Mentorship Hour with TJ Yurko
Purpose of ND Connect's Mentorship Hours
Join us to expand your network in a genuine way, learn through experience sharing, and get actually helpful advice - from people who understand what it’s like to be neurodivergent and build careers and lives that work for them. These live AMAs are your chance to connect authentically with neurodivergent professionals, creatives, founders, and leaders who can offer valuable tips and industry insights.
About TJ
TJ Yurko is a neurodivergent owner and consulting arborist at his company, Tree J Consulting, where he provides expert consulting, education, and writing services in urban forestry and arboriculture.
With over a decade of experience in the green industry, he advises clients on best practices and strategies for good tree care & landscaping operations. TJ is dedicated to helping municipalities, community partners, and businesses around the world build and foster greener, healthier, and more sustainable communities. By educating people about accepted practices used in the green industry, he empowers people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to sustainably care for their urban forests, trees, and landscapes.
With an insatiable curiosity and deep appreciation for the natural world, TJ embarked on a lifelong journey to learn and teach ecologically-focused best practices for urban landscapes.
In his leisure time, TJ enjoys hiking outdoors in nature, engaging in fitness activities, and caring for his menagerie of animals 🐤
Who's this event for?
People interested in mentorship and connections around urban forestry, sustainability, and consulting. Anyone curious about the topic from a neurodivergent-lens is welcome :)
The Plan
The first hour
TJ will introduce himself (along with his favourite tree!) and share a bit about his career story, speaking to how he turned his lifelong love of trees into a career
Then he'll share actionable tips around breaking into the industry and being self-employed
We’ll end the first segment with an interactive Q&A, where you can ask TJ about his career, tips, or experiences in a low-pressure environment
The remaining 30 min
For anyone who'd like to stay on and meet other attendees, we'll use this as an opportunity to open up breakout rooms with prompts to help you connect
Prompt 1 - what brought you here?
Prompt 2 - will be determined based on areas of interest that emerge during the interactive chat with TJ
Note: This event will be recorded. Recordings of the event will be made privately available to ND Connect members and hosted under the "resources" page of the ND Connect platform.
Accessibility notes
Please show up in the way that best meets your needs. You're welcome to keep your camera off or on, participate out loud using the raise hand feature or in chat, stim, fidget, take breaks, have a snack, etc.
Our community guidelines apply here too
Let us know if there is anything else we can do to support you by emailing us at support@ndconnect.app