As we design our classrooms, workplaces, places of worship, hospital systems, etc. for the future, are we thinking through what the fullness of that user experience could look like...really? Are we looking at technology as not just as a nice to have but are we thinking through how its implementation can benefit as many as possible?

In this keynote presentation, Lola speaks to how her personal experiences as a lifetime caregiver to her autistic, intellectually disabled brother and now, her autistic, intellectually daughter and autistic son has shaped her life personally and professionally while opening up her mind to ways upon which society can better shape itself to better include those historically underestimated and unseen. 

Often, the duration of a challenge is often described as a season, but how can one mentally prepare oneself for a challenge that may be part of one's life for the rest of one's life? How can this be done in a way that reduces overwhelm and highlights hope and opportunity?

Some of the elements that Lola will address in her keynote will highlight neuroscience research while weaving in parts of her personal lifetime caregiving journey to highlight the following: 

• learning to mourn the death of one's own past expectations to allow for new growth,
• customizing success on one's own terms, and
• reimagining what it means to thrive in the midst of immense challenge.

This speech gives the saying "Bring Your Whole Self to Work" a revamp.  "Before we even get to work," Lola often says in her speeches, "we have to make sure we show up in life first. "

Sometimes, due to personal trauma or stress at work (or perhaps a combination of the two), one can sometimes go on autopilot to simply survive. This makes sense, because it is a natural trauma response in an attempt to avoid what can almost certainly follow, which is burnout. 

In this speech, participants are motivated to zoom out from the particular challenge before them and take a more holistic approach to functioning in the midst of challenges, including challenges that may last beyond a season.

Lola shares the three-part framework she developed that helped build the foundation to the deeply meaningful multi-hyphenate life she has today as a lifetime caregiver, practicing attorney, wife, advocate, public speaker, writer and podcast founder/host.  

Yes, it does take a village to raise a child. But, what happens when your child receives a life changing medical diagnosis? For many, the original village may need to be blown up and rebuilt in a way now customized to your own life circumstances. 

This keynote speech dives into the many considerations that goes into the rebuilding process based on some of the following factors:

• life phase of child and parent/guardian,
• geographic locale,
• health insurance coverage,
• community support available, and 
• legal considerations.

In a world where everyone has an opinion, how can we advocate better for causes we care about professionally and personally? In this training you will learn how to:

1. utilize past experiences in a way that you can advocate for yourself more professionally and personally; 
2. evaluate various considerations before you go public with your advocacy; and 
3. strategize about how a single story can be told through different mediums effectively.  

Clear, consistent communication between practitioners and caregivers is essential for the most positive patient outcomes.

A practitioner’s understanding of a client’s/patient’s environment is key to providing as

high quality of care as possible, which can aid in reducing caregiver burnout, and allow for the overall support structure of the patient to function better for longer.

In this training, you will learn how to:

1. better understand the perspective of some caregivers; 
2. learn communication strategies that can work and may likely not work based on personal storytelling and research; and
3. look for red flags of caregiver burnout, heightened stress and other considerations that factor into patient care. 

This half day workshop provides an introductory look into how to apply universal design principles to areas of leadership that affect the core of any organization, from hiring and retention considerations to opportunities for upskilling and promotion. 

This includes a review of certain social conditioning that can negatively affect how caregivers and members of the disabled community could be viewed in the workplace.