Career Practitioner Conversations with NCDA

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Erik Hines and Angie Thompson, co-chairs of the NCDA Technology Committee. They discuss their roles, experiences, and the committee's key focus areas, including the integration of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in career development. Angie recounts her journey to joining the committee and emphasizes the importance of community and mentorship. Erik highlights the signif...

This episode is part of the DEI Symposium Series, developed from the DEI Symposium presented at the 2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

In this episode, Dr. Frank Gorritz discusses the important topic of racism in the workplace as part of the 2025 DEI symposium series. Dr. Gorritz emphasizes the need to address not just individual instances of racism but also systemic issues including white supremacy ...

In this podcast episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA's Director of Professional Development, interviews Dr. Sujata Ives, a private practitioner at Connect The Neuro-Dots who specializes in employment psychology. Dr. Ives discusses the influence of her worldview, shaped by her vocal cord disability and bicultural background, on her career development work. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and articulating one's wor...

In this episode, Elle O'Flaherty, Co-Chair of NCDA's Government Relations Committee, hosts a conversation with Emily M. Dickens, Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the current labor market, focusing on SHRM's Education-to-Employment (E2) Initiative, designed to bridge the talent gap ...

This episode kicks off a series of conversations that originated with the DEI Symposium, held at NCDA’s 2025 Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Dr. Cheryl Love leads a panel discussion of the challenges and strategies for providing career services amid today's social and political turmoil. The panel - including Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, Dr. Frank Gorritz, and Ruben Britt - shares insights into the impact...

In this episode Allie Remm and Jody Burum discuss how you can transform your classroom and workshop presentations by moving away from traditional PowerPoint slides. Jody, with 25 years in career services, explains the disconnect she observed with traditional PowerPoint presentations and her transition to a more engaging method based on brain-based counseling insights. This approach involves interactive handouts and activities that ...

In this episode Erica Mattison and Mike Wysocki discuss their work and insights on career readiness. Erica Mattison, an executive coach and author, integrates narrative assessment and strengths-based coaching in her approach, while hosting her own podcast. Mike Wysocki, also an author, discusses his upcoming book, which reports on career readiness insights gathered from college students. The conversation highlights the significance...

In this episode, Dr. Pankaj Desai, Ellen Zold Goldman, and Leigh Oliveras from NCDA’s International Student Services Committee (ISSC) introduce the annual ISSC Mini-Conference taking place on Friday, August 8, 10:00-4:00pm CST.

The conference theme – Cultivating Confidence and Career Readiness in a Changing World – includes presentations related to a strengths-based micro-coaching model tailored for Gen Z international students, a m...

In this podcast episode, Melissa Venable hosts a discussion on mentoring relationships with Dr. Sharon Givens and Rasha Madkour. Sharon, a former NCDA president, and Rasha, a career coach from Saudi Arabia, share their cross-continental mentoring journey. They detail how their mentoring relationship began through a formal NCDA program and evolved organically. Both talk about the mutual benefits and growth they experienced, includin...

In this episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA's Director of Professional Development, talks with NCDA President Marty Apodaca about the upcoming NCDA 2025 Global Career Development Conference, scheduled for June 18-20 in Atlanta, Georgia. Marty discusses the theme he selected, Autonomy to Change: Evolving and Adapting Career Development in Revolutionary Times, drawn from the significant changes in the career development landscape, es...

In this episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA Director of Professional Development, discusses writing and publishing career development books with guests Sujata Ives and Paula Brand. They discuss their motivations, the long and challenging process of publishing, the costs involved, and the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing. Sujata and Paula offer practical advice, including the importance of planning, asking c...

This episode features a conversation about representation in the workplace in which LaChish Rigg, CEO of LJR Training & Coaching and Past President of the New Jersey Career Development Association, hosts Blanca Rosales-Ahn, founder of BRAHN Career Educational Consulting Services. The discussion covers the impact of representation on workplace culture, profitability, and the inspiration it can provide for all employees. LaChish ...

In this episode hosted by Melissa Venable, NCDA Director of Professional Development, Deborah Sgro, founder of Beyond the Glass Ceiling, LLC, and the global mentoring director for Women in Big Data, explains the work and interconnectedness of data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity career fields. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the rapidly growing and transforming tech landscape, highlighting ma...

In this episode, Melissa Venable hosts Dr. Resa Lewiss, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Adaira Landry, an emergency medicine doctor at Harvard/Brigham and Women's Hospital for a discussion of takeaways from their book: MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. The conversation emphasizes skills like communication, conflict resolution, and self-care, applicable across various ...

In this podcast episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA's Director of Professional Development, hosts a conversation on creating neurodiverse-affirming practices with Janine Rowe, a licensed mental health counselor, and Elle O'Flaherty, Principal of Interlace Solutions Coaching. They discuss the concept of neurodiversity, which includes conditions like autism and ADHD, and emphasize moving from a deficit to a strengths-based model...

This episode concludes our series of DEI conversations originally featured in the DEI Symposium of the NCDA 2024 Global Career Development Association Conference in San Diego, CA. Thank you to Dr. Elif Balin & Ivette Mekdessi, Kelly Woods, Sanaz Nabati, and Delyash Tsartsaeva who were all presenters for the original DEI Symposium session.

In this episode, Dr. Elif Balin and Sanaz Nabati discuss challenges international students ...

This episode continues our series of DEI conversations that were originally featured in the DEI Symposium of the NCDA 2024 Global Career Development Association Conference in San Diego, CA.

In this episode Dr. Frank Gorritz, a counselor educator at Florida Gulf Coast University, hosts Ken Meeker a Certified Professional Coach providing services through his company, Vitality Career Coaching LLC. Both are active members of NCDA’s Dive...

This episode continues our series of DEI conversations originally featured in the DEI Symposium of the NCDA 2024 Global Career Development Association Conference in San Diego, CA.

In this episode, Nikkie Bailey, a licensed clinical social worker and counseling psychology doctoral student, and Dr. Emily Bullock-Yowell, a psychology professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, delve into their research on career...

Have you thought about working as a private practice career development professional? This episode explores the process of making that decision and some of the first steps to get you started on the right track. In this episode, Courtney Warnsman, an NCDA Trustee, and Katie O'Malley, founder of (en)Courage Coaching, discuss transitioning to private practice. Courtney and Katie discuss their journeys and challenges, particularly...