Voices of Community: Neurodiversity in Life and at Work
Meristem is a nonprofit program that supports young adults on the autism spectrum to develop greater independence. Our podcast will be talking about our program and interviewing people dealing with challenges of integrating into the workforce. Meristem's Breaking Barriers Transformative Autism Program has worked with hundreds of employers and job seekers to hire, train, and retain neurodivergent people. Join hosts Erin Schirm and Harrison Lane for real stories of "the messy middle" from people breaking workforce barriers and building real equity and inclusion. #inclusion #equity #autism #actuallyautistic #disability #neurodivergent #ADHD #awakenthepossible #breakingworkforcebarriers #training #work #stories #DEI #inclusion #diversity #job #jobs #jobreadiness
Episodes
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 development, the importance of i...
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 systems not always designed for neurodiverse indiv...
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 talents.
In this episode:
- How Shepherd Hote...
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 the years.
- Harry and Erin discuss support ...
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 about how someone starts getting signed ...
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 pursue a career in hospitality
- His poten...
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 episode:
- Lessons in self-advocacy from Grant ...
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 author, and how it actually equipped him fo...
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
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 anxiety
- Tips for employers in navigating ...
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 help people in similar ways
- The positive i...
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 of Meristem
- His goals for his next stage...
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 advocate to get a bill passed, being involv...
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 her for living independently (and with ro...
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 in 2019 and expanded in 2022 t...
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
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 partnership with Meristem’s students....
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 job seekers and employers.
...
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 time off, and other common scenarios
- advic...
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