Dr. Mel
Dalgleish
life, autism & ADHD coach
Virtual | Toronto, ON
about me
If you're looking to build a better version of your life—one that's 💯 authentic to your queer, neurodivergent,* and/or disabled self—I'm your girl.
(Except for the girl part.)
I'm an autistic, non-binary and queer coach, parent, and spouse with ADHD and C-PTSD. I'm also an educator, career development professional, disability rights advocate, and positive psychology stan.
Collecting degrees is one of my special interests, and I have an honors BA and Bachelor of Education along with an MA and PhD. I'll be certified with the International Federation of Coaches in 2024, and I have certificates in coaching, Indigenous cultural safety, project management, Lean Six Sigma, blah blah blah. (I told you I love learning! And my cats.)
* We love and respect self-diagnosis, self-identification, and self-discovery around here.
As your coach, my job is to honour and support who you are and how your brain works—and that doesn't require a special piece of paper.
My favourite clients are women* and enby people who have met their big goals, looked around, and are going "is this it"?
It isn't.
And together, we can write a radically awesome next chapter in your story.
*All women. This is a TERF-free zone.
We might be a good fit if you are:
Looking for more sustainable and supportive ways of working, living, creating, and achieving your goals
Seeking to better integrate your neurodivergence/ disability/
queerness into your identity and how you live
A disabled and/or neurodivergent leader who wants to level up your career—but not at the expense of your wellbeing
Burnt out (including autistic and ADHD burnout) and need more sustainable ways of living and working
In need of, or at the precipice of, a big change and looking for help with developing your big vision and figuring out next steps
Craving the right life for you—not the life you've been told you "should" be living—and in need of help to get there
A student with ADHD who is looking for support and accountability to dream big and achieve your goals
Eligible for OSAP-BSWD
This is a Neurodiversity Affirming Practice
Wait, what does that mean?
Developed by Sonny Jane Wise, the Neurodiversity Affirming Practice framework is a set of principles for ethically and effectively working with and supporting people who are neurodivergent. (It works great for neurotypical people too!)
The principles are:
- Intersectionality
- Respecting autonomy
- Presuming competence
- Validating differences
- Rejecting neuronormativity
- Reframing expectations
- Promoting self-advocacy
- Prioritizing lived-experience
- Nurturing positive self-identity
- Adapting systems and environments
- Honouring all forms of communication
You can read about each principle in detail on Sonny's website.
Whose land am I on?
I live, work, and learn in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Wendake, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas, which is also ‘Dish with One Spoon' territory. The Dish with One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee—one that extends to all of us who live in and around Toronto—that bound them to share the territory and protect the land.
My work toward reconciliation takes place through informed, ethical, and culturally literate coaching, learning, teaching, policy making, advocacy, and community building. As an uninvited white settler aiming to be worthy of being a welcomed guest on these lands, I commit to: educating myself further, acting against settler colonialism, paying reparations to the peoples whose stolen land I benefit from, and land back.
10% of all profits go to Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction and I offer substantially discounted coaching to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, regardless of income.