Maybe I Can with Debbie Weiss

Ep. 80: Katherine's Journey from Childhood Role-Playing to HR Trailblazer

• Debbie Weiss / Katherine McCord • Season 1 • Episode 80

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Join us on "Maybe I Can," where we dive deep with the dynamic Katherine McCord, founder of Titan Management and a trailblazer in HR innovation. From her childhood role-playing sessions firing her own mother to becoming an international speaker and advocate for neurodiversity, Katherine’s journey is nothing short of inspirational. She thrives with her multiple physical and neuro diversities, firmly believing she is successful with her diagnoses. In this episode, we explore how she harnesses her unique strengths to push the boundaries of inclusion and innovation in the workplace. Get ready for a life-changing conversation that’s packed with actionable advice, bold truths, and a touch of humor.

Katherine's Links

https://www.titanmanagementusa.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mccord-093bb343/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDH88heZK21pHbo_aYt-sgA

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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to Maybe I Can, exploring possibilities one sprinkle at a time. If you've ever found yourself asking is this all there is to life, then you're in the right place. I'm Debbie author, speaker, entrepreneur and coach, and every Tuesday, I'm here to share a sprinkle of hope and inspiration. Together, we'll uncover the more More joy, more fulfillment, more prosperity, more fun. We'll share stories of transformation, actionable tips and that little nudge you need to take the next step. So let's embark on this journey of discovery and say maybe I can to a life filled with more, ready to find out. Let's get started. The maybe I can show starts now. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the maybe I can podcast. I'm your host, debbie weiss, and waiting in the wings.

Speaker 1:

I have an amazing guest who I'll introduce you to in one moment. Just wanted to let you know if you're listening to this real time and it's June 11th, 2024,. You have until Monday, june 17th, to take advantage of an amazing discount on my course. On my course, maybe I can begin to change my life. So if you are someone who's thinking so, this is it. Huh, where do I go from here? Or you just had a major life transition, maybe something you didn't expect and wondering now what this is the course for you. So until Monday, the 17th, you get $20 off. The course will only be $27 and I guarantee it will begin to change your life. The link is in the show notes. Otherwise you can go to debbirweisscom. Forward slash, begin, change and put in the code founder20 to receive $20 off. Okay, that's my little infomercial.

Speaker 1:

Now let's get to the good stuff. Let me introduce to you my guest, catherine McCord. I'm going to tell you a little something about her. From being the little girl who played HR, even firing her own mother, to the traveling HR entrepreneur and international speaker that she is now, catherine has had quite a journey. She has multiple physical and neurodiversities and says I am successful with my diagnoses, not in spite of them. And boy is. She previewed an innovative job board that fires the resume, an international speaker and the founder of the Neuroverse, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to neurodiversity. She developed the first ever anti-bias applicant tracking system and created the Make Accommodations Standard process and campaign. She loves to stay busy and further her three missions integrity, inclusion and innovation. With Catherine, it's all about expanding humanity. Catherine, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me, Debbie. I'm excited to be here with you today.

Speaker 1:

Oh, me too. Before we even get started, I just have to share on a personal note that my oldest son is neurodiverse and I just love the term and I love everything that it stands for and I love that you are getting this message out there.

Speaker 2:

Thank, you and you know what my favorite term is. Now, though, I've been seeing this circulating and it just tickles me no end is neuro spicy. I'm like I love that Cause. Like we sound like we're just a little hodgepodge of spices, like I just picture a spice rack of people and I think that's kind of accurate, so I think it's really funny yeah.

Speaker 1:

I absolutely love that and I'll tell you when I think about my son, he is definitely neuro spicy.

Speaker 2:

There you go and I'll tell you when I think about my son. He is definitely neuro spicy. There you go. And by the way, for anybody listening that doesn't know, neurodiversity is just a medically visible and or diagnosable difference and how you process. So on the medical side, just like cerebral palsy and MS, on the on the you know, learning and communication spectrum, it's autism, dyslexia, adhd, dyspraxia, all that and then all the way over to the mental health diagnoses as well. So it's a broad spectrum. That's all we're talking about, just so you know.

Speaker 1:

No, I appreciate that, and that was going to be my second question, so thank you for that. So now, before I get started with all the other things running through my own brain, you have to share with everyone the answer to my signature question, which is tell me about a time where you went from a defeated I can't attitude to an empowering maybe I can mindset.

Speaker 2:

Well, it wasn't exactly an, I can't. But I'm going to tell you a story where I went from like a oh you've got to be kidding me mindset. So, um, I have. One of my five million diagnoses is that I have a seizure disorder. And when I designed the applicant tracking system, I was going to web summit, which is a massive convention. Even during covid, there were 40 000 people there, okay, and so this was this is huge, this is a big deal for me, and I was going to present my product to these humans and so, like thousands of humans, right at this mega event, I'd flown, you know, halfway across the globe to do it and I'm by myself in this beautiful country portugal is absolutely incredible, by the way um, and I wake up and you know you're supposed to present your product and it is a time thing because I don't have all day, because there's you lot of things going on and you're supposed to memorize your speech and all this kind of stuff.

Speaker 2:

I woke up, had two seizures and completely forgot my speech. It's gone and I was going, oh boy, and I could barely eat. And one thing, too, that happens to me when I've had my seizures is that even reading becomes difficult, at least for a short time. So I'm sitting there and I'm like, oh, you have got to be kidding me, this is not the time for this. And I thought, okay, so what do we do next? Right, what do I do? I'm like step one, I'm going to need some accommodations. So I immediately messaged my liaison. I'm like help, this is the thing, this is what I need. They arranged for a seating closer to the stage for me. They arranged. They arranged some different, like somebody to meet with me to make sure I got there, got in safely, all kinds of things. It was really really incredible on their part. And they did agree that I could read my speech. But then I had to practice reading it, right, because now my mind is even like mixing that all up. So I'm reading it, I'm getting it over and over because I don't want it to sound red, right, you know, I still want it to sound good. So I'm just practicing, practicing, practicing, trying to get ready while doing this, you know. And so I walk the couple of blocks to the facility. I calmed down enough physically to do this, and but I get there and I'm still struggling and I'm like, god, dang it like. This is, this is this is like we're not having this. This is gonna happen. I'm going to do this.

Speaker 2:

And the people started. The other speaker started showing up I was the first one there and the other one started showing up and they all just started encouraging me and being so wonderful. A couple of them could kind of tell something was going on. They came over and were extra supportive Incredible, incredible experience. My liaison was beyond helpful. One of the event managers even came over and was like hey, how's it going? Are we helping you enough? Do you have everything you need? And I got up on that stage. I was the third one to go. It wasn't exactly a pitch fest, that's not right, but it was. You present your product and I get up there and I said so. You may notice, I'm going to read my speech today and it's because I had two seizures this morning and I forgot everything, so I'm going to need you to bear with me, but it's all okay, because I'm here to talk about inclusion.

Speaker 2:

Bam went right into it and what was interesting was what came from. That is that people connected with me. I had people even a year later go. I remember you. Hey, I just was thinking about you and that, when you got up and you said that, like this made me think about this and this, and people came up and told me their stories about their kids, um, and really connected, and I thought, huh, you know, I, I I talk about this stuff generally, but I I don't like get super personal right, and this was a few years ago and I thought, well, forget that, I'm just going to start really letting the floodgates out. And so now I get extremely personal and all that, and it completely changed my career and, ultimately, even just my life and how I function and work. So there you go, I absolutely.

Speaker 1:

I love that story on so many levels. One, that so many people were incredibly supportive. And two, when you go out there and you do tell your truth, it is amazing what happens and I have experienced that myself firsthand. And when you have that connection with somebody because if you're not yourself, then how are you going to have that connection?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, right.

Speaker 1:

I mean, it seems so obvious.

Speaker 2:

I hate the like authentic, like be authentically you kind of thing. It's just so overused, you know, but really that's kind of it. So what I tell people is do you do whatever's natural in that moment, like whatever feels comfortable and right in that moment, and and there are times when I hold back a little more than normal because that's just not the mood I'm in. And then there are times that I really even push further than I normally would because I think that that's what will help my audience and so, um, yeah, I think. But so it's just about being doing what's natural and pushing your boundaries. Push those boundaries, like expand what is natural for you, you know, getting out of that comfort zone it works.

Speaker 1:

I know I agree. So I've got to ask you growing up, I mean, were you always I know that you know you've always been a budding entrepreneur, but were you, did you always embrace your neurodiversity, or was there a time growing up where it was a struggle?

Speaker 2:

So that's a great question, actually, so, and a good way to frame it. So we my family realized really early on that I had two of my four diagnoses the OCD and the misophonia. And misophonia just basically means that certain sounds actually do break up my neuro processes and it stinks. So they figured that out early on and my parents did this incredible thing where they taught me to steer into it and to work with it, not against it. They taught me how to accommodate myself where I needed it and then how to use these things as a benefit, especially the OCD, because there's actually some really cool stuff that comes with that Wait.

Speaker 1:

I got to interrupt. How'd they know that?

Speaker 2:

You know it's funny. They just, you know, I've asked both of them completely separately, like but how did you know to do this? And dad goes. Well, I'm an educator, so I just started educating you and I can see what you and my dad's very intuitive and so he can just read his students and see what's working and what's not right.

Speaker 2:

My mother is was originally an rn and then moved to human resource and just again just kind of understand. So she understood some of the medical and all this. But honestly, they just did what came naturally to them. I'm like you two were just born for parenting like I don't know what else to say about you two like they were, they were really, from this standpoint, they were absolutely extraordinary and and they steered into it. So then, later. So I always grew up with those two, you know, didn't think twice about it.

Speaker 2:

The bipolar was the one that was the hardest to adjust to. That was the one that was and it took years but I learned to manage it even without medication and I successfully manage it for over a decade. Now I have to manage it even without medication and can. Now. I successfully manage it. For over a decade now I have successfully managed it no medication, no, nothing, uh, other than lots of work and lots of very specific processes, very specific accommodations, all of that I just and a lot of self-mapping and self-worth.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, so I grew up um, I don't know, I didn't, I didn't have any of that pain that a lot of people experience. I didn't have any of that. Something was wrong with me, you know, and I did know like I was aware that some of my OCD stuff was bizarre, right and that some of it made other people uncomfortable, but I never felt bad about myself and it was that's actually what motivated me to get into the work that I do now. It's not my story. It's that I realized that other people didn't have that. They were made to feel bad, they were made to feel less than they were made to feel like they were doing things wrong, and I was just like, yeah, no, that's, that's not it. I just decided to start making some change.

Speaker 1:

So did you go right from the get-go into this particular field, or did you just start somewhere else?

Speaker 2:

No, I did everything under the sun because I wanted to it wasn't like I was getting fired from jobs or anything, I just wanted to. I learned that, okay, bye, you know, just would go on to the next thing and I love to learn and I love to grow and so, um, it just was natural. But I always had that, you know, want to educate. I always had that passion for HR and all that along the way, and I'd always kind of end up doing things along those lines. Uh, eventually ended up working at a recruiting firm, eternally grateful for that.

Speaker 2:

I took to recruiting. I mean, it was the most natural. It's like it's like a whale, a baby whale, how they just automatically swim. It was like that. It just was super seamless. Um, and then I just decided to do things better and treat people better than I saw and treat my clients better, treats my candidates better, change things, do things better, and so that's when I started my business. But yeah, no, it was not linear like at all. It was the most. I worked for the travel partner to the Dallas Cowboys for a while. That was awesome. I've, you know, I've worked at a pet hotel, I've worked at in payment processing, like everything, like a weighted table. They did everything you know. So you know, I tell people all the time like, don't feel bad, if you job hop, it's okay. It just means that you have a non-linear path to whatever you're doing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, you know, I don't know if you well, obviously you didn't have the same experience but one of the things that I would say for my son growing up is, when you have those invisible disabilities, right, I always wanted to put a t-shirt on him that listed all his diagnoses so he wouldn't get teased or everybody wouldn't look at it, and even teachers weren't nice to him because he could be disruptive. You know, and teachers, I've had some horrible experiences myself in IEP meetings where I can't believe the way they talked about my son and I thought to myself imagine the message they're sending him day in and day out in class, right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I know it's horrible what they do. I was just talking about that earlier today and it's it's a one thing that a lot of people don't understand, and now there's tons of science about this. So PLOS, genetics, johns Hopkins National Institute of Health, national Library of Medicine, are just four sources of many that they've now figured out that benefits inherently come with these disabilities, because our body and our minds are designed to balance each other out. Now you can get on social media. You can find extreme cases of literally anything okay, and those can be very challenging, unique cases, and so I want to give grace to those situations as well.

Speaker 2:

But 99.9% of the folks in the neurodivergent community neuro-spicy, if you will have incredible gifts that help them to succeed in the workplace, to succeed in life, and that make them extraordinarily cool, unique people to work with. Hewlett Packard had a program where they embraced everybody working in ways that were natural to them and comfortable to them and just let all kinds of different crazy things go, and what they found is that people became 33% more productive, they were happier, healthier, more innovative, which resulted in higher profits and higher customer satisfaction. So you want these humans. You want these humans to function in ways that are natural. It doesn't help to hire them and then tell them don't be you. That's completely counterproductive. So you have to hire them and then use universal design to make sure that they are able to function in ways that are natural to them.

Speaker 1:

And are you finding? I mean, I think that's amazing was Hewlett Packard, one of you know, the first large companies to embrace that philosophy?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, oh yeah, hewlett Packard is one of the leading sources of all of the neurodiversity workplace data and support that we have right now, actually, of all of the neurodiversity workplace data and support that we have right now. Actually, they were talking about neurodiversity before anybody else was. Let's put it that way. It's really incredible. So, yeah, like huge kudos to them, but I've seen it work with smaller companies. I've seen it work in schools, I've seen it work in homes, to to start just really steer again, steering into who people are.

Speaker 2:

So if somebody, you know, wants to have squishy balls that they're constantly fidgeting with while they're talking to you, or if they want to sit on a yoga ball so that they can focus better on you, if they want to work in symbiotic work cells, you know, even students, you know why does everybody have to do their own stuff? No, that's not real life. People rely on each other. Come together, collaborate. You know this kind of thing. Let people work in ways that are natural to them, you know. And these standardized I'm just going to throw this out there for the second time today Standardized tests have got to go because they're shaming people who are high functioning, intelligent, bright, remarkable humans into thinking that they stink and they're stressing teachers out, so they got to go.

Speaker 1:

but exactly so. It's basically taking differentiation that they should be doing in school and just applying it to adult real life in the work world.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, here's the thing you know just support people where they're at, just whatever the kid needs to be doing to help them focus, to help them learn. That's the thing you know, that and just and just steer into who these little humans are themselves. And the same thing needs to be happening in the workplace. That's how we, that's how we get the best production out of.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. You know what does somebody who's neurodiverse, who is applying somewhere? And you know you don't know nowadays do you disclose your diversity?

Speaker 2:

You know that's such a hard question because there's so many people out there that just suck.

Speaker 1:

Sorry, I just got to say it no, I don't know, they do.

Speaker 2:

Like they discriminate actively, passively, whatever. People make a lot of assumptions about what people can and cannot do based on diagnoses. So here's what I tell people. This is, this is just my advice. Like, look, if you're like me and you just don't care and you're just going to tell people anyway, then God bless, good for you If you really need a paycheck and this is something that is extremely concerning to you, which is perfectly fine or if you just are a private person. I know plenty of people in the neuro-spicy community or disability communities that are just private people. Here's the thing Companies don't really need to know your diagnosis. What they need to know is what you need and how it helps. Okay, so you can just say this is what I need, which, by the way, is a complete sentence. There is no question mark at the end of that. There's no room for feedback. It's just this is what I need. This is what I need, period, and this is how it will help me in this scenario.

Speaker 2:

So if you're interviewing, for instance, like, let's say, you're like me and you on camera is just not always a thing Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not Then what you say is hey, you know um this, mr Mrs interview person. Just so that you know I I interview best with camera off. It helps me to focus on on what you're saying and it helps me to do to perform my best. So I'll be having my camera off today. I look forward to speaking with you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's it, that's it. That's that's the thing, um and and you can do the same thing with workplace accommodations in a lot of cases, because a lot of accommodations are actually very simple. So if you just say what and how, it helps, it's, it's something that can be worked with. Um and and when you do have a company that forces like, makes you go to HR, fill out all the dumb paperwork and blah, blah, blah, just make sure, make sure that you talk to them about, make it all about how this is going to help you be more productive. In other words, I'm not the sickie, this is just what I need. You don't happen to have it in place, no big deal. We're just going to fix that real quick. And again, employers make accommodation standard options. Everybody has unique needs. Just take care of the humans. It works.

Speaker 1:

Couldn't agree more. So I am sure, tell me how you feel that you've built your own sense of resiliency. Has it always been something? Have you always been resilient? Has there been certain milestones or obstacles that helped you?

Speaker 2:

Yes, no, I mean, puberty helps literally nothing for anybody right like so I mean that is so true.

Speaker 2:

Oh my goodness like normal puberty stuff mixed with game on early onset of bipolar. That was super fun um, which I wasn't allowed to be technically diagnosed at that time, but that is when it kicked in. So that was not fun, but honestly, no, it was. I was kind of born with this like, well, if you don't like me, I guess you're defective, I don't know how to help you, and just awesome, whatever I was, I also constantly firmly believed that everyone wanted to hear my opinion when I was a small child and I would literally talk to everybody about whatever it was that I thought. So so, yeah, I was just kind of bored this way. Yeah, okay, fair enough, it really was. And then, and then I did have, like I said, I did have to learn to to deal with bipolar, especially through puberty, which was not fun, but no, it was kind of natural for me honestly, which, if you met my mother, would make a lot of sense, which make OK. And what about?

Speaker 1:

the same thing with fear Like you didn't have. You were never fearful to put yourself out there or any, any. You know all of your entrepreneurial adventures.

Speaker 2:

I would get stressed. I don't get stressed about, like you know, like putting food on the table and stuff like that that's not typically a thing that I experienced but because I just have a lot of confidence in myself but I will have, I'm not going to meet the goal I set, and that stresses me out. In other words, it's more internal. I guess the only other thing is there are points where I think you know, is what I'm doing going to? How is this going to affect my career in the future? So I'm very careful about, I'm very meticulous about the things I say, the things I do, the people I interact with, even my clients, that kind of thing, because everything is out there nowadays right. So I like to be very sure that everything is in alignment with my three missions of integrity, inclusion and innovation. And as long as that's in place, we're good to go.

Speaker 1:

Good for you Changing the subject just a teeny little bit because we don't have too much time left, because it goes way too fast with only 30 minutes, especially when I'm talking to someone so interesting as yourself. So some of my listeners could be in a place of career transition, entering the workplace for the first time, thinking of trying something completely new. What advice would you give someone who's looking to switch careers, pivot or reenter the workplace?

Speaker 2:

Research, research, research, research, research, lots of research, research, how how the unemployment is fluctuating in that particular field. Research, growth research, salary trends. Speak to people actually in the job, multiple people actually in the job see what that's like and find people who will shoot straight the oh, my job is so great, everything about it is perfect.

Speaker 2:

No, um, and and find people, uh, find potential mentors, things like that, whether you're starting a business or anything like that, and I do like sectioned off mentors, right, I do like, uh, this is my mentor for this particular facet of things, and then this one does this. So find your mentors. Lots of research, talk to the humans and and be smart. Have a plan. Don't just really like, oh, this sounds fun, I'm just going to do this. Have a plan because right now, the market is crazy, so strategy is everything. And get on LinkedIn. There's some cool humans posting free information to help you.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I was just going to ask you. So is that where you would suggest looking for mentors and for people in the field?

Speaker 2:

if you don't know anyone. Yes, all of the LinkedIn. Linkedin, 100%. Yes, that's where you belong.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful. So again, I can't believe how quickly this went and we didn't get enough time to chat about all the things. But before we wrap up, can you share with us where people can find you and about all the different things that you're doing?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So LinkedIn, linkedin, linkedin. Come find me, talk to me, even about personal stuff, I do not mind. You can email me at kmccord, at type management usacom. My speaker site is kmccord speakingcom and outside of that I'm always speaking or teaching something or somewhere. So find me. And I do have an event that we're planning in New York City this year for neurodiversity in August. So if you're interested in that, attending, being a vendor, being a sponsor, please reach out to me. It's going to be really exciting to be at Grand Central Station.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I'd love to hear more about that. So I'll reach out to you after we're done and certainly all we have we'll have all the links in the show notes so you can find Kate and I can't thank you enough for coming on the Maybe I Can podcast and hopefully there'll be a part two, because there's just too much more that we want to talk about.

Speaker 2:

I would come back anytime, Debbie. Thank you so very much for having me Okay.

Speaker 1:

Thank you and everyone else. Thank you for listening and until next time else. Thank you for listening and until next time. Thanks for spending part of your day with me here on Maybe I Can, exploring possibilities, one sprinkle at a time. It's been great having you and I hope you're leaving with a spark to light up your journey to more. Remember every big change starts with a single maybe. If you're ready to kickstart that change but not sure where to begin, I've got just the thing for you Head over to download my free guide, the One Critical Step to Kickstart Change and take that all important first step. Let's make those maybes into reality, one sprinkle at a time. Catch you next Tuesday at 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific, with more stories, tips and that extra push you might need. I'm Debbie saying goodbye for now, but always remember maybe, just maybe, you can.

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