Masking at Work: Why Unmasking Feels Like Both Freedom and Risk

Alice Cantwell
Sep 6
3 min read

Living Behind the Mask: The Hidden Cost of Workplace Inclusion

For years, I believed my exhaustion at work was just my chronic fatigue syndrome. And while that’s true, I now understand the deeper cause: the relentless toll of masking at work.

As a community speech and language therapist, I built survival into my routine. I left buffer time between visits; not out of disorganisation, but because I knew I’d need to crash. After school appointments, I’d nap in my Ford Ka, setting an alarm for 10-15 minutes and crawling into the back. In clinics, I’d lock myself in the clinic room on my lunch break and sleep. Curled up on the floor instead of eating.

I called it fatigue. But it was the cost of neurodivergent mental health and the toll of highly masking being stretched thin by the pressure to fit in.

neurodivergent women sitting on window sill

The Professional Mask: Still Present, But Softer

Workplace culture often demands a polished, composed version of ourselves. I still wear a “professional mask” during assessments, because it’s expected and because it feels safer.

But now, I allow myself to fidget. To stim without shame. To stretch and move in ways that support my focus. I also beleive that individuals seeing me being authentically me (as much as I can), allows them their own permission to feel safe to be their true selves. Sometimes, I share my autism and ADHD when it feels right. That honesty is freeing.

And yet… I am never fully unmasked at work. Will I ever be?

When Unmasking Hurts: A Personal Turning Point

Unmasking isn’t always freeing. For me, one workplace experience of trying to unmask was traumatic.

I had reached a point where masking was no longer sustainable. I began to show more of my neurodivergent self; allowing myself to speak more directly, seek explicit explanations, visual information and work in ways that supported my focus. But instead of support, I was met with discomfort, misunderstanding and subtle exclusion.

It felt like I was unraveling in real time and the environment around me offered no safety net.

That experience was terrifying. I didn’t feel seen. I didn’t feel safe. And I questioned whether unmasking had been a mistake.

But instead of retreating and putting the mask back on, at the cost of my mental health, I chose to fight harder. That moment lit a fire in me. It gave me the determination to build something better. Something where neurodivergent mental health is protected, where workplace inclusion strategies are more than lip service, and where autistic and ADHD professionals don’t have to choose between authenticity and survival.

Freedom vs. Risk in Neurodivergent Self-Employment

Now that I’m self-employed, the balance has shifted. The risk isn’t just about how much of myself I show, it’s about sustainability. There’s no sick pay or safety net. That pressure is real.

But the freedom? That’s where hope lives. I choose who I work with. I align with people and organisations that respect my neurodivergent brain, my values, and my way of working. I don’t have to shrink myself to fit someone else’s version of professionalism.

As I build Bold Minds, I’m creating a space where unmasking in professional settings is safe, for me, for the families I support, and for clinicians that come on board. A workplace where strengths shine without costing our health.

Rethinking Neurodivergent Workplace Culture

Workplaces still have a long way to go. Neurodivergent employees often spend more energy managing impressions than doing the actual work. Inclusion is talked about, but the pressure to “fit in” remains strong.

That’s why Bold Minds exists. I want to support autistic, ADHD and AuDHD individuals and families and model a different way of working. A way where clinicians thrive without masking. Where authenticity is welcomed. Where the workplace adapts to people, not the other way around.

True workplace inclusion strategies mean employees shouldn’t have to choose between professional success and personal survival. Unmasking shouldn’t feel like a gamble.

Building a Culture of Authenticity with Bold Minds

Until then, many of us will keep navigating the fragile middle ground, masking enough to be safe, unmasking enough to stay alive. And some of us, like me, will be building spaces where unmasking isn’t just possible; it’s the norm.

✨ For me, unmasking at work is a quiet rebellion. And through Bold Minds, I’m working to turn that quiet rebellion into a culture shift.