Autistic Techie
By Shea Belsky
Categories: Business, Careers, Health & Fitness, Mental Health
Navigating the tech world as a neurodivergent professional comes with unique challenges and strengths. This podcast is a space for neurodivergent technologists to share their experiences, strategies, and successes. Whether you’re figuring out workplace communication, advocating for accommodations, or simply looking for a sense of community, we bring you real stories and practical insights to help you thrive in your career while staying true to yourself.
42 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Autistic Techie - Trailer
Hi there, I’m Shea Belsky. I’m an autistic advocate, software engineering manager, and former startup Chief Technology Officer.Navigating the workplace can be extremely challenging for neurodivergent folks. Figuring out unspoken social norms, masking all the time, and fighting with sensory…
- The Neurodivergent Crash Course on Feeling Overwhelmed
Ever felt overwhelmed before? Yes you have - No need to put on a brave face or mask and pretend that you haven't. Really. We've all been through times when we just want to pull our hair out and scream. Or perhaps your physical state for feeling overwhelmed looks different - Maybe you need to step…
- Interviews Are Conversations, Not Confrontations
Ever feel like you walk into an interview just to be interrogated? It's no fun, and you shouldn't feel like that's the norm. Job interviews are supposed to be back and forth conversations between you and the company you'd like to work for. Listen in on how to make interviews a two-way street, or…
- It Takes A Village, and Veronica Yao is a Welcoming Mayor
Being neurodivergent on the job can sometimes feel alienating. Other times you'll find your tribe and think to yourself "Where was this my entire life?" Veronica Yao is the manager of the Neurodivergent Careers Facebook group, boasting more than eighty thousand neurodivergent folks all looking to…
- Art, Autism, and Wacky AI with Schuyler Dragoo
What's it like to be a goose enthusiast at the intersection of art, autism, and AI creativity? I could think of no one better to answer these burning questions than Schuyler Dragoo. She is the Chief Strategy Officer of Kiingo AI, a recent graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and a…
- It's A [Boston] Marathon, Not A Sprint
I'm back! I've been training for the Boston Marathon for the last few months. Preparing for this race has given me the opportunity to reflect on my own state of mind: Being prepared with the right tools to succeed, having to manage unknown and unpredictable situations, creating resilience when…
- Empathic ADHD Therapy & Coaching with Jordan Schatz, the ADHD Guru
Receiving therapy and coaching is good for the mind & soul! But what if the practitioner really knew what it was like to be you? Jordan Schatz is the ADHD Guru, a licensed therapist and coach helping neurodivergent people like us unpack their lives and take it all back. Jordan and I had the chance…
- Accessibility Advocacy and Self-Expression with Meenakshi Das
Software engineer and accessibility advocate Meenakshi Das joins Shea to talk about integrating accessibility into tech, regardless of your job title. As a Software Engineer 2 at Microsoft and vice chair of Teach Access, Meenakshi shares how she brings a disability lens to everything she works on…
- Instructing the Instructors on Neurodiversity with Tracy King & InspireEd
Learning strategist and neuroinclusion expert Tracy King joins Shea to explore how training, education, and professional development can be reimagined with cognitive diversity in mind. As CEO of InspireEd and chair of the IACET neuroinclusion working group, Tracy breaks down what it really means…
- Autistic Autonomy, Independence, and Flourishing with ASPIE-R
Blake Baumann and Pickens Calhoun of ASPIE-R (pronounced "aspire") join Shea to talk about what it means to truly support autistic individuals; not just with accommodations, but with purpose and pride. Blake shares the personal journey that led him to found ASPIE-R, a coaching and mentoring…
- Be Honest With Your Needs - Not Just Your Wants
What do you need - not just what you want? It's a challenge to unpack the often-messy intersection between personal needs, social expectations, and workplace dynamics. Don't force yourself to go to that event if you don't have the spoons for it. The LAST thing you want to do is crash and burn and…
- Square Pegs, Round Holes, and Honest ADHD Talk with Sue Day
You shouldn't have to fit a square peg through a round hole! Do you feel like a square peg constantly being forced into a hole you cannot fit through, no matter what? ADHD coach Sue Day joins us to explore how neurodivergent people can find structure, self-compassion, and success...without masking…
- Every Day a New Neurodivergent Mask with Author & Journalist Kristof Morrow
Author, filmmaker, and award-winning journalist Kristof Morrow joins Shea to talk about creativity, masking, and resilience as a multiply neurodivergent and disabled person. Kristof shares his journey through abuse, self-discovery, and artistic expression while living with autism, ADHD, and…
- Acing the Interview: Make Your Resume Reflect the Real You
Working on your resume can feel like watching paint dry. Neurodivergent brains have it even worse off than our neurotypical peers: Getting hung up on the words, formatting, it can take an hour just to jot down a paragraph or two. Then there's the impostor syndrome: What if recruiters don't like…
- Transitioning from User Experience Leadership to Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy with Dr. Alison Greco
Clinical psychologist and UX researcher Dr. Alison Greco joins Shea to talk about Parathera, her innovative platform that bridges the gap between “I’m fine” and full-scale therapy. With a background in anxiety treatment, user experience leadership, and parenting a neurodivergent son, Alison brings…
- Allyship and Inclusion Are More Than A Two-Way Street with Dr. Victoria Mattingly
Organizational psychologist and workplace inclusion expert Dr. Victoria Mattingly joins Shea to explore what real allyship looks like - especially for neurodivergent professionals. From her early work in leadership development to launching "Men as Allies" training, Dr. V shares how data-driven…
- Focus Bear App: Reclaim Your Productivity And Eliminate Distractions with Jeremy Nagel
Getting distracted can be one of the worst things to happen to neurodivergent folks trying to get work done. Fortunately, there's an app for that: Focus Bear! Designed and developed by AuDHD founder Jeremy Nagel, Focus Bear blocks distractions from biting you at the worst possible times so that…
- Let Me Process That: Communication on Your Own Terms
If you need a moment to take in a conversation before replying, you're far from alone. Figuring out the right kinds of styles for you to communicate in take time and effort. Let's talk about how to empower YOU to be more thoughtful about your own terms for meetings & communication. Whether you…
- You’re in the Hyperfocus Zone! How To Protect Yourself And Avoid Burnout
Hyperfocus - Sounds exciting and a bit scary, right? You might be familiar with the feeling of spending hours on a particular task, or accomplishing lots of little tasks. But what expense does hyperfocus incur on neurodivergent people? How can you protect yourself and recognize when you're on the…
- From Chaos to Clarity: Jennifer Chou's ADHD Journey to 80K Followers And Owning Her Brain
What even is ADHD hacking? Is it possible to stick joysticks in your brain like Plankton did in that Spongebob episode and actually do everything that has to happen? Jennifer Chou has done that and more, cultivating more than 80 thousand social media followers across Instagram and TikTok. Sure we…
- Deep Dive Into “Working With Me” Documents and How They Can Peel Back Your Brain
"Spelling it out" for people doesn't have to be hard. On the contrary, you can get into as much detail about your brain and working style as you want. The trick is to do so in a way that actually empowers your boss and team to help you, and not feel inundated with information. Enter the Working…
- Late Diagnosed AuDHD, Leadership, and What Masking Means To Me with Nicola Knobel
What's your internal "script" that you follow when dealing with troublesome situations? If you have to consciously remember to keep a straight face when confronted with something stressful, you are far from alone. Nicola Knobel spent most of her life masking, frustrated with having to defend her…
- Crossover Episode with Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Don’t Just Survive - Thrive On The Job
Special crossover episode! I had the honor of joining forces Sean Gill from Neurodiversity in the Workplace for their podcast. Together, we dove deep into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by neurodivergent people in and out of the workplace. Landing a job isn't just about surviving…
- Building A Formula For Your Neurodivergent Mask
Do you want to build a mask? It's summer in the USA, so no snowmen here. But you're always going to be wearing a mask to get through tough situations. Interviews? Networking events? Parties? Snowman building parties with corporate matchmaking afterwards? Our newest episode talks about the process…
- Autistic Empathy, Workplace Politics, and Saying The Right Things with Adam Compton
In this episode of Autistic Techie, I sit down with Adam Compton, a principal software engineer with over two decades of experience at top tech companies. We explore Adam's journey from a childhood fascination with computers to mastering complex systems at companies like Slack and Quantcast. Adam…
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