Disability Owned Podcast

Ever wondered what it really takes to turn an idea into a finished book? In this episode, we will talk to Lachi, author of multiple books, and Maria Chapman, author and founder of Connected Ghost Writing, who will pull back the curtain on the entire journey, from the spark of inspiration to holding a published copy in your hands. Whether you're dreaming of writing your first novel, crafting a nonfiction guide or simply curious about how books come to life, this conversation breaks it all down.

Product-based businesses can be exciting, but they also come with unique challenges, from developing the right product to finding customers who believe in what you've created. In this episode, we dive into what it really takes to launch a successful product-based business. We discuss how entrepreneurs turn ideas into real products, navigate manufacturing and sourcing, and build brands that stand out in a competitive market. Our guests Yusef Battle, founder of Cookie Yay!, and AM/Loopy, founder of The Loopy Spoonie, share practical insights on validating product ideas, managing startup costs and getting products into the hands of customers. Whether you're dreaming about launching your first product or looking to grow an existing brand, this conversation offers real-world advice to help you take the next step.

Turning your knowledge and experience into a consulting business can be one of the most rewarding ways to build a career and make an impact. In this episode, we explore what it really takes to start a consultancy: from identifying your niche and defining your value, to finding your first clients and building credibility in your industry. Lorinda Santana, founder of Remys Consulting, shares practical insights from their own journey, including the challenges of transitioning from employee to consultant, pricing and building a business around expertise. This conversation offers valuable advice, real-world lessons and strategies to help you get started or grow your existing business.

Every impactful nonprofit organization begins with an idea and the courage to act. In this episode, we sit down with three guests: Paul Kent, founder of disAbled Life Alliance, Aurora Pfeiffer, Founder of Color& Cause, and Heather Callahan, founder of Sufficient Grace Grants and Consulting. We discuss what it really takes to build a nonprofit from the ground up. From the moment that sparked the idea to the practical steps of launching an organization, this conversation explores the challenges, lessons and rewards that come with leading a mission-driven cause. Whether you're thinking about starting a nonprofit, working on a mission-driven project or simply interested in how organizations create change in their communities, this episode offers valuable insights to make a difference.

In this episode, Gary Shaheen, Ph.D., Director for Mental Health Initiatives at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, is joined by Misty Fox, Director of Entrepreneurship & Small Business at the D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Together, they spotlight entrepreneurship as a powerful pathway to independence, purpose, and renewed identity for Veterans with disabilities. The conversation explores the transformative impact of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), highlighting how the program equips Veterans with the tools, training, and confidence needed to launch their own ventures. Listeners will gain insight into how entrepreneurship can help Veterans redefine their futures and build meaningful, self-directed lives beyond service.

In this episode, Nikki Powis, Director of Small Business Programs at the National Disability Institute, is joined by Jody Ellis, Director of the ABLE National Resource Center, for a clear and practical conversation about ABLE accounts. Jody breaks down everything listeners need to know—from eligibility requirements and how to open the right account to understanding qualified expenses and how ABLE accounts interact with Social Security benefits. The discussion also explores how ABLE accounts can support entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities, along with where to find trusted resources and guidance. Whether you're new to ABLE or looking to make the most of your account, this episode offers actionable insights to help you take greater control of your financial future.

In this episode, Caroline Bolas, Small Business Specialist at the National Disability Institute, sits down with Stephanie Swanson, an ICF-credentialed coach and founder of The Empower Network. Stephanie shares her personal journey into entrepreneurship and the mission driving her work to support disabled business owners. Together, they explore the real challenges disabled entrepreneurs face—from accessing funding to finding meaningful mentorship—while also highlighting powerful success stories from The Empower Network. Listeners will gain practical, encouraging advice and a deeper understanding of how community, coaching, and intentional support can help disabled entrepreneurs not just start businesses, but truly thrive.

In this episode, Caroline Bolas, Small Business Specialist at the National Disability Institute, is joined by Sue Babin, Special Projects Coordinator at the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, along with Rachel Rasnick, owner of Rachel Rasnick Art and More, and her mother, Karen Rasnick. Together, they explore how entrepreneurship can open doors, build confidence and skills, and create meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities. The conversation highlights the joy of creative business ownership, the essential role of family support, and the importance of inclusive policies that center disability-led businesses. Listeners will hear practical advice, hopeful visions for the future, and concrete ways to support and champion disability-owned enterprises in their own communities.

In this episode, guest Mariah Barber, Founder and CEO of Invisible Strengths, is interviewed by host Caroline Bolas, Small Business Specialist at NDI. Drawing on her own experiences, Mariah  provides insights into the challenges that individuals with disabilities, especially those with intersecting identities, can face when trying to find employment. Listeners will learn why it benefits employers to be more inclusive, the steps that both employers and job seekers can take and where to find resources and support.  

In this episode, guests Lilian Aluri of The Nerdware Store and J Li of Prototype Thinking Labs are interviewed by host Lydia X.Y. Brown, Director of Public Policy at NDI. his episode features a conversation with two neurodivergent small business owners. Lilian Aluri started her art business, The Nerdware Store, at the beginning of 2021 to share whimsical and fandom-inspired designs with fellow nerds. Her anxiety and depression have shaped much of her adult life and inform her artistic and professional pursuits. J Li is the creator and Senior Partner of Prototype Thinking Labs, a specialized innovation consultancy based in the San Francisco Bay Area. J draws from her experience as a disabled business leader to reinvent the design and innovation process and make work itself more user-friendly for the people doing it.

In this episode, guests Elayne Otstot of Singing River Consulting and Dr. Karissa Burnett of Divergent Pathways are interviewed by host Lydia X.Y. Brown, Director of Public Policy at NDI. The conversation delves into the experiences of two neurodivergent small business owners. Elayne shares insights from her accessibility and communications consultancy, which focuses on disability inclusion and project management for nonprofits and creatives. Dr. Burnett discusses her journey as a psychologist and entrepreneur, highlighting the establishment of her neurodiversity-affirming private practice in 2021. Together, they explore the challenges and triumphs of running businesses as neurodivergent individuals, offering valuable perspectives on inclusion and entrepreneurship in their respective fields.

Dr. Kirk Adams Consultant, Inspiration Foundation, is interviewed by host Nikki Powis, Director, Small Business Programs, NDI. Dr. Adams has been a Blind job seeker, an employee in corporate America facing challenges around accommodation and discrimination and an employer of people who are Blind and DeafBlind. He has a PhD in Leadership and Change and wants to make it easier for the next Blind person to gain early work experience, build skills and find meaningful employment. He shares the things that helped him along the way and the work he is currently doing to help the next generation.

Evan Delahanty, Founder and CEO, Peaceful Fruits joins host Nikki Powis, Director, Small Business Programs, NDI, as he shares how he started the company Peaceful Fruits while intentionally hiring staff with disabilities and paying them competitive wages. He explains how he started from a mission to build a company that he was proud of and ended up structuring training and support for staff to ensure that everyone had what they need to do their best work. He discusses the benefits he has found in employing people with disabilities, the importance of nutritious food and the work of the Peaceful Fruits Foundation.

In this episode, guest Wendy Strobel Gower, Project Director, NE ADA Center, is interviewed by host Nikki Powis, Director, Small Business Programs, NDI. Listeners will learn about accessing an underutilized labor pool during the “great resignation” and recent challenges to find talent. The discussion will include how companies can address fears, assumptions and unconscious bias around hiring people with disabilities, so companies can access this untapped pool of talent. The benefits of hiring people with disabilities and resources for providing accommodations will be highlighted.

This episode was recorded in Spanish:  Es un poderoso podcast donde exploramos las inspiradoras historias de dos madres emprendedoras, cada una enfrentando desafíos únicos relacionados con discapacidades y brindando apoyo a sus hijos con descapacidades. (Tune in as we dive into the inspiring stories of two mothers in entrepreneurship, each facing the unique challenges of both disabilities and supporting their children with disabilities.

Listeners will learn about the importance of digital accessibility. Kim Alfonso of Results One will share her expertise on how to be fully inclusive with digital services and content. Results One strives to create a world that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible. Their training programs are tailored to each work environment and workforce, delivered in person and on remote platforms.

NDI Deputy Director Elizabeth Jennings will share tools and strategies from the field of Positive Psychology. Elizabeth will discuss the science behind worker well-being, how to make small changes that can have a big impact and free tools you can use to improve well-being within your company.

This podcast, featuring Jonathan Martinis, Esq. of Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, will share legal vehicles for parents and guardians of adults with disabilities to optimize their ability to be small business owners. The podcast will address guardianship, self-determination, and power of attorney.

Listeners will hear the journey to business from a panel of disability small business owners including: Neena Massey, Founder and Artistic Director of Neena Expressions and Kristin Gross of Navdee.

Will Holmes, an experienced business management consultant, and founder of Will Holmes Consulting will share his expertise on small business development. He provides practical information for business owners on accessing capital, growing revenue, hiring staff and community impact.

Listeners will learn how LifeAsset helps Latino entrepreneurs who currently can't qualify for a loan at a bank or other financial institutions using their unique “social collateral” lending model. This podcast will share the story of Rosalia Fajardo, consultant of Life Asset and entrepreneur with disabilities, of how she overcame her illness and injuries to becoming a successful entrepreneur and advocate for the disability community. This segment will also cover the cultural disconnect of Latino/Hispanic families when seeking support and help for themselves or family members with disabilities. This podcast will be in Spanish. LifeAsset ofrece pequeños préstamos para grandes ideas Los oyentes aprenderán cómo LifeAsset ayuda a los empresarios latinos que actualmente no pueden calificar para un préstamo en un banco u otras instituciones financieras utilizando su modelo único de préstamos de "garantía social". Este podcast compartirá la historia de Rosalía Fajardo, consultora de Life Asset y empresaria con discapacidades, de cómo superó sus enfermedades y lesiones para convertirse en una exitosa empresaria, y defensora de la comunidad de discapacitados. Este segmento también cubrirá la desconexión cultural de las familias latinas / hispanas cuando buscan apoyo y ayuda para ellos mismos o para los miembros de su familia con discapacidades.  

Charles D. Hammerman,  President and CEO of the Disability Opportunity Fund, joins the program to explain the types of loans and investments that his organization makes. Discover how the Disability Opportunity Fund's services can be valuable to individuals with disabilities who are looking to start or grow a business. 

Ruth Chavez, Small Business Community Navigator for NDI, joins the program to discuss the work that she does supporting small business owners with disabilities to access free resources and networking opportunities.     

Molly Sullivan, Operations Director with Griffin Hamis Associates, joins the program to discuss the work that her organization does to help people with disabilities find work that is meaningful and life-affirming. Molly reveals details about providing customized employment opportunities and self-employment. 

Diego Mariscal, Founder and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether International joins the program to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the work that his organization does to help people with disabilities start and grow businesses

In this episode, you'll hear about the Disability Owned Business Enterprise Certification and the value that it offers to a business. The guest is Philip DeVliegher, Vice President of Supplier Diversity at Disability:IN