Voices of Community: Neurodiversity in Life and at Work

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when your child receives an autism diagnosis and the doctor's answer is essentially "good luck"? For Theresa Lyons, a Yale-trained scientist and parent of a non-speaking autistic daughter, that moment became the beginning of a decade-long mission to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the real-life decisions families have to make every da...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to support autistic young adults in finding meaningful employment? In this episode, host Harry Lane sits down with Eric Stewart, Meristem's Work Skills Director, for an in-depth conversation about autism employment, job coaching, workplace inclusion, and building relationships with employers and employees. Eric shares his 25-year journey in workforce...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Community , hosts Erin Schirm (Executive Director, Meristem) and Harry Lane speak with Sarah Howard , a graduate of Meristem’s Transformative Autism Program (TAP) . Diagnosed with autism later in life, Sarah shares her journey of self-discovery and the realities of navigating college, work, and adult life while learning to advocate for herself in syste...

Send us Fan Mail Special guest Marnie Harris from Shepherd Hotels joins hosts Harry Lane and Erin Schirm from Meristem to explore how Shepherd Hotels is creating meaningful careers for individuals with developmental disabilities. Together, they discuss inclusive hiring practices, staff training and coaching strategies, and the impact of fostering workplaces where everyone can contribute their tale...

Send us Fan Mail Special guests Jacob and Jordan from Ventures ATL join Harry and Erin from Georgia to talk about how their non-profit is tackling the 80% unemployment rate of neurodiverse individuals.  Check out Ventures ATL on their website here . In this episode: The mission of Ventures ATL Jacob and Jordan share how they got involved with Ventures ATL, and how their non-profit has evolved over...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into all things Department of Rehabilitation with Harry and Eric as they sit down with Spencer Hoke, Regional Business Specialist at D.O.R.'s Fair Oaks' office. In this episode: Spencer shares his personal story about growing up with a learning disability, and how that fueled his passion for helping individuals with disabilities get jobs. Harry and Eric ask Spencer...

Send us Fan Mail Brandon is BACK and giving an update on his life since his last interview! He sits down with Harry and Erin to talk about his experience in the Disney College Program, moving away from California, and potentially graduating from Sac State soon. In this episode: An update on Brandon’s life His experience in the Disney College Program and how the program showed him that he wanted to...

Send us Fan Mail Harry and Eric Steward, the director of Meristem’s Work Skills program and the Transformative Autism Program, sit down with Grant Harris, a published author and chief diversity executive. Grant talks about his experience with a late autism diagnosis, his journey with self-advocacy, and his journey with building his diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm.   In this episod...

Send us Fan Mail Harry and Erin sit down with New York Times best-selling author J.D. Barker about the intersection between autism and creativity – J.D.’s journey with a late autism diagnosis and how autism has contributed to his major success as an author.  In this episode: J.D. details his life before and after his diagnosis at the age of 22 How autism helped J.D. realize his potential as an aut...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Harry & Erin interview Ivon Perez to talk about Goodwill's Expandability Program, how the Expandability Program works to break workforce barriers, and how Goodwill has benefitted from the TAP employer trainings. Share your questions and learn more about us at meristem.pro and tapautism.org

Send us Fan Mail Harry and Erin sit down and talk about anxiety – how anxiety impacts a neurodiverse mind, their own personal journeys with anxiety, and how employers can best support their neurodiverse employees through anxiety. In this episode: Anxiety and the neurodiverse mind, and how TAP approaches identifying anxiety triggers in with their job seekers Harry and Erin’s personal journeys with...

Send us Fan Mail The director of the California Conservation Corps (CCC), JP Patton, joins us to talk about the mission of the CCC, and how they work to develop folks for the workforce, and their experience with the TAP trainings affected their workplace culture.   In this episode: How TAP got connected with CCC The mission of CCC, and their model reflects the Meristem Method How Meristem and CCC...

Send us Fan Mail Hear from a Meristem alumni about how Meristem prepared him for independent living and the workforce, and how he has gained a new sense of confidence from being a part of Meristem! In this episode: Miles’ journey with an auditory processing disorder and dyscalculia, and how Meristem elevated his confidence and social skills How he has fared in the workplace since transitioning out...

Send us Fan Mail Hear from a Meristem alumni about how Meristem prepared him for independent living and how he played a part in restarting the Transformative Autism Program! In this episode: How Brandon found Meristem and his journey through the program What he’s learned living independently (and with roommates!) How he played a part in restarting the Transformative Autism Program by helping to ad...

Send us Fan Mail Hear from a Meristem alumni about how the program equipped her for success and how she is now using what she learned to start her own business, live independently, and keep multiple jobs! In this episode: Caroline’s personal journey to Meristem after growing up in Sacramento and living out in Denver and Montana Her biggest takeaways from her time at Meristem How Meristem prepared...

Send us Fan Mail Go behind the curtain of Meristem’s Work Skills & TAP with program director Eric Steward and podcast host Harrison Lane to learn how employers and job seekers can benefit.  In this episode: Eric Steward’s personal journey and how he was inspired to work with the neurodiverse community  How Meristem works with people who want to get a job Lessons learned since the program began...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what Meristem’s Work Skills Program looks like behind the scenes? Take a peek inside what we do, how we do it and the challenges Meristem and our students face in achieving success in job training and internships.  In this episode:  What are Meristem’s 5 Pillars? What does Meristem do to support our students going to work and college? The importance of being a Meristem...

Send us Fan Mail Raley's & TAP Unpack Hiring Neurodiverse Job Seekers. Listen to this week's Voices of the Community: Neurodiversity in Life and Work with special guest, Raley's Senior Manager, Corp HR & Talent Acquisition, Bahar Abullarade.  #neurodiverse #autism #hiring #jobseekingtips Share your questions and learn more about us at meristem.pro and tapautism.org

Send us Fan Mail Take me out to the ball Game! Inside The River Cats Concessions, Meristem’s partnership & Hiring Neurodiverse Employees ⚾️ Join Erin and Harry with special guest, James Thompson, Head of The River Cats Concessions at Sutter Health Park. They unpack how The River Cats partner with non-profits in the area and how that relationship developed into a workskills internship and part...

Send us Fan Mail It’s going to take all of us. How TAP and Stannum Core Solutions are changing the workplace landscape for neurodiverse individuals across the U.S. 🇺🇸 Get inspired by this episode of Meristem's Voices of the Community, Harry, Erin and Ben Schatzel, Stannum Core Solutions' founder take a deep dive into what it takes for employers to change the landscape for neurodiverse jo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Erin and Harry discuss what’s important to keep a job and what to expect in one of your first work experiences. Based on experiences in internships in the Transformative Autism Program, Erin and Harry offer tips like: be prepared and open for feedback, and consider asking for it each week from your manager practice communicating about your schedule, asking for tim...

Send us Fan Mail If getting a new job is a part of your 2024 goals, this is the episode for you! Harry and Erin share how Meristem operates its internship program, including how Meristem uses experiential interviews for neurodiverse candidates.  Listen for:  more in-depth discussion of the Meristem Method and how Meristem prepares young adults and employers for internships how to coach someone to...

Send us Fan Mail Erin Schirm shares how you can support Meristem this #GivingTuesday.  Support Meristem's work with neurodiverse young people getting on the path to work and greater independence with a tax-deductable donation:   meristem.pro/get-involved/support-meristem View Meristem's Holiday Wish List and help fund a specific need of the program.  Fund a need goes live this Thursday,...

Send us Fan Mail Meristem program graduate Ben Lewis reflects back on his experience at Meristem, what he loved about the community and the chance to live independently. He shares how he gained the skills to work on a farm and how those experiences influence his attitude toward a day’s work now. Ben shares his path to Meristem and how persistence helped him tackle his fears at college – even when...

Send us Fan Mail Harrison talks about different intellectual or developmental disabilities and asks Erin about how he has responded to difficult situations, like an outburst in class or overcoming anxiety. Listen for:  Tips for noticing what you have control over that can improve your well being How proving yourself to be reliable and responsible–even in jobs that are not your end goal–builds skil...