‼️ Stay up to date with the July 2025 Chapters Brief!
Emily Goodson experienced a brain injury when she was 8 years old and has lived with a physical disability ever since. In this interactive workshop, Emily will use her personal story as well as her HR expertise to lead a discussion on dismantling disability stigma in the workplace. This session will challenge misconceptions, foster empathy, and equip participants with practical tools to create a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Key takeaways include:
Identifying and challenging disability stereotypes
Developing language and behaviors that promote inclusivity
Building effective communication and collaboration skills
Discussing practical strategies for fostering an accessible workplace
Becoming an ally for individuals with disabilities
With years of experience building culture in startups as well as my own self-concept following a brain injury, I help others overcome limitations and find hidden value in their experiences.
After experiencing a childhood brain injury at age eight, I was partially paralyzed on the left side of my body. In recovering from my injury, I rebuilt my body, re-learning to walk with two legs of different lengths and fully function with one arm and hand. As an adult, I’ve applied the lessons that I’ve learned from my lived experience with disability to help others succeed and lead happy lives.
I was recognized as a Rising Star business owner by the San Diego chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2020. American Express, Culture Amp, Lattice, and Monster.com have also featured my workplace culture expertise.
I am a published LA Times writer on dating and happiness, serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence to Verizon’s Forward for Good startup accelerators, and am an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University where I teach on the intersection of branding, diversity, and inclusion.
Book your facilitator -
In Culture First Slack, join the "workshop-booking" channel and start a conversation with @Emily Goodson to arrange a time. Or email Emily at emily@workculturesmart.com
We'd recommend reaching out with some predetermined dates and times in your initial outreach to streamline the process.
Build your event in Bevy -
Once you've confirmed your workshop date and time, build your event in the admin dashboard on Bevy.
Add Title + Description + Speakers + Ticket Type (and amount)
Share the event URL with the speaker
Publish and promote -
Once you've published your event in Bevy, create an email to send out to your chapter memebrs announcing your new event or just let the automated one go out. Reminder, you can't edit the automated one. You can only turn it off or edit the time it goes out.
Consider co-hosting - reach out to the other chapter leads in slack or on our LinkedIn group and ask if anyone would like to co-host with you all.
Create a graphic for your event to be shared out on social media
Host event and collect feedback -
The chapter lead is required to send out the Feedback Form to community members in the post-event email.
The facilitator is to apply for reimbursement on their own. Use our Expense Process to make this quick and easy.