People First! with Morag Barrett

Sandra Crespo, LCSW, is a sought-after speaker, executive coach, and mental health professional helping organizations build workplaces where “neurospicy” talent can thrive. She has spoken on major stages, including AfroTech, and offers a unique perspective on neurodiversity that extends beyond diagnosis to explore systems, leadership, and lived experience. Sandra’s work sits at the intersection of mental health, systems thinking, and leadership development. After years of working directly with individuals and organizations, she saw how often ADHD is misunderstood in high-performing adults, especially in fast-moving, creative, and high-pressure environments. While much of the conversation around ADHD remains rooted in pathology or productivity fixes, Sandra focuses on how it actually shows up in real life through communication, burnout, creativity, decision-making, and workplace systems that were never designed for different brains. She is the creator of the S.P.I.C.Y. Framework, a strengths-based approach that helps organizations move from awareness to implementation, turning neurodiversity into a meaningful advantage rather than a compliance checkbox. Sandra collaborates with professional associations such as the National Association of Social Workers and serves on the board of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD). She is also pursuing doctoral studies focusing on ADHD research. Her mission is to help leaders build cultures where people do not have to mask, burn out, or “fit the mold” to succeed.