Biography
Sheela Roy Ivlev, MS, OTR/L, CIMHP is a Bengali American occupational therapist, startup founder, and mental health advocate based in San Francisco. With 15 years of clinical experience specializing in neurodivergent adults and mental health, she is the founder of To Do-ish, OT Bay Area, WellWrx Consulting, and DisruptOT — a grassroots international health equity organization reaching thousands of practitioners and students across dozens of countries.
As a neurodivergent woman of color who has navigated late diagnosis, caregiver responsibilities since age 15, and the gaps in mental healthcare firsthand, Sheela brings both clinical depth and lived experience to her work. She is the only occupational therapist in California specializing in community-based mental health for neurodivergent adults.
Sheela is currently the CEO and founder of To Do-ish, a mental health technology startup building the only regulation-first daily support tool for adults who struggle with task execution, not because they lack capability, but because of the neurological gap between knowing what to do and being able to start.
A recipient of the NBCOT National Impact Award, Sheela is the author of Occupational Therapy Disruptors: What Global OT Practice Can Teach Us About Innovation, Culture, and Community (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), and a facilitator for Asian Mental Health Project.
Sheela speaks on mental health, neurodiversity, AAPI community health, caregiver wellbeing, workplace inclusion, and the intersection of technology and health equity.
Articles, Publications, and Appearances
- “Occupational Therapy Disruptors: What Global OT Practice Can Teach Us About Innovation, Culture, and Community”, Jessica Kingsley Publishers author: https://us.jkp.com/products/occupational-therapy-disruptors
- Antiracist Occupational Therapy: Unsettling the Status Quo, book co-author: https://us.jkp.com/products/antiracist-occupational-therapy
- Harvard Business Review contributor: “How to Focus at Work When the World Is Falling Apart”: https://hbr.org/2023/02/how-to-focus-at-work-when-the-world-is-falling-apart
- Harvard Business Review contributor: “When You Can’t Quit: Strategies for People with Work Visas”: https://hbr.org/2023/03/when-you-cant-quit-strategies-for-people-with-work-visas
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Xenium HR Podcast “Unlocking Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Inclusion Strategies for Business Success” https://youtu.be/H2P6fMHCxz8?si=w2A04hiYzkuKPhqd
- Pro-ject Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/14BJBCZW453w69vklMYtGI
- Asian Mental Health Project: https://luma.com/amhp-thecarers