Episodes

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 …

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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May 23, 2022

Winning Mindset and Social Media Impact with Speech Dude

We’re excited to share this great conversation with you! Our guest today is Chris Wenger, aka Speech Dude. He is an SLP, social media influencer, and the creator of the Dynamic Assess of Social Emotional Learning, a neurodiversity-affirming...

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May 9, 2022

From CODA to Professional ASL Interpreter with Lanette Pinkard

Mai Ling and James are bringing a great interview for you this week. Our guest is professional American Sign Language interpreter and coach, Lanette Pinkard, who grew up as a child of deaf adults (CODA). Lanette has been the lead …

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April 25, 2022

VR Stuttering Therapy with Gareth Walkom

In this packed episode, Mai Ling and James share some exciting updates and tidbits about what is happening in the disability space and then James has a great conversation with today’s guest. Gareth Walkom is subject matter expert on using …

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April 11, 2022

The Importance of Online Accessibility with Joe Devon

Our guest today is Joe Devon, the co-founder of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day and a co-founder of Diamond, an inclusive digital agency specializing in assisting clients to develop and implement accessible products. Joe talks with Mai Ling and...

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March 28, 2022

Dyslexia and Neurodivergence in the Workplace with Jeannette Roberes

We kick off this episode with Mai Ling and James both sharing about events they recently participated in and the takeaways from them. Then James has a great conversation with speech-language pathologist and author, Jeannette Roberes. She has extensive...

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