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Today, Mai Ling sits down for an in-depth discussion about how to get outside investment for your disability-focused ventures with husband-and-wife entrepreneur team, Rich and Brittany Palmer. Leaning…

Today, Mai Ling sits…

Today, Mai Ling sits down for an in-depth discussion about how to get outside investment for your disability-focused ventures with husband-and-wife entrepreneur team, Rich and Brittany Palmer. Leaning into their previous experiences with the startup world and the disability community, they founded Adaptation Ventures, a pioneering pre-seed fund and investor community dedicated to fueling tech Innovation in disability, neurodivergence, and accessibility. Brittany and Rich share their individual stories, what brought their paths together, and how they have joined forces to help founders tap into…

Our hosts kick off this episode with some important tips and information for folks working in the disability community. This is followed by a fascinating discussion between Mai Ling and our guest, Joy…

Our hosts kick off t…

Our hosts kick off this episode with some important tips and information for folks working in the disability community. This is followed by a fascinating discussion between Mai Ling and our guest, Joyce Ko, who joins the show to talk about her experiences as a disabled clinician. Joyce shares her very personal story of a traumatic brain injury as a child and the journey that led her to a career as a speech-language pathologist. She is transparent about the challenges she faced post-injury, both in her educational career and in daily life, but she refused to allow them to hinder her.

Today, James shares a great conversation with Dr. Kirk Adams, PhD, with us on the podcast. Kirk Adams is the founder of Innovative Impact LLC, through which he consults with corporate clients on diver…

Today, James shares …

Today, James shares a great conversation with Dr. Kirk Adams, PhD, with us on the podcast. Kirk Adams is the founder of Innovative Impact LLC, through which he consults with corporate clients on diversity, inclusivity, and equity with a focus on the Employment of people with disabilities. James talks with him about his own experience with blindness, the struggles he faced to enter the workforce, and how that led him to his work of advocacy for employment for people with disabilities.

Our guest for today's episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast is one who undoubtedly exemplifies that label, Dr. Tamer Abou-Elsaad. He is a professor of Phoniatrics at Mansoura University in Mansour…

Our guest for today'…

Our guest for today's episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast is one who undoubtedly exemplifies that label, Dr. Tamer Abou-Elsaad. He is a professor of Phoniatrics at Mansoura University in Mansoura, Egypt. He joins Mai Ling for a conversation to share the story of how he built a medical specialty from nothing in his country. He also talks about why Egyptian insurance covers 12 speech Therapy sessions per month, his efforts to stop unlicensed practitioners from treating patients, and explains exactly what phoniatrics is. And he tells how hearing one lecture put him on a course to make a dif…

Samantha Elandary has worked exclusively with individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's and related disorders since 1999, and for our first episode of 2026, she joins the show to talk with James about he…

Samantha Elandary ha…

Samantha Elandary has worked exclusively with individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's and related disorders since 1999, and for our first episode of 2026, she joins the show to talk with James about her work. She is the founder of the Parkinson Voice Project, and she shares how she built a non-profit from her kitchen table, explains the difference between speaking with intent versus automatic speech, and gives some tips for those who are starting their own disability-focused business.

For our final episode of 2025, Mai Ling and James revisit some of the highlights from the past year of excellent guests. They go over the top takeaways from all of the exceptional leaders who have app…

For our final episod…

For our final episode of 2025, Mai Ling and James revisit some of the highlights from the past year of excellent guests. They go over the top takeaways from all of the exceptional leaders who have appeared on the show to share their expertise and experience with our community. This great retrospective will remind you of all the great info we've heard and perhaps entice you to re-listen to some of your favorite shows from 2025.

James sits in the interviewer chair this episode and talks with speaker and activist, Elizabeth Jenswold. Elizabeth is a global thought leader with executive-level business experience, and she talks a…

James sits in the in…

James sits in the interviewer chair this episode and talks with speaker and activist, Elizabeth Jenswold. Elizabeth is a global thought leader with executive-level business experience, and she talks about her career path from the Jane Goodall Institute to financial services to diversity activism. She also shares how to spot the tasks at which neurodiverse people excel, why employment laws often hurt the ones they’re meant to protect, how sometimes your best business solutions come from the most unexpected places, and how implementation of diversity employment practices might differ from larg…

James sits in the interviewer chair this episode and talks with speaker and activist, Elizabeth Jenswold. Elizabeth is a global thought leader with executive-level business experience, and she talks a…

James sits in the in…

James sits in the interviewer chair this episode and talks with speaker and activist, Elizabeth Jenswold. Elizabeth is a global thought leader with executive-level business experience, and she talks about her career path from the Jane Goodall Institute to financial services to diversity activism. She also shares how to spot the tasks at which neurodiverse people excel, why employment laws often hurt the ones they’re meant to protect, how sometimes your best business solutions come from the most unexpected places, and how implementation of diversity employment practices might differ from larg…

Our guest today, Leila Denna Staiger, is a speech-language pathologist and founder of SLPs Talk Tech. Under Leila’s leadership, this professional community is exploring emerging tech and AI tools an…

Our guest today, Lei…

Our guest today, Leila Denna Staiger, is a speech-language pathologist and founder of SLPs Talk Tech. Under Leila’s leadership, this professional community is exploring emerging tech and AI tools and discovering how to put them to work for clinicians, researchers, and educators. She joins Mai Ling for a conversation to talk about how to build community around emerging technologies, some of the practical uses of AI in healthcare, and the ethics of using AI in private practice.

Our guest for today’s episode is the founder of the Be Perfect Foundation, Hal Hargrave. Mai Ling talks with Hal about the horrific car accident that left him with a spinal cord injury, which then l…

Our guest for today�…

Our guest for today’s episode is the founder of the Be Perfect Foundation, Hal Hargrave. Mai Ling talks with Hal about the horrific car accident that left him with a spinal cord injury, which then led him to the genesis of the foundation. Hal also shares his thoughts on the importance of leaders knowing when they need to pivot, the value of staying positive despite setbacks, and how he also founded a second organization called The Perfect Step where he serves as president, all in an effort to be a support and encouragement to people who are living with paralysis like him. Don’t miss this p…

Mai Ling and James share some fun updates in their lives and leadership journeys at the top of today’s episode. James follows that up with a great conversation with comedian and disability advocate,…

Mai Ling and James s…

Mai Ling and James share some fun updates in their lives and leadership journeys at the top of today’s episode. James follows that up with a great conversation with comedian and disability advocate, Pamela Rae Schuller. Pamela talks about living with Tourette syndrome, her path into the world of comedy, and why humor is so important when talking about disability. She also shares her thoughts on leveraging what makes you different and disclosing what you want when you want about your disability.

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…

Our guest in this ep…

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.