Keynote Speaker - Matt Gupwell. Unique, evidence based, memorable and engaging.
Matt Gupwell - Leading with EEES
Understanding what sits beneath struggle, stress, and performance at work.
Most workplace challenges aren’t what they look like.
When capable people struggle, high performers disengage, or teams lose cohesion, we often label it as performance, behaviour, resilience, or attitude.
In reality, those labels miss what’s really happening.
Leading with EEES gives leaders a clearer way to understand what sits beneath these moments and how responding differently changes outcomes for people and organisations alike.
Showreel and Media Clips
Matt Gupwell | Neurodiversity Consultant, Speaker, Strategist & Educator
Helping organisations build cultures where different ways of thinking are understood, where ability is enabled and disadvantage removed.
Matt Gupwell works with organisations to build cultures where different ways of thinking are understood, where ability is enabled, and where unnecessary disadvantage is removed. His work sits at the intersection of communication, cognition, and culture, helping organisations move beyond awareness and into meaningful, lasting change.
Few voices combine lived experience, clinical partnership, and professional stagecraft in the way Matt does.
Matt is trusted by global brands, public institutions, and leadership teams to cut through confusion, not just around neurodiversity, but around performance, pressure, and human behaviour at work. His work has reached millions through keynote talks, international conferences, podcasts, and mentoring, not by chasing trends, but by addressing the realities organisations often struggle to talk about openly.
With over 16 years working alongside neurodivergent individuals, and lived experience of ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, Matt brings rare depth and credibility. His openness about addiction and recovery adds further insight, allowing him to speak honestly about resilience, identity, and performance under pressure in ways that resonate far beyond any single group.
Matt translates complex research and clinical insight into practical, human strategies that help organisations think differently about how work is designed, how communication happens, and how people are supported. His approach is grounded in evidence and shaped by real-world experience, not theory alone.
He works in partnership with leading clinicians and academic networks to ensure every session is current, credible, and robust.
Matt’s blend of clarity, compassion, and provocation means audiences leave not just inspired, but equipped to act.
He is the host of the evidence-led TALKADHD podcast and a regular contributor to podcasts, panels, events, and media discussions, known for making complex ideas clear, useful, and grounded in reality.
Matt’s work doesn’t end when the keynote does.
It continues in conversations, shifts in thinking, and measurable change long after he has left the room.
As a consultant and trainer whose work is rooted in neurodiversity but designed for everyone, Matt’s position in this space is distinctive.
Matt Gupwell | Keynote Talks for 2026
What is Leading with EEES?
Leading with EEES is a leadership lens built around understanding the universal human factors that shape how people experience work under pressure.
These factors affect everyone at different points in their working life. They influence how people manage demand, maintain capacity, interact with others, and respond to the conditions around them.
This approach was developed through years of supporting neurodivergent people, where these patterns are often felt earlier and more intensely. That work provided a clearer view of what’s really happening when people struggle.
But these factors are not unique to neurodivergence.
Stress, illness, workload, change, expectation, and environment affect us all.
Leading with EEES helps leaders recognise these patterns earlier, respond with greater confidence, and reduce unnecessary friction before problems escalate.
Why this matters for leaders
Many leaders are carrying a growing fear of getting it wrong.
Fear of saying the wrong thing.
Fear of not knowing enough.
Fear of being judged for intent rather than action.
Leading with EEES replaces that fear with clarity.
It gives leaders a way to:
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Understand what they’re seeing without diagnosing
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Respond earlier rather than reacting later
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Have better conversations under pressure
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Support people without needing specialist knowledge
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Create conditions for sustainable performance
This is leadership that works for everyone, not just when someone is already in crisis.
What audiences leave with
Audiences leave with:
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A shared language for understanding struggle and strain
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Practical tools leaders can use immediately
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Greater confidence in difficult conversations
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Clear insight into what helps or hinders performance
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A leadership approach that supports retention and cohesion
This is not a neurodiversity awareness talk.
It is a leadership keynote grounded in real human experience.
Other talks and topics
What is neurodiversity anyway and why is it important?
This talk looks not at what the labels, conditions, symptoms and traits of conditions are. Instead it asks the question, "What's the information we really need to understand?"
Rooted in Matt's unique EEES and WMW frameworks this talk is about understanding people experiences not diagnosing them.
It's about psychological safety and conversations that support, enable and retain valuable people and have the potential to reduce sickness and attrition.
197,000 combinations and we still think ADHD looks the same for everyone!
Using ADHD as an example this talk looks at why trying to apply generic understanding, support tools or management of anyone is doomed to fail.
Why the real cost is loss of talented, valuable people and what a far better approach to supporting people is.
Matt shares how his work as a mentor to very late diagnosed people has taught him to step away from labels and to ask questions of people.
Questions he'lll share with you that will change the way you support people forever.
Sweety Chanda Talent Partner ITG Group
Thanks so much for your session last week with ITG. Your presentation has left a lasting impact. Your delivery style is incredibly engaging and thought-provoking. I’ve seen firsthand how your words inspired our teams to think differently and take action.
Testimonials
Che L Corporate Fundraising and Partnerships Migrant Help
"I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Matt, at our staff conference. His easy-to-listen-to and energetic style, coupled with a clear and impactful delivery, made the session incredibly engaging. I thoroughly recommend his expertise to anyone looking to enhance their understanding of neurodivergence."
Kate Farmer, Talent Process and Project Manager Encirc
I had the pleasure of attending one of your training days about ND in the workplace. It’s had a real positive personal impact - not only professionally to support our EDI agenda and helping individuals feel empowered and included but also individually particularly with how ND may present differently for girls. The delivery was really engaging, open discussion and a great session I’m recommending to colleagues
Introductions for you to use.
1) Short - apprx 150 words. 45 - 60 seconds
Our speaker today is Matt Gupwell—an evidence-led strategist, consultant, and keynote speaker whose talks are known for cutting through the noise around neurodiversity, communication, and workplace inclusion. Matt works with global brands, public sector teams, and creative industries to help them build environments where different kinds of thinkers can thrive. His approach is practical, human, and refreshingly honest. He doesn’t teach you about diagnoses—he teaches you how to support people. Matt’s sessions challenge lazy thinking, bust myths, and offer simple, powerful tools that organisations can use right away. Whether he’s talking about the real cost of “just use headphones,” or reframing what inclusion actually looks like in practice, Matt’s goal is always the same: to help you understand your people better—and design work that works. Please welcome, Matt Gupwell.
2) Medium - apprx 350 words. 90 - 120 seconds
Today’s speaker, Matt Gupwell, is one of the UK’s most respected voices in the field of neurodiversity, cognitive communication, and inclusive workplace design. But don’t expect a typical awareness talk. Matt’s approach is different—and deliberately so. He’s not here to deliver clinical definitions or tell you what ADHD or autism “look like.” Instead, Matt focuses on what those differences mean in real-world settings—and how they shape the way we think, communicate, lead, and collaborate. Matt works with clients across industries: from fashion brands and film studios to NHS trusts and government teams. What unites them is a desire to go beyond tick-box training and create environments where people don’t just feel seen—but are genuinely supported to do their best work. His keynotes are full of insight, lived experience, and practical tools. He’s known for asking the questions others avoid, busting common myths, and helping teams move from awkward awareness to confident action. You might hear him challenge ideas like “reasonable adjustments” being just about noise-cancelling headphones—or explore why miscommunication is often neurological, not personal. What’s consistent across all his sessions is this: Matt helps people understand each other better, and shows organisations how to turn that understanding into impact. Get ready for a talk that’s honest, evidence-led, and deeply human. Please welcome, Matt Gupwell.
3) Long - apprx 2 minutes
It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce today’s speaker—Matt Gupwell. Matt is a respected strategist, consultant, and keynote speaker who specialises in neurodiversity, cognitive communication, and inclusive work design. He’s known for challenging conventional approaches to workplace inclusion—and for helping teams move from awareness to action in a way that’s practical, honest, and human. What sets Matt apart is his refusal to deliver the kind of talks that make people nod, then forget. His sessions stay with you, because they’re grounded in real experience, backed by evidence, and designed to make a lasting impact. Matt doesn’t teach audiences to memorise labels or diagnostic traits. Instead, he helps people understand what those conditions actually mean for the individuals in their teams, and how work systems, communication, and environments can either enable or disable performance. With clients that include global fashion brands, leading creative agencies, NHS trusts, and public service organisations, Matt is trusted across sectors for his ability to engage deeply and challenge gently. His work focuses on what makes workplaces truly inclusive—not in theory, but in daily practice. He’s also the creator of the “Which Means What” framework—a tool that helps organisations move beyond generic adjustments and start making changes that really work for the people they support. Matt’s sessions are packed with myth-busting, real-world stories, and the kind of insights that shift mindsets. He explores topics like: Why awareness isn’t enough if we don’t change our systems Why “just use headphones” isn’t a real strategy And how communication breakdowns are often cognitive—not about attitude or effort But more than anything, Matt’s message is this: if we want better workplaces, we have to start with understanding—of each other, of ourselves, and of the hidden systems that shape how we work. So whether you’re here today to rethink adjustments, improve psychological safety, or simply be better equipped to lead diverse teams—this session will give you tools, clarity, and a whole new way of seeing the world around you. Please give a warm welcome to Matt Gupwell.
Matt’s requirements
Stage/Performance time, Tech/rehearsal times if required, Name of tech crew, name of showrunner (if employed), names of any VIP or persons I should be aware of.
Microphones: I always prefer a wireless microphone. I am happy with Lavalier, Headset or Handheld. (please always have a spare mic charged just in case)
Presentations and displays: I use Powerpoint for slideshows. I always bring a laptop and USB drive with the presentation on and send you a copy by email as a back up. All presentations are formatted in 1920 * 1080 format. My presentations occassionaly use audio and video, so connection to the sound system is necessary.
Lighting: I am occassionaly overstimulated by lighting either directly above me or in front of me. Whilst I am able to cope I mention it just in case it can be avoivded.
My incredibly complex rider: Food – I don’t eat meat or dairy. Drink – I only drink Soy milk in tea, but take coffee black. I always have a my own bottle of water on stage with me.
Where possible I like to record my talks both in person and online for my own review and future promotional work. Please state if this presents an issue.