Introducing Emma Kearns: Experienced Neurodiversity Specialist
Growing up, I never understood why I struggled
with things others found simple.
Emma Kearns,Founder - Seren Neurodiversity Specialists
I grew up in Wales feeling like I was a step behind everyone else. Not in capability, not in intelligence - but in the invisible rules that everyone else seemed to understand instinctively. Social situations, processes, expectations. They all felt like a language I could almost speak but never quite fluently.
I can trace the moment I first felt the perceived injustice of having a different brain back to a primary school maths test. I was around nine years old. I worked out the correct answer - but I had used my own method to get there, not the one the teacher had taught. I was marked as having failed. The answer was right. The thinking was sound. But the process was not the proper one.
The answer was right. The thinking was sound. But the process wasn't the 'proper' one - and that has stayed with me ever since.
That moment stayed with me. From that point on, I became an expert at finding ways around processes that did not make sense to me - and equally expert at hiding that I was doing it. I masked. I beat myself up. I pushed harder. As I grew from child to teenager, anxiety increased, and nobody stopped to think that perhaps there was a neurological reason for how I experienced the world.
Finding my way - and my calling
I found my way into a career in neurodiversity almost by accident - and discovered that the very way my brain worked, the thing I had spent years fighting against, was a profound asset when it came to understanding and supporting others.
What started as an Employment Consultant role at the National Autistic Society in 2011 grew into something I could not have imagined. Over the next decade I designed and delivered national neurodiversity employment programmes, secured over £1 million in funding for inclusive hiring initiatives, trained thousands of HR professionals, managers and recruiters, and represented the sector at industry summits across the UK.
When I was appointed Head of Enterprise and Employment at the National Autistic Society - a role created specifically to launch a new national employment service - I had built a specialism that combined strategic leadership with a genuine, lived understanding of what neurodivergent people face at work.
In 2022 I moved into the private sector as EMEA Director at Rangam, leading the expansion of their SourceAbled inclusive hiring programme across Europe. In two years I signed over 30 clients, built a candidate pipeline from zero to over 10,000 people, and helped global organisations rethink how they recruit, retain and support neurodivergent talent.
When everything unravelled - and what I learned
For years, people had suggested I might have ADHD. I understood it academically. I could see it in others. But understanding something professionally and recognising it in yourself are two very different things - especially when you have spent decades building sophisticated strategies to mask and compensate.
At the start of COVID I became a Mother. And almost overnight, the scaffolding I had built around myself came down. The routines that kept me regulated disappeared. The strategies I had developed over decades - the ones I had not even consciously acknowledged - stopped working.
I had to start again. Not from scratch - I had twenty years of professional knowledge to draw on - but from a different place entirely. I had to understand myself first, not just my working patterns. I had to look at my whole life, not just my professional performance.
And that is when it became clear: work strategies only stick when the whole person is understood first.
I am not formally diagnosed, and that is not something I am pursuing. Understanding how my brain works is enough. A diagnosis does not define whether support is needed - and that principle runs through every piece of support I deliver.
"Work strategies only stick when the whole person is understood first."
The origin
Why the name Seren?
Seren is the Welsh word for star.
Growing up in Wales, feeling different, struggling silently - there were moments when the person I could be felt very far away. Like a star. Present, but out of reach.
After forty years, I am finally finding mine. Seren exists to help other people find theirs - whether they have a formal diagnosis or not, whether they are just beginning to understand their neurodivergent identity or have known for years.
What makes Seren different
There are many neurodiversity coaches and consultants. What sets Seren apart is the combination of two things that rarely exist together: twenty years of professional expertise, and genuine lived experience of navigating the world as a neurodivergent adult.
I do not just understand neurodiversity theoretically. I have designed national programmes, secured funding, trained thousands of people, and lived it personally. That dual perspective means I can meet you wherever you are.
My support also takes a whole-life approach. Most workplace neurodiversity support focuses narrowly on performance and adjustment at work. But without understanding a person's whole life - without addressing the foundations of how they function day to day - no workplace strategy will ever truly stick.
We start with you. Your history, your identity, your patterns, your strengths, your life. From that foundation, we build strategies for work that actually fit.
The Seren Philosophy
Whole life before work
We look at the person first before building workplace strategies. If the foundation isn't stable, the tools won't stick.
Lived experience plus professional expertise
Our advice isn't just theoretical. It combines twenty years of professional neurodiversity consultancy with the deep, personal understanding of an ADHD founder.
No diagnosis required
You deserve support based on your experience, not just a clinical label. We support self-identification and believe life shouldn't wait for paperwork.
Sustainable results, not quick fixes
We don't do 'hacks'. We build long-term, sustainable systems that respect your energy cycles and cognitive profile for lasting impact.
Meets you where you are
Whether you're just starting to explore your identity or looking for advanced workplace adjustments, our support is tailored to your current reality.