Autism Does Not Define YOU_Avoid the Maze 82625-Shea Belsky #327 #neurodiversity #podmatch

Please subscribe to our YouTube page to receive notices on all new podcasts as well helping us grow our audience. https://www.youtube.com/c/NewClevelandRadiohttps://newclevelandradio.net/If you would like to be a podcast host or guest please contact Karen at [email protected] Maze—because life itself is the maze. There’s no direct linefrom where we are to where we’re going. The journey twists, turns, and throwsobstacles in our way. But at each intersection, we have choices. And when we walk with mindfulness, we become more attuned to our surroundings—and theunexpected opportunities that rise with each step.You don’t have to navigate this path alone. There are others just like you, staringdown blank walls and wondering which direction to take next. This podcast is aspace for shared experiences—because sometimes, a story you hear may echo yourown. And that moment of connection might be exactly what you need.About Shea BelskyI was diagnosed with autism at two years old, at which point my doctors were not convinced that I would ever be able to live independently of my parents. With an IEP in one hand and incredible parents in the other, I began a journey of self advocacy to discover my own identity, strengths, and weaknesses.Graduating from high school mainstreamed, on-time, and with my peers, I attended Cornell University which truly put my self advocacy to the test. There, I discovered not just how to live, but to thrive: Fostering a group of friends I still meet up with to this day, connecting with the Cornell disability community, and finding gainful employment through summer internships at IBM and Google. I graduated with both my Bachelors and Masters of Professional Studies in Information Science, and began working at Wayfair as a software engineer.Within my first year at Wayfair, I had five different people managers. Though quite a whirlwind for me, this gave me an unexpected opportunity to find my own confidence in discussing autism and neurodiversity with each of them. I learned how to teach them and each team how to foster accessibility and equity for their disabled peers.At the same time, I would start the seeds of what would later become Mentra, a Sam Altman backed startup connecting neurodivergent jobseekers with gainful employment opportunities. I became the Chief Technology Officer and Technical Founder at Mentra in 2022, shaping not just the company's engineering culture but also its product direction and making critical business decisions. All the while, I'm working with organizations such as TD Bank, MIT, and Microsoft to foster meaningful neuroinclusion. I led a team of four software engineers, managing Mentra's end-to-end technology presence, providing meaningful coaching and career growth support to my engineers, and built out a job talent platform used by AWS, Microsoft, Pratt & Whitney, among many others.Today, I am a Tech Lead II at HubSpot and planting the seeds for HubSpot's official disability ERG. I continue to be an outspoken voice for disability inclusion and equity within HubSpot, both on my team and within my product group. I've been featured in the New York Post, Forbes, TechCrunch, and at the Davos World Economic Forum for my work on neurodiversity, inclusion, and autism acceptance. I host my own show, Autistic Techie, on neurodiversity in tech careers.https://www.facebook.com/autistic.techiehttps://www.sheabelsky.com/https://www.youtube.com/@autistic_techieIf you are looking for a Personal Coach contact Karen at #YESICAN coaching with [email protected] 526 1530