Episodes

March 11, 2024

Accessibility in Space with Anna Voelker

In this episode, Mai Ling is joined by guest Anna Voelker, founder and Executive Director of SciAccess, Inc. SciAccess is an international nonprofit that promotes disability inclusion in STEM education, outreach, and research and Anna speaks with Mai...

Episode page
Feb. 26, 2024

Making an Impact through Fiction with Carol Van Den Hende

Our guest today is speaker and award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende. She talks with Mai Ling about her novels which are helping both people with disabilities and their loved ones. These fictional stories draw from Carol’s Chinese American...

Episode page
Feb. 12, 2024

The Intersection of ADHD, Women, and Asian Culture with Kim To

Certified ADHD Coach, public speaker, and entrepreneur, Kim To, joins Mai Ling Chan on this episode to share her thoughts and experiences with ADHD. Kim talks about the journey to her diagnosis and why she moved into coaching others with …

Episode page
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...

Episode page
Jan. 15, 2024

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 …

Episode page
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 …

Episode page
Nov. 6, 2023

Embracing ADHD and Neurodiversity as an Adult with Julia Ovcharenko

Our guest today is neurodivergent Ukrainian entrepreneur and mental health enthusiast, Julia Ovcharenko. She talks with Mai Ling about the stigma around ADHD and adjusting to ADHD and neurodiversity diagnoses as an adult, which is a very personal...

Episode page
Oct. 23, 2023

AAC and the Journey to Ms. Wheelchair Arizona with Brooke Brown

James and Mai Ling kick off the episode with some updates and top takeaways from the conversation with today’s guest. AAC user and disability advocate Brooke Brown speaks with Mai Ling about her experience as Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2022 and …

Episode page
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...

Episode page
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...

Episode page
Sept. 11, 2023

Observing Without Eyesight with Dr. Mona Minkara

Dr. Mona Minkara chats with James in today’s episode about how to use other senses beyond eyesight to observe scientifically. Mona is a blind assistant professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University and a travel vlogger who lives by the...

Episode page
Aug. 28, 2023

Creative Marketing & Careers for the Neurodivergent with Merlee Jayme

In today’s packed interview, James chats with Merlee Jayme, Chairmom® and Founder of the Misfits Camp. Merlee shares some of her backstory, including some experiences in her early, formative years which had a profound impact on her life and her...

Episode page
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 …

Episode page
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 …

Episode page
July 17, 2023

AI and AAC Technology with Alan Vu

Today we’re featuring an informative conversation between James and fellow speech-language pathologist, Alan Vu. As an SLP and an AAC specialist, Alan was able to leverage his professional background and his personal experience as a person who...

Episode page
July 3, 2023

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, …

Episode page
June 19, 2023

Living with ADHD in Adulthood with Chris Wang

The topic of today’s episode is personal for Mai Ling. Before our guest joins the show to talk about ADHD, Mai Ling shares her own personal experience with her diagnosis. James then sits down with startup founder and expert ADHD/neurodiversity...

Episode page
June 5, 2023

Understanding Selective Mutism with Elisa Shipon-Blum

Our guest today is Elisa Shipon-Blum, or Dr. E, as her patients call her. She is the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (SMart Center). Dr E is an expert on Selective Mutism …

Episode page
May 22, 2023

Cultural Diversity in the Speech-Language Pathology Space with Dr. Li…

In the introduction to this episode’s interview, Mai Ling shares an exciting announcement about an upcoming project that she’ll be working on. Then we jump into a conversation between Mai Ling and Dr. Li-Rong “Lilly” Cheng, who is the Director...

Episode page
April 24, 2023

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 …

Episode page
April 10, 2023

Artificial Intelligence in the Disability Space with Yonah Welker

Before we introduce our guest in this episode, Mai Ling shares a major update about a new venture that she is embarking on that has a connection to our guest. And that guest is technology explorer, evaluator, and reviewer, Yonah …

Episode page
March 27, 2023

Disability Language Awareness and Inclusivity with Michael Grimmett

Our guest today is UK-based, Disability Inclusion Specialist Michael Grimmett. Michael talks with James about an inaccessibility incident at his local pizza restaurant that he was able to use to shine light on accessibility issues. As a wheelchair...

Episode page
March 13, 2023

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 …

Episode page
Feb. 27, 2023

Social Entrepreneurship and Neurodiversity with Vanessa Castañeda Gill

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 Vanessa shares the story...

Episode page