Meet Chris Weakly

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Weakly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.

Hi Chris, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

I want to start by saying that at every stage of life, there are going to be haters and naysayers. Persisting in life inspite of others isn’t a single lesson. Rather, it’s in the eb and flow of reminders in the progress of life. Who you make space for in your life is invaluable. It’s invaluable because time is the one thing we can never earn back. I lost a lot of time with more people pleasing than you’d care to hear. Believing each day that others would become agreeable and supportive. But my reality was growing up not knowing I was autistic. My life was unfamiliar and thus ridiculed early on. Fast forward to today, and my circle consists of people who love to learn and lift those who want to be lifted. The road to get here came with a cost I wouldn’t visit on anyone. From being estranged from most of my family, people I thought were friends, and my ex-wife. The toughest part wasn’t loosing any of them, it was the grief from how much time it took me to learn that I’m enough. I learned that four years ago. It was the start of a climb out of just staying invisible. Today, I focus my time where I can be effective alongside others. Anyone who doesn’t share a vision or goal just has no place in my space, period. Sure, some start off promising. I know there’ve been countless times I’ve been a naysayer myself and shown the door. You just have to choose to show them out. Which is a constant lesson we can forget.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Currently, I work at Knowledge as a Service. We offer a habit formation app called Ringorang. What Ringorang is doing with it’s methodology, and AI is simply fascinating. Not to mention a culture where screwups are considered important lessons and where the whole team swarms to help when timelines are disrupted to learn how to better tune KPIs. When I’m not there, I’m slowly launching a consulting service called Logical-A. Essentially, I help companies better understand and integrate what I call the MAC of Autism into a company’s Windows world. As a late-diagnosed autistic person, I know all too well how hard it is to gain and keep employment. Ringorang is very supportive of my efforts. I’ve been able to teach them how to better engage me, and they have taught me how to see when I’m giving too much detail. You could say they’re the live test of what I want to bring to companies around the world. It’s not just about creating better communication within a company so current autistic employees have longevity; it’s about companies being ready to attract innovators and creators with similar brilliance they read about and see on the news. There are millions of innovative autistics waiting for a real chance to evolve products and services that businesses make.

When I’m not working, I read, spend time outdoors, and people-watch. Things like movies, events, and vacations can be enjoyable, but the preparation and recovery do take time. I used to rely on what I call human anchors when I went out. In the last 8 months, I’ve made enough progress to go out much more on my own.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When it comes to three areas of knowledge that have been most impactful on my journey, I would have to say my faith in Christ, bookstores, and self-care.
My faith is why I’m still here. I tried to remove myself from the world twice by age 18. Autism isn’t a life with gifts and superpowers you read and see on shows. It’s a life that can leave you stuck in third-person view. You see so much but the loneliness is much more. My faith gave me the belief I had a reason to be here. It just took me a while to really listen without the need to logically understand. Bookstores were vital for me, still are. College looked too much like high school, so I dropped out. The local bookstore ended up being my college. No set schedule for studying technology because it resembled the sci-fi books I read. Over time, I was able to enter the tech field to work. If you have to hack how you become educated in what you want to do, do it. Learning is a standard; it’s a building block in your life.
I don’t know that I can impart anymore than what’s been written about self-care. But I will tell you that anyone who poo poos it is someone you should run from. When it comes to self-care, it may seem trivial until you finally make to do it. Then you’ll ask yourself why the hell didn’t I do this sooner? I asked myself the same thing.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Right now, I’m looking to collaborate with anyone who cares about changing the trajectory of autistic employment. I’m happy to share my process and how my lived experience adds tangibility to the message. Every autistic that can achieve longevity of employment and a career path is one less struggling for a place to lend the type of talent you won’t find in another group of people. My work isn’t about me; it’s about the communication between the business world and autistics. Communication is what took us from the fields and forests to where we are now. Unfortunately for some of us, communication works differently and the world still hasn’t built the other side of the communication bridge we need.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.logical-a.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1G53MchReL/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-weakly/
• Youtube: logicalameetsworld

Image Credits

Robert Feeney
ICAN Conferences
Ringorang
Sheperds Way