Collaboration, Inclusion, and the Courage to Keep Innovating

As Executive Director of Believing Through Achieving, I spend a good part of my days thinking about how to make our martial arts platform support learning, movement, and growth that is accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance.

Our organization was built on a simple belief: when you create systems designed with inclusion at the center, you don’t just empower individuals … you strengthen entire communities.

But I’ll be honest. Working in the nonprofit sector can feel like an uphill climb at times.

You pour your heart into a mission that you know can make a difference, yet you often wonder if you’re being heard, if your work is resonating, or if you’re even connecting with the right people to make the most impact.

It can be discouraging when you’re fighting to be seen in a world that moves at lightning speed and often speaks a vastly different language from that of care and empathy.

That’s why attending the Neurotech Conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville in October was such a pivotal turning point for me. It reignited something that’s sometimes so easy to lose sight of when you’re deeply involved in the work: hope.

And to be transparent, I guess I didn’t realize how much I really needed that.

I had the privilege of speaking on the panel “Entrepreneurship Rewired: The Power of Difference,” alongside Gregory Shepard, Keivan G. Stassun, and Shahriar Afshar, moderated by Aras Sheikhi. From the moment I arrived, I could sense the energy in the room.

These individuals weren’t just professionals: they were visionaries. People who put years of work into their PhDs, scientists always searching for solutions through evidence, entrepreneurs who sometimes, on their own dollar, strive to improve the world around them by creating something new.

These innovators are all working to create a future where technology, empathy, and inclusion coexist. It was electric.

When I first walked in, I’ll admit, I was a little taken aback … and maybe a little out of sorts, too. It actually took me off guard for a few moments, which as a martial arts instructor, isn’t exactly where I want to be!

It can be incredibly humbling to be surrounded by that level of intellect: people who have devoted their lives to research and development in fields that often push the standard boundaries of what’s possible or even what’s accepted.

But what struck me even more than their expertise was their openness.

Everyone I met had a story, a mission, and a genuine desire to just TALK. There was a collective understanding that the breakthroughs ahead, whether in neurotechnology, education, or related fields won’t come from working alone.

They’ll come from all of us working together.

During our panel, we explored how diversity of thought, background, and lived experience doesn’t just enrich innovation; it fuels it. We talked about how entrepreneurship can and should be “rewired” to embrace difference as a driver of creativity and resilience.

Too often, organizations chase uniformity (the “right” way to do things or the “standard” path to success) but true progress happens when we invite varied perspectives into the room.

Think about it: what if a physicist asked an educator for advice on teaching a physics class? Or how about a social entrepreneur collaborating with a technologist to create the next greatest web platform?

When nonprofit leaders and neurotech experts realize that their missions intersect more than they differ, we can create amazing things.

For me, that conversation was deeply personal.

At Believing Through Achieving, we built our online martial arts program with the same philosophy in mind: removing the unnecessary barriers that we have seen so frequently through the years so that students of all abilities can participate, learn, and thrive at their own pace.

Our platform integrates physical movement, cognitive engagement, and social-emotional learning in a way that benefits both neurodiverse and neurotypical learners – through martial arts.

And like many of the innovators at the conference, our work lives in that space where education meets technology and where human potential meets out-of-the-box, innovative thinking.

Listening to the other panelists and attendees reinforced something I’ve long believed: inclusion is innovation. It’s not a side initiative or a checkbox; it’s the blueprint for the future.

When we design systems that consider everyone, we elevate the entire ecosystem.

It might not happen overnight, or even over weeks or months. To focus on building environments that reflect the reality of human diversity rather than trying to fit people into rigid molds that make them uncomfortable and most of all, often stall them in their journey to success is the ultimate end.

However long that takes, we’re invested.

Beyond the panel itself, the networking opportunities at the conference were incredible. Every conversation felt like a masterclass – not in theory, but in possibility.

I met people who were developing assistive technologies, studying cognitive pathways, launching educational platforms, and building bridges between neuroscience and human experience.

Each interaction left me with something new to think about: how could our platform intersect with their work? How might our shared goals align to expand impact?

It reminded me that progress doesn’t always happen in a Boardroom or through a chain of emails.

Sometimes it happens over coffee, during a quick hallway conversation, or in the few minutes after a panel ends and those informal exchanges are where ideas are free-flowing and genuine curiosity replaces competition.

This is often the unexpected part, where innovation really takes root. It’s where the gears REALLY start turning and things start happening.

Another realization I walked away with is how universal the challenges are, no matter your sector. Whether you’re a nonprofit leader trying to secure funding for a mission-driven project or a scientist seeking backing for your next experiment, we all face the same fundamental question: How do we sustain meaningful work while staying true to our purpose?

Hearing others speak about that struggle was reassuring. It can be overwhelming and discouraging, but it reminded me that perseverance isn’t a weakness, it’s the cost of impact.

The Neurotech Conference gave me something invaluable: perspective.

It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re deep in the trenches of your own work.

I’ll admit, this probably happens more often than I’d like. But this event reminded me that we’re part of a much larger ecosystem: one filled with enthusiastic people striving for change through science, education, advocacy, and innovation. And that’s a community worth being part of.

As I reflect on the experience, what stands out most is the collective hope that filled the space. Hope that technology can serve humanity more responsibly. Hope that collaboration can replace competition. Hope that the next generation of thinkers, creators, educators, and innovators will build a more inclusive world than the one they inherited.

To everyone I met: thank you for your kindness and your willingness to share ideas. You reminded me that even when the path feels uncertain, the mission is still worth every single step.

To those of us working in spaces where progress sometimes feels slow: don’t underestimate the ripple effect of connection. One conversation, one new idea, one shared goal can shift the entire trajectory of a project or a person.

Leaving the conference, I felt a renewed sense of motivation … not just to keep building what we’re building, but to keep believing that collaboration is the cornerstone of progress.

Because in the end, whether we’re talking about neurotech, education, or social change, the goal is the same: to elevate lives, together.