From Prisons to Boardrooms: A Forensic Psychologist on Neurodiversity and Change

Meet a forensic psychologist with 30 years experience in prisons, boardrooms and "normal" people: what drives behaviour, why neurodiversity matters, and what burnout taught him. Anton Ashcroft trained as a forensic psychologist in the UK prison service. He worked with people experiencing homelessness, then moved to New Zealand, where he developed the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Program and prison Alcohol and Drug interventions. He now consults on neurodiversity and leadership. In this conversation with Matt, Anton covers: 💎How prisons moved from punishment to rehabilitation, and why radical candor beats both “teddy bear” and punitive approaches. 💎Why he believes a need can never be antisocial, and whether anyone is truly “evil” 💎Working with narcissists and psychopaths, in prison and in senior management 💎Living with ADD, and why playing to your strengths beats fixing deficits 💎Why neurodiversity matters at work, and recruiting for brain wiring over competencies 💎Burnout, Lyme disease and the “mental health spoons” idea 💎Advice for anyone considering a career in therapy: “sort your own s*** out first” Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.