Hot Seat With Cognizant Clay

I had the pleasure of chatting with Kgothatso "KG" Montjane. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, a congenital birth defect which affects the development of fingers and legs. She is a professional wheelchair tennis player representing South Africa. KG is currently the number 9 ranked woman in the world. KG's Instagram: https://instagram.com/kgmontjane1?igshid=yoxop25g0xq8 Twitter: https://twi...

I had the honour of chatting with David Montez. David is a former Public Safety Officer and 911 dispatcher from Wisconsin. He is diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, POTS and PTSD. David hosts the Chronic Victory Podcast, focusing on chronic illnesses and how to overcome them. He also focuses on philosophy and faith. Listen to the Chronic Victory Podcast here: http://chronicvictory.buzzsprout.com/ David's...

I had the honour of chatting with Brad Norris. Brad is the chair of the Hamilton Professional Fire Fighters Association Charity and Community Support. The charity works with several organizations in the Hamilton area including the Hamilton General Hospital Foundation, the Hamilton Bulldogs, Muscular Dystrophy Canada and several others.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rocky Stoutenburgh. Rocky is a Twitch streamer who plays under the name RockyNoHands. He is paralyzed from the neck down without the use of his arms. He uses an adaptive controller called a Quadstick which is controlled through breathing. Rocky has two Guinness World Records in Fortnite for most eliminations and most Victory Royales with the Quadstick. Watch Rock...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jay Onrait. Jay is a sportscaster who hosts Sportscentre with Jay and Dan with Dan O'toole for TSN in Canada. He obtained his degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto. After spending time with Global Television in Saskatoon and A-Channel in Winnipeg he joined the NHL Network. In 2003 he started hosting Sportscentre for TSN. Onrait a...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Katie Hoffman. Katie is diagnosed with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. She had three college degrees. An Associate's in Assistive Technology, a Bachelor of General Studies with minors in Social Work and Sociology, as well as an Administrative Assistant Diploma. Katie is writing a book about her life story in the hopes of helping people overcome mental health chal...

I had the honour of chatting with former Canadian professional skier Alexandre Bilodeau. His discipline was freestyle moguls. in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics he became the first Canadian to win a gold medal on home soil. He defended his Olympic title in 2014 at the Sochi games. His brother Frederic is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. He is Alex's main inspiration and motivator in life. Alex...

I had the privilege of chatting with Perry Esler. Perry is a former news and sports anchor for CTV London. After several years in the broadcast journalism industry, he started working in the non-profit industry. He has worked with various organizations including The Children's Miracle Network and The Children's Health Foundation. He is currently the Executive Director at Jessie's Journey, a charit...

I had the honour of chatting with David Onley. He was diagnosed with Polio at 3 years old. David is the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He served from 2007 until 2014. He is the only disabled Lieutenant Governor in Canadian history. He is also a former TV personality who worked for CityTV, recording and producing several programs. He was also on Breakfast Television for a number of years. H...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Samantha Tokita. Samantha is diagnosed with fibular hemimelia. As a result her right leg was amputated just below the knee. She has worn prosthetics her whole life. Samantha is a Muay Thai practitioner and a photographer. Just to add, the question Sam asked is very important. She asked me how I deal with people staring at me. I usually ignore it and I mentioned...

I had the honour of interviewing Caroline Casey. She is one of the leading disability advocates in the world. Caroline is diagnosed with Ocular Albinism. She founded the company The Valuable 500. It was founded to revolutionize disability inclusion through business leadership and opportunity. Caroline and her team hope to get 500 signatures from the world's most influential CEO's and their brands...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Cabbie Richards. He is best known for his work at The Score and TSN in Canada. Cabbie conducted his interviews with a unique spin. His entertain first, inform second approach was admired by many Canadians. He is also a former ambassador for Motionball, a charity that raises awareness and funds for Special Olympics.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Kelsey Hartman. Kelsey was born with one arm due to limb difference. She is a cheerleader, singer and YouTuber. Kelsey is also a nursing student. She founded the BeYOUtiful Campaign which promotes body positivity.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Sarah McConnell. Sarah is the mother of a little boy named Dennis who is diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. She founded the Instagram blog called Menace to Duchenne, which provides awareness and support for those living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. https://instagram.com/menacetoduchenne?igshid=g1gwrixn1c4y

I had the pleasure of chatting with Brad Bowden. Brad is a Paralympic athlete who has represented Canada in both wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey. He is one of the only athletes to win gold in both Winter and Summer Paralympics.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Melanie Hawtin. Melanie is a member of the Canadian National Wheelchair Basketball Team. She has represented Canada at the Paralympics as well as several World Championships. We talked about her career, accomplishments, training regiment and more!

I had the honour of chatting with former NHLer Craig Cunningham. Due to sudden cardiac arrest while playing for the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, he was forced to retire from the game early. Craig shares his incredible story of how he overcame this tragic event. We talked about his career, idols, overcoming challenges and more!

I had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Walls. He is paralyzed due to Transverse Myelitis, a virus he contracted as a baby. Alex is a gamer who plays under the name DisabledGuyPlays. He is a data analyst and also plays wheelchair rugby.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Fanelli of Heroic Minds. He shared the story of his traumatic brain injury he sustained while while he was playing for the Kitchener Rangers. After 2 years of extensive rehab and testing he was cleared to play again. When he returned, he was named captain in Kitchener. Following his recovery he founded Headstrong, Fanelli 4 Brain Injury Awareness. Later on h...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jack McCormick. He works in the Human Resources Department at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Jack is diagnosed with Leber Congenital Amaurosis. He is the co-founder of Eye to Eye, a student organization foundes at Laurier to promote inclusion and accessibility. Jack is also a Vice Chair at the CNIB.

I had the pleasure of chatting with David Shannon. He is a disability rights activist, lawyer, adventurer and much more! David has received the Order of Ontario as well as the Order of Canada for his dedication to the disabled community across the country. He is the first quadriplegic to go across Canada in a powered wheelchair. He also planted a handicap parking sign on the North Pole to promote...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Patrick DeCrescenzo. Patrick is an adaptive snowboarder who is currently in training to try out for the 2022 Paralympics. He is diagnosed with left Hemiplegia.

I had the pleasure of chatting with my Neuromuscular specialist Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky. He has an MD and PhD in cell biology and metabolism. Mark is an endowed chair at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation in Neuromuscular Diseases and is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine.

I sat down with Dr. Rory A Cooper. He is FISA & Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Professor and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology, and professor of Bioengineering, Physical Med & Rehab, and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Rory has invented several assistive devices and has over 20 approved or pending patents. Special thanks to hi...

I had the honour and privilege of chatting with the one and only Rick Mercer. Rick has been a prominent figure in Canadian pop culture for several years. We talked about his career, disability awareness and more!