Advocacy Episodes

Dec. 2, 2024

Combatting Ableism through the Disability Culture Lab with Meier Galb…

In our final interview for 2024, Meier Galblum Haigh joins the show today to talk about changing the conversation and perceptions around disability. Meier is the founding Executive Director of the Disability Culture Lab, a nonprofit disability media...

Episode page
Nov. 4, 2024

Gender-Affirming Voice and SLP Specialties with Ruchi Kapila

Mai Ling and James kick off the episode talking about some recent family and cultural moments that Mai Ling experienced. Then Mai Ling introduces our guest for this episode, SLP, vocologist, and Kapila Voice and Speech Services CEO, Ruchi Kapila …

Episode page
July 29, 2024

ADA Compliance and Accessibility with Peter Fischer

Mai Ling has an insightful conversation with Peter Fischer, the Accessibility Compliance Guru at Arizona State University in today’s episode. As the owner of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) consulting firm for almost 20 years, Peter was the...

Episode page
April 22, 2024

Resilient Leadership and AAC Advocacy with Kim Vuong

Oanh "Kim" Vuong is our guest for today’s episode. As a person with cerebral palsy and an AAC user who is an active advocate, she offers a unique and valuable perspective on disability leadership. Mai Ling chats with Kim about …

Episode page
March 11, 2024

Accessibility in Space with Anna Voelker

In this episode, Mai Ling is joined by guest Anna Voelker, founder and Executive Director of SciAccess, Inc. SciAccess is an international nonprofit that promotes disability inclusion in STEM education, outreach, and research and Anna speaks with Mai...

Episode page
Feb. 26, 2024

Making an Impact through Fiction with Carol Van Den Hende

Our guest today is speaker and award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende. She talks with Mai Ling about her novels which are helping both people with disabilities and their loved ones. These fictional stories draw from Carol’s Chinese American...

Episode page
Feb. 12, 2024

The Intersection of ADHD, Women, and Asian Culture with Kim To

Certified ADHD Coach, public speaker, and entrepreneur, Kim To, joins Mai Ling Chan on this episode to share her thoughts and experiences with ADHD. Kim talks about the journey to her diagnosis and why she moved into coaching others with …

Episode page
Jan. 29, 2024

De-Stigmatizing Stuttering & Business Growth Tips with Maya Chupkov

Today’s guest on the podcast is fellow podcaster, Maya Chupkov. Maya is the Executive Director, Producer and Host of Proud Stutter, an award winning and multi-nominated podcast and advocacy nonprofit organization that is de-stigmatizing stuttering...

Episode page
Jan. 15, 2024

Building Bridges through Broadcast Media with Zach Damon

Our guest for the very first episode of 2024 is award-winning professional actor, voice actor, and broadcaster Zach Damon. We’re thrilled to kick off the new year talking to Zach about his advocacy work in the disability space using his …

Episode page
Dec. 4, 2023

The Best of 2023 Disability Leadership with Mai Ling Chan & James Ber…

Don’t miss the final episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast for 2023! Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some valuable information as they look back over this past year. They talk about the strides that were made in the …

Episode page
Oct. 23, 2023

AAC and the Journey to Ms. Wheelchair Arizona with Brooke Brown

James and Mai Ling kick off the episode with some updates and top takeaways from the conversation with today’s guest. AAC user and disability advocate Brooke Brown speaks with Mai Ling about her experience as Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2022 and …

Episode page
Oct. 9, 2023

Valuable Resources for Disability Entrepreneurs with Nikki Powis

Mai Ling chats with Nikki Powis about some fantastic resources for disability entrepreneurs in today’s episode. Nikki is the Director of the National Disability Institute and she shares how she started at NDI and some of the top challenges for...

Episode page
Sept. 11, 2023

Observing Without Eyesight with Dr. Mona Minkara

Dr. Mona Minkara chats with James in today’s episode about how to use other senses beyond eyesight to observe scientifically. Mona is a blind assistant professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University and a travel vlogger who lives by the...

Episode page
Aug. 14, 2023

Becoming an Exceptional Leader with Michael Zalle

Mai Ling sits down with founder and CEO of YellowBird, Michael Zalle, to talk about being a successful leader as a person with a disability. As a veteran tech entrepreneur, Michael pulls from his extensive experience in the business world …

Episode page
July 3, 2023

DEI in Film Production & Scaling Your Business with Koura Linda

Mai Ling starts off this solo-hosted episode with an update about our new episode collections that make it easy to do a deep dive into a specific topic. Then she brings founder and CEO of Space Dream Productions, Koura Linda, …

Episode page