312: Discovering the Right Career Path for Neurodivergent Kids
with Guest Hannah Maruyama
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spreaker | Spotify | iHeart Radio
Is college really the only path to success? Not even close.
In this episode, I sit down with Hannah Maruyama, co-founder of Degree Free, to challenge the outdated idea that college is the ultimate goal for every kid — especially for neurodivergent kids who may thrive outside traditional systems. We get deep into how redefining success, focusing on real-world needs, and shifting the career conversation can change everything. Learn why starting with your child's unique lifestyle goals leads to a far more satisfying and successful future, and why the old “college = success” formula just doesn't add up anymore.
Ready to rethink what your child’s future can look like? Listen now and empower your family to build a life by design, not by default.
Success for neurodivergent kids should be defined by what they want for their own lives, not by outdated standards like college degrees.
The traditional school-to-college pipeline ignores the wide variety of fulfilling careers that match kids' needs, interests, and strengths.
Helping kids prioritize lifestyle, schedule, income needs, and work environment sets them up for sustainable success and emotional well-being.
how to help your child redefine success on their own terms
how to guide your child in choosing a career path that fits their nervous system needs and life goals
how to use the “Degree Free Four” to identify ideal career options
how to teach vocational creativity and expand your child's awareness of real-world job opportunities
how shifting away from traditional models can lower anxiety and support emotional regulation for neurodivergent kids
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Hannah Maruyama
Hannah Maruyama is the founder of Degree Free, which helps parents and their 16-20 year olds create custom career roadmaps so they can launch their lives. From tech to trades, any job under the sun.
With her husband Ryan, she runs @degreefree on Tiktok, which has over 500,000 followers and 100,000,000+ views and the Degree Free Podcast (a top US Careers Podcast) where Ryan and Hannah interview degree free people who work at companies like Meta, Dell, Twitch, Nike, Microsoft, AWS, and
more.
*She also co-wrote – The Degree Free Way: How to Help Your 16-20 Year Old Build the Life They Want, which was published in June 2024 and has sold more than 12,000 copies nationwide.*
00:00:03 Hannah Maruyama: Success is your child getting what they want out of their life. It does not matter if that is a homestead with chickens in rural Montana. It does not matter if that is a paid-off brownstone in Manhattan. It doesn't matter if that is being able to work as a freelance painter. Success is them getting what they want out of their life, and that is the easiest definition and also one that's attainable for everybody.
00:00:31 Penny Williams: Welcome to the Beautifully Complex podcast, where I share insights and strategies on parenting neurodivergent kids straight from the trenches. I'm your host, Penny Williams. I'm a parenting coach, author, and mindset mama, honored to guide you on the journey of raising your atypical kid. Let's get started. Welcome back everybody to Beautifully Complex. I am thrilled today to have Hannah with me of Degree Free to talk about why college isn't the only way, how kids can find success in adulthood in alternative ways, and what that sort of mechanism looks like to help our kids figure that out. Will you start, Hannah, by introducing yourself? Let everybody know who you are and what you do.
00:01:25 Hannah Maruyama: I would absolutely love to. Penny, thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate you sharing your platform and inviting me on. I am thrilled today to go over a bunch of questions parents have. A little bit about my background and Degree Free — we are an educational design company. We are the bridge because right now there's this massive disconnect between school, education, and career. Nobody can quite figure out which one's which, how they connect, and if they even should or shouldn't. And we have solved that problem. The solution is to customize education based on the needs of the individual. Unfortunately, that's not the way we typically prepare young adults to enter the workforce.
(continues in this structured format)
I help stuck and struggling parents (educators, too) make the pivots necessary to unlock success and joy for neurodivergent kids and teens, themselves, and their families. I'm honored to be part of your journey!
Host of Beautifully Complex. I help stuck and struggling parents (educators, too) make the pivots necessary to unlock success and joy for neurodivergent kids and teens, themselves, and their families. I'm honored to be part of your journey!
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This podcast #312) is one of the most profound and informative podcasts that I have listened to (and I have listened to A LOT!!!). My 18 yo neurodivergent daughter just graduated from high school last week. I have known for a long time that determining her path/finding the right job for her was going to be difficult; however, listening to this podcast gives me SO much hope that we will be able to accomplish those goals and I am excited to see what we find out is the best fit for HER!!❤️
YAY! I'm so glad this is helpful for you! I am working through the Degree-Free Workbook with my son now.