Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & Martyn Sibley

In today’s episode, Martyn and Mai Ling talk about the things going on in the world right now and how they relate to the disability community. Also, Martyn interviews internet entrepreneur Mark Esho, to learn about his successful businesses and how they started. Mark also shares some insight into his newest project, an app for rating businesses on accessibility found at accessrating.com. And lastly, Mark gives us three tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

We’re joined on the show today by speech-language pathologist and founder of Smarty Ears Apps, Barbara Fernandes to talk about the recent resurgence in use of tablet apps in therapy sessions. Barbara shares how these apps are valuable tools that can have great results. She also talks about how important parental involvement can be when working with children. This is a very informative conversation that you don’t want to miss.

Mai Ling and Marty share what’s been happening in their respective worlds and how things have been different during the current pandemic. Then Martyn takes the mic to have a conversation with visual artist, speaker, and bestselling author Henry Fraser. Henry shares the story of the accident which disabled him and how he overcame the odds and learned to make something beautiful from the tragedy. He talks about how his speaking led to a book deal, some of the writing challenges he’s faced, and his newly released book, The Power In You.

Our guest on this edition of the show is Christina Abernathy. Christina is an author and advocate for people with disabilities. She talks with Mai Ling about her experiences as a mother of a child with autism, her work heading the Pennsylvania chapter of Changing Spaces, and as the creator of the Love Hope & Autism website. Christina also shares about her passion for encouraging public venues to offer accommodating restrooms with changing tables for all ages, not just toddlers.

Our guest on this edition of the show is author Kendra Gottsleben. Kendra has a rare disorder known as MPS VI and is a wheelchair user, yet she has not allowed this to prevent her from doing incredible things. She is not only an author but also a speaker and disability advocate. Listen in as she shares her story of becoming a published author and gives her tips to help you achieve your goals.

Mai Ling checks back in with Karin York to get an update on her progress with opening a coffee shop designed to employ people with special needs. Karin was our guest back in April of 2019 to share about the first steps in this journey. Now she brings us up to date on some of the challenges she’s dealt with since then and how things are going now that the shop is open for business.

Actor, writer, and director David Proud joins the show today to chat with Martyn about disabled actors in the media. As a wheelchair user, David brings his unique perspectives to this topic. He talks about the importance of media to culture in general, why he feels more disabled actors should be cast in prominent projects, and shares some of his personal experiences in the acting industry in the UK.

We are celebrating the month of love in this episode with our guest Jennie Williams, CEO of Enhance the UK. Martyn chats with Jennie on the topics of dating and intimacy for people with disabilities and the unique challenges that they face in the pursuit of romantic relationships. Jennie has tackled these subjects in her leadership role at Enhance the UK and she shares her thoughts, experiences, and observations on the issues in this very frank and open discussion.

Today, Mai Ling and Martyn chat briefly about Martyn’s World Changers Academy launch and their current book project. Then Mai Ling shares a conversation with author and stroke survivor, Chou Hallegra. Chou is the founder of Grace & Hope Consulting, LLC and she talks about her life as a single mother of children with multiple challenges, the story of her stroke recovery, and how she came to write numerous books in just a few years. She also shares 3 tips for the listener who wants to write a book. Don’t miss this inspiring story of overcoming challenges.

Martyn takes the helm in this episode and shares a conversation with internationally competitive wheelchair racer, Rob Smith. In addition to his racing, Rob is also the creator of Active Hands gripping aids, a line of products designed to assist people with disabilities or injuries that affect their ability to grip. Martyn asks Rob about his personal story that led to the creation of Active Hands, Rob walks us through his process of product development and how he moved from a personal solution to a global business.

The Xceptional Podcast Network hosts came together to record a fun holiday show for you! Matt Hott, co-founder and co-host of the Speech Science podcast leads this fun group through a little show info, 2020 goals, and lots of laughs.

We return once again with Mai Ling and the Xceptional Podcast Network team to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention. In this episode, Mai shares some great conversations that she recorded with ASHA19 attendees who write blogs in the SLP space. Featured today are Hallie Sherman, Kristin Cummings, and Whitney Smith.

Mai Ling and the Xceptional Podcast Network team have once again taken their recording gear to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention. In this episode, Mai shares some great conversations with ASHA19 attendees who are producing podcasts in the SLP space. Featured today are Michelle Dawson, Erin Forward, Ayelet Marinovich, Kelly Kleinhans, Ruchi Gadodia, Maria Kotsonis, and Deborah Brooks.

Our guest today is wheelchair model Samanta Bullock. Martyn interviews this amazing inclusivity advocate turned fashion designer about her efforts to make adaptive clothing that meets the needs of those who need accommodations but also fits well for those who are able-bodied. Samanta talks about why she started on this journey, shares some of her biggest challenges, and expresses why she feels it important to have both able-bodied and disabled people model the same ensemble in the marketing of her fashion line called SB. Mentioned in This Show Samanta Bullock https://samantabullock.com/ Styling With Adaptive Clothing with Mindy Scheier http://xceptionalleaders.libsyn.com/styling-with-adaptive-clothing-with-mindy-scheier  Episode 16: Samanta Bullock - That Happy Buzzing Feeling https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/martyn-sibley/the-martyn-sibley-show/e/54465859  American Speech-Language Hearing Association 2019 National Convention https://convention.asha.org/ 

Actor and comedian Danny Woodburn is our guest today on the show. In addition to his acting work, Woodburn is a disability rights activist and serves on the Performers with Disabilities Committee for SAG-AFTRA. He talks with Mai Ling about the importance of inclusion for actors with disabilities, holding the film entertainment industry accountable for making auditions and jobs accessible to everyone, and his one-on-one chat with Bryan Cranston regarding these issues. Don’t miss this insightful and informative conversation with a Hollywood insider.

Our new co-host, Martyn takes the lead and interviews his friend and co-founder of Accomable, Srin Madipalli. Accomable was an accessible accommodation website that Martyn and Srin later on sold to Airbnb. Through late-night coding, angel investors, and many trans Atlantic flights; Srin pulled off the impossible. Learn how he managed such a progressive achievement in this insightful and inspiring conversation.

This episode is the first with our new format and new co-host. Martyn Sibley joins Xceptional leaders as our regular co-host so today we spend a few minutes getting to know him. He shares a bit about his background with Disability Horizons and Accomable and then he and Mai Ling tease the new format for the show.

This week, our host, Mai Ling Chan, is in the hot seat. The roles are reversed as fellow Xceptional Podcast Network host, Matt Hott of Speech Science takes the mic to interview Mai Ling. She talks with Matt about what prompted her to start this podcast, gives insight into what keeps her going, and shares some news about the future of the show. In addition to all this valuable info, Matt digs into just what makes Mai who she is as a person.

Xceptional Leader Sara Simpson is our guest on this edition. As a person with physical challenges, Sara has nevertheless led a fulfilling life and achieved many goals that are remarkable. She shares about how she has excelled in corporate America with a disability, gives her personal story of hardship and how she turned it into a speaking career, and talks about her special heart for reaching out to children.

Catherine Hughes, aka The Caffeinated Advocate, is our guest today. She has been advocating on behalf of those with special needs for many years and she brings a wealth of knowledge on the advocacy space to this conversation. Catherine talks about the nitty-gritty of advocacy work, strategies for reaching out to politicians for advocating, and some of the things that drive her in her work.