Podcast appearances and mentions of becky curran

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Catch up with Becky Curran Kekula '06, a motivational speaker and advocate for people with physical disabilities. Kekula, who was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, works as director of the Disability Equality Index, a tool that helps businesses plan solutions to achieve disability inclusion and equality. The marketing major discussed the accommodations that help her do everyday activities, the challenges she faced while starting a career in the entertainment industry, and what's on the horizon for her family.Subscribe to the Providence College Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and YouTube.  Visit Providence College on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. 

Becky Curran Kekula was born with dwarfism, but that doesn't stop her from accomplishing her goals. This month is Dwarfism Awareness month and we discuss her life, her work and life from another perspective.   #dwarf #overcomingobstacles #love #livelovegive #commonsense #inspiration#possibilities #breakthrough #emotionalintelligence #fulfilment #empowerment#authenticity #freedom #lifelessons #courage #consciousness #wisdom #selfawareness#trustyourself #growthmindset #habits #transformation #personaldevelopment #talkshow

Do you unconsciously hold biases against any group? When did you realize that you can make a choice to change and widen your worldview? My guest today is Becky Curran Kekula. Becky is no stranger to facing her share of obstacles in her life. Becky is a public speaker and advocate for disability inclusion on a global scale. Becky received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Providence College, where she started to gain a passion for influencing change behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Upon graduation and after 1,000 applications, 100 job interviews, and three temporary job assignments, Becky started working full-time in the Entertainment Marketing department, followed by the Comedy Touring department, at Creative Artists Agency, the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. Five years later, she worked at CBS Television Studios, where she assisted with the casting of pilots and television series.  During this transition, she also served as the Marketing Director and Co-Founding Board Member of the Catalina Film Festival. She also founded DisABILITY In Media, which focuses on positive disability inclusion storytelling through social media. After her six and a half years of working in the entertainment industry, Becky launched a public speaking business. A prolific public speaker and advocate for disability inclusion on a global scale, she has spoken at over 200 venues, including schools, corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies, throughout the United States and beyond. She’s really passionate about disability inclusion in schools, the workplace, and everywhere else.  More recently, she spent three and a half years working in the Equity & Inclusion department at Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the world’s largest entertainment union. At SAG-AFTRA, she supported the implementation of a national diversity plan of action to achieve accurate representation of those groups historically excluded from the entertainment and news media. Becky currently serves as the Little People of America (LPA) Employment Chair and she’s on the Board of Advisors for the National Center For Disability Journalism (NCDJ) at Arizona State University. Becky shares how she uses storytelling for positive disability inclusion and I hope you find some inspiration from her story.  In this episode we discuss:How unspoken biases are feltHow we can seek to learn about people outside of our communitiesHaving a mindset of acceptance and inclusionOvercoming obstacles and pushing forwardSharing and honoring your lived experiences Ready to get out of your rut? Click here to download my FREE guide to getting out of your rut! Connect with Becky Curran KekulaHead over to her website, www.beckymotivates.com, to learn more about Becky.Follow Becky on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter @BeckyMotivates  Connect with Thea CharlesTo learn more about Thea, please visit www.thearenel.comHead over to www.pushorpivot.com to learn more about this podcast and dive into previously released episodes.Follow Push or Pivot on Facebook: @PushorpivotTake a screenshot of your favorite episode, share it on your Instagram story, tag me @pushorpivot, and let me know your biggest takeaway!

International motivational speaker & disability inclusion advisor, talks about how she has been fighting for disability rights in the workplace, and fighting for more inclusion in entertainment. She talks about what it was like growing up, playing sports being a little person, and some of the advantages, and what she would change if she could. #equality #disabilityrights #inclusion #hollywood #entertainment #resilience #sports

Annie Morgan welcomes Becky Curran Kekula, an international motivational speaker with a passion & impactful purpose to advocate for inclusion not only in the work force but everywhere. Hear how Becky’s life working at the worlds leading entertainment industry to the Marketing Director & Co-founding board member of the Catalina Film festival & more, has aligned her to helping create a more inclusive world. For more information or to book Becky C. Kekula for a speaking engagement visit her website: www.beckymotivates.com Find & Connect with Annie Instagram @blessedforthismess www.blessedforthismess.com Have a “Blessed for this mess” story & want to be featured as a guest? •Head to our website & submit a request Email inquiries: blessedforthismess@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

For All Abilities – The Podcast Episode Thirty Three - Becky Kekula - DisabilityIN/Advocating for Others and Yourself Part Two   In this episode, I interview Becky Kekula of DisabilityIN. On the podcast, Becky continues talking life as a Little Person. We discuss her transition from a career in the film/tv industry into her work at DisabilityIN and the importance of advocacy.  To connect with Becky, please follow her  on LinkedIn (Becky Kekula) and visit her website at http://www.beckymotivates.com.     Go to our website www.forallabilities.com for information on our software that enables employers to support their employees with ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Differences and Autism. Thanks for listening!  Betsy     Thanks for listening to For All Abilities today!    Share the podcast with your friends, they’ll thank you for it!   Get our newsletter and stay up to date! The newsletter link is on our website www.forallabilities.com   Follow me   Twitter: @betsyfurler   Instagram: @forallabilities   Facebook: @forallabilites   LinkedIn: @BetsyFurler   Website: www.forallabilities.com   Full Transcription from Otter.ai       Betsy Furler  0:05   Welcome to for all abilities, the podcasts. This is your host, Betsy Furler. The aim of this podcast is to highlight the amazing things people with ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences and autism are doing to improve our world.   Unknown Speaker  0:33   Hi, everybody, welcome back to for all abilities the podcast. Today we're going to have the second part of my interview with Becky Kekla. Ireally hope I'm pronouncing her name right. That's so hard for me. Her main name is current so you may know her as Becky Curran. She currently works for disability in but she has has had such an amazing   Betsy Furler  0:59   roller coaster career and just twists and turns, and she's a little person. And when we last left off, if you didn't listen to the other episode, you really should go back and listen to that. But when we left off and the first episode with her, she was still in college, she was about to graduate and she had gotten this awesome opportunity to be a stand in for an actor in a film that was being filmed in her college town. And unfortunately, the taping the filming of it conflicted with her college schedule, so she had to turn down that great opportunity, but it has led her to so many more interesting things. So please listen to Becky and I talking about her career and her life and how she has become such an advocate for people with all types of disabilities.   Becky Kekula  1:55   And then after the summer,   Unknown Speaker  1:57   I   Becky Kekula  2:00   While in college I haven't really mentioned it yet, I decided that I wanted to learn more about being a part of the little people community. It was up until college that I really didn't have any other friends who were little people other than maybe some people we would see at the doctor every year. It wasn't very often where we'd see the same people every year. But if we got along with them, maybe we'd stay in touch as pen pals. But I was not really close to the community. And I think once my friends in high school started dating, the later years after my back surgery, and even in college, watching a lot of people dating and not really finding my place of where I fit in in those scenarios. I was convinced to go to a little people convention that was happening in the Boston area in 2003. And I ended up meeting friends from all over the country and continue to meet people from   All over the world. I just like in any environment, you filter through those who you have similar values to and then there could be some that you have nothing in common with. But I had over the years while I was in college, gotten very close to a tight knit group of people who lived in Southern California. And I thought, Okay, this ties in nicely to my desire to work in the film industry. So while I was finishing the casting opportunity for the film underdog, I was networking out in out in Los Angeles, just remotely trying to figure out how to get myself out there, where I could really be in the deep parts of the industry. And one of my friends, he had a talent manager, he was an actor. He asked me if I wanted to come work with her and I thought, great, I'll go give it a try. Let's Let's do this. I learned about casting this summer. Now. When about talent management. And she also happens to be another little person. And I got out to LA, my parents, they wanted to support me as best they could. They made sure that before I moved to Los Angeles, I had a job and a place to live set up, because they weren't going to support me if I just was going out there without an agenda. So we have the job. I stayed with friends for a while, thought everything was set up. And the minute I got to LA, I found out that that job opportunity was not there. Wow, that I was going to have to start the search. on my own. I luckily had, I had already done some networking. I was networking with people who were alumni of Providence college who lives out in Los Angeles, and just anyone who lived out there and even had a connection to marketing in general, even if it wasn't film industry related. So I To take a bunch of coffee meetings, I ended up picking up a Hollywood creative directory where they had names and addresses of places. And I just started sending out resumes like crazy. I sent out 1000 resumes, and then went on 100 interviews, sometimes up to four interviews a day. And back to that constructive feedback piece. I wish if I went back to that time in my life, that people were more willing to tell me if I was making mistakes in the way that I interviewed. Or, of course, after four interviews a day I had to be exhausted by that fourth interview. And it just felt like kind of going through the motions without really getting any feedback. Other than we're going to hire internally, we're going into a different direction with this position. There was nothing ever of like you want to do this differently next time. So after about four months, I decided to go with some tech placement agencies, so I could have an honest conversation with these recruiters. And then they could pitch me to just go show up at a job. And that ultimately ended up being the best strategy because people couldn't tell me that I can't show up for the job that I'm told to show up for. Because the recruiter would be able to stand up for me and say, You have no real reason to tell them to go home.   Betsy Furler  6:27   Right, right. Wow. It was a long process and you had so much work experience before you even graduated from   Becky Kekula  6:37   Glee that's the thing I had to at least been qualified. I wasn't applying for like high level jobs. This these were very much entry level. You must have a few internship experiences under your belt, not anything that was like, way above like I was expecting this huge position.   Unknown Speaker  6:56   Right? Right.   Betsy Furler  6:59   So So what did you do after that? And then how did you finally get to disability em?   Becky Kekula  7:08   So, so the reason why I do the work that I do now is because I don't want people to go through what I went through.   Unknown Speaker  7:15   I,   Becky Kekula  7:16   after about three temporary job assignments, I was at the Hallmark Channel for about a month, I worked at this place called trailer park where they make trailers for movies. for about three days, it was around the holiday season. So it wasn't really a specific job other than a gifting because everyone loves giving gifts to all their clients for the holidays. And at that, so this was the end of 2006. And I still didn't have anything secured and it was the middle of January that I finally showed up for my first day at Creative Artists Agency, a talent agency where I ended up working for five years, but it took seven months for me to become a full time employee I was on a temporary employee Up until those seven months and then finally felt like I made my mark to at least have my foot in the door out. After having to say okay, I need benefits like what's happening I'm showing up to work every day it was still a full time opportunity 97 five days a week, but it took a lot of proven myself to get that permanent position. And most assistant stay at an agency for about a year. They don't want to be an agent, they move on. But I just was holding on really tight to that employment opportunity for five years because I didn't know how hard it was going to be to find that next opportunity. And I was in the I started in that entertainment marketing department and then moved over the comedy touring department. And it was only because the marketing department was shifting, and I was kind of at risk if I chose to stay there, just because of purely numbers. It was just people were being moved around. So one of my bosses I had worked for two people. Once I became permanent, I was working for two people. And he brought me to the music department. And then I found out about the comedy department. And it reminded me of the work I did at allied where I went to the movie screenings and filled out what people were reacting to. I had the opportunity to go to comedy clubs, like sometimes I would go to four shows a night, where I would write notes. And these were shows that the agents couldn't get to. But they would be able to gather these notes and decide if they wanted to represent any of the talent that they haven't seen yet, so that they could ask me follow up questions. If there were people I thought were really talented. And once a position became available in that department, I was up for it since I'd been working really hard to contribute up until that point. And while I was in that department, I I enjoyed it. It was fun. To get gain an eye for talent, but I think I just decided after I got to that almost fifth year that being an agent wasn't really the lifestyle I wanted to have, even though it's very lucrative careers. It's very grueling. And I just didn't see myself in that long term career path. So I did start getting the attention of people who worked at the agency, and they asked me what it was I was passionate about. And that was a point where I felt like I could finally say that I was passionate about changing what we see in the media because that affects how people like me are treated in society. And took up until then, for me to be vocal about it because I wanted to be able to prove myself as a hard worker first. And since they started asking, I was able to put together a panel discussion of people with disabilities in front of and behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. I was able to use the theater at the industry. We're at the agency where about 160 people showed up to watch this panel discussion. So it's content people are craving. And it was really talking about the challenges on how we can make more opportunities for people with disabilities, how we can make sure there are more authentic portrayals versus people playing disability, even if it's not their lived experience. And yes, and   Betsy Furler  11:25   I think that's so important, too. And I think it's so important that if, you know, if they do have to use an actor that doesn't have the disability, they're portraying that they are so careful about how that is that about the accuracy of it and the respectfulness of it? I'm super passionate about it as well, and that they try to cast roles with people with disabilities.   Becky Kekula  11:51   Yes, so that's the thing. I think even when we talk about inclusion in corporate America, inclusion in the media, make sure that you're at least finding people who fit the description or have the qualifications, and then have them still do the work and interview or audition. And at the end of the day, it's the best person for the job. But if you're not seeking out those people who can do very well, and match that description, you're not doing your due diligence.   Unknown Speaker  12:19   Right, right.   Becky Kekula  12:22   So I ended so just kind of fast forward I, through going to different comedy shows, I was recruited to work at CBS television studios and the casting department. And I was there for about a year and then I still just kind of learned about apps. After starting to get really passionate about disability representation and media, I learned that there's still a long way to go. A lot of times, casting directors are going so much of what the description says on a writer's notes. They're not willing to have those conversations about what if we cast someone who's a little different than what you described in your writing. And they're just not enough creativity of thought it's pretty much what you see in the description. Unless it specifically says disability, they're not going to think outside the box, at least at that point in time. I think there has been some progress made with the casting society really trying to do their research and make sure that doesn't continue to happen. But that was happening. I learned about casting from a studio perspective versus working on the set of a movie in casting earlier on. And I thought, okay, I love this. It's great that it influences a lot of people, but they're moving too slow. We need to find a way to get more people represented faster. And while I was kind of deciding after that year that that path wasn't for me either. I found out that my friend to was the one who invited me to come out to LA to work for his man. adjure who then continued to be one of my roommates? He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS, so he had to go back home to Georgia. And I thought, Okay, what am I going to do anyways? I'm not really happy in my job. And I don't really know who I'd want as another roommate in Los Angeles is not cheap to live in, alone. And I thought, all right, even though it took me a really long time to get to where I am here, I think I need to go home and refresh. It was really hard to make that decision especially after the hundred interviews and really trying hard to get that first job. But I needed to just figure out how I could make change faster. From a personal influence level, when Yeah, and it was hard deciding Okay, cuz then I didn't mean I was gonna have to start the job search process again eventually, but I had the support To move home with my parents still kind of struggled with the fact that I was an adult with a disability living at home after being independent for six and a half years out in LA. But I needed to kind of refresh and my sister asked me, she's a creative writing teacher was at the time in middle school. She asked me if I could come meet her students. And then I thought, you know what, I'm just gonna start telling my story. And I wondered if people wanted to hear it, because I feel like you have to get to a certain level in your career, and then people may want to hear you speak. But then I was surprised. These students just wanted to learn all about me, because my sister had been talking about me for so many years. Uh huh. So I took that opportunity as Okay, I can do this. So I started reaching out to rotary clubs and in college I had started a Toastmasters club and got very involved in Toastmasters even after college, trying to gain more public speaking skills. and gotten involved with National Speakers Association. So I could start having a structure to my storytelling. And I just tried to reach out to as many places as possible, didn't worry about whether they were paid or not. And then it was about six months in. In March 2013, I had reached out to this organization called understanding disabilities and their speaker had dropped out and they said, What's your rate and I had to make up a rate and there was my first paid speech.   Unknown Speaker  16:30   Wow.   Becky Kekula  16:32   And so what I ended up doing during that period of time is I did go to a little people parents meeting so little people organization has regional events throughout the year in the 12 regions of the country. And then they have an annual conference every summer in July, where people come together, from all over the country and world. And in the parents meetings. A lot of these parents. Most of them are average height parents to children. In mature prism, they were talking about the struggles that their children were having transitioning from elementary to middle school or middle school or high school, when they're going to see a whole new environment that may be likely to make fun of them. I thought, Okay, let me talk to the administrators. If, if we make the connection, I'll talk to the administrators, and then it'll be a two pronged approach. I'll talk to the administrators about the accommodations I had. I can't speak to the personal experience of your child, but I can at least set a baseline. And then I'll go in and speak to the whole student body so they can ask me the hard questions versus your child who's transitioning next year and they haven't a lot going on and they don't need to have to answer the questions that are unnecessary. So give them that exposure just like that girl had and had been doing at Providence College despite by going to school there. Right, right. And it ended up being a great way to connect with families within the community and help with those transitions, and then I just kept trying to figure out where how I could get to the older groups because they need just as much education. And well, I was exploring figuring out what to do next. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people know this, just as a speaker on your own, trying to make it and build a career of it takes a very long time. And very hard. You have to have multiple avenues, multiple revenue sources. I ended up being asked to speak in Kenya. So I went and spoke to a little people organization in Kenya. Fortunately, the expenses were paid for. But it was a wonderful experience. But it was after that, that I was like, Alright, I got to figure out like, how do I get out of this house and figure out what's the next chapter for me? And I was able to be very vocal. Okay, I want to be a speaker and will continue to be a speaker. You're on the side, but I need another source of income. I was networking with someone who I met at the panel event I hosted at the agency. And he asked me if I would come work for him in New York at the actors union in the diversity department. And it was nice because it was still being able to use that experience I had from the talent agency in casting. And he said, I totally understand that you do public speaking as well. Happy to support you on that journey too. And it was a nice marriage between speaking and continuing to advocate for underrepresented groups in the entertainment news media. And moving to New York City. from Boston, there were just a lot more opportunities when it came to networking.   So I was there for three and a half years and then I started to learn that the entertainment industry still has a long way to go. They're very focused on box office numbers and not wanting to take the risks that I feel that corporate America is more willing to pay currently, because they know that people with disabilities can add innovation and value to their workplace. There's still a long way to go within corporate america too. But they're moving a little faster. And it was in August of 2017 that I attended my first it was USB lm at the time now disability and conference, and I felt the energy there were people there who were excited about sharing their relationship to disability, opening up about their own story for the first time, since most disabilities are non apparent, people can't see them. And I just felt like this energy that I had never felt before. And that led to an opportunity for me to run the disability Quality Index, which is a benchmark tool that companies take To measure how they're doing when it comes to disability inclusion, and we always say it's a carrot, not a stick. We use it as a way for them to benchmark where they are and determine where they want to go based on their results. And I think it really has gotten people to open up about what it is they want to focus on and what are low hanging fruit and what may be longer term goals. But all of them bring them in a better place to a better place for hiring and retaining employees with disabilities. And they also are setting up the infrastructure. Well hiring we hope because we don't want it to be one thing happens and then the other thing happens, we want it to happen at the same time. And companies who score well on the index are named Best Places to Work for disability inclusion. And when we mean disability inclusion, we mean all disabilities we try to be as broad as possible. There may be some questions that are more specific to some parts of different populations within disability, but we try to be as broad as possible, because we don't want anyone to be left behind. And right there setting up the infrastructure. Those that are named Best Place to Work for disability inclusion can become employers of choice for people with disabilities, and hopefully it will encourage more self identification so people can get the tools and accommodations they need to succeed.   Betsy Furler  22:24   That's wonderful. Yeah, I think that is, that kind of work just makes such a big difference for everyone out there. And, you know, hopefully in 20 years, the landscape is going to look a lot different for employment of people with all types of disabilities, whether that be something physical that's visible, or something like autism or ADHD or, you know, people with severe medical issues and chronic medical issues. I think that hopefully hopefully our landscape really is changing and I think disability in is making a big Making it making a big dent in that problem?   Becky Kekula  23:05   Yes, we try. No, we can't we can't do it alone. So we're we're all in this together. And I think absolutely thrilled to know that we're all supporting each other. Because if it was just one person doing everything, it wouldn't be sustainable.   Betsy Furler  23:24   Yes, yes, we definitely all have to cough I have to coordinate and collaborate. Well, it's been a pleasure to hear your story. And if I know that some of my listeners are going to want to connect with you, how is that? What's the best way for them to connect with you?   Becky Kekula  23:40   Absolutely. So my website is BeckyMotivates.com. And that leads to a lot of my social media links, but a lot of them are Becky motivates. Or Becky Kula. You can pretty much find me that way on any of them.   Betsy Furler  23:57   Awesome. Well, I will put that in the show notes. And it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much again for being on the mic. Yes. And listeners, thank you so much for tuning in, please rate review, subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening to it on. And please follow me Betsy Furler. It's acid. And Frank you are LR, and on LinkedIn, or an Instagram. I'm also at for all abilities on Instagram. And you can find out all about my consulting services and my software that helps people get the appropriate accommodations they need in the workplace at WWW dot for all abilities calm. So I will see you all soon. Thanks so much. Thanks so much for listening to the for all abilities podcast. This is Betsy Furler, your host and I really appreciate your time listening to the podcast. And please subscribe on any podcast app that you're listening to us on. If you like to know more about what we do in our software that helps employer support their employees with ADHD dyslexia, learning differences in autism, please go to www dot for all abilities.com You can also follow us on Instagram. And you can follow me on LinkedIn at Betsy Furler and Frank, you are le AR Have a great day and we will see you soon.

Hey beautiful! Today's guest is Becky Curran. We talk about what it was like for her growing up, how she discovered her passion for public speaking, what it was like to go to 100 job interviews in four months, and tips to be more inclusive. Her website www.beckymotivates.com

For All Abilities – The Podcast Episode Thirty Two - Becky Kekula - DisabilityIN/Advocating for Others and Yourself Part One    In this episode, I interview Becky Kekula of DisabilityIN. On the podcast, Becky talks about her early years as a Little Person and her education and career were affected. We discuss her early career in the film/tv industry and the importance of advocacy.  To connect with Becky, please follow her  on LinkedIn (Becky Kekula) and visit her website at http://www.beckymotivates.com.     Go to our website www.forallabilities.com for information on our software that enables employers to support their employees with ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Differences and Autism. Thanks for listening!  Betsy     Thanks for listening to For All Abilities today!    Share the podcast with your friends, they’ll thank you for it!   Get our newsletter and stay up to date! The newsletter link is on our website www.forallabilities.com   Follow me   Twitter: @betsyfurler   Instagram: @forallabilities   Facebook: @forallabilites   LinkedIn: @BetsyFurler   Website: www.forallabilities.com   Full Transcription from Otter.ai   Betsy Furler  0:05   Welcome to for all abilities, the podcast. This is your host, Betsy Furler. The aim of this podcast is to highlight the amazing things people with ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences and autism are doing to improve our world. Have a listen to for all abilities, the podcast, and please subscribe on whatever podcast app you're listening to us on. Hi, everybody, welcome back to for all abilities, the podcast. This is your host, Betsy Furler. And I'm so excited that you're here along with my special guest, Becky kulula, which I hope I said that correctly. Becky is was introduced to me by a friend and the the diversity and inclusion space. And I'm so excited to have you here. So Becky, why don't you make the Yeah, Tommy if I mispronounced your name and then introduce yourself to my audience.   Becky Kekula  1:04   My last name is Kekula. I was recently married within the past year. And my former last name is Curran. And one of the reasons I bring that up is because I started my speaking career under Becky Curran and just recently added the kukula. So no worries on that piece. And I just wanted to say that I'm excited to be here, I identify as a person with dwarfism, person with a physical difference, okay to call me a little person, a Gore. also identify as being someone who's proud to be part of the disability community. And in my current role, I work as the director of the disability Quality Index at disability in a nonprofit that helps business advanced disability inclusion. We're all on a mission to reduce the unemployment rate. of people with disabilities in this country and in the world in order to make people more people feel empowered and independent, and happy to have a place in this world when it comes to employment.   Betsy Furler  2:14   Awesome. And normally I interview people with neuro diversity, which you don't fit into that category. But when I met you and talk to you, I thought you would be really interesting to have on the podcast because the of the career path that you've kind of been on. And but let's start with what were you like as a little girl growing up going to school? Normally people talk about their diagnosis, but I guess you can talk about that, too. You. You may not have memory of that, but I'm sure you know, you've heard the story.   Becky Kekula  2:45   Yes, definitely. So 80% of people with dwarfism are born to appetite parents and that includes myself. When I was born in 1984. My parents had no clue what it meant to have a child dwarfism. And the only reason they were actually able to find out that I had dwarfism was because there was someone in the delivery room a medical professional, who had seen another person with dwarfism, more specifically 100 plastic dwarfism, which is the type of dwarfism that I have being born in that hospital. It's very common for a lot of people with dwarfism, since they're over 400 types of dwarfism to not even have a diagnosis when they leave the hospital after they're born. So they were fortunate to have that scenario where they could at least identify what my condition was. But they also found out that it was very possible I wouldn't make it through my first night that I was having breathing difficulties related to sleep apnea, which is common among people with dwarfism. And there were some issues that maybe they thought I had that didn't even seem related to dwarfism, but here I am. 36 years. Later still alive. And that was just the beginning of their journey really not knowing what that meant. And I know you mentioned how you do work to advocate and speak on behalf of the neuro diverse community. And although I don't identify as such, people often get people with dwarfism mistaken with certain communities because of our height. They assume as adults, we still should be talked to as children. And it's really just lack of the unknown lack of previous exposure, and figuring out where to meet us. So a few days after I was born, my parents were released from the hospital, but they knew that they had a long journey ahead of them, and it was recommended to them to go meet with the geneticists, and they made an appointment and they got to the office where the geneticists worked, and they met with the receptionist and asked for directions on how to get to the gym. This office, and the receptionist immediately told them to follow the signs that say birth defects, and then go into the elevator that says birth defect floor, and then follow the hallway to see another sign that says birth defects. And then the genetic counselor will be waiting for them there. And that was something that really didn't settle well with my parents. So they decided that maybe it was time to write a letter to the hospital and let them know that there are a lot of new families who have found out that their child has some sort of difference. And it is not really fair for them to be told that their child has birth defects when they're learning to figure out how to find beauty within the difference that their child may have. Unfortunately, that hospital did change the signs to say genetics, and it matched exactly what the genetic counselor did work in genetics. And that was kind of just a testament of how I was was raised and how if they saw something that seemed off, they were going to question it and challenge societal views, and making sure that they could find a way to help me grow and thrive in this life that wasn't necessarily made for someone of my stepdaughter.   Betsy Furler  6:20   Yeah. Hi, I relate to that story so well, because my son, my 22 year old son, who we've just recently found out has a neuro autoimmune disorder, but he's 22 years of not knowing. But how his life started was, when I was six weeks pregnant. I knew I was pregnant because I'd already taken a million pregnancy test. I went to my ob and he said, I don't know why you women think you're pregnant when you're not hot. And I learned to start fighting for his life at that point. And I think parents who start on that road of advocacy really early for their And how that, that idea of I don't want my child just to survive. I want them to thrive and be the best that they can be. I, you know, I just keep hearing this, this refrain over and over and over again as I interview people. So I'm so glad you had those parents.   Becky Kekula  7:18   Exactly. And really that's what I've tried to dedicate my life to do is advocate on behalf of those potential new parents, the next generation of new parents as they find out any type of difference their newborn child may have. I would love to get to a day where people are equipped with the tools and resilience and confidence to raise their child no matter the difference. I recently spoke at a conference and someone was sharing this book about children being born with Down syndrome and it was a book Had letters from all of these people with living with down syndrome as adults, writing congratulations instead of I'm sorry, because people try to say I'm sorry. Like, we've got nothing better to say to you, and we don't know how to help you. Good luck, versus congratulations. This is what your child can accomplish and still has the potential for.   Unknown Speaker  8:26   Oh, yeah, that's amazing. Yeah. But the perspective is, it makes all the difference, doesn't it?   Becky Kekula  8:32   Yeah. So my parents really just didn't have a ton of resources. Even my dad's brother worked in the medical field, and all he could offer was a brochure that he found once on dwarfism. And it took about six months for my parents to find a specialist in Baltimore, Maryland. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and they had to find a doctor eight hours away, who was hosting people with dwarfism who weren't current patience for a sleep study. It was a research project they were doing. And in order to get an appointment with him, we have to sign up for the sleep study. And we got to his office. And my parents immediately, just like showed how panicked and nervous they were, but also kind of about to feel relieved because they found the answers to what they were praying for just someone who was an expert in this area. And he had a doctor had a waiting room full of people. And he ended up calling my parents and even though these people had been waiting for hours for their appointments, he just saw their ghostly looks on their faces and said, basically, just lay it out there. What are your concerns? Let me help answer the questions you may have. And that kind of led to me being able to be patient of his and we were okay with waiting eight hours for those annual appointments. Even If we arrived for the original time, because we knew that he helped us in a very important moment when I was six months old.   Betsy Furler  10:09   So what was it like when you were in preschool? And then elementary school? What were those years? Like? I think   Becky Kekula  10:16   one of the greatest things my parents tried to do is help me fit in seamlessly with our community. And one of the ways they did that was they worked closely with the family friend, who I think we may have met just while we were going to preschool and preschools pretty early on. So I was still around the height of most kids in my preschool. So a lot of questions didn't start till people started growing taller than me in my age range. And there was a person in my preschool class who my parents worked with her parents to have her be in my class all the way up until seventh grade when we were separated by alphabetical order because I was C and she was w four last names. But still, that was a good chunk of my early childhood, where I had at least one friend in my class who could protect me from any potential beliefs in the community. And really, I don't remember many times being made fun of and it could have been, I do have narrow ear canals. So I have a little bit of hearing loss in my right ear. So it's possible that maybe I didn't hear certain things, but other things, I really think that she was able to stick up for me without me even knowing and it just kind of felt seamless, being a part of community. And then my mom was actually a special education teacher in middle school. So when I got to middle school in fifth grade, she was already a part of that community within that school and well respected. She was never one of my teachers, but at least I was kind of in that environment that people knew and respected her and I think that really helped me feel like that middle school. Those middle school years were just a seamless and then junior high in high school. I did have some medical procedures growing up. And the biggest procedure that affected my older high school years, was losing my ability to walk and I had to miss 29 days of school in 10th grade. And oh, wow, the community was super supportive during that time. Unfortunately, I did fall back in classes, I was in all honors classes, one of my biggest fears was falling behind. And I decided to still stay with my grade. But I had to work extra hard to try to keep up and make up for those 29 days of school, and everyone was super supportive. I think one of the reasons I needed to stay dedicated to staying with my class was that doctor we had gone to at six months and beyond. He mentioned to my parents try your best to keep her in the same school. system with the same people. And I think it even applies to try to stay with your grade because you know those people the most from early on. And that's one of the decisions I could have taken a year off not feel as rushed to finish my junior and senior year. But it was equally as important for me to stay with those people who knew me and grew up with me. Yeah, I   Betsy Furler  13:24   think that's really, really important. I know I say to parents that all the time really, no matter what, you know, your child has that could be a potential struggle. My son's issues are mainly medical. And he was also with the same kids from kindergarten or from first grade through eighth grade and it made a huge difference. And one of the girls he was with all those years, they ended up going to college together and they lived in the same dorm and it was so wonderful. You know, that she kind of like was kind of looked out for him. For me, so I think it's really important to stay with your peers and when you can.   Becky Kekula  14:07   Absolutely. And a lot of what I've done now, as we get to that point in talking about kind of the speaking that I do advocating on behalf of the community, I go into schools where sometimes there isn't that choice A family has to move to a different community, and try to try to help make that transition a little easier for those kids who are also sometimes it's five elementary schools coming together for middle school and if you don't already know someone at the middle school like me being fortunate to have my mom there. It's going to be a scary place because we'll only know a fifth of the people.   Betsy Furler  14:50   Right, right. That's very limited. So what did you do after high school or and also in high school, were you in any clubs or anything like that?   Becky Kekula  15:00   My mom was I was very good at getting us active in Student Council because she was in charge of it in the middle school and then I just continued on with it in the older years, and then I did speech and debate but it was the speech side it was forensics, where you compete based on how well you can present materials. So I focused on children's books, those competitions and how you can read children's books and really learn some of the presentation skills that way. I took some public speaking classes and photography while in high school, and then I was involved with the high school swim team and sailing team. Sailing was like a, it was a club that was newer there were not as many participants but my my dad actually made the decision to help me get that started so I could have a high school sport to participate in after my bachelor's surgery I had been on the swim team, but it was harder for me to participate as actively as I wanted to after that.   Betsy Furler  16:09   Yeah, that's, that's wonderful. So what did you do after high school? I ended   Becky Kekula  16:14   up applying to nine colleges. And I ended up choosing Providence College. Because when I was in the cafeteria, while going on a tour, there was a little person who's already attending school there. And I was able to see someone like me in that environment, even though it's not a very diverse school. It's predominantly Irish Catholic,   Unknown Speaker  16:38   is at a small school.   Becky Kekula  16:39   It had about 4000 people, so about 1000 each grade. Uh huh. But I knew that since most environments, there are only 30,000 little people living in the United States, and 180,000 or so in the world. Most environments have not met a little person. So it really does matter. If someone has touched that community in one way or another, so as soon as she was there, it helped set up the tone that whether or not she was having a great time. And it seemed like she was having a great time. I knew that people would be a little bit more respectful because they had seen her before seeing me.   Betsy Furler  17:20   Right, you kind of had a, the door was opened a bit a little bit.   Becky Kekula  17:24   Right. And, and that didn't make it extremely easy. That was just kind of the reason why I chose to go there. And it almost felt like applying to jobs, deciding whether or not you're going to disclose your difference. This was back in 2002. So when they were doing the roommate selections, I didn't feel like I needed to disclose that I was a little person and I don't, I don't really think Facebook was fully available by then or any of the social media. So it was pretty much Just what you have on your roommate profile, and I had two roommates that I was matched up with, and one I got along really well with on the phone. And once we arrived at school, she was not too happy about me not disclosing because she just didn't know what to expect. And it was a very challenging six months we still we talked about it to this day. We we've been in touch and we just talked about how it was a learning experience. But in the moment of it, it was very hard not knowing how to fix apologizing or like being forgiven for just being who you are.   Unknown Speaker  18:42   Right. roommate situations are so touchy anyway.   Becky Kekula  18:46   Right and that and I had a few days before we moved into school I was involved with this program called urban action. And it was like Habitat for Humanity where we went and cleaned up a farm, but it was a way to go to college a few days early. And meet the amount of people that you are going to be taking classes with. So it was about 150 of the people who were going to be in my class that I could get to know ahead of time. So I was already, like prepared them going above and beyond getting involved before even moving into college. So this will give me a head start. But I think it just kind of comes with the journey, the roadblocks that come with it. And I was fortunate during that program to meet someone who is my best friend to this day. And after that freshman year, she and I were roommates from sophomore to senior year and it really made a huge difference. Just having someone who, I didn't have to apologize for being myself too. And someone who gives me a lot of constructive feedback. That's something I asked for a lot. And I'm sure that you kind of witness that a little bit within the community that you advocate on behalf of wherever People just want to say they're doing a great job, and don't really know how they can improve. And I really appreciate when people tell me if I'm doing something wrong, so I can learn how to do it better in the future. And she's one of those people always been in my life willing to give that feedback, honestly and authentically. And I think that's so important.   Betsy Furler  20:22   Yes, we all need friends like that. I know, I appreciate that too. Because I don't want just everybody going, Oh, you're doing great, Betsy. Because then it's like, but I know, like, There's something I need to be doing better. There's gotta be. And so after, what did you major in and what did you do after you graduated?   Becky Kekula  20:40   I was a marketing major. And I just thought it was super interesting. It wasn't. Providence now has a business school with a more detailed program. So it was still kind of part of the liberal arts, just in general, the liberal arts, they want you to take all those general courses, so I didn't really focus as much on marketing specifically until the junior and senior years, we had to take four semesters of Western civilization, freshman and sophomore year. And that was challenging because I am one of those people where I look at something and I think everything's important. So I highlight everything. So it was hard to study and figure out what was important and what I should remember. But I think the life skills that you learn in college and just learning how to live on your own and be independent, add just as much value. So the whole experience regardless of how challenging it could have been at times, I ended up starting to do some different internship experiences throughout the summers. We had a family friend in our neighborhood who owned a fire insurance company, and I worked in the accounting department my first summer after freshman year. Found out fast that I didn't like that progression. The next year I ended up working in marketing iRobot they make the robotic vacuums and then they also have a war division where they make robots that can go on the war lines closer than people would want to go to the action to tech for bombs. So that was fascinating just learning about that whole robotic business. And while I was there, we also received some television scripts, where we could try to determine if there were appropriate moments, like in the TV show friends and Sex in the City, where they could have the robotic vacuum featured, but also talked about, rather than it just being product placement or you have it in the scene. Is there like an effective way to get brand recognition in a TV show? And that was kind of my first exposure to Oh, wait a minute, this industry has a lot of influence.   So I kept trying to figure out okay, even though marketing major, super passionate about marketing, I'm going to try to figure out how to get closer to what it is this industry does with a lot of influence. And I ended up right before my senior year in college I applied. I actually just thought maybe advertising in general because that's media advertising. just fascinated by the profession. I found an article in a Boston newspaper and it was the top 120 ad agencies in Boston. I just sent my resume to all them. I knew it was going to be an unpaid internship, but I was willing to get experience anywhere. And the one that got back to me, the only one was allied advertising and they are the intermediary between the movies, the movie companies and the general public. So they try to find target audiences for advanced screenings before a movie is released. To the wider public. And then if they find that audience and someone goes, as a representative from the agency, they can take notes on what people reacted to, and any tweaks they may want to make before the wider release, like maybe jokes that didn't work too well, or where there was maybe too much silence when people should have been laughing. Just those things. So I would go and I would write notes in the dark on how people reacted to these different movies. And I did that for summer. And when I went back to school in Providence, my senior year, they didn't have anyone to cover the screenings in Providence, and I was able to continue doing that for the fall. And while I was doing that, I also applied to the local NBC News affiliate, and I was at promotions and publicity in turn. And while I was working there, I found out about the movie underdog being filmed in Rhode Island. In that next summer, which was going to be right after my graduation, and Peter Dinklage was going to be in the film. And they found out since I was in the area, maybe I want it to be his stand in. Meaning that if they're setting up the film set, he can stay in his trailer. Well, they set up the lighting and me being close to his height. I could stand there until it's time for him to actually go and act. And a lot of times they have standards because children on movies and television sets need to go to a certain amount of schooling. So they are able to go do that schooling while someone standing in for them in a lot of times it ends up being little people since we are at the height of children. So it has been a profitable career for a lot of people. But unfortunately, it was seemed like a great opportunity. They were ready to use me, but it conflicted with my last two weeks of college and I had to turn The opportunity because I needed to graduate and we know how important it is even to me staying on track with my class.   Unknown Speaker  26:09   Right, but what a shame, but I guess, the way it's supposed to be,   Becky Kekula  26:13   right, so what I ended up doing so that was going to be like a $4,000 summer opportunity. I had to turn that down. But I did since I had already made the contact with the casting director. I asked if I could still help out with the casting process throughout the summer so I could learn really what goes on behind the scenes as a casting director. So she was she was happy to have me help her find people for crowd scenes. Sometimes I would have to call over 300 people a day just to show up to the movie set and some people were canceling life threatening doctor's appointments because they just wanted to be on TV and film, which is a lot different than like in New York and LA where it happens. More often, I think because it was taking place in Providence and not many things are filmed in Providence. People were like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't want to miss it.   Betsy Furler  27:10   Thanks so much for tuning into this first episode with Becky. Next week, we'll air the rest of the interview and you'll find out what amazing twists and turns her career took after the disappointment of not getting to work on that film. So Becky is so wonderful Her name is Becky Kola, and you can find her on LinkedIn. I will put all of her contact information in the show notes so you can get in touch with your feed like but please join us next week as we finish the interview with her. Also, please like subscribe, rate review, follow all of those things for all abilities podcast. You can do that on Apple podcasts stitcher pod bean anywhere Where you are listening to this podcast. And to find out more about my consulting services and my software that I use to help employers support their employees with disabilities, you can go to www dot for all abilities.com. Thanks for tuning in today. And I'll see you next week for the rest of my interview with Becky. Thanks so much for listening to the for all abilities podcast. This is Betsy Furler, your host and I really appreciate your time listening to the podcast. And please subscribe on any podcast app that you're listening to a song. If you'd like to know more about what we do and our software that helps employer support their employees with ADHD dyslexia, learning differences in autism, please go to www dot for all abilities calm. You can also follow us on Instagram. And you can follow me on LinkedIn at Betsy Furler f isn't Frank you are elhuyar have a Great day and we will see you

07-25-20 Small Business Showcase: Becky Curran-Kekula – Motivational Speaker – beckymotivates.com

This week on the podcast we welcome Becky Curran Kekula! Becky is a motivational speaker and advocate for inclusion everywhere. Becky strives to teach acceptance while educating and motivating all people to establish goals and work hard to accomplish them. She answers questions about acceptance, bullying, biases, unity, and education and so much more! Did you enjoy the show? Awesome! Now go SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and we would love you forever if you left a review! It helps more people find the show. If you want to check out more of Becky and the causes she supports, here are some links for you to check out: Disability Language Style Guide Becky's Website  Becky's YouTube Becky's Facebook Becky's Instagram  

Becky Curran is the Disability Equality Index (DEI) Director at Disability:IN, where she is responsible for managing the overall DEI program. Born with achondroplastic dwarfism, Becky talks about her life & career as an advocate for increasing disability inclusion, including:    Her childhood health challenges and experiences with social exclusion The importance of her support system of family, friends and doctor How she navigated through multiple challenges to forge her own career path in the media and entertainment industry, to improve the representation of disability in the media and advocate for actors with disabilities Why she started sharing her own story publicly, and the impact that her public speaking is having on individuals and corporations Why she’s comfortable with people coming up and asking questions about her appearance and about her life as a little person You can contact Becky on her website www.BeckyMotivates.com and learn more about her motivational public speaking and her story.   Becky’s full bio:   Becky Curran serves as the Disability Equality Index (DEI) Director at Disability:IN. In her current role, she’s responsible for managing the overall DEI program. Becky received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Providence College, where she gained a passion for influencing change behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Upon graduation and after 100 job interviews, Becky started working in the Entertainment Marketing department, followed by the Comedy Touring department, at Creative Artists Agency, the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. Five years later, she worked at CBS Television Studios, where she assisted with the casting of pilots and television series. During this transition, she also served as the Marketing Director and Co-Founding Board Member of the Catalina Film Festival. She also founded DisABILITY In Media, which focuses on positive disability inclusion storytelling through social media. After her six and a half years of working in the entertainment industry, Becky launched a public speaking business. A prolific public speaker and advocate for disability inclusion on a global scale, she has spoken at over 100 venues, including schools, corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies, throughout the United States and Kenya. She’s really passionate about disability inclusion in schools, the workplace, and everywhere else. More recently, she spent three and a half years working in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Diversity department at Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the world’s largest entertainment union. At SAG-AFTRA, she supported the implementation of a national diversity plan of action to achieve accurate representation of those groups historically excluded from the entertainment and news media. Becky serves on the Board of Advisors for the National Center For Disability Journalism (NCDJ) at Arizona State University.

While sailing in August of 1999, disability advocate Becky Curran felt numbness in her legs.  It was the first sign of a progressive condition that could take away her ability to walk.  After a successful back surgery, she encountered social changes as her friends in high school started excluding her because of her size. We talk about her life as a little person, misconceptions about the disabled community, and her mission to change the world for the next generation through the stories we tell. Additional Resources Becky Curran: beckymotivates.com Harvard Business Review: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling   

Joyce welcomes Keri Gray, director for the Rising Leaders Initiatives and Becky Curran, Disability Equality Index (DEI) Program Manager at Disability: IN. This non-profit organization promotes an inclusive global economy that empowers people with disabilities to participate fully and meaningfully. It empowers business to achieve disability equality and inclusion. There is a shared commitment to collaborate with purpose to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities, to inspire accessible innovation for all, and to foster cultures of inclusion. Both guests will discuss their prospective programs and the full mission of the organization in-depth.

Episode two of our disability mini-series is a chat with Becky Curran. Becky gives us the low down about being a little person in America, but also reminds us that her sole identity does not rest in her height. Learn more about her, how to treat little people, and about what not to say to a little person in this episode.    Check out Becky at: http://www.beckymotivates.com beckymotivates(Twitter) beckymotivates(Instagram) facebook.com/BeckyCurranSpeaker