Podcast category: Educators & Professionals

Our guest on the podcast is Melissa Monteiro, a Bangalore-bred teacher and personal tutor specializing in neurodivergent children, to discuss why she shifted from classrooms to one-on-one teaching after seeing students left out by standardized systems.

Melissa explains how labels like “lazy” or “disrespectful” often miss the real challenges of ADHD, dysgraphia, and emotional regulation, and emphasizes separating the child from the behavior and keeping the “issue” as the shared problem.

Drawing on her own anxiety, she describes supporting students through overwhelm, reframing success beyond marks, and using strengths-based approaches.

Together, Ann and Melissa cover negative self-talk, rejection sensitivity, and alarming suicide risk, sharing tools like asking “where is the evidence?” and speaking to oneself like a friend.

Melissa also discusses family pressures, affordability of support, balancing push vs pressure, the value of love and specific appreciation, physical activity and social connection, and the importance of parent self-care and “pressing pause.”

Accommodation is not an advantage, it is access.

In our latest episode, Ann Thomas speaks with Chandana Singh — lawyer, special educator, dyslexia advocate, and founder of Advocacy for Dyslexia. Chandana also helped establish the Office of Learning Support at Ashoka University, where she has worked extensively with neurodivergent students navigating higher education.

Together, they unpack:
🧠 what dyslexia actually is
📚 the myths people still believe
💔 how shame impacts neurodivergent students
🏫 why accommodations are not “special treatment”
✨ and how different ways of thinking deserve support, not stigma

This conversation is for:
Parents trying to understand their child better, educators looking to build supportive classrooms, and neurodivergent individuals navigating school, college, work, and self-worth.

What does an ADHD-friendly classroom really look like and why does it benefit every student, not just neurodivergent ones?

In this episode of Just Your Normal Missfit, host Ann Thomas is joined by Dr. Neena David, a Clinical Psychologist with over 27 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She also heads the Counselling Services Team at Mallya Aditi International School.

Trained at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, with doctoral research from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Dr. David’s work sits at the intersection of psychology, education, culture, and family systems. Her research on ADHD, rooted in Indian classrooms, challenges Western-centric narratives and asks a deeper question: What do children actually need to learn well?

This conversation goes beyond diagnoses and labels to explore the lived realities of ADHD, learning disabilities, and neurodivergence, especially within Indian classrooms and family systems.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, caregiver, or an adult unpacking your own school experiences, this episode offers insight, empathy, and practical perspectives rooted in real-world experience.

In a country where education is often synonymous with exam results and entrance ranks, how do we make space for every kind of learner?

In this episode of Just Your Normal Missfit, we speak to Manju Balasubramanyam, Principal of Delhi Public School Bangalore North, a National Award-winning educator, Fulbright alumna, and one of India’s leading advocates for inclusive education.

Manju has been instrumental in building one of the most comprehensive inclusive education programs in the country, with over 23 special educators and counsellors working across 5 academic boards to ensure that children with learning differences and neurodivergence are not left behind.

Inclusion isn’t a checklist. It’s a way of life.
In this episode of Just Your Normal Missfit, I speak with Anjena Raghuram, special educator and founder of Saksham Centre for the Specially Abled‪@sakshambyanjena‬

From autism to ADHD to learning disabilities, Anjena has worked with children who often get overlooked in classrooms and communities. Together, we explore:

What a special educator really does (and doesn’t do)
How parents can set realistic expectations and ask the right questions
The role of IEPs, skills over syllabus, and early intervention
Why creating safe spaces and focusing on strengths—not “fixing”—matters

This is a conversation full of heart, practical wisdom, and hope for families navigating a world not designed for neurodivergent children.

👉 Watch, listen, and share if you believe every child deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.

⁠Sonal Singh ⁠is an internationally recognized, ICF-certified ADHD and Family Coach—widely regarded as India’s first trained and certified ADHD Coach. With over 25 years of diverse experience, including roles at Dow Jones Newswires, Aon Hewitt, and McKinsey Knowledge Center, she combines evidence-based strategies with her lived AuADHD perspective. Sonal specialises in coaching adults, parents, and groups, as well as guiding organisations to build neurodivergent-friendly workplaces. Beyond her coaching endeavours, she serves as CEO of a nonprofit empowering vulnerable communities. Her multidimensional expertise and compassionate approach help individuals unlock their full potential, fostering personal growth, resilience, and lasting transformation.

Sonal’s journey began when a close family member was diagnosed with ADHD, which propelled her to explore child and adolescent mental health and family therapy. This personal encounter led her to formal training as an ADHD coach, and she now brings her lived experience and expertise to help others harness their strengths and navigate the challenges of ADHD.

You can learn more about her approach and offerings on her website, ⁠sonalsinghcoaching.com⁠ and reach her at:
Email: ⁠info@sonalsinghcoaching.com⁠
Mobile: +91-98102-33494
Linkedin: / sonalsinghem
Instagram: @adhdcoachsonalsingh

In This Episode:

In this episode, we’ll dive deep into:
The emotional journey of receiving an ADHD diagnosis
The power of validation and the impact of timely intervention
Strategies for managing ADHD, from building executive functioning skills to embracing alternative approaches
How to leverage intrinsic motivation and create structured yet flexible support systems for lasting change

🎧 Listen in, share with someone who needs to hear this, and let’s keep the conversation going.
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Championing Inclusive Education: A Conversation with Mangala Jayachandran

In this episode of ‘Just Your Normal Missfit’, host Ann Thomas sits down with Mangala Jayachandran, a pioneer in the education sector known for her work in disability and inclusion. With over three decades of experience, Mangala shares her journey from teaching dance in Bombay to developing inclusive education models at Lady Andal School in Chennai. She discusses the challenges, strategies, and successes in integrating special education into mainstream schooling, emphasising the importance of empathy, open-mindedness, and a solutions-based approach.

This insightful conversation highlights the essential role of teachers, parents, and the community in shaping a supportive educational environment for children with learning disabilities.