Driven by Purpose

At 40 years old, Michael Jarmon went into a diabetic coma, had multiple seizures, and woke up to find his vision was gone. What came next was depression, job loss, and a long road back to rebuilding his life from scratch. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Isaac Shapiro, Mike Ghesser, and Evan Rosenblum sit down with Michael Jarmon, a Clean Logic team member whose story is one of the most raw a...

When do you start planning for your child's future? For most parents, that conversation happens somewhere around high school. But if your child has severe disabilities, waiting that long is not an option. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, hosts Evan Rosenblum, Mike Ghesser, and Isaac Shapiro get personal. Evan shares that his 10-year-old daughter Sydney, who has severe cerebral palsy and is no...

What does it take to move $20 billion toward businesses that have been overlooked? For Michael A. Byron, it started with stocking shelves in his uncle's Brooklyn luncheonette at eight years old. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Isaac Shapiro and Evan Rosenblum sit down with Michael A. Byron, former Senior Director of Supplier Inclusion at Walmart and author of The Grace Effect: From Brooklyn...

When do you start planning for your child's future? For most parents, that conversation happens somewhere around high school. But if your child has severe disabilities, waiting that long is not an option. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, hosts Evan Rosenblum, Mike Ghesser, and Isaac Shapiro get personal. Evan shares that his 10-year-old daughter Sydney, who has severe cerebral palsy and is no...

In this episode of Driven by Purpose, Evan, Isaac, and Mike sit down with Danny Jordan, TV producer turned children's book author and the creator of The Capables, an award-winning empowering book series featuring kid superheroes who live with disabilities. Evan first met Danny at the Festival of Books at USC, where his daughter Sydney and son Bennett ran straight to The Capables booth. That night,...

In this episode of Driven by Purpose, Evan, Isaac, and Mike take the show on the road for a special Boots on the Ground edition. Isaac just returned from San Antonio, Texas, where he visited Morgan's Wonderland, the world's only ultra accessible theme park, built by philanthropist Gordon Hartman so that families with disabilities could experience a theme park without barriers, stress, or a single...

In this episode of Driven by Purpose, Evan, Isaac, and Mike welcome a very special guest: Rich Rider, the recently retired Warehouse Production Manager at Clean Logic. Rich spent nearly five years helping build one of the most mission-driven production teams in the country, working alongside employees with disabilities to hit numbers that would impress any logistics veteran. But as Rich puts it, t...

Summer can be a dangerous season for entrepreneurs if you treat it like downtime. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Isaac Shapiro shares why summer can be one of the biggest opportunities of the year for founders, business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs. From using “summer Fridays” to get ahead, to planning for the second half of the year, to protecting family time without losing momentum,...

What if technology could completely change how you experience the world? In this episode of Driven By Purpose , we sit down with Jeremy Grandstaff, Executive Director of the Inspiration Foundation, to explore the cutting edge of technology transforming the blind and visually impaired community. From early tools like the Apple IIe to today’s AI-powered Meta glasses, Jeremy breaks down how assistive...

What happens when purpose meets action? In this powerful episode of Driven By Purpose , we sit down with Ed Lynch, founder of Mychal’s Learning Place, a growing organization dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities. What started as a deeply personal mission inspired by his daughter has grown into a multifaceted operation that includes after-school programs, job t...

50 episodes. Countless stories. One mission. In this milestone episode of Driven By Purpose, we reflect on the journey so far and what we’ve learned along the way. From powerful personal stories to game-changing conversations with leaders and entrepreneurs, this episode is about growth, purpose, and impact. This isn’t just a look back. It’s a look forward. ▫️ The most impactful moments from the fi...

What happens when two completely different life stories collide in the same hospital at the same time? In this powerful episode of Driven By Purpose, Evan shares a deeply personal story from one of the hardest moments of his life. While covering the breaking news of Lamar Odom’s overdose as a TMZ executive producer, his own daughter was fighting for her life in the NICU just floors away. This epis...

Bullying is hard for any child. But when a child has a disability, the stakes feel even higher. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, we have an honest, emotional conversation about what’s really happening in schools today. From inclusive environments to the harsh reality outside that “bubble,” we break down what parents are facing and what can actually help. We share real stories, including: ▫️ K...

More than 133 million Americans live with chronic illness, yet most people don’t understand what that life actually looks like. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, we sit down with Nitika Chopraon, founder of ChronicCon, to break down the real experience of living with chronic illness. From being diagnosed at age 10 to spending years in constant pain, Nikita shares what people get wrong and what...

What does it take to turn $3,000 and a home kitchen into a multi-million dollar brand? In this episode of Driven By Purpose, we sit down with Drew Davis and Josh Wagner, the team behind Crippling Hot Sauce, to break down how they built a massive business using social media, consistency, and purpose. This isn’t a story about luck. It’s about volume, iteration, and understanding how to win in today’...

What happens when someone refuses to be defined by their condition? In this episode of Driven By Purpose, we sit down with Drew Davis, creator, entrepreneur, and founder behind STACKED, to talk about the real story behind his rise. From growing up as the only disabled student in his school to losing over 100 pounds and building a multi-million dollar brand, Drew’s journey is raw, unfiltered, and p...

Dr. Jeffrey Moore has helped raise more than 40 children, most with disabilities. But his impact does not stop at home. As a professor at Anderson University and a leading researcher in inclusive employment, Dr. Moore has studied what actually happens when companies hire people with disabilities at scale. The results are not charity driven. They are business driven. In this episode of Driven By Pu...

In 2008, Ian Mackay hit a tree while cycling and suffered a C2 C3 spinal cord injury. Paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator for a year, his future looked nothing like the one he had planned. Today, he has traveled more than 36,000 miles in a mouth controlled power wheelchair. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Ian shares how he went from deep depression to building Ian’s Ride, a nonp...

What would you do if someone told you to your face that you would never be promoted or paid fairly because you’re blind? That’s exactly what happened to Jeremy Grandstaff. Instead of backing down, he used it as fuel. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Jeremy shares his powerful story of resilience, leadership, and why hiring people with disabilities is not charity. It’s culture changing work. N...

Most of us take sight for granted. Now hundreds of business leaders in Bentonville are about to give it up for 75 minutes. Dining in the Dark is one of the most powerful events of the year. Executives are blindfolded for an entire meal to experience what life without sight feels like. It is uncomfortable. It is eye opening. And it changes people. This year’s event, presented by Walmart, goes beyon...

If your child has learning challenges, the IEP process can feel overwhelming and adversarial. In this episode of Driven By Purpose, educational therapist Karina Mamoon shares nearly two decades of experience helping families secure the services their children are legally entitled to. Karina breaks down how parents can prepare for IEP meetings, advocate effectively, and avoid common mistakes that d...

In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Evan Rosenblum and Isaac Shapiro unpack what it means to be accidentally offensive in the disability community. Through real stories involving their families, they explain why well-meaning comments can still cause harm, how to redirect conversations respectfully, and how education can turn uncomfortable moments into genuine connection. From talking about someo...

In this inspiring episode of Driven By Purpose, hosts Evan Rosenblum and Isaac Shapiro sit down with Dr. Kirk Adams, former CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, to explore his remarkable journey from childhood blindness to national leadership. As the successor to Helen Keller’s iconic organization, Dr. Adams shares how purpose, resilience, and inclusion can transform both lives and workpl...

In this episode of Driven by Purpose, Isaac, Evan, and Mike continue their candid discussion on what it really means to run a purpose-driven business. This second half of the conversation goes deeper into how to build a team that reflects your values, scale impact without losing your mission, and stay true to your “why” even when the pressure hits. Whether you're running a brand or just getting st...

Hiring people with disabilities is not charity. It is a competitive advantage. Tom Gustafson shares how he launched disability hiring initiatives at Sephora, Bed Bath and Beyond, and now Dollar Tree. We unpack what actually moves leaders off the fence, how to partner with state agencies and consultants, and the metrics that prove this works. If you need a first step and a clear why, this episode g...