The Empowering Women Podcast
Interviews with successful career women from a variety of industries. We hope to empower women in their career aspirations, whether that's climbing a corporate ladder or becoming an entrepreneur.
The Empowering Women Podcast
Inchstones over Milestones with Sarah Kernion
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April is Neurodiversity Month - a time to expand how we think about communication, intelligence, progress, and belonging.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with writer, keynote speaker, and neurodiversity advocate Sarah Kernion, the voice behind Inchstones™, a movement redefining how we measure progress for children with profound autism and for the caregivers who support them.
Sarah shares the deeply personal journey that led her to become an advocate for neurodivergent families after two of her children were diagnosed with profound, non-speaking autism. Through storytelling, lived experience, and strategic insight, she challenges traditional narratives about milestones, success, and strength.
Together, Shannon and Sarah explore the idea that progress doesn’t always come in leaps. It often comes inch by inch. They also discuss how lessons from neurodiversity can reshape leadership, systems thinking, and the way organizations approach inclusion.
From redefining motherhood to celebrating small wins, this conversation is a powerful reminder that difference is not a deficit - it’s an adaptive advantage.
If you’re ready to rethink progress, leadership, and what it truly means to support one another, this episode is for you.
💬 Gems from Sarah:
“Difference isn't a deficit, it's actually an adaptive advantage. Our systems work better when they work for everyone.”
“The hardships of life don't happen to you; they happen for you.”
“I have to focus on their inchstones of development. If I don't, I will constantly be lagging behind what everyone else is expecting of them.”
“Strength is never the goal. Support, in any evolution, that's the goal.”
“Stories don't replace data or KPIs… but what they do is they give data a pulse.”
“You are allowed to be. There's no fill-in. You are allowed to be.”
“If you can, inchstone by inchstone, challenge all assumptions about what you are or are to be… it will change your life in more ways than you can imagine.”
Watch the Interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n5wJ1g8vuP8
🔗 Episode Resources & Links:
🌐Links, Newsletters, and Resources
📚 Books, Articles, and Concepts
OODA Loop (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act decision framework)
💼 Connect with Sarah on social media
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