The Starry-Eyed Podcast®

This week, the podcast is joined by Joan Cornachio, parent of a 35-year-old with WS and founder of Empowered Family Futures. They'll talk about the six-week Families Like Ours cohort and its first session, Understanding Family Dynamics. Joan shares how the series addresses the emotional side of the complex decisions families and caregivers face throughout the lifespan, offering tools to ease the p...

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we're proud to welcome Tyler Levy and Deena Doud to the podcast. Tyler was with us in episode 11, but since then has truly found a job where he can thrive. Part of that is due to having a manager that sets him up for success. Deena and Tyler have worked together for 3 years at the Planet Fitness in Louisville, KY, and they are a shining example o...

On this week's podcast, Brendan and Jen are joined by Sarah Myers, who calls Williams Syndrome her "superpower." Sarah shares stories from nine years at Camp Blue Skies, her inspiring health journey with functional neurology, and her dream of building a home for kids with disabilities. It's a conversation full of warmth and resilience — don't miss it! This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organi...

Breathe deep and relax this week as the pod welcomes Arianna Gallagher, the Cucumber Queen of Massachusetts. Feel the tension melt away as she, Brendan, and Jen discuss working at a spa, turning down Disney College, learning what you can do in college, and the importance of being authentically yourself.  This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and complete your p...

It's a really important time for the WSA as we begin our strategic planning for the future. Thank goodness the WSA has its very own Fairy Godmother in Susannah Morgan! Susannah's years of expertise in the non-profit sector and mentoring future leaders has been a valuable resource as the WSA works through these years of transition. Now the WSA is at a point where we want to hear from you! Whether y...

This week, the pod is joined by Alexa Bucci, her brand new support companion, Nelian, and the voice of her mother! Together Alexa and Nelian talk about how they're going about getting to know each other and the types of things where Nelian can help. It shows that sometimes being intentional about forming relationships can be a wonderful thing for all people involved and while you may have all the...

Another school year has started which means it’s time for our yearly check in with Dr. Robin Pegg. Dr. Pegg joins the pod fresh off her 2 night webinar series addressing the Top 10 things for back-to-school families to keep in mind. On today’s show, Jen and Brendan will dive deeper with Dr. Pegg on some of the more common concerns and opportunities.

This week, the podcast features Jennie Dopp, one of the founders of CaringTide, an organization dedicated to helping families of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities navigate the complexities of care throughout the whole lifespan. This past week, CaringTide and the WSA launched the first of 11 webinars aimed at helping families prepare for whatever the future holds. Join us...

This week, the podcast features Mackenzie Schonfeld from Lone Oak, TX. We chat about her life, and her experiences navigating the challenges and dynamics in the WS community. This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and a percentage of your purchase will go back to the WSA! Also use promo code WSA15 to get 15% off your first purchase!

Enough time has passed from Convention that it feels appropriate to check in with WSA Executive Director Sarah Schaefer and ask, "Where are we going?" Beyond the Convention, we have been talking and (more importantly) listening to families and individuals with WS to find out where their priorities lie - and we're not done! There's going to be much more listening coming soon to help guide the WSA i...

This week, we're joined by Brian Whelan, a man who, despite being in his 50s, only discovered he has Williams syndrome last year. He lives on his own, is in his 28th year working for Best Buy, and now he has a whole new chapter in his life opening up in front of him - especially after attending his first WSA Convention with his brother, John! This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty....

Summer is winding down and Jen is still in Italy, so Brendan and Producer Joel are taking a trip up north to Ottawa, Canada, to visit our new friend Keon Eberhardt. Keon is a man of many talents including surfing...that's right...a Canadian who surfs! Enjoy our conversation about testing yourself and being free to roll with the waves because you can only control what you can control, dude. This ep...

The boys are jealous since Jen is still away with family in Italy, so this week they're talking to Shannon Bohmann of @shannons.great.adventures. As a travel consultant, Shannon is used to the rigors of going on vacation with kids - including kids with WS, but now she and her family are taking it up a notch by renting a house in Orlando and spending August as "locals." As always, this episode is s...

Even if you were at the Convention, you might have missed the big news from Day 1: Camp WSA is changing dates to a better week! Better for who? Well, better for kids who are most likely going to be out of school nationwide! Better for parents/caregivers who now can work camp into their summer plans for the next 3 years! And better for the WSA because we can hopefully welcome more kids, teens, and...

Jen is still on vacay, so Brendan and Joel welcome Charlie Ferguson from Florida! Charlie talks about his years of working at Publix, his love of playing music, and what keeps him coming back to this community! As always, this episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and a percentage of your purchase will go back to the WSA! Also use promo co...

Jen is off with her family, so Brendan and Joel spend a little time recapping the events of the last week. The 2026 WSA Convention in Buffalo was a huge success - emphasis on "huge" considering there were 1800+ people! Enjoy the gentle ramblings of two very tired guys. As always, this episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and a percentage...

On Wednesday, July 8th, it was Exhibitor Night at the 2026 WSA International Convention. Jen, Brendan, and Producer Joel took to the floor with tiny microphone in hand to interview some of the attendees...and one dog. As always, this episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and a percentage of your purchase will go back to the WSA! Also use p...

Twas the night before convention and all through the Buff Not a person was sleeping - they've waited enough! Registration was set in the lobby with care Knowing soon Eighteen hundred fine folks would be there. And so Joel proclaimed as some sleep he did seek: Happy Convention to all and to all a great week! As always, this episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. Click on THIS LINK and c...

We are one week out from the WSA Convention and there's no better time to meet one of the newest staff members: Megan Lenihan! She joins Jen and Brendan to discuss her role as Family Resource Liaison and her passion for breaking down barriers for families to get the information and resources they need. She's been on the job for only a couple months, but she is already having a huge impact! As alwa...

This week we channel our inner "theater kid energy" as we are joined by Rachel Flamm. She shares about how her love school led to her getting a degree in Early Childhood Education and Sociology. Then Producer Joel so they can nerd out over their love of acting and singing. Rachel wonderfully describes how her Williams syndrome gives her a leg up on understanding her characters! Big shout out to Om...

Today Jen and Brendan are joined by Bailey Stack, who reminds us that WS Awareness is a year-round endeavour! She shares how she found her voice and learned to trust herself when talking about her own disability and has become a mighty advocate educating families and professionals around the world using social media. Look like Brendan! Convention merch is available in the WSA Store! Go to https://...

We kick off a new century of podcasts with one of the newest additions to the WSA staff: Vice President of Programs Laura Spinney. Laura shares her extensive background working in disability advocacy and as a parent to her adult daughter with WS. She also gets into the details of the WSA's latest program: The Family Network. For more information on the Family Network, go to https://www.williams-sy...

1-0-0!!!! For our 100th episode, we celebrated a milestone live on the Weekend for Williams Broadcast. Jen couldn't join us this time, so Joel sat in to help Brenden lead the conversation. Together they welcomed two wonderful guests: Dr. Mo Helgren of the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine and her student Camilo Zeballos Carvajal, a fellow musician and rare disease advocate. The discussion explore...

Nine-nine!! For the last show before we hit the century mark, we're joined by a guest a refreshing as a tropical breeze. Jules Warren is a Chicago transplant to Hawaii, and uses her people skills working at Depo Market (@depo_market). Joining her is Tiffany Chou, the founder and owner, who, as she says in the interview, "doesn't take no for an answer," so when she told Jules she wanted her to work...

From Emperor Palpatine to the King of Pop, Josh Beaupre is a born entertainer. He joins Jen and Brendan this week to talk about his love of voices, entertaining, and what goes into being an impersonator. Josh also leads a frank discussion about how he has dealt with bullying in his life - most notably from within the WS community. As always, this episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty....