Becoming an Exceptional Leader with Michael Zalle
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Release Date: 08/14/2023
FlexTogether: A Telehealth Approach to Pulmonary Rehab with Emily Mischel
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Our guest in this episode is Emily Mischel, Co-Founder & CEO of FlexTogether, a telehealth practice that was “founded to radically expand access to respiratory care.” Emily chats with James about the impetus for the creation of the business, what problems it aims to address, and why they’re so important. She also shares thoughts on approaching the business side of the equation in addition to the healthcare aspect and the value of entrepreneurs pivoting when necessary.
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The Exceptional Leaders Network Spotlight with Mai Ling Chan
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
In this solo episode, our host, Mai Ling Chan, draws on her years of experience in the arena of disability entrepreneurship and gives some tips and practical advice for fellow business owners. Mai Ling shares some in-depth perspectives as she spotlights the Exceptional Leaders Network that she founded. The ELN is a vibrant, growing community of folks who all have a passion for making a difference with their innovative and creative disability-focused businesses. After you listen to this episode, be sure to check out the ELN for yourself here: .
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All About Inclusive Fashion Design with Shay Senior
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
After a fun introduction in which Mai Ling and James bring us up to speed on what’s going on in their careers, James introduces Shay Senior, a social entrepreneur and this episode’s guest. Shay is the CEO and founder of Palta, an inclusive fashion clothing company, and he talks about the personal injury that led to him launch Palta. Shay also shares about working on the Israeli Paralympic team uniforms, the distinction between adaptive fashion and inclusive fashion, and the importance of staying focused on your core business as an entrepreneur.
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Finding Hope and Her Voice After Loss with Vanessa Abraham
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
We’re kicking off the new year with Speech-Language Pathologist, Vanessa Abraham, as our first guest. After Mai Ling and James catch us up with some updates after our short break, Mai Ling sits down with Vanessa to chat about her very personal experience of losing the ability to speak and her journey to regain it. Vanessa shares details about this traumatic experience in this vulnerable conversation and her desire to use that experience to help others who can benefit from what she learned from it. Her full story is chronicled in her book, Speechless, and she talks about the process of...
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2024: Recapping a Year of Exceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
In this final episode of the year, our hosts Mai Ling and James, recap some highlights from the show in 2024. They list some of the top takeaways from our lineup of incredible guests over the past year. Our hosts also recount a few of their own achievements and milestones this year. Join us for this brief retrospective as we look forward to 2025.
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Combatting Ableism through the Disability Culture Lab with Meier Galblum Haigh
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
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 and narrative lab building communications infrastructure by and for the disability community. Mai Ling speaks with Meier about defining ableism, what sets the Disability Culture Lab apart from other organizations, and combatting ableism in all forms, from institutional barriers to internalized discrimination.
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Cutting-Edge Epilepsy Research and Treatment with Mark Cook
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
James is flying solo in this episode while Mai Ling is traveling and he brings us a fascinating conversation with our guest, Professor Mark Cook, a Melbourne-based Consultant Neurologist who specializes in the treatment of epilepsy. James talks with Mark about what prompted his desire to work in epilepsy research specifically, the impact that epilepsy has on a person’s life, the effects of MRI technology in epilepsy treatment, and the value of getting involved with people outside your specialty. This interview is jam-packed with interesting information and valuable takeaways for your own...
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Gender-Affirming Voice and SLP Specialties with Ruchi Kapila
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
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 to talk about gender-affirming voice services. In this conversation, Ruchi defines gender-affirming voice care, shares thoughts on when it is ok to consider oneself a leader, and explains what the Trans Voice Initiative is and the work it undertakes.
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Stuttering AI-Gaming Magic with Erich Reiter
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Today, we are happy to share a fascinating conversation with speech recognition scientist, speech and language pathologist, and CEO of Say It Labs, Erich Reiter. James chats with Erich about the founding of Say It Labs, a company that develops speech recognition-based video games designed for people with speech disorders. They also talk about how AI integration into these video games is such a huge benefit for both SLPs and those using the games, as well as some of the science behind the causes of stuttering and why it’s important to understand. Join us for this deep dive, info-packed...
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Matching People with Disabilities and Employers with John Robinson
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Our Ability’s President and CEO, John Robinson, joins Mai Ling on today’s episode to discuss some important issues for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). John talks about his advocacy for people with disabilities in the workforce, how Our Ability is attacking the problem of matching job seekers with employers, how ableist language has affected job listings, and why the trend toward remote work is a good sign.
info_outlineMai 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 to share about when it might be advantageous to disclose a disability to potential investors. He also talks about embracing your own story and using it to your advantage and he also shares some thoughts on the role of authenticity in business. This is a value-packed episode!