56 - Designing Inclusive Spaces: Neurodiversity, Accessibility, and Mindful Communication
Release Date: 05/29/2025
56 - Designing Inclusive Spaces: Neurodiversity, Accessibility, and Mindful Communication
Blended
Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about inclusion – one of our favorite topics here on the show! But we’re thinking about it from a different angle. Not from the team we build or the people we hire, but the environment around us. We’re talking about inclusive spaces. This might be familiar to you, or maybe it’s a concept that’s fairly new but, guaranteed, you’ll be hearing about it more and more. As awareness of neurodiversity grows, designing spaces that cater to the needs of individuals with diverse cognitive and sensory processing styles is...
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55 - Mental Health Awareness
Blended
Taking care of your team: why you can’t afford to ignore mental health at work Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about something that is often a strand that weaves through many of the issues we talk about here on the show, from burnout to bias – and that’s mental health. But today we’re focusing in on mental health, and putting the spotlight onto how it interacts with work. Almost 60% of the world population is in work, and we spend a lot of time there. We often spend more time in a workplace than we do at home, more time with our colleagues...
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54 - Banning Non Competes: Good for Workers, Businesses and the Economy
Blended
Today, we’re taking on a topic you’ve probably heard of – it may have even impacted you personally. But you might not be aware just how linked it is to the issue of diversity and inclusion. We’re talking about noncompete agreements. Noncompetes have long been a staple in corporate America. But, despite supposedly being in place to protect trade secrets, many workers, including low earners, have been subject to this practice, greatly restricting their career options, flexibility and earning potential. And that’s especially the case for underrepresented voices. A...
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53 - Don’t Feel the Burn: Fighting Workplace Burnout
Blended
Today, we’re talking about something that has been around a long time but, until relatively recently, wasn’t talked about openly or officially recognized – and that’s burnout. Burnout has been hitting the headlines more and more. From ongoing disruption to widespread corporate cost-cutting, the pressure on teams and individuals—regardless of industry—is high. And, despite being increasingly literate about health and well-being, many still find themselves stressed, overworked, and exhausted. And, ultimately, people are being driven out of the workforce. In a time when...
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52 - Mentorship vs. Sponsorship - How You Need Them Both in Your Career
Blended
Today we’re talking, once again, about mentorship. We dove into this huge topic back in and covered a lot of ground. But one thing we didn’t talk about was sponsorship. A few years ago, sponsorship was a topic I didn’t think too much about. But I’ve found myself talking about it more and more on my , so I decided it was time to take a closer look. And, as organizations strive to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces, it’s important that we do. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of the book Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor said that sponsorship has long been the...
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51 - More than words: The Power of Intentional Inclusion
Blended
Today, we’re talking about inclusion. Now, this is not the first time we’ve talked about inclusion on the show. It’s a key part of building working cultures and environments that we all want to be a part of. But it seems that the way organizations are viewing inclusion might be changing. A number of leading diversity officers are reporting pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, with many organizations shifting their focus to inclusion only. But is it that a good thing? Because diversity is a fact, we’re all different. But...
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50 - When cultures collide – bridging generational divides in the workplace
Blended
Today, we’re talking about generational diversity. Demographic change is one of the biggest issues facing contemporary workplaces. The working-age population in the US is reportedly contracting at a pace not seen since World War Two but, unlike that time, there’s no expected baby boom to compensate for it – in fact, each generation is getting smaller. We now find ourselves with a shrinking younger population and a growing older one. But, despite that reality – showing a clear need for older people to remain in the workforce – we’ve actually seen a surge of those older...
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49 - Dos and Dont's of Employee Resource Groups
Blended
Today, we’re doing a deep dive into a DEI initiative that has rapidly grown in popularity over the last few years – and that’s employee resource groups, otherwise known as ERGs. They’ll be talking about how ERGs work and the importance of purpose; the challenges and opportunities; and the different responsibilities of leadership and teams in establishing, executing, and supporting ERGs. IN THIS EPISODE: [01.43] Introductions to our Blended panellists. · Lola – Founder of EQImindset and Immigrants in Corporate...
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48 - From Ancient Greece to Contemporary Success: The Unstoppable Rise of Mentorship
Blended
Today the panel will be talking about traditional mentorship and how it looks different across communities and contexts; the rise of reverse mentorship and its importance in intergenerational workforces; how to measure the success of mentor/mentee relationships and the common mistakes to look out for; and how to avoid the trap of seeking a mentor for the sake of it. IN THIS EPISODE: [01.40] Introductions to our Blended panellists. · Dillon – Senior Consultant - People Consulting at EY ...
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47 - You’re fired! Working from home, and the emerging trend of promotion bias
Blended
Welcome back to Blended! Today, we’re talking about changing working environments, and promotion bias. The debate of working from home versus working from the office has been gaining traction over the last few years, and people have been discussing the different pieces of it, from work/life balance to in-person versus online meetings to loneliness to productivity. But where you work, and it’s impact on career progression, is one of the biggest conversations right now. At a recent event, I overheard two gentlemen talking about promotion at work, and they...
info_outlineWelcome back to Blended!
Today, we’re talking about inclusion – one of our favorite topics here on the show! But we’re thinking about it from a different angle. Not from the team we build or the people we hire, but the environment around us. We’re talking about inclusive spaces.
This might be familiar to you, or maybe it’s a concept that’s fairly new but, guaranteed, you’ll be hearing about it more and more.
As awareness of neurodiversity grows, designing spaces that cater to the needs of individuals with diverse cognitive and sensory processing styles is becoming increasingly important. By integrating neurodiversity into design, we can create environments that are not only more inclusive but also enhance the wellbeing and productivity of all individuals, fostering greater creativity and collaboration in both work and community spaces.
And it’s not just neurodiversity we have to consider. More than a quarter of Americans have a disability, which is often intersectional with other areas of diversity as well, like race or age. So accessibility in all its forms is incredibly important to make sure we’re creating environments where people with all types of diverse needs can thrive.
Today, our panel are talking all about formal diagnoses – the challenges, barriers and interplay with work – the basics of inclusive spaces, and some of the ways leaders and organizations can make changes to improve cultures and create more equitable working environments for everyone.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[01.26] Introductions to our Blended panelists.
· Dan Roth– Strategic People Operations Executive
· Dr. Tiffany Jameson– Organizational Psychologist and Founder and Managing Partner at grit & flow
[07.15] The group explore diagnoses for neurodivergence – how people are diagnosed, the varied reasons for the recent increase in diagnoses, the barriers to achieving a formal diagnosis, and the importance of gaining a diagnosis for access to help.
“The criteria that were used for ADHD and autism were very white, boy centered. Girls don’t present like a boy in school, and so they were being missed… There’s now a lot more awareness by pediatricians… And, as more kids are being diagnosed, their parents are going: ‘Oh my goodness, this is very familiar!’ And they go after a diagnosis for themselves.” Tiffany
“A lot of people fake it till they make it – and they don’t make it. It’s called masking, where you’re pretending to be what society calls normal, and it’s hard to keep that front up.” Tiffany
“From a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint, let’s not beat around the bush – that term has been weaponized.” Dan
· Increase in diagnoses
o Increased awareness
o Updated criteria
o Child-parent knock-on effect
· Burnout
· Masking
· Barriers to diagnosis
o Cost
o School system
o Limited accessibility resources
o Stigma
· Societal expectations
· Bias
· Requirement to get a formal diagnosis to access help
· Cultural impact
· Generational trauma
· Parental projection
· Insecurity/fear
· Parental grieving process – expectations
“A lot of parents will reject diagnoses, not understanding the proactive measures it allows for.” Dan
[32.42] The panel discuss the basics of inclusive spaces – what they are, what they can look like, and why we need them.
· Inclusive spaces look different for different people
o Sensory impacts
o Lighting
o Clothing
o Movement
· Self-awareness
· Pace of change for US vs global
· Advanced communication methods
· Triggers
· Rejecting ego
· I vs we
· Building psychological safety
· Knowing/understanding what you need
· Self-advocacy
· Asking/listening
· Ongoing conversation/process
· Accommodations in hiring processes and potential biased impacts of using them
· Social anxiety in working environments
· Education
· Change management
· Step-by-step improvements
· Work from home/work from office
· Companies ticking boxes/policies ‘for show’
· Compromise/finding the middle ground
· Issues with general education – setting kids up for success/failure
· Unique point in time
o Different generations working together
o Different perspectives and concepts coming together
o Different levels of understanding/acceptance
o Difference in communication styles
· Overwhelm
· Grace
· Empathy
· Looking at people holistically
“An inclusive space is something that’s individualized, it’s person-centered. So what’s inclusive for me isn’t necessarily inclusive for you. So that’s where it can get confusing – how do we generalize inclusion? But there are some best practices, so we think about places where people can get what they need to enjoy the experience, like they belong and have a right to be there.” Tiffany
“The reality is that no one has conquered this idea of the inclusive space, especially in corporations… There’s so much that goes into it, I don’t believe we’re at a point where it’s possible. For us to be truly inclusive, we each need to de-colonize ourselves and understand at a very visceral level what makes us tick, what our fears and triggers are, and we need to be able to express and explain those to others where ego doesn’t come into play.” Dan
“Neurodivergent people, disabled people – people in general! – don’t know what they need to do their best work.” Tiffany
“It doesn’t matter if you change process if you’re not changing behavior – this is all a change management process.” Tiffany
“I need to be comfortable, and to work in the situation I feel best. And companies with a return to office mandate are basically saying they don’t want me at my best. They want me to be a number, a figure, to fall into line with what some white guy in an ivory tower thought was the right way to be. Who created this baseline we all have to live up to? The return to work mandate does not create equity.” Dan
[01.07.02] The group explore some of the easy ways organizations and leaders can create more inclusive spaces and develop more equitable workplace cultures.
· Hiring processes
o Job descriptions
o Reasonable accommodations
o Educating hiring managers
o Being person-centered
o Language
o Diverse interviewers
· Retention processes
o ERGs
o External support
o Funding
o Giving people time to process/prepare
o Providing information in multiple mediums
o Changing working practices/methods of communication
o Approach to meetings
o Management support
· Impact of current administration
· Gap in services between childhood and adulthood
[1.27.39] The panel share final resources and sum up their thoughts from today’s discussion.
· Culture City
· Fear of ‘doing it wrong’
· Feel the emotion
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: