Livia Farkas, Author at Weirdly Successful

About Livia Farkas

Livia Farkas is an adult education specialist with a joy-centred approach and a sharp sense for simplifying complex ideas using silly visual metaphors.
Since 2008, she’s written 870+ articles, developed 294 distinct techniques, and co-created 8 online courses with Adam—with 5,302 alumni learning neurodivergent-friendly approaches to time management, goal setting, self-care, and small business management.
Her life goal is to be a walking permission slip for neurodivergent adults.

In her free time, she enjoys stickers & planners, crochet & roller skates, and running around with her pet bunny Rumi.

Building Weirdly Successful’s Knowledge Systems

Livia is the architect behind Weirdly Successful’s knowledge infrastructure — creating the systems that help late-identified neurodivergent adults make sense of their experiences and find language for what they’ve always felt.

She created The Neurodivergent Glossary, an ever-growing encyclopaedia of neurodivergence-related terms designed to help people find answers using everyday words for their experiences—not medical jargon they haven’t yet learned. She also designed the content architecture that powers the entire website: a system that organises content by what someone is experiencing (focus, hearing, time), where they are in their journey (exploring, seeking diagnosis, recently diagnosed), and what they need to know (definitions, validation, practical strategies).

Currently, Livia is building the Weirdly Successful Learning Community: a custom-built peer support platform designed from the ground up for neurodivergent brains. Every element, from the onboarding process to the reaction buttons, has been designed to balance ADHD and Autistic accessibility needs.

Specialist Subjects

Neurodivergent adaptations for life and work · Dismantling harmful self-beliefs
Promoting self-compassion
Creating a life without the hustle

Background: 15 Years in Adult Education

Livia’s neurodivergent-focused work builds on 15 years as a productivity and lifestyle educator in Hungary, where she developed the frameworks, techniques, and teaching approach she now adapts for English-speaking neurodivergent audiences.

Book

That Traffic Light’s Not Getting Any Greener! (XXI. Század Kiadó, 2013; ISBN: 9786155373022) — National bestseller in Hungary, shortlisted for the Libri Golden Book Awards.

Publications

Éva Magazin (2014–2020), HVG Psychology (2019), Glamour (2019), Forbes Hungary (2017), Marie Claire Hungary (2013), Elle Hungary (2013), Cosmopolitan Hungary (2013)

TV & Radio

Livia has appeared as a productivity and lifestyle expert on Hungarian national television, including recurring segments on RTL Klub’s morning programme and appearances on TV2 and Duna World. She has been interviewed on Kossuth Rádió (Hungarian public radio), Klubrádió, and Jazzy.

Talks & Appearances

Livia has spoken at universities including the University of Debrecen, ELTE, Corvinus University, and the Balassi Institute; at professional conferences including the Mfor Marketing Conference, Digital Divas Conference, and Evolution Social Media Conference; and at a Google Ground roundtable on women in business. Her 2013 book tour included venues across Hungary and a reader meetup in London.

Awards

HVG GoldenBlog, Audience Award for urban:eve blog (2011, won)
Cosmopolitan Digital Divas, “Best Blog Design” (2012, won)
Glamour Women of The Year Hungary, “Blogger of the Year” (2014, nominated)

Latest from Livia

References

1↑ Sasson, N. J., Faso, D. J., Nugent, J., Lovell, S., Kennedy, D. P., & Grossman, R. B. (2017). Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments. Scientific Reports, 7, 40700.

2↑ Sasson, N. J., & Morrison, K. E. (2019). First impressions of adults with autism improve with diagnostic disclosure and increased autism knowledge of peers. Autism, 23(1), 50–59.

Explainer

“Will people judge me if they learn about my ADHD / Autism?”

People can still be mean, and your worries are valid. But research shows they're already picking up on more than you think — and that disclosure often improves how they respond, not worsens it.

Explainer

“Do I have to tell people about my diagnosis?”

Your diagnosis is yours. You decide who hears about it and when. This post covers what you're actually required to share about ADHD or Autism — at work, with the DVLA, with doctors — and what stays entirely with you.

Glossary Entry

stimulant medication

Stimulant medications are the most commonly prescribed pharmacological treatment for ADHD. They work by increasing the availability of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, and have long-acting or short-acting variations. Stimulant medication has been in clinical use for over 80 years, they are safe and effective. Long-term users report mild or managable side-effects only.

Glossary Entry

The neurodivergent brain

The brain is the organ behind every neurodivergent trait you experience — from how you pay attention to how you process emotion to how you sleep. Neurodivergent brains use the same basic structures and chemical messengers as any brain, but the tuning is different: different dopamine activity in reward circuits, different balance between excitatory and inhibitory signalling, different default mode …

Explainer

“Can supplements help with ADHD?”

Yes, and no. Whether supplements can help with your ADHD depends on where the support need is for you when it comes to your dopamine system.

Explainer

“How many people are neurodivergent?”

Around 15–20% of the population is neurodivergent, which is roughly 1 out of 5 — whether they know it or not.

Explainer

“Is ADHD overdiagnosed?”

No, ADHD is not overdiagnosed. More people are recognised because of better diagnostic criteria, destigmatisation and awareness.

Explainer

“Isn’t everyone ‘a little bit’ ADHD?”

ADHD traits are human traits, but for ADHD brains they show up multiple times a day, not just during stressful patches.

Explainer

“Is ADHD just a lack of willpower?”

You know what needs doing. You want to do it. You still can't start. In ADHD, that gap is neurological, and willpower was never the missing ingredient.

Explainer

“Why do I like pressure on my body?”

If you like pressure on your body — heavy blankets, tight hugs, snug clothes — your nervous system is using a regulation strategy it figured out on its own.

Explainer

“Can verbal shutdown happen with ADHD?”

ADHD speech difficulties are usually about effort and disorganisation rather than a complete loss of access. You might notice more grammatical errors, mispronounced words, sentences that lose their thread halfway through, or long pauses while you search for a word you know perfectly well.

Explainer

“What’s the difference between verbal shutdown, selective mutism, and being non-speaking?”

Verbal shutdown, selective mutism and being non-speaking are all experiences that involve not speaking, but they work differently, feel different from the inside, and have different causes.

Verbal shutdown: temporary loss of speech due to overwhelm

Being non-speaking: permanent loss of speech, but not loss of communication

Apraxia: loss of speech due to motor planning difficulties in the brain …