The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast

Guest: Lynn Greenberg is a former family law attorney turned children’s author. She shares the powerful story behind the Creative Cab Company, the award-winning book series she co-created with her son. Lynn opens up about advocating for neurodivergent kids, recognizing early signs of dyslexia and ADHD, and transforming her family’s journey into characters like Robbie the Dyslexic Taxi and Susie the ADHD Taxi—a heart-opening conversation about celebrating differences, trusting your instincts, and giving every child a voice.

Purchase the books mentioned in this episode through Amazon
 
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to buy through our affiliation links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!  
 
For Amazon US and International Buyers (except Canada)

 1. "Suzy the ADHD Taxi and the Sightseeing Adventure” - https://amzn.to/3KtW1vM

2. "Robby the Dyslexic Taxi and the Airport Adventure” - https://amzn.to/4ruPlhM
 
For Amazon Canada Buyers:

 1.  "Suzy the ADHD Taxi and the Sightseeing Adventure” - https://amzn.to/4pdIacn

 2.  "Robby the Dyslexic Taxi and the Airport Adventure” - https://amzn.to/49IEIl3

Creative Cab Company Website: https://creativecabcompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativecabcomp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativecabcompany/
Substack: https://creativewayfinders.substack.com/

Connect With Us
Grab your The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast Merch Catalogue Items from our Store
https://www.neurodiversityvoices.com/category/all-products

The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast would love your feedback. Post a review to our Google profile.
https://share.google/9RAoxcWhwXu5Pl1xY

Support by joining our Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/14218572/join

Be A Neurodiversity Voices+ Subscriber
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-neurodiversity-voices-podcast-adhd-autism-audhd/id1806028241

If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast player you love, please take a moment to rate the show and leave a comment. It makes a huge difference!
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Creators and Guests

Guest
Lynn Greenberg
She is a former family law attorney and long-time advocate for children and families. She’s the co-creator of the Creative Cab Company children’s book series, including Robbie the Dyslexic Taxi and the Airport Adventure and Susie the ADHD Taxi and the Sightseeing Adventure, created with her son, artist and MFA candidate Jonathan Greenberg. Together, they use story to celebrate neurodivergent kids and reframe differences as strengths.

What is The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast?

We’re excited to share what’s next.

Beginning December 2025, all future episodes of The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast will be available as full video experiences. Watch along on our YouTube channel (@neurodiversityvoicespodcast) or on Spotify, and connect with our conversations in a whole new way.

I’m Paul, the host of The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast.

I’m not a clinician, researcher, or professional expert — and that’s intentional.

I come to this work as a neurodivergent individual with lived experience. I know what it feels like to navigate systems that weren’t designed for how your mind works, to question your own capacity because of labels, and to search for language that actually reflects who you are, not just how you’re measured.
​
This podcast exists because too many conversations about neurodiversity happen about us, rather than with us.

How This Podcast Is Different
​
Unlike many podcasts in this space, The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast isn’t built on credentials or clinical authority. It’s built on listening, reflection, and shared humanity.
​
I don’t position myself as an expert with answers. I show up as a facilitator of stories — asking curious, grounded questions from the perspective of someone who lives this reality every day.
​
That means:

Conversations aren’t rushed or overly polished
Guests aren’t reduced to diagnoses or achievements
Complexity, contradiction, and uncertainty are welcome
Lived experience is treated as valid knowledge

​Whether I’m speaking with educators, parents, authors, creatives, researchers, or other neurodivergent individuals, the focus is always the same: seeing the person before the label.
​
​Why Lived Experience Matters Here
​
Being neurodivergent shapes how I listen, how I notice patterns, and how I hold space. It allows me to ask questions that come from recognition rather than assumption — and to create conversations that feel safer, slower, and more honest.
​
This isn’t a podcast about fixing people.
It’s a podcast about understanding ourselves, our systems, and each other more clearly. If you’re looking for expert opinions, you’ll find many excellent shows.

If you’re looking for real conversations, grounded in lived experience and mutual respect, you’re in the right place.
​
The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast — Embracing Every Mind. Sharing Every Voice.

Website: https://www.neurodiversityvoices.com

Follow Us On Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn: @neurodiversityvoicespodcast

Visit our merch store: https://www.neurodiversityvoices.com/category/all-products

Your feedback means the world to us. Please rate and leave a comment on your favourite podcast app so we can continue amplifying neurodivergent voices.

Lynn Greenberg:

Everyone learns differently, and that's great. But I knew he wasn't reaching some of the milestones, and I thought something was up. And all I kept hearing was, you know, oh, you know, he's a boy. He's slow. And I thought, no, he's really not.

Lynn Greenberg:

He could tell you by three every time it's a tank engine's name, just not that Thomas started with the letter t. And so, you know, I I knew that what the the teachers were saying was not right. And so I kept trying to push to see what was going on. And sure enough, really high IQ, super smart, dyslexic, and also had ADHD. And so if I had listened to what people were saying, I would have just assumed that, you know, he wasn't he wasn't enough.

Lynn Greenberg:

And that didn't seem right.

Paul Cruz:

Hello, and welcome to the Neurodiversity Voices podcast. I'm your host, Paul, and we're thrilled to have you join us on this journey of exploration, advocacy and celebration of neurodiversity. Together, we'll have meaningful conversations, share inspiring stories and challenge misconceptions about neurodiversity. This podcast is for everyone, whether you're neurodivergent yourself, an educator, a parent, or just someone curious to learn more. Our goal is to amplify voices, voices, foster understanding, and spark change in the way we view and support neurodiversity.

Paul Cruz:

We're so excited to have you as we celebrate the beauty of diverse minds and work toward a more inclusive future. So sit back, relax, and let's get started. Welcome to the Neurodiversity Voices podcast. Today we're joined by Lynn Greenberg, former family law attorney, turned children's author and advocate. Her work through the Creative CAP Company has helped reshape how young readers understand neurodivergence.

Paul Cruz:

Before we jump in, Lynn, it's truly a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to the show.

Lynn Greenberg:

Thank you so much for having me. It's really a pleasure to be able to talk to you. Thank you.

Paul Cruz:

Give listeners a quick starting point. In one sentence, what's the Creative Cav Company series about?

Lynn Greenberg:

It is to celebrate people with neurodivergent differences and to show the world that the neurodivergent difference is a superpower and not anything to feel negative about.

Paul Cruz:

Let's go back a bit and look at the path that led you here. Your path runs from English major to family law, the children's author. What's the through line that connects those chapters?

Lynn Greenberg:

Well, I've always enjoyed writing. As a lawyer, I wasn't very creative, but I like to use my words and choosing to practice the kind of law that would take care of children has led me down the path of wanting to celebrate how people are special in their own way. I have four wonderful children and now three in law children, three grandchildren. And to me, celebrating our differences is important, but celebrating each other and acknowledging, you know, family and children is super important.

Paul Cruz:

And continuing along that path, what first drew you toward advocating for kids and families?

Lynn Greenberg:

When I was a practicing lawyer, I saw that, my you know, a lot of the children in the court system were not represented at all or fairly. And that really troubled me because they need a voice and they needed somebody to champion their causes. And they weren't getting enough of that. Unfortunately, there were a lot of court appointed attorneys that did not really have get paid well. And so, unfortunately, there weren't that many court appointed attorneys.

Lynn Greenberg:

So I wanted to help help these kids because no one else, not no one else, but few people were doing that. And then as time went on, I also you know, I have children and then my youngest child. Everyone learns differently, and that's great. But I knew he wasn't reaching some of the milestones, and I thought something was up. And all I kept hearing was, you know, no.

Lynn Greenberg:

You know, he's a boy. He's slow. He's and I thought, no. He's really not. John is super smart.

Lynn Greenberg:

He could tell you by three every time it's a tank engine's name, just not that Thomas started with the letter t. And so, you know, I I knew that what the the teachers were saying was not right. And so I kept trying to push to see what was going on. And finally, the school wouldn't listen. And so we went outside the school and had him tested by a neuropsychologist.

Lynn Greenberg:

And sure enough, really high IQ, super smart, dyslexic, and also had ADHD. And so if I had listened to what people were saying, I would have just assumed that, you know, he wasn't he wasn't enough, and that didn't seem right. And so I would say right off the bat, you know, really, really try to understand what's going on with your children and don't always listen to, you know, the talking heads.

Paul Cruz:

Your legal background shows up in powerful ways in your storytelling. How did your experience in family law influence the way you champion children's voices today?

Lynn Greenberg:

Well, I think, you know, when when parents are going through divorces, unfortunately, sometimes they use their children as a way to get what they want, and I think that's terrible. And I tried really hard to not let that happen when I represent the children. And in the court system, there are often, you know, parents who really can't take care of their children. And so who's going to look after them? And all those things, plus also raising my children and seeing the community and seeing how, you know, John, you know, was not taken care of by his educators.

Lynn Greenberg:

I think all along, I think kids need a voice. And I think it's super important for us to do what we can.

Paul Cruz:

Let's explore your family's story because it's the heart of your creative work. Take us back to Jonathan's early years. What were the signs that something was different, and what maybe you trust your instincts?

Lynn Greenberg:

So as I said, you know, John could, you know, articulate things and remember things. But if you said, John, can you sit down and read this page? He would get up and walk away. He was frustrated. He could not see that a T was a T or, you know, a J was for Jonathan.

Lynn Greenberg:

But he he could tell you all about it, or he could tell you what he saw three weeks ago when we were driving by something that no one else noticed. He was so observant, but we knew that something wasn't right. And he's not the kind of person, and he wasn't the kind of child who would get up and be disruptive. And so when his teachers were saying he was walking around and and being disruptive, we thought that's that's not who John is. So what's going on?

Lynn Greenberg:

And we came to find he would get up and walk around because his teacher was trying to make him read a story that he couldn't, and he was embarrassed. And, you know, I know I know how hard teachers work. I think there are too many kids in every class. I get it. But I think we don't do right by our schools you know, in the school system.

Lynn Greenberg:

I think there are too many kids in a classroom. I think we don't really educate the teachers enough to what differences are. And I think it's I think it's a problem. So for John, we finally took him to get tested. And the person who was in charge of learning differences at his school basically said to me, I I don't know how to teach a dyslexic child.

Lynn Greenberg:

So my husband and I knew we were gonna have to investigate how best to educate John. And we found an amazing school, which was in, the next state, probably about forty five minutes without traffic. And we, you know, we looked into it. They only teach kids with dyslexia or language based learning differences. And we thought if they accept him, which they did, what are we gonna do?

Lynn Greenberg:

And we decided as a family that we would make the decision to, you know, eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly because, you know, it it is a private school, but, also, I was gonna have to drive him. So the kids you know, we would all have to make a family decision, and we all felt that it was important to learn how to read. And so we enrolled John in the Windward School, and it was such a gift because not only, you know, most importantly, they educated him, but they also he found a community. Everybody else there was, you know, like him. And I found a community because there were other parents who were going through what we were going through.

Lynn Greenberg:

You know, back then, John is 26. So back then, there was no Facebook, no community groups. People didn't talk about differences as much. You know, it was considered, you know, hush-hush. You don't talk about that.

Lynn Greenberg:

And it was seen as less than. So we found the community that educated him but also made us feel seen, and that was important.

Paul Cruz:

Many families face challenges in getting schools to take concerns seriously. The school initially refused to test. What did you do next, and what do you wish educators understood about that moment?

Lynn Greenberg:

I don't I think quite often they don't want to do the testing themselves because honestly, it's an expense. It's an expense to test, and then it's expense an expense to maybe educate this child differently. And I think that we don't value education enough in our in our country. Think, you know, think that, as I said, there are too many kids in each classroom. Teachers who wanna teach learning differences don't don't really get enough of the education they need.

Lynn Greenberg:

Maybe they need to sort of learn different specialties. Like, maybe some do language based things. Some do math based things. Because it there's too much under the category of learning differences. There are, I don't know, 20 different things.

Lynn Greenberg:

We can't expect one person to be able to teach that many differences. And, you know, I wholeheartedly think that athletes should get paid a lot, but I also think that teachers need to get paid more. We need to really entice people to come and learn to be educators.

Paul Cruz:

Once you got answers, things shifted. Once you had the dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis, what changed for your family, both emotionally and practically?

Lynn Greenberg:

Emotionally, I think the right label is important because John all of a sudden, John was like, it's not my fault. You know, I'm trying, and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't read, and it's not my fault. There's a reason that I'm having trouble. And I think that's so important because kids, people who don't have a correct diagnosis are made to feel sometimes less than, and that's terrible. We shouldn't do that.

Lynn Greenberg:

I think it's super important for for people you know, the wrong label is not not right, but I think it's important for us to acknowledge that the right label is can only benefit the person.

Paul Cruz:

At some point, real life became the spark for literature. When did it click that your family's story could become a story for other children?

Lynn Greenberg:

So John, you know, when he couldn't read, liked to express himself with art. And he was an art major in college. And then, unfortunately, when COVID hit, it's very hard. He was home, and it's hard to do art virtually. And so he was trying to do all the things that he could to to keep learning even if there wasn't as much online for him in his class you know, the online classrooms.

Lynn Greenberg:

And, you know, also, you know, we I read to my grandchildren. And then, you know, we bake bread. We garden. We did all the things. And then we thought, you know what?

Lynn Greenberg:

Why can't we maybe let's we had always talked about, you know, could we write a story? And then we thought, let's give it a shot. And so originally, I was gonna do the writing of the, you know, the story. But John had a point of view, and it was an important point of view. So we co wrote it, and he is a wonderful artist.

Lynn Greenberg:

He's getting his MFA now. We're so proud of him. But we really his his drawings are whimsical and adorable. So we wrote the book, and I have a friend who's a a book designer. And I showed her.

Lynn Greenberg:

I said, what do you think? She says, oh, this is great. Let's put it together. And and that's how the first book, Robbie, the Dyslexic Taxi and the Airport Adventure was born. Then now we had so much success with that.

Lynn Greenberg:

We decided to do the Creative Cab Company series, which would have other neurodivergent characters. And so we just came out with Susie, the ADHD taxi and the sightseeing adventure. And both books have won awards. We're we're really so proud of that.

Paul Cruz:

And now a quick spotlight on something brilliant for our neurodiverse community. Two fantastic kids' books, Robbie The Dyslexic Taxi and Susie The ADHD Taxi, celebrate neurodiversity with fun, vibrant stories. My Amazon affiliate link are in the show notes and as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Go check them out. Alright.

Paul Cruz:

Let's dive back into the episode. And then there's the world you built, one filled with taxis. Why taxis? What inspired you to use vehicles as your main characters?

Lynn Greenberg:

Well, I think I think truthfully, you know, John loved Thomas the Tank Engine, but he also thought, you know, it's whimsical to use, you know, cars and trucks. What do kids like? And we thought what kind of character you know, there are so many stories with animals, which are great too. But, you know, what would a taxi or any vehicle do if they couldn't read the signs or didn't know their left from their right or, you know, just struggled with day to day work? And so the Creative Cab Company has other vehicles as well and has, you know, a dispatcher and a mechanic and, you know, who are people, people characters, human care, whatever characters, not vehicles.

Lynn Greenberg:

And so we thought, you know, this would just be a cute way to tell a story to a child.

Paul Cruz:

One of the most beautiful parts of this journey is how your son became your creative partner. You started as writer and illustrator, and then you and Jonathan became creative partners. How did you make that shift from mother and son to coauthors?

Lynn Greenberg:

Well, when we saw when we saw what was going on, even even actually during some of the, you know, the creative process, we decided that we had to take our mom and son hat off and put on collaborator, you know, slash business partner hat. And, you know, like anything else, if you have to have frank conversations with a business partner and we didn't want our our familial relationship to get hurt by that. And so we wanted to be able to be honest with each other. And honest it it's been it's been really terrific. We have been wonderful collaborators on all of it.

Lynn Greenberg:

I do more of the business end of things now, and he does more of the drawing and the creative parts of it. So we've found our roles. And he would have loved to have been here with with, you know, with us today. But, unfortunately, he actually even though he got a flu shot, he has the flu, so he couldn't participate. But he says to say hello, and thank you so much for having us.

Paul Cruz:

You're welcome. The characters have resonated with so many young readers. Robbie, the dyslexic taxi, and Susie, the ADHD taxi, each embody parts of the neurodivergent experience. What do you hope kids feel when they meet them?

Lynn Greenberg:

I think John and I wanted to do this, especially John, because when he was younger, there were too many people who wanted him who made him feel less than. And he thought, you know, there really aren't that many books with characters with neurodivergent differences. And he wanted to celebrate that and have people, children, you know, see themselves or have their friends understand maybe what the child is going through. Parents who didn't really know about it, maybe they'll understand a little more. And even teachers, you know, as we said, sometimes teachers don't know what they're dealing with.

Lynn Greenberg:

So we hope this would open up conversations.

Paul Cruz:

For listeners who are at the start of their own journey, for parents who are just beginning this journey, what early signs should they watch for and how can they best support their child?

Lynn Greenberg:

I think it's important to, you know, for me, I have three older children than John. And so I obviously knew that everyone learns differently. Know, one child is amazing at math and the other two older kids needed math teachers. You know, I think we all learn differently, but I think there's certain milestones that are it's important if the child is not meeting those milestones, I think it's really important to say, I wonder if something's up. And as I said, I think it's really important to acknowledge that your child might be frustrated.

Lynn Greenberg:

You know, why? What's going on? I think it's important to talk to the teachers, but also to understand they may not know everything. And I think if you I think it's really important to advocate for your child.

Paul Cruz:

Powerful words there. Lynn, thank you for sharing your story, your insight, and your heart. Conversations like this remind us that neurodiversity isn't something to fix. It's something to understand, celebrate, and support. It's been an absolute pleasure having you here.

Lynn Greenberg:

Thank you so much, This has been wonderful.

Paul Cruz:

You're welcome. Help us bring on incredible guests and allows us to create more resources for neurodivergent families and adults. Plus, you'll get access to bonus content and behind the scenes updates. Just search the neurodiversity voices podcast on Patreon, or find the link in our show notes. If you prefer one time support, we also have a GoFundMe campaign that helps cover production, accessibility tools and future projects.

Paul Cruz:

Every contribution, big or small, makes a real difference in keeping the show alive and growing. And if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, you can now subscribe to our neurodiversity voices plus here. You'll get seven day early access to new episodes with a two week free trial and a listening experience designed just for our support. You can also show your love for the show by checking out our merch on DashieWeek, shirts, hoodies, mugs and more. It's a fun way to support the mission every percent in your diversity community in your everyday life.

Paul Cruz:

Whether you support us financially, Thanks for listening to the neurodiversity voices podcast.