The AscendED Workplace

Most managers want to support neurodivergent employees well, but many are unsure how to balance inclusion, accountability, performance standards, and clear expectations. In this episode of The AscendED Workplace, we sit down with Nulty Lynch, an educator, college and career coach, and someone who works extensively with neurodivergent students and early-career professionals. Nulty also brings perso...

In this episode of The AscendED Workplace, Adam sits down with Maisie Lynch founder of ForwardReady U, a college and career educator who spent a decade teaching students inside the school system and now works directly with families navigating college and career decisions. Together they explore the growing preparation gap between academic achievement and real-world readiness and what parents, educa...

Struggling to recruit, manage, or retain Gen Z? You're not alone, and you're not imagining the shift. In this episode of The Ascended Workplace, Rebecca Burtram sits down with HR leader Jack Foust to break down what’s REALLY happening with Gen Z talent and what the most effective HR leaders are doing to adapt. Drawing from years of recruiting, onboarding, and developing young professionals across...

In this episode, Rebecca turns the mic toward Adam for a candid conversation rooted in his years as a Restorative Justice (RJ) coach in K–12 schools. What began as a well-intentioned approach to repairing harm and strengthening community eventually drifted into something different: a system where accountability blurred, consequences disappeared, and students, particularly Gen Z, walked away with m...

Every generation thinks the next one “just doesn’t get it.” But what if generational conflict at work isn’t really about age it’s actually about context? In this episode of The AscendED Workplace , we break down what’s actually new about Gen Z in the workplace and what’s just history repeating itself. From differing views on work ethic to communication breakdowns and tech tension, we unpack why th...

Are your Gen Z employees underperforming, disengaged, or resistant to feedback? You do not need to lower the standard. You need to raise the support. In this episode of The AscendED Workplace, Adam and Rebecca reveal a truth that many leaders miss. Gen Z is not lazy, entitled, or soft. They are capable of high performance when given the right structure, feedback, and clarity. Designed for CEOs, pe...

Are you constantly putting out fires on your team? Deadlines are missed, people are disengaged, and ownership is unclear. The problem is not laziness. It is lack of clarity In this video, Rebecca and Adam from AscendED Consulting walk you through a four-step accountability system built for CEOs, executives, and leadership teams who need to align culture with performance and drive real results This...

Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting  What if the biggest barrier to Gen Z’s performance isn’t motivation but the absence of deadlines in their education? In this episode, we unpack how schools’ shift to “no deadlines, no zeroes” created a generation that struggles with urgency, ownership, and time management. Now, those same students are your employees, and the conseq...

Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting What if accountability isn’t just about performance but also about mental health, motivation, and retention? In this episode, we break down the science-backed benefits of consistent accountability systems and explain why today’s teams, especially Gen Z, don’t just need feedback and goals. They need clarity, structure, and support to...

Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting Gen Z is here, and leaders across industries are struggling to manage them. Low initiative. High turnover. Fragile under feedback. Sound familiar? In this episode, two former educators-turned-workplace consultants pull back the curtain on the real reason Gen Z is struggling at work: a school system that never taught them accountabil...