Podcasts about inclusion advocate

SEND in the Experts with Georgina Durrant Guest: James Searjeant – Headteacher, Inclusion Advocate & Member of the Twinkl Inclusion Advisory BoardIn this episode of SEND in the Experts, Georgina Durrant is joined by James Searjeant, an experienced primary school leader known for his calm, reflective approach and his deep commitment to inclusive practice. With a career spanning early years and primary settings, James champions the belief that every child deserves to feel safe, supported and able to succeed. As headteacher of Wyborne School, he leads with the principle that behaviour is communication, and he works closely with staff, families and professionals to build a school culture rooted in wellbeing, consistency and belonging.James also contributes to national conversations on inclusion through his work with the Twinkl Inclusion Advisory Board, bringing both practical insight and thoughtful challenge to the wider system.

In this episode of #29DaysOfMagic Ericka emphasizes the importance of inclusion in the workplace. Drawing from her diverse experiences, she advocates for creating environments where everyone feels valued and heard. "We need to build community amongst people," she states, reminding us that understanding and empathy are key to fostering inclusive spaces. Her commitment to empowering others reflects her belief that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the way you move your body could transform how you experience pleasure, confidence, and desire?In this episode, my guest is the gorgeous sexologist, educator, and triathlete Jordina Quain who is passionate about sport personally and professionally! Her PhD is exploring the effect of endurance sport on female athlete sexuality and sense of self so she is very familiar with what it really means to be fit for pleasure - body, mind, and soul.Tune in to hear us talk about:How sport can both ignite and inhibit desireThe hidden link between pelvic floor health and orgasmic pleasureWhy leisure is political (and reclaiming it is an act of rebellion)How movement and community help us rewrite old stories of shame and belongingThe unexpected ways exercise impacts confidence, relationships, and sensualityAnd Jordi's powerful message to women in midlifeWhether you're an ocean swimmer, weekend walker, or just curious about reconnecting to your body in new ways, this conversation will inspire you to move your way to joy, sensuality, and self-acceptance.

In this final episode of Season 5, and the last chapter of our mini-series on diversity, equity and inclusion in wine, Janina sits down with the incredible Aidy Smith – award-winning broadcaster, content creator, drinks educator and the only global TV host living with Tourette's Syndrome. He's also the founder of Drinklusive and a powerful advocate for representation, empathy, and accessibility in the wine world. Aidy brings his signature energy and honesty to this conversation, sharing his path into wine and the moments that shaped his mission. From supermarket favourites and wine hacks to wineries doing amazing work in inclusion – this episode is heartfelt, informative and a perfect way to close the season. You'll also discover: [03:32] – Aidy's first step into the drinks world (in a crumpled suit and a glass of Napa Cabernet!) [06:26] – Link back to Episode 46 and his love for California wine [07:46] – How Tourette's, ADHD and being openly gay shaped his career in wine [14:45] – Why good intentions and asking questions are key to progress [17:28] – The most under the radar wine region: Patagonia, Argentina [21:00] – Bodega Otronia and its icy anti-frost system and Bodega Chacra and their Pinot and Chardonnays [22:39] – Beginner-friendly supermarket recommendation: Diablo Dark Red £9 with nectar Sainsburys [24:27] – How to expand your palate with Kadette Cape blend by Kanonkop (South Africa) £13.50 Sainsburys [26:22] – The importance of transparency on winery websites [29:06] – Favourite hot weather wine: white wines from Plaimont, Southwest France [30:24] – Wine hack: always pack a corkscrew in your toiletries bag [31:11] – What is Drinklusive and how it empowers new voices in wine [39:17] – Advice for wineries wanting to be more inclusive [43:57] – Janina's shoutout to Michel Chapoutier (First producer to put Braille on labels) and tasting their Saint-Péray £20 mix 6 Majestic [44:47] – Champagne Telmont, sustainability and inclusivity focus [49:17] – Final reflections: what Aidy has learned and what still needs to change Follow Aidy on Instagram

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The InDependent Spouse Podcast! In this episode, your host Jess Sands sits down with the phenomenal Ria Jackson, an RAF veteran, founder of "The V Word," and CEO of Inclusive Minds UK. Join us as Ria shares her extraordinary journey of self-discovery and resilience, and learn about her mission to champion neuro-inclusion.   Episode Highlights: A "Squiggly Career" in the RAF: Ria shares her 12-year journey in the military, starting as a mover and ultimately pivoting to become an avionic engineer on Typhoons. She discusses how her diverse experiences in the forces, including extensive travel, provided invaluable lessons and shaped her squiggly path. The Transition and Unexpected Challenges: Discover the personal reasons behind Ria's decision to leave the RAF at the 12-year mark, including finding her life partner and facing medical downgrades due to knee injuries. She bravely opens up about the struggles of finding a job while pregnant and how this led her unexpectedly into education. Unveiling Neurodivergence: Ria transparently shares her journey through mental health difficulties post-military and motherhood, which ultimately led to her diagnosis of ADHD and dyspraxia. This pivotal moment transformed her self-awareness into profound self-acceptance. The Birth of The V Word and Inclusive Minds UK: Learn how Ria's personal need for community and an outlet for expression led to the accidental creation of "The V Word," an online community for women veterans. She recounts the viral success of her blog post "The Odd One Out," which gained 1.5 million views, and how this platform, though initially an escapism, became her "saviour" and laid the groundwork for Inclusive Minds UK. The Power of Neuro-Inclusion: Ria passionately explains why neuro-inclusion matters to everyone, emphasizing the human need to belong and create spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves. She discusses the importance of meeting others with curiosity and kindness, fostering growth and understanding rather than conflict. The IM Hub: An Accessible Resource: Get an exclusive insight into Ria's new venture, "The IM Hub," a purpose-built platform designed to make learning about neuro-inclusion affordable and accessible for all – from parents and partners to managers and individuals who are "neuro-curious." She highlights the hub's unique shared model of influence, offering insights from professionals with lived, medical, and academic experience. Language, Identity, and Growth: Ria shares powerful anecdotes about the evolving landscape of language around neurodiversity and the importance of owning mistakes and continuously learning. She emphasizes that identity is personal and that true support comes from understanding the individual, not just their diagnosis. About Ria Jackson: Ria Jackson is an RAF veteran, the visionary founder of 'The V Word' (a women veterans online community), and the CEO of Inclusive Minds UK. Her work with Inclusive Minds UK is dedicated to normalising neuro-inclusion, creating safe and supportive environments where everyone can thrive. Connect with Ria & Inclusive Minds UK: www.inclusivemindsuk.com About The InDependent Spouse Podcast: The InDependent Spouse podcast, hosted by Jess Sands, is your essential guide to navigating modern military life. It's a place for inspiration and support, sharing real stories of resilience and success from the armed forces family to remind you that you're not alone. What started as a passion project in 2018 has grown into a thriving business network, helping military spouses build their own businesses and find success that thrives in military life.    Connect with The InDependent Spouse: www.milspo.co.uk/podcast Explore free tools, resources, and upcoming courses like the business startup course in September!  

I'm joined by the incredible Alie B, a legally blind arts educator, disability advocate, and all-around powerhouse of empathy and expression. Alie B shares how discovering theatre and monologue work became her first form of self-advocacy.She opens up about living with low vision, navigating an eating disorder in her youth, and how she now supports others in recovery through creativity, compassion, and somatic work.We explore how disability is often unseen but deeply felt and how it's the "only club any of us can join at any time." Alie B reminds us that disability doesn't discriminate, and how those who live with it often have to work so hard to self-advocate for accommodation amidst their joy and connection.This conversation dives into: ✨ The intersection of art and medicine ✨ Why creative expression is a powerful path to healing ✨ The emotional toll of being a high achiever and a big feeler ✨ How creative practices help us rewire the nervous systemWhether you have a disability, love someone who does, or just want to better understand how art, advocacy, and embodiment intersect, this episode will move you.Alie B's Website: https://www.aliebgorrie.com/Juliet's Website: https://yepigototherapy.com/Juliet's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yepigototherapyAlie B's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliebg/

Brendan Aylward has devoted his life to making fitness accessible to everyone, and this year, for the second year in a row, he will be racing with Jacob Wyman as a Team Hoyt Duo at the Boston Marathon. While Brendan's race times are certainly impressive (he and Jacob have a marathon PR of 2:55), what's even more impressive is Brendan's commitment to inclusion in sport.In this episode, Brendan, the founder of Unified Health & Performance and AdaptX, shares how his involvement in the Best Buddies program in high school led to a career focused on ensuring that athletes of all abilities can pursue their goals.Speaking of which, Brendan takes great pride in racing for Team Hoyt New England with Jacob.. Rick and Dick Hoyt have been a major influence on Brendan's career path and this year Brendan and Jacob are so excited to run Boston for the second consecutive year for Team Hoyt. In this episode, Brendan shares how he trains and races while pushing Jacob from Hopkinton to Boston and what the experience meant to both of them.We hope you are as inspired by Brendan and Jacob as we are. To learn more about Brendan and AdaptX, check out AdaptX.org. Brendan also hosts a weekly podcast, the AdaptX Podcast, in which he amplifies the voices and ideas of individuals who are building accessible businesses or products, advocating for inclusion, or excelling in adaptive sports.Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @runfartherandfaster.Interested in hiring a coach? Email us at julieandlisa@runfartherandfaster.com or head over to our NEW website (www.runfartherandfaster.com)! Please follow, share and review our show!

This episode I want you to meet Acen Kevin from Northern Uganda. Acen is unstoppable and remarkable in many ways. She grew up an orphan in Uganda and experienced many hardships and challenges working to seek an education. She discovered the power of community and persevered with the help and support of others. She secured a degree in Accounting and Finance and works in that field part time.   In 2021, Acen founded Itinga Charity Education Foundation, (ICEF) to sponsor and help children with disabilities and other disadvantaged children to get some of the breaks she received when seeking an education. She will tell us some of the stories of students who began with little or no hope and whose families also had no faith that their children could ever be successful. However, with the help of ICEF many children already have experienced life-changing attitudes and are getting the education they deserve. Wait until you hear the story about the blind magistrate who received assistance from ICEF and who now is well respected and has not lost a case.   It is always so rewarding to be able to talk with someone like Acen Kevin who just doesn't talk a good line, but who also proves daily that she lives and walks the walk she wishes for others to do.       About the Guest:   Acen Kevin is the Founder and Executive Director of Itinga Charity Education Foundation (ICEF), a non-profit NGO based in Uganda. With a strong commitment to advancing the education of disadvantaged children and youth in Northern Uganda, Acen has established ICEF to provide scholarships, grants, and essential educational resources to schools and children in need.   A dedicated disability inclusion advocate, Acen's work with ICEF focuses on empowering blind children through education. By championing inclusive education, Her non profit NGO is working in Partnership with Imara-Uganda Education Fund UK  to fund the  construction of an inclusive secondary school in Northern Uganda that is already providing  inclusive education to both abled and disabled students, fostering a supportive and accessible learning environment for all.   In addition to her impactful work in the non-profit sector, Acen Kevin is also a finance and accounting professional, holding a degree in Accounting and Finance from Metropolitan International University (MIU). Her diverse skill set includes proficiency in computerized accounting tools such as QuickBooks and Excel, as well as experience in financial reporting, budgeting, and internal controls.   Outside of her role at ICEF, Acen is a talented filmmaker and actress in Uganda, using her creative talents to raise awareness and advocate for social change. She is a line producer of  CLUBFOOT movie that is creating awareness  and  remedies to clubfoot. Disability through clubfoot can  only be avoided at early childhood. Acen also  featured on  the Wave movie and  TV series Senkyu boss among others.   Acen Kevin is a selfless philanthropist who continues to make a positive impact in her community and beyond.   Ways to connect with Nick:   REACH OUT TO ITINGA CHARITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION (ICEF) ON THE WEBSITE  https://icef-itinga.org   LINKEDIN  https://www.linkedin.com/in/acen-kevin-daniela-336386281?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app   FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/Itinga.org   WHATSAPP   +256 705 100 34 For inquiries or collaboration opportunities, please contact Acen Kevin  (Daniela) at: Telephone: +256 772 003 460. Email: kevin.abtmail@gmail.com, kevin@icef-itinga.org     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Hi and welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're back with us again, and today we get to meet with Acen Kevin Danila. And it's actually Acen Kevin, and Danila is her middle name. She is the founder of ICEF, a charity in northern Uganda that helps children, disadvantaged children specifically. And I'm fascinated to hear about that and to learn more about what the charity does and and so on. But we're going to start by welcoming Acen to the podcast and learn a little bit about her. So Acen, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. Thank you for taking the time.   Acen Kevin ** 02:05 Thank you so much, Michael. Thank you so much. And thanks for giving me the opportunity being the unstoppable mindset podcast. It's a great pleasure.   Michael Hingson ** 02:20 Well, why don't we start by you telling us a little bit about you growing up and kind of the early Acen, if you will. Okay?   Acen Kevin ** 02:31 My story growing up has not been easy in terms of education. I struggled so much through education being unopened, I really did not have anybody to support me through education, but like the sales goes that people are stronger when you're together. So I had really so many people who supported me through education. I was sponsored by five different individuals, people, including an organization in Mara Uganda education. So you can imagine that it has really been a struggle, and that is one of the reason why I decided to give back to the community to see that children who were in the situation that I was, or even was, children that are traveling through education, they can get education. So life has not been really so easy as far as education is concerned. For me,   Michael Hingson ** 03:47 one of the things that you do with the foundation, and we'll get to the foundation, but you do a lot of work with children with disabilities. Did you or do you have a disability?   Acen Kevin ** 03:57 No, no, I don't have any disability at all. Okay, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 04:04 but that's just one of the areas that you decided that you wanted to work with. So did you? You went to you went to school, and you said education was hard, I assume, because just the normal pressures of being an orphan and and just having to do all the things that you had to do growing up, right? Yes, so   Acen Kevin ** 04:24 I really decided to support disability inclusions, support inclusive education, to sponsor children and youth who are blind and those with low vision, not because I have any disability, but because in my community, I see two sides. I see those ones who are empowered, and those one who I educated, and they have the skills they do better. Lacher than the somebody who is blind and is not empowered. Normally, they turn into begging on streets, and they say, they say to start to look at them like a burden in the society. So I, through my charity, and it is what we are doing now, we want to empower them so that they can reach their full potentials, they can be able to earn a living through the skills they get through education. And I am inspired by the blind people who are educated and they are empowered. One of them is the majesty grade one judge who is also from my community is a lawyer. Sorry, it is that is the inspiration I am inspired by people like you. So I want really many people with the disability to get because chance education, yeah, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 06:05 So did you? Did you go to college? Yes,   Acen Kevin ** 06:10 yes, I have a degree in accounting and finance. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 06:14 that's a little bit different from starting a charity or a foundation, it would seem, but you you got your degree in finance and accounting. Did you do anything directly with that? Did you have any earlier jobs in accounting and finance, or did you decide immediately that you wanted to start the foundation,   Acen Kevin ** 06:37 um, with my career in a degree in accounting and finance. I do practice that as well. Even in the NGO, it really helped me to do good accounting taxation. So I still use the same skill to run the strategy, and I practice that before. Yes, accounting and finance. So it has really helped, helped me, yes. So   Michael Hingson ** 07:07 tell us a little bit about if you would the foundation, the name of it, and where the name came from, and how you started it. Yes.   Acen Kevin ** 07:18 Eating a charity. Education Foundation is a non profit organization that advanced education of disadvantaged children in northern Uganda through provision of scholarships, materials, school supplies and facilities for education. The word eating is the local law language, which means you lift me. So it symbolizes lifting up children out of poverty through education. So eating means you lift me.   Michael Hingson ** 07:53 Atinga means you lift me. Okay, I understand that, which is a very clever name and very accurate.   Acen Kevin ** 08:04 We focus mainly on disability inclusion and empowering the blind and youth to reach their full potentials.   Michael Hingson ** 08:11 When did you start the foundation?   Acen Kevin ** 08:15 The foundations, uh, started in 2021   Michael Hingson ** 08:19 so it's fairly new. So it's been, sorry I say it's fairly new. It's been around three years. Yes,   Acen Kevin ** 08:26 yes, for three years, yes, but we're already making great impact.   Michael Hingson ** 08:32 Well, tell me a little bit about that. Tell me if you could about maybe some of the the people you've helped some of their stories, a little bit, if you would,   Acen Kevin ** 08:43 the children that we are supporting,   Michael Hingson ** 08:45 yeah, a little bit about them, kind of what successes you have.   Acen Kevin ** 08:51 Okay, so, as I said earlier on, that the organization sponsor children through Award Scholarship for education. So the children that we are having and our scholarship programs are children that are really needy, and they are coming from very poor background, so we provide them with full scholarship, and they we educate them right from primary level, secondary level, up to university, then terza institution and vocational depending on the capability of the child. But those children, they are these families that stand out. They they all have different, different stories. Like, for example, we have two families that has many children. They have many children with who are blind. There's one family that have seven children, and of the seven. Children. Four were born completely blind. So in 2019 we started sponsoring one of them. Then this year, we got a sponsor who offered to sponsor a child and is sponsoring one. So so far in that family, we are helping two children, and they it is hard. Life is hard for them, as they are facing farmers and having to take care of the poor, totally blind children and then the rest the seven children all in the family. We also have similar family. There's a family we are supporting now, one girl who is studying in the new school that we have the inclusive schools, and Mary Goretti is the akulo. Akulo comes from a family of nine. There are nine children, but out of the nine, four were born blind, and she she did not really get a chance to study in an inclusive school during our primary. So one of our brother, the elder brother, who is also blind, dropped out of school already, and even her, she had already dropped out of school when our organization was told about her, so we had to pick her, and now she's studying well and learning braille, and she's already in senior one this year. We have met different children with different who are from very poor background. We have one boy that we have been sponsoring. He's already now in senior two. We started sponsoring him right from primary five. He comes from a child headed family. The first time I went to that family was in 2020, 2021, when we started the charity, I shed tears because we could see the grave of the Mother, the Father. And there are these three young boys. They have to take care of themselves. They have to farm to eat. So it's really, it's really very difficult for them, and it makes my I feel happy now to see that the boy we talk is doing well and he studies so he can bless the family in future so many of those children who have the potentials. So in our charity, we are not always sponsoring, the children who are blind, others with low vision. We sponsor all categories of children. However, we have inclusion. So we include everybody. We have those ones who are learn that we are sponsoring. We have those one with without any physical challenge that we are also sponsoring.   Michael Hingson ** 13:05 Now, when you say you're sponsoring, you you actually have to contribute to or pay for their education. There isn't public funding available for that. Or how does the process work? When   Acen Kevin ** 13:16 we say we are sponsoring, normally, we we don't really have, like, funding grade available. So we keep on donations that come the general donation. And then we also have sponsor child program where we have an individual people, ah, saying that I want to sponsor a child, and we have them sponsoring each children and our charity. So what is the audience not available? We keep on fund raising. We keep on looking for donation for that. And beside the scholarship program, we also provide materials for education, materials like the Braille machines, the Braille papers to inclusive schools for the blind, and we also provide textbooks to other schools that are not inclusive school. So we provide all those materials which are needed for education,   Michael Hingson ** 14:20 and that's because the traditional schools really don't have the resources to get those materials themselves.   Acen Kevin ** 14:26 Yes, yes.   Michael Hingson ** 14:30 So itinga does that. It provides those materials and gives the support to essentially make for more of an equal education for children with disabilities and others who need your support.   Acen Kevin ** 14:48 Yes, yes, we we do that. We do that. We make sure. Because, like, say, for one example, in Laos, up region. Where our office is located, you find that there's only one two schools which are giving inclusive education to the blind, and those schools you may go there, they have only two brains that are being shared by teachers and children. So we try to support such schools. Then still in Uganda, you will be surprised if you come here that we still have children that study under the tree, that write down on the on the floor. They write down without men, without books. So we also give school supplies when everybody children facili also give like this, provide this, provide computer so that is under materials for education.   Michael Hingson ** 15:54 So I don't know whether this is an easy question to answer. So what does it cost to sponsor a child, maybe for a year in school?   Acen Kevin ** 16:05 What it cost to sponsor a child for a year in school? Um, now it depends, but normally when the we are to Award Scholarship, we normally start from primary school. So that's you. You really say it's a hard question, because it varies. First of all, it depends on the school where the child is going, because every school has different fee structures. And then it also depends on the on the level, level of education of that child, if the child is in secondary school, like in Saint Mary's already right now, those who are sponsoring the child there, I it cost, ah, around that is six, 606 188,000 to sponsor a Child per town, so in a year, it's about two two millions Uganda shilling. And that can be how much in   Acen Kevin ** 17:08 ah, that can be around 600 pounds sports a child in a secondary school. So the lower level pays also lower the higher levels pays. So space.   Michael Hingson ** 17:23 Do you get a lot of resistance from the schools when you talk about, say, bringing a child with a disability into the school? Do they do they welcome? Or is there more resistance because they feel that that kind of a child is not going to be able to get the same level of education or be able to learn as well, or is it pretty welcoming?   Acen Kevin ** 17:49 It's not welcoming, not also the welcoming to children with disability, that is the path, and that is why I'm calling this other school, that inclusive school. So they are few schools that do that. So if you take a child when I was still volunteering with the Mara Uganda education plan as an administrator, before even a teenage charity, we had this one girl that had multiple disability and we took her to a school that was an inclusive so the girl was really performing poorly. Sometimes would even get 05 out of 100 because if she's seated outside under the tree, no one would bother if the bell rings, the rest are running to class. No one will care. But for the inclusive school, they have a system where a student, student, like a student, can help the fellow students. Somebody knows that, okay, he cannot see so I can help him if he's moving in a new environment. You cannot maybe climb here. It is not very accessible. Someone can help you push your wheelchair. So it is really hard. It's not really welcoming. If they allow you to study there, then sometime a child go there just to pass and they get a lot of, I don't know, people that discriminate, like, what are you studying for? You can't be anything you know people can discourage and you find that says children are not really happy, but when they are in a inclusive school, they are happy, and they really fit to the environment. They feel important, and they are able to study in that friendly environment and become very, very powerful people in the society.   Michael Hingson ** 19:55 Okay, I understand what, what made you. Decide to focus so much attention on disadvantaged children or children with disabilities, that had to be a a pretty challenging decision to make, knowing what you would have to face to make it, make it real. So what   Acen Kevin ** 20:17 made me to do that, or what made us to say that the charity should focus in disability inclusions and empowering, especially children who are who are blind and low vision, is because in my society, in my my my community, as I said earlier on, you would see the different in those one who managed to get education and those one who did not. It really hit me hard always when I moved in my town on the street of Kampala and I find somebody who is blind is begging on the street. No, somebody who is having a disability is begging. No. And for them, I feel like the person with disability should even be empowered more than somebody without disability, because if I don't have the disability, I can be able to at least do other things, and you know, but I you really need education, like the blind need education, because right now they are, they Are those assistive technology that help help them to do other things that they it would be hard to do so if you're not educated, it can really be very hard. So I believe that every child has deserved the right to really have education, irrespective of whether your ability, everybody should have education.   Michael Hingson ** 22:10 What kind of successes have you experienced so far, you said that you've sponsored children of all ages. So have you had any who were old enough that they've now finished school and gotten jobs or anything like that? Or do you have any examples of children who you have been able to sponsor, who've been able to show that they can learn like anyone else and become more accepted in their in their schools.   Acen Kevin ** 22:43 Yes, we have those children that already making us feel happy for what we are doing, because we really see how the charity is making an impact, is bringing changes to the life of children eating our charity, Education Foundation, is working in partnership with the Mara Uganda education plan. So a Mara Uganda education plan has been in Uganda, uh, working in Uganda for the last 10 years, since 211 and when we started the partnership in 2021, they entrusted the children that were already their scholarship to our charity. So those ones that were entrusted to us, they already we have those one that already completed their studies. We have been those ones who are already right now. They are teachers, they are midwife. We have been the one who already completed their diploma in clinical medicine, TiVo engineering we are having those one who have completed already like then we have the students after already doing their degree in education like they want to become teachers. So ready. The charity is changing life. And you see that the children who are from a very poor school in the village, because when we take you to sponsor education, we bring you to a school that provide quality education. So there's life change. Children that we took from primary, they already in secondary school, and they're performing extremely well. And with the children with disability for the last three years that we have worked, we have seen changes in them, like there's one girl joy. Joy is completely blind. When she first joined, she was not very confident, but now she's the one who represent all the blind children and low vision and our charity. She has been representing even other NGO outside. She has traveled outside the country to advocate people, people who are who are blind. So it's really very impressive to see our children, even when they are still standing. You see already the life change. You see a child that came when did not even know English at all, even the interview for scholarship we might have done in the local language, but now they speak English, so there's really a life change. And then with children with disability, one big thing that I also see even their families, their families that already they are they were not having support. They were not having love for such children. Some had already been locked then in the house like the people don't know that there's a child with disability in that family, but the moment we get that child and start sponsoring it, change the attitude of parents toward them. They start to say, okay, because they see how now the child is doing well, is being taken care of, so they also start now to support the love increase have seen. So the mindsets of parents are also changing to see them there. And normally we have programs that parents with children with disability meet together. So you find that they start to they start to see, okay, you are seeing you. Somebody who is blind is already a teacher in the school, is a social worker, is a lawyer. So it also gave them, because if somebody has been in the parents who has been deep in rural village, first of all, you started when some, some people even ask us, now, you want to sponsor this one? Don't you think, why don't you take my child? This one, who can see, hm, I've ever been asked that one, I think two parents did that. There's one who said, You take this one and they leave this one, but after they see how these children are catching up, you know? So it's motivating not only to the to the parents and also even the children. The children get to their mind, get to change. They get to know that they are value in the community. Yes, they can become anything they want, if they study, if they are empowered, so they really strive. But I'm so happy to see how this is making a big impact.   Michael Hingson ** 28:06 Well, I can, I can hear it in your voice. I mean, you're, you're clearly very happy and very proud of of the work that you're doing, and absolutely and you're obviously changing attitudes, which is important because we all face that, we face these attitudes, that we're less than other people, and it's so hard to get people to understand that, in fact, we're just as capable as anyone else.   Acen Kevin ** 28:35 Yes, yes, that much I've experienced it. That's very true. Very, very true.   Michael Hingson ** 28:46 So tell me a little bit more about the whole idea of inclusive secondary school project in northern Uganda, and what that is, and how you're involved with that.   Acen Kevin ** 29:02 Oh, yes, the inclusive secondary school in my in the there, there used to be no secondary school which is inclusive. There was no inclusive secondary school in the region, in the whole of Lao sub region in northern Uganda, where our office is created, there were no inclusive secondary school. There were only two inclusive primary school, and in those schools, children were dropping out of school every year, because when you complete your primary then you have nowhere to go. Reason being, the few inclusive schools that we have in Uganda, whole school for the blind, the inclusive school that provide the school that provide inclusive education to the blind, they are far, very, very far from us. And. You don't expect a parents who who is traveling and does not even have a smartphone to coordinate, to even get just admission to go to such school, live a long transport to go to a school which is verified another district in another sub region. Maybe take a child Kampala so shall parents would just giving give it up. And you find that every year these children are dropping out of school, ah, they start going back in the village. And we couldn't imagine it, because for me it's terrible if I imagine somebody who is lying and has no support, no love, no education, no skills to earn a living, I think life can really be very tough for them. So in last year, 2023, eating a charity, Education Foundation and a Mara Uganda education plan took action. We had to say, No, the charity, our charity, is very, very small, but for the love we have for the children, for the heart we have for charity who are like, what can we do? Should we get already exhibit school and we provide them with Braille equipment to support the student? What can we do? Will we manage to build but we started it with faith last year, and so far, we have finished page one of the construction project, which are eight classroom, eight classrooms, administrative offices and the reception. So right now, as I talk, I'm so happy to announce that the school pioneers already with senior one class, and the construction is still going on, but already senior one class is already starting. So next year we shall be having senior this one in senior two, while we had with senior one, then it will continue in senior four, the pioneers will be the first to see the final unit exams. So the school is called Saint Mary's Goretti Secondary School meta. It provide inclusive education to the blind, to those students with low vision. We have a student with celebral palsy. We having students who are learning we are having so it is providing inclusive education to both able and student with disability. And it is amazing. I don't know if you have seen my recent post on LinkedIn, we made a video clip showing how the students are studying together the inclusive classroom. It's amazing. They are studying together in one classroom, and everything is moving fine because they have special needs teachers around, and even those who are not specially teachers, they are learning now to to handle the students. So I'm really so so happy about this school and the initiative already the school, the school is providing not only education, even jobs, teachers who had completed school, they especially teachers, they were able to get jobs in the school The community around now that the construction is also ongoing, and we believe that this is a legacy. We believe that this school will continue for for many years, will be there for many years, to provide inclusive education to the children. I'm happy that the community has embraced it. The community is so happy about the school, Saint Mary's Gore to second with school. I'm being invited in local FM radio stations in northern Uganda many times to talk about the school, so that those those parents who have children with the disability who are not yet aware that already there's an inclusive second school they can to create awareness about the school. I'm happy that even those one who are working with government, they're already advocating they will be having some. Port. And just last town, Uganda Bible Society, they donated to the school the Braille the Braille Bible. We having other po that are donating to us, like the Braille machines. So school has started, and we are really so, so happy about that, and I would like to thank also our partner, Uganda education plan for allowing to support though we call upon everyone who would like to support us so that we can finish we complete the facilities of the school support may not only did the construction, but also equipment. We need those assistive devices. First of all, we have a few brails, and next year, we are expecting other lots of students. So it's impressive, and I'm so joyous every time I just two days ago, a parent who has a child with cerebral palsy, was giving me, telling me how she really struggled to look for schools. She even wanted to leave her job so that she can at least create something, a room to train the so that they see how to train those one their children with disability, because she looked for school, inclusive school, everywhere, she was even trying to call Education Board to ask, Where can I find the inclusive school? So in Uganda, the challenge we are having the secondary school which are inclusive are very, very few. It is more of primary when the child is still young. Yes, you can manage with your child with cerebral palsy, you can manage, but when the child now reach all ordinary level and advanced level, it is hard to find such a school. So this school is really a dream come true for me, for my community. Yes, have   Michael Hingson ** 37:10 any of the students, the older students in the school, gone on to get jobs? Sorry, have you had any any of the students who have been in in the inclusion environment or who have attended classes, have they graduated and gone on and gotten jobs yet? Or have you had that level of success?   Acen Kevin ** 37:35 Okay, yes, yes, I've had the level of success before. That is one of the motivation for like, for example, this where we have constructed this inclusive school, Saint Mary's, goreti. It's actually at next to the primaries to today, inclusive primary school, all net adults that has been providing inclusive education to to the blind for many years. So many students, many people who studied from net adults and go to opportunity, especially those one who are being sponsored by NGO or hard parents that could afford to take them far to study in an inclusive school, maybe in like in Kampala in iganga, they made it. They made it. And one of the all beings of that school, the old boy of Netta girls primary school made it. He studied law, yeah, he studied law from bucharebe, and he's, he's completely blind, but he was appointed as a grade one chief magistrate, so it's the court judge. Wow, very good. And he has never lost the case. In fact, when he was appointed, even up to now, he has inspired so many people, so many journalists interviewed him, and he can do, he is doing his work, which is really a great inspiration to all the those one who are applying and to all of us who are supporting disability inclusions and inclusive education. Uh huh. So we have. I've seen so many. I've seen those one who managed to become teachers. I've seen the those ones who are social workers, very many, and I'm the another example. If you Michael, I've seen your biography. Yes. So thank you. You all inspire us. Well   Michael Hingson ** 39:55 have so you talked about the the young man who became. A magistrate. How about girls? Have any girls gone on to get jobs yet?   Acen Kevin ** 40:06 Correct? Any   Michael Hingson ** 40:07 girls or women gone on to get jobs after going to the schools? Yes,   Acen Kevin ** 40:13 yes. I've seen many girls who become like they are doing managerial questions with NGOs, they are working. That's why I'm saying others are social workers. I've seen others who are teachers, and they are completely they're completely blind, and those one who are advocating, they're working with the organization for for disability to advocate for the rest get education,   Michael Hingson ** 40:46 but you do work with children other than children who are blind. It's not just blind children you work with. Yes, uh huh. Okay. Well, tell me, what has all of this taught you? I mean, this was a major I call it an adventure, but it was a major step to start this foundation and to do the work that you're doing. What have you learned from it?   Acen Kevin ** 41:12 What I've learned from it? Think I've learned that. I've learnt that everybody, like every child, can really do something like what I've learnt is I've seen, if I've seen how education can empower somebody to become great, because I've seen the children becoming sure having talent like recently, we have been we are performing in Paralympic blind football. So you can see the talent that children with disability have. Some of them are debaters or the two poems I've seen them watch. I've seen them play keyboard, play keyboard, become musicians. So it's really inspiring. I've learned a lot. I've learned that what I've learned working with children with disability, doing the work that we are doing with the charity. So I've learned that if we together, if we empowered and embraced accessibility, disability inclusions and inclusive education, we will create equitable society. And I've also learned that children or people with disability can do anything as long as they are empowered. So we would like to empower them to reach their full potential,   Michael Hingson ** 43:13 certainly a pretty important lesson to learn, and I'm glad you have and that you're able to pass that on to to other people? What would you give? What kind of advice would you give to young people who are looking to starting to think about making a difference in their own community? What kind of advice would you want to give them, and when they don't know where to start and so on.   Acen Kevin ** 43:45 Yes, I would advise them to first collaborate with like minded people, like minded people, and then they should also know charity, it really has a lot to do with the heart. So they should try to discover, is it really what they want? Because if you have a mind for business, and then you come with the charity, it may not work well for you. So do you have the heart to give back to the community, so I would advise that they should volunteer with maybe other angel PRI and learnt what happens with the charitable organization. How then if they can also do charity work? So there you keep learning. I, for one, I did not just wake up and start a with eating a charity. I also volunteer with the organization, and in my heart, I really wanted to. I. Really wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to at least sponsor one or two children, and I was praying that God, if you can give me a good job with good salary so that I can do that. But it so happened that I got the favor and the way out to operate, to to have the charity funded, which now it's now making me to more than I could imagine. I wouldn't have been able to sponsor many children that we are we are sponsoring now through the charity without just alone as an individual. So it really has got something to do with the heart. What is your heart? You have the you really, is it what you want to do? Because if you have a business mind, don't try it. So yes, those are the advice I can give to those who want to start the charity. It   Michael Hingson ** 45:59 is good to explore, which is something that you did. You volunteered. You, you thought about it before you really jumped in and started your own foundation. But you also clearly do work in business, because you have an accounting and finance degree. So do you actually have a full time accounting and finance job as well as doing the foundation,   Acen Kevin ** 46:24 no, both are part time accounting and finance doing part time. Then also in the organization, it is I get time to so that I can get time to work, and also my skills in accounting and finance. It has helped me to to run the charity, because we are able to comply to have the annual audited report done, to not have issues with taxations because of the skills. Uh, huh,   Michael Hingson ** 47:00 yes. Well, you, you have, you have been traveling on a pretty interesting and exciting journey. Can you maybe give me some stories, a personal story for you about what you've done and and about this journey that you're on and and how it's changed your life.   Acen Kevin ** 47:21 So my my personal journey, and how my, the life has changed. Um, it's about education, really. I think my mind is stuck to education, because, as I said, as I said it earlier on, I struggle so much through education, having being sponsored by many people because I was coming to my father died when I was young, And I could not manage really go through with education. I have personally dropped out of school at one time, so I understand how it feels for somebody to drop out of school. I've been out of school, so that's really my personal journey, and right now, having achieved what I wanted to achieve, like to have my degree, it's really great. It has changed my life, and I want every, every one that we support, that are struggling, the children, to also experience this life change. And I'm happy for those who already experiencing the life change.   Michael Hingson ** 48:55 Yes, which is great. What are your plans going forward? What do you see is coming next?   Acen Kevin ** 49:04 My plan going forward, I would really want to continue advocating on disability inclusions for accessibility, to make sure that everyone is treated equal, irrespective or regardless of your abilities. So I I see myself, or I see eating a child education foundation, together with the marriage Uganda Education Fund and other partners that will come on board. We see ourselves pushing higher and higher i i come from a community where very many people are illiterate. They want to see that many people have education. They are, they are. Able to, you know, to earn a living by themselves, to support others. So yes, and we also hope to complete the construction of Saint Mary's Goretti, so that we have also this, the inclusive school going that can help the children from all level to a level, senior one to senior six. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 let me ask you this, if I might um, what? What would you like? What would you like the people who are listening to our podcast today. What would you like them to learn? And what kind of message do you want them to take away from this?   Acen Kevin ** 50:48 Yes, to those who are watching us, to those who are listening to the podcast right now. I I would like them to to know that every child, irregardless of their ability, they have the potential to learn. When they are empowered, they can learn so I call upon all of them. I call upon everybody who is listening to to us right now that they should contact eating a church Education Foundation, or a marriage a Mara Uganda education plan. How there's our website on the bio below, you can support us by through donation, we call upon other organization to partner with us, because together, we can achieve together we can create a critical society. Together we can support disability inclusions. Let's support disability inclusion. Let's support the children. So yes, that is what I would like them to do to help us and the child. We also have a child program.   Michael Hingson ** 52:15 Well, if people want to reach out, how do they do that? When   Acen Kevin ** 52:20 people want to reach out to us, they can reach out on our website, www.icef-itinga.org It is down in in our bio. Then you can also reach out to us through LinkedIn. You can find us on Facebook. You can find us on Tiktok. You just have to type on Instagram. Also you just type eating charity, Education Foundation. Then you can reach out to us. You will be able to find our office address there. You will be able to find our telephone contacts, yes, feel free to visit us. Feel free to support. I call upon your support for our charity mission together, let us support disability inclusions so   Michael Hingson ** 53:15 people can email you. I know it's in your biography they can reach you. At, Kevin, k, e, v, I N, at, I C, E, F, dash, I T, I N, G, A, dot, O, R, G, and so I hope people will reach out to you, and   Acen Kevin ** 53:37 I look forward to that right   Michael Hingson ** 53:39 now. I hope that they will support and I hope that they will also take the message back to their communities, because clearly you are setting a very positive example that people should follow. And I and I'm glad that we did have the opportunity to finally get together and do this today. Um, it's been a while in coming. You're 10 hours ahead of us, so that makes it kind of fun to be able to schedule a time. But we did make it work, didn't we?   Acen Kevin ** 54:10 Yes, yes, we did. Thank you so much for the opportunity, for giving me this great opportunity to speak to the whole world about what we are doing at English and Education Foundation to tell them that, yes, we are supporting children who are blind, the dose with low vision, yes, and we are having the construction of an inclusive school going on. Lira,   Michael Hingson ** 54:39 well, I appreciate you saying that and that you took the time to come on and and be with us today, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us on YouTube or wherever you're seeing our podcast or hearing our podcast, mostly hearing, I'd love to hear from you if you have ideas for guests and attend you as well, if you know anyone. Else who ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset. Please let us know I am easily reachable at Michael M, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, you can also go to our podcast page, which is w, w, w, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael Hinkson is m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O n.com/podcast, so we appreciate your listening and whoever you are, wherever you may be, please give us a five star rating on the podcast. What we do here is try to show people who are unstoppable and and we want everyone to realize that they can be more unstoppable than they think they can. And I think that Acen, Kevin is definitely showing that, and I hope that you'll all take that very much to heart. So give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. And again Acen, one last time, I'd like to thank you for being here with us and taking your time this afternoon.   Acen Kevin ** 56:03 You're welcome. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure. It's been a pleasure being the podcast.   **Michael Hingson ** 56:13   You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

“Carer” what is that? You may well ask especially if you live in America. We call them “caregivers”. Sarah Jones was born in a small town in Northern England. Both of her parents had some disabilities that resulted in Sarah even at an early age becoming one of their primary caregivers. You will hear about Sarah's experiences and how she felt that she never truly had what we would regard as a child-parent relationship. Sarah also had a younger sister who did not have a physical disability. However, her younger brother was born with disabilities including autism and epilepsy.   Sarah began college to study nursing but found that she really didn't wish to pursue that career and so left college after six months and went to work. While Sarah feels she faced many challenges and didn't necessarily have what she would describe as the best life possible, she does point out that she knows where she came from by the choices she has made. In fact, she points out that now, as a part of Access Sport UK she works to help bring inclusion into sports to persons with disabilities and her attitude stems from her past experiences and decisions. She especially loves to climb and teaches climbing to many persons with disabilities. She works to get coaches to understand that just because someone may have a so-called disability it doesn't mean that they should be excluded from sports activities.   Our podcast time is probably one of the most intense and heart-felt conversations we have had on Unstoppable Mindset, but Sarah shows that no matter what our circumstances, we can be unstoppable and move forward. I hope you are inspired by what you hear this time.   About the Guest:   Sarah grew up in a small town in Northern England in the UK. As a young carer, she spent her childhood and teen years caring for her parents and younger sibling, all of whom have disabilities and varying levels of need. Her mental health, wellbeing and educational prospects came second to her caring responsibility and she had to navigate growing up whilst providing support to others from a young age. These early challenges shaped her transition into adulthood and, after leaving college education with few qualifications, she has worked hard to get to where she is today.   Sarah has worked in the outdoor industry, adult social care, education and the charity sector and her journey has lead to a clear purpose and goal – to improve the lives of disabled people and their families. Her current role with Access Sport gives her the opportunity to work with sports clubs across the UK to engage more disabled people in sport. Sarah helps break down barriers for disabled people to access sport, and helps change attitudes and perspectives on disability, care-giving and those kids that are often seen as ‘troublesome' or ‘a lost cause'. She ensures that the voices of disabled people and their families are heard through her a public speaking opportunities, and does not shy away from sharing her experiences in the hope of inspiring change for other young people from similar backgrounds.   In her spare time, Sarah is also an avid rock climber and enjoys climbing with her daughter and friends. She is also an experienced inclusive climbing coach and works with a number of disabled climbers who prove that when the environment is accessible, welcoming and supportive, climbing is for everybody.   Last year, Sarah experienced the unexpected loss of her younger brother who she once cared for, and navigated grief and guilt in the months following. This experience is something she openly shares in the hope that others can relate to the complexities of grieving for a sibling. Sarah also talks openly about her experience of becoming a mother, overcoming post-natal psychosis and how motherhood been her best lesson.   Ways to connect with Sarah:   Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jones-3071a315a Instagram: @climbzuk   About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Welcome once again to unstoppable mindset. I'm really glad that you have taken the time to listen to us and be here today. Unstoppable mindset is really a lot of fun for me. And I think for the people who get to come on and I hope for you, we get a chance to have conversations with people from a variety of different walks of life. And kind of never know from one week to the next or one episode two, the next exactly what's going to happen. That's why we call it unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet because we love the unexpected. It's kind of more fun. Today we get to talk with somebody from England, Sarah Jones, who among other things, is a carer. We call in this country, a caregiver. And I'm sure we're going to hear lots about that. Sarah was referred to us by excessive BS Sheldon Lewis, which I really appreciate. And he's bringing and has brought us a whole lot of interesting people. So we love to have conversations with the people that Sheldon brings. And Sarah, you're part of that. So welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Thank   Sarah Jones ** 02:31 you. Thank you for having me. Thanks. Happy to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:35 Well, why don't we start by you talking a little bit about you, maybe you're the early you're younger Sarah, where you grew up, and all those kinds of things that we ought to know about you and, and maybe even things we shouldn't know about you, but you want to tell us anyway.   Sarah Jones ** 02:54 Yeah, so so. See, so I was born in the early 90s and Manchester in the UK, which is a northern town. And I yeah, I kind of grew up in, I guess what we would know, in the UK as a bit of a difficult area, I think in particular, it was quite an area of kind of low income. So it wasn't much really to do in the, in the local area. I guess. At the time, neither of my parents worked. So both my parents have disabilities, kind of varying needs of their own, which have changed over the last kind of almost 30 years. But when I was born, my mum, well still has cerebral palsy. So she's a she's a person with a physical disability. She also has a learning disability. And my dad is partially sighted and has kind of struggled up and down with lots of different mental health needs as well throughout kind of my life. And before I was born, so early life was at the time, early life you don't know any different when you're when you're younger, do you but then I think retrospectively looking back it was it was a hard time for for not just me as a child, but also my my parents as well. I think they struggled to kind of get the support that they need. And off the back of that kind of me. I struggled to get the care that I needed from from kind of who was supposed to be looking after me. So. So yeah, life was varied, I would say very varied childhood. So yeah, created   Michael Hingson ** 04:32 some challenges. So did you end up being part of or a significant part of their support system growing up?   Sarah Jones ** 04:40 Yes, yeah. So I think I was, I was five when my sister was born. And then we had a younger brother, who was born when I was nine as well. And I think most of my childhood memories focus around support being a support in some way, whether it be to their mother to my siblings, so And again, at the time, you don't know any different, I think being a young carer or I guess you would know, as a young caregiver, you don't really have a frame of reference because you're a child. And that's just, that's, that's how you're living. That's the way you brought up. And you know, you might be going out, doing the shopping it, you know, before the age of 10, or, you know, helping somebody go to the bathroom or helping somebody cook a meal, but it's, you don't think anything of it at that age? Because it's, it's just, it's   Michael Hingson ** 05:27 what you did? Yeah, yeah.   Sarah Jones ** 05:30 So I think both me and my sister were were really involved with, particularly my younger brother's care when we were younger. So we were involved with kind of supporting him to get to school to get dressed, to get showered to have really early memories of kind of looking after him when he was a baby, doing his nappies, doing these, you know, feeding them and things like that. We did kind of, really, we had a leading role really in, in his upbringing, and I guess I had maybe not as much of a leading role as in her upbringing as much, but but we do have a Yeah, it's not it's not a typical sibling relationship that we have. I think because of our Did   Michael Hingson ** 06:13 you Did your brother have? Or does he have a disability?   Sarah Jones ** 06:18 So he did have? Yes. So he, he was a young man with quite complex disabilities, he was autistic, he had epilepsy. He also had a learning disability. So he was a wonderful your man essay was with because he's no longer with us. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. But yeah, it he really, he really struggled to kind of engage in things traditionally struggled with school. And I think because of his, I guess, because of his needs, he, he then when he became anxious, he displayed some quite challenging behaviors that were difficult to deal with sometimes, but that was simpler, because it was, at the time, he wasn't getting the support that he needed. So, so for all of this kind of as young people, you know, we were children, ourselves, we were around him, you know, within in that environment, and it became just kind of that, like, that's what we got used to, we got used to kind of supporting him and looking after him. And just that was our family life. I think it was very different to family life that, that I know of what family life could be now, really, to what it was when we were younger.   Michael Hingson ** 07:35 Now, did your sister have any kind of physical or disability? No,   Sarah Jones ** 07:41 no, she didn't know she is a guest say it term typical, but a typical person that is she's not disabled? She's not you know, she doesn't. I think we've both probably struggled a different, like mental health things in our in our past, and we've probably had struggles with that. But But no, both me and my sister were I guess, you could say perfectly healthy individuals when we were born.   Michael Hingson ** 08:14 In that sense, so But you, you did provide a lot of the support services for Wow, a younger brother, and your parents. And you went to school, somehow?   Sarah Jones ** 08:28 Yeah, yeah, I did. I did. You know, still managed to go to school still did all of that. And again, it all this is all in hindsight at the time. It's, you don't think anything different? It's all just that's just what what it is, you know, you go to school and you come back and then you have a different family home life, I guess we're masters so we're very much kind of being the support network for each other. But yeah, I went built it. In the UK, we have primary and secondary school, and then I went to college and kind of was was okay. In in second in primary and secondary school really, like I remember some, some kind of, we had quite a lot of involvement from the social care services in during school life. So there's lots of little bits that I remember that when I look back now, I think, oh, that's, you know, that was a bit strange and lots of meetings and people involved and stuff, but again, at the time, you don't think anything of it. And then yeah, kind of passed. Secondary School. Fine. I got really good grades at the end of it, despite kind of not really being very present in my final year of secondary school. I think you're 11 which is the last year I really had quite a lot of time out. I was supporting my younger brother to get to school and stuff because he was struggling with getting on Trump whose public transport and things because of his anxiety And so I was taking him to school. So there was, I think, the second half of year 11. And I was barely there, but still managed to kind of scrape by my exams and then went to college. But yeah, I remember being in college and my dad kind of plan to go into nursing. That was my kind of always what I thought I could do. I think I'd always looked after people when I was younger, I was like, oh, that's what I'm good at. I might as well continue to do that. In adult life, why not? So I started kind of with that idea, I picked all of my subjects with that in mind, and just very quickly decided that it wasn't for me, and I dropped out of college 17 and went straight into work. And I've been working since   Michael Hingson ** 10:48 really, what kind of work did you go into?   Sarah Jones ** 10:51 So at that point, I went into the outdoor industry, so I just decided I saw this job, I was really struggling at home at that point, you know, 70, I was I was really trying to I was what I was going through a lot, I think with home life and really processing a lot of a lot of trauma that had happened really in my other life that had never really been supported through. So I'd kind of just wanted to throw caution to the wind and just wanted to leave. And I just came across this this job. I was volunteering at the time, I was the volunteer youth worker and kind of came across this job that was residential. So it was it was living where you worked, which was fantastic. And it was a being a climate instructor in an outdoor center. So just I mean, it sounds really impressive, but it's a lot of standing around to be honest.   Michael Hingson ** 11:43 So what is it you did? What was the job? So   Sarah Jones ** 11:47 I went off to be an instructor at an outdoor center. And just spent kind of the first three and a half years stood in the sunshine outside teaching kids how to climb and chucking them off high buildings on the wires and stuff. And I absolutely loved it. It was it was amazing. It was the best kind of I always said if it paid it off, I do every day because it was great. And yeah, I think I really found my love of the outdoors and my kind of love for a climate as a sport and kind of that really, I guess, helped me. In hindsight, I decided what I wanted to do with with the rest of my career really, so. Yeah, that was that that was kind of the start.   Michael Hingson ** 12:35 So when you were in high school, and I guess grammar school, but mostly in high school and so on, did your, your peers other students understand it all? Kind of what your home life was like did? Did they appreciate it? Did it? Was it a problem in a lot of ways in terms of interacting with people?   Sarah Jones ** 12:59 I think I had very, I had a very small group of friends at school. I think looking back I had a lot of people that I thought were friends and didn't really build that connection with people. So not many people actually care ever came to my house. So a lot of people didn't really know what life was like But what in this at the same time I didn't know the gravity of how different it could be really did have a few really, really close friends that were not going through similar stuff in terms of you know, having to provide care but but they were going through difficult times with family and I you know, I did I did have some really close relationships. Unfortunately, I don't I don't speak to anybody from school anymore, which is quite sad, really. But at the time, it I didn't really Yeah, I didn't really I guess I didn't really talk about it that much. Because I didn't think it was worth talking about really. I think in in the area that we lived we did. Because we it was a it was a an area that was you know, there was a lot of crime, there was a lot of kind of antisocial behavior. It wasn't a it never felt particularly safe and because we were vulnerable young people without parents to protect you. We did go through a lot in terms of our kind of areas and where we lived and we did kind of get quite a lot of bullying and physical kind of abuse from people and things and it wasn't it wasn't a nice time childhood really wasn't a nice time for either of us. But school was in all honesty school was okay. I can't really complain. I didn't really ever have any major issues in school, you know, kept myself to myself and kind of got through it. It was just coming home. Home wasn't a safe place for us. It wasn't a it wasn't somewhere where you you feel warm and kind of welcomed. Really   Michael Hingson ** 14:59 if If you could go back and talk to the younger Sarah, what would you tell her today? What would you teach her hope that she would learn?   Sarah Jones ** 15:10 Oh, have done have worked through this question in therapy before, and it's always really hard. I think. I think I would always, whatever. Whenever I'm asked this question that comes to mind, I always think that I'd probably want to know that all of the bad stuff that has happened, shouldn't have happened. Because I think that's something that both me and I think my sister have worked through in that we've been through a lot of stuff on top of the, you know, having extra responsibilities and some of the things that we went through as children, you would you would, you would then go to your parents for that emotional support. Unfortunately, we couldn't get that not through any fault of their own. We just weren't able to give us that. And you then go through that phase of, or why is it happening to me? Why is that? Have I done something? Do I deserve this kind of like, and I think it would be just knowing that when bad things happen, that's not this is wrong? Can it shouldn't happen? And it's not. It's not something that you ever deserve? I think, because that's a big thing that I think both me and my sister have have had to convince ourselves of over over the last few years.   Michael Hingson ** 16:25 Yeah, there. We all we all face different challenges in the world at different times. And it can be an interesting experience to go through them. But it ultimately it comes down to what can we learn? And what did we learn from it? And how do we go on from here?   Sarah Jones ** 16:42 Yeah, yeah, definitely. And I think whenever I kind of talk about any of this stuff hadn't I'd never have I never say I have any regrets. You know, I don't know what happened happened. Yes. Do I wish I'd maybe had a little bit more support sometimes? Or, you know, do I wish some really awful things hadn't happened to me? Okay, fine. But they did. And I think what we really try and do with everything that we've gone through is turn it into something purposeful. And whether that be consciously or unconsciously, everything that's happened to us has led us to where we are now. And it's given us a reason and a purpose of, particularly in the work that we do, kind of in my career. So although it's rubbish at the time, and kind of working through that we, it still has, it serves a purpose. Now, anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 well, it's a lot better to be able to go back and put it in perspective. And the very fact that you think about it, and you do that, I think is important, because you can decide what you want to do with things. There are things you don't have control over, you didn't have control over the situation with your parents and so on. But as you're pointing out in your own way, right now, what you do have control over is how you deal with it, how you dealt with it, but more important how you deal with it today, right?   Sarah Jones ** 18:10 Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think that's all we can. That's all we can do is control the now really   Michael Hingson ** 18:18 well. So you said you did the work and outside and teaching, climbing and so on for three and a half years? And then what did you do?   Sarah Jones ** 18:28 Yeah, so then I went into I went into adult social care. So I I started to I had a few sessions with some young people that had disabilities and were needed that bit of extra support. And it just really, it kind of opened my eyes to it was the first time I'd really seen I guess, an extreme sport be so inclusive. And I'd kind of got bored of standing in the rain for quite a long time. It just rained a lot in the UK. So a lot of the climbing was done studying wet mud, and I decided that I want to do something different. I wanted to kind of move back home and start saving a bit of money. So I went into adult social care and worked in a house for adults with complex needs. So I did that I was a support worker for about six months and then I moved into management and manage the house for just over a year which opened my eyes a lot to the I guess the issues with Adult Social Care, particularly in this country and the kind of lack of lack of care about about care about that kind of that group of people and knowing that at some point, particularly my mom will probably need that support. It really kind of It didn't feel good to be a part of that machine. I really didn't enjoy once I once I've moved up to that kind of manageable level. I then felt like I was the bad person I said, Oh, you can't do that, because I don't have the hours this week, I don't have the funding. And I just, I just really didn't enjoy it. So I did that for the kind of year just under two years, and then went into work in when I went to work in the charity sector and works for a charity called scout. So I'm sure you have the head of the Boy Scouts. And so yeah, so I work for the scouts in the UK. And that was kind of my first taste, I guess, of project work on a wider scale. And that was that was working from home before working from home was cool. It was working from home before COVID. And it was, again, tough, really, really tough. I'd never been in a role like that before I'd only ever been with people. So I'd been working with kids face to face to Climate Center or working with adults who you know, required support. This was behind the scenes, this was like background work, where I was making phone calls and sending emails, and I really struggled with that kind of just feeling really lonely, like just sat in an office by myself at home. And although the work was great, and I worked with a fantastic team, I didn't really connect with the corps that much because it was it was solely supporting young people to get into scouting. I've never really gone to skeleton before I'd never really been involved in it apart from as a as an adult volunteer. So as much as I loved it, I had a short term contract, it was only 18 months. And at the just towards the end of my contract, I fell pregnant with my little girl. So kind of once I went on maternity leave, I decided that I'm not going to go back to that. And, and then yeah, had a baby. And I've had a kind of year out of working on Yeah, nine months out of working and stepped into being a mum instead.   Michael Hingson ** 21:59 So do you do you work today? That was five years ago, right? Your daughter's five?   Sarah Jones ** 22:05 Yeah, so she just turned five, which the time has flown by and where that time has gone? Yeah, so So after kind of I'd, I'd had I've learned and and had kind of struggled through that time I was I was desperate to get back into work, I really realized that as much as I love being a month. You know, now I absolutely love it. My work is so important. And it's its purpose. It's what drives me, it's what kind of, you know, I feel like I have work to do. So I decided to go into teaching, which was a bit of a yeah, just this random kind of thing I saw I saw this advert I didn't even think it was a teaching role at the time. And I applied to kind of go and support that what I thought the role was was supporting young people to be more active in a school and it was it was kind of like, almost managing their gym and fitness programs. And I thought it would be like the to come in and just kind of use the gym and stuff because I've done my personal training qualification before. And then I got to the industry and they told me it was a teaching role. And I was like, oh, okay, well, let's go do it. Let's have a girl. So I Yeah, then was a teacher kind of throughout, throughout the years before COVID. And then during COVID, I taught in a in a special needs school. While especially as college for Key Stage five students, so they were kind of between the ages of 16 and 19. And I taught them sport and physical activity and then help support them into employment in the sport industry. So kind of help them get jobs in gyms and things and, and I loved it, I loved it, I really, really felt like I'd found kind of what I was really good at. I enjoyed the teaching side of it. You know, the students were fantastic. They did. The school was fantastic. And then kind of COVID hit and and it was it was a bad time. I guess for teachers. It was hard. It was a hard real hard time for for kind of teaching staff and education staff to work through that with the schools particularly in the UK and how it you know how quickly things changed and the guidelines change all the time. And and yeah, I really really struggled with it. And yeah, to COVID ruined teaching for me, I think because I I'm no longer a teacher now. So, so yeah, I think the the process around because the schools closed in the UK quite a few times. They kind of closed, reopen, closed, reopened. And throughout the different phases of us working from home and teaching at home online and then teaching. We'd like a phased return where the young people would come back in like smaller numbers, the whole kind of format of our teach and changed, I guess there's in terms of our staff team. So originally, the vocational teachers, sort of sport teachers here, and these teachers were full time their own subjects, so I only did sport, which is exactly what I wanted to do. And then kind of throughout COVID, when when we changed to, we were, rather than teaching all of the students, we were keeping them contained in in one group, so that if we did have kind of an outbreak or anything, we will, we would just contain that group and send them home. So we then taught everything. So not only was our teaching sport, I was also covering English maths PSH see, you know, different kinds of subjects, the school found that that actually really worked for those students. And it was really positive for them to have one teacher for multiple subjects, rather than multiple subjects with multiple teachers. So they decided to kind of change the roles, I guess, of all of the vocational teachers. And I essentially became a 50% sports teacher, and then 50% maths in English. And it just wasn't something I wanted to do. It wasn't my area of expertise, and it's not something that I enjoyed. So it was at that time that I'd come across just another one of these moments where I just saw something and was like, this must be for me. And it was a rule with Manchester United, who were wysteria, a football team in the UK. And they have a really fantastic foundation attached to them. So it's a charitable arm of the club. And they were looking for somebody essentially to work in some of their specialist schools and support the young people to access sport and access physical activity. And the school that I applied for. They this school was school in South Manchester, absolutely fantastic facility for young people with really complex health needs. So it was working with with individuals that needed to rely on a whole lot of support, and some, you know, two to one support in terms of either for their health or for their, to help manage their behavior or manage their anxieties or help them engage with different different things. It was, it was really eye opening. And I just loved it. Absolutely loved it. I was just I was having so much fallen, I worked with a fantastic team. You know, I used to have days of just doing trampoline and and climbing and like, you know, doing all of this kind of thing is incredible activities with, with young people who, who needed it the most really. And yeah, the kind of working for, you know, Football Club was great. I'm not a football fan. I tried when I worked for them, and I got easier when they pay your wages. But you know, not really that bothered. But, you know, it was a surreal experience. I got some really good opportunities through that. But kind of throughout that, that journey, I guess from from being a teacher, I started to kind of really understand education understand how I guess how rubbish the education system can sometimes be, particularly for disabled young people and how it's not really fit for purpose. Particularly in this country, I think it was, it was difficult times and you kind of not only as a teacher yourself to failure, sometimes setting up the young people to fail as well by not not really understanding their needs and their outcomes. So throughout being a teacher and being kind of with Manchester United, I'd started to kind of explore the idea of climate and how that can be more kind of inclusive. It already is inclusive in lots of places in the UK, there's lots of pockets of incredible work going on. That's like just showing that anything, everything can be kind of accessible and inclusive for anybody. But it wasn't widespread. And this kind of stemmed from I guess, my little brother really he he came to visit me when I was an outdoor instructor back when you know, when life was simple. And he as I said before, it was quite a complex human struggle to engage with with stuff really needed a lot of support from people. And he came climbing visited me at this where I lived and absolutely loved it. It was just the best day I've ever had with him and he was on visit wire over and over again. It was on the climbing wall over and over again. It was constantly asking for more just a massive smile on his face. Getting him out was difficult because he didn't want to leave. But yeah, it was it was something that was the first thing that I'd seen him truly enjoy outside of just you know, watching something on the telly or engaging with something like you know this sedentary so, so I then thought, Oh, this is this is good, he needs to do this when he gets home, he needs to do this with school. And unfortunately back then there just wasn't anywhere around that would understand his needs, there wasn't anybody that could really get that he needed extra support extra time, extra resources. So from that experience, being a teacher and then working with kind of this with the, the, with Manchester United, we had a climbing wall at the school. And I'd started to kind of, I guess, change the way that that looks. And we we started to embed regular climbing sessions that were a little bit different. And then we expanded to kind of access in an external center and, and just it very organically grew. And, and I guess, that project, or that idea outgrew my role with Manchester United, and I just I kind of had to keep moving with it really so. So now I work for access sport. So there, we're a UK based charity. We're, we're a mere 20 years old next year. So we are very young. But we do have a real presence kind of in the UK and that we we work right across both different places and both different sports in helping to make them more inclusive across the board. My area is disability inclusion. So I work with a number of sports now. Kind of we have different partnerships, and we work both from the top down. So we have those discussions with with national governing bodies around disability inclusion, but then we also go into those places on the ground at grassroots and talk directly to coaches about why it's so important and help them help them to kind of open up their doors to to more disabled people playing sport in whatever way is meaningful for them. And I think that this role now is I get it, I guess a combination of all of those roles that I've done before, into one. And I think it's   Sarah Jones ** 31:59 that's exactly why I don't look back and think, Oh God, I wish I had gone on to wish I'd stayed in college, or I wish I had not got that job, right. It's just everything that I've done has brought me to this point. And now it's a really exciting time for the kind of where this work is going. really   Michael Hingson ** 32:17 isn't that the way of it, you know, you can trace life through the choices that you make. And when you decide that whether they were all good choices or not they were the choices that you made. But it brought you to a point that you value and you rate very highly. It doesn't really get better than that.   Sarah Jones ** 32:42 No, I think that's the only way you can do it, there's I think there's it would be very, very easy to fall into that. Or fall back into that phase of feeling. angry and like, like, it's unfair. And like you know that it's just the there's just as much as both annual me and my sister do fall into that. And we have done at times, particularly going through grief and times of trauma and things. We always just managed to pull ourselves back out of it, despite how low we might feel. Because we've got a job to do. And we've got we've got to take all of those experiences that we've had both as caregivers, both as young people who grew up in a difficult area, I guess we have kind of that intersection of of all we had that intersection of barriers, will we have to take that and put that into something that's going to make some form of a difference really? Are you gonna go ahead? No, no, no.   Michael Hingson ** 33:48 Are your parents still with us?   Sarah Jones ** 33:50 They are Yes. Yeah, they are. They? It's a difficult time, I think at the moment since my brother passed away last year, which I'm sure we'll talk about in a second. It was our relationships are very complex. And I think when the absence of a parent child relationship, when I was younger is definitely more apparent now in that there isn't a parent child relationship. Now, it was always the other way around for us really. And you know, we we have that biological love for them and I care I still care for them. I don't live with them anymore, but I still provide care. You know, if something happens, I'm there and, and throughout, you know, the process of grief. We as siblings snapped back into our original roles and I became a caregiver again. But we don't have a strong relationship anymore because it's it's difficult. It's challenging to have to kind of go back to all of those feelings when as an individual and going, I've done the work I've gone through Without therapy, I have processed a lot of stuff. The moment I go back into that place, it takes you back to feeling not great. So yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 35:11 So things happen. And it's difficult unless the relationship can work both ways. And that sounds like it's been a real tough thing for you to have to deal with. Because it doesn't really work both ways.   Sarah Jones ** 35:30 Yeah, I think that's the thing. And it's just, I think a lot of the journey for me particularly, has just been acceptance really, and kind of forgiveness. And understanding that whatever choices were made when I was younger, are now the best choices that they could have made at the time. Most informed choices that they could have made at the time, and that's unlikely to be any different moving forward. And that's fine. And I have my days, where something happens, or particularly Christmas, Christmas is always a time I absolutely love it. But I will have a cry on Christmas Day. I'll have a good 10 minutes, and I'll feel sorry for myself, and then I'll be fine. But I do we do. I do have those moments where I feel, you know, a bit a bit low, but then you just go it's fine. There's nothing I can do about it, I can't control it. All I can do is, is be there when when I'm needed. And that's just that's the relationship. That's that's what it is. And that's fine. It's better than some other relationships that I know people have with their parents. So   Michael Hingson ** 36:36 yeah. Well, and you, you certainly seem like you're you're working through it. And I'm sure you spend a lot of time reflecting and thinking about what what you did, what you're doing, and probably some where you can go. But again, you're well aware of the choices that you made. And you appreciate that conceptually, which is something that a lot of us don't necessarily do. And it's all about really learning that you can trace where you are from where you were through the choices that you made.   Sarah Jones ** 37:14 Yeah, definitely. I think that there's a lot of times that things that stick in my mind of like pivotal points, I guess that really determined what what paths I chose, I think one that that always I talk about a lot when I when I talk with when I work with young people, I remember being in college and going through a really tough time with with my brother and dad kind of was struggling to do an assignment or something. It was something along the lines of I couldn't quite reach a deadline or something. And I was it was really hard at that point. And I remember my tutor at the time, pulling me into the office, and I got really, really upset. I was really struggling at home, I was just all over the place. And she said, Well, all of us have got stuff going on, which is you just got to get on with it. And that was the week I dropped out. That was the week I just left. I was like I cannot I'm not doing this anymore. Like I can't, I just can't do it. And I think it was at the time, it was a really, really harsh thing to do. And I think probably wouldn't, probably wasn't the best thing for her to say. But I'm grateful because it was, yeah, people do have stuff going on and people get on with it. And it's not, it's not it's not right to certainly not right to say that to a student who's in tears in front of you. But there is, I guess there is some harsh truth in that in that, you know, as a as an adult now, the work that I want to do in the job that I've got to do you have to put all those things into perspective, I guess, put all of those choices into okay, that happened? What's the positive from it? And that's the only way that my brain works, I think is spinning them into positive silver linings.   Michael Hingson ** 39:07 Is there a better support system from the government in the country today than there was when you were a child and having to provide so much support? Or is it really still about the same?   Sarah Jones ** 39:22 Um, I think I don't think it's any better. I think a language that they use is better now. In terms of how they write reports and stuff, generally, it's a bit of a postcode lottery in the UK. So it's all dependent on where you are and what services are available because the social care comes from a local authority which obviously is governed by a budget and different local authorities will get different budgets based on where they are so it does totally depend on on where you are in the country. trainers, just the luck of the draw, which is sad. I think when there is a crisis, there is a massive problem in that there's a massive amount of young people that need that support and vulnerable adults that need that support. And it's a priority list. And it's a list that's too long for the amount of resource that they have. And that's exactly what kind of happened with us when we were younger. That was what happened. More recently with with kind of my brother's death, that's, that is the problem. There's just too much and not enough help.   Michael Hingson ** 40:36 Why do you think that is? Is it just not a priority? Is it that people don't know? Or what?   Sarah Jones ** 40:42 Um, well, I won't make it political? No,   Michael Hingson ** 40:46 I was Yeah, I was trying to stay away from from politics. That's unfortunately, always there. Yeah,   Sarah Jones ** 40:53 there's a massive lack of investment in social social services, that social care services. So. And I think I think that's apparent right across the board, not even just in terms of social workers and the amount of resource there but also the quality of care, in social care services, such as adult residential facilities, mental health support all of that there's just a massive lack of investment in it. And without investment, there isn't good quality service. And without that, people aren't getting what they need. And it's, it's scary, because you don't see it getting any better. It's not it's not get any better, even, you know, since COVID. Like it's only got worse. And it's, it's a scary thing to think there's so many different groups and pockets of people that require that support. It's not just families that have, you know, families of disabled people, it's people, elderly people who who require social care support. It's, you know, families who, sibling, carers, family carers. There's, there's just a long list of people. And not enough help. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 42:11 Well, you've talked a lot about your brother and the fact that he passed away last year. So I know you said you wanted to talk a little bit about that.   Sarah Jones ** 42:21 Yeah, I think it's just it's just such a pivotal moment, I guess, for me and for my life for my career. I think it's a real defining kind of moment. He so yeah, so he, he still lived at home. He was 20 just No, sorry, online he was at when he passed away, just turned 18 It'd be 20. Now. So he, yeah, he still lived at home. And he, I'd lost kind of seen him at Christmas time. And I think when me and my sister had kind of moved away from home, because we both grew up and had our own lives and families and stuff. He, his kind of, I guess, understanding of was started to diminish because we weren't there. He had a really close bond with my sister, they were much closer because they were closer in age. And others had moved away and works residential for a while, and she'd stayed at home. So they were really, really close. I wasn't as close with him, but but he was, you know, part of part of us, he was a little broke. And I just got I just got a phone call just in the, in the middle of the well, in the evening from from my dad, and he just told me just said oh, he's he's passed away. He's scared when I was just what was going on. And I just flipped it into caring role. And I was just managing everything. And I think at the time, there was suspicions over the the kind of cause of his death. It was a very unexpected death, the police were involved and because because my parents could have had those additional needs and needed that additional support. Everything came through me so all of the inquest came through me the funeral planning, you know, go into speaking with the coroner, all of that stuff was my responsibility. And that's not a complaint. I'm glad it was because that's me controlling something. Control Freak. And I needed that. I needed something to feel like I was doing something to help Mr. There was nothing I could do to bring him back. But that was my role. My sister on the other hand, flitted into her role of being really affected by it and really emotional. And just struggled with that whole process. I struggled in my own way afterwards, after the funeral once everything after the inquest sorry, she's troubled right at the start. But the inquest was about nine months long. We're just waiting and waiting for investigations waiting for answers just constantly kind of wondering. And then I kind of finally got the final report, I guess the inquest inquest was closed. And they found that he had, it was suggested that he died after an epileptic fit. So he'd had a seizure, and had passed away during that seizure. The kind of the difficulty around that is that he, he was just turned 18. So his through the report have kind of gone through all of these different phases of his life really looked at all of his history. And it dragged dragged up a lot of stuff. So it really had to get all of our family files right up until from the moment he was born. And it was reading through that I still, I still haven't read through it all. I've read through the bits that I need to but the bits that I have, just see a timeline. And I think, in this country, when when a young person turns 18, if they're under the care, or if they're under the or they rely on social care support, at the age of 18. Some places it's a little bit different. It could be 19, they transition into a different service, there's a children's social care services and adult social care services. And then when he was a child, the family had two social workers. So it was two people who were giving that care and support throughout COVID, obviously, that that support drops because of precautions and stuff. And then once he turned 18, he became an adult. And he lost that that original social worker, so the family had one. Now, throughout that process, the inquest found that lots of communication didn't happen between those two teams. And there's a timeline essentially of phone calls and reports and kind of, I guess, complaints made against about him. He was consistently missing appointments. My dad had phoned and said he was struggling to cope with him, it was struggling to take him to appointments, started to miss school. Because the aid was struggling to get transport, and it was just like you could, it was like one of those moments when, and lots of people will probably understand if they've been on safeguarding training or anything like that. And you do this training, you read all these reports, and you go, how did you not see it comment? How did they not see where this was going? And reading that was exactly it was it was like this is not going to end? Well. And I think it was, it was considered that maybe because they were struggling with supporting him to get to his appointments. He may have been on the wrong medication, which wasn't because he'd grown so quickly, because he was it was growing, he was 18. He wasn't having enough medication to manage his epilepsy, and therefore his seizures had increased. So there was a massive question, and whose fault is that? Because both my parents are vulnerable adults as well. They are deemed to, or they struggle to provide support for him because he's a complex young man. And he he was I don't want to say it was difficult, because it wasn't difficult. He was he just had a lot of needs that weren't met. So does that mean that social services have failed him and failed the family? I personally think it does. But there was a bit of a debate in terms of is it? Is it my parents that have have made, you know, the wrong choices here? Or is it the lack of support that the family got? So there's other questions around kind of him, the time between him passing away and kind of ambulance being cold and things like that, and there's so many gray areas with it. But the fact of the matter is, is that he is no longer here. And a big reason for that is because he wasn't getting the care that he needed. And the reason why he wasn't getting the care that you needed is because the services that were supposed to support my family weren't able to do that, for whatever reason. And I think working through that, and really kind of accepting that that's what happened is, was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to accept because there's nothing I can do about that. I can't I can't change that. I can't. I can't do anything about the fact that that's the way that this the services are in this country. I can't do anything about how stretched they are. What was really difficult is about 10 days before he passed away 10 days before I'd had that phone call. I had phoned the social services at the local authority to come to basically say that I was worried the The house that kind of he lifted, they were really struggling to keep on top of kind of cleanliness and tidiness. I know, they'd had historical issues with kind of mice and things like that. And it just wasn't a, it wasn't a safe environment for people to live. And I'd, my grandma had gone and kind of taken some, she's gotten fooled for whatever reason. And she'd phoned me say, and I'm really, really worried I've not seen. It's just, it's just really bad. I don't know what to do. So I'd phoned them and said, Look, can can you go round? Can we can we can have this shouldn't be happening, like it would need to do something about it. And the social worker on the phone has said, Yes, I'll go around this week. And she never did. She had not made that visit. And it's difficult to, to not think that if she had gone would that not have happened, because obviously, the inquest says it's completely unrelated. But that their support had massively dropped off before that point, that there would have been a kind of Stark reduction in the amount of visits that they were having from the people that were supposed to be supporting them. And that meant that the environment got worse and worse and worse. And it still have to tell myself sometimes, that that's not a factor in what happened, because it creeps up every now and again. But that's probably the biggest thing is that that was an attempt of me trying to help and trying to just give them a kick up the bottom to be honest, and be like, come on, like you need to this is your job. And it didn't work. And the worst outcome of that is that somebody lost their life. And I think, yeah, it's been a difficult process to work through. And difficult to accept, but all the, I guess talking about that, turn it into a purposes. I always said that they had to talk about it, I'd be open about it. Within that inquest report, it was I think it was about 60 to 70 pages long. And there was, from what I've read, there was one sentence that described him in a positive way. Everything about everything were in the opening section where they described who he was, it was he was,   Sarah Jones ** 52:19 you know, he was aggressive, or he was challenging, and he got really anxious. So he couldn't do this. He couldn't do that. There was one sentence that said he could also be happy, loving and kind. And that was just even after he had passed away, people still described him in kind of a report in a really negative light. And it's the only thing I can do now let's change that and actually talk about him. He was wonderful. He was cheeky, was funny, he was so an absolute joy to be around. And I think it's female, we'd asked his teachers to come and speak and, and kind of, I guess, just say a little excerpt, because they knew him best. They spent the most time with him when he was in school. Gone, sorry. Go ahead. And they wrote this absolutely beautiful poem about who he was. And it was so so funny. And that I think that's what we wanted. That's what we want to capture now is that we want to talk about him for who he he was and the joy that he brought to our lives, not how people felt that he made it difficult.   Michael Hingson ** 53:28 Have you thought about writing a book about him?   Sarah Jones ** 53:32 I've thought about it, I've thought about it. I've been told I should write one. But it would I use him a lot. In my job. Now I do a lot of training with coaches. And we treat we we train people around disability inclusion and disability awareness. And I use them as in so many examples. And that's kind of Yeah, he, we bring him into, into the work that we do and, and he's, he's the inspiration behind all of the work that I do in climbing now and how that's going and his kind of, it's not really a legacy, but it it's, it's all kind of for young people that are just like him because he's, he's one of he's a young person that has lost their life and prior to that had a pretty poor quality of life. Because he's not what he needs. And it's it sounds really kind of unlinked sometimes. But through sport and physical activity, we actually do have the power to give those people what they need. And it's not just about couldn't play a sport, couldn't get better at climbing a wall couldn't get better at kicking a ball actually come and be in a place that is safe and welcoming and warm and can give you a place to belong. And that's what that's what is we're trying to do really, and what I'm trying to do with my work is to help provide more places where disabled people can feel safe and welcome, particularly when they reach that point of 1819 25, whatever the age is, when school and college are no longer there, because that will happen to everybody who, who, who requires that support, will lose that support when when they reach that age. And what's after that, at the moment is pretty poor. And if you are somebody that relies on a high level of care, it's, it's not it, there's lots of places that are wonderful. And if you have the means to do that, and to provide for that great, but if you don't, your weld is, can be very, very small. And what we, what we want to try and do is change that, I guess, well,   Michael Hingson ** 55:49 tell me a little bit more about what you actually are doing today.   Sarah Jones ** 55:55 So my current role now, so I guess my title is senior development manager. So I essentially work with lots of people in lots of different sports to help them become more open and equipped to being disability inclusive. My that's kind of my role, I guess. But my I guess my biggest piece of work, which is external is linked to my role, but also external to my role is kind of developing inclusive outdoor opportunities. Building on some of the work that already exists in the industry, particularly in this country, we've got some fantastic places that just make everything inclusive and always say yes, and I'm really trying to spread that through through kind of not just the the climate world but also the commercial climate world as well. I think, particularly in this here sport is very, it's certainly going more performance based. And we've got we've got a fantastic parasport presence, like we have so many parasport opportunities, but because that is competition based, it is exclusive. It excludes people from that because people are allowed to develop a certain skill. So they have to work on something that is going to pitch them against somebody else have the same ability or a similar ability. Actually, we have this massive group of massive number of people that will never fit into those categories are don't want to they don't want to be the next Paralympian does that mean they shouldn't be able to play sport and shouldn't be able to kind of reap those benefits. No, we need a different offer. So I guess my biggest piece of work at the moment is working with all of the statutory organisations that are involved in climate in the UK. And essentially, looking to develop more inclusive opportunities through training, through award schemes through working on the ground with kind of instructors and clubs individually. And then helping kind of young, young people to access those, those opportunities and just be in that for life really would be the ideal. And through kind of through that there's there's other things that I do. I'm due to speak at the conference next year for the International young carers Conference, which is I've done lots of in the last kind of couple of years, I've had lots of opportunities to talk about disability inclusion, which has been amazing and definitely getting better at it, I think. But this is a this is a bit different. So this is me going and talking about my experience as a young carer and delivering a workshop to professionals and academics that work in that field. And it's that, yeah, that's an opportunity to kind of, again, take all of that experience that that we know my sister had us as young people that in hindsight could could be seen and is seen as as pretty poor, I guess. And try and use that to really hammer home. Why it's so important that the people kind of look at young carers and really prioritize them some way. Oh, God, sorry. Go ahead. Cool.   Michael Hingson ** 59:21 All right. What what is your sister too? So   Sarah Jones ** 59:24 my sister is oh, she's amazing. Oh, God love I like her. She's just she's just a fantastic human being so she she always knew from being primary school that she wanted to be an actress. So she was leading lady in all of our little primary school plays and I used to go and watch her and I used to get so proud of her and especially because we do have this kind of it's not really a sister Sister bond. It's more of a parent child relationship. Sometimes in the I still see her as this little, you know, my little sister, she's 23 she's a grown woman. But, you know, I still see her as a little girl. So she always knew she wanted to be an actress. She's just was on that road. She was like, This is what I'm doing. I'm going into this. And she went to college, she did drama, she excelled. She then spent, I think two years auditioning, because she chose the school, the drama school that she wanted to go to in London, she was like, I don't care how long it takes me, I'm going here. After two rounds, two or three rounds of auditioning, she got in, she graduated from there. She was the first person kind of in our, in our family to go to university. And she's now kind of a, she she does, she hasn't actually done some tele stuff, which is going to hate me saying, but yeah, she she's doesn't like that. But she is really passionate about kind of, again, using her own experience in the field that she's interested in. But she also works for a company, a theatre company that only work with disabled actors. So I think I like to joke and that we're basically doing the same job but in two completely different sectors. But we it's no surprise really, when you when when you think of kind of where we've, where we've come from. But yeah, she she is in the arts, and she is absolutely fantastic. And she just has kind of a wonderful, colorful career ahead of her. And I think she really, she always stuck to her guns, I think when we were I remember when she was auditioning. She said that because she's going down to London, often you're told to kind of lose your accent and lose your grip. And she's she was like, Absolutely not. I have a working class girl from a northern town and I am keeping that. And it's yeah, it's definitely kind of put her in good stead she's definitely kept to her roots. And yeah, that's, that's what that's where she is.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:50 Well, you have clearly had a lot of experiences, and you've, you've been through a lot and, and you've, you've come through it, and you're able to move forward. What do you want people who are listening to this, too, to know or to remember? Or understand?   Sarah Jones ** 1:02:11 Um, I think I guess it's that, I don't know, I think for me, in my kind of day to day job, when I meet people and I kind of do I do my work or, you know, I'm walking down the street, and I'm going doing what I want to do. I think people assume I'm irate. And I've got it all together. And I'm like, I'm cool, you know. But underneath that underneath that kind of facade, there is a lot of this really kind of deep rooted stuff that is that I'm still working through every day. And it's hard, it is hard. And I think that usually the people who are most passionate about something particularly like social issues, and things like that, have a real personal connection to that. And I think that's why we need people like that in those roles. It's I feel like I'm kind of going off on a tangent, but I think it's so important that we kind of I guess just stay almost stay grounded. I think particularly in the world of like sport development and, you know, fast moving careers and stuff, you can kind of get a bit lost in what in the work that you're doing. But actually, the most passionate person around the table who has the biggest virus, it's probably got the darkest kind of history, or skeletons in their closet or stuff that they have to get up and work work through every single day. And it's worth remembering that when, I guess, I don't know, every day really, when you meet people that does something, sometimes people have done a lot of work to get to where they are. And it's it's been a tough ride, I guess. But yeah, I think I think that's probably I don't think I've answered the question there. But   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:11 I think you have I think one thing that strikes me and well, we'll kind of leave it with this. But one thing that strikes me is again, you you've made choices, but you thought about them. And you know where you came from. And you know where you are. And you may go somewhere different in the future. But you are grounded in and although there are lots of things to deal with. You're comfortable in knowing that the choices that you made or the choices that you made, and it has brought you to where you are and you seem pretty comfortable with that which is cool.   Sarah Jones ** 1:04:55 Yeah, I guess. I guess I'm comfortable with that. I think it's that The acceptance is a big part of that, I think is just accepting what has happened and feeling all the feelings associated with it, but then not letting them kind of overwhelm hospital. And that's, that's easier on some days than it is others. Definitely reaching out and start talking about it as well, I think that's a big thing for me. I have really struggled in the past to kind of be open about some things and felt like it's not my place. And now I just say it, I just say it and use it and kind of use it as a tool to help my work kind of continue, I guess. But But yeah, I guess being comfortable in accepting whatever road you've been put on? Well, sounds a bit easy. But But yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:46 Well, I want to thank you for being here and taking the time to talk with us if people want to reach out to you maybe learn more about access ports and so on. How do they do that?   Sarah Jones ** 1:05:56 So, yes, we do have a website, I think I can send you that. It's ww accesssport.org.uk. And you can hear all about kind of the work that we do. And   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:07 is it access sport with it? S P O R T or SPORTS?   Sarah Jones ** 1:06:12 S P O RT? Accesssport?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:17 Accesssport.org.uk?   Sarah Jones ** 1:06:20 Yeah, you can hear kind of some of the stories of the young people th

Tu peux soutenir sur le podcast sur KissKissBankBank ou en mettant 5⭐️ sur Apple Podcasts ou Spotify !Dezzie est UX Lead, Product Inclusion & Equity, chez Google.Dezzie n'était pas destinée à travailler dans la tech, car elle a suivi des études d'arts déco et souhaitait devenir artiste. Mais, elle sait qu'il est très difficile d'en vivre. Elle fait donc un peu de graphisme en sortant de sa licence : elle travaille pour les musées de la ville de Strasbourg, puis dans une maison d'édition de magazines spécialisés dans le tricot. Puis elle retourne à l'école, faire un master, aux Pays-Bas, dans les Beaux-Arts, orientés nouveaux média.Après ses études, Dezzie cherche du travail, mais n'est jamais recontactée. Elle rejoint alors Google… Loin du design et de l'art : elle est en charge de valider les personnes qui souhaitent proposer des liens d'affiliation Google sur leur site internet.Très vite, elle réalise qu'elle ne s'épanouit pas et en parle à son manager. Ce dernier le pousse à faire du design pour son équipe : logo pour un t-shirt, montage vidéo, communication visuelle, etc.Deux ans plus tard, Dezzie postule en interne et devient graphiste dans l'équipe en charge des formations internes en Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique. À ce moment-là, Dezzie fait de tout et répond à toutes les demandes graphiques de son équipe. Étant seule dans son équipe, elle demande alors à travailler à 20% avec l'équipe graphique de Londres.En 2009, Dezzie commence son premier gros projet : la création de la plateforme de recensement de tous les modules de formation disponibles. C'est là qu'elle assume pleinement que le design doit répondre à un vrai besoin utilisateur et qu'elle s'affirme face aux retours de sa direction. C'est un manager qui lui fait réaliser qu'elle a entamé sa transition de Graphic à UX Designer.En 2012, à son retour de congés maternité, Dezzie se concentre à 100% sur l'UX Design. Elle reprend alors son gros projet de 2009, avec cette fois-ci une équipe complète : Product Mangers, Ingénieurs et UX Designers. C'est la première fois que Dezzie travaille avec d'autres designers produit depuis son arrivée chez Google : un passage compliqué, car elle doit apprendre une nouvelle approche, beaucoup plus concrète.Dans le même temps, Dezzie devient manager. Une expérience en demi-teinte sur laquelle elle revient au cours de l'épisode.En parallèle de son travail, Dezzie est Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate : elle se fait le porte-voix, au sein de Google, des sujets en lien avec la diversité et l'inclusion.Après 10 années dans l'équipe People Development, Dezzie rejoint l'équipe Product Inclusion & Diversity. Il s'agit de l'équipe qui s'assure que TOUS les utilisateurs soient inclus dans la réflexion de création de produit chez Google. L'objectif est de remettre au centre du développement produit les personnes historiquement exclues de cette réflexion.Dans cet épisode, Dezzie nous donne des exemples concrets des éléments sur lesquels elle agit, afin d'améliorer le quotidien de tous. Aussi, explique-t-elle pour quoi l'inclusivité est l'affaire de tous : la prendre en compte ne bénéficie pas qu'à une minorité, elle profite à tout le monde.Elle nous explique aussi comment, à l'échelle de Google, son équipe intervient pour faire changer les mentalités et aider les équipes à prendre en considération les utilisateurs dans leur hétérogénéité dans la conception produit. Dezzie nous partage ses méthodes et façon de faire pour convaincre les équipes et comment, de façon concrète, les mettre en application dans n'importe quelle structure.Pour finir, Dezzie nous explique son rôle et ce qu'elle a mis en place chez Google pour améliorer l'inclusion et l'équité.  Les ressources de l'épisodeGoogle Product Inclusion & EquityMicrosoft Inclusive DesignIBM AccessibilityDesign Justice, Sasha Costanza-ChockPour contacter DezzieLinkedIn 

Dr Hannah Macdougall just got a new running leg. Apparently, it's fast. Which is good. Hannah is an elite athlete, dual Paralympian and Bronze Medalist, Inclusion Advocate, and has completed a PhD in Well-Being. Apart from being a world-class swimmer, cyclist and triathlete, she's also an educator, high-performance expert and great story-teller. She's also a little inappropriate (my favourite part). Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Collaboration and understanding between different species, including humans and animals, can lead to a more harmonious world. In this episode of the Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott talk to Summer Farrelly, an Autistic inclusion advocate and animal behaviorist. They discuss Summer's journey to becoming a zoologist, their special interest in chickens, and their assisted animal learning program. Summer shares how their understanding of animal behavior has helped them navigate social settings and learn about human behavior. The conversation delves into the topic of advocacy and the impact of positive feedback from the community, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and sharing personal experiences in advocacy.TakeawaysUnderstanding animal behavior can provide insights into human behavior. Learning from animals can teach us valuable lessons about cooperation and survival.Studying animal behavior can provide insights into human behavior and vice versa. Favorite animals can vary among individuals, and personal preferences are influenced by various factors.Authenticity and sharing personal experiences are key in advocacy, as they can inspire and help others.Understanding and advocating for neurodivergent individuals is important for creating an inclusive society. Positive feedback from the community can have a profound impact on advocates and reinforce the importance of their work.Building meaningful friendships can be a challenge for neurodivergent individuals, but finding like-minded people can lead to strong connections.Starting as a content creator and advocate can be a way to connect with others and make a positive impact. Social media can have both positive and negative effects on individuals, and it's important to find a balance and prioritize real-life connections.Disability and ability are two sides of the same coin, and it's important to embrace and appreciate both aspects of one's neurodivergent identity.00:00 Introduction to Summer Farrelly04:32 Defining Neurodivergence and Autism06:29 Living the Neurodivergent Experience in Australia08:25 Summer's Journey to Studying Zoology10:21 Passion for Animals and Special Interest in Chickens20:21 Favorite Animals and Evolved Dinosaurs28:49 Navigating Social Interactions and Friendship37:51 Assisted Animal Learning Program42:13 The Power of Authenticity51:06 Navigating Challenges56:24 The Impact of Positive Feedback01:06:55 Embracing Neurodiversity01:14:37 Self-Acceptance and the Journey of AdvocacySummer Farrelly, Autistic Inclusion Advocate & Animal Behaviorist:Website: https://summerfarrelly.com.au/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Chickens2loveWhether you're Neurodivergent yourself, a friend, family member, or simply curious about this extraordinary way of experiencing the world, this podcast is your guide to unravelling The Neurodivergent Experience.Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: theneurodivergentexperienceYoutube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katherine, (Kat), Magnoli grew up in New York and definitely has an unstoppable New York attitude. At birth it was discovered that Kat was born with Spinal Bifida. As a result, she is a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair. Unlike many, Kat's parents fully embraced Kat and the many gifts she has exhibited over her 39 years thus far. In grammar school Kat experienced a number of bullying events, but worked through them with the help of her parents. Those childhood experiences and others Kat will describe shaped her decision to advocate for persons, especially children, with disabilities. She works a great deal to advocate on behalf of children with autism. As we learn during our conversation, we share in our own ways many similar experiences especially concerning how people react to disabilities. Also, both of us are authors. I leave it to Kat to tell you about her books which you can procure. If all her advocacy and writing work aren't enough, Katherine is Miss Wheelchair Florida for 2017. Is that cool or what? I believe you will enjoy our conversation during this episode and I hope you come away with a deeper understanding about disabilities on all levels. About the Guest: Katherine Magnoli is an inclusion advocate. She began her journey of advocacy by writing and publishing Children Adventure Books about a super hero in a wheelchair . Her books are titled The Adventures of KatGirl. Over the years, Katherine has read her stories to thousands of children. Since then, Katherine has expanded her advocacy by participating and being the title holder of Ms. Wheelchair Florida 2017. During her time Katherine developed the Abilities Program, whose activities were used during Disability Awareness Month and Inclusion Week in 2018. She, also, created beach access in Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside. After this, she joined Miami Inclusion Alliance to help bring awareness to the epidemic of Abuse against People with Disabilities. In 2021, she was awarded the Idelio Valdez Advocacy and Leadership Award by the Florida Developmental Disability Council and became the representative of District 11 for the Commission of Disabilities Issues Board. Which, she is now the secretary, as well. In addition, Katherine is the Founder, and President, of KatGirl and Friends Inc. It helps educate children about inclusion through her book series. Finally, Katherine has recently begun disability etiquette training and has had the privilege of training students at University Level and prestigious Organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union. Katherine is currently very active on social media helping educate the masses on inclusion of people with disabilities. In the near future; Katherine will take part in the Family Cafe in Orlando, Miami Dade County's ADA Celebration and will be a virtual panelist for the Space Coastal Progressive Alliance to discuss issues pertaining to services for people with disabilities. Ways to connect with Kat: https://katgirlandfriends.com/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes **Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.  **Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hi and welcome once again to unstoppable mindset. Today, I get to have the honor of chatting with an author and a person who was Miss wheelchair in 2017. I've never met a miss wheelchair before, although my wife of 40 years was always in a wheelchair. So wheelchairs are not new to me. But a miss wheelchair is a new experience and an author. I have written books and love to talk to people who are authors and Kat Magnoli is definitely an advocate and a very prolific person in a lot of different ways. And we're gonna get to all of that. So Kat or Katherine, whichever you prefer, whoever you are. Welcome to unstoppable mindset. **Kat Magnoli ** 02:05 Thank you so much, Michael, for having me today. This is such an honor to be with you. And let's get it started as you'd like. **Michael Hingson ** 02:15 Well, we got introduced by Sheldon Lewis who also like I do works at accessiBe. And Sheldon had was interviewed on our podcast a long time ago. Well, we had a great conversation. And he's been kind enough to tell us about other people like you ever since. So, well. Let's start. Tell me a little bit about the early Katherine growing up or the early cat growing up, you know, a child and some of the early the early stuff about cat we should know. **Kat Magnoli ** 02:44 Okay, well, first off, I am the youngest of seven children. I'm the only person in my family with a disability. And that was an interesting way to grow up. Because, you know, I was kind of sheltered. My parents were both very protective of me. But my siblings, you know, they never treated me as if I was in a wheelchair growing up, they always wanted me to be a part of the games that they were playing. And they made sure that they adapted it to my needs. They never were like, oh, you can't do this, you know. And so I felt very accepted in that way. And I also at the time, was going to a school just for children with disabilities. So I really never experienced at a young age, you know, any form of bullying or discrimination or anything like that. That is until I was eight years old. And I was put into the public school district in a small town in New York called Yorktown Heights. And they, you know, I was the only person with a disability throughout all my schooling. And that was when I really got to see how people without a disability, treated those with a treated those of us with a disability. I went through a lot of bullying, a lot of ostracizing a lot of, you know, oh, you're a liability. So you can't come on this class trip. Or you can't come on the camping trip or not being invited to birthday parties. actually remember this one story that you know, my neighbor had a birthday party, and it's a pool party and I wasn't invited. And she was in my class. And all my classmates were there and so they actually saw that I live next door and they walked over to my house. And the mother of the little girl was like What's going on? Like, Why did everyone leave? And my mom was like, Well, you didn't invite my daughter. So now her classmates are coming to say hello. And the mother tried to fix the situation by inviting me. And my mom was like, No, like you're not going. So that's one of the stories that I like to tell because it shows how great of a mom I have. And speaking of my mom, I just want to tell you this one other story about her. You know, as I said, I grew up in a large family, and I was the only one with a disability in my family. And I asked her why that was. And she told me this beautiful story about the spine being like a magical tree. And she told me that it had these little magical leaves called nerves that help you move your arms and legs, and I'm missing some of my magical leaves. But then she went on to say that even though I can't walk, that I can do anything else that I put my mind to. So that just gives you a little bit of a glimpse of the good and the bad of my earlier years. So **Michael Hingson ** 06:13 to skip around a little bit. Oh, I don't know how long ago. How long ago was that? Roughly? That may be giving away your age, but I'll ask anyway. **Kat Magnoli ** 06:24 How long ago was which one? Well, **Michael Hingson ** 06:29 so sorry. So let me do it this way. How old are you? **Kat Magnoli ** 06:34 I am 39 years. Okay. **Michael Hingson ** 06:37 Okay, great. Yeah, so, so now, so the birthday party and all that stuff took place? Roughly 30 years ago, **Kat Magnoli ** 06:45 about 30 years ago. Okay. So here's, here's **Michael Hingson ** 06:49 the question. Do you think that that kind of behavior would still be exhibited today? **Kat Magnoli ** 07:00 Um, I can't speak for all parents. So I don't know. But I can say this. I think that there's a really wonderful movement going on in society, where the media, and literature and all that is really starting to embrace the disability community more than they did, let's say, 30 years ago? No, I think that there's more education about the disability community out there. And I think that that's helping make bullying maybe less, hopefully, I mean, I don't know, I can't really say, Yeah, **Michael Hingson ** 07:45 you know, I think things from my perspective, I think things are better, but, and the but is that it's all about education. And there are a lot of people who still really haven't decided that disabilities are not something that makes us less than they are. And so it does depend on the individual. I think that there has been some progress. But we have, I think, a long way to go. Yes, I agree. And so that's something that we we have to work on. I know that as a person who is blind, I continue to see lots of challenges. And I think that the reality is that we emphasize eyesight, so much in our lives, that we view people who, who don't have eyesight, or whose eyesight is less than perfect. We view those people as less than we are, we still haven't dropped the expression visually impaired. And that's got so many negative connotations, because visually, we're not different, because we're blind. But the professionals adopted that long time ago. And we continue to see impaired, well, we're not impaired, you know, you're not mobility impaired, you use a wheelchair, you're in a wheelchair. But as your mom pointed out, that doesn't make you impaired or less than anyone else. Because while you can't walk, there are short people who can't do the things that taller people can do. And even tall people can't necessarily do all the things in the same easy way that some short people can do because they have to fit into smaller places sometimes, or whatever the case happens to be. And what we don't really understand is that disability is not a lack of ability, but rather it's a characteristic. And we all have it in one way or another. **Kat Magnoli ** 09:39 I am 100% on board with what you're saying. And another thing that I like to reiterate, it's kind of in the same sense of what you're saying is that the disability community is actually a community that anyone can join at any time because someone can wake up and they can be blind or someone can wake up and get into an accident, and then be in a wheelchair or someone can go dead, you know, maybe listening to too much loud music throughout their life, whatever the case may be it or just like a gradual thing that happens as you get older, you know. And so it's it's not something that's so taboo as maybe society has made it out to be throughout the years, because it really is like the most common thing that it's it's the only minority that anyone can join, you know? **Michael Hingson ** 10:39 Yeah. Well, and I would submit actually, something slightly different. I agree with you. But what I also would say is that the reality is, every person with eyesight has a disability. And I've talked about it on this podcast before, the issue is that in 1878, Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. While Why did he do that? He did that so that people with eyesight would have light on demand and would be able to function when it would otherwise be dark at night, or whatever. And so over the years, we've put so much emphasis on developing the technology, that light is around us pretty much all the time. But the but the other part about it is until it's not like if you're in a building, and there's a power failure, you have to go scrambling whoever you are for a phone or a flashlight or something to turn on the light. And if you can't find one, you're in a generally a world of hurt, because of the fact that it's dark, and you can't see what to do. So every sighted person has the disability of being light dependent, whether they like it or not. And technology has mostly covered it up. But it doesn't change the fact that the disability is still there. We just as a society don't like to acknowledge that, because light is so readily available most of the time. **Kat Magnoli ** 12:04 That is fascinating. I never really even thought of that. I definitely got Wow, that's amazing. See, that proves my point that you don't even have to go through an accident or anything that I just mentioned, like, just take away. Something that helps you enhance that sense. And that sense is no longer there. So it's really interesting what you just said, I'm fascinated by it, **Michael Hingson ** 12:37 we've got to get to the point where we recognize that disability does not mean a lack of ability. You know, people say well, but disability starts with this well, so does discretion. So it is it mean, a lack of question, whatever that is, or, you know, any number of things just doesn't need to be a negative term. And we've got to grow up to recognize that as a as a society, I understand that people with eyesight do have advantages, in some ways, because the world is being created around what they have access to that a lot of us don't, but that doesn't mean that we're less than they, whether it's a wheelchair or whatever, **Kat Magnoli ** 13:19 of course, of course, 100%. And actually, just to keep going on this topic for a second, I read an amazing book called no pity. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. **Michael Hingson ** 13:32 I haven't. But that's okay, go here. One of the things **Kat Magnoli ** 13:36 that they stress in the story, and it's not only a story, it's actually like a it's a book that talks about the entire history of the disability rights movement. And one of the things that they stressed in it is that disability no longer exists when you make things accessible to us. So for example, me, if, if there's a ramp, and there's a button for the door, I no longer have a disability because I can get into any building, if those things make it accessible for me. For for instance, for you, if there's Braille, your disability goes away, because you're able to understand and communicate in a in a better way by being able to read, you know, the bumps, and the Braille signage. So you can know where to go in a building, let's say like the elevator. And so I think that that's a really cool concept that disability is kind of like perception only because if you make the world more accessible, then no one really has a disability. That's the flip side of it all. And **Michael Hingson ** 15:02 that's the real point. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And that's and that's that way. So are you, quadriplegic or paraplegic? paraplegic? So So you see, you can hit people upside the head if they start getting too and setting them up people with disabilities write to you. **Kat Magnoli ** 15:23 I tried to be very nice and to educate first. Yeah. But if they don't listen, then I might have to run over a tower to my **Michael Hingson ** 15:33 wife, when sometimes we've gone to places even like Disneyland, although it's been a while. Got so very frustrated, because being in a chair, and she also was a para. We could be talking and sitting somewhere or just walking along and people just jump over the foot rests rather than having the consideration to walk around. Because they're in such a hurry to get somewhere. People are people are amazing. **Kat Magnoli ** 16:00 Yeah, yeah, I that's one of my biggest pet peeves. Another one is people just wheeling me up a ramp, like as I'm wheeling, and then someone of total stranger will come up behind me and think that they're doing a kind gesture. Yeah. And you start pushing me up the ramp, and it's scary, it startles me, you know, it scares me. So I always flip it out, you know, to the other side, where I'm like, How would someone feel if I just like started pushing them on their backside, and like toiling them to essentially walk faster, you know, like, that's not very nice, I wouldn't be able to do that I'd probably get arrested if I did that. Because you can't just put your hands on someone's backside and start busting them. So it's the same concept, people think that they're doing something nice, or that they're, you know, you know, not bothering us by like asking us to move over or whatever, I'd rather you say, excuse me, then push me or jump over me. You know, I'd rather you acknowledge me and be like, Excuse me, I need to get through, like, find a way to do it? Or **Michael Hingson ** 17:13 do you need help? I'd be glad to push you up the ramp if you would like I mean, but the point is to ask **Kat Magnoli ** 17:19 exactly the point is to ask, it's really not that hard. No, **Michael Hingson ** 17:24 it's not that hard at all. So I'm curious. What do you think of the truncated domes, all the dots that go across driveways, and so on to warn people when you're at the bottom of a ramp or, or going into a street? They've put those out saying blind people need to have those warnings and so on? What do you think of that as a person in a wheelchair? **Kat Magnoli ** 17:53 Well, let me say this, if it is good for people with blindness, then I think it's necessary. However, for a person with a disability. Again, it can be kind of a hazard almost, I will say, because, let's say one of my wheels, you know, gets stuck in between one of the bumps, I could fall forward, if it's a quarterly made structure, you know, I could fall forward. So for me, it can sometimes be a hazard. And it has been in the past. However, if it's good for people with blindness, then I'm all for it. And I'm accepting of it. And that's all that I'm gonna say about it. **Michael Hingson ** 18:40 The the place where it becomes valuable is not so much on ramps, or even in train stations, because if a blind person is using a cane properly, they'll be able to detect the edge of a train well of a train track or if the tracks are dropped down, like in a lot of subway stations or whatever. The the comment is where you have to have it so blind people know that they're coming to the edge. That's what the cane does. Although a lot of people don't necessarily use their canes well, so the compromise was to put those those dots in, but I know my wife hated them because it just shook her violently every time we went over them. **Kat Magnoli ** 19:30 Yeah, I definitely have noticed with my friends who have spinal cord injury that tend to have spasms below the waist, that it does trigger, you know, well for her more shook her neck and very sad and you know, yeah, well, it's **Michael Hingson ** 19:48 it's it's one of those things that that there are places where where they can help if you've got a very flat curb, not even a curb cut or a ramp but you It's such a gradual ramp down that you don't really notice it and the curb is, or the entrance to the street is flat so that you don't really have a noticeable demarcation between the sidewalk and the street. There is a place where it's relevant to put something but yeah, it's it's interesting, everyone has different challenges and some people love the the dots, and some people don't. And it's always a matter of trying to figure out the best way to make it as accessible and usable by the most or by most everyone and people have to adopt and adapt to different ways of doing stuff. **Kat Magnoli ** 20:40 Well, I'm actually going to flip the question and ask you something now if that's okay. **Michael Hingson ** 20:47 Oh, sure. This is a conversation. **Kat Magnoli ** 20:51 What is your opinion about ramps as a person who's blind? Does it hinder you or help you in any kind of way, not affect you at all? Well, **Michael Hingson ** 21:02 if it's a ramp, that's why I'm mentioned the very flat curbs. So from from my perspective, I can go either way ramps or stairs. However, it is my belief that ramps are very important. So I don't mind at all having ramps, but I don't believe that ramps enhance my ability to walk around. Because I'll use a cane or a guide dog and I will go where I need to go. And if there's a ramp, it's fine. If there are stairs, that's fine. And I realized that stairs generally take up less room than ramps. But having been married to a lady in a wheelchair for 40 years, I totally value ramps and have never had a problem with ramps so ramps don't bother me at all. **Kat Magnoli ** 21:53 Okay, that's interesting. **Michael Hingson ** 21:57 So on I am a firm believer that that ramps need to be available not just in the back of a building or whatever, but they should be readily available. So that people in chairs are people who need ramps. people with strollers just older people can walk in the front entrance of a building just as easily as I can. Even though I can walk up the stairs, so I'm fine with ramps. **Kat Magnoli ** 22:27 Okay, well, thank you. That's, that's very interesting to hear. **Michael Hingson ** 22:31 So it is kind of one of the things that that we we all do deal with. But I think I'm what I'm really surprised that is and we watched. We watched my wife passed away last November. So it's just me now. But as I tell people, she's up there somewhere. And if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. So I gotta be a nice guy. **Kat Magnoli ** 22:56 Well, I'm so sorry for your loss. **Michael Hingson ** 22:58 Well, it's been 40 years. And as I say, the spirit sometimes moves faster than the body and her body just finally kind of gave out and it is what we have to deal with. But, you know, the, the other the other side of that is that, you know, I learned a lot from her and having 40 years of memories and marriages is a good thing. And it it helped broaden perspectives in a lot of different ways. So I certainly have no complaints about it. **Kat Magnoli ** 23:33 That is so beautiful. Oh my goodness, you're gonna make me cry. **Michael Hingson ** 23:39 Well, like I said, she's somewhere and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. So I will, I will continue to just be a decent person and behave well. **Kat Magnoli ** 23:50 That's all. That's all that all of us can do. **Michael Hingson ** 23:54 Yeah, that's about all there is right? That's all we can do. Yeah. So tell me a little bit more about you. You grew up did you go to college? Yes, **Kat Magnoli ** 24:06 I did. I actually got my AAA degree. My associate's in arts degree for exceptional student education. I really wanted to be a teacher for children with disabilities. However due to my health that ended up not being the case. But I still have my degree which is great. **Michael Hingson ** 24:35 What do you think of the the terminology Exceptional Children? **Kat Magnoli ** 24:41 Um, I think a lot of the time we spend too much time nitpicking. Yeah. At terminology. I think whatever a person is comfortable with is very like subjective. Like there are some people that don't like People First language they don't like the term, people with disabilities, they like, disabled **Michael Hingson ** 25:07 disabled person. **Kat Magnoli ** 25:08 I personally do not I like people first language, I want to be seen as a person that has a disability. So I think it's just all it's very subjective. It's however you feel. But, you know, the school district felt like it was a better transition to go from special ed, or special education, to exceptional student education. **Michael Hingson ** 25:37 And, you know, the only thing I would say about that is that, and I agree with you about People First, by the way, but I also think that we have to look at terminology in the light of what is it conveyed to people about us, like I mentioned, visually impaired. The fact of the matter is that continues to promote the concept that we're less. So a much better term such as like, happens with people who are deaf, it's not deaf or hearing impaired, it's deaf or hard of hearing, and that is what the deaf community likes, with good reason. And so, visually impaired isn't nearly as progressive and as helpful attitudinally and socially as blind or low vision. And so I think there is some relevance to recognizing that terminology can be part of the problem, rather than always being part of the solution. **Kat Magnoli ** 26:40 I 100% agree. And that's why I think that as a person within the community, when someone approaches you, whether it's you or AI, it's our obligation to educate them and let them know how we want to be referred to. Because again, there might be some people in your community that don't mind the term visually impaired. Maybe that's how they refer to themselves. There are and there are. And so I again, I think it's really about how we educate others on how we want to be addressed. Well, **Michael Hingson ** 27:22 that's part of it. And the other part is, and I've had discussions with some people say, I don't I find visually impaired, I'm impaired, I'm visually impaired, until they think it through, or until somebody talks with him about it. And gets them to really explore what they're saying, when they say impaired, for example. And that's part of it. And so in the blindness world, we haven't grown up yet, nearly as much as, say, people who are deaf have in terms of not being hearing impaired, but rather hard of hearing. So the fact is there there are people who are blind, and I've had discussions with them who say, No, I'm visually impaired, and I point out the issue. And if I get them to think about it, they usually come back and say, I never thought about it that way. Just like we talked about earlier, every person on this planet has a disability. And the fact is that most people are light dependent. And that's his disability, too. **Kat Magnoli ** 28:30 That's so true. Yeah. And actually, it's interesting, because a few years ago, I had the privilege of making friends with a man named Daniel Ruis, who is a big advocate for the ADEA, which is, for all of you that might not know is the Americans with Disabilities Act law. And so he makes places accessible, so on and so on. And one day, we got into a discussion about the word handicap. And I never knew what that term actually means. And I don't know if you know, either. Maybe you do. But for all your listeners, I just want to say that handicap actually means hand in cat, which was, which is a symbol of saying that people with disabilities are needy, and we're beggars and we're, you know, it's just it has such a horrible connotation to it. So that's one term that I will not accept to be called. Whenever someone says, like, oh, handicap parking, I'm like, No, it's accessible parking. You know, like I make that's the only thing that I'm like a stickler on, is handicap and also crippled. I don't like the term cripples. I think that that is something that degrades me. Again, I go by people first language and that just really is, you know, the case for me. **Michael Hingson ** 29:57 Well, and I think it's a matter of of really people just accepting that we're as equal as they. And unfortunately, though some of the language doesn't necessarily imply that and that's what we really have to deal with, which is why anything that utilizes the word impaired is a problem. But people have to grow to deal with that in their own way. And that's something that we just will have to work on over time. And hopefully, people will come to recognize it is a problem, just like when we talk about race. You know, we talk about African Americans or our people who are black, as opposed to other terminology that nowadays, it is frowned upon to say that, in most cases, although black people sometimes use that terminology amongst themselves, but by the same token, we need to recognize that there are words that promote negative and less than stellar attitudes in a lot of different ways. So it's, it's a challenge. Well, **Kat Magnoli ** 31:11 going back to something I had said earlier, when you asked me Do I think that the same kind of incident would happen now in relation to you know, how I grew up? I think the more and more we are exposed in the media, in a positive light, through books, through movies, through TV, through songs, whatever the case may be, I think, through politics, I think that the world will kind of shift its perception, the more they see what we can do. **Michael Hingson ** 31:49 I agree. We need to be more involved in the conversation. And I think more people need to help bring us into the conversation and talk about us or talk with us. And it's a slow process, because changing a societal attitude like that is is not a simple thing. And is a is a challenge for a lot of people because they've grown up thinking something totally different. And now we're saying no, you really need to change that. That just doesn't happen overnight. **Kat Magnoli ** 32:24 Yeah, it's interesting when Coda won in the, in the Oscars, I asked my friend, same as Mark McGwire. how he felt about it, because he's a person living with deafness. And he was like, so I didn't win. He's like, I don't care. I thought it was like such a tremendous thing. The disability community and someone living with deafness was like, okay, you know, like, he didn't acknowledge it as like this huge thing as maybe I did. Well, but **Michael Hingson ** 33:03 I spoke. First thing, I spoke at a conference later that same year, a conference on inclusion here in California for one of the county departments of education, and had occasion to interact with several people who are very active in the deaf community. And of course, needless to say, they loved it. So, yeah, it's different for different people. Yeah, exactly. So you got an AAA degree, and then what did you go off and do with yourself. **Kat Magnoli ** 33:34 And then, like I mentioned, my, my health kind of took a turn for the worse that I had developed kidney failure and was on dialysis. And this was actually during the time that I was still going to school. So when you're studying to be a teacher, you have to do what's called clinical hours, which means that you go into a school and you kind of shadow the teacher, and you learn from her by interacting with the kids grading papers, doing things like that. And one of the places that I did this was at a school called cacher LD, which is a school for children within the autism spectrum, and other learning disabilities. And that's really what inspired me to become an advocate because one thing that I didn't mention earlier is that with all the bullying that I had endured at a young age, it kind of actually depleted the message of the magical tree for me, and made me feel like maybe there is something wrong with me. So when I got the chance to be around these kids with disabilities, and really see their inner strength and see how amazing they were, it helped me re accept my own disability at the age of 2420. 85 So that's when I started to think, Okay, if this teaching thing is not going to happen for me, because, you know, my health is not allowing me to dedicate the time that's needed for this, how else can I help the disability community? So one day, I'm sitting in a pool, and I'm noticing that there's two children who are quote, unquote, able bodied or non disabled, whatever term you like. And they were staring at me, they were trying to figure out how I got in the pool for my wheelchair. And one of the kids actually said that he felt sorry for me. I was so sad that he would feel sorry for me that it dawned on me how I could help be an advocate. And I thought, like, after much thinking, I was like, I want to educate children about disability, because they're the ones most curious about it. So how do I do this? And then I thought about something that I've always loved to do, which is write. And that's when I decided to write a children's book called The Adventures of cat girl, which is about a superhero in a wheelchair, and she helps kids who are being bullied. And **Michael Hingson ** 36:21 you've written several books now happened to as I recall, yes, **Kat Magnoli ** 36:25 there are four stories in the cat girl series, they each touch on a different kind of bullying. So we have bullying, children and wheelchairs, bullying children who are deaths, bullying children who are overweight and racial bullying. Those are the four topics that I cover in my cat girl series. And then I have another story called Pete, the private eye, who's actually a blind detective, and he uses his magical cane to help him solve mysteries of lost objects. **Michael Hingson ** 37:03 Hmm. Well, you know, all I have to say is that if you ever decide to do a picture book on the disability of politicians, don't worry, they deserve bullying. Just just I love that I love to tell people, I'm an equal opportunity abuser. We don't do politics on unstoppable mindset, because I'll pick on all of them. And rightfully so. But you know, but that's your voice, especially now is right. So do you, do you self publish? Or did you self publish? Or do you have a publisher for the books. **Kat Magnoli ** 37:44 So when it came to the adventures of cat girl series, I went through my grandparents, who at the time had owned an educational toy business called Dexter educational toys. And when I came to them with this idea of my book series, my grandfather was a little hesitant. But my grandmother jumped on the idea. And she really, you know, used her resources of a printing company that she was in affiliation was to help publish the book. And with Pete, the private eye, I used another company called Print ninja, they're in China. And they do a fabulous job with printing as well. **Michael Hingson ** 38:38 That's great. Do you have any other books coming out in the future? **Kat Magnoli ** 38:44 I hope so. I do have a lot of ideas. I have some crossover stories of cat girl and Pete, that I really would love to, you know, have them meet in this story and work together and use both her magical wheelchair and his magic cane. And just kind of have fun, you know? Maybe finding loss items for bullies. **Michael Hingson ** 39:09 Well, there you go. **Kat Magnoli ** 39:12 That can be the crossover story. **Michael Hingson ** 39:16 So you sent me several photos. I'm assuming some of those are the book covers. **Kat Magnoli ** 39:23 Yes, I did send you one photo that has all four cat girl. book covers plus the cat girl puppet. Threes **Michael Hingson ** 39:35 I ask is that all I see are titles that say like img something so I don't. I don't get a description. That's okay. But I'm glad you did because I would have asked you to send them if you hadn't. So that's great, because we want to make sure they get into the podcast notes and so on because I want other people to read the books needless to say, thank you. So that's kind of important to be able to do Who? But you know, so you've written them. So did you. So what did you do for a job along the way? Did you go into teaching? Did you start advocating? To to start your own company? What did you do? **Kat Magnoli ** 40:17 Well, first and foremost, my number one passion is my book. So I've dedicated a lot of the time of my advocacy, to reading to children and selling my books to schools, and at different events throughout Florida, and in other states. And then from there, because I did still have a desire to be a teacher, I did some tutoring for about a year to through a girl that I knew named soudha that I had met in college. So I did get to do some teaching, later on in my advocacy. And then, you know, as I grew as an advocate, different organizations started to reach out to me to do work with them. So for a while, I was working at the Center for Independent Living. And then I worked a little bit for ShakeAlert. Miami, which is a wonderful organization that helps people get with disabilities get the chance to go sailing, and kayaking and canoeing. And so I have had some, like, odd jobs here and there, but all have to do with disability and advocacy in some way. But my main focus is my books and public speaking. **Michael Hingson ** 41:36 You've definitely kept active. Yes. **Kat Magnoli ** 41:40 So calls me the Energizer Bunny, **Michael Hingson ** 41:43 that are you go? Well, so cat girl was in a wheelchair is in a wheelchair, right? **Kat Magnoli ** 41:50 Yes, she is. **Michael Hingson ** 41:51 So did you involve in any way in any of the books dealing with autism? I haven't you since you've had a lot of interest in that and exposure to it. I **Kat Magnoli ** 42:03 have not had the chance to write a story about autism yet. I really want because the children that started my journey into advocacy to fall into the autism spectrum. I want to be as sensitive and correct with it as possible. So I want to do more research and make sure that I do that immunity, that justice that it deserves when I write about it. **Michael Hingson ** 42:34 We've come a long way with autism. I know I've talked to several people on the podcast here who discovered that they were on this they say the Autism Autism Spectrum. But they discovered it in their 30s and in their 40s because we just didn't really know enough about it earlier on to recognize it and diagnose. **Kat Magnoli ** 42:56 Yeah, yeah. And to be honest, you know, sometimes parents are hesitant, even if there are clear day signs, you know that their child is in the autism spectrum. Sometimes parents can be hesitant to get that diagnosis, and then the person will make that decision later on in life to finally get the test that helps them you know, be diagnosed, right? **Michael Hingson ** 43:30 Or it just never came up. And they never no one ever thought about it. But yeah, it is a challenge. And I think that that's, uh, you bring up a good point in general that a lot of times, parents of children with disabilities don't really want to necessarily deal with it either. And it's mostly because they haven't themselves become educated. Your parents were fairly unusual. And same with mine. The doctors told them when it was discovered I was blind at the age of four months that they should just send me to a home and they said absolutely not. He can grow up to do whatever he chooses to do. But parents that are willing to really step out like that are much rarer than we would like to think sometimes. **Kat Magnoli ** 44:17 You know, I've been beyond fortunate to have the mother that I have, and I am grateful for every single day of my life. Because my mother was unaware of my having Spinal Bifida. throughout her entire pregnancy. It did not show up on any ultrasound that she had had during the nine months that she was carrying me and so when I was born, that was the day that her my father had found out that I indeed had spinal bifida. And she always tells me the story because as I mentioned, I'm the youngest of seven So she would read a lot of medical books every time she was pregnant. And she always skipped over Spinal Bifida. It was like, Oh, that'll never happen. And when it did happen, she didn't feel sorry for herself. She immediately when she came home from the hospital, you know, started doing research started calling different organizations like, March of Dimes, and all these other organizations that can help her, you know, raise me in the best way that she could. So I'm just very, very fortunate to have a mother like I do. Yeah, **Michael Hingson ** 45:37 she learned and she dealt with it. Which is, which is great. And presumably, she's still alive and, and helping. She's **Kat Magnoli ** 45:48 72 years old, and she's the one who's truly the Energizer Bunny. She's unstoppable. **Michael Hingson ** 45:56 Well, then we need to get her on the podcast. It's good to have unstoppable people on the podcast. **Kat Magnoli ** 46:01 She's actually sitting right next to me, but she's shaking her head know that Oh, come **Michael Hingson ** 46:06 on. **Kat Magnoli ** 46:10 Can you just wave? Please? **Michael Hingson ** 46:12 Nope, she's, well, I'm not gonna see your wave. So that's okay. **Kat Magnoli ** 46:18 To everyone. Same way? Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 46:21 Well, it's neat to have a very supportive person. And that goes both ways. Because you give back and I'm sure help her and a lot of different ways. And just the very fact that you do what you do. Totally validates everything that she's done. **Kat Magnoli ** 46:40 Yeah, yeah, I actually just recently got a proclamation from Palmetto Bay, which is a neighboring town from Sunny Isles Beach. And they gave me a proclamation to honor Spinal Bifida Awareness Month, which is within the month of October, and my entire speech was dedicated to my mom, pretty much. I mean, I spoke for like four minutes, and three and a half of it was all about how wonderful she is. **Michael Hingson ** 47:17 And rightfully so no matter what she thinks or says. I agree. Like I said, moms who are and parents in general, who are that much risk takers are very rare in, at least in my experience, and from everything I've observed. So it's great to have that kind of really wonderful person in your life. So that's great. Now did even though you don't you haven't dealt with an autism an autistic person yet, in your books? Did they have some involvement in inspiring you to write the books, they **Kat Magnoli ** 47:59 were 100% the inspiration because while I was having the privilege to teach them, I saw how they were able to handle episodes of bullying far better than I did when I was a child. And it just was so inspiring to me. And I was like, wow, they have a strange that I did not have at 910 11 and 12 years old. And so it just really, it really did inspire me a lot. And they were part of the reason other than the two children in the, in the pool that had the curiosity about me. If I'd put it all together, it was like, a melting pot of inspiration for me, of why I wrote the adventures of capital. **Michael Hingson ** 48:47 I was at an IKEA store in California, once in a young man came up and said, I'm sorry. And I said, why? And he said, because you can't see. So I've experienced the same sort of thing that you did. And we could we didn't get to have much of a discussion about it because his mother dragged him away. Don't don't talk to that man. You know, you shouldn't do that. And people miss out on great education opportunities. Sometimes. Needless to say, **Kat Magnoli ** 49:13 yeah, yeah. And that's another thing that I really try to stress to parents that it's okay for your child to talk to me. It's okay. For them to ask what happened? It doesn't offend me if anything, them staring and the parent pulling them away is what offends me. Yeah, that that hurts my feelings more so then the child's coming up to me and asking me about my chair, you know, and asking me what happened. I would much rather that and so I've actually gotten into the habit of Do you mind like asking the parents do you mind if I tell your daughter or your son what happened? They seem to be Interested in my chair? Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 50:04 And, you know, I, I experienced a lot of that or, and sometimes actually promote it to get conversation started. A lot of times I'll be walking somewhere with, with my guide dog and parents say oh, don't, don't, don't go up to that man, the dog might bite you and all that, and I'll stop. And I'll almost block their way and said, let me let me talk to you about what guide dogs are. And then I'll also take the harness off, which is the thing that the dogs love the most, because then they know they're not working. And the last thing they want to do is to avoid getting attention, especially from kids. So we get lots of opportunities. And when I go to speak to schools, it's always fun after the speech to take the harness off and let the kids come up. And the dogs have figured out that if they lay down and stretch out every which way they can, as far as they can, and maximize petting space, they'll get more kids to pay attention to them, and they love it. **Kat Magnoli ** 51:06 Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, they, **Michael Hingson ** 51:09 they enjoy it a lot. So it's fun to do. That's wonderful. So do you know you've you've started your own organizations to help with advocacy, right? **Kat Magnoli ** 51:23 Yes, I, within the last two and a half years started, capital and friends Inc. It is a 501 C three that just helps educate people about the importance of inclusion through literature and my public speaking. And it just gives me a chance to reach a larger audience. **Michael Hingson ** 51:48 How far have you traveled to be involved in doing speeches and do public speaking, **Kat Magnoli ** 51:52 I actually went to the American Association school for children who are deaf. And that was in Atlanta. And it was really, really amazing. It was such an incredible experience. All the kids were signing their questions to me, which unfortunately, I don't know, sign language. So there was an interpreter there. But it was just such an amazing experience that I never forget that and I'm so grateful to have done. And I also got to go to New York where unfortunately, I couldn't be at the school because it was during like COVID regulations still. But I did a zoom session for a school in the district that I grew up in, which is Putnam Valley School District. So that was really cool to be able to do. And I've actually done that two times since then, where I've done zoom sessions for them. So I've been able to reach different schools in different states as well as make a pretty good impact in in my community as well. Well, **Michael Hingson ** 53:14 it's, I think, extremely important for us to recognize that one of the best things that we can do is to help teach and educate and I didn't tell you this, but when I was in college, I also went through the University of California, Irvine. College of teaching, so I have my secondary teaching credential as well. So I, I never did teach professionally as a teacher in that sense of the word. But I ended up being very involved in sales. And I believe that that the best salespeople are also teachers as well, because that's what they should really be doing. Rather than trying to force a product on someone, they should be educating people, and helping them come to the best decision for whatever they need. And that's a philosophy that has worked really well. But I love teaching and after September 11. For me, I decided to take up a career of speaking and so on, because if I could help people move on from September 11 and teach them about blindness and disabilities and such then it was a worthwhile thing. And if it changes one person is all worthwhile. **Kat Magnoli ** 54:25 That's such an amazing advice and an amazing perspective. And I could not agree more. I mean, when I first started this, I was like, You know what, I want the whole crowd to hang on my every word. Now it's not so much like that. For me. I just get so excited when I can lock eyes with one child, or one person in the crowd and I know that they're really paying attention and they're really being impacted by either my the stories that I've written or my personal story, whatever is resonating with them is, is so important to me. **Michael Hingson ** 55:07 What's the most interesting question that any child has asked you when you've spoken like that? Um, we all have those stories, I'm sure. **Kat Magnoli ** 55:21 I feel like they ask the same questions over and over again, no matter where I am, which is always, how do you get up in the bed? Like, out of bed in the morning? How do you brush your teeth? How do you take a shower? How do you get in and out of the car? How do you do these things? And I'm just so those kinds of questions I find to be the most fun to answer. The one that I think is so important. Let me rephrase that, because those are important questions to answer as well, because it's educating people about my daily life and how I get around from point A to point B. But the the subject matter that I find to be most interesting when they talk about it is when they start talking about episodes of bullying that they went through, and then we can start opening up that conversation. So yeah, yeah. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 56:23 Well, and and it's fun. I love speaking to children, because they are uninhibited. And they don't hesitate to ask questions. Once you start getting them engaged at all, they will, they will ask anything. And if we can have a session and the parents aren't around, it really works out a whole lot better, because they will, they will become engaged and they'll ask questions I remember. And I've talked about it here a couple of times, I spoke to a, an elementary school. And this third grade boy got up after I spoke, because I opened it for questions. And his question was, how do blind people have sex? So there you go. **Kat Magnoli ** 57:11 I have not been asked that by a child. But I have been asked by adults. Yeah. wanted to take me out on dates. **Michael Hingson ** 57:20 Well, there you go. Opportunity Knocks Well, for me when he asked that I am not dumb, right. I just said **Kat Magnoli ** 57:28 for the background noise. **Michael Hingson ** 57:29 That's okay. I I'm not done when I was asked that. I just said the same way everybody else does. And if you want to know more, go ask your parents because I wasn't going to get into that. **Kat Magnoli ** 57:39 Yes, that is a very smart answer. **Michael Hingson ** 57:45 But for as far as you you know, two guys wanted to take you out on on dates. There's opportunity, maybe? Yeah, **Kat Magnoli ** 57:51 I mean, when this was mostly in my 20s, where people wouldn't even ask my name before they asked, Can you have sex? I mean, I just was like, Hi, my name is Katherine. And yes, I can. **Michael Hingson ** 58:09 Yeah. And if you want to know more, that's a different story. Zach. Ah, people are interesting, aren't they? Yes. But you know, we we cope. And we, we learn. And hopefully we do get to help teach them. And that's what's really important about the whole thing. So tell me about winning Miss wheelchair Florida. **Kat Magnoli ** 58:38 It was really amazing. It was actually a funny story. Because I had been in the top three, two times before, I had gotten second runner up and first runner up. So the third year, I actually wasn't going to participate. I was like, okay, clearly, I'm not going to win. I'm just going to take a break from this. But the state coordinator actually reached out to me like a day before the application was due to be a contestant. And she was like, Why haven't I received your application? I'm like, oh, because I'm not doing it this year. She's like, Yes, you are, you have to do it. So I was like, Alright, fine, I'll do it. But if I lose again, like I'm never doing it again. So So I ended up going and it's an amazing weekend, where girls with all different physical disabilities come together. And we do workshops. We do you know, judging with it's just so amazing. And so I was really happy to be a part of it again. But I went into it not thinking that I was going to win or place in the top three or anything like that. So I went in with a different perspective of just enjoying the moment And that's interesting because I ended up enjoying it so much that I ended up Miss messing up my speech. And so I really thought I wasn't going to win. So when they announced the, you know, second runner up and first runner up, and I wasn't called, I was like, Okay, I didn't make it even to the top three. So when they said my name, my mouth dropped, and I started crying for like, a good five minutes. And I was trying to speak because they handed me the microphone. And I honestly couldn't even tell you what I said, because I was that shocked for wedding. And before they said my name, I actually looked at my mom in the crowd, and I shook my head. No, it's not me. And at the same time, one of the judges was looking up at me. And she was shaking her head, like, yes, it is you. And I was just so confused as to why she was smiling and shaking her head. So it was just an interesting situation. And then when I did when I got to meet the governor, the former governor, Rick Scott, I got to work alongside the mayor of sunny isles and the mayor of ball Harbor, which is another town and get more beaches accessible in my area. I got to work with the school district, which is Miami Dade school district to have activities for Disability Awareness Month and inclusion week, I had a podcast so it was a really, really busy time for me. And it was a lot of fun. I also got to do a lot of adventurous things. Like go to I fly, which is indoor skydiving, and I got to, you know, just do some really memorable things. **Michael Hingson ** 1:01:56 So did you do the indoor skydiving? Yes, I did. I would like to do that. I've never done it. I'm gonna have to go do it. Some I would love to do that. Yeah, **Kat Magnoli ** 1:02:05 it's really, really cool. It's a very interesting simulation of what skydiving would be like. **Michael Hingson ** 1:02:13 Yeah, I would like to do it sometime. I'll have to work that out. Well, so what's next for you? What are you doing? What are your plans? And where are you headed? What's your mindset in the world? **Kat Magnoli ** 1:02:26 Well, currently, I am doing a lot of things. It is Disability Awareness Month and awareness month. So I've been making a lot of videos on social media just talking about basically what we're talking about right now, which is all that we can do. So that's number one. That's that's part of what I'm doing. I'm also doing a lot of different events for my books, to have more of an outreach for them. I am part of the Christopher Reeve Foundation where I'm a regional champion for them, which means that I speak to senators within my state about different laws that the Christopher Reeve Foundation is trying to get passed. So that's that's basically what I'm doing. I'm also in addition to it being Disability Awareness Month and Spinal Bifida Awareness Month, it's also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which, for whoever does not know people with disabilities are three times as likely to be victims of any kind of abuse. So myself, along with my mentor, Debbie beets are going to be partnering for a workshop with the Christopher Reeve Foundation will end of October, where we're going to be talking about the intersectionality of abuse and disability. Wow. **Michael Hingson ** 1:03:59 So you're definitely keeping busy no doubt about it. **Kat Magnoli ** 1:04:02 Yes. Oh, and one last thing. I am working currently with semi owls beach to get even more beaches accessible in my town. So that's the last thing that I'm doing. **Michael Hingson ** 1:04:16 Well, just one more thing, right? Yeah. Well, this has been a lot of fun if people want to reach out to you and maybe contact you learn more about what you're doing and so on. How can they do that? **Kat Magnoli ** 1:04:31 They can actually reach me through my website, kat girl and friends.com **Michael Hingson ** 1:04:37 Kat is k a t. Yes, **Kat Magnoli ** 1:04:39 Kat is K a t girl is G I R L and is spelled just as we know A N D friends f r i e n d s.com.com **Michael Hingson ** 1:04:52 Yeah, okay. Any other contact ways or things that people should know? They **Kat Magnoli ** 1:05:00 can also just email me at Kat that's also K A T Magnoli, m a g n o l i@gmail.com. **Michael Hingson ** 1:05:13 Wow, a Gmail address without any numbers in it. You must be the first one. Yeah, well, cat, this has been a lot of fun. And I want to just say right now that when you have more adventures and you have whenever you want to come back on and chat some more on unstoppable mindset, I would love to do it. So you just know you have an open invitation. We can talk about it at any time, but I really value you doing this and if you know of anyone else. And likewise, for any of you listening, if you know of anyone who we ought to have as a guest on unstoppable mindset. I'd love to hear about it. You can let me know Kat knows how to reach me but for all of you, just so you know, you can reach me at Michael M i c h a e l h i at accessibe A c c e s s i b e.com. Or go to our podcast page www dot Michael Hingson m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com/podcast. And we'd love to hear from you love to hear what you think about the episode. And as I said, if you know of anyone that you think we ought to have as a guest, I definitely want to hear from you. We would appreciate you giving us a five star rating, we value your ratings very highly. And I really hope that you like the podcast enough to do that. So once once more, I want to thank you Kat for being here. I'm sorry, you were gonna say? No, **Kat Magnoli ** 1:06:38 I was gonna say thank you so much for having me, this has been such an amazing conversation. And I can think of so many people that I know who are advocates that would really shine on your show, really have such incredible stories to share. So I will be reaching out to some of them and encouraging them to reach out to you. Because I think that we all should come together and work together and share stories. I think that's the real way to educate and and build inclusion for the for the world. Last question that I have, when will this be airing. Um, it's **Michael Hingson ** 1:07:21 going to be a little while yet because we've got a number of podcasts that are out there, but we'll definitely be sending you an email, unless there's some need for you to to have it airing at a particular time. But it'll be a little while yet, but we'll keep you posted. Okay, **Kat Magnoli ** 1:07:37 great. Thank you so much. And I hope you guys have a great night **Michael Hingson ** 1:07:46 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Tori Yeomans is a Nova Scotian salon owner, passionate about inclusion within the beauty industry. With a background working in community mental health, Tori brings their expertise to the salon industry. Tori's vision is to create a salon atmosphere that clients AND beauty professionals can come to and feel free from judgement and discrimination; while advocating for other beauty businesses to turn in the direction of inclusion as well. Find out more @pridebeautylounge@toriatpride

Sofie van der Meulen is a lawyer by training with specific expertise in the fields of health and data law and she is a diversity and inclusion advocate. Last year she delivered her TEDx talk on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She is also the chair of the board of foodwatch Netherlands, a consumer rights organisation that fights for the right of consumers to fair, safe and healthy food. Sofie is the owner of DOversity, from which she undertakes her freelance adventures such as writing and speaking.

Frederic Brut is the head of the supply chain EEMEA and the Asia Pacific, China & Japan Region for MSD. He describes himself as an inclusive leader, adapting with speed and agility to a continuously changing world. Prior to MSD, he held a number of Head of SC and Operations positions in various sectors, including Retail, Building Material products, and Pharmaceutical wholesaling in Europe and Latin America. Fred is passionate about rugby, CrossFit, traveling & cooking. He values loyalty, trust, and commitment. Discover more details here.Some of the highlights of the episode:Diverse Career Journey: Fred's versatile supply chain careerDiversity and Inclusion Advocate: commitment to DEI and its significancePurpose-Driven Culture: fostering passion within and beyond the companyFuture Talent Qualities: essential qualities for future supply chain Follow us on:Instagram: http://bit.ly/2Wba8v7Twitter: http://bit.ly/2WeulzXLinkedin: http://bit.ly/2w9YSQXFacebook: http://bit.ly/2HtryLd

Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Lisa, brings her current business and dating dilemmas to the HippiHut...

Tu peux soutenir sur le podcast sur KissKissBankBank ou en mettant 5⭐️ sur Apple Podcasts ou Spotify ! Dezzie est UX Lead, Product Inclusion & Equity, chez Google. Dezzie n'était pas destinée à travailler dans la tech, car elle a suivi des études d'arts déco et souhaitait devenir artiste. Mais, elle sait qu'il est très difficile d'en vivre. Elle fait donc un peu de graphisme en sortant de sa licence : elle travaille pour les musées de la ville de Strasbourg, puis dans une maison d'édition de magazines spécialisés dans le tricot. Puis elle retourne à l'école, faire un master, aux Pays-Bas, dans les Beaux-Arts, orientés nouveaux média. Après ses études, Dezzie cherche du travail, mais n'est jamais recontactée. Elle rejoint alors Google… Loin du design et de l'art : elle est en charge de valider les personnes qui souhaitent proposer des liens d'affiliation Google sur leur site internet. Très vite, elle réalise qu'elle ne s'épanouit pas et en parle à son manager. Ce dernier le pousse à faire du design pour son équipe : logo pour un t-shirt, montage vidéo, communication visuelle, etc. Deux ans plus tard, Dezzie postule en interne et devient graphiste dans l'équipe en charge des formations internes en Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique. À ce moment-là, Dezzie fait de tout et répond à toutes les demandes graphiques de son équipe. Étant seule dans son équipe, elle demande alors à travailler à 20% avec l'équipe graphique de Londres. En 2009, Dezzie commence son premier gros projet : la création de la plateforme de recensement de tous les modules de formation disponibles. C'est là qu'elle assume pleinement que le design doit répondre à un vrai besoin utilisateur et qu'elle s'affirme face aux retours de sa direction. C'est un manager qui lui fait réaliser qu'elle a entamé sa transition de Graphic à UX Designer. Elle se forme alors à cette dernière compétence. Par la suite, son équipe passe de régionale à mondiale et se concentre sur le développement de carrière au global. En 2012, à son retour de congés maternité, Dezzie est mise de côté pour le Visual Design et se concentre à 100% sur l'UX Design. Elle reprend alors son gros projet de 2009, mais cette fois-ci avec une équipe complète : Product Mangers, Ingénieurs et UX Designers. C'est la première fois que Dezzie travaille avec d'autres designers produit depuis son arrivée chez Google : un passage compliqué, car elle doit apprendre une nouvelle approche, beaucoup plus concrète. Dans le même temps, Dezzie devient manager. Une expérience en demi-teinte sur laquelle elle revient au cours de l'épisode. En parallèle de son travail, Dezzie est Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate : elle se fait le porte-voix, au sein de Google, des sujets en lien avec la diversité et l'inclusion. Après 10 années quand l'équipe People Development, Dezzie rejoint l'équipe Product Inclusion & Diversity. Il s'agit de l'équipe qui s'assure que TOUS les utilisateurs soient inclus dans la réflexion de création de produit chez Google. L'objectif est de remettre au centre du développement produit les personnes historiquement exclues de cette réflexion. Dans cet épisode, Dezzie nous donne des exemples concrets des éléments sur lesquels elle agit, afin d'améliorer le quotidien de tous. Elle revient aussi sur la différence entre l'inclusion et l'accessibilité. Aussi, explique-t-elle pour quoi l'inclusivité est l'affaire de tous : la prendre en compte ne bénéficie pas qu'à une minorité, elle profite à tout le monde. Elle nous explique aussi comment, à l'échelle de Google, son équipe intervient pour faire changer les mentalités et aider les équipes à prendre en considération les utilisateurs dans leur hétérogénéité dans la conception produit. Dezzie nous partage ses méthodes et façon de faire pour convaincre les équipes et comment, de façon concrète, les mettre en application dans n'importe quelle structure. Pour finir, Dezzie nous explique son rôle et ce qu'elle a mis en place chez Google pour améliorer l'inclusion et l'équité.   Les ressources de l'épisode Google Product Inclusion & Equity Microsoft Inclusive Design IBM Accessibility Design Justice, Sasha Costanza-Chock Les autres épisodes de Design Journeys #51 Marine Boudeau, Responsable du pôle DesignGouv @ DINUM Pour contacter Dezzie LinkedIn 

How to Reach Teresa Barnes, RN - Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Advocate* https://www.facebook.com/teresabarnesrn* https://www.instagram.com/teresabarnesrn/?hl=en* https://www.linkedin.com/in/hearteresabarnesrn/* https://www.youtube.com/c/TeresaBarnes* https://barnescommunicationsolutions.com/* https://barnescommunicationsolutions.podia.com/And, the resource to validate data:  And, Thank You Sean Baker.  https://www.microsourcing.com/learn/blog/business-trends-well-see-this-year/?utm_term=&utm_campaign=US+Remarketing+Leads+PMax&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=8750364042&hsa_cam=14849361567&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItMj53Ona_gIV0Q19Ch28jgE5EAAYASAAEgLfB_D_BwE

To Reach Teresa the Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Advocate, Keynote Speaker, Podcaster, Author, and Maverick Leader TJB@BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.Podia.comwww.LinkedIn.com/in/hearteresabarnesrnwww.facebook.com/teresabarnesrn or www.facebook.comwww.amazon.com/Sound-Advice-into-Listening/dp/1982209577www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9TLLKAu7ZxP8It21f0Ksw@teresabarnesrnPlease see transcription and if need a word by spoken word, please let  me know.  As it easier for me to read while listening because of my hearing loss. Just another tool to keep us connected to the 80% with normal hearing. And, no matter what ability or disability you or yours has hearing loss does affect the way we connect to the world at large. So, please start becoming equality and inclusion hearing loss aware. A Few Resources: https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/hearing-disabilities-workplace-and-americans-disabilities-act  

Host Casandra Grundstrom is joined by special guest Assistant Professor Sam Zaza  from Middle Tennessee State University, USA. Her main research interests lie in diversity, equity, and inclusion; IT career and nature of work, and methodological approaches. She is active in AIS as the SIG Social Inclusion President, SIG Lead President, and Women College CoChair and is the recent winner of the Diversity and Inclusion Advocate of the Year (2023). Sam has published her work in various journals such as Information & Organization, and Communications of the Association for Information Systems, among other proceedings in regional and international conferences.March is women's month, and we are back for the second time to talk about women in information systems. We unravel what social inclusion is and consider social inclusion from varying perspectives applied to the information systems discipline. We explore and reflect on what are 'our' challenges for social inclusion in conferences and the IS community, ponder why there is limited gender-related research, and ways forward for change. References:Gupta, B., Loiacono, E. T., Dutchak, I. G., & Thatcher, J. B. (2019). A field-based view on gender in the information systems discipline: Preliminary evidence and an agenda for change. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 20(12), 2. Loiacono, E., Iyer, L., Ashong Elliot, M. A., & Cooper, V. A. (2021). Engaging Women in Information Systems: Where Are We Headed?. Masiero, Silvia and Aaltonen, Aleksi, "Gender Bias in Information Systems Research: A Literature Review" (2020). AISWN International Research Workshop on Women, IS and Grand Challenges 2020. 2.https://aisel.aisnet.org/aiswn2020/2 Trauth, E. M., & Howcroft, D. (2006). Social inclusion and the information systems field: why now?. In Social Inclusion: Societal and Organizational Implications for Information Systems: IFIP TC8 WG8. 2 International Working Conference, July 12–15, 2006, Limerick, Ireland (pp. 3-12). Springer US.Trauth, E. (2017). A research agenda for social inclusion in information systems. ACM SIGMIS Database: the Database for Advances in Information Systems, 48(2), 9-20.Zaza, Sam; Annabi, Hala; and Connolly, Amy J., "All you need to know about publishing Social Inclusion Research in high-quality IS Journals?" (2022). AMCIS 2022 TREOs. 25. https://aisel.aisnet.org/treos_amcis2022/25 Zhou, Shimi; Loiacono, Eleanor; Nerur, Sridhar; Randolph, Adriane B.; Lingo, Elizabeth; Iyer, Lakshmi; and Carter, Michelle, "Authorship, Collaboration, and Influence of Women IS Scholars: Using Social Network Analysis" (2022). AMCIS 2022 Proceedings. 6. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2022/sig_si/sig_si/6 Other sources:AIS Women's Network: https://www.aiswn.org and Twitter @AISWN_AIS Women's IMPACT IT Research Grant: https://impactit.pages.wm.edu/ Check out these other women-oriented podcasts:https://www.cathymazak.com/podcast/https://theresearchher.com/ Special note: I am disgusted that I need to disclose this. Hate speech will not be tolerated and any offenders will be blocked and reported. 

Pathfinder Church | March 26, 2023 | Dion GarrettIn this world, we naturally section off into tribes of people who are like us. As people who avoid discomfort, we fear the cost of engaging with people who are different. But what if our comfort isn't high up on Jesus' list? What if his hopes for us can only be fully realized through embracing community with all people?Website | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram | https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | https://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org

Short, curvy, tall, fat, slim, brawny: Whatever size or shape you are, you'll find this conversation with size-inclusion advocate Andrea Kelly enlightening. Andrea details to Sarah and Britany: -why apparel sizing is so inconsistent;  -a surprising statistic about the clothing size of female consumers;  -ways to better navigate the shopping experience; -the importance of size-acceptance in running + the outdoors; and, -why size charts should be your friends.    Sarah shares some college-search details before Andrea jumps on around 9:20.  When you shop our sponsors, you help AMR. We appreciate your—and their—support!   Get a free colored watch band with purchase  of any watch. Use code motherrunner at coros.com   Find the right ring for you +  get $15 off at OuraRing.com/AMR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Chavez is CEO of ChavezPR, an independent, minority-owned public relations and marketing firm in Los Angeles, helping clients connect with the diverse demographics shaping today's consumer landscape. He is a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Advocate and Community builder who is also the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The PR Podcast is your view inside the public relations business. We talk with great PR people, reporters and communicators on how they weave narratives that are informative and fun. Host Jody Fisher has worked in New York City PR for more than 20 years, representing clients across the healthcare, higher education, financial services, real estate, entertainment and non-profit verticals. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at @ThePRPodcast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theprpodcast/support

To Reach Teresa the Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Advocate, Keynote Speaker, Podcaster, Author, and Maverick Leader TJB@BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.Podia.comwww.HearCommunications.com www.LinkedIn.com/in/hearteresabarnesrnwww.facebook.com/teresabarnesrn or www.facebook.comwww.amazon.com/Sound-Advice-into-Listening/dp/1982209577www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9TLLKAu7ZxP8It21f0Ksw@teresabarnesrnPlease see transcription and if need a word by spoken word, please let  me know.  As it easier for me to read while listening because of my hearing loss. Just another tool to keep us connected to the 80% with normal hearing. And, no matter what ability or disability you or yours has hearing loss does affect the way we connect to the world at large. So, please start becoming equality and inclusion hearing loss aware.  

To Reach Teresa the Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Advocate, Keynote Speaker, Podcaster, Author, and Maverick Leader TJB@BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.comwww.BarnesCommunicationSolutions.Podia.comwww.LinkedIn.com/in/hearteresabarnesrnwww.facebook.com/teresabarnesrn or www.facebook.comwww.amazon.com/Sound-Advice-into-Listening/dp/1982209577www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9TLLKAu7ZxP8It21f0Ksw@teresabarnesrnPlease see transcription and if need a word by spoken word, please let  me know.  As it easier for me to read while listening because of my hearing loss. Just another tool to keep us connected to the 80% with normal hearing. And, no matter what ability or disability you or yours has hearing loss does affect the way we connect to the world at large. So, please start becoming equality and inclusion hearing loss aware. 

After a week off, we are back with a new episode of The Way to College Podcast. My guest this week is Dayna Cobarrubias. Dayna is a diversity and inclusion advocate based in Los Angeles. She worked for many years with Teach for America and now works in entertainment. Like all of my guests, Dayna has a great story. Check it out and don't forget to follow, subscribe, and please rate the podcast. #podcast #latinx #chicana #stanford #losangeles #lifereset #diversityandinclusion #passion #mission 

In this episode, we are looking at the world through the eyes of Samantha Mark and Sharmaine Denise. Samantha Mark is a Certified Tarot Advisor, and an intuitive reader, incorporating Numerology, Astrology, Human Design, Crystals, & Law Of Attraction into her readings. Samantha is also a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advocate. Samantha's mission is to build bridges that bring people together by influencing them to their own personal power. Sharmaine Denise is a Spiritual Life Coach, Meditation Teacher, and soon-to-be certified Moonologer. Her mission is to empower and guide her clients through the roadblocks that prevent them from living in alignment and help them to tap into their own unique gifts allowing their own light to shine.Listen to the episode to hear Samantha and Sharmaine share their experiences as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and how they discovered their sexual identity and their “coming out” journeys. They both share their experiences of becoming their own authentic selves and the challenges they have faced in doing so. Listen to the episode to hear:What are the struggles of “coming out” as a part of the LGBTQIA+ communityOur guests talk about how their spiritual journey has impacted their sexual identity journey & vice versaHow concealing your identity affects your personal and professional networksThe issues faced by members of the LGBTQIA+ every day and how they can be solved, prevented and advocated for Where members of the LGBTQIA+ can find support & MORE! To learn more about Samantha and Sharmaine visit:www.instagram.com/conscious.altruism/www.youtube.com/channel/UCNIElHEhsoqc6ng8O-lrn8Qwww.sharmainedenise.com/www.facebook.com/CoachSharmaineDenise/www.instagram.com/sharmaine.denise/ In search of an ally/support group within the LGBTQIA+ community?For Allies https://pflag.org/Suicide Prevention https://qprinstitute.com/LGBTQIA+ Youth Support https://www.thetrevorproject.org/LGBTQIA+ Organization focusing on accelerating acceptance https://www.glaad.org/ & Remember To:Listen✔️Subscribe✔️Share✔️Leave A Rating✔️Leave A Comment✔️

Shakima Jackson-Martinez, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advocate who specializes in inclusive talent acquisition, foundational DEl practices, and building organizational empathy through internal research, Shakima tells us how talent acquisition metrics are driving inclusion at AnswerLab. Connect with Shakima on LinkedIn. https://bit.ly/3UC3LfM Including You is brought to you by Lead at Any Level. Learn more about them on their website. http://bit.ly/2lPvOMM

This week Jaejaye sits down with Primrose. Primrose is a Diversity and Inclusion Advocate as well as former Clinicial Pyschologist. We discussed the decolonization of therapy, growing up in Apartheid South Africa and so much more...Instagram: jae_JayeEmail:blackqueensrepublic@gmail.com

Episode No. 9  of Magical Moments Jill interviews Melissa Carter!  Melissa is a new and very dear friend and she has some MAJOR  Magical Moments to share with you! Melissa is the Senior Director for the Center for Global Spiritual Life and Head of Mindfulness Education and Programming for New York University. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty for the NYU Silver School of Social Work and a Doctoral Candidate at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She is a co-host of Soundtrue's Conscious Business Summit, a movement lover, MNDFL meditation teacher, Interfaith Officiant, Diversity and Inclusion Advocate  and MAMA to be!  Thank you Melissa for sharing your story with us and everyone please enjoy this episode! Sending so much LOVE!!!Follow  JILL LINDSEY at @jilllindseystore and learn more about Melissa at @igniitewithmelissa 

In today's episode, I chat with Giselle Mota, Futurist, Thought Leader, TEDx & Global Speaker & Inclusion Advocate. Giselle brings humanity, empathy and a strong sense of purpose to this abstract world of ours. Her specific focus is on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, spatial computing & blockchain, and how they relate to topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion and many other relevant trends of the ever-evolving future of work.With a Master's in Business with a focus on Organizational Design and Change Management, and Bachelor's in Business Management & Marketing, Giselle enjoys researching and contributing to individual and organizational success, as well as serving underserved communities, along the way, finding compelling use cases for tech and strategies for the good of all people. As always, we kicked things off with Giselle sharing the story of her own evolution. As a neurodivergent woman of colour, Giselle has, at times, found herself on the outside looking in. Though as you'll discover, with obvious passion, talents, and persistence, she's wedged her way into important discussions with impacts to us all. And we're better for it. We discussed a host of other topics, from digital transformation, immersive technologies, and how to ensure underrepresented voices are heard. It was such a pleasure connecting with Giselle. And I hope you enjoy it. Giselle MotaGiselle Mota is the creator of NFTY Collective, a project with a mission to bring disability into inclusion web3 and metaverse. She's also the founder of Versd, an inclusive and strategic ventures group, visiting Inclusive People Analytics and AI instructor for UFM, and Head of Product Inclusion at ADP. She is a futurist, strategist, and dynamic speaker. Named a Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader. As an industry leader, she assists executives and HR practitioners with innovative human capital management strategies amidst digital disruption. Giselle is a global speaker and has been featured on TED Talks, Yahoo News, Forbes, Cheddar News, Chief Learning Officer Magazine to name a few. She serves across boards and leadership councils related to Web3 and the metaverse, artificial intelligence, people analytics, the future of work, disability Inclusion, and is active among start-up and entrepreneurial spaces all in hopes of creating an inclusive future of work and opportunities for all.LinkedInTwitterNick VujicicNick Vujicic (“voo-yi-chich”) is an Australian-American born without arms or legs who has become a world-renowned speaker, New York Times best-selling author, coach and entrepreneur.WebsiteVR KeynoteThinking Inside the BoxConstraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we're doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message. LinkedInInstagramTwitterWebsiteApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcher

Hello Listeners,Like Doug Sandler of Nice Guys In Business Podcast said, It's Teresa and I now have a deaf that is d e a f sign name that my Aunt Peggy who is deaf gave me last October 2021 when I went to visit her. It's TJ. It stands for us Trust Jesus and also for Teresa June. June is my middle name. So, I am here to welcome you on the Barnes Communications Strategies Online Courses that also launched since we last shared a Podcast together.Please take a look and let me know what you think and what improvements can be made.Here are 5 Items you can do to help retain and attract the multi trillion dollar hearing loss community to your business.Have a Hearing Friendly Space with lighting around 500 LUX and decibels around 72Have a least two Hearing Friendly Hearing Heroes to assist this trillion dollar market nicheHave the Hearing Friendly Symbol on your website, store front both as a business and as an employer. The DEAF/HOH are hungry to work and will be loyal employees and customersHave special discount days for them. Some cash flow in is better than none at allOffer Hearing Health as part of Your Wellness Programs.Most have not heard of Amended American Disabilities Act for 2008 and the general response I receive is oh let's included all the disabilities rather than just hearing loss. Well no matter what other disability you have listening will help determine your productivity, your peak performance at work, and your team collaboration. Listening is a skill that can be developed, but it is also dependent on your ear organs. If they are not working right long term and you have a hearing loss then it is classified as a disability. Yep, just own it and then look to the advantage of it.If your looking to hire one of the two point two million veterans that came back from the Middle East War. You not only get tax credit for hiring a vet, but also for hiring someone with a disability.You get preferred seating when going to events. You do have to ask for it in advance or need to come early.Get pre boarding privileges when flying or any other type of public transportation. Alaskan Airline was given a demo about Live Transcribe on the way to Maui. On the way back they used this app on a mobile phone to let me read that they knew I had a hearing loss and they would come get me if there was an emergency and let me read what would I like to drink. It was beyond marvelous. Not having to struggle with wondering what the announcements for my section for boarding was and having to mull thru a crowd. I wore my Has Hearing Loss Decal, so the other passengers would see that I have this disability.I ask servers, retail, and business associates to speak into the Live Transcribe app as it makes my life easierYou can go to the Rose Bowl Parade for Free, Just have to apply early.Title I requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide qualified individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employment-related opportunities available to others Some sources do say 25 employees.Let's make it a positive change as we have all been through enough lately as in the last three years. Helping Businesses to Grown and People to Thrive with hearing loss and other disabilities.As a manager or a decision maker in business I'd love for you to even take the Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Training Online Course. That will give you an edge to move pass the bias around hearing loss and give your 20
% hiding out on your team the ability to seek out the help they need to improve your customer service, team collaboration, retention, and over all health of each of your valuable colleagues.So long for now. Keep Hearing for Connections until we meet again. And If you'd like your 7 Tips for Better Listening Skills than just DM.Teresa Barnes, RNYour Hearing Loss Equality and Inclusion Advocate.

Have you ever felt like there was something about you that would keep your voice from certain opportunities, careers or stages? Maybe you're the wrong race, wrong gender, wrong size, too old, too young, too dark, too light, too weird, too loud, too shy. How about being... too blind? Today I talk with Lachi - a highly successful force of nature who fully embraces and USES her blindness to make the entertainment industry a place where the disabled are successful and where universal access is the norm. Wait til you hear where HER voice is successfully performing! After listening, don't be surprised if you feel a fire in your own gut to think outside the box of your perceived limitations, and go after some dream you may have tucked away.  If you enjoy this, please support it with your rating or review! Lachi's Links: http://www.lachimusic.com/ http://www.rampd.org/index.html    

Alvin C. Merritt Boyd III is a Post-Secondary and Secondary Educator; Youth and Adult Mentor and Coach; Champion of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People and Persons with “Unique” Abilities; as well as a Diversity and Inclusion Advocate. He is also a husband and father. He's been married to Dionne for the past 23 years and they have one son, Alvin IV (soon to be 15 years old) and they live in Austin, TX. Alvin holds multiple academic degrees including an Associate's in Educational Sign Language Interpreting, Masters in Education teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, as well as a Doctorate in Executive Leadership. If you would like to reach out to Alvin, you can email him at albee429me@yahoo.com --------------------   If you want to help us transform the lives of even MORE MEN for God's glory, please take a minute to leave us a helpful REVIEW on iTunes: http://www.rmcpodcast.com and SHARE this podcast with any young man (or men) you're mentoring or discipling. And make sure you don't miss an interview episode by signing up for our Man-to-Man eNewsletter at http://www.RealMenConnect.com, and grab your FREE copy of the Real Men Victory Tracker.  Are you stuck? Want to go to the next level in your marriage, career, business, or ministry?  Then maybe it's time you got a coach. ALL CHAMPIONS have one. Let me coach you to help you strengthen your faith, improve your marriage, spiritually lead your family, achieve more, balance your time, grow your ministry, or even stop an addiction. Click here for details: http://www.RMCfree.com   Also join us on: Join the Real Men 300: http://www.RealMen300.com Facebook Group: http://www.realmenuniversity.com/ YouTube: http://www.RealMenTraining.com Facebook: @realdrjoemartin Instagram: @realdrjoemartin Twitter: @professormartin

Liz DiLulo Brown, SVP, Marketing & Comms at Little League International joins us today on the podcast. In her day (and we know it, sometimes nights and weekends!) job she's a Strategic Planner | Speaker | Partnership Curator | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate who is responsible for the marketing and communications of Little League Baseball and Softball and the Little League World Series including revenue-driving functions (corporate partnerships including sponsorship, licensing and retail / e-commerce), strategic planning, brand identity and core messaging, mission-driven communications and content strategy, digital media strategy, creation and promotion of organizational initiatives, event marketing and fan engagement. Follow Liz at: www.linkedin.com/in/lizbrown https://www.instagram.com/momtramoments/ Follow Leadership is Female at: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipisfemale/ www.leadershipisfemale.com Follow Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilyjaenson/ Get 15% off MOBOT at https://mobot.com/discount/LEADERSHIPISFEMALE

In Episode 9, Season 4 of the Amplifying Scientific Innovation® Video Podcast, Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia, Founder and CEO Founder and CEO of The Sophia Consulting Firm, interviewed Wande Osuntokun, a diversity and inclusion advocate. Here, Wande provides her unique perspectives on science advocacy, health equity and influential leadership. For full transcript, please visit: https://sophiaconsultingfirm.com/blogs-%2B-articles/f/amplifying-scientific-innovation%C2%AE-wande-osuntokun-di-advocate

Bonus Episode in collaboration with The East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (ECC). Prime Minister of Canada (1993) Kim Campbell joins Bincheng Mao, chief editor of Inclusion Advocate and founder of the ECC, to discuss youth engagement in public service, minority inclusion, and her vision for Club de Madrid in preventing democratic backsliding.

This is a replay of the very first episode of the As It Should Be podcast recorded in Nov 2020. In this episode, Thamarrah and Susie discuss how the makers of K12 education content are pushing the industry towards more inclusivity by decentering the white experience. Susie Berg (she/her) is a writer, change agent, and co-conspirator for racial justice. Susie is a Senior Digital Solutions Strategist and Global Diversity and Inclusion Advocate at Pearson, the world's learning company, an organization committed to helping change lives through learning. --------------------------- SUPPORT THE SHOW Become a Patron for $3 per month at patreon.com/thamarrahjones Send me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/thamarrahjones Leave a review on Apple podcasts

Diversity and inclusion advocate Carmen Kingston, a leader from Sam's Club and Walmart, Inc., spoke at WGU's summer commencement and now joins the alumni podcast to share her impressions at commencement and how she continues to be inspired by life-long learners and achievers, particularly those from underserved and underrepresented populations.

I'm a writer as well as a disability and inclusion activist. For the past 3 years I have been writing my website about my own story as someone who has cerebral palsy as well as educating people about disability and inclusion. Earlier this year I got awarded Youth Citizen of the Year thanks to the City of Cockburn. I am passionate about the enhancement of community life. Layne is a marketing student at North Metropolitan TAFE who lives with Cerebral Palsy, but that does not stop her from what she wants to achieve in life. She is a member of Cockburn Youth Advisory Collective, Youth Disability Advocacy Network Inc. and Cerebral Palsy Achieve. Layne has been a volunteer at Gosnells Toy Library and a Peer Mentor at Emmanuel Catholic College. She has been involved in athletics and has been breaking Under-18 and Under-20 Australian records. Layne is now completing a traineeship in communications and marketing at Perth's Arts Festival Since 2018 my primary focus has been to educate non-disabled people about people with disabilities as well as inclusion. I was diagnosed just after 2 years old with ataxic Cerebral Palsy, and I've recently been diagnosed with anxiety (mental health) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Tsungai  Masendeke | Certified Financial Planner, Financial Literacy and Inclusion Advocate  A fight for your life should not include a fight for your financial health. But long-term chronic conditions like cancer, have hidden costs that take financial toll on patients and makes saving for retirement much more challenging. Certified financial planner, Tsungai Masendeke explains why appropriate cover is essential.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Inclusion Superwoman' Alycia Anderson joins us on this episode to speak about Sacramento's accessibility to the disabled community, and to share her work with corporations as she campaigns for inclusion. In addition to that, she joins the Visit Sacramento Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, and recently gave a TEDx talk, which you can access via her website, alyciaanderson.com

“Seek out experiences and not titles, because that's where you'll get the most value at the end of the day.” Matt Story is VISA's Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships & Advocacy - where he leads strategy for marketing partnerships and the company's approach to uplifting underrepresented audiences through marketing initiatives. Matt has also held senior marketing roles @ Intel, Razorfish, and Publicis “Denuo” a agency's unique worldwide center of expertise across mobile, collaboration and gaming practices - helping some of the world's biggest brands “see around the corner” to solve marketing challenges. Matt got his start atP&G as one of the company's earliest hybrid Digital Marketing Managers + Business Analysts. Matt studied Computer Science & Computer Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and is also an Investor, Board Member, Podcast Host, Inclusion Advocate, and most importantly, husband and father. In this candid conversation, Matt shares how he's gained not just experience, but empathy from everything he's done. You'll enjoy hearing about how young leaders like Matt doesn't just seek to understand, but also seeks to see where he can help others on their unique journeys.

This week I am so excited to talk with Andrea Kelly. Andrea Kelly is an outdoor enthusiast, size inclusion advocate, public speaker, and curvy model. She has been with Columbia Sportswear for over 10 years and now serves as the Senior Merchandiser for the brand's Extended Sizing division. She's spent the last half of her 20-year career in the Outdoor Apparel industry championing size inclusivity, with the intention of changing the industry from the inside out. Follow Andrea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeplusequal/ Follow Columbia Sportswear on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/columbia1938/ CNOC Outdoors making our adventures the best possible, simple, enjoyable, fulfilling and sustainable. Go to https://cnocoutdoors.com and be sure to use coupon code 'Hiker Podcast' for 10% off trekking poles. Or use this link: https://cnocoutdoors.com/discount/Hiker%2520Podcast CS Instant Coffee makers of environmentally sustainable and great tasting instant coffee for the trail. Use our affiliate link to get yours and help the show: https://cs-instant-coffee.peachs.co/a/andy-neal . Also use the Promo Code “hikerpodcast” when checking out to be entered in the contest Andy told you about on the end of the show! Big thank you to our Patreon Patron's for supporting The Hiker Podcast. If you'd like to support The Hiker Podcast on Patreon go to https://www.patreon.com/thehikerpodcast. ALL PATREON SUPPORTERS GET AN EXCLUSIVE "HIKING IS FOR EVERYBODY" STICKER! Music licensed by muscbed.com This weeks opening song is “Fearless” by Kat Leon. The Closing music is “Tenderness” by Tony Anderson. You can find both songs and all the music used in The Hiker Podcast Episode on this Spotify Playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lXwaTWf2f0CUnXiogxCLj?si=2c8d274a139d4240 Each week new hiker Andy Neal, takes you along on the trail talking with voices in the outdoor and hiking community finding stories of how hiking has inspired them to grow, create, and better the world and environment around them. A show for those first starting out on the trail and for experienced thru-hikers! Follow Host Andy Neal on Instagram: www.instagram.com/andyfilmsandhikes Email Andy andy@hikerpodcast.com Go to www.hikerpodcast.com for all our social media accounts, email, and all the ways to listen to The Hiker Podcast! Send Andy a Postcard from the trail! The Hiker Podcast 1750 Delta Waters Road STE 102-406 Medford, OR 97504. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hikerpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hikerpodcast/support

Chelsea Jones, what a delight to chat with. Her easy smile and quick laugh arrive before you realize how sharp and creative her mind is. The thread of her life so far has been helping those disadvantaged restoring bodies and minds.  She has big goals, achieves them in what she calls small bits, yet for most people they would be considered long strides. Chelsea is humble in relating her Occupational Therapist work with the Canadian Armed Forces members. I believe the members of our forces deserve all the support we can give them for what they do for us, proud of her for that.   Her photography will take your breath away, as it has many judges. We chat about her systems for reaching her big goals, how she balances her life-work ratio, which is hard when you love both so dearly.  She relates the influences in her life; how she has embraced her path from that. It is a cheery conversation that I think will give you some rich insights that you can use yourself.Chelsea Jones BioChelsea is a diverse woman accomplished in both medical and artistic fields. She is brilliant in both. Having just earned her Ph.D. at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. Now she is a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Leiden University,  Netherlands going deeper into trauma-affected populations and novel interventions. She started and remains working with military and veteran personnel as an Occupational Therapists.  Even her dogs play their part as comfort dogs.  Her artistic expressions earned her PPOC's Master of Photographic Arts (MPA). The crown is the rare award of a Fellow of PPOC with her thesis on Diversity and Inclusion in the Photographic Community. Her images frequently win regional and National salon awards. Chelsea holds 20 Accreditations in diverse photographic genres.  In front of all these accomplishments is a warm, caring woman easy to laugh and smile. Based in Edmonton with her family she has just started her stride to improve our world. She is the chair for PPOC's National Accreditation program, a member of the PPOC National Diversity effort and PPOC-AB's chair for their Inclusion effort Chelsea is the owner and award-winning principal photographer for Vitality Images.  You reach her hereTwitter: @CaffeinecameraWebsite: http://www.vitalityimages.caInstagram: @vitalityimagesphotographyLinkedIn: @chelseajonesOT Some of her articles are here:Articles: : https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2021/06/phd-grad-finds-her-calling-serving-those-who-serve-their-country.html https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2020/09/digital-mental-health-treatment-just-as-effective-as-in-person-therapy-study.htmlStudies referred to in the podcast:https://www.researchprotocols.org/2020/10/e20620/ https://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/9/e22079/  About Mark Laurie - Host.Mark has been transforming how women see themselves, enlarging their sense of sexy, expanding their confidence in an exciting adventure that is transformational photography. His photo studio is inner Spirit Photography.  http://innerspiritphotography.comhttps://www.instagram.com/innerspiritphotography/Sound Production by:Lee Ellis  - myofficemedia@gmail.com

"I used to think this would be a great idea for someone to do but little did I know that someone would be me. I was on maternity leave, my background was in business development therefore I did not see myself in that role. It took almost 8 years between my initial idea and the execution of what I created. " The above statement is the realisation my guest today, Joyce Osei when through from inception of having an idea around writing a book to actual creation and her journey is a great reminder of timing, patience and recognising that we are far more capable than we think. About Joyce Osei Joyce Osei is on a mission to inspire, impact and innovate with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders in Tech. She is a Business Analyst, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate and a published author. With over 15 years of experience in client-facing roles, Joyce has supported Leaders in Tech, Legal, Media, Transport & Logistics and Banking & Finance to create and build inclusive corporate cultures so that their employees can be authentic, fully contribute and thrive. Joyce now works with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders to help them increase diverse representation in the digital content they produce, so they can better engage with their audience and impact the world. Connect with Jocelyn The Book LinkedIn Twitter Some topics we cover in this episode: Feeling free to make mistakes Reframing your experience Leadership creating psychological safety Being the only black person in the whole school Becoming An Author Not letting the lack of knowledge stop you Lessons from Marriage Encouraging Curiosity Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk --- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

"I used to think this would be a great idea for someone to do but little did I know that someone would be me. I was on maternity leave, my background was in business development therefore I did not see myself in that role. It took almost 8 years between my initial idea and the execution of what I created. " The above statement is the realisation my guest today, Joyce Osei when through from inception of  having an idea around writing a book to actual creation and her journey is a great reminder of timing, patience and recognising that we are far more capable than we think. About Joyce Osei Joyce Osei is on a mission to inspire, impact and innovate with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders in Tech. She is a Business Analyst, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate and a published author. With over 15 years of experience in client-facing roles, Joyce has supported Leaders in Tech, Legal, Media, Transport & Logistics and Banking & Finance to create and build inclusive corporate cultures so that their employees can be authentic, fully contribute and thrive. Joyce now works with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders to help them increase diverse representation in the digital content they produce, so they can better engage with their audience and impact the world. Connect with Jocelyn The Book LinkedIn Twitter Some topics we cover in this episode: Feeling free to make mistakes Reframing your experience Leadership creating psychological safety Being the only black person in the whole school Becoming An Author Not letting the lack of knowledge stop you Lessons from Marriage Encouraging Curiosity   Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk  --- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

"I used to think this would be a great idea for someone to do but little did I know that someone would be me. I was on maternity leave, my background was in business development therefore I did not see myself in that role. It took almost 8 years between my initial idea and the execution of what I created. " The above statement is the realisation my guest today, Joyce Osei when through from inception of  having an idea around writing a book to actual creation and her journey is a great reminder of timing, patience and recognising that we are far more capable than we think. About Joyce OseiJoyce Osei is on a mission to inspire, impact and innovate with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders in Tech. She is a Business Analyst, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate and a published author.With over 15 years of experience in client-facing roles, Joyce has supported Leaders in Tech, Legal, Media, Transport & Logistics and Banking & Finance to create and build inclusive corporate cultures so that their employees can be authentic, fully contribute and thrive.Joyce now works with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders to help them increase diverse representation in the digital content they produce, so they can better engage with their audience and impact the world.Connect with JocelynThe BookLinkedInTwitterSome topics we cover in this episode:Feeling free to make mistakesReframing your experienceLeadership creating psychological safetyBeing the only black person in the whole schoolBecoming An AuthorNot letting the lack of knowledge stop youLessons from MarriageEncouraging Curiosity  Connect with meWebsite: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_AgbelusiEmail: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk ---Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed?Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

"I used to think this would be a great idea for someone to do but little did I know that someone would be me. I was on maternity leave, my background was in business development therefore I did not see myself in that role. It took almost 8 years between my initial idea and the execution of what I created. " The above statement is the realisation my guest today, Joyce Osei when through from inception of  having an idea around writing a book to actual creation and her journey is a great reminder of timing, patience and recognising that we are far more capable than we think. About Joyce OseiJoyce Osei is on a mission to inspire, impact and innovate with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders in Tech. She is a Business Analyst, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate and a published author.With over 15 years of experience in client-facing roles, Joyce has supported Leaders in Tech, Legal, Media, Transport & Logistics and Banking & Finance to create and build inclusive corporate cultures so that their employees can be authentic, fully contribute and thrive.Joyce now works with Entrepreneurs and Senior Leaders to help them increase diverse representation in the digital content they produce, so they can better engage with their audience and impact the world.Connect with JocelynThe BookLinkedInTwitterSome topics we cover in this episode:Feeling free to make mistakesReframing your experienceLeadership creating psychological safetyBeing the only black person in the whole schoolBecoming An AuthorNot letting the lack of knowledge stop youLessons from MarriageEncouraging Curiosity  Connect with meWebsite: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_AgbelusiEmail: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk ---Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed?Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

Robyn talks to Sharita Day about leaving the corporate workplace to become a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advocate. Sharita Daya is a purpose-driven Innovator and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocate, Coach, and Advisor. She is passionate about leveraging the power of technology to drive social change and to create an equitable and inclusive society for everyone. Sharita also frequently speaks, writes, and mentors on the subject of DEI and advocates for social change. In 2020, Sharita left the corporate workplace and followed her calling to invest her time intentionally to focus on social change advocacy, which she believes allows her to operate at the intersection of her purpose and her impact. Sharita is committed to actively pursuing work that is close to her heart and her purpose, which is to build an inclusive and equitable world for everyone. Go to robynbaldwin.com/podcast for show notes.

Episode 47 - Parenting- The Great ExperimentJozlyn & Ginger chat with Franki, founder of FAAB Consulting, who brings "Mom Advice you actually want" to the table!  We chat about how "Behavior is Communication", collaborating with your kids, how to help your kids do well in life with 4 basic concepts to parenting & to ask yourself everyday - "How important is the thing I'm asking my kid to do?".  Plus all the usual, everyday Chaos!  Cheers!Hold the Sugar, Pass the Vodka - Jozlyn, Nikki & GingerGuest Info:Franki is the founder & owner of FAAB Consulting (Franki's Academic and Behavioral Consulting), Mom of 3, Educator, Inclusion Advocate, who gives mom advice you actually want.  Guest Links:IG - https://www.instagram.com/faabparenting/FB - https://www.facebook.com/faabfranki Support the Chaos:Virtual Tip Jar -https://paypal.me/KeepingupwithchaosMerch Store -https://teespring.com/stores/keeping-up-with-chaos-podcast Host Info:Jozlyn - former on-air radio personality, now podcaster who is a wife, boy mom, dog mom, loves to workout, drink coffee (& vodka) and reads books in her spare time.Connect with Jozlyn -IG-https://instagram.com/hippy_hot_wingFB - https://facebook.com/hippyhotwing  Nikki - former "barstool thrower" with a real job, girl mom, dog mom, amateur photographer, loves rollercoasters, True Crime Tv & margaritas. Connect with Nikki - IG - https://instagram.com/stone_cold_geminiGinger - aka Ms. Stompy, once a regular guest & guest Co-host, now here to stay, who loves mugs of hot water, red wine, trampolines, bagels & lives in her jeans & Uggs. Pod Links:IG - https://instagram.com/keeping_up_with_chaosFB-https://facebook.com/keepingupwithchaosPinterest - https://pinterst.com/chaoskeepers Website - https://keepingupwithchaos.netEmail - chaoskeepers411@gmail.com Instacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In honour of International Women's Day on 8 March 2021, we have put together this very special feature length episode, featuring not one guest but five!Each guest is a powerful strong woman, that we see as role models and an inspiration to other women in unique ways to each other. We talk to an RAF Sergeant, an Inclusion Advocate, a Mum Influencer, an Entrepreneur and a Psychologist.Each tell us their individual story including topics such as  gender bias and stereotypes and how these can affect our mental health.

Mastering Self-Leadership is the key to success My guest today says: “You are the one and only CEO of your life.” Joining me today is Ela Staniak. Ela is the founder of Feminine Leaders, a Diversity & Inclusion Advocate, an international speaker and 2020 TEDx Speaker. Ela helps help female CEOs, Executives & Business owners [...] The post [Ep 122] Mastering Self-Leadership is the key to success appeared first on The Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast Network.

In today's episode of the mi-brand HQ podcast, I am speaking to - Jennifer Opal Jennifer is a DevOps Engineer at BT Group, Tech, Neurodiversity & Inclusion Advocate and a Multi-Award Winning Blogger & Speaker With no degree, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), Jennifer started her first job in tech as a Software Engineer working in Test Automation after learning to code in March 2019. Now a DevOps (Big Data) Engineer, Jennifer uses her voice to inspire others to learn how to code & contribute to the tech industry no matter where they are in the world. Furthermore, Jennifer launched her own platform during lockdown via JenniferOpal.co where she exclusively shares her blogs and, then, launched ‘The Opal Newsletter' which features her latest blog, information on coding opportunities for others to learn how to code as well as free guides for her subscribers to download and share. Jennifer has gained many nominations and has been named on multiple awards shortlists during her short career and was recently named as a winner of the Tech Women 100 Award. In today's episode, Jennifer will be sharing with us – About her unconventional journey into the world of tech How she was left feeling isolated in an office of 600 people Her highs and lows of embarking on a new career Why it's time for leadership to advocate for zero tolerance to discrimination in the workplace How encouraging inclusion is just as critical as encouraging diversity You can connect with Jennifer on Social media –   Blog: http://jenniferopal.co/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferopal/      Linktree: https://linktr.ee/JenniferOpal The Life Leadership Podcast – with Leila Singh, is all things Coaching, Career & Personal Branding! This podcast is for ambitious career professionals, especially aspiring executives, working in the technology industry, wanting to uncover your real potential, create new possibilities and accelerate your career - to BE DO & HAVE more, whilst redefining your success, in work, relationships, health and much more. Life Leadership: Creating a life and career of choice, fulfilment and new possibilities! As well as discussing common coaching topics and challenges that my clients overcome, I will also explore aspects of career advancement and personal branding in the workplace.  And of course, continue to interview high-achieving leaders and execs in the tech space, who have carved out a successful career in their field, overcome challenges, and are openly willing to share their career journey, learnings and insights with you. Please SUBSCRIBE to this podcast, leave a REVIEW and SHARE with those that may benefit from this content. If you would like to learn more about working with me, Direct Message me on LinkedIn or email me at ⁠⁠⁠hello@leilasingh.com⁠⁠⁠ Connect directly with me here - ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/leila-singh/⁠⁠⁠ Register here to receive your copy of The mi-brand Personal Brand Playbook - ⁠⁠⁠www.leilasingh.com/go/playbook⁠⁠⁠ And check out - >>> This article by https://BestPodcasts.co.uk, who curated a list of the Best Career Podcasts of 2023, offering unique and actionable insights to help you achieve your career goals - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bestpodcasts.co.uk/best-career-podcasts/⁠⁠ with our podcast ‘Life Leadership' featuring in the Top 5! >>> https://blog.Feedspot.com whose editorial team extensively researched and curated a list of the Top 15 Life Leadership Podcasts across all platforms, featuring 'Life Leadership' in the Top 3! With ranking based on factors including - Podcast content quality - Episode consistency - Age of podcast - Engagement & shares of the podcast across social platforms. ⁠⁠15 Best Life Leadership Podcasts You Must Follow in 2023 (feedspot.com)

If you want to support the show go to patreon.com/thamarrahjones and become a patron for $3 per month. Get episodes 3-5 days early, videos of the interviews, and access to the interview schedule to know what guests are coming up next; submit questions or watch live to call into the show and ask questions! -------------------------------------------- In this episode, Thamarrah (she/her) and Susie discuss how the makers of K12 education content are pushing the industry towards more inclusivity by decentering the white experience. Susie Berg (she/her) is a writer, change agent, and co-conspirator for racial justice. Susie is a Senior Digital Solutions Strategist and Global Diversity and Inclusion Advocate at Pearson, the world's learning company, an organization committed to helping change lives through learning. --------------------------- Connect with Susie Berg Social: @SusieDBerg | Website: Susieberg.ca | Email: bergdiversityconsultants@gmail.com ------------------------------ This podcast is recorded using Riverside

Ziena Jalil has had a career of diverse roles where over time she was able to develop her own voice driven by a deep sense of purpose and passion (which you can definitely hear in her voice). With a strong belief in fairness and equality she has learnt through generations of leadership in her family focused on integrity, hard work and respect. As a young woman of migrant descent, a brown woman (as she describes herself) she has been extremely fortunate to have the senior roles that she has lead but always felt she had to work twice as hard to prove herself. With a strong focus on making a difference, changing lives, giving others a voice and creating a meaningful life, her most important life role is that as a role model to her children. She encourages our community to be that person who takes a chance on someone no matter their background or circumstance.

Becky Curran Kekula, International Motivational Speaker, shares her story about being born with dwarfism and being raised by supportive parents who wanted her to experience life to the fullest. Becky talks about why experiencing adversity is not a bad thing and why we need to find more ways to relate than differentiate ourselves. Becky shares her desire to help educate and level the playing field for people with disabilities. Tune in to Rosa's interview with Becky, to hear why it's important to look for ways to embrace resiliency gained from overcoming adversities... You can email Becky at beckymotivates@gmail.com or on the socials @BeckyMotivates or check out her website to connect: http://www.beckymotivates.com/ See what being surrounded by a supportive community can do for you, join our growing community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empowertobloomtribe ***Becky Kekula is a motivational speaker and an advocate for inclusion everywhere! 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 and large corporations. Becky worked for a decade in the entertainment and news media industries and now she works to advance disability inclusion and equality in the corporate world. Becky also happens to be a little person who is proud to identify as part of the disability community. She has spoken at over 200 venues such as companies, government agencies and schools and as far away as Africa! Becky is happy to be sharing her expertise today as we strive to advance disability inclusion worldwide!***

With a big firm background in management consulting and organizational change - and an MA in gender/cultural studies - Femily (aka Emily Howe) advises tech and other male-majority companies, like law and finance to help them advance womxn, foster inclusion of all kinds, and reduce workplace bias.    Femily is also a big advocate for inclusion in general, not only for women, but also for the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and for racial minorities.    She is a speaker, a rebel-boss lady, and future thought leader maker.  You can visit her website here: https://www.femilyonthego.com/  And you can follow her Insta (one of the coolest I've seen yet!), by clicking here: https://www.instagram.com/femilyonthego/    Fuel that Fire!

Annie Parker and Kate Carruthers chatting with interesting women over a drink. This time our guest is Joan Westenberg – award winning Australian PR director, contemporary writer, and creative. Joan is also a staunch advocate for trans inclusion and runs a site called Transgender Inclusion that provides an open source tech focused transgender inclusion policy. We had a great discussion about evolving into an integrated human and overcoming life's challenges to become who you were truly meant to become.More info:https://www.transgenderinclusion.com/https://womenswork.me/

Why is the movie business having trouble representing the world's population on and behind the big screen? A rising share of the U.S. population are black, more than half of the demographic are female – so why is it so difficult to translate this into cinema? Hollywood has found itself red-faced in an era of Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements. From #OscarsSoWhite to criticism of who's behind the films we see, the pressure to change is stacking up. Charmaine Cozier discovers the issues within the industry and what movie bosses prioritise over diversity. But will activists, actors and data be enough to convince big studios that the revolution is here – or will it just be business as usual? Guests: April Reign, Diversity and Inclusion Advocate and creator of the #OscarsSoWhite movement Naomi McDougall-Jones, a film producer, writer and women in film activist Darnell Hunt, Dean of Social Sciences at UCLA and Professor of Sociology in African American Studies. He is co-author of the UCLA Hollywood Diversity report Bonnie Greer, a writer and critic Presenter: Charmaine Cozier/ Producer: Bethan Head (Actor John Boyega raises his fist in protest at a Black Lives Matter march in London, UK (Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas /Getty Images)

Manpreet Dhillon is a diversity and inclusion advocate and founder of Veza Strategy.  In the show today, Manpreet provides a vast knowledge of the D&I space including her thoughts on how leaders in organizations should start a D&I program, what she's learned from consulting for the UN, and what books and articles we should all be reading if we want to learn more on diversity, which include:-        The Diversity and Inclusion Report from Deloitte Insights-        Delivering through Diversity from McKinsey-        The Culture Map by Erin Meyer-        The Harvard Implicit Association TestDiversity Beyond the Checkbox is hosted by Donald Thompson, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and CEO of Walk West in Raleigh North Carolina. For more information including the online course, head over to TheDiversityMovement.com. Podcast production by Earfluence.