Autism Advocacy, NeuroEdge, and Film Festival Recognition: My Neurodivergent Journey So Far in 2025

Tobey Alexander
Apr 19
3 min read

If you'd have told me at the end of 2024 what was coming in the first few months of this year, I’d have smiled politely and dismissed it. I’d have assumed it was meant for someone else. Someone more polished, more connected, more…certain.

But here I am.

This year has already been one of the most transformative of my life. Not just professionally, but personally too. And it all began with something that felt almost unreal.

Standing as a proud neurodivergent at New Scotland Yard

The highlight of Autism Awareness Month 2025 came in March, when I was invited to speak at the Police Neurodiversity Celebration Week at New Scotland Yard. I had the honour of being one of the opening keynote speakers, sharing my story live to police forces across the UK.

That moment marked a shift. It was the first time I shared my late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD journey publicly on such a scale.

I didn’t stand there as a specialist operations trainer. I stood there as myself. Neurodivergent. Honest. And finally, more unmasked.

It was also the moment I announced my book, NeuroEdge, to the world.

Returning to London as a Screenwriter

Two weeks later, I was back in London. This time not to speak, but to connect with creators and filmmakers at the premiere of an independent short film.

It was more than networking. For the first time, I was stepping into the film industry not as an outsider but as someone with something to offer. Someone who belonged.

Conversations that night opened doors. One of my screenplay projects is now in early discussion to be developed. Possibly more than one.

And the most powerful part? I wasn’t asked to prove I deserved to be there. I just was...something I am most certainly not used to!

You Are Your Only Limit

The subtitle of NeuroEdge says it all: You Are Your Only Limit.

For too long, I let others define how far I could go. I let the fear of being too much, too intense, too different, keep me small.

But I reached a point where I had to ask: what if the only thing in my way is me?

So I stopped waiting. I stopped apologising. I chose action over avoidance.

By mid-April, the results have been incredible.

Guest speaking requests from across the UK
Invitations to deliver lived experience training
Partnership with a new men’s mental health platform as their neurodiversity voice
NeuroEdge is finally launched
Film festival recognition for one of the most personal stories I’ve ever written

MASKS: From Truth to Nomination

By believing, yes maybe even manifesting (I have been reading Roxie Nafousi and Paul McKenna after all), I have seen such a positive change that was reinforced this morning, when I felt the whisper of doubt, I got an email to say that one of my more personal screenwriting projects MASKS, a short screenplay about adult masking and identity, has been nominated in an international film festival.

I wrote MASKS to say the things I was too afraid to say out loud. The truth about performance. About living behind layers. About never really feeling seen.

It is not a loud film. It is not flashy. But it is honest.

I didn’t write it for awards. I wrote it because I needed to. And now, someone out there sees the value in that kind of story.

And that means everything.

This Is Only the Beginning

Whether it’s keynote talks, books like NeuroEdge, or screenplays like MASKS, everything I create comes from one goal — to help others understand themselves and feel less alone.

So if you're holding back because you're afraid of taking up space, or of being misunderstood, I promise you, you're not alone.

This blog isn’t just a reflection. It's a reminder.

Let 2025 be the year you stop holding back too.