Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Jeannette Wheatley spent 3 years volunteering with a charitable organization called World Hope for their hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana. Far from her home in Michigan and with a broken shoulder, Jeannette shares why she traveled to New Orleans to support hurricane victims, how she inspired businesses in her hometown to donate funds and mat...

Katharine Griffiths is a telecommunications veteran with a passion for gender equality, who is helping companies thrive by embracing gender diversity. She shares what inspired her to build her brand around gender equality, the unique methodology she has developed to drive gender diversity, and how sharing stories and working through conflict can help women and men create lasting change. You can co...

Conrad Agderian is the Founder and Owner of Conrad's Concessions, a party equipment rental business in Bergenfield NJ. In this episode, he shares how he evolved his company from a side-hustle for "beer money" into a successful full-time business, why he left the 9-to-5 corporate working world behind to become an entrepreneur, and what he's learned about providing excellent customer service and res...

Avery Schrader is the Founder and CEO of Modash, a startup based in Tallinn, Estonia. Modash helps current & aspiring online content creators (like photographers, filmmakers, writers & social media influencers) find opportunities to partner and collaborate with established brands. These opportunities help content creators grow, create and do what they love. In this episode, Avery discusses what in...

Deborah Davis is the Founder and Owner of PUSHLivingPhotos.com, a company that aims to increase photos and imagery of people with disabilities in the tourism, leisure and lifestyle mediums. She is also an accomplished speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of Positive Disability Inclusion. In this episode, Deborah shares what sets her company apart from other stock image providers, how she h...

Kyle Elliott is the Career Coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com, where he helps people find jobs they LOVE (or at least tolerate). On this episode, he shares how his diverse background in health education, public administration, mental health and LGBT+ advocacy helped him develop a coaching practice to guide people through their careers, while encouraging them to care for themselves along the way. We...

This episode features Sara Holoubek, the CEO and founder of Luminary Labs, a consultancy that develops strategies and innovation systems to help Fortune 500, government, and nonprofit organizations thrive in the face of change. Sara discusses Luminary Labs' groundbreaking work in open innovation, which brings together, guides and incents people and organizations to solve the "thorny problems that...

Lauren Magura is the founder of Cinematcher, a matchmaking app that enables diverse talent to hire and get hired for film, TV and digital projects instantly and globally.  In this episode, Lauren shares how she got the inspiration to create Cinematcher, her skills that help her succeed as an entrepreneur, and how she is growing and diversifying Cinematcher's reach and impact. You can contact Laure...

Christine Gritmon is the founder of her own social media consulting company, Christine Gritmon Inc., which helps small local businesses strategically connect with their community of customers where they already are: social media. Most of her clients are based in NY in Rockland County and Westchester County. On this podcast she shares how her previous 3 careers helped prepare her for business owner...

What if you knew your true calling from an early age, but you were forbidden to pursue it? This was the situation that Barbara Monahan faced for most of her life, until a year of illness and loss fueled her to finally fulfill her life's purpose. On this podcast, Barbara shares her journey from Corporate to Cleric: how she made the transition from a long career in the corporate world to fulfill her...

What would you do if your greatest talents were suddenly taken away from you? My guest in this episode, Kristal Murren, had over a decade of experience in leading leaders, cultivating organizational cultures and training trainers -- then her successful career was interrupted by a car accident that turned her life upside down. Kristal will talk about what happened, how she reclaimed her old strengt...

In this episode, Yvonne Connolly shares her experience with ageism in her job search: what it looks like, the impact of ageism, and advice for dealing with age discrimination as a job seeker. She also talks about her #100DaysofHelp social media campaign to connect job seekers to employment opportunities, resources and support. Yvonne shares what she is looking for in her next role, and we discuss...

This episode features Anna Pilette, a Geophysicist and a Technologist out of Portland Oregon. Anna shares her experience working with robotics and drone technology, her thoughts on the future application of this technology, and how she brings her scientific experience together with her artistic interest through her art company, Atomic Dumpling Media. She is also looking for a role working with a d...

This podcast features Fennie Wang from the ixo network, a nonprofit organization that uses blockchain technology to create social impact. A lawyer by trade, Fennie discusses how she pivoted her career from traditional securities law to blockchain, the impact of a chance introduction to Ross Ulbricht (the infamous founder of the Silk Road darkweb market), and how her latest project with UNICEF uses...

This episode features Shobha Vanchiswar, a writer and artist in New York who is leveraging her talents to help children halfway around the world. Together with her daughter, niece and friends, she is supporting the education of HIV positive girls at an orphanage in India called Mukta Jivan. Shobha talks about how she first got started by bringing school supplies and money to the orphanage, then ex...

How can a pair of spoons change people's lives and support a community? In today's episode, we answer these questions with Lynn Urlaub, the owner of Cuddle Spoons – the fun and functional spoons that are easy to hold and make adorable gifts for everyone! Lynn shares the story of how her partner Ken created Cuddle Spoons after he became disabled, how the spoons are helping people with disabilities...

This episode features Petal Pennycooke, the Founder and Chief Executive Right Hand of Executive Right Hand, a premium provider of support to C-suite executives who are in transition in their careers. Executive Right Hand offers a wide range of services tailored to the unique needs of its senior executive clients, making their career transitions seamless. We'll learn how Petal got the inspiration t...

First impressions can take only 6 seconds to make! But if you're neurodivergent, those quick judgments about you can be misleading. I'm Carolyn Kiel, and I host the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast. I interview neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creatives and advocates, including those who are autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, have ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome, and more. And, as an autistic person myself, I share my...