In this episode of Accessible Disruption, the hosts are joined by Yush Sztalkoper, founder of NeuroSpark+, to tackle the overlooked "human capacity risk" inherent in today's rapid AI-driven transformations. Yush argues that while companies rigorously assess technical and financial risks, they often fail to evaluate if their workforce has the biological bandwidth to absorb change. She introduces her strategic approach, "stabilize first," positing that human nervous systems must be regulated and secure before they can effectively adopt new technologies; otherwise, organizations risk stalled adoption and widespread burnout.

The conversation dives deep into the intersection of neurodiversity and leadership, with Yush sharing how her journey raising a twice-exceptional son revealed that standard corporate systems often force individuals to "mask" their struggles until they reach a breaking point. She outlines her framework of five human domains, wiring, regulation, energy, processing, and belonging, and advocates for "universal design" in the workplace. By designing systems that support the "edges" (neurodivergent needs), leaders actually create better, more sustainable conditions for the entire workforce, preventing the "chronic override" that leads to exhaustion.

Finally, the group explores the practical application of AI as a "maximizer" rather than just a replacement, discussing how tools like large language models can act as accommodations that bridge executive function gaps for neurodivergent and neurotypical brains alike. The episode concludes with a call for leaders to move beyond rigid standard operating procedures and develop the empathy to recognize when their teams have hit their limits. To learn more about human readiness advisory, visit NeuroSpark+ or connect with Yush directly on LinkedIn.

In this episode of "Accessible Disruption," hosts Anthony Vade and Tahira Endean speak with Jenny Sauer-Klein about her career in making change accessible and appealing. Jenny shares how she first disrupted the traditional yoga world with AcroYoga, a practice she co-founded that combines yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage. She contrasts the somber, individualistic nature of traditional yoga conferences with AcroYoga's exuberant, playful, and community-based approach. The practice was designed to reward strength as well as flexibility and emphasize that "we can do more together than we can alone".

Jenny explains that pioneering AcroYoga required overcoming participants' initial fears and limiting beliefs. The key was building trust and confidence through gradual, incremental steps and creating psychological safety. She used playful, non-acrobatic icebreakers to build rapport, enabling strangers to feel safe enough to try more risky physical movements together. Jenny later applied these values of trust, connection, and playfulness to the corporate world through "The Culture Conference". She also discusses the difficult decision to leave AcroYoga, which taught her the importance of letting go of projects and following what is "most alive".

The conversation focuses on Jenny's latest project, the "conference for conferences," which aims to disrupt boring, disembodied corporate events. She criticizes the standard "flat line" conference model, keynotes, breakout workshops, fireside chats, and panels, as a passive "sit and listen" experience. Instead, she advocates for minimizing information dissemination and maximizing the collaborative, interactive potential of in-person gatherings. She details her "Primary Shift" framework, which involves identifying where an audience is starting "from" and where the event needs to take them "to". Jenny encourages event organizers to be transparent with audiences when experimenting and to create "brave spaces" where both presenters and attendees can take risks together.

Connect with Suzanne Dameron today: Suzanne Dameron
Learn more about Suzanne’s Work: Third Edge Studio

Suzanne Dameron, MS, APR, a distinguished communications consultant and FourSight facilitator, joined the Accessible Disruption podcast to discuss the power of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in navigating change. After more than 20 years in public relations, Dameron formed The Third Edge Studio to focus fully on CPS and change management, defining her work as leading organizations toward resilience through process. She outlined the modern four-step CPS process, which is practical and already used by humans unconsciously every day. The four steps are: Clarifying (understanding the present situation), Ideating (generating ideas), Developing (making the best idea workable), and Implementing (taking action).

The discussion highlighted that while everyone has the capacity for all four steps, people have cognitive preferences for certain steps —a key insight derived from the Foresight thinking profile work. These preferences explain why the same process can be draining for one person and energizing for another. The CPS process is inherently resilient and relies on the core principle of separating the generation of options (divergent thinking) from the selection of options (convergent thinking) in each step, a refinement of traditional brainstorming. Dameron named her company, The Third Edge Studio, after the concept of the "third edge," or liminal space, which is the often uncomfortable space of transition and ambiguity where transformation occurs.

Dameron stressed that CPS is specifically designed to address complex problems—those with multiple possible solutions, making it a vital tool for navigating the rapid pace of change in the current era. She emphasized the vital role of a facilitator in guiding individuals and teams through these challenges, ensuring they don't get stuck and helping them deepen their thinking beyond what they could achieve alone. The process works by inviting collaboration and helping people find their own solutions, which builds resilience and better human skills, such as tolerance for ambiguity and better listening. Her call to action was for listeners to research CPS and explore the concepts in the book Good Team Bad Team.