Beyond 6 Seconds

Beyond 6 Seconds

First impressions can take only 6 seconds to make! But if you’re neurodivergent, those quick judgments about you can be misleading.

That’s where the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast comes in! Join me, Carolyn Kiel, as I talk with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creators, advocates & more about their lives and identities. Their stories shatter misconceptions, break stigma and showcase the vibrance of neurodiversity.

Beyond 6 Seconds is proud to be an award-winning podcast! Check out my About page for more details.

Recent Episodes

March 18, 2024

Down syndrome, leadership & advocacy – with David Egan

David Egan is a leader and advocate who promotes the causes of people with disabilities. He is the first person with Down Syndrome to serve as a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy fellow on Capitol Hill and with the Nationa…
March 4, 2024

Neurodiversity affirming community – with Katie York

Katie York (aka The Distracted Autistic) is a late-diagnosed Autistic who also has ADHD. They are currently program coordinator at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland. Katie is also an advocate a…
Feb. 19, 2024

Supporting the Hispanic Tourette's community - with Claudia Scott

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Claudia Scott was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome in her early teens. Now she lives in the U.S., where she is the Capital Access Manager for Kiva Northwest Arkansas (NWA) at Startup Junkie and…
Feb. 5, 2024

How to support employees with invisible disabilities - with Jenn Grindeland

Jenn Grindeland has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. She is also a multiple brain injury survivor. With this background, she teaches leadership skills designed to support …
Jan. 22, 2024

Ending epilepsy stigma through filmmaking – with Under the Lights director Miles Levin

Miles Levin is a filmmaker and public speaker living with epilepsy. His short film “Under the Lights” starring Pearce Joza and Alyssa Jirrels has become a beacon for epilepsy representation in movies...
Jan. 8, 2024

Swarit Gopalan – Nonspeaking autistic writer and poet

Swarit Gopalan is a 12-year old autistic nonspeaker who uses a letterboard to spell and a keyboard to type to communicate. He lives with his family in Florida and goes to Invictus Academy for school. Swarit is a talented wri…

Recent Blog Posts

Beyond 6 Seconds won a 2023 Gold Signal Award!

Beyond 6 Seconds is a winner at the 2023 Signal Awards! My episode about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) with Amber Louise Ainsworth won the Gold Award and the Listener's Choice Award in the Best Conversation Starter - Individual Episodes categ…

Five Podcasts about Disability Pride & History

In honor of Disability Pride Month, I got the opportunity to curate a list of podcast episodes focusing on disability pride and history for Sounds Like Impact, a newsletter focused on social impact and audio storytelling. This list features people…

Improving Your Podcast's Accessibility

My article on improving podcast accessibility for people with disabilities was published in the Winter 2023 issue of Women Who Podcast magazine!  In this article, I talk about what accessibility means, how it benefits podcasters and their audi…

About the Host

Carolyn KielProfile Photo

Carolyn Kiel

Carolyn Kiel is an experienced instructional designer of employee training programs. As the Host and Producer of Beyond 6 Seconds, she has created a platform where neurodivergent and disabled entrepreneurs, creatives and advocates can showcase their candid stories. Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.