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July 14
When you're the eldest daughter of immigrants with ADHD and autism, you learn to mask early and master systems—but at what cost? Meral Alizada knows this story intimately, and she's using it to transform how companies think about neurodivergent talent.
Meral is the founder of Results of Kindness (ROK), where she helps organizations build workplaces where neurodivergent minds aren't just accommodated, they're celebrated. With degrees in Law and Psychology and a background in organizational psychology, she knows how to navigate systems. But what sets her apart is how she redesigns them with empathy, creativity, and a deep understanding of what actually works for ADHD and autistic brains.
Diagnosed with both ADHD and autism in her late twenties while working one-on-one with a brilliant child who shared her traits, Meral's journey from law to psychology to entrepreneurship is as nonlinear as her thinking. In this conversation, she and Tracy explore the weight of being ultra-organized out of anxiety, the loneliness of outgrowing friendships, and why our relentless drive for self-development might be our greatest superpower.
Meral also breaks down her "Genius Retention" program, explaining why kindness isn't just nice to have—it's profitable. When 89% of workers want kindness in the workplace but 77% are disengaged globally, she argues that treating people as human beings strengthens the hands with which they contribute to organizations. Born to Afghan-Uzbek parents and raised across Europe, Meral brings both global perspective and deeply personal insight to the future of work.
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"We are not rude. We are sincere. The ultimate kindness requires you to break someone's heart because there must be truth and sincerity rather than holding to customs that no longer work."
- Meral Alizada
"This world is designed to upgrade your soul. We should only put people in positions of power who look upon themselves every day and are unstoppable in improving themselves."
- Meral Alizada
"The most profitable, productive, and sustainable long-term strategy in business can only emanate from organizational kindness."
- Meral Alizada
"You are here at the right time with the right amount of difference. You have something to give that no one else can replicate."
- Meral Alizada
"If you were determined to be neurodivergent, that means you have something to give that no one else in the world can emulate and replicate."
- Meral Alizada
"There’s power in softness. There’s courage in slowing down. And there’s healing in choosing rest over hustle."
- Meral Alizada
"It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I realized: I can’t keep living for everyone else. I have to live for myself. I have to choose myself."
- Meral Alizada
- Meral Alizadeh shares her ADHD and autism diagnosis at 27 while working one-on-one with a nonverbal 3-year-old math genius with both conditions, seeing herself reflected in his extreme focus, nonlinear thinking, and bright energy.
- As the oldest of four children in an Afghan-Uzbek immigrant family, she describes the responsibility of being the "quintessential eldest daughter" who spent much of her life masking ADHD and autism symptoms due to cultural expectations and family obligations.
- She explains how her early speaking (9 months old) contrasted with struggles playing with toys and finishing tasks, noting how childhood videos revealed ADHD traits that weren't recognized at the time due to her high-achieving academic performance.
- Meral describes the "double life" of appearing organized to others while struggling with self-regulation, doing homework hours before deadlines, and experiencing severe forgetfulness where incomplete tasks would "float into the air and disappear."
- She details the cultural conditioning in Afghan and Uzbek societies where children are taught rigid social roles from ages 3-4, creating extensive knowledge of social rules while internally rebelling against their lack of substance and utility.
- The conversation covers how her nonlinear thinking led to creative essay responses that teachers crossed out as "not part of the curriculum," crushing her academic motivation and making her feel there was no space for her innovative ideas.
[01:00:00 - 01:40:00] Self-Development, Friendship, and Results of Kindness
- Meral and Tracy explore how neurodivergent people are purpose-driven and growth-oriented, leading to shorter but more meaningful friendships that serve specific soul missions rather than social comfort or tradition.
- She explains her company Results of Kindness as a thought leadership and systems design firm focused on making kindness the corporate standard, not the exception, drawing from the Japanese Daisugi forestry concept of sustainable growth.
- The episode concludes with practical insights about neurodivergent workplace design, including trust-based leadership, outcome-focused performance reviews, coaching-led management, and her personal 24-hour rule for completing tasks to prevent them from disappearing.
