Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & Martyn Sibley

Today Mai Ling sits down for a chat with Lydia Dawley, CEO of AAC consultation agency Click. Speak. Connect. Lydia has Mixed Cerebral Palsy, is a wheelchair user, and an AAC user so she brings her unique experiences and perspectives to the table. Listen in as she shares her journey and her passion for helping others with AAC devices reach their fullest potential in communication.

In this episode, Mai Ling and Martyn share a few updates with you and then Martyn sits down with occupational therapy student and disability blogger, Georgia Vine, for a conversation. Georgia shares some experiences with living with cerebral palsy, why she chose to enter the field of occupational therapy, and about her blog, NotSoTerriblePalsy.com. Becoming an Exceptional Leader book: ​https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578736845/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_86QEFbT27QNKK

Communication consultant, Rebecca Okamoto, the self-described “20 word person”, is our guest today. Rebecca works with clients to confidently and clearly market their businesses in as few as 20 words. She worked with both Martyn and Mai Ling to upgrade their LinkedIn profiles and she walks through her process in this interview and explains how vital it is that your profile educates your audience. This is a great conversation that is full of valuable information for every professional regardless of industry.

Today Mai Ling and Martyn share some updates on what has been keeping them busy lately and then they follow that with a wonderful interview with Swathi Chettipally. Mai Ling talks with Swathi about her experiences as a mother of an adult daughter with autism. Swathi shares some very heartfelt stories of the struggles and triumphs their family has faced. She also gives encouragement to other parents of children with challenges. This inspirational conversation is one that you don’t want to miss.

In the featured guest chair on the show this week is disability equality advocate, Shani Dhanda. Shani is the founder of the Diversability Card, a LinkedIn Changemaker, and a #WorkWithMe Ambassador at Virgin Media. Shani chats with Martyn about the spending power in the disability community that some businesses fail to appreciate. She also talks about the value of inclusion and diversity in the workplace and having a level playing field for all job applicants. Don’t miss this energizing and inspiring conversation with this exceptional leader.

This is an exciting episode of the show today! Mai Ling and Martyn announce that the new book, Becoming An Exceptional Leader, is now available on Kindle! Additionally, Mai Ling shares a great conversation with educational specialist Kate Ahern. Kate talks about her personal experience with designing and sharing academically-focused group augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) online classes. You don’t want to miss this information-packed interview.

Ed Warner is our featured Xceptional Leader today. Ed is the CEO and cofounder of Motionspot, a UK-based company offering products for people with disabilities that are designed with both form and function in mind. Martyn talks with Ed about how Motionspot began and how the company got to where it is since the founding in 2012. Ed’s passion for designing equipment that has all the necessary features to make them usable but are also stylish and aesthetically pleasing comes through in this in-depth conversation.

Today’s featured guest is Zakiya Mabery, Founder and CEO of B. Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Planning. Mai Ling chats with Zakiya about the issues that are precisely what her organization specializes in; diversity and inclusion. She also talks about how vital networking has been to her career and the challenges she faces living with multiple disabilities herself. Listen in for this story of perseverance from this inspiring businesswoman and author.

In this jam-packed episode of the show, Mai Ling and Martyn share a conversation between Martyn and co-founder and CEO of the Kaleidoscope Group (Kg), Hardeep Rai. Through the various organizations that make up Kg, Hardeep and his teams offer a variety of services, tools, and resources for entrepreneurs with disabilities or someone who has a startup in the disability sector. Listen in as Hardeep shares some highlights from his story and how Kg can potentially support your business venture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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