Olga Zilberberg - "I found myself wondering why I was different."

I was in my mid-twenties when I had the worst episode of panic attacks and depression that left me unable to leave the house or engage with the world. As a result of being at home for months, I started looking into what I could do to help myself while I waited for NHS counselling services to support me. It was then that I started training as a therapist and wanting to get to know ME better.

While going through a journey of self-discovery, I still worked in the corporate world as a very successful pharmaceutical sales rep and studied in the evenings, there was something missing in my life. I felt that I didn’t fit in and I seemed to be living someone else’s life.

It was through what I considered then as a series of ‘unfortunate events’, that I found myself wondering why I was so different and wishing to be ‘normal’. I soon started looking into the whats of my difference and I came about the term ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘neurotypes’. These are conditions that are very normal in our society and should be celebrated and embraced, however, in my home country, Spain, they had a negative tint to them and were not be spoken about.

After years of self-awareness coupled with a huge determination to bring down barriers for those that are affected by mental health conditions or are neurodiverse, I proudly embraced my neurodivergence and accepted me for who I am. As a result, today I am passionate about bringing awareness to organisations and businesses that wish to expand and complement their current diversity, inclusion and equality strategies and their wellbeing and mental health programs.

Having ND Kids myself, I felt it is my duty to advocate for them and improve their life chances in the world and support generations to come to thrive and life better lives,

So in 2020, I established The Missing Link as a business that offers personalised psychoeducational training services to individuals and organisations. The Missing Link bridges the gap between mental health and neuroinclusion training making it easy for organisations to identify areas of support to maximise the experience of their teams, retain and attract talent within the business.

My vision for The Missing Link is to become a catalyst for understanding mental health and neurodivergent conditions, empower growth, inspire change in society and celebrate inclusivity, so organisations are able to navigate the complex journey of mental health and neuro-inclusion.

My mission is to create knowledge and awareness that brings about tolerance and acceptance of differences, and I dream of a world in which no one feels the need to hide and mask who they are but is celebrated for their uniqueness. As such, it is my passion to work with those that share my values of tolerance, equality and inclusion by getting to know their organisational needs, values and culture and design bespoke training programs that really address their needs.

It hasn’t been easy to think of my passion as a business venture, it was only when I joined The Future Smiths, that I felt backed up and empowered to carry on and move forward.

The Future Smiths’ team dedication and support has been invaluable for me, their expertise, their dedication to help me success and their faith in me allows me to push forward knowing there is a professional sounding board ready to listen when I need it.