How Identity Has Influenced An Anthropologist And Corporate Historian In An Independent Consulting Career
Laurie's hearing impairment presented a career challenge, forcing the professional to "adapt," "accept limitations," and ultimately "let go of how things were done before." This proactive approach, coupled with transparency about the disability, allowed Laurie to leverage other skills and achieve career success without letting the hearing impairment define their professional journey.
Adaptability, Resilience, Overcoming Challenges, Communication, Disability and Employment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Laurie Levin
Anthropologist and Corporate Historian
Independent Consultant
UC Berkeley; Harvard University; UCLA, 1972
Harvard/MA and UCLA abd
Anthropology, Sociology
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Creative
Disabled, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Laurie's proactive approach to overcoming challenges: She chose to adapt and learn new ways of working rather than withdrawing from her career.
2. Her emphasis on self-acceptance and letting go of past methods: This showcases her resilience and her ability to adjust her strategies to accommodate her hearing impairment.
3. The importance of open communication: Laurie's advice to be upfront about her hearing impairment highlights the value of transparency and self-advocacy in the workplace and beyond.
Transcript
As someone who is hearing impaired, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
Well, at first, when I started becoming deaf, I realized that I could either withdraw completely or tackle this challenge, as I have with every other challenge I've tried to negotiate in my life. What that meant is I needed to learn how to adapt.
I needed to learn how to accept my limitations. I needed to learn how to let go of how I did things before and learn how I was going to do things now. That's been frightening.
I have a sense of loss, but I also have a sense of gain and accomplishment. Now, I have a level of comfort so that I don't have to let the disability stop me in any way. Also, being upfront about it, I have nothing to be ashamed of.
It is simply a part of who I am, given the whole constellation of other fabulous skills, abilities, and accomplishments that I have.
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