With more than 18 years of leadership experience and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, I’ve built my career at the intersection of cognitive science, emotional regulation, and sustainable performance. I’ve developed brain-based methodologies used by Fortune 100 consulting firms, guided high-performing creatives through burnout, and supported school avoidant teens and neurodivergent young adults in rebuilding momentum—when nothing else seemed to work.
As the founder of CreativeTHRIVE and the architect of the Perspective Pivot™ Framework, I specialize in helping stuck but brilliant minds find forward motion. Whether you’re a parent navigating your child’s emotional shutdown, a young adult stuck in avoidance, or a creative leader exhausted by your own intensity—I help untangle the internal gridlock and build brain-friendly systems for clarity, confidence, and real change.
My work has been featured across enterprise coaching programs, leadership retreats, and neurodiversity summits. I’m also a published author, keynote speaker, and returning judge on Wes Bergmann’s
The Blox—a platform where I bring mindset recalibration and emotional performance tools to rising entrepreneurs.
Through CreativeTHRIVE, I now offer the same neuroscience-informed frameworks once reserved for elite corporate teams to individuals and families who need something deeper than therapy, stronger than motivation, and smarter than “tough love.”
Because transformation doesn’t happen by trying harder. It happens when you finally work with the way your brain was designed to operate.
In addition to my work as a cognitive performance specialist and executive coach, I provide strategic consulting to organizations seeking to optimize performance across diverse thinking styles. I have worked with specialized institutions like Spruce Mountain Inn, a transitional therapeutic community, to enhance their understanding of cognitive diversity among high-potential individuals, ensuring staff are equipped with evidence-based strategies to maximize outcomes.
I also deliver executive development workshops and organizational training, such as my recent engagement at The Highland School, where I guided leadership teams on optimizing environments for diverse cognitive profiles. These sessions focus on practical frameworks for engagement, executive functioning enhancement, and leveraging cognitive diversity as a competitive advantage.
Beyond working with organizational leaders, I am passionate about developing the next generation of high-performers. I have delivered presentations on cognitive diversity and peak performance, helping emerging leaders understand and leverage diverse thinking patterns for innovation and problem-solving. These strategic sessions inspire individuals to recognize their cognitive assets while building cultures of high performance and cognitive optimization.
Through these initiatives, I am committed to bridging the gap between cognitive diversity and organizational excellence, ensuring all high-potential individuals receive the strategic support they need to achieve breakthrough results.
Dr. Kristen currently serves as the Director of Social Emotional Services and ownership partner at Weinfeld Education Group, a leading special education advocacy firm in the Washington, D.C. area.
In this strategic leadership role, she applies cognitive performance methodologies and evidence-based frameworks to complex cases, bringing her expertise in brain-based optimization and high-stakes decision-making to support families navigating critical educational and developmental challenges.
Growing up in a one-size-fits-all world, Dr. Eccleston often thought she was an outsider to the education system. As she continued in her education and career, she soon realized that she wasn’t an anomaly to the student population. Neurodiverse students are more common than most believe, and Dr. Eccleston addresses some of the ways we can advocate for the wider population of students so that all recognize the powerful gift neurodiverse students have.
A pioneer in the fields of education, mental health, and neurodiversity, Dr. Kristen C. Eccleston is known as The NeuroDiverse Teacher and the creator of CreativeThrive.
"Parents have blinders when it comes to their own kids," author Melinda Wenner Moyer says.
Simply be with them. Give them space to say whatever they need to say. Listen and try to make them feel understood. Don't judge their thoughts.
Dr. Kristen Eccleston, a neurodiverse teacher, Education Consultant, and Mental Health Advocate.
The changing tides of a global society are drawing more awareness to the significance of mental wellness. When your mind can be your worst enemy or your greatest asset, a refined and effective approach to providing care to your inner complex landscape is key to growth and success.
A balanced toy diet can help kids build their creativity, movement, communication, logic, fine motor, and gross motor skills.
A tearful, unscripted moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has unleashed a flood of praise and admiration – but also prompted ugly online bullying.
From Season 5 Runner-Up to Season 10 Winner, and later returning as a judge for Seasons 20 and 22, my BLOX journey has given me unique insights into entrepreneurial success. As a member of the first BLOX Graduate School class, I understand firsthand how mindset shapes business outcomes.
Strengthening Teacher Knowledge of Mental Health Disorders and Improving Teacher Attitudes Towards Adolescent Mental Health Needs
Adult Mental Health in Education: Examining the Needs of Today’s Adult Learner (Pg. 43)