Team Peri Step Out of Line

Modern-day matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom doesn’t only see things in black and white, but rather, she appreciates the differences and unique circumstances of every one of her clients. You must’ve seen her in Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking, and if you’re like us, binge-watched the entire series.  Stepping out of line was no easy feat for Aleeza, as it was an uphill climb through uncharted territor...

Sometimes stepping out of line takes 20 years to come to fruition. Don Schoendorfer is the author of Miracle Wheels and holds a Ph. D. in the biomedical engineering field. Haunted by an image he saw on vacation in Morocco of a woman crawling on the ground, Schoendorfer was encouraged to take a leap of faith and launch his own nonprofit organization, the Free Wheelchair Mission . His intention was...

Sometimes your naïveté in a given situation works in your favor. Such was the case when Danielle Robay booked a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to “work on the internet,” for what she believed would be the new era of news media. Boy, was she right! As a journalist within the entertainment reporting industry, Robay caught a few lucky breaks, interviewed some celebrity dogs, lived in her grandmother’s...

Find the disconnect. Change the narrative. Invite everyone to the party.  Professional makeup artist, Terri Bryant, experienced a shift in her agility to complete the necessary tasks of her job in a timely matter. Jumping ahead to five years later, Bryant received an official diagnosis to her increasing symptoms - Parkinson’s disease. Now that she concretely knew where the disconnect was in h...

The 24/7 Cupcake ATM, anyone?! Team Peri is starting off this year’s 2023 Women’s History Month with the brainchild and co-founder of Sprinkles, Candace Nelson . Candace is a self-described serial entrepreneur, author of the Wall Street Journal’s bestselling book, “Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit,” an Angel Investor, mentor, and a mother to two boys among other thin...

Brace yourselves…we’ve got the rabbi and boy, does she know how to “Step Out of Line.”  The woman behind it all, Alex Borstein , unbeknownst to her, was the impetus behind our podcast and the Step Out of Line movement which has inspired our Team Peri community. As a tribute to her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor and her mother, Alex dedicated her 2019 Emmy award in an acceptance speech endi...

Step Out of Line and be inspired by Team Peri's "Step Out of Line" podcast, a weekly show that provides a safe space for reflection, personal stories and experiences that motivate you to keep moving forward. Sit down with the dynamic daughter and mother duo and meet special guests who have made a positive impact on the world.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walking the runway is not a piece of cake for somebody with a disability, yet Mindy Scheier has made it her life’s mission to make sure that children and adults with physical disabilities can have the same opportunities as anyone else. Bringing fashion into the forefront with accessible design seemed like a natural fit for Mindy, as she has made a career in the fashion industry. Her son, Oliver in...

Having only recently in the past few years been officially diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Kaylee Bays  decided that it was time for her to dance again. Her second time dancing in a wheelchair was Jax's flashmob for the empowering single, “Victoria’s Secret”. Once a professional dancer, Kaylee knew that dance was something that...

Bass guitar player for Kelly Clarkson & Katy Perry is so much more than just being a rockstar. Kyle Whalum explores the limits of pain and the art of suffering in his “hobby,” ultra-marathon running. His core strength is a product of him learning how to be comfortable existing outside of the lines. From prioritizing his own mental health in regards to an impostor syndrome, focusing on his musi...

Marcia Kilgore is a serial entrepreneur who has debunked mainstream beauty distribution and sales markup with her new venture, Beauty Pie. Founder of the Bliss Spa, FitFlop footwear, among others, Kilgore always ‘stepped out of line’ by seeking out friends and mentors who challenged her rather than succumb to the archetype girl group while growing up in Canada.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

You might remember Josh Randall from his epic wrestling, Hulk Hogan, and Macho Man proposal that received 29.6M views on TikTok.  Everyone deserves to have their moment and to share their voice with the world. Josh has made himself an invaluable facilitator so people can create that moment. As the casting producer & warmup host of American Idol and Are You The One? , as well as the produc...

On one of the most darkest days in modern American times, we can take solace knowing that Paul (Paulie) Veneto has made it his mission to make sure that the very first responders on 9/11, the airline personnel who were on the flights that went down, are remembered and recognized for their service. Since 9/11, Paulie always wanted to honor his airline co-workers but was unable to do so due to his a...

Sneakers that make an impact through social change is what Moe Hachem’s life’s work is all about. By upcycling and recycling sneakers, Sneaker Impact can promote the concept of their sustainability. Through recycling gently used running sneakers, the social enterprise is able to take action and prevent the shoes from ending up in landfills. In third-world countries, sneakers are used as a vehicle...

Like father like son, Mark & John are two entrepreneurs who when they saw a need, created their own happiness. Upon graduating high school, no job or program peaked any of John’s interests. After a few failed business attempts with his dad, most notably a food truck (newsflash, neither of them can cook), they came up with John’s Crazy Socks . Mark & John have since built an inclusive and d...

It’s hard to step into Superman‘s boots but Francesco Clark follows in his footsteps. In 2002, Francesco was working in the fashion industry at the esteemed magazine, Harper’s Bazaar. After a devastating pool accident at the age of 24 that resulted in a spinal cord injury, Francesco went into a depression as he came to terms with the realization that he was paralyzed. It was only after Christopher...

It’s a tale of a Paralympian fighting to compete and successfully medaling in the 2022 Olympic Beijing Games. For Brenna Huckaby, a 3x Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and cancer survivor, the bronze medal won in 2022 is perhaps the most meaningful. Accordingly to Brenna, the medal represents and encourages those who continue to fight an uphill battle of accessibility and inclusion to k...

What was once a resentment of the impingement that Samual Mikulak ’s career put on his mental health and self-worth has now become a source of introspective assessment of how grateful he is to have experienced all that he has professionally. In this mindset, Sam competed in his third and most likely final Olympics at the Tokyo 2020 games and was able to experience it on a different level. The beau...

Rubin Ervin can get people to do anything for a five-dollar gift card. Rubin has a talent for ‘reading the room,’ and he is not afraid to use it. His warm-up career has taken him from Orlando to Chicago to Los Angeles to Israel, being the front-runner for The Kelly Clarkson Show, Family Feud, Miss Universe, and America's Got Talent. A born entertainer, his love of toys, fun fashion, people, and ha...

The one where we did not have to curb our enthusiasm for Maggie Wheeler . She’s real, she’s here, and she’s spectacular. You’ll recognize Maggie as the genius behind Chandler Bing’s muse, Janice Litman-Goralnik (née Hosenstein). Maggie is a children’s book author, actress, voice-over artist, and co-director of the inter-generational Golden Bridge Community Choir. Maggie’s epiphany at the...

Ashamed by his early diagnosis in the second grade of having a learning disability, Jonathan Cohen knew that he processed things differently than his peers. His ability to think outside of the box and competitive spirit has led Jonathan to be the entrepreneur, filmmaker, mental health advocate, and inventor that he is today. Jonathan’s creative thinking and negotiation skills gave him the tools to...

If you want it, you can achieve it. Adriana Carrig went against the grain by proving the naysayers wrong and turning her experience as a victim of bullying into a vision of kindness.  Little Words Project (LWP) was born out of a need to nurture the notion that each and every one of us is worthy of hope, love, kindness, and even empowerment. Words matter and Adriana encourages the LWP communit...

Once Dana Blair hit the spotlight, she just knew that she had found her home. From studying dance and acquiring an MBA at Adelphi University to then furthering her education at the Parsons School of Design for Fashion Marketing, she worked behind the scenes in the world of branding and marketing. On a whim, Dana ultimately found herself where she truly belongs, in front of the camera. As a storyte...

Growing up, at the Simon dinner table, argument was sport, and to hold one’s ground was admirable. Where rhetoric was prized, David Simon ’s career as a journalist perhaps was an extension of his roots. With a house full of books and newspapers from every possible publication, he took on the world by putting his words to paper and battling with his wits. Since day one, David’s father instille...

Meet Moshe Turk, the co-founder and National Race Director of Team Lifeline , a project of the nonprofit Chai Lifeline . After 12+ years of having the privilege of working with Moshe in our Team Peri capacity, we finally were able to sit down and get the deets on how he has Stepped Out of Line in his life and the truth behind the folklore of how Team Lifeline came to fruition. Moshe approaches his...