Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges

Actor, writer, and director David Proud joins the show today to chat with Martyn about disabled actors in the media. As a wheelchair user, David brings his unique perspectives to this topic. He talks about the importance of media to culture in general, why he feels more disabled actors should be cast in prominent projects, and shares some of his personal experiences in the acting industry in the U...

We are celebrating the month of love in this episode with our guest Jennie Williams, CEO of Enhance the UK. Martyn chats with Jennie on the topics of dating and intimacy for people with disabilities and the unique challenges that they face in the pursuit of romantic relationships. Jennie has tackled these subjects in her leadership role at Enhance the UK and she shares her thoughts, experiences, a...

Today, Mai Ling and Martyn chat briefly about Martyn's World Changers Academy launch and their current book project. Then Mai Ling shares a conversation with author and stroke survivor, Chou Hallegra. Chou is the founder of Grace & Hope Consulting, LLC and she talks about her life as a single mother of children with multiple challenges, the story of her stroke recovery, and how she came to write n...

Martyn takes the helm in this episode and shares a conversation with internationally competitive wheelchair racer, Rob Smith. In addition to his racing, Rob is also the creator of Active Hands gripping aids, a line of products designed to assist people with disabilities or injuries that affect their ability to grip. Martyn asks Rob about his personal story that led to the creation of Active Hands,...

The Xceptional Podcast Network hosts came together to record a fun holiday show for you! Matt Hott, co-founder and co-host of the Speech Science podcast leads this fun group through a little show info, 2020 goals, and lots of laughs.

We return once again with Mai Ling and the Xceptional Podcast Network team to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention. In this episode, Mai shares some great conversations that she recorded with ASHA19 attendees who write blogs in the SLP space. Featured today are Hallie Sherman, Kristin Cummings, and Whitney Smith.

Mai Ling and the Xceptional Podcast Network team have once again taken their recording gear to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention. In this episode, Mai shares some great conversations with ASHA19 attendees who are producing podcasts in the SLP space. Featured today are Michelle Dawson, Erin Forward, Ayelet Marinovich, Kelly Kleinhans, Ruchi Gadodia, Maria Kotsonis...

Our guest today is wheelchair model Samanta Bullock. Martyn interviews this amazing inclusivity advocate turned fashion designer about her efforts to make adaptive clothing that meets the needs of those who need accommodations but also fits well for those who are able-bodied. Samanta talks about why she started on this journey, shares some of her biggest challenges, and expresses why she feels it...

Actor and comedian Danny Woodburn is our guest today on the show. In addition to his acting work, Woodburn is a disability rights activist and serves on the Performers with Disabilities Committee for SAG-AFTRA. He talks with Mai Ling about the importance of inclusion for actors with disabilities, holding the film entertainment industry accountable for making auditions and jobs accessible to everyo...

Our new co-host, Martyn takes the lead and interviews his friend and co-founder of Accomable, Srin Madipalli. Accomable was an accessible accommodation website that Martyn and Srin later on sold to Airbnb. Through late-night coding, angel investors, and many trans Atlantic flights; Srin pulled off the impossible. Learn how he managed such a progressive achievement in this insightful and inspiring...

This episode is the first with our new format and new co-host. Martyn Sibley joins Xceptional leaders as our regular co-host so today we spend a few minutes getting to know him. He shares a bit about his background with Disability Horizons and Accomable and then he and Mai Ling tease the new format for the show.

This week, our host, Mai Ling Chan, is in the hot seat. The roles are reversed as fellow Xceptional Podcast Network host, Matt Hott of Speech Science takes the mic to interview Mai Ling. She talks with Matt about what prompted her to start this podcast, gives insight into what keeps her going, and shares some news about the future of the show. In addition to all this valuable info, Matt digs into...

Xceptional Leader Sara Simpson is our guest on this edition. As a person with physical challenges, Sara has nevertheless led a fulfilling life and achieved many goals that are remarkable. She shares about how she has excelled in corporate America with a disability, gives her personal story of hardship and how she turned it into a speaking career, and talks about her special heart for reaching out...

Catherine Hughes, aka The Caffeinated Advocate, is our guest today. She has been advocating on behalf of those with special needs for many years and she brings a wealth of knowledge on the advocacy space to this conversation. Catherine talks about the nitty-gritty of advocacy work, strategies for reaching out to politicians for advocating, and some of the things that drive her in her work.

We are joined by Karen Siff Exkorn, bestselling author of The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, and Healing--from a Mother Whose Child Recovered. Karen shares with us why she wrote the book and how she approached the book-writing process. She also gives some tips and encouragement for someone who wants to write a book, and even talks a bit about the...

We are joined on the show today by the multi-talented, young Cassidy Huff. She is a singer/songwriter, musician, and a voiceover artist for Dreamworks and Amazon. Cassidy has a rare disease which has resulted in her undergoing dozens of surgeries, yet this encouraging teenager is constantly giving back to others in the same condition. You don't want to miss her sharing her inspiring journey on thi...

Speech-language pathologist, Amanda Charney, is our guest today. Amanda founded Small Steps in Speech, an organization that provides grants to families with children with speech and language disorders who are either not covered or not fully covered by their health insurance. She tells the story of what led to the creation of the nonprofit, shares tips on how to select board members for a nonprofit...

IEP Coach and international speaker, Catherine Whitcher, is our guest today. Catherine is an expert at helping educators and parents create IEPs that fit their specific needs and she teaches others her methods through online and in-person training. She shares with us about building an online brand, challenges with setting pricing for online resources, and reminds us that not everyone in your niche...

Kenny Salvini is our guest today to share about his journey since a skiing accident made him a quadriplegic as a young adult. After a meeting with other individuals with similar disabilities opened his eyes to the importance of community, Salvini took it upon himself to make the same thing happen for others. He founded the Here and Now Project to meet that need for those in the Pacific Northwest a...

Entrepreneur, computing technology expert, and universal design advocate, Todd Stabelfeldt, is our guest today. Todd is a C4 quadriplegic who is passionate about discovering new ways for disabled individuals to gain more independence. He shares the story of the accident which caused his spinal cord injury and talks about gaining as much independence as possible through the assistance of technology...

Steven Spohn is our guest today and he began his journey in the world of accessible gaming as a gamer with disabilities himself. He's now an author and the Chief Operations Officer and Community Outreach Director for the AbleGamers Foundation. Steven shares his thoughts on when "gated communities" for gaming are appropriate, advocates for insurance companies to cover gaming as social therapy, and...

Steve Isaacs joins us today to talk about using gaming in the classroom. He clarifies the difference between gamification and game-based learning, shares his insights as a game design and development teacher, and speaks about his involvement with Minefaire, the #1 Minecraft event in the United States.

Dr. Kathryn Ringland joins Mai Ling to share with us how she used the Autcraft Minecraft server as a research environment to learn first-hand how it was benefitting autistic kids. In addition to sharing what she learned from the research project, Kathryn tells how she is using the data she collected and how others can use it as a resource for similar efforts. She also talks about the recent foundi...

Stuart Duncan runs the Minecraft server, Autcraft, and he is with us on the show to share his experiences with us. Autcraft is a Minecraft environment created especially for kids of all ages with autism to play the game in a safe setting. Stuart tells us the origin of the idea for the server, a bit about his background, and the volunteer team he's put together on the server. He also explains how r...

Blogger and gamer Erin Hawley is our guest today. Erin has muscular dystrophy which can inhibit her gaming so she shares with us her strategy for choosing new game titles, the story of how she began working with Microsoft on an adaptive controller for the Xbox, and the origins of her blog, The Geeky Gimp. She also talks about how she overcame her reservations about hosting an audio podcast.