'I spent years feeling invisible - now I'm helping neurodivergent women feel heard'
For years Carly Walter felt like she was invisible in the healthcare system.
She spent years navigating burnout, hormonal breakdowns and struggled to pin-point what was at the root of her feelings.
Carly, from Leeds, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder which is a severe hormone related condition that causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms each month before a period.
With a career of over two decades in women’s healthcare, Carly was determined to put her experiences to support others by creating a wellbeing app designed by and for neurodivergent women.
Named MAGI, inspired her be grandma, the AI-powered platform provides personalised emotional support, practical tools, and decision-making help to users.
I wanted to create something that could offer what I never had: personalised, proactive help before things reached crisis point.
The app, which is currently in its development phase, uses AI to track patterns in behaviour, mood, and symptoms. From the information it gathers, it can tailor personalised support strategies for its user.
And it has now been named as one of the 19 finalists in the West Yorkshire Big Ideas Challenge.
Creator Carly said: “I spent decades misdiagnosed, navigating burnout, hormonal breakdowns, and feeling invisible in healthcare systems.
“Discovering I was neurodivergent and had PMDD changed everything—but it also showed me the huge gaps in support. I wanted to create something that could offer what I never had: personalised, proactive help before things reached crisis point.”
“The more you use MAGI, the more she adapts to you - responding like a supportive guide, not a generic chatbot.
“It’s like having your calmest, most regulated self in your pocket - combining cutting-edge technology with compassion to offer real-time, personalised emotional support, practical tools, and decision-making help.”
Though MAGI began based on Carly’s own experience, the app has been developed in partnership with prospective users.
Workshops with hundreds of women and those assigned female at birth found that users wanted an app that works flexibly. Therefore, MAGI is made to be customisable: the individual user can adapt the interface, interaction levels, and the support they receive, creating an app that feels truly personalised.
This personalised nature, alongside MAGI’s accessibility and non-judgemental design, are the key touchstones of the app’s blueprint.
Carly said: “Many of us have been told we’re “too much” or “not enough” our whole lives. MAGI is built to be safe, intuitive, and shame-free—no jargon, no assumptions, and no gatekeeping. Accessibility ensures anyone can use it without a diagnosis. Personalisation ensures it actually works for you. And non-judgement is the foundation—because real change only happens in a space where you feel accepted as you are.”
Now, MAGI has also been shortlisted in West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s Big Ideas Challenge, an achievement Carly described as “surreal”.
She said: “As a founder building something from the ground up, recognition like this means a lot. But more importantly, it’s a chance to put the experiences of neurodivergent women in the spotlight and show that innovation in this space matters.”
As one of the 19 finalists, the MAGI team have received a £20,000 grant to further develop their concept. They hope to use this funding boost to organise discussion groups to refine user experience and to run pilots with both NHS-linked services and employer networks. The aim is to get MAGI closer to the hands of the women who need it.