Career Practitioner Conversations with NCDA

DEI Symposium Series - Instagrowth: Picturing Growth for At-Risk Students

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 hosts Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, a clinical professor and career consultant. The conversation centers around supporting at-risk students through innovative strategies. Dr. Barnes-Gwynn discusses her unique Instagrowth concept, which uses Instagram as a framework to engage students incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) and career development theories. She emphasizes the importance of connection, shifting the deficit-focused perspective on at-risk students to one of empowerment and strength identification. Dr. Barnes-Gwynn also examines the critical role of SEL components such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and decision-making skills in academic and personal growth. By integrating career counseling theories and practical SEL strategies, she advocates for a holistic approach to nurturing all students' potential, emphasizing the collective responsibility of educators, counselors, and parents. The podcast concludes with reflections on the need to develop tools, possibly even an app, to expand and implement these innovative strategies more broadly.Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, CCC, NCC, FCD-I is a Clinical Professor at Southern New Hampshire University. She also serves as a career consultant through her private practice, Increasing Our Understanding (I.O.U.) Consultation, LLC. Dr. Barnes-Gwynn is a newly appointed board member for the Council of Accreditation and Related Educational Programs.Dr. Frank Gorritz FitzSimons, LPC, is a counselor educator in Florida. He is a nationally recognized scholar and counselor educator on topics including providing affirmative counseling care to queer and transgender communities of color, providing multicultural supervision, utilizing diverse approaches to counseling work, as well as addressing and disrupting white supremacy in counselor education. 

Strategies for Life and Career Fulfillment with Jordan Maness

In this episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA Director of Professional Development, interviews Jordan Maness, a career advising specialist at the University of Colorado Boulder. Jordan shares his journey into career development, inspired by a high school psychology class and experiences in sports journalism. He discusses his diverse career path, which eventually led him to become a certified life coach and a career advisor. Jordan's philosophy, 'like your job, love your life,' emphasizes the importance of aligning one's strengths with their job and incorporating positive psychology for overall happiness. The conversation concludes with advice for career development professionals, emphasizing self-care, resource-sharing, and partnership with clients.Jordan Maness, M.Ed. is the Career Advising Specialist for the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is also a Certified Life Coach with 20 years of experience career coaching and lecturing. His goal is to inspire individuals to live with passion and purpose. Maness has published a workbook entitled, Select An Ideal Life (SAIL): Your 59-minute Guide to Enjoying the Journey of Life, and he is the creator and instructor for the online Coursera course: “Thriving 101-Designing a Fulfilling Life & Career.” You can learn more about Jordan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmanesslifecoach/.

DEI Symposium Series - Exploring Liberatory Outcomes for Career Development Classes and Workshops

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. Cheryl Love hosts a conversation with Shelby McIntyre about updating career development classes and workshops with relevant DEI materials and activities. The discussion focuses on integrating liberatory outcomes into career development work. Shelby McIntyre, a career counselor at Pasadena City College, explains the importance of moving beyond traditional outcomes like graduation and employment to include broader goals such as civic engagement, social agency, and critical consciousness. She shares practical examples of how to implement these concepts, addressing challenges like systemic oppression.Dr. Cheryl Love is a Career Counselor and a College Specialist for the Arts, Humanities, School of Education and School of Public Policy in the Career Center at the University of California, Riverside. In this role she also serves as the Liaison to the African Student Programs, the Black Student Success Initiative, Basic Needs, UCR Transfer Work Group, and the Kessler Scholar Program. Shelby McIntyre is a career counselor at Pasadena City College. She also serves on the Board of the California Career Development Association and as a member of the NCDA Government Relations Committee.Resource:Toolkit for Integrating Practices for Collective Liberation

Analyzing Current and Future Workforce Issues: A New Publication of Student Perspectives

In this podcast episode, Melissa Venable, NCDA's Director of Professional Development, co-hosts with Dr. Michael Stebleton a conversation about a new NCDA publication titled, Analyzing Current and Future Workforce Issues, Students' Perspectives on Career Development. Written by students enrolled in Dr. Stebleton's University of Minnesota course in Spring 2025, the publication explores various career development topics through the lens of graduate and undergraduate students. The episode features students Nathan Price, Shannon McCrady, and Kirsten Koerth, who share their experiences and insights on the writing process. The discussion also highlights the importance of integrating theory and practice, the challenges and benefits of the editing process, and the potential value of similar educational projects in the future. Key contributions and topics such as AI in career development, the role of HR in supporting LGBTQ employees, and declining male college enrollment are also examined.Michael J. Stebleton, PhD, is a Professor of Higher Education at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He teaches both undergraduates and graduate students in the Department of Organizational, Leadership, Policy, and Development. Contact Dr. Stebleton at: steb0004@umn.edu.Nathan Price is a PhD student in the Higher Education track of the OLPD program at the University of Minnesota. I/O Psychology practitioner and founder of The Academic I/O, a platform dedicated to advancing academic leadership and workforce development through evidence-based organizational strategies.Shannon McCrady is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. She is pursuing a Master of Education in Human Resource Development. She also works at the University of Minnesota and lives in Minneapolis with her family.Kirsten Koerth is an Undergraduate Programs Coordinator for Horticulture and Agronomy at the University of Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Agriculture Education master’s program in 2025. Kirsten obtained her undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in Biology and Environmental Studies, and she grew up in Helena, Montana. Her academic interests include sustainable agriculture research and education. 

DEI Symposium Series - Building Career Pathways for Neurodivergent Learners

This episode is part of the DEI Symposium Series, developed from the DEI Symposium sessions presented at the 2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.Maisie and Nulty Lynch are veteran teachers and a husband and wife duo. They address the communication nuances between neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals, the significant barriers in traditional interview processes, and the importance of inclusive practices. Maisie and Nulty also advocate for creating accessible systems and intentional, empathetic communication to better support neurodivergent individuals in achieving meaningful employment.Nulty Lynch is the English Language Arts department chair at a large public middle school and a certified autism specialist and coach. He openly shares his personal journey, including his autism and ADHD diagnoses and the challenges of masking.Maisie Lynch is an internship coordinator and career services provider, as well as President of FutureReadyU. She discusses her experiences assisting students with neurodivergencies.