flow²thrive Newsletter: May

Written by Linda Jarnhamn, Founder & Managing Director

The past month has been all about brain health, neurodiversity and brain capital.

‘‘In our ongoing quest for more AI enabled, yet sustainable human ways of working and doing business, understanding and harnessing the full potential of the human brain and its contribution to the economy is becoming increasingly vital’’.

 
 

This month, we therefore wanted to explore topics that, not only can enhance human performance, but also foster more inclusive and innovative workplaces.

Embracing Neurodiversity in Business

It’s a year since we ran the ‘Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage’ survey and subsequent roundtable in Stockholm, attended by a group of inspiring HR/D&I professionals, legal and neuro-architecture experts.

A key question we set out to answer was

What can organisations learn from neuroscience and neurodivergent individuals that can support more brain-friendly and neuroinclusive workplaces?

Most of us are aware by now that neurodiversity can serve as a key driver of resilience, creativity, and business performance.

Research, combined with practical experience have established a conclusive connection between specific factors in our work environment, our ways of working, brain health and cognitive performance.

However, as our survey results pointed out, few of the individuals who identify as neurodivergent consider their work environment to be supportive (less than 40%).

Read more about the findings from the survey and roundtable in this report

You can also listen to a podcast where Linda Jarnhamn and Jenny Welander Wadström talk about neurodiversity at work from a legal perspective (in Swedish).

Moving beyond awareness

Our flow²thrive Human Sustainability Index is a great tool to open up for more factual and science based conversations related to neurodiversity and individual differences and preferences in ways of working.

Contact us directly if you’d like to know more about how we can support you.

Podcast Feature: Brain Health and Brain Capital in focus

In recent episodes of the Sustainable Human Podcast, we dig deep into the topic of brain health and its importance in business:

 
 
  • In Episode 6 (Brain Health: The case for a new balance sheet paradigm), host Linda Jarnhamn and Kelly O'Brien discuss the distinction between mental and brain health, emphasising the need for businesses to prioritise brain health as a strategic asset. They explore the concept of brain capital as an economic imperative, advocating a shift in how businesses invest in employees.

  • In Episode 7 (Elevating Brain Capital as a Business Imperative): Linda continues the conversation with Harris Eyre, who offers thoughts on how to address significant brain health challenges and integrating brain capital into business practices, and encourages leaders to develop a "brain story" for their companies.

These discussions highlight the growing recognition of brain health as essential to innovative and sustainable business strategies. A topic, which sits at the core of everything we do at flow2thrive.

Inspiring the young ones

Can you illustrate the brain and it’s energy with a bowl of ducks? Yes you can! Last week we spent one morning with a class of twelve year-olds talking about brain health.

We covered questions around:

🤔 What does the human brain do?
🤔 What makes a brain be & work well?
🤔 What drains brain energy?

 
 

Questions we normally cover with adults who have spent their lives living and working in ways opposite to what the brain actually needs. It was an incredibly rewarding morning, which took us back to the point around the importance of building healthy habits from a young age.

Spring has finally sprung in Sweden, so I’m now off outside to enjoy a bit of warmth and sunshine. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or further information.

Warm regards,

Linda




Linda Jarnhamn