My Blind Summer College Intern Does ‘Live’ Reports on Technology Helping Those with Disabilities
Release Date: 07/18/2024
Creating the Future of Live Theater—Together: Inside the iStage Movement
The Debbie Nigro Show
Live Theater Is Having a Wonderful Resurgence - Wait Till You Hear About Its Next Act! On a recent episode of The Debbie Nigro Show, I caught up with longtime pal, producer and innovator Paul Lambert about an exciting new chapter in entertainment: iStage. What makes iStage so unique? It’s the first community-first approach to building musicals—blending digital engagement with the magic of live performance. Instead of starting with a script and hoping people show up, iStage builds a community around a topic first, then creates a...
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“The Future of Entrepreneurship Is Female, 50+, and AI-Powered”
The Debbie Nigro Show
Kathy McShane is Empowering Women Entrepreneurs 50+ to Embrace the Future On a recent episode of The Debbie Nigro Show, I was thrilled to welcome back longtime friend and unstoppable force in women’s entrepreneurship, Kathy McShane. Kathy is the founder of Ladies Launch with AI, a three-time business founder, and the former head of the U.S. SBA Office of Women’s Business Ownership. These days, she’s on a mission to help women—especially over 50—leverage AI to start and scale businesses faster, smarter, and with more confidence. “AI doesn’t have emotions,” Kathy...
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Ever heard of Shareapy? It's like therapy but with people going through the same thing
The Debbie Nigro Show
As heard on The Debbie Nigro Show Sometimes it really helps to just talk to other caring people about whatever you’re going through. Now there’s a place where you can. I had a talk with Scott Kelsey, the incredibly resilient Founder & CEO of Shareapy—about his groundbreaking wellness platform born from personal tragedy and built to foster connection, healing, and personal growth. After a life-altering fall down a staircase left him with a traumatic brain injury, Scott found himself forced to hit pause—and reflect. "I had to isolate, be in a dark room, and let my brain...
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TREND ALERT: The Rise of the “Halfbacks”
The Debbie Nigro Show
As heard on The Debbie Nigro Show There's a hot new real estate migration trend picking up steam among Northeasterners and former Floridians: they’re becoming “Halfbacks”—people who moved to Florida, found it a little too much (too hot, too humid, too everything), and are now settling halfway back up the East Coast. Their happy medium? Coastal North Carolina. On The Debbie Nigro Show, I got the inside scoop from Jason Faulkner, General Manager of Kingfish Bay Development in Calabash, NC—one of the fastest-growing destinations for these lifestyle-minded movers that's just minutes...
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From Paralyzed Performer to Superhuman CEO: Meet Global Wellness Pioneer Dan Metcalf
The Debbie Nigro Show
This story of mind-blowing resilience is a wake-up call for anyone feeling stuck, sidelined, or afraid to bounce back. On a recent episode of The Debbie Nigro Show, I had the joy of speaking with global wellness pioneer Dan Metcalf—international performer turned brain-injury survivor, Olympic coach, and now CEO of Total Balance Company and Born Superhuman. Hard to believe this superhuman got in touch with me to see if I was interested in uncovering how we could inspire listeners together. Here’s what I read when I opened his blind email to me. Hey Debbie. “I've...
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Lobster Rolls, Lobster Pajamas & Lobster Pop-Ups: Andrea Anthony Is the Queen of Crustacean Cool
The Debbie Nigro Show
If you thought lobster rolls were just food, think again. They're fashion now, too! On The Debbie Nigro Show, Debbie caught up with her “sister from another mother,” Andrea Anthony — the iconic entrepreneur behind Lunch Lobster Roll in Amagansett and Southampton — to talk lobster love, restaurant buzz, and lobster pajamas (yes, really). I try and track the latest trends and surprisingly discovered ‘Lobster Fashion’ was trending? Wow, I was seriously behind the lobster claw curve on this one! Then I searched online to see what I could find out and came upon endless items of...
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Stephen Caldwell Reinvented the Tater Tot – And Fed the Homeless Doing It. A Great Risk It! or Regret It! Comeback Story.
The Debbie Nigro Show
As heard on The Debbie Nigro Show – Wellness Wednesday Edition Move over French fries, there's a new crispy craving in town — and it’s doing more than just satisfying your snack attack. It’s feeding schoolkids, shaking up convenience stores, and making waves nationwide. Meet Stephen Caldwell, founder of , the world’s first patented stuffed shredded potato bite. These aren’t your average tots. Think crispy outside, gooey inside — filled with real Wisconsin cheese, veggies, or meats — all under 60 calories, gluten-free, non-GMO, and made with just five clean ingredients. ...
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Getting Back in the Game! Preventing Pain, Healing Injuries & Staying Active Without Surgery
The Debbie Nigro Show
From The Debbie Nigro Show Podcast Let’s face it—we all want to keep doing the things we love. But one unexpected twist, fall, or awkward step (looking at you, pickleball!) and suddenly we’re dealing with pain that lingers longer than our last relationship. On this episode of The Debbie Nigro Show, Dr. Alan Siegel, co-founder of ProClinix, brings 30+ years of insight on how to recover from injuries, manage chronic pain, and keep your body moving—without relying on surgery or medications. Here are the key takeaways anyone—anywhere—can benefit from: Injury Prevention...
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Shoppers Are Elevating 'Secondhand' Into 1st Position
The Debbie Nigro Show
Thrift Shops & Online Hustles Are Booming On this week’s Trending Tuesday on The Debbie Nigro Show, we talked tariffs, thrift shops, and thriving through turbulence. Whether you’re bargain hunting or business-minded, there’s never been a better time to think secondhand—or second income! According to the 2024 Thrift Industry Report by Savers Value Village 16-18% of Americans shop at thrift stores each year: 12 to 15% shop at consignment or resale stores. Nearly 90% of consumers have shopped or donated at a Thrift Store up from 83% in 2022. It’s The Ultimate...
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Out of Fame and Pain Came Purpose and a Book: A Believer's Perspective
The Debbie Nigro Show
From the Stage to the Soul: Robin Lloyd’s A Believer’s Perspective on Life, Legacy & Faith On the latest episode of The Debbie Nigro Show, I had the real honor of talking with Robin Lloyd—a man whose life journey reads like a Hollywood script… but with a whole lot more heart. Robin started his career as a singer, sharing stages with Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, James Brown, The Supremes, and more. He was part of the legendary Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, toured with iconic names, and was even managed by Shelly Berger (yep, the longtime manager of The Temptations). But...
info_outlineKathleen Masciana is my summer college intern. She’s a sweet and smart college gal with an impressive list of credits.
She insists on calling me Miss Nigro. I keep telling her to call me Debbie.
Kathleen who is blind, aspires to be a radio and podcast talk show host. She posted her first attempt at hosting a talk show on YouTube on ‘BTGS Radio’ on Stationhead.com. 'BTGS Radio' stands for Blind Techie Geek Speaks.
Kathleen’s a self-proclaimed technology geek. That’s what she loves reading about, thinking about, learning about.
So I gave Kathleen an important job to fulfill her internship. I told her to go do research and contribute each week live on my ‘Trending Tuesday’ show, a report on the trending technologies that are helping make life easier and more interesting for those with disabilities.
This way I help her get real time experience on the air and she helps me stay informed and educates my listeners.
Kathleen is also a beta tester for Apple, and she tests pre-release software to see if there are bugs or issues before a software debuts.
“So, what I do for Apple, I test pre-release software before it's out in the public. And I want to make sure all the bugs are out of it. So, the software's untested. And I have to check everything, like what new features are in it. Like, for example, in iOS 17, there was a feature called Personal Voice. There was a feature called Personal Voice that was released back with iOS 17. And now with iOS 18, there's a twist. This feature is now integrated with voiceover and spoken content. Really? Yes. Mainly, Personal Voice is designed for people that are at risk of losing their ability to speak.
For example, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. He had to use a synthesized voice from a computer program. But if this feature was released in his time, he could have created a voice that sounds like him with 15 minutes of training, and you have to read 150 phrases to complete the process. And it takes about one night for everything to process, all the voice recordings that you make.”
Fascinating!
Kathleen uses a Braille computer, an iPhone, an iPad and other devices with voiceover.
She and I communicate by texts which on her end are read out loud to her through a voice over screen reader.
As for her live debut, she did great, however I did tell her I wanted her to sound a little ‘peppier’ when she talks on the air because good energy attracts other good energy!
Her second report on my show was on the latest ‘apps for the deaf’. Because Kathleen videos our audio interviews on ‘her end’ you can hear her doing my show on her own You Tube station.
Hope you feel the good energy of this collaboration in reading this post.
Here’s the podcast of Kathleen Masciana's first live segment reporting in on The Debbie Nigro Show.
The Debbie Nigro Show Airs Weekdays 11-12 Noon EST in the NY/CT area on 1490 WGCH Radio. You can ‘Listen Live’ from anywhere in the world on WGCH.com