9. Wanda Deschamps, Liberty Co - What does it mean to be neurodiverse?

Free to Grow in Forestry - A podcast working to move #ForestryForward Welcome to the ninth episode of the Free to Grow in Forestry Podcast series where our host Kelly Cooper, CEO and Founder of Centre for Social Intelligence is joined Wanda Deschamps, Founder and Principal of Liberty Co. As a champion for inclusion, Wanda discusses disability employment and the importance of increasing the participation level of the neurodiverse population in the workforce, with a special emphasis on autism due to Wanda's own diagnosis at midlife. Wanda Deschamps is founder and principal of Liberty Co (liberty-co.square.site), a consultancy working to increase the participation level of the neurodiverse population in the workforce with a special emphasis on autism due to Wanda's own diagnosis at midlife. A champion for inclusion, she enjoys speaking and writing under the banner of the #InclusionRevolution, a worldwide movement launched in 2018 to spearhead broader thinking about disability - especially disability employment. She is also the catalyst behind the #Women4Women collective focused on gender equality through supporting other women. Combining these two goals provides an avenue for Wanda to be an advocate for women with autism, including as a participant in research into autistic women's experiences in the workplace. Outside of work she relishes time with family and friends, following the Pittsburgh Penguins, exercising, and reading biographies, as well as books about history and current affairs. Wanda lives in Waterloo with her husband and two sons. Together, we can move #ForestryForward. Learn more at www.freetogrowinforestry.ca ---- This podcast series is brought to you by the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Centre for Social Intelligence. The Canadian Institute of Forestry (www.cif-ifc.org) is the national voice of forest practitioners with an interdisciplinary membership across Canada working to ensure our forests are vibrant, healthy and sustainable. The Centre for Social Intelligence (www.centreforsocialintelligence.ca) empowers individuals and organizations to create inclusion and diversity in the workplace.