Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges

Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges

Learn from disability-focused leaders about high profile topics and how they are truly making a difference. Mai Ling and James give you front row access to intimate conversations that are shaping the way the world is supporting people with disabilities. They share their intimate experiences— so you can start, grow, and expand your impact.

Forbes logo FeedSpot logo Listen Notes logo

Featured in Top 10 Lists! This podcast is one of the top 5% most popular shows out of 2,772,248 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score (the estimated popularity score).

Recent Episodes

Disability in the Entertainment Business with Sawsan Zakaria

March 13, 2023

Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some important updates on what is going on in their respective careers before we dive into a discussion with our guest. Sawsan Zakaria chats with Mai Ling about her participation in the E…

Social Entrepreneurship and Neurodiversity with Vanessa Castañeda Gill

Feb. 27, 2023

Today, we welcome to the show Vanessa Castañeda Gill, the Co-Founder and CEO of Social Cipher, a game-based, social-emotional learning platform for neurodiverse youth. Social Cipher launched their first game called Ava, and …

The Intersection of Midlife, Disability, and Fashion with Sandie Roberts

Feb. 13, 2023

Just a few years ago, our guest Sandie Roberts, suddenly found herself at the intersection of being a middle-aged woman and a full-time wheelchair user. Unable to find adequate fashion options to suit both her new situation …

Disability Education in Developing Countries with Sandy Dorsey

Jan. 30, 2023

Speech-language pathologist and educator, Sandy Dorsey, is our guest this week on the show. As a global advocate for children with special needs, Sandy talks with James about how disability is viewed in developing countries …

Guest: Sandy Dorsey

Operating a Disability-Focused Health Care Center with Chanda Hinton

Jan. 16, 2023

As we kick off the first episode of the new year, Mai Ling and James share their thoughts on new year’s resolutions. Then Mai Ling sits down with Chanda Hinton, Executive Director of the Chanda Center for Health and Chanda P…

Guest: Chanda Hinton

2022 Spotlight on Disability-Focused Businesses and Online Accessibility

Dec. 12, 2022

For our Xceptional Leaders 2022 finale episode, Mai Ling and James share some thoughts and observations on the new National Disability Institute report, Small Business Ownership by People with Disabilities: Challenges and Op…

About the Hosts

Mai Ling Chan MS, CCC-SLPProfile Photo

Mai Ling Chan MS, CCC-SLP

Co-host, best-selling author, SLP

Mai Ling is a speech-language pathologist and tech enthusiast! She also loves spotlighting amazing people who are serving the disability community in unique and wonderful ways. These days she's busy interviewing guests for the podcast or FB live shows, supporting disability-focused businesses as an executive consultant, and starting the creation of a disability accelerator non-profit organization. Whew! Thank goodness it's all FUN!

Martyn SibleyProfile Photo

Martyn Sibley

Co-host, best-selling author

My name is Martyn Sibley. I am a regular guy who happens to have a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This means I cannot walk, lift anything heavier than a book or shower myself. Nonetheless I run Disability Horizons, am the author of 'Everything is Possible', I have a Degree in Economics & a Masters in Marketing. I love adventure travels (including an epic visit to Australia), I have great people in my life (including my soul mate), I drive my own adapted car, run my own business, have flown a plane, enjoyed skiing & SCUBA diving, and live independently on earth.

James BergesProfile Photo

James Berges

Speech-Language Pathologist | Growth & Content Marketing in Health-Tech | Cohost of Xceptional Leaders Podcast

Your brain is hardwired to love a good story, so I'll tell you the short version of mine. My background in psychology, speech and hearing sciences, combined with content marketing and editing experience makes me equal parts empathetic, analytical, and creative. I am grateful to be part of a field that helps people communicate. In my spare time, I enjoy communicating research findings through content development and strategy.