Keynote Speaker
 
Sarah Kernion

Inchstones, intelligence and the advantage of adaptive thinking

Thursday, Oct. 9 Location Code
8:00am-9:15am America's Ballroom ThK/01

Neurodiversity often begins as a support and ends up as a strategic advantage.

This keynote explores how designing for neurodivergent thinkers can reveal what your systems really need to thrive. Drawing from both lived experience parenting two profoundly non-speaking autistic children and powerful decision-making frameworks, this talk connects real-world caregiving with real-time strategy.

At the heart of this session is John Boyd’s OODA Loop — a four-step cycle: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It’s a tool for navigating fast-moving, high-pressure environments by continuously adjusting your mental models. In this talk, you’ll learn that the most powerful part of the loop — Orientation — is often the most overlooked. It's not just about what you see; it's about how you make sense of what you see and what that enables you to do next.

In her keynote session, Kernion will explore how shifting orientation unlocks both innovation and inclusion, showing how small changes — like visual supports or flexible workflows — can remove friction not just for a few, but for the whole team.

Doors to the keynote session will open at 7:45 a.m.

About Sarah Kernion

Sarah Kernion's energy, clarity and compassion leave a lasting impression. Her ability to connect strategic thinking with lived experience, especially in the realm of neurodiversity, makes her a powerful presence in any room. She is at her best speaking to teams, challenging assumptions and helping organizations turn complexity into advantage.

Kernion's journey is deeply personal. As a mother to two profoundly non-speaking autistic children, she’s learned to navigate uncertainty, lead under pressure and value what others often overlook. That experience led her to the concept of "inchstones" — small, meaningful wins that drive sustainable progress in dynamic systems. Today, she applies that mindset to help organizations rethink leadership, inclusion and operational design.

Whether she’s sharing stories from the frontlines of caregiving or guiding companies to become more inclusive and adaptive, Kernion brings heart, systems thinking and a belief that neurodiversity is not just something to support — it’s something to harness strategically. 

Kernion is the founder of Saturday's Story, a bold neurodiversity advocacy platform amplifying the realities of parenting profoundly autistic children. She is also the founder of Inchstones Substack and host of Inchstones by Saturday's Story Podcast. 

Theme: Innovation for tomorrow: AI, technology and social responsibility