Entertainment Episodes
Building Bridges through Broadcast Media with Zach Damon
Our guest for the very first episode of 2024 is award-winning professional actor, voice actor, and broadcaster Zach Damon. We’re thrilled to kick off the new year talking to Zach about his advocacy work in the disability space using his skills and...
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...
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...
DEI in Film Production & Scaling Your Business with Koura Linda
Mai Ling starts off this solo-hosted episode with an update about our new episode collections that make it easy to do a deep dive into a specific topic. Then she brings founder and CEO of Space Dream Productions, Koura Linda, onto the show to talk...
Comedy, Disability, and Self-deprecating Humor with Greg Roque
Comedian and screenwriter Greg Roque joins the show today for an insightful conversation with James. As a teen, Greg had a spinal injury which paralyzed him and he brings his unique perspective on life as a disabled person to his comedy. He shares...
Disability in the Entertainment Business with Sawsan Zakaria
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 Easterseals Disability Film...
Disability and Inclusion in the Entertainment Industry with Jake Linn
Our guest today is disability advocate Jake Linn, who launched the Disability in Hollywood initiative to bring awareness to the inequities in Hollywood surrounding people in the entertainment industry with disabilities. Jake talks with Mai Ling about...
Live Entertainment Events Made Accessible for All with Austin Whitney
Attending live events can be stressful and challenging for people with disabilities so that’s why we’re so excited about what today’s guest is doing! Today Mai Ling chats with Austin Whitney, an accessibility consultant for event producers,...
Inclusivity for Disabled Actors in Film and TV with David Proud
Inclusivity for Disabled Actors in Film and TV with David Proud
Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn
Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn
An Exceptional Teenage Life with Cassidy Huff
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...
Writing and Producing Disability Focused TV Shows with Peggy Lane
Our guest today is television and film actress, Peggy Lane. Peggy is the creator and director of the web TV show, Donna On The Go, which highlights the struggles of a person with disabilities in a comedic way. She talks with Mai Ling about the...
Producing, Modeling, and Living Fully with Andrew Pilkington
Filmmaker and entrepreneur, Andrew Pilkington is our guest for this episode. Andrew was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as an infant and lives every day with the challenges that come with such a condition. He shares how he learned to use what strong...
No Limits in Acting and Speech Pathology with Andrew Manardo
Actor and SLP student Andrew Manardo is our guest today. He talks with Mai Ling about the challenges he had growing up with TAR syndrome, his experiences in LA as an actor with a disability, and the story behind his drive to become an actor in the...
Produce and Represent a World with Disabilities with Nic Novicki
In this final installment of our Hollywood series, our guest is actor and comedian, Nic Novicki.
Start Casting People With Disabilities with Paul Ford
Continuing our series of interviews with Hollywood actors, today’s guest is Paul Ford.
Extreme Life Experiences Deepens Acting with Eileen Grubba
As we continue our series of episodes spotlighting Hollywood actors, our guest this week is Eileen Grubba, who has had roles on the stage and the screen.
Become a Disability Actor with Tobias Forrest
In this first episode of our Hollywood series, we are joined by actor Tobias Forrest. He shares some of his experiences being an actor in Hollywood with a disability, he talks about others who have helped to pave the way for him and future actors with...
Everyone Can Dance with Melissa van Wijk
Founder and Executive Director of Born Dancing, Melissa van Wijk, joins Mai Ling Chan to discuss the ins and outs of launching and running a non-profit organization. Melissa shares how she mapped out the steps to launch her vision, some of the...
"When I Stutter...": Documentaries and SLPs with John Gomez
John Gomez is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has seen the way that stuttering can profoundly impact one's life. John discusses the making of his documentary "When I Stutter...", which features the true impact that stuttering has on one’s life.