My diagnosis was liberating, not limiting

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 in high school, officially confirmed shortly after. Despite the grim, pessimistic predictions handed to his family about his future, he forcibly reframed the diagnosis: it was empowering, never 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 cold, analytical approach he built at age 14 became his greatest asset as a manager. By starkly understanding his own boundaries, he learned to "quickly empathise with colleagues and clients" entirely without relying on lazy, assumed social norms.

Industry recommendation
> "Ask, don't assume."

He strongly warns against making assumptions in any diverse workplace. For years, he kept his diagnosis locked away at EssenceMediacom out of self-preservation. But upon finally disclosing it to the broader WPP community, he uncovered a hidden network of peers with exact similar experiences, instantly creating genuine psychological safety.

Current work
Volunteers with Amaze as a steering-committee member supporting autistic professionals; partnered GroupM and Amaze to forge hard-hitting programs that actually support neurodiverse individuals and train their managers, actively forcing inclusive hiring practices into reality.

Looking back, I had reverse-engineered an established framework from observation alone — and the analytical approach became invaluable once I started managing people. Understanding my own strengths and limitations meant I could quickly empathise with colleagues and clients without leaning on assumed social norms.

A shorter version of this story, “Changing Perspectives”, ran with the Media Federation of Australia in November 2023.