Episodes

Understanding Selective Mutism with Elisa Shipon-Blum
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 …

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

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Comedy, Disability, and Self-deprecating Humor with Greg Roque
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 …

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Artificial Intelligence in the Disability Space with Yonah Welker
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 …

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Disability Language Awareness and Inclusivity with Michael Grimmett
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...

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Disability in the Entertainment Business with Sawsan Zakaria
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 …

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Social Entrepreneurship and Neurodiversity with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
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...

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

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Disability Education in Developing Countries with Sandy Dorsey
Jan. 30, 2023

Disability Education in Developing Countries with Sandy Dorsey

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 and what she’s doing to...

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Operating a Disability-Focused Health Care Center with Chanda Hinton
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 …

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2022 Spotlight on Disability-Focused Businesses and Online Accessibility
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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Breakthrough Mental Health Treatments with Carlene MacMillan
Nov. 28, 2022

Breakthrough Mental Health Treatments with Carlene MacMillan

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Carlene MacMillan, an expert in mental health and VP of Clinical Innovation at Osmind. Carlene’s area of focus is exploring innovative mental health treatments for anxiety and depression, among other conditions. She...

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Building a Brand and Community on TikTok with August Rocha
Nov. 7, 2022

Building a Brand and Community on TikTok with August Rocha

Today, James and Mai Ling share some updates on their journeys and then Mai Ling brings us an insightful conversation with speaker, writer, and social media influencer, August Rocha. August talks about the value of participating in and even building...

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AAC and Speech Therapy Perspectives with Rachel Madel
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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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Metaverse with Giselle Mota
Oct. 10, 2022

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Metaverse with Giselle Mota

Our guest this week is futurist and thought leader, Giselle Mota, who focuses on enabling inclusion as it relates to product design, the future of work, and all things emerging tech including web3 and metaverse. She joins Mai Ling to …

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Bespoke Clothing for Short Stature People with Chamiah Dewey
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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Empowering Teens with ADHD Through Digital Tools with Bryan Dinner
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 …

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New Uses and Innovation in Voice Technology with Sara Smolley
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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Understanding Ableism and Redefining the Human Body with Carson Tueller
Aug. 15, 2022

Understanding Ableism and Redefining the Human Body with Carson Tuell…

Mai Ling and James kick off this episode sharing what they are up to lately. Mai Ling talks about her new approach to Tiktok and James reports on his recent work change. After these updates, Mai Ling shares a conversation …

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Accessible Online Marketplace & Purple Tuesday with Mike Adams
Aug. 1, 2022

Accessible Online Marketplace & Purple Tuesday with Mike Adams

Today Mai Ling chats with Mike Adams, the CEO of Purple, a disability organization working to bring disabled people and businesses together. Mike talks about his work building a fully accessible online marketplace, why he and his team took the...

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Rehab Tech and Networking with Raheema Hemraj
July 18, 2022

Rehab Tech and Networking with Raheema Hemraj

Our guest for this episode is Occupational Therapist and Gerontologist, Raheema Hemraj. Mai Ling speaks with her about her work as the co-creator of the Rehab Tech Summit and they dive into how the event started, who it is for, …

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How Tech Will Transform Aging with Keren Etkin
July 4, 2022

How Tech Will Transform Aging with Keren Etkin

Our spotlighted guest for this episode is The Gerontechnologist, Keren Etkin! She is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and self-described age tech evangelist. Keren is the founder/director of AgeLabIL and she also runs the AgeTech Academy. She sat...

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Disability and Inclusion in the Entertainment Industry with Jake Linn
June 20, 2022

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...

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Redirecting Your Life and Career with Mattie Murrey-Tegels
June 6, 2022

Redirecting Your Life and Career with Mattie Murrey-Tegels

Our guest today is the founder of FreshSLP and host of The Missing Link for SLPs podcast, Mattie Murrey-Tegels. Mattie chats with James about how to reinvent yourself and your career, the value and importance of self-care, and the difference …

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