Why Being Different Is Your Advantage | Valeriya Hjertenaes

Most people spend years trying to fix what makes them different.
In reality, that difference might be the exact thing that sets them apart.

In this episode, "Valeriya Hjertenaes  " shares her journey from struggling with OCD and seeking help in a mental health institution to becoming Miss World Norway and building a global platform around neurodiversity and leadership.

This conversation challenges the idea that thinking differently is a weakness—and shows how it can become a real advantage when understood and supported.

What You’ll Learn:
• What neurodiversity actually means
 • The strengths behind ADHD, OCD, and anxiety
 • Why people feel misunderstood in traditional systems
 • How leaders can create environments where people thrive
 • The cost of masking your true self
 • How to turn mental differences into strengths

Key Takeaways:
Being different can be your advantage
Your brain processes the world in its own way
Self-awareness comes before leadership
Psychological safety unlocks real performance
Visibility comes with responsibility

Free Gifts & Resources Mentioned:

2 Weeks Free Access — Swedish Wealth Institute Community
 👉 https://event.financialfreedomsummit.online/wealth-creation-movement-sp-4974

Valeria’s Platforms & Work
 Follow her journey, insights, and neurodiversity leadership content
 👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT0uRgjjyMW/?igsh=MWpwajF3NWxzZHdycA==

Free Ticket — Upcoming SWI Event (Financial Freedom / Business Wealth Forum)
 👉 https://events.swedishwealthinstitute.com/landing-page-businesswealthforum-7174

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

As leaders of the world, we have this judgment of the pro. Leadership is not control, it's not ownership, it's stewardship, it's your responsibility. How you can really engage these people with unique traits, because neurodurging people, they are over-performing, over-masking, over-pleasing people, they're sort of traits. But if they know that their leaders actually manage to establish psychological safety and working environments, they can actually be themselves. They can be seen, respected, and actually common with all these, let's let's say, crazy ideas, and they're not afraid that they should again overcome overcompensate because this is Welcome to the Swedish 12th Institute podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

I am your host, Daniel Wood. Today I am joined by Valeria Yachnass, and we're gonna explore neurodiversity leadership and what it really means to turn the way your mind works into an advantage. This is something I think is really important because a lot of people feel like they're going through life being different, misunderstood, they don't quite fit into the systems around them, and very often, instead of learning how to use that difference, they try to hide it, mask it, compensate for it. What I really like about Valeria's work is that she doesn't talk about neurodiversity as a weakness. She talks about it as mental uniqueness. A different way of processing the world that can actually become a real strength if you understand it and support it properly. In this conversation, we talk about what neurodiversity actually means and how things like OCD, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and anxiety can show up both as challenges and strengths, and why the future of leadership requires more empathy, adaptation, awareness, and psychological safety. We also get into Valeria's own story from struggling deeply with OCD and seeking help inside a mental health institution to becoming Mistworld Norway, building a global platform and using her voice to change how people think about cognitive diversity. I'm excited to share this conversation with you. So let's get started. How about you give our listeners a little bit of a background? You've done so much. So give us a Cliff Notes version of what your background is.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Oh, okay. Perfectly. So much, yes, because you know, I'm actually talking and representing diversity in everything I'm teaching and doing. But also, I'm living that even now. You see, I do speak like seven languages, and sometimes they're really dancing and battling my head. And when I should uh give like a speech about myself, first of all, in my culture, I made in Soviet. We are not used to brag at all, right? But I'm trying, okay, beyond titles, what actually the most big pride of myself? I'm proud Ukrainian. I'm I'm a very proud mother. I have adopted two kids many years ago from Ukraine. So it made me really humble, grounded, and actually being able to breeze and pull and actually really separate what is the most important stuff. I'm a lifelong learner. I'm really, really genuinely passionate about human growth and how we can turn our talents and especially cognitive talents into our purpose and uh mission and vision. It's actually what I'm doing when I'm teaching, or not teaching, actually, probably sharing my experience of being diverse and neurodivergent. I have two masters and now I'm preceding industrial PhD. I'm so close to actually be a doctor. Yes, it's just uh defense, which is sustain, and I'm so excited for that. But besides that, I'm a coach and um mentor in neurodiversity management because I'm uh advocated that we it's it's very nice to have awareness, but the real impact is how we can leverage, how we can manage, and uh actually really to be in charge of leadership of neurodiversity that that we can harness all these mental uniquenesses.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Let's talk let's talk a little bit about that for everyone listening. So I want to dive more into your background in a moment, but share with everyone listening what does neurodiversity actually mean.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Perfect. You know, actually, I do love and thank you so much that you're asking. Because usually I actually also try and even when people jump over and ask like exactly like how we can amplify knowledge and tools and like, but let's be clear actually what neurodiversity is, right? Because believe me or not, ironically enough, I am neurodivergent with obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, and I've been diagnosed like almost for 15 years ago, but I had no idea of existence of this term neurodiversity, which I uh discovered myself almost two years ago, and since then a lot has changed in my life because I started looking at myself from another perspective. But okay, let's be clear. We first explain if the if people, population, demographics never heard about this, like me. So actually, the simplest way to explain neurodiversity is it is biodiversity of our brains. It's actually that our brains are wired differently and process the world information uh and proceed differently. And actually, the most beautiful about neurodiversity, and this term was coined by Judy Singer in 1999 in Australia. This is a sociologist, he oh no, she was advocating that we are acknowledging neurodiversity that it's natural variations of human brains, right? It's how we perceive the world, but it's about our cognitive executive functions. They're just different, and it's not disabled, it's not disorder, it's not disadvantaged. But actually, she suggested to uh challenge this narrative that it's not like inherently pathological, it's just natural human variations. We have different fingertips, we love that, we have absolutely diverse DNA, right? That's why we thrive and survive. It's the same with brain, we have just different brain, and this is the beauty of that. But how we can amplify the data.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

This is kind of what today gets all these different letter combinations, like you said, OCD, ADHD, ADD, and so on. All of those would be defined as neurodiverse.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

It is umbrella, yes. And uh now more and more we are talking about and raising awareness about what actually neurodiversity or cognitive diversity, right? Yes. All this actually it has started as um autism movement, right? And everybody believed before they were associating more neurodiversity and immediately it was talking about autism. If you go on Instagram now, actually, like hashtags, it's almost 18 million hashtags about autism. Then people believe it was neurodiversity. But more and more now they discover that's actually it's not just that. An umbrella, yes, it's OCD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalcule, it's it's also anxiety and social anxiety. It's yeah, now more and more we are talking about actually, and it's almost 18 and or 20 percent of global population are neurodivergent. But again, who has access to be identified and diagnosed? Can you imagine how many people all over the world in other countries they have never ever even can imagine dream about access to be diagnosed or identified, and then it's like service, like health help, and everything. That's why we have to speak more and more about that.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Agreed, agreed. And and one of the things that I think has been very impressive, you've obviously built the big profile around this. You go on TV shows, and you've been able to bring a lot of awareness to neurodiversity. What you you often call it an advantage, you just as you just did. Why is it actually an advantage to be neurodiverse?

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yeah, thank you so much. It's actually, you know, my calls, my B calls, and my why that uh we can change the global narrative about neurodiversity, that we are not just taping immediately or have this label, it's disadvantaged. Because you know, being different to being different has historically been labeled as being disadvantaged, right? Or has some deficit because we always separate from two modes, fear and love, right? And everything that is unknown, it's scary for us. And yes, and especially if somebody different always it was like this is outcast, right? And you know what has happened with outcast before they were like thrown away, then they have no possibility to survive. But I'm trying to advocate that yes, everything what we have been looking from the lens of lack of something, it can be also be not just deficit, but our advantage. And especially in this world, it's changing so fast and it's so complex all the time. We need really people who think differently, who can approach different challenges from different angles. And then neurodiverse minds, they are excellent, pattern thinking and system thinking, pattern recognition, risk anticipation, they are so attentive to details that probably neurotypical people they have no actually possibility to see. Then is divergent thinking, really, really like creative and innovative. That like when we think out of the box, like you know, that some people they can say, Wow, how can you get this idea? Actually, it's coming from this special mental uniqueness. I don't call it even now, like, you know, disability, disorder, or disadvantage. I call it mental uniqueness. And it's very important to have this shift from medical.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

I mean, I actually for a while I I dated a woman who was who had ADHD. And, you know, with that, obviously you have the classic the problem to focus, but occasionally she would get these absolute brilliant flashes of insight and go off on a tangent and just become incredibly focused on that and create something completely new out of thin air. So it was very cool to see the difference in how her brain worked and how when harnessed, it became a huge advantage.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

You know what? It's so cool because actually ADHD, it's uh it started from attention deficit, right? But this is kind of a myth because these people, oh my god, if they found the area or domain or their element, nobody can be so focused as those people. They can sit with hours and hours just really be glued to this activity. Then it's very difficult for them actually be distracted because their deep, deep focus, so sustained, they they can be man like maniacs in that. If it's really captured their focus, right? You may be so it's with her. It's yes, it's it's kind of social attention that they can change quickly and actually or actually mind if they disturb or it's not interesting for them, they their focus scattered, they're like they're everywhere, like you know. Because I have adopted two kids, and one of them she she has ADD or ADHD. If it's not drawing, it's it's not about horses and not about her stuff, forget it. She's like, uh-uh, what what what who yeah?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Well, you know, let's talk, uh, let's talk a little bit about leadership.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Yeah, let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

So you've spoken in the past about how a leader with a neurodiversity disorder can can really be an advantage. So, how do you use that as a leader that your brain works differently?

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Uh amazing. Thank you so much for this question because you know it's again about different, unique way of thinking and perceiving this world. And then you especially for people who are in tech, in startups, in technology and RD, right, that they are uh proceeding this world, it's so beneficial for them. They are so innovative, they are so creative, they are not definitely people from nine to five. If they are really like, you know, captured with the idea, then like I said, it can be many days and hours, and this very special idea. And you know, actually, our society now propelled by people with all this mental uniqueness, like Bill Gates, Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Nicola Tesla, Elon Musk, you know, all these people, because of their divergent thinking and uh untraditional way to approach all uh problems and to find another type of solutions, we kind of propel this society, and ironically enough, we don't fit in because still society built for neurotypical people, and it's kind of stuck, we're kind of stuck on the fridge, it's killing us, but at the same time, we know if we first like leaders, first of all, we should start from our deep awareness and consciousness. Okay, what is about my mind? Maybe I cannot re-engage, rewire, okay, neuroplasticity, we can train it a bit, but you cannot totally rewire autistic brain, right? But you can change how you engage with your brain instead of using so much energy if you know that okay, there is something special with me. You have always started with self-leadership, self-governance, right? Because before you can go and impact, empower others and change others, because leadership is the visibility, it's responsibility, it's the way how we impact and change people's lives. You should be aware about yourself, how you operate, how your brain is wired, right? And this is the clue, this is the most important that you should understand.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

And how do we use that as leaders? Once we have this insight about ourselves, how do we use this as leaders?

SPEAKER_00 14:55

As leaders, first of all, we should uh cut this judgmental approach. We should start from empathy, we should start to understand that all people who are watching us in uh and we are their leaders. Leadership, it's not control, it's not ownership, it's stewardship in the modern society. And like I said, if it's stewardship, it's uh visibility, then it's your responsibilities, and then awareness about that, it's responsibilities and your consciousness. And how you can really engage these people with unique traits, and how you can establish the working environment that they can be loyal and they can be really themselves, and they can come with all this special solution and decision for you. Because neurodivergent people are for so many years and decades, they're overperforming, over-masking, over pleasing people. They are so afraid, you know, to be themselves. But if they know that their leaders actually manage to establish psychological safety and work in environments they can actually be themselves, they can be seen, respected, and actually come in with all these, let's say, crazy ideas, and they're not afraid that they should again overperform, overcompensate, because this is the most toxic environment for them where they all the time should manage the job but also over-masking and actually overcompensating, over pleasing. It's what's happened with us because we feel ashamed that we are not like other people. But when leaders really are not like really managers from this like you know, big, big control, but they understand what's going on and actually maybe they are also neurodivergent. They then they have even more humility, empathy, and actually understanding how to even negotiate with people. So how to make decisions, how to how to lead them, not manage like really, like you know, with with control and things, but to be empathetic, not to be judgmental.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

This is very I'd love to I'd love to jump into your background a little bit more because you've been able to create a huge brand around yourself, and you're showing up all over the place on TV and and radio and shows. How how have you been able to take this passion and turn it into a global movement?

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Thank you so much. First of all, uh for um all this uh beautiful compliment, and actually, you know what? It was actually never a mission like to do it for show up or to to build actually a personal brand because everything has started from a real painful story, and it was not about uh shows and be global international, it starts from my own very um vulnerable story when I was so disaligned with myself and actually because OCD, I don't know, many people maybe don't know, it's not just you have like lack of focus or some problems with social interaction, you have intrusive thoughts, and actually it's thought that you cannot recognize yourself with them, and sometimes they can be really, really damaging, and so that's why they call intrusive. They so you like your own mind battling with these posts, and they are not your reality, right? And at one point of you in my life, it was so painful that I decided to be a responsible mother and responsible citizen of my community. So I drove myself to a medical institution, mental medical institution, and I've searched for help. I said, you know what? I don't know what's going on with me. I understand that my brain is giving me some message and signal, and I want to be, you know, responsible because I I live in society, I live in my family, but I cannot own my thoughts now, and they are so painful. So I I've been searching for help, and I encourage everybody else now. That's why I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

How did you go from that? How did you go from that low to where you are today?

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Because I believe it's not my weakness, it's my strength to be so radically bold and honest about it. And yes, and I said, even my podcast, which now global and even awarded the breakthrough podcast of the year at the city of Angel Festival in Los Angeles. It's a it's a big festival. You know, I call it ironically, and funny enough, Pishcast, because I started my podcast being in mental institution, my pyjamas, and I am talking about it every single episode. And that's why when I sent to them and they they they know my story now, so it was a breakthrough of the year, and you know, actually, and I'm so proud of this story because now I'm shown that first of all, neurodiversity, your cognitive human diversity, it's not weakness, it's your uniqueness. It's a messenger signal that you can proceed this world differently, and you are a unique voice in this society. The second, it's not your disability, you can turn it into plus ability or possibility. And the third one, it's actually not this order, it's diff order, it's different order. And like I'm joking, like you know, I have a keynote from OCD to PhD, the journey between patient and doctor. This is my TED talk, which is coming soon. And then in my keynote, I'm in my pyjama with my beautiful polar beer, which is always with me in mental institution. And six months later, I'm on the red carpet cans festival walking and uh presenting.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

How did that happen? How how did you get how did you get that attention? What did you do?

SPEAKER_00 20:54

First of all, I'll tend to be in my cell, but you know, actually, it's we know it's discipline, it's a lot of job, it's a lot of uh success. No, not success, oh my god, sustainable perseverance. Like I used to work many, many years to to build first of all my career and academia. Like I said, I have two master's degrees, and so and soon industrial PhD, I will be uh a doctor, Valeria Yartnes, but still titles for me they don't actually determine so much. Uh you know, everybody can get some titles now, especially in Instagram, especially you you know yourself. Like, you know, I don't mean about you you have everything in um authentical and for me also integrity over clothes. But I won Mrs. World Norway in 2022. And I represented first time Norway in this huge, huge pageant, which was the first one, the most serious one. It's already 41 years old, which is Mrs. World. It's for um ladies who have families, has community engagement, career. It's not Miss, it's Miss It. You have to be married.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

Right. You have to actually be a grown-up.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Yes, you have to be. And when I came there, and I was again honest and boldly, radically open about my journey with OCD. And uh first of all, you know, it was almost 70 queens from all different countries, and I also warned them that sometimes maybe I need some help and support here, but actually I supported them a lot because I was so open about from the moment number one that you know I'm not all this huge big queen. I actually human being and I am suffering and I have that and that and that. So please let's be patient and let's be kind. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

That is a really smart way of doing it. You found a way where you could use one of your skills, which in this case happened to be the fact that you can speak for yourself and that you're very attractive, and you use that to create a global platform. And then how did you use that? Once you'd gotten onto that Mrs. World stage, how were you able to turn that into, you know, from just being another model into actually being an expert? How did you make that transition?

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Probably like all people who know actually that for everything you are doing, which should be stamped with quality every day, you should actually be so consistent and the strategy of small steps that sometimes it doesn't matter what's happened, especially you know what happened in my country now, you have to show up, you have to be yourself, you have to be so aligned with your personality, and like I said again and again now, like integrity overflows because all of a sudden, when you have so much visibility, you kind of also target to be approached by so many people, and uh all of a sudden you can be oh my god, where should I start? What should I do now? Whether I am another person, all of a sudden, and for me, for me, the most important was again and again to remember my purpose, my calling, my vision that I should wake up with the set of qualities, my core values. I've been living so many years before I got this title.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Because you know, like I said, what were some of the doors you were able to open f after after getting that title? What were some of the doors you were able to open as a result?

SPEAKER_00 24:28

You know, uh Daniel, thank you so much for this question because it it's it's so cool that I could open doors to so many people's hearts just to all being myself. Now I have actually understanding of who are real friends and real friends. Because many people actually, when you approach some success, they don't know how much it costs you, they don't uh actually even realize behind the scenes how much of it is, and kind of engine of ego, jealousy, and enviness drive them. And then it was a filter for me. I lost many, many people who I believe they were my friends. It was actually uh not like just uh you know uh period when everybody believed, oh, and from the day their dream kingdom started. No, because many people they don't want even to be involved in this kind of painful thing, how much you actually should go through and especially with my OCD in ADGD, but it's filter, okay. But who who actually can be able to root for you still? But of course, I understand, especially on Instagram. Now we we have more access to be visible international. So since the day one is a good thing. And for that matter, your Instagram you've got to do.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

Yeah, you've built a very successful Instagram brand. How how were you able to do that? What did you do to stand out? Because that platform is so crowded, crowded and competitive, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:08

That's why you should be so radically selective with whom you are actually collaborating and where you channel your energy, because I made my mistakes a lot. But since the night I actually got the title, so I started getting a lot of uh attention and um uh proposals from fashion weeks. It was the first one, it was uh Milan Fashion Week to be uh advocate for sustainable fashion art or VIP guest or modeling for them. So I was there first first time it was also like you know wow, totally different world for me. Of course, I'm so grateful to God that I I am blessed and I'm chosen for that. But for me, it was also kind of filter how I how I now present myself, and then it was first time Hans Festival, but I tried again and again to stay at least aligned with my values, like to advocate for sustainable fashion. If we are if I am engaged in some uh events where I'm moderator or hoster or speaker, it should be aligned with my values, or it's charity, or it's supporting Ukraine. It's it's uh because you know, so many people, it's a toxic environment there as well, and it's not that flashy inside. No, it's flashy, right?

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yeah, I wanted to ask about that because a lot of people think to be a model, you just have to be beautiful and show up, but there is a lot more depth and a lot more work to it. So, what did you actually have to do to be able to reach that top and and achieve in that space?

SPEAKER_00 27:40

Yeah, it's it's a huge question, actually. It's true because before we had some standards and some rules, we had such some agencies, right? And they represent you now. Because luckily we have actually opportunity to be visible with social media and you can build your own brand actually within three minutes, but how you sustain it, right? You can in even now you don't have to be maybe that beautiful, all these chatbots and filters and masks, they do you beautiful. But then the question is actually when you really show up and you present yourself and you open your mouth, because to be a model, you know it's again visibility, which is responsibility. Now it's so competitive that people they can read immediately. If your inner beauty is not aligned with actually your outside beauty, you have no chance. Because now, even with soon in the fashion industry, it's more and more now AI model, show and catwalks. We don't need really like models like for the body, I mean for legs. You should have your charisma, you should have your identity, you should have your brain, knowledge, expertise. You should be uh not just a model, not just a brand, really. It should be much more deeper behind, which actually all the time also in alignment with what you're doing, how you're showing up, what actually you're presenting, and with whom you're collaborating. It's very, very important. Your environment, you know, yourself, because team and people who actually you are partner, it's also your quality stamp, how actually you proceed, and and it's not like now about appearance, like it is not actually, but still people should understand that even in this society, it's like everything you can see on Instagram, Daniel. You know, it's not even about modeling, it's just 10% of this iceberg, right? Just you you can see just 10% what is true, and 90% you cannot see. It's a toxic environment. After parties, you don't want to know what's happened there, how much oh my god, mistreatment, you know, now the year of Epstein. So I actually discourage if people really believe that to be a model is just beautiful. It's so it's so scary path to teach our teenagers because then they can be misled, they can be used, and that's what I'm actually talking very openly. I have two 17 years old beautiful ladies, and they know how much mama works off, right? To be actually what I'm doing now, and uh and I'm changing the focus. Like, look at me. Yes, I am blessed with God with appearance, which I also work very hard, but the most important, it's about so much aligned with the beauty of your heart and brain, brain muscle, mental fitness, the most important.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

I totally agree, and that leads us perfectly into every episode. We end with a round of rapid-fire questions. And you're already touching on the first one that my team has prepared here. So I'm gonna ask these five questions, and you just answer the first thing that comes to mind. All right? You ready?

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Okay, it's kind of evidence that I have my mind. Okay, I'm still having my mind.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

All right, the first question rapid fire is what is one myth about mental resilience?

SPEAKER_00 31:10

Uh resilience and uh resistance, it's two different strengths. Resilience comes with alignment is your energy, mind, soul, and body, resistance, it's survival all the time without actually conscious deep awareness.

SPEAKER_02 31:24

Nice. What is the future of leadership in one sentence?

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Awareness. Awareness who you are and how you perceive the world.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

What is one daily uh mental or cognitive discipline that you practice?

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Take a pause. Breathe, please, response, not react. That's why responsibility, it's ability to response, not react. We have way too much reactive world now. We have to stay paused, breeze, and response.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

What is the most important quality for leaders to start developing now for the future?

SPEAKER_00 32:04

I think two things. It's capability to empathize really genuinely, compassionately, and adaptability.

unknown 32:12

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 32:13

What is one word that defines your work?

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Consciousness.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

All right. Well, Laria, thank you so much for joining us. I know our people here, they want to connect with you, they want to keep learning more. What is the best way to connect with you?

SPEAKER_00 32:30

Thank you so, so much for having me on the show. It's really been a pleasure. And I am myself on all these social media. I don't have chatbots and all these automatic, you know, dad messages about the authoritated. So I love connecting with people and talking, sharing my story really boldly. Probably people know already. This is, yeah, I think this is my service for community. So I have an Instagram account, Mrs. WorldCongeniality, or Valeria Yartnes, LinkedIn as well, Valeria Yartness.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Uh now I will link to these in the show notes, guys.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

Yes, yes. Uh I have my own homepage, Valeria Impact Global. Uh, so I'm mostly presented there, so they are more than welcome to D me uh there. And now also I am in the new beginning of uh very special program which I am building with my uh partner, Claire C in Berlin. And we are teaching, we will be teaching graduates at school at university about neurodiversity and emotional regulation. I am very, very excited that we are starting this project in together. So very soon is coming um very nice, special news, and I really encourage people to follow up us. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 33:45

Amazing. Yeah, we'll link to all of those in the show notes. And Valeria, as always, a pleasure to connect with you. Thank you for being you and thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Thank you so, so much. And happy Easter to your audience and to yourself.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

Thank you. Thank you. Speak soon.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_02 34:08

Thank you for joining us for this conversation with Valeria Yafness. I always like to end these episodes with a moment to break down what I think are the most important takeaways. Because honestly, it's one thing to listen to the conversation. It's another to take things from it and actually use it. Here at the Swedish Wealth Institute, we're always looking for the answer to one simple question. What is the difference that makes the difference? So, from this conversation, here are five things that me and the Swedish Wealth Institute team think are worth taking with you. Number one, being different is not automatically a weakness. I think this was one of the most important points from Valeria. So many people spend their lives trying to hide parts of themselves that don't, you know, fit the standard mold. But very often those same differences are where creativity, insight, pattern recognition, empathy, and real strength come from. Two, neurodiversity is not just a diagnosis, it's a different way to process the world. So Valeria talked about neurodiversity as the biodiversity of our brains. And I really like, I really like that framing. ADHD, OCD, autism, dyslexia, anxiety, they can obviously create real challenges, but they can also come with the unique strengths when they are understood, supported, and managed in the right way. Number three, leadership starts with understanding yourself. Before you can lead other people well, you need to understand how your own mind and body works, have how you process information, how you react under stress, what environments help you thrive, and which drain you. Valeria's point was very clear. Self-leadership comes before external leadership. Number four, psychological safety unlocks people's real potential. A lot of neurodivergent people spend years masking, overperforming, overcompensating, and trying to not be too much or too different. As leaders, if we can create environments where people feel safe enough to be honest about how they work best, we can unlock a level of creativity and loyalty that, you know, control-based leadership will never reach. Number five, visibility is responsibility. So I appreciated this from Valeria's story. She didn't just build visibility to be seen. She used it to speak about something that matters. From her own journey with OCD to becoming Miss World Norway, to now building this global platform around neurodiversity and conscious leadership. The reminder is that when you have a voice, you can use it to open doors for others. Now, before you go, I've prepared something for you. We're giving you two weeks free access to the Swedish Wealth Institute community. Inside the community, we help our members figure out three very important things. Where are you now? Where are you going? And what is the number one limiting factor holding you back? Our technology then helps you connect to the right way to overcome that limiting factor. It could be an accountability buddy, or maybe one of the courses in our course catalog, which has trainings from Jack Canfield, Dr. John D. Martini, and many more. You'll find the link to claim your two weeks in the show notes. And you know what? If this episode gave you something useful, please share it with someone else who needs to hear it. And of course, I hope you follow the podcast as thousands of people have done from all over the world. And of course, if you want to support the show, please leave us a five-star review. It genuinely helps us reach more people and it really makes an impact. Next week, I'll be joined by Lawrence Elliard, and we'll be talking about wellness, longevity, mindfulness, and what he calls the new woo. What I think made this conversation especially interesting is that we look at how things that used to be seen as fringe, things like breath work, cold plunges, red light therapy, meditation, energy work, sauna, grounding, and nervous system regulation are becoming more mainstream. We talk about sleep, presence, digital detoxing, community, and why real wellness is not about chasing every trend, but learning how to listen to your body and build practices that actually support your life. I'm Daniel Wood, this is the Swedish Wealth Institute podcast. Thank you for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

You see people um seeing something amazing, like watching a sunset and they're filming it on their phone. I looked around, and the amount of people who are filming the fireworks versus actually just going, looking at you look at all the kids, the kids are just like, wow. But all the adults are like, oh, I have to capture the moment. It's like at the moment, it's happening right now. We're constantly trying to capture it through a device. We missed the moment, right? Do we go back and watch that? There were some beautiful formations that came out. Yeah, that was a minute of intention. Yeah, so I think it uh demonstrates how powerful our thoughts are and how those thoughts can affect.