It goes without saying that autistic people are human. Yet, for the longest time, autism has been contextualized as robots or needing to be fixed. Matt Lowry is an Autistic adult and Licensed Psychological Practitioner who works exclusively with Autistic clients, performing neurodiversity-affirming Autism evaluations and providing Autistic Centered Therapy (AuCT)--a form of therapy that he helped create. Together, we cover: Why intersectionality is critical to the future of autism False assumptions people make about autism How to make workplaces more inclusive to people with autism  Con ..read more

Wema Hoover is a global executive and transformational leader of diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) and human resources and Principal & CEO of Wema Hoover Advisors, executive coaching firm and Be Limitless Consulting a DEI and Culture firm. Wema has a proven track record of creating systemic change in organizational culture by embedding diversity and inclusion into people practices, processes, and product approach on a global scale. Wema is a former global Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Culture who has lived in four (4) countries and ran global teams in 26 countries for Google ..read more

For folks who identify as non-binary or transgender, pronouns are essential to their identity. For folks who identify as cisgender (meaning you identify as the same gender you were assigned at birth where your gender generally corresponds to your biological sex), it may seem silly to share pronouns that may seem obvious to others. Sharing your pronouns is a way to lift the burden off others whose pronouns may not be as clear.  Sharing pronouns creates a welcoming environment for individuals of all gender identities. It helps avoid assumptions based on appearance and ensures that everyone ..read more

Beverly Jurenko served as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, and worked in Europe, Latin America, and Russia in energy and finance for Amoco and Enron. She joins us to share how to: Demonstrate the value of DEI and get support from top management Manage the naysayers against DEI Measure DEI at an individual level Follow Beverly at https://inside-edge-group.com/ and Julie at https://nextpivotpoint.com/  ..read more

Brett Heising is a highly acclaimed speaker who educates and inspires people around the world about living life with a physical disability. He has mastered the art of talking about the sensitive topic of “disability” in a fun, open, and honest way. We discuss: Tangible, real-world advice designed to help his clients understand the difference between something being “ADA compliant” and truly accessible Why people with disabilities are underemployed and how to design workplaces to be inclusive of people with disabilities How allyship is about paying attention to opportunities to be helpful  ..read more

Celeste Warren is Vice President of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck.  Celeste has over 30 years of experience in the fields of Human Resources Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Change Management. Celeste is the author of the book How to be a Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador: Everyone’s Role in Helping All Feel Accepted, Engaged, and Valued. We talk about: How awareness of DEI has improved, yet leadership representation continues to lag The headwinds affecting DEI leaders and how to overcome them Why everyone (especially individual contributors) can ..read more

DEI work has surged in recent years, yet organizations are bracing for uncertainty in the markets they serve. With this uncertainty comes DEI budget cuts. Here’s why that’s a bad idea and how to push back. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work has surged in recent years, yet is showing signs of softening as organizations brace for uncertainty in the markets they serve. With this uncertainty, the pressure to reduce costs often results in DEI budget cuts or the elimination of the budget together. Seen more as a “nice to have” than a “must-have,” organizations are signaling a deprioritizatio ..read more

Erayna Sargent (AKA the Burnout Whisperer), is a speaker, mental wellness champion, and burnout relief expert. As founder and Chief Anti-Burnout Champion at Hooky Wellness®, she merged employee-centric design with mental wellness modalities to develop their burnout relief experience, Navigating Burnout™.  We discuss: How to disrupt the hustle culture Why DEI leaders experience higher rates of burnout How to recognize and manage where you are at on the burnout cycle Meet Erayna at https://www.hookywellness.com/ and Julie at www.nextpivotpoint.com ..read more

Susan MacKenty Brady is the Chief Executive Officer of The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership, and co-author of Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership. She shares: Why women decline in leadership roles after 2 promotions What systems need to be redesigned to include women Why DEI is a learning conversation, not right or wrong or good or bad Connect with Susan at https://www.inclusiveleadership.com/ and Julie at www.nextpivotpoint.com ..read more

This week we're talking about the performance review process and how it traditionally has been riddled with bias. From assessing folks based on potential vs. actual performance to biased language in annual review write-ups, women, people of color and other underrepresented folks often have fewer chances to succeed because of systemic bias. Read the full article here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-to-stop-bias-from-infiltrating-your-performance-reviews/435611 ..read more