Meet Bella:
Embracing difference
has not always come easily to me.
I grew up in (predominately white) Brighton England, as an only child to a Black single mother. I was the quirky (read: undiagnosed neurodivergent), yet sensitive child in school who didn’t quite fit in.
When I started university, I slowly started to embrace all of the things that made me different, realising that it was a strength, as it allowed me to connect with a variety of different people from all walks of life.
When I received my autism and ADHD diagnosis in my early 20s, I shared my journey on social media and connecting with other neurodivergent women like me. I was able to realise the need of not only educational awareness, but also celebration of difference.
During my diagnosis journey, I took up yoga, a powerful practice that helped me self-regulate and finally be at home in my body, more than any night out at university could.
Whether it’s giving neuro-inclusive education at the workplace or teaching yoga in schools, my mission is to help communities support and celebrate difference.
Academic Qualifications:
Cross-Cultural Studies-Tværkulturelle Studier- (cand.mag)- University of Copenhagen
Masters thesis: “Behind the mask:Uncovering autistic women’s experience of sexual consent in Denmark” (read here).
Scandinavian Studies and Classics (Scottish MA)- University of Edinburgh
Yoga Training:
Ashtanga Vinyasa (200 hours) - Iluma Yoga School, Copenhagen
Special Yoga & Mindfulness for Autism & ADHD (40 hours)
Vogue Scandinavia: Celebrating neurodiversity in the modelling industry
Uniavisen: "Den deprimerende sandhed er, at universitetet ikke blev lavet med sådan nogle som mig i tankerne"
Instagram: @bellaneergaard
Instagram: @bellaneergaard
