovered this aligned with **Transactional Analysis**, popularised by Eric Berne in *Games People Play* (1960s).
Career applications The analytical approach he developed at age 14 became invaluable as a people manager: by understanding his own strengths and limitations he could *"quickly empathise with colleagues and clients"* without relying on assumed social norms.
Industry recommendation > "Ask, don't assume."
He cautioned against assumptions in diverse workplaces. Initially he kept his diagnosis confidential at EssenceMediacom due to past negative experiences; upon disclosure to the broader WPP community he found others with similar experiences, creating psychological safety.
Current work Volunteers with **Amaze** as a steering-committee member supporting autistic professionals; partnered **GroupM and Amaze** to develop programs supporting neurodiverse individuals and their managers, promoting inclusive hiring.
> Note: scraped/condensed. Source the full original text from AdNews for verbatim publishing.
