Episode 5: What Nobody Tells You About Getting a Job Guests: Sarah Ballard & Jack Palit

Job seeking is hard. For autistic people, it can feel like navigating a system designed to exclude you. Career practitioner Sarah Ballard and Community Admin Manager Jack Palit bring their complementary perspectives — one supporting NDIS clients through complex employment barriers, the other with lived experience in the disability and allied health space — to unpack the unspoken realities of finding work as an autistic person. Practical, warm and full of the kind of advice you won't find in a standard careers guide.

Episode 4: The Hidden Cost of Fitting In at Work Guest: Xavier Gunn

Masking at work has a price — and for many autistic people, that price is steep. Data scientist and disability sector volunteer Xavier Gunn opens up about the toll of hiding who you are in professional environments, and what it really means to work in a place that aligns with your values. A raw and honest conversation about authenticity, burnout, and what workplaces need to change.

Episode 3: You're More Capable Than Your CV Shows Guest: Sandra Thom-Jones

A CV can only tell part of the story — and for many autistic people, it tells very little of it. Proudly autistic academic, advocate and author Sandra Thom-Jones joins host Jacob to explore the gap between what autistic people can do and how they're perceived on paper. Drawing on her own experience as a former Pro Vice-Chancellor and her books Autistics at Work and Autistics in Academia, Sandra makes a powerful case for rethinking how we recognise capability in the workplace.

Episode 2: Rethinking Recruitment Guests: Jennifer Spoor & Lyndel Kennedy

Hiring processes weren't designed with autistic people in mind — but they can be. In this episode, we're joined by two leading researchers from the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University. Associate Professor Jennifer Spoor and PhD candidate Lyndel Kennedy share what the evidence tells us about barriers in recruitment for neurodivergent candidates, and what employers can do differently to attract and retain autistic talent. Essential listening for anyone involved in hiring.

Episode 1: The Productivity Debate Guest: Jeremy Nagel

What does productivity actually mean for autistic people — and is the way we measure it at work fundamentally broken? Jeremy Nagel, neurospicy software developer turned startup founder and PhD researcher, joins host Jacob for a candid conversation about autism and productivity, challenging the assumptions that too often leave autistic workers feeling like they're falling short. Thought-provoking, practical and deeply relatable.

Series Introduction: The Why Behind the Work Host & Guest: Jacob Alan Kness (Employment Programs Manager, Autism Valued) | Co-host & Interviewer: Jeremy Nagel

Welcome to World of Work — the Topic Spotlight series from Autism Valued exploring what employment really looks and feels like for autistic people. In this opening episode, the tables are turned. Series host Jacob steps into the guest seat as co-host Jeremy Nagel asks the questions, drawing out the personal and professional story behind the series. Jacob shares what brought him to his role as Employment Programs Manager at Autism Valued, what drives his commitment to changing the world of work for autistic people, and why this conversation matters so much right now. An honest, warm and fitting way to kick off the series.