47: Where is the village? Creating community that actually includes neurodivergent people | Solo Episode

What happens when the village doesn’t show up?

In this personal solo episode, Laetitia reflects on growing up in a small village in the south of France, where community care was part of everyday life, and contrasts that with the isolation she has experienced raising neurodivergent children far from family in Australia.

She explores why so many spaces (from birthday parties to workplace events) can leave neurodivergent children, adults and their caregivers feeling excluded, and why the problem isn’t that neurodivergent people “can’t cope”, but that many environments simply weren’t designed with them in mind.

Laetitia also shares practical ways we can create safer, more inclusive gatherings through predictability, lower sensory load, flexible participation and multiple ways to communicate… because a village only works when everyone genuinely feels welcome.

✨ Try Understanding Zoe free for 7 days – the neuroaffirming app turning every report, observation and meltdown into an actionable next step.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 👇

🧠 We were never meant to do everything alone

🧠 Exclusion can look like not being invited, or being invited into a space that doesn’t accommodate you

🧠 The cost of fitting into environments that weren’t designed for neurodivergent nervous systems is real

🧠 Inclusive gatherings offer predictability, lower sensory load and flexibility

🧠 Speaking isn’t the only way to participate, silence, chat and other communication styles belong too

🧠 Community isn’t truly inclusive unless people actually feel safe and welcome

🧠 Your village can include friends, family, teachers, therapists, support workers and anyone willing to understand and support you

💛 Love what you heard? Subscribe, share with your care village, and leave us a review so more families can find this support.

🔗 Try Understanding Zoe for free today

COME TO OUR VILLAGE GATHERING 💛

Understanding Zoe is turning two, and we’re celebrating by creating the kind of gathering we want to see more of, neuroinclusive, flexible and designed so people can show up as themselves.

📅 24 October 2026

⏰ 3:00–5:00 pm

📍 Wander Play Studio, Sydney, on Gadigal Country

💛 Free to attend. Registration required https://events.humanitix.com/understanding-zoe-s-birthday-party

Neurodivergent adults and kiddos are welcome. You can stim freely, sit on the floor, arrive when you need to and leave when you’re ready. There’s no expectation to participate in one particular way.

Not in Sydney? An online Village Gathering is also planned for November.

Bring your village, a friend, peer, therapist, teacher, support worker or someone who simply wants to learn and connect.

💻 Website: www.understandingzoe.com/

📸 Instagram: @understanding.zoe

ABOUT THE HOST 👇

Laetitia Andrac (Autistic & ADHDer) is an award-winning entrepreneur, international speaker, and podcast host.

She is the bestselling author of Light It: How to Trust Your Intuition and Build a Thriving Business. With over 15 years of experience in consulting, strategy, and innovation, Laetitia has worked with industry leaders like Deloitte and Telstra.

Inspired by my journey as a neurodivergent parent, she co-founded Understanding Zoe, an AI-driven solution dedicated to supporting caregivers of neurodivergent children.

Her passion is creating a more neuroinclusive world, where everyone can thrive—whether in their homes, communities, or workplaces.