This executive function thing - how many ways can having a deficit actually screw up your life? Quite a few apparently. Not the least of which is building and maintaining relationships with folks besides your family. Family are a built in "safe space" for relationships. They already know you and love you so not much effort is needed to make that work. Getting out in to the general public? With all the social rules and subtle cues of relating to others? That can be a bit more tricky. Join us to find out how you can make the relationship road a bit easier to travel.

#192: Executive Dysfunction And Relationships

I think we can all agree that COVID has put our mental health to the test. Imagine being in a situation where you are not only dealing with the stress of COVID but suddenly all supports for yourself or someone you care for who is autistic disappear. No warning. No other plan. Just gone. Dr. Carly McMorris and self advocate and parent Rebekah Kintzinger join us today to discuss what that looks like and how we can begin to recover.

#199: CASDA - Mental health with Dr. Carly McMorris and Rebekah Kintzinger

Everyone likes a success story. If you are a parent of an autistic person, success stories are extremely important. Meet Courtney Weaver who is a success story on many levels. A strong autistic self-advocate, Courtney's journey to employment has had many stages and phases that all driven people can relate to.

#202: Future Looks Good with Courtney Weaver Employment Success

This is a Canadian success story across so many levels. It brings together the importance of pursuing an idea, being open to opportunity and the power of being a part of a mentorship. Meet Amanda Craig and Doug Wallbank and hear their story of how mentorship changed their lives and businesses.

#204: MentorAbility Meet: OpenText with Amanda Craig and Doug Wallbank

Sometimes when you're looking to get in to a new job, you need to get the inside scoop on how to make it more successful. That's what we're offering here. Some tips to be aware of if you're looking to try out our Autism and Advanced Manufacturing program or to start applying on your own. We all need a helping hand (or gantry ;)) now and again!

#207: Autism and Advanced Manufacturing - part 2

So what does a rambler do? Well it can drive you from A to B. It can keep you cool in the hot sun. Or it can chat about all kinds of things under the sun which is what this Rambler does. I'm so tickled to introduce you to Maddy Dever who is one of the kindest, sweetest, perceptive, strong, intelligent and best advocate for others I've ever met. In episode one of the Autistic Rambler, we touch on experiential empathy, intersectionality of the ASD and LGBTQ++ communities, what schools could do better and a whole lot more. It's time to ramble on ;)

#208: Autistic Rambler Ep 1 - Meet the Ramblers

As the Queen of Soul once sang: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me.

We're back with the indomitable Maddy Dever and a chat about the intersectionality between the autism community and the LGBTQ+ community. Maddy, who is non binary, uses the pronouns they / them. This was not an easy choice but one they felt they needed to live as authentically as themselves as possible. Do I do great with the pronouns? Nope! But I respect Maddy's choice and I make every effort to remember how important it is.

That's honestly all that's needed when society needs to shift its perspective: effort. And respect. That Aretha - she was on to something ;)

#210: Autistic Rambler Ep 3 - Intersectionality Of ASD and LGBT

Adulting was hard on the day we recorded this podcast. HARD I tell you. But as usually Betty pulled up their socks and dragged me along for an insightful, vulnerable and honest to goodness learning session on setbacks. They do have value as long as you try to learn from them and don't let them keep you mired in the muck for too long. A little pity party? We all have them. Moving in to Pitytown? Well that's just no good for anybody ;)

#220: Autistic Rambler Ep 12 - Getting Through Setbacks

Sometimes navigating the world of autism can be a dark and lonely place for many people. Those diagnosed and those along for the ride to support the individual. The ever lovin' Maddy came up with the PERFECT analogy to describe what that wild ride can be like. Today's a shorty podcast but we expand on it next session. Don't miss it!

#225: Autistic Rambler Ep 17: Shine The Light

I had a GREAT description written and then Soundcloud messed it up! Now my expertise is in writing and crafting messaging but that doesn't mean I want to rewrite this one ;)

Today we're talking about the value of lived experience and owning the title of expert if it fits you. It's a bit of a journey to get there but the other value is that if you can find a way to share your voice and expertise, then you make change happen. People who have no lived experience in some areas should NOT be in charge of creating policy, programs or other opportunities without folks with lived experience being involved. And much like how you can't pay an architect for their experience using gift cards, lived experience experts should also get paid.

If you valued someone enough to ask for their opinion / expertise, then it's valuable enough to pay for ;)

#226: Autistic Rambler Ep 18: Expertise Comes In Many Valuable Forms

The C word. I'm sure some of you thought cancer. Some thought something I can't type here without getting censored. And some just wondered, what the heck does this mean??? Without context, it's hard to understand ;)

#227: Autistic Rambler Ep 19:  We're Talking About The C Word

Have you ever tried something brand spanky new? Something different than anyone else in your network? Something that causes you to feel uncomfortable? Good! The feelings that come along with that are a human response to doing something brave. Unless you are lying your face off, you are not an imposter. You are just kicking ass and taking names ;)

#228: Autistic Rambler Ep 20: We're Talking About Big Feelings And F Bombs

What if we started looking at change as a pivot? Looking at our existing skills and building on them instead of thinking we have to learn a whole new set of skills? Pivoting isn't just a funny Friends meme - it's a tactic used in business and many other places when what we're doing just isn't working for us anymore.

#229: Autistic Rambler Ep 21 - PIVOT Instead Of Change

Maddy and I began this podcast talking about coffee. The beans of the gods for some folks. Or is it? Is it the beans or the moment you take for yourself to do something just for you? That moment of comfort. And then I said, Should we press record. Maddy said yes and now you have whole podcast dedicated to why finding what gives you comfort and not letting others judge you out of it is so important!

#230: Autistic Rambler Ep23: Comfort Is A Hot Cup Of Whatever You Need

On this episode of the Future Looks Good, we meet Jason Bean. Jason is one of the most resilient people and persistent learners I've ever met. Today we get to peel pack some layers of the onion that is Jason and find out how he made the transition from "you can't do that" to "I'll show you" without completely losing his Ogre in the process ;)

#233 Future Looks Good: Ep 18 Meet Jason Bean

Do you deny your pink? Do you mask to fit in? 

We're talking embracing the things in life that make you happy vs worrying about what other dingalings think you should be. Someone wants you to fit in? That's a them issue, not a you issue. Are you getting grief about what colors you choose to wear? Also a them issue. 

We're chatting about our "roles" in life and how sometimes that needs to roll away ...

#231 Autistic Rambler: Barbie and Pink Power

Why does society get to dictate how people express their emotions? Excellent question. Let's discuss ;)

#232: Autistic Rambler Ep 7.5 Big Boys Don't Cry

You chose to be an entrepreneur. You chose this life. Did you know it was going to suck sometimes? I thought I did until this past week. Then the level of craptastic hit full steam and I realized I had no freaking clue about how much of the sucking would happen. Are there highs? Absofreakinglutely. It's coming out the other side that matters.

#13: Lost My Damn Mojo

Are you tired of the BS? In this case BS stands for back stabbing or behind the scenes sabotage. I love working with other people, sharing ideas and building up success. For EVERYBODY! I play in the sandbox with the firm belief that if you like my shovel better you'll play with me but if that guys bucket is more to your liking, well, he'll be your buddy today. Same thing in business. So if you need help growing your business or solving a business problem, who do you share your angst with???

#16: Ballsy In Review - Taking on the Competition

If you are in a competitive market, you need to take chances on marketing yourself. For example - if there are five other coffee shops within swinging a cat you need to step it up. And if one of those shops happens to rhyme with Cartucks? You REALLY need to step it up. Product alone isn't going to get people in the door my friend. 

So - take a chance. Start with small weird things and build up to bigger weird things but for goodness sake try some weird things. Or the state of your business my friend are going to rhyme with ducked ...

#18: Jimmy The Bull - Take A Chance On Weird Marketing

Do you write a ton of great ideas down and then losing money by not acting on them? Me too! So let's chat about how your brain creates great ideas and how your lack of process to use it, just sucks and makes you less banana bread.

#20: Turning Lists in to Banana Bread

If you are a passionate reader who isn't a fan of wasting time on crappy books, then Wise Word Wednesdays is for you. As an entrepreneur, part of my learning curve is learning from the experts and reading everything I can to help my business.

This week we delve in to EMyth Mastery by Michael Gerber which provides a mix of story and practical advice on how to develop your business skills. Why? Because we all think that we probably have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. At least you do if you are considering being in the 10%. What we sometimes fail to realize is that taking the time to identify our skill weaknesses will make our business venture stronger in the long run.


#31: Wise Word Wednesdays - EMyth Mastery by Michael Gerber

Sometimes working from home can be great. Other times? People forget that working is as working does and working from home is still working. However, the great part can truly come in handy when life and family throw you a curve ball and you need to put on the Mommy hat and make the magic.

Sound familiar?

#33: EE - Entrepreflexible

Sometimes a book is just not in the cards as part of your learning style and that's just fine. Good thing there is Success Magazine. This resource is part self-help, part business building and part thought provoking.

I've been a devotee for the past three years and have no plans to give it up any time soon. Check out their website: http://www.success.com/ and see for yourself :)

Have a successful day!

#41: Wise Word Wednesdays - Success Magazine

The Huffington Post ran an article last year on "11 Things We Fake in Our Social Media Lives" and I love it. As part of my business (and my inherently nosy personality) I love the peeking in on other people's lives aspect of social media. I love the stories they tell. I love connecting with people over similar interests. But what I don't love is the fakery and insincerity of some accounts on behalf of businesses. I just want to shake them and say, "Really? Are you sure about that?". I thought it was just me. Then I read Unmarketing by Scott Stratten and felt a huge sense of relief. I was not alone in my frustration on the fake factor.

I've had Unmarketing on my shelf for a bit. I'm not sure why I held out but am so glad I got over whatever was holding me back. This book confirmed that the fake route, autotweeting, push marketing and all the other things that drive me crazy were in fact dumb. And bad for your business. And annoying. 
Thanks to reading this book I now have a deeper confidence in the slow but steady growth of my social media audience and the recommendation to my clients that they too embrace the WYSIWYG way.

One of the many things I love about this book is how each section is a manageable length for marketing newbies and filled with enough insight and actionable items for those more long in the marketing  tooth. The fact that it made me laugh out loud several times and managed to teach me so many great things? Well, that's a bonus worth passing on to others.

If you're more of a video learner, then do yourself a favor and check out one of many of Scott's keynotes, the unmarketing podcast and other videos of amazeballs via: https://www.youtube.com/user/stratola/featured.

Careful if you have a drink in your hand while you watch it. It's either coming out your nose or ending up in your lap at some point. Laughing or a forehead palm for the aha moments you'll have - keep it cold. You're welcome ;)

#75: Wise Word Wednesdays with the Amazeballs Unmarketing

Have you ever thought about your story? Would you know what to say? Until recently I didn't know. Ironic for a writer / communicator who is also a Gemini (Yes, I believe in astrology. Don't judge me. It's my story.)

When you've had some challenges in your life, they can become your story. I've had a few. More than a few. As they happened so close together, they became more of my story than I realized. It took a good friend telling me that they should be a part of my story for me to realize that I didn't want that anymore. It wasn't who I was.

SO! I went in search of my story. After two months of coaching and journalling and all that good stuff - I found it. Ever since I found it, my life has changed in so many ways.

My story now? I'm a teacher. It's not only what I do, it's what drives me. In business. In life. In friendships. In my family. It's what I need to do to feel like I'm contributing to society.

If you aren't sure what your story is, I encourage you to find out. I can guarantee you, it's worth the search!

#89: Get to Know Me - What's Your Story?

Have you ever wanted to attend a conference or event but the cost didn't work for you? Either what you would get out of the conference wasn't worth the price or your budget just wouldn't allow it? Consider volunetworking. 

Just about every large scale event you can think of depends on volunteers. Hiring staff to man all the areas of an event makes the budget near impossible to maintain and takes away from other things you could be offering. I guarantee you that event organizers are interested in getting free help. But the difference? How you treat the experience.

If you decide to reach out and create an opportunity, make the most of it. Be willing to go the extra mile if needed. Somebody else cancelled? Pick up the slack. Don't have your own business cards? Make sure you collect from everyone you meet and then connect on LinkedIn with a personal message that includes how you met. Make sure that you keep your social media posts professional and to a minimum. Check in at the location, a quick "it's great to be here" and a photo. Maybe one or two during the day while on a break. Add the event to the project section of your LinkedIn profile. And follow up with the organizers after thanking them for the experience!

There's a lot more ways to make an event work for you but the best is to remember to provide value to the organizers!

#104: Volunetworking - Grow Your Business and Attend Events!

I've spent years networking. Years I tell  you. At first on behalf of my employer but for the last 3 on behalf of me. That's scary for some people. It was for me. So I went to countless networking groups and events. This had its benefits in helping me craft my message, hone my offerings and getting my face in front of a lot of people. But it also wasted a lot of time. Time my business doesn't have to waste.

Now I network smarter and make opportunities happen out of that.

One of the things I've learned is the strength behind routinely evaluating the networking that you are doing. If you've been going to a group for a while and not got a stitch of business, that should be telling you something: either your message is off or the group isn't right for you. Regardless - it's time to make a decision. Continue going or find new opportunities. My business is important to me so I went seeking new opportunities.

It was through this decision that today's podcast came to be. I hope it encourages you to make the most of your networking time, take chances on meeting people you might not otherwise get to meet and build your reputation by networking smartly. After all - your business is counting on it.

#110: Network Smarter

Did you know that execution comes down to 3 main things? People. Strategy. Operations. Not those on their own but how the leadership abilities in charge of the organization engage with those three components.

Is your leadership style to delegate and then completely step away? Yikes. Are you a micromanager who builds distrust and angst within your team. Oy vey. Or do you take the time to have real conversations, give honest feedback and encourage debate and idea generation. Yeah!

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan deliver a book on leadership and how it impacts an organization's success or failure on project execution. We're talking a few thousand dollars to a few billion per project. Either you have what it takes or need to learn it quickly if you want your organization to succeed. 

With this book in your tool kit, I think you've got a better chance of less butt-covering, more authentic engagement and an even greater chance of becoming a better leader.

#121: Wise Words from Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan: Execution

I find it REALLY hard to stick to one subject. Partly because I read like a lunatic and partly because I have undiagnosed, treated with coffee, shiny things ADD. What I do find is that I tend to pick up on the little details that most people miss. That's how 30 or more was born. 30 and counting tips and hints about opportunities to fix or try out something new in communicating about your business.

I kick off talking about where your logo should be. Sounds silly but are you sure it's up to date on the millions of profiles and websites you might have set up to promote your business with? Are you taking advantage of 1 simple hint that takes minutes to set up and provides passive advertising every time you send an email?

If you've got 5 minutes, I've got 30 or more ways to get you communicating better :)

comms tips

#129: 30 or More - Where's Your Logo?

Do you sometimes step back from your business and think, "What in the hell am I doing this for?" I have. Lots. And then I figured out why. I wasn't listening to what drives me. That little voice that says, "Hell yes! This is what I was born to do!"

I was born to teach. Took me many years to figure that out. I was also born to solve problems and put out fires. I love it. Makes me do the Mambo when I get to do that. One way I feed that habit is by being an event planner. Nothing says run like a lunatic like being in charge of a team of people delivering an event with hundreds of attendees. It blows my kilt up in a big way :)

But if you haven't found your drive, or at least what drives you on certain aspects of your business, maybe it's time to take a look at why. Or better yet - who can you give those jobs to that rob you of your drive so that you can get back on track!

Interested? Listen on.

#131: What Drives You?

Have you ever sat down and thought about how bad communication creates risk in your organization? Or is it something that you figure you'll deal with when you have to? Today I chat with Dr. Jen Frahm who recognized back in 2001 that this topic was PhD worthy and has dedicated her studies and career to helping people change the way they communicate and improve their organization. Now grab a Chipwich, take a seat and let's get proactive.

#168: SparkTO2019 welcomes speaker Dr. Jen Frahm

What is the Future Looks Good all about? Supporting the Autism Community by providing experience and expertise to help folks move towards success. Sounds a bit vague right? Well, the truth is that success means different things to different people. We don't want to tell you what your success is. We want to help you find out what it is for you! Take a listen and see what we're trying to do to help make your Future Look Good!

Meet The Future Looks Good

#172: The Future Looks Good - Intro to Nanaworks and our why

What happens when something in your life just isn't working? Do you let it continue to not work for you and hold you back OR do you learn how to take a step towards the life you'd like to have? Here's where you can start to learn how. This isn't because someone has autism and they HAVE to change. It's because someone is autistic and they've CHOSEN to change something that is no longer working for them. It's about your choice!

#173: Future Looks Good - Getting Started with Change

Everybody struggles to make a change in their life. One way to make that easier is to turn to your network. See who is the right fit to help your change happen and make sure they don't have an agenda about helping you change. What does that mean? You'll have to listen to find out ;)

#174: Future Looks Good: Change Part 2

What is autism? Excellent question. Overall, it's a set of characteristics that individually are manageable. Collectively in one person? They can create an existence which requires some serious navigation skills in a society which does not normally embrace those who can be considered "different". Our point during this session with The Future Looks Good focuses on how the spectrum presents in so many different ways and it's time to embrace that.

#176: Future Looks Good - What is Autism? part 1

We're welcoming Vanessa Tomas back to further discuss the employment aspect of the National Autism Strategy.

#185: CASDA - Autism and Employment with Vanessa Tomas

When do you start thinking about where your autistic child is going to live? When they're 8 or 18? For some folks the conversation has to start as early as 8. Why? Because the supported housing wait list can be 10 years long. Join us as we discuss different housing options for autistic Canadians and how HAL-Labs is making a difference.

#188: CASDA - Autism and the Housing Crisis

We're here to chat about business, books, autism and a different way of doing things. Meet the agencies and organizations who are dedicated to improving the lives of autistic individuals and the autistic individuals helping them get it done. Did I mention we own a technology start up who's kicking the old way of coaching to the curb?

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