Sparking Connection by Manifesting Community
Create spaces people WANT to be part of…
Even as your organization commits to diversity and inclusion initiatives, you might find some people remain disengaged, distracted and not giving their all. This is especially true for those with uniquely brilliant minds. What you need is something that ensures your investments in learning and programming address commonly overlooked needs. Some leaders are still getting it all wrong and watching people run, not walk, out the door. They’re unable to fully recognize and reimagine restrictive models that are tolerated at best but certainly aren’t embraced.
More than ever, there’s an opportunity for the world to align with a future where people whose minds work unconventionally are celebrated and given space to flourish.
My audiences learn about the power of creating inclusive spaces where organizations thrive and achieve success by removing shame, centering community and fostering joy by encouraging people to authentically be themselves.
Where I Speak
Offices and Conventions
Empower your team or your conference attendees with insights that bring people together. Discover practical approaches to foster inclusivity, enhance productivity, and cultivate a supportive workplace environment.
Colleges/Universities
Explore innovative methods to accommodate diverse learning styles, promote student success, and create an inclusive campus community that celebrates unconventional minds, especially for STEM students and faculty.
K-12 Schools
Change the lives of your students by helping them feel accepted from an early age. They will learn about understanding and accepting their minds, as well as those of others who might think differently.
Why is Sheldon Gay BUG’N?
BUG’N stands for Black Underrepresented/Unidentified Gifted and otherwise Neurodivergent. It’s a playful reference to Sheldon’s experience of learning to make sense of a world that can have a limiting idea of “normal”.
Sheldon Gay is a serial entrepreneur who holds an engineering degree, a tech-focused MBA and has been a board-member and leader for several organizations. His wide-ranging curiosity has allowed him to work in multiple industries such as healthcare and education-technology. As a late-identified gifted, and therefore neurodivergent, Black man, he sees the world in ways that can be very different from what society has told us is reasonable. He knows what it’s like to feel misunderstood and isolated.
Sheldon Gay is a highly respected speaker, podcast host, and advisor. His podcast, “I Must Be BUG’N” has quickly become a favorite within the neurodivergent community and his work has afforded him the opportunity to take on leadership roles, including becoming National Vice-Chair of UmbrellaUS, a non-profit that’s community-focused and neurodivergent affirming. He continues to help his audiences become curious about their minds, combat loneliness through community and experience peace and joy through authenticity.
Featured KeyNotes and Speaking Topics
"Dare to be Different: Finding Community by Unapologetically Being Yourself"
In this talk I will help your group recognize and celebrate their uniqueness. I’ll also share why daring to shine your light is critical to allowing your community to easily find you.
Takeaways:
Learn to recognize your value without getting fixated on external validation and your proximity to "normalcy".
Become your own safe-space by letting go of the tiring process of trying to hide who you are to avoid being hurt or abandoned.
Heal from the trauma of shame, loneliness and feeling misunderstood to experience the joy and safety of the community you seek.
"We Wear These Masks: How to Support Intersectional Neurodiversity"
In this talk, you'll discover how to create empowering and supportive environments for neurodivergent people, especially those from marginalized communities. We'll explore how uniquely brilliant minds can face additional challenges because of their social and political identities. We'll also look at how some cultural elements can make it tough or even unsafe to live “unmasked”.
Takeaways:
Discover how leading with curiosity can reveal more efficient and cost-effective solutions that readily garner buy-in.
Learn to address how your systems might not only feel uncomfortable but traumatic.
Understand how creating opportunities for safety can spark joy and increase retention.
"Parenting Unconventional Minds: Humanizing Our Shared Experiences"
In this talk, you'll discover how to be present for your child who has an unconventional mind, whether they be neurodivergent or just dance to the beat of a different drummer. What can prioritizing curiosity for our children and ourselves do to break cycles and revolutionize our relationship with our child who might be struggling to connect with themselves and the world?
Takeaways:
What happens when we center opportunities for wonder rather than what’s “right”?
Why we owe children Security, Self-identity and Humanity
TESTIMONIALS
"Thank you for coming last week! It was great!"
Amy Edwards, Ed.D.
Director, Center for Autism and Neurodiversity at Drexel University
“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” - bell hooks
Helping uniquely brilliant minds know they belong
What makes one uniquely brilliant?
What it IS
It can refer to people who identify as neurodivergent or simply those with unconventional ways of seeing the world. It’s about celebrating opportunities to experience wonder where routine and status quo can be limiting.
What it is NOT
It isn’t about elitism or being “better” than anyone else. This isn’t about “us vs them” thinking. It also isn’t just a reference to traditional “genius”. There are many ways in which brilliance can manifest.
Listen to the “I Must Be BUG’N” pocast
Learn more about my message.
Check out my podcast, “I Must Be BUG’N” where I discuss Black, Underrepresented/Unidentified, Gifted and otherwise Neurodivergent experiences.
Guest Appearances
FAQs
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First, this word deservedly feels loaded. It has been used for far too long to exclude rather than simply describe. It's imperfect. However, I think of it as a way to describe those with extraordinarily deep and complex ways of thinking. It doesn't mean perfection and isn't a guarantee that you'll automatically be amazing at every single thing you touch.
If you're curious about learning more modern descriptions, I suggest the following:
(Young) Gifted and Black: https://www.ourwildminds.com/young-gifted-and-black-revisited
What is a Rainforest Mind?: https://rainforestmind.com/2020/06/18/what-is-a-rainforest-mind/ -
Simply put, this refers to minds that experience life in a way that is distinctly different from what society normalizes. Ok, maybe that doesn't SOUND simply put. However, it's important that stigma and pathology aren't bolted to this term. It can refer to ADHD, Autism, dyslexia, synesthesia and more. Less commonly, it can also refer to mental illness and even temporary disabilities like brain fog. For me, it's a term open to anyone who identifies with seeing the world in a pretty distinct way, even if they aren't formally diagnosed with anything.
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Absolutely. My general message of self-acceptance and building community will always be driven by my audience and their needs. I look forward to hearing more about your group and what you hope I can inspire within them once you schedule a call with me.
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Not at all! I speak to anyone who identifies with the experience of viewing the world differently or who is interested in creating safer spaces for everyone, including those who think differently than them. The best communities are diverse ones. I look forward to learning more about your particular group.