Autism, community and the DataFam – with Adam Mico
Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people
04/24/23
•39m
About
Comments
Featured In
Adam Mico is the Principal of Data Visualization and Enablement at Moderna. He is a Tableau Visionary, 3x Tableau Ambassador, an Advisory Board Member of the Data Leadership Collaborative, and a member of the Tableau Speaker Bureau. In his spare time, he blogs, produces data visualizations, travels, and networks with the larger data community. He is autistic and supports diversity and inclusion efforts, which includes neurodiversity.
During this episode, you will hear Adam talk about:
- His multi-year journey to recognizing and accepting his autism
- How he discovered Tableau and data visualization as a career interest
- His transformative decision to "bet on himself" and leave his public sector job after 22+ years to switch careers and industries
- Finding the Tableau community where, for the first time in his life, he felt supported and safe enough to start "unmasking" his autism as an autistic professional
- The surprise and honor of being recognized for his contributions to the Tableau data community
- The "happy accident" that led him to the opportunity to write a published book
- How he mentors neurodivergent data professionals
- His advice on how to connect to the Tableau community online and join the #DataFam
Follow Adam on LinkedIn and Twitter and get his book "Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification: A prep guide with multiple learning styles to help you gain Tableau Desktop Specialist certification" on Amazon.
Are you an autistic person who works in the corporate world? Join the new LinkedIn Group for Autistic Corporate Professionals, a place to share advice and experiences with navigating corporate jobs, careers and workplaces.
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes!
Support this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds and get a shout-out on a future episode!
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
Previous Episode
Janelle Johnson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), is a wife, mother, and Founder of Bridges Family Life Center, a Systemic Therapy and Consulting group practice near Raleigh, North Carolina. An award-winning educator and innovative mental health leader, she is often sought out for her social justice advocacy regarding intersectionality of ableism, sexism, and racism. She currently serves as President of the NC Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. A graduate of NC State University and Chapman University, she has returned to her first alma mater as a doctoral student in the Educational Equity program.
During this episode, you will hear Janelle talk about:
- How she discovered she was autistic during an interaction with one of her clients
- Her experience in school as an undiagnosed autistic child
- How the struggles of a family friend sparked her lifelong interest in psychology
- The importance of having Black and brown therapists who can support Black and brown clients
- How she became a doctoral student in the Educational Equity program, researching the intersectionality of disability and race
- Her personal experience with unmasking as a Black autistic woman and code-switching
- How she teaches leadership teams how to have conversations about race, disability, and other challenging topics in ways that build organizational culture and connection
Find out more about Janelle and her work at the website for Bridges Family Life Center (her therapy and consulting group practice), on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Learn more about FACES for Autism, the advocacy and empowerment program for Black families raising autistic children that Janelle partners with as part of her doctoral research.
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes!
Support this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds and get a shout-out on a future episode!
This episode features a promo for The Other Autism, a podcast hosted by Kristen Hovet that explores late-diagnosed autism, with a focus on autistic women. Listen to The Other Autism at other-autism.buzzsprout.com or on your favorite podcast app.
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
Next Episode
Content note: This episode describes instances of medical trauma and mental health crises, and mentions violence and death.
Kate Wallinga is a forensic psychologist and crisis clinician by training, and currently hosts the podcast "Ignorance Was Bliss," which has surpassed 1 million downloads. Kate has ADHD, epilepsy, and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after having a near-death experience in childbirth and a grand mal seizure.
During this episode, you will hear Kate talk about:
- The origin story of the "Ignorance Was Bliss" podcast (and its tagline, "Didn't you feel better before you knew that?")
- How her life, neurotype, cognition and family relationships changed after her near-death experience and traumatic brain injury – including her experiences with amnesia and aphasia
- Why she describes herself as being broken, and why being broken is ok
- How her recovery means she has gotten to a new baseline, and doesn't mean going back to the way she was
- How she learned to give herself grace in her life, after everything she's been through
Listen to Kate's podcast "Ignorance Was Bliss" at IWBPodcast.com or on your favorite podcast player.
Follow Kate on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon and TikTok.
Listener shout-out! A big THANK YOU to Buna, a Beyond 6 Seconds listener, for supporting this podcast on BuyMeACoffee.com!
Support this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds and get a shout-out on a future episode!
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes!
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted