James Perkins &
Joanna Guilar
Co-founders Grapefruit
Neurodiversity Consultancy
Our story
The grapefruit is our metaphor for the neurodivergent mind: quirky, bold and unique. At Grapefruit, we believe every mind deserves the right support, understanding, and opportunities to thrive. Our consultancy was founded by James Perkins and Joanna Guilar, who bring together professional expertise, lived experience, and a shared passion for empowering neurodivergent individuals, families, schools, and organisations.
James Perkins
Educational Specialist | Integrative Therapeutic Coach | Specialist in Autism & ADHD
James supports autistic and ADHD children, young people, adults, couples and families who have spent years feeling misunderstood, masking who they are or trying to fit into systems that were not designed with them in mind. His work helps people make sense of their experiences, replace self-blame with self-understanding and develop ways of living that feel more sustainable, authentic and aligned with their needs.
With more than a decade of experience across education, specialist support and coaching, James offers integrative, neuroaffirming therapeutic coaching. His formulation-led approach combines practical support with deeper work around emotional understanding, identity, self-trust, relationships and personal values. Rather than applying generic strategies, he works collaboratively to understand the needs, environments, nervous-system patterns and protective responses shaping each person’s experience.
James specialises in autistic anxiety, burnout, masking, identity, shame, cumulative autistic trauma and the relational challenges neurodivergent people may experience within families, education and wider systems. His work can support both practical change and transformational development: helping clients communicate their needs, strengthen relationships, build autonomy and create lives that more fully reflect who they are.
As someone who is AuDHD and dyslexic, James combines professional expertise with lived experience. He brings empathy, curiosity and deep respect to every relationship, creating a space where clients can feel genuinely understood while developing greater clarity, confidence and trust in themselves.
Joanna Guilar
Educational Specialist | AuDHD Specialism |
Family Coach
Joanna supports neurodivergent young people, adults and families to better understand neurodivergence and build support that works in real life. Her work brings together educational expertise, public health experience and lived experience as a parent of three neurodivergent children. She takes a neuro-affirming, compassionate approach, helping people understand themselves and each other with greater clarity, self-trust and less self-blame. She combines 15 years in NHS Public Health, including a Master’s degree at Imperial College, with specialist training in neurodiversity teaching, psycho-education and therapeutic coaching.
She has a particular interest in female masking and the ways hormonal changes and different life stages can influence the experience and expression of neurodivergence in women and girls.
Having navigated the education system with her own children, Joanna understands the pressure families can face around school, SEN support, EHCPs, diagnosis pathways, emotional overwhelm, transitions and advocacy. She has a specialism in helping parents make sense of their child’s needs, understand what may be driving behaviour and communicate clearly with education and other systems.
She supports family dynamics and co-regulation, helping parents understand nervous-system responses and move from cycles of blame, self-doubt or conflict towards calmer, more respectful and hopeful relationships. Her approach recognises that there is no single “right” parenting style, supporting families to find approaches that fit their child, their values and the reality of family life.
Growing up in a loud, loving, multicultural family where curious minds questioned, debated and often felt “different” has also helped Joanna make sense of her own AuDHD neurodivergent profile. .
Why Grapefruit
Whether you’re an individual, parent, school, or organisation, Grapefruit is here to help.
Contact us to start the conversation.
‘We are not entirely sure how we would have navigated the last couple of years had we not found Jo and James. An Educational Psychologist once said to us: ‘your child doesn’t need support, they need the RIGHT support’
Fiona, Director Photographer & mother