Empowering Employees: How Sydnee Shorten is Revolutionizing Workplace Accessibility and Benefits

In this episode of "Chat with Nat: Conversations That Count," host Natalie welcomes longtime friend and purpose-driven leader Sydnee Shorten. Sydnee shares her journey from single motherhood to leading Skills & Faith Athletes, a nonprofit empowering youth, and founding ADA Program Solutions, which champions workplace accessibility. Together, they discuss the importance of financial literacy, proactive inclusion, and supporting employees with visible and invisible disabilities. The conversation highlights practical strategies for employers to build compliant, inclusive workplaces and underscores the power of resilience, faith, and intentional leadership in creating lasting impact for families and communities.

What you'll hear:

• Introduction of a purpose-driven leader and entrepreneur focused on transforming adversity into impact.
• Discussion on the importance of financial literacy and education, particularly for single parents and underserved communities.
• Exploration of workplace accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Emphasis on the significance of employee benefits and the need for portable benefits that follow employees beyond their job tenure.
• Insights into the challenges employers face regarding compliance and the complexities of HR regulations.
• The role of faith and resilience in overcoming personal and professional hardships.
• Importance of proactive approaches in creating inclusive workplace environments.
• Discussion on the often-overlooked topic of invisible disabilities and the need for better understanding and accommodations.
• Encouragement for employers to engage in meaningful conversations about inclusion and accessibility.
• Call to action for personal empowerment and building a legacy through financial independence and intentional leadership.

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Transcript

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(Upbeat Music) Hey friends, welcome back to Chat with Nat, conversations that count, where we talk real life, real money, and real strategies that build wealth without worry. Today's episode is brought to you by Casa de Confidence Productions. Julie and Dan Collins are a powerhouse team making podcasters like myself look and sound better every day. If you've ever been curious about podcasting, especially as a woman, which they specialize in, I encourage you to visit their website, casa de confidence dot website to learn more and connect with them. Now, before we jump into the introduction for this week's guest, of course I have a money tip for you. And it is that accessibility is a growth strategy, not a cost. Businesses often think inclusion is expensive, but turnover is actually what costs a lot of money. One in four US adults lives with a disability. Companies that build accessible systems widen their talent pool exponentially. When you build systems around people's real needs, you reduce friction, increase retention, and unlock innovation. For families and leaders, support, structure, and access are all long-term investments that compound over time. Remember, build systems that include people and you build wealth that can't be shaken. Y'all, I'm so excited about this week's episode. Our guest is a long-time friend of mine. Our sons have been best friends since like middle school. And so I'm really excited to have her join us for today's conversation. Sydney Shorten is a purpose-driven leader committed to transforming adversity into lasting impact. She serves as the board president of skills and faith athletes, a nonprofit in Irving, Texas dedicated to empowering youth through mentorship, education, wellness, and character-building opportunities. Sydney is also the founder and CEO of ADA Program Solutions, a nationally recognized leader in workplace accessibility whose innovative approach earned the Stellar Business Award for HR consulting in all 50 states, which is phenomenal. In addition, she co-founded Killara Sulting, redefining employee benefits with strategic tax advantage solutions that elevate employers and support their people. Her life, a masterclass in resilience. Her mission, making sure everyone, especially underserved kids and employees with disabilities, have a fair shot. This conversation is gonna hit your heart and your hustle. So Sydney, welcome to the show. I am so excited to have you here today. Thank you so much, Natalie. I'm excited to be here and thank you. You're welcome, you're welcome. A couple of things I didn't touch on in your bio that I'm gonna share is, so Sydney and I met when we lived in the same apartment as single mamas. I've got one son and she has two. So her older son and my son ran around, wreaking havoc as teenagers. Actually, they did, they behaved pretty well. They didn't get themselves in too much trouble.(Laughing) But man, it's such a blessing to, I know that I have friends, lifelong friends that still influence my life to this day. So to be able to hear my son still talk about Isaac and to talk to you and hear what Isaac's doing, I mean, just a blessing that our kids have those relationships because I know that throughout life, when things get heavy and hard, it makes a huge difference. So I will always be grateful that they have each other to lean on. But Sydney, man, okay, just from your bio, you have multiple things you're involved in. You've been a single mom forever, like myself. So you've carried the weight of making ends meet, keeping a roof over your head. Your boys are both adults now. But I wanna ask you first, take us back and kind of give us a little background on the story behind your purpose before we really jump into today's conversation. Absolutely, so growing up, money was a taboo subject. Our family never really talked about money. Matter of fact, they didn't really talk about a lot of things. It was an environment where everything was kind of swept under the rug, so to speak. And with that, I had to learn finances the hard way. I say that because I left home while I was still in high school, had to grow up really fast, have that financial responsibility, and then having, being a single parent of two boys, again, finances. So when I got into the insurance industry, I didn't always have somebody to watch my kids after work. So I was like, you know what? I need to know and understand finances and cashflow, so do my children. So at very young ages, I was taking them with me to the Tuesday night insurance meetings so that they could learn about what it is, anything related to finances, insurance products, tax savings, and really instill that in them at a young age and teach them just basically, as I was learning, as I was learning and growing, I wanted to make sure that they had the same tools and resources as well. And so it really shaped the interaction between myself and my kids as well. Yeah, I love that. And it's funny because until a few months ago, we didn't make the connection. I think Sydney kind of knew from following me on social media that I was in the insurance world, but I didn't understand that she was as well. And there are some things that overlap a little bit in what we do, but our focus and kind of our clientele and the types of products we work with are also very different. And so we realized that there were some ways we could partner up, we could support each other in the areas we have differences and cheer each other on in the things we're doing that are the same. So what a blessing to have that connection as well. And I know, man, I say all the time, you learn your financial education from two places. Whatever your parents did tell you, which if they didn't tell you anything, like you didn't get anything, right? And my parents were balance your checkbook and don't get credit cards, which of course, I've said a thousand times on the show. I did the exact opposite and had to dig myself out of a few thousand dollars worth of debt in my 20s, which was huge back then because I was making like 12, $15 an hour. So that's the other way we learn. The second way that we learn is from the School of Hard Knocks, the things that life hands to us, the choices we make that put us in tight situations, it all adds up. And I love knowing that another single mom who faced the same things I did, the same challenges I did, and with two kids, which is double the stress, double the expense that I had to experience, but it's something that pushed us into the work that we do today so we could make a difference for other people like ourselves and empowering our children to have that information younger than we did. So I love that background. I love that connection with the boys and that example that you set. So thank you for sharing that part. Let's talk a little bit about what's kept you anchored through the hard seasons of life. And then we'll kind of transition into a little bit of the work that you're doing and how and what it means. Oh, what's kept me anchored? I would have to say my faith, my relationship with the Lord has kept me anchored. A lot of back to back hardships, traumatic events, whether from my choices or from choices of other people, and I was just impacted. A lot of times I just, I have to keep going, right? So as a single parent, it's not only for myself, but it's for my children. So I just, over time you build up that resilience. Giving up is not an option. You know, finding solutions, that's what I'm great at. My brain automatically recognizes patterns and synergies. So take two completely unrelated things I could find where there's a relation between them. And so I've taken that skillset, that perception, and I've basically grown two companies from it. But yeah, I would say the anchor is definitely faith. Yeah, I love that. This podcast, I rebranded a couple months ago, really to make it more of a conversational podcast and to bring in the stories and experiences of so many different people, because I think that there's always somebody in the audience that needs to hear what the episode is talking about every single week. And it's founded on five pillars, faith, family, finance, fitness, and fun. And I think crazy enough, even though the episode may be kind of focused in one or two areas, the other ones seem to come in. But I think it's because those are the five foundational pillars of life in general. And so there's no balance, it's harmony. And the conversations that I get to have with people like yourself, just kind of, I hope at least, shine a light on those different pillars and how people can lean on them throughout their lives as well. But let's get into some of the work you're doing, some of the difference you're making in the world. Like I am so impressed how you have your hands in so many things. Now, yes, in a lot of ways they're tied together, but I think it's phenomenal the direction you're taking where you're at in the insurance market now. But honestly, that's, I don't wanna, it's an important piece of what you're doing, but there's so much more beyond that, that you're creating. So let's start by talking a little bit about how your benefit solutions are helping employers stand out in a competitive market. Because right now, benefits are, one, it's open enrollment season during the year. Employers, right, they've gotta always have good things to offer their employees. It's a way to retain good employees, but also with the things going on in the government, in the world, like benefits are a hot topic right now. So share a little bit with us about how you can help those employers stand out. Absolutely, so in my career, being in both HR and insurance, it really, I leveraged the background experience I had working in corporate America, being on the broker consulting side of the house. And then an entrepreneur. And so with that, I bridged everything to help employers because I understand that recruiting and retention, setting themselves apart from their competitors and focusing on those employee benefits, that's really where they go, right? So a lot of times they offer the group benefits, health insurance, voluntary benefits. And so thinking outside the box, because our company is filled with independent agents, primarily focused on the B2C or the individual families, making connections with them, I wanted to bridge the gap between, okay, how can an employer be different from their competitors, but still have the focus of their employee? And when I take a look at employee benefits, it's like, it's great that they have group life insurance, not everybody signs up for it, but most people do, because there's that lack of knowledge about how it's a benefit. But in addition to that too, when I speak to families and hearing that, oh, well, I don't need individual coverage because I have it at work, that's not going to help them if they retire, if they lose their job, if they're part of a reduction in force, they don't always take that group insurance with them, right? If they do them, it's going to be based off of their age and health at that time. And so a lot of times I think people get comfortable with, oh, my employer is taking care of it, and then from the employer side, they're like trying to find how can I be different? And so the solutions that we offer is taking the individual programs and we have some complimentary benefits that enhances the platform there in addition to those permanent benefits. So it doesn't matter if that employee was to retire, if they were to go ahead and find another role with another company, or if they're part of a reduction in force, if they have the protection in place that follows them, then they're covered. An employer who can back that is showing them, hey, we care about you, not only when you're part of our workforce, but we care about you and your family long-term. So no matter where you go, we have these offerings. It's at no cost to the employer. Again, it's them having a way to present the individual products to their employees as an option, letting them know that early they care about them at the end of the day. Yeah, I love that. And that is so important. Gosh, I have conversations with people. And let me just say for myself, all those years working single mom, nobody ever sat down and really explained, made me stop and think, because it is very logical to realize if my benefits are through my employer and I no longer have that job, I no longer have benefits. It is a logical thought process. But when you're living life, whether you're a single parent, you're married, whatever the case may be, like you're just going, right? You're working, you're paying your bills, there's holidays, there's vacations, there's whatever's going on in life happening, right? We don't stop and think about some of those things. And I look back now at all those times I thought, I have life insurance through work, I have health insurance through work, I'm good. But I can also count the multiple times that I was involved in a reduction in force. And here's the thing, the first half of my career, my 20-year corporate career, the first 10 years, I was at a level where I could find another job usually within 30 days. So by the time, if I got laid off at the beginning of the month, my benefits carried through the end of the month, well, by the beginning of the next month, I was starting a new job. Sometimes I could find something in a couple of weeks. Well, the back half of my career, I was at the senior management executive level, and it would take three to six months to find a position that fit for me. Or that I fit because the higher you get up in leadership at any company, the fewer of those positions that exist. And so I look back now and I think, man, there were two or three times that I was laid off for three to six months. And thank you, Lord, that nothing happened to me because there would have been nothing to leave behind and take care of my son should that have happened. And so that is an important factor. And I love that you're taking it to the employers to say, look, be different by giving your employees the option at benefits that, yes, are gonna keep them happy while they're here, but they're gonna continue to protect their family when they go, if they choose to take them with them. So I love that. I think that is an important conversation, like I said, for everyday people to understand that thought process, your benefits are only there as long as you have that job. And you're taking it to the next level and having it with the employer of, hey, show your employees that you're investing in them, period, there's not a time limit on it. And so I love that conversation. I love that thought process. So when it comes to that, how do you ensure compliance and scalability for employers as they're growing? So we talked about the benefit piece. Let's talk a little bit about those other things you do. Do the benefits play into that at all? Like what does that piece look like? Absolutely. So we've partnered with a company that's Connect 360 cause they do offer additional platforms and programs for the employers from a tax savings perspective. So think about like Skittle 125, the cafeteria plans. And a lot of times employers don't realize that they could take the tax or what I consider to be the cost avoidance from the tax savings. And they can leverage that to put into maybe a wellness program for their employees or ADA program, Workers Comp, they can use that money for other purposes. And so I think it's very important when we're going into the market, speaking with the employers and looking at everything that we offer, not only for the employees as individuals and their families, but also how can this benefit the employer so that they can do even more for their employees. And so compliance and scalability are definitely built into our overall model. And so with the integrated platforms, we do conduct also the annual reviews to ensure that every program aligns with evolving regulations and also evolving employer growth. So this means employers don't have to worry about falling behind on their compliance standards as they expand. And at the same time, having bolt-on services and having that design allows benefits to Skile seamlessly, whether a company doubles in size or enters into new market. So we've balanced that customization. I love that. And I think that's super important for employers. I'm an independent business owner, you're an independent business owner, but when you get talking about companies that have 50, 100, 200, 3,000, 10,000 employees, it just exponentially grows all of the expense, all of the responsibility. And I think that therein lies the importance of retention of keeping good people, right? Because we already talked about the cost that goes along with that, but at the same time to be able to continually add things on, expand the benefits program and handle the piece behind the scenes, right? Regulations at the state level, at the federal level, new laws that are passed, new requirements that are put in place because of those laws that are passed, things are ever changing. I used to always wonder, how in the world does our HR department keep up with everything that's going on right now, and all of a sudden you've got to have at least this many of your employees enrolled in this and enrolled in that. And I imagine it's incredibly overwhelming. And as the world gets more fast-paced, it's even more important to have programs that can manage all of it. Absolutely, I would agree with that too. Because when I think about the size and expertise when it comes to, like yourself, Natalie, you and I are business owners, we create things, everybody starts off small, and there's certain pivot points within the growth that a lot of individuals may not realize because if my expertise is in one area, I may not have the expertise in the HR or the benefits. So as a business owner, I try to think of what it would be like to be in that person's shoes and what do they come to the table with? Because a lot of times they will come to the table as a business owner, say accounting or finances is their main thing, but then they don't have the HR background experience that goes with that in all the compliance pieces, the health benefits. And so there's a lot to take into consideration. So how can we help them when they're smaller, make sure that they are compliant, make sure they know what those pivot points are as they continue to grow? It's even with my ADA program solutions, that consulting firm, that touches employers that have 15 employees. A lot of times as a business owner, even 15 employees, they're not thinking about Americans with disabilities and what if one out of every four employees has a disability that I need to be thinking about accommodating if that request is made. So they don't know what they don't know. And so it's our job to go in and make sure that they understand that same thing with the financial services and the benefit realms. There are certain things that one person in HR or a handful, they may not have the expertise, they may have the basic knowledge and understanding, which is great, but they need somebody to come alongside and partner with them to help them with those compliance pieces. And that's where I think your business and my business, that's what we do for them. Yeah, absolutely. And I think in even expansive ways beyond the piece that I do for business owners or individuals, your company is stepping into the gap. And so I always tell people, look, I have my initial conversation with them, it's education based only. It's giving them some of that framework and the baseline information they need to know about their money, about finances, about how it grows, how it gets taxed, all of that. So our first conversation is educational only. We do talk about what some of their financial concerns are. Then we set up a second appointment. That second appointment is where we're digging in to their financial picture. What do you have coming in and going out? What are your goals and priorities? What is your timeline for retirement? What do you want retirement to look like? Where are you already saving? And based on all that information, where are your numbers falling, right? How are you getting taxed on the savings you're already doing? How is that money growing for you? So it ties back to the education. So what that financial needs analysis does is it identifies the gaps in their financial plan so that I can step into those gaps and show them options that can help to fill those. But you're doing that at a scale for employers to say, look, you don't have anything that meets, let's say ADA specific, because I imagine that that's probably a pretty easy one to identify. And as much as employers are trying to do, because I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, there's only, like you said, so much information one person or one company can know. And as you grow, like what you need to know grows too. And so you can very easily get caught in a place where ignorance, not intentionally, but ignorance could create exposure for significant liability or something like that for your company. And that's huge. Those can literally be game changers for a business. I mean, the wrong liabilities can put a company out of business if they're not careful. And I love that ADA is a component of that. I have a very good friend who is disabled. She has a form of MS and she speaks on this and she participates, I don't know exactly what it is. So, if she's listening to this, give me a little bit of grace. But like she's been involved in having conversations with Congress about laws they're passing and regulations they're putting in place to make workplaces not only more accessible, but safer to change the mindset of employers of like, just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I can't offer the same work and maybe even better work than my able-bodied counterpart. So, to make sure that they're being considered in every way for opportunities that are out there. And so, I feel like those are the different kind of gaps. Like you guys step in there, identify those gaps and then have conversations about systems they need to put in place, benefits they need to put in place, all different kinds of things, right? Absolutely, yeah. And when you mentioned that too, because I think as companies grow and they learn about certain compliance, they're like,"Oh yeah, I need ADA or we have to adhere to FMLA." They really don't understand the impact that it has on the employee. When you're going through a life event, whether it's a sickness for yourself or under FMLA, a sickness of a family member and you need to take that time away from work, they don't understand that if their process isn't seamless, it makes it very difficult for the employee. And their focus isn't to not follow the process, their focus is taking care of themselves or their family at that time. And so, there's other weights of the world of their circumstances that come into play. And so, really understanding ADA and FMLA and some of the other leave laws when they're actually in place, it's really gonna help a lot of employers. And I mentioned that too, because they'll put some of these regulatory programs on the back burner and focus on other things within the company, but they're missing a lot. And a lot of times small, my heart goes out to the small mom and pop shops because one, litigation, discrimination, whether it's under the FMLA or the ADA can cost them, it could shut the doors. Because we're talking about lawsuits from not only just 50, $100,000, but we're looking at lawsuits that are in the six, seven figures for some of these companies. And if you're a large organization, you're looking at higher amounts. And so, it could shut somebody's whole business down because they put it on the back burner. And we don't wanna see that happen. And so again, like you said, taking a look at their needs analysis, coming in and filling in their gaps, that's really what we're designed to do is find the solutions for them. Yeah, and I think that's so important of a message to be for people to receive from this episode is because until I became a caretaker for my parents, and when we go out and about, yes, my mom can walk around the house. She does have a walker for some support if she even in the house goes much further than back and forth to the bathroom. But when we're out and about, we've got a wheelchair. Yes. Do you know how many times I've about dumped my sweet mom on her face, trying to go over the threshold into a store? Because just the lip on the door frame doesn't accommodate a wheelchair going in. And that's something super minor, but until I became a caretaker, I've always had empathy for people. I see what they are struggling with, like the obvious things, but there's so much below the surface there that you guys can step in and inform on, right? It's not just the obvious, can they get into your building? It goes much further than that. But I mean, I have friends who have all different kinds of disabilities. I work with a lot of veterans who have disabilities from their service. And my friend I was referencing, her name's Mandy Henderson. She is involved in working with airlines to make airlines more wheelchair compatible. Because when she has to be lifted out of her wheelchair to be put in an airplane chair, it's being done by untrained airline employees. And she has been hurt. She has been humiliated and she's pushing that airlines need to do better. Well, guess what? Until I had to try and figure out, okay, at what point can I get mom out of the wheelchair to get onto the plane and get into a seat safely? And thank goodness my parents are in a position, like their doctor told me, if your parents are gonna fly, they need to fly first class. My mom has dementia, crowds in tight spaces are very uncomfortable for her. And so he's like, she needs to fly first class so she can be more relaxed and comfortable. And even then, like that's where you got the most space on the airplane. No, it's difficult. It's difficult. And it's just given me another level of compassion and understanding in those situations. So it is very easy as an able-bodied person to think you're recognizing those things and to realize you still have absolutely no clue when it comes to everyday life. And then also to be able to step into being a caretaker if you're still in corporate America. For me, I'd left corporate America a year before that happened and I was building my business full-time. And I think I would be willing to bet, maybe not a ton of money, maybe 50 or a hundred dollars, that the realization of many different things throughout COVID, but one of them, I think a lot of people felt like or understood the lack of freedom in time and showing up for their family. And showing up for their family became more important because they were losing healthy family members to an illness that was horrific for so many people. It took people that shouldn't have. And I think it made people more aware of meeting the proper benefits, meeting independent life insurance, but also companies started saying, "You gotta come in back in the office."You gotta do this."And more and more people became entrepreneurs "like you and I, Sydney, right?" So is that something that you guys work with employers on as well is how to manage those kind of different components from an HR perspective and of course regulations and what's fairness in the workplace and things? Yes, so with the ADA Program Solutions, our primary focus is under Title I, which really focuses on the employer responsibilities and making sure that there is the fairness in the workplace that they're not discriminating. But under the ADA, it also goes back to not only the employees, but applicants. So there's processes that need to be in place with that as well. And I do wanna touch on, you mentioned the airlines. So I will say I'm highly impressed because I've seen behind the scenes personally with Alaska Airlines. And so they have a great understanding of accommodations. And during the tour that I did, I was able to ask a lot of ADA related type questions and different scenarios kind of pitch that from that perspective. And I will say that they are very well versed in understanding accommodations and when they do their training for their flight crew, they too have that understanding. So to me, that was a highlight of my day to find a company that is so passionate about taking care of their employees, but also their customers when it came to the ADA. So shout out to Alaska Airlines. Yeah, I love that. I don't know that I've ever flown anywhere. I've flown Alaska Airlines, but now I feel like maybe I need to go to Alaska or somewhere that they fly. But here's the thing. Well, a lot of the West Coast. Okay, all right. Operate a lot in the West Coast. All right, Alaska Airlines, I'm coming on one of your flights soon. But huge shout out to a company who's taking the, what's the word? They're being proactive instead of reactive, right? Like they're looking for the gaps. How do we show up better for our customers? How do we show up better? And honestly, I think show up better for your employees if you are giving employees the tools, the knowledge and the expertise to better care for the customer, you are winning hands down. So shout out to Alaska Airlines for sure and any other company. And that's a huge point that I'm glad you brought up because from being in corporate America in a senior manager and executive role at times, I was involved in some of the meetings where we were talking about growth. Now, I was on the finance and accounting side, right? So we were talking about growth and stuff. So I was always there representing the numbers. What are the numbers telling us? Are we ready to scale? Where do we need to cut back in our business and stuff? But these weren't just finance meetings, right? All of the divisions would be in there. And so I've been in some of those meetings where they're talking about the different components of where are our gaps in every area? How do we increase employee retention? How do we, all these different kinds of things. And it was always from a reactive perspective. Yeah. Always from a complaint that came in, an issue that occurred or whatever. It was never from a proactive. And what you and your company do is step in there and help employers become proactive because it's easy to not realize the things you need to pay attention to. But again, back to what we were talking about a few minutes ago, what you're not paying attention to could cost you everything if you're not careful. And so that's where you guys are stepping into those gaps, doing that analysis with employers, finding out what's the priority of the gaps that you have and here are the ways that you can fill them. So let's start working on that together. Well, absolutely. And I would like to say too, not all disabilities are obvious. Most of them are what we consider to be silent disabilities. So those with the mental health, so PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, a lot of that can be considered under the ADA if it's impacting an employee from performing their essential job functions. So a lot of times, like if you were to look at me, Natalie, you can't tell that I have a qualifying disability, just surface level. It's not until the PTSD is triggered. And if that impacts me from performing my job duties that I can raise my hand and be like, hey, I need an accommodation. So when this happens, this is how I need to be accommodated. So keep in mind too, a lot of times the stats where it says one to four individuals have a disability, most of them are not obvious. I'm so glad you touched on that because that is very true. And I would actually say, yeah, well, I mean, you said most of them are not obvious. Like I would say that's absolutely true, especially from working, doing the volunteer work I've done with veterans is where I really realized how much, right? I was in the midst of veterans with all different kinds of physical disabilities, but also realizing the unseen disabilities as well. And I will say, I honestly think the insurance industry, I'm gonna go ahead and shout this out there. So anybody on here that owns an insurance company, you can go ahead and feel how you feel about this comment. But I'll be honest, I think the insurance industry is failing in a lot of areas. The fact that we have veterans who come home from serving our country, and you have a son that is in basic training right now, my son is a Marine Corps veteran, my dad is a Navy veteran. The fact that we have veterans who come home and can't get life insurance, infuriates me. They can't get health insurance. Yes, there are VA benefits, but that is a process. And it is, people think, oh, they have all these benefits in place until you've worked with veterans and see the process they have to go to, to get care, care period. And that does not guarantee that it's good care. I'm sorry. There is a lack there. And we do not have the time to go down that rabbit hole, but- That's another conversation. Yeah, it is another conversation. We support the vets as well, so yeah. Yeah, but it leans very heavily into those unseen because those are the areas that I think, not just from a veteran perspective, but insurance companies in general fall short in the unseen pieces because there is a lack of understanding. It's an opportunity for more education to exist. And that's what you guys bring to the table. And so that's why I think that piece was important to address. But Sydney, tell me, so what is it that most employers are misunderstanding about disability inclusion and workplace accommodations? What is it they're missing that, maybe the top one or two things that they should be paying attention to? They should be paying attention to the conversations that their frontline managers are having with the employees because a lot of times an employee isn't going to say, "Oh, raise my hand. Oh, I need a familiar. I need ADA." They're gonna make a comment. For example, if you hear somebody say,"Man, my eyes are hurting looking at this computer screen." You know, that comment should trigger the manager asking, "How can I help you?" So is that an accommodation that they need maybe a screen cover, a deflector? Like there's so much more to it. I think just being aware of some of those conversation pieces that would then put the employer, help them to be proactive in helping that employee. Just kind of some of those conversation pieces is going to be a huge gap. And then also realizing that they have an obligation to interact. You know, a lot of times, I think the education piece is important because regardless if it's ADA or if it's benefits in general, that education piece is very crucial because a lot of times employees don't even know they have a benefit. They don't even know that there's expectations and maybe even the requirements that they've got to participate in, in order to get those. It's, you know, because under the ADA, just because I asked for an accommodation doesn't mean I get that exact one, right? It has to be reasonable. It has to be something that doesn't cause a hardship for the company. So, but a lot of employees think, "Oh, I asked for an exact accommodation. I need to get it because I have a disability. That's not how that works." So it comes back to the education piece is very crucial. A lot of the liability pieces is going to be because the frontline managers are maybe not knowingly discriminating. So a lot of times what I've seen when we've done assessments is managers will do what we consider to be the white glove or handshake, gentleman's handshake agreement with an employee. So an employee says, "Hey, I need time off to do XYZ." They're like, "Because they like the person, right?" You're like, "Oh yeah, go do that." But maybe there's another person on the team that maybe they have a personality conflict with and they come and ask for the same thing. And they're like, "Oh no, you can't do that." You know, that's already like questionable. And so them not having, when an employer doesn't have a formal program, employees a process to follow, a system to follow, then it also increases their risk of potential discrimination cases. And the EEOC right now, they're backlogged when it comes to the case reviews, not only because of what's going on with the government, but because people are becoming more aware, there's traditionally been this fear with individuals saying, "Oh, well, if I disclose that I need help, the company's going to retaliate or my manager's going to retaliate against me." And so we've got to not only educate, but we've got to create a culture to where fear is not the center. You know, that acceptance is the center of everything that we're doing and really understanding. Because for me personally, I don't care how much somebody knows unless I know how much they care. And I think that's very crucial in everything that we do. And so yeah, just making sure that they approach things from that perspective. Yeah, I love that quote too. I love that you threw that out there. It's absolutely important. So here's one thing, we're talking about employers and as people are listening, they're probably thinking big companies, big employers. But one thing you said, Reese, earlier in the conversation is even for mom and pop shops, this is really important because one gap not filled that creates an issue for an employee, even a customer or whatever can put you in a really tight financial position, it can shutter your doors. So this messaging is especially for the mom and pop, those who are growing towards mid-size and maybe not quite there yet. This conversation is for you to realize you've got to start incorporating these things. It's not about having hundreds or thousands of employees, it's about having employees and what is important to have in place to protect you as well as the employee to make sure that you're listening, you're hearing what's going on, what's impacting your employees and then being responsive to it as well. So Sydney, as we wind this down and then I'm actually, I wanna do a fun little thing as we totally close this out, but as we wind down kind of the talk about what you're specifically doing, what your company offers, is there any last thing you wanna share with people and then how can employers get in touch with you to get help, to have a conversation, to see if it makes sense to partner with you and your team? Yeah, absolutely. So I would say with Kylera Consulting, our mission is really to transform those benefits from a cost center into a competitive advantage and that also speaks to the mom and pop because a lot of times they may not be able to afford the group insurance, but you can still do something for your employees and dependent contractors, you can still do something for your employees, not employees because they're contractors, but you can still do something for the individuals that are a part of your team and so we offer services for them. Natalie, I believe what you offer too is very crucial and fundamental to what everybody needs and so just partnering with different organizations and finding the solutions for employers and individuals is very crucial when it comes to ADA Program Solutions and consulting on that piece. Compliance is definitely a compliance geek, so I love talking about ADA all day long and so with that, I would say the best way to contact me is to go to the website and that's at adaprogramsolutions.com. And you'll have my contact information that way. Perfect, perfect and of course, you can always reach out to the show, you can reach out to me directly at nataliekeimconsulting.com I'm sorry, no, let me try that again. Nataliekeimconsulting.com, it is a Gmail address but it doesn't have to have the Gmail in there, so nataliekeimconsulting.com because like I said in the beginning, there are things that Sydney does that I don't, there are things that I do that Sydney doesn't and so we definitely are in partnership to make sure that if there are gaps that need to be filled that one of us does not cover, we can pull the other one in for help, however we need to or to support what we're implementing overall. So please reach out to Sydney, if you have questions, I know you can set up a time to have a conversation with her kind of a discovery call to find out what your needs might be and see what makes sense from there. So Sydney, I wanna do like a little fun rapid fire thing just in general, not specifically about what you do. This idea came up as I was putting together a podcast outline and I thought it was really fun. So tell me what is one word that comes to mind for you when you think of resilience? Growth. Mm, that's a good one, that's a good one. All right, something you used to believe that you don't now. I used to believe that chocolate ice cream would save the world, but it doesn't.(Laughing) Yeah, yeah, I love that. That's the solution to all my problems. Listen, you know what, when life is heavy and hard and you're stressed as a single mama of the boys you and I raised, I think a bowl of chocolate ice cream might've saved the world for both of us a few times. It might've saved our kids at least. Kids is in that moment. Yeah, exactly. What's the best advice you ever received? The best advice I received is to take a bet on yourself. Don't give up. Yes, I love that. What's a book or a tool that you swear by? Oh, I always, well, the Bible. That is the ultimate book. If I'm thinking about business side, I would say the one that really transformed my mindset back in the day was Aladdin Factor. So, and that really helped me be able to ask. I think for me, I used to be very scared of rejection and saying no. And so it challenged me to just ask anyways, you know? And you'll be surprised how many yeses you can actually get just by asking. Yeah. So. Yeah, that goes to the old adage, you never know until you ask. You think people are gonna say no, but what if they said yes? And if you expect them to say no, are you gonna be any worse off if they actually do? Yeah. Absolutely not. What's the worst thing? Yeah, okay. You're like, okay. So one last one. Who is a leader that inspires you? Hmm, I would say, so this goes back to my consultant days. And I would say Chris Shaw is a leader that inspires me. He was always for the underdog. I personally witnessed a lot of sacrifices that he would make for his team. And he was very protective. And he just had the leadership qualities that I think every leader should strive for. So I'd have to say Chris Shaw. I love it. Shout out Chris Shaw. I don't know you, but it sounds like the people who do are blessed by it. I love that. Well, Sydney, thank you so much for being here with me today. Y'all please reach out to Sydney, connect with her if you have questions. Go ahead and throw out your website where they can connect with you again real quick. Yes, for the ADA program solutions, the website is www.adaprogramsolutions.com. Awesome. I wanna wrap this up by saying, legacy is not built through titles. It's built through systems that lift people long after you're gone, both in your families and in your businesses. Sydney reminds us today that when you refuse to let adversity be wasted, you turn pain into purpose and purpose into impact. If this conversation lets something up inside of you, please don't just listen, move, take action, reach out to Sydney, sit down with your teams in your companies and have conversations about the opportunities that exist for you and transition from being reactive to proactive. I want you guys to please share this episode with somebody who leaves, serves, or cares about inclusion for others. And if you're an employer who wants your culture to actually match your values, definitely connect with Sydney again at ADA program solutions, OI, or QLARA Consulting. And you know what I'm gonna say, if you're ready to build your own legacy, create financial independence and build wealth without worry, schedule a call with me. Let's have a conversation about your goals and your priorities, and let's start taking one step at a time towards that. Remember resilience is your starting point, legacy is your destination, and you are more than capable of both. I wanna thank you guys for listening to this week's episode, and until next time, protect your peace, protect your people, and protect your wealth.