This conversation focuses on how organizations can better support neurodivergent people through universal design, better interviewing, and more objective performance systems. Katherine McCord shares practical ways HR and leaders can reduce masking, improve psychological safety, and make accommodations feel normal instead of special.We discuss why "different is not a deficit," how ego and trauma show up in workplaces, and how AI can help with interviewing, note-taking, and executive function when used thoughtfully.

Key topics

• Katherine shares her lived experience as neurodivergent, including seizure-related variances, OCD, bipolar I, and an undiagnosed factor that does not fit neatly into one category.
• She explains why interviewers should be trained to ask the same question in multiple ways, especially when interviewing literal thinkers or autistic candidates.
• We discuss onboarding as a paced, multi-modal process that should include visual, audio, and kinetic learning styles.
• Katherine offers two low-cost workplace supports that improve psychological safety: accessibility tools that let people adjust technology to their needs, and AI tools that help organize communication and reduce overload.
• Katherine says most workplace conflict around neurodivergent employees comes from either ego, trigger responses, or legitimate safety concerns that need curiosity and care.
• She closes by noting that HR often has less formal power than people assume, but progress is happening through committed HR, operations, and executive partners.

Timestamps

(00:00) Opening question on neurodivergence and self-identification
(00:26) Katherine breaks down her neurodiversity across medical, mental health, and learning categories
(01:56) Why rigid corporate policy still treats autism as a deficit
(03:51) Universal design as a workplace and life principle
(04:28) Equal value thinking and the difference between masking and compromise
(05:28) Anti-ego training and how defensiveness works in the brain
(07:18) Curiosity, communication styles, and building psychological safety
(08:40) Trauma, illness, hormones, and workplace-triggered ego
(10:33) Why the traditional resume should be fired
(11:13) Skills-first hiring and ignoring irrelevant titles
(12:38) Normalizing accommodations instead of making people ask for special treatment
(14:14) Why interviewers must learn to ask questions in multiple ways
(16:38) First 90 days onboarding mistakes and the need for thorough training
(17:42) Letting neurodivergent employees set their own pace
(18:42) Two zero-cost or low-cost adjustments that improve psychological safety
(19:41) Accessibility software that lets users control their environment
(20:58) AI for organizing communication and reducing repetition
(23:45) Best uses for AI in hiring, practice, and resume help
(24:40) Using AI to practice pushback and prepare for interview pressure
(25:33) AI for alternative question phrasing and live communication support
(27:47) AI for reminders, automation, and executive function support
(29:39) Rewriting performance reviews to focus on objective outcomes
(30:29) Measuring KPIs and team effectiveness with yes-or-no criteria
(33:21) Why conflict often comes from the manager’s ego or a trauma response
(35:31) The power of "Tell me more about that" in de-escalation
(36:35) Counseling-style empathy in workplace conflict
(37:46) HR’s limited formal power and why culture change still moves forward
(39:54) Katherine shares where to connect and the types of work she still takes

In this conversation, Kenneth Mims speaks with Dr. Katie Strom about her neurodivergence journey, how late diagnosis reshaped her research, and why complexity theory offers a better way to understand neurodiversity than deficit-based models. They also get practical about teacher preparation, masking, scaffolding, assessment, and what real inclusion should look like in classrooms and higher education. Dr. Strom shares how her lived experience, teaching, and writing connect through autoethnography, neuroaffirming practice, and her book Scaffolding the Language of Power. The throughline is clear: if schools want to support neurodivergent learners well, they need to move beyond awareness and into structural, relational, and collaborative change.

Key topics

• Dr. Strom explains her late-diagnosis journey, starting with anxiety and panic attacks in 2018, then ADHD diagnosis in 2023, and autism diagnosis in 2025.
• She describes how women often mask neurodivergence effectively, which can delay recognition and support.
• Her research centers on critical post-human perspectives on education and complexity theories on education, with neurodiversity emerging through autoethnography and self-study.
• Dr. Strom and a neurodiverse student wrote Pebbling Pedagogies, using the idea of “pebbling” as a way to think about care, recognition, and teaching through small meaningful gestures.
• She contrasts the medical model and social model with a complexity perspective, arguing that neurodivergence is produced through interacting systems rather than a single cause.
• Dr. Strom says a complexity lens is anti-deficit because it accounts for biology, environment, culture, work demands, trauma, and broader social pressures at once.

Timestamps

00:00 - “Are you neurodivergent?” and Katie’s diagnosis journey

00:47 - Anxiety, burnout, and realizing the symptoms were not the root cause

01:44 - ADHD diagnosis, autism diagnosis, and seeking a neuroaffirming assessment

02:37 - How neurodiversity fits into Katie’s broader education research

03:33 - Pebbling pedagogies and using small gestures as a teaching tool

05:40 - Why complexity theory beats the medical model’s either-or thinking

06:34 - From individual blame to systems thinking, genetics, and environment

08:55 - Why complexity is anti-deficit and helps during crises like COVID

10:23 - Moving from autism awareness to appreciation of difference

11:48 - Why diverse systems are stronger, richer, and more adaptive

14:15 - Gaps in teacher preparation and the problem with add-on training

15:39 - New teachers, low support, and turnover in the hardest schools

18:42 - Scaffolding sensory environments to reduce overwhelm

21:32 - Double empathy, communication barriers, and the mind-body split

24:09 - The case for sustained, school-based professional development

26:16 - Masking, unmasking, and what happens when coping strategies stop working

30:28 - Why standardized testing fails neurodivergent and multilingual students

32:20 - Competency-based assessment as a more meaningful alternative

34:58 - Communication autonomy and academic language as a language of power

37:19 - Breaking the dissertation into transparent, teachable genres

41:16 - Why policy must be co-created with teachers and educators

45:29 - Where to find Scaffolding the Language of Power

The views expressed are those of the guest, and this conversation is intended for general informational purposes only. This podcast and its associated materials should not be used as a substitute for professional medical, legal, or financial advice.

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Unlock the hidden strengths of neurodivergent students and learn how to transform their college journey with insights from Dr. Eric Endlich—psychologist, advocate, and author of Older Autistic Adults. Discover why understanding neurodiversity isn't just a personal breakthrough but a societal game-changer, especially as over half of Gen Z now identifying as neurodivergent shifts the landscape of higher education and beyond.Dr. Endlich shares his powerful story of diagnosis at midlife—which redefined his past and reshaped his future—shedding light on the relief, clarity, and empowerment that neurodivergence can bring. Through his journey with autism, he highlights how embracing neurodiversity benefits all of us—driving innovation, fostering inclusive environments, and expanding the definition of success.You'll discover:

• Practical steps to support neurodivergent teens transitioning to college, including self-advocacy, emotional awareness, and executive function skills.
• How progressive universities are creating autism-friendly campuses with universal design principles that make learning accessible for everyone.
• The importance of authentic disclosure and how to navigate the complex decision of sharing your diagnosis.
• The power of inclusive diversity—why neurodiversity should be recognized as a core element of campus culture and societal growth.
• Strategies for parents and students to build personalized college lists that maximize support, fit, and opportunity—beyond just prestige or rankings.

Whether you're a parent guiding a neurodivergent teen, an educator crafting more inclusive spaces, or a student charting your own path, this episode offers critical insights to reduce stress, unlock potential, and foster resilience. The future of higher education lies in embracing all minds—are you ready to be part of the change?Dr. Eric Endlich is a licensed clinical psychologist, educational consultant, and advocate for neurodiversity, working nationwide and internationally to create supportive pathways for neurodivergent learners. His work helps illuminate the intersection of mental health, education, and societal progress.Tune in for inspiring stories, actionable advice, and a vision for a more inclusive, understanding world—because neurodiversity is our collective strength.