Business Episodes

June 9, 2025

Financial Planning for You and Your Loved Ones with Disabilities with…

In today’s episode, Mai Ling speaks with CPA Michael Ringel about the unique challenges faced by families who have loved ones with disabilities, with regard to financial planning. In this information-packed and frank discussi...

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April 7, 2025

The Exceptional Leaders Network Spotlight with Mai Ling Chan

In this solo episode, our host, Mai Ling Chan, draws on her years of experience in the arena of disability entrepreneurship and gives some tips and practical advice for fellow business owners. Mai Ling shares some in-depth perspectives as she...

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Oct. 7, 2024

Matching People with Disabilities and Employers with John Robinson

Our Ability’s President and CEO, John Robinson, joins Mai Ling on today’s episode to discuss some important issues for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). John talks about his advocacy for people with disabilities in the...

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Sept. 9, 2024

Dateability: The Dating App for People with Disabilities with Jacquel…

In today’s edition of the show, James sits down with Jacqueline and Alexa Child, the sister co-founder team of Dateability, the only dating app for the chronically ill and disabled communities. Jacqueline and Alexa share their personal experiences...

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Aug. 12, 2024

The Billion-Strong Minority Disability Entrepreneurship with Diego Ma…

James speaks with this week’s guest, Diego Mariscal, about his disability advocacy and entrepreneurship. Diego is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether-International (2GI), the leading nonprofit startup accelerator run by and for...

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July 15, 2024

Adaptive Intimate Apparel with Nicole Cuervo

Our guest for today is Nicole Cuervo, the founder & CEO of Springrose, a startup designing adaptive intimate apparel that improves quality of life for women with limited mobility. She speaks with Mai Ling about her journey as an entrepreneur by...

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July 1, 2024

Revolutionizing Disability Employment with David D'Arcangelo

In today’s episode, James sits down with the CEO of Arc Angel Communications, David D'Arcangelo, to talk about his work to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce. As a legally blind person, David knows firsthand the challenges that...

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May 20, 2024

Uniting SLP Entrepreneurs with Ebony Green

Today we are joined by Speech Language Pathologist Ebony Green. Ebony is the CEO and founder of SLP Business Suite and she talks with Mai Ling about how she got started as an SLP, starting a private practice, fighting imposter syndrome, and pivoting...

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May 6, 2024

Harnessing the Power of AI for SLP Reports with Michelle Boisvert

Dr. Michelle Boisvert joins this episode of the show for an informative conversation with Mai Ling. Using her expertise as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Michelle co-founded easyReportPRO.com to address some of the challenges that SLPs face which she...

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April 8, 2024

Integrating AI into Your Business with Mai Ling & James

In this episode, our hosts tackle the timely topic of using Artificial Intelligence tools in your disability-focused business. Mai Ling and James give you a crash course on AI, covering this subject from various angles including ethical...

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March 25, 2024

Connecting Neurodivergent Jobseekers and Employers with Jhillika Kuma…

We have two great guests in this episode! James sits down for a conversation with Jhillika Kumar and Conner Reinhardt, the CEO, and COO respectively, of Mentra. As a neurodiversity employment network, one of the goals of Mentra is to connect...

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Jan. 29, 2024

De-Stigmatizing Stuttering & Business Growth Tips with Maya Chupkov

Today’s guest on the podcast is fellow podcaster, Maya Chupkov. Maya is the Executive Director, Producer and Host of Proud Stutter, an award winning and multi-nominated podcast and advocacy nonprofit organization that is de-stigmatizing stuttering...

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Dec. 4, 2023

The Best of 2023 Disability Leadership with Mai Ling Chan & James Ber…

Don’t miss the final episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast for 2023! Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some valuable information as they look back over this past year. They talk about the strides that were made in the area of disability in...

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Oct. 9, 2023

Valuable Resources for Disability Entrepreneurs with Nikki Powis

Mai Ling chats with Nikki Powis about some fantastic resources for disability entrepreneurs in today’s episode. Nikki is the Director of the National Disability Institute and she shares how she started at NDI and some of the top challenges for...

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Sept. 25, 2023

A Digital Accessibility Deep Dive with Tanner Gers

Today Mai Ling has a chat with the founder of AccessAbility Officer, Tanner Gers. AccessAbility Officer’s aim is to make work and the web better through the services they offer, including digital accessibility training and certification, as well as...

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Aug. 14, 2023

Becoming an Exceptional Leader with Michael Zalle

Mai Ling sits down with founder and CEO of YellowBird, Michael Zalle, to talk about being a successful leader as a person with a disability. As a veteran tech entrepreneur, Michael pulls from his extensive experience in the business world to share...

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July 31, 2023

Making Sports Events More Accessible with Victor Ocando Finol

In our opening segment, Mai Ling and James talk about the importance of networking in your local area, in addition to building a national or international network. This valuable discussion is followed by Mai Ling’s interview with founder and CEO of...

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Feb. 13, 2023

The Intersection of Midlife, Disability, and Fashion with Sandie Robe…

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 and her personal tastes,...

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Jan. 16, 2023

Operating a Disability-Focused Health Care Center with Chanda Hinton

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 Plan Foundation, to talk...

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Dec. 12, 2022

2022 Spotlight on Disability-Focused Businesses and Online Accessibil…

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 Opportunities. They also...

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Oct. 24, 2022

AAC and Speech Therapy Perspectives with Rachel Madel

We’re excited to bring this week’s guest to you today. Rachel Madel joins James for an insightful discussion from her wealth of experience. Rachel is a speech-language pathologist, AAC specialist, podcast host, and international presenter who...

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Sept. 26, 2022

Bespoke Clothing for Short Stature People with Chamiah Dewey

Clothing designer Chamiah Dewey joins the show today to talk with Mai Ling about her work. She created Chamiah Dewey Fashion, the UK’s first clothing brand for people with Dwarfism/short stature. Chamiah tells about the beginnings of her fashion...

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Sept. 12, 2022

Empowering Teens with ADHD Through Digital Tools with Bryan Dinner

Bryan Dinner is our guest for this episode of Xceptional Leaders. He is the CEO and founder of Clarifi, the desktop app that assists teens with ADHD and attention challenges with completing online homework. Bryan talks with James about his personal...

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Aug. 29, 2022

New Uses and Innovation in Voice Technology with Sara Smolley

We’re so happy to bring you this insightful and informative episode today about breakthrough voice technology. James chats with co-founder and VP of Strategy at Voiceitt, Sara Smolley. Voiceitt is a speech recognition app for people with speech...

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