At twenty years old, Dan MacQueen was living a healthy, active life in London when his headaches sent him to emergency brain surgery. For four weeks he was in a coma, and recovery has been a long road since 2014 relating how to walk, talk, and smile. Living in Vancouver, today he still suffers from double vision, but has turned his story into inspiration through motivational speaking.

Connect with Dan:

www.macqueendan.com 

https://twitter.com/macqueendan 

https://www.instagram.com/macqueendan/ 

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

John Davis served multiple trips as a combat veteran in Afghanistan. He originally sought out the military looking for adventure and after retiring from service, he thrived in college, including graduating from Harvard. Inspired to help other veterans with transition to civilian life, he authored Combat to College and continues to support veteran advocacy from the Dominican Republic.

Connect with John:

www.johnhdaviswriter.com

https://www.instagram.com/john.h.davis.writer/

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Mark Chartier started showing symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome at age seven, but wasn’t diagnosed until he was seventeen. He graduated high school with a GPA of 1.9, but succeeded in further education and Mr. C. has been a special education teacher for more than fifteen years. In addition to teaching, Mark is a motivational speaker and author. In this episode he shares two poems from his books. 

Mark’s Website: www.teacherwithtourettes.com 

Vance’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a0c3abac 

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Karah Gonstead is a licensed psychotherapist, wife, mom, and business owner. At 16 she begrudgingly went to therapy at her parent’s insistence and found that it was a beautiful place that could be powerful if the connection was right. She had always wanted to help others; her first job out of graduate school was in hospice care. Now she has her own private practice and she’s able to help teenagers and families with various mental health concerns and difficult dynamics. Karah is also a mom of a four-year-old and is working alongside other local community members to open a charter school, with an emphasis on mental health.

Find Karah's Work:

https://genuinewayfamilytherapy.com

https://intentionalgrowthnow.com

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Barb Higgins is a mom of four, two in heaven, who had her youngest child via IVF at age 57 after battling a brain tumor. Her daughter Molly had died suddenly a few years earlier and fitness was a place that Barb always felt okay. She now helps others support grief through athletics, has a blog, hosts the podcast A Thousand Tiny Steps, and raises her 21-year-old daughter Gracie and her infant son Jack with her husband Ken. 

Connect with Barb:

https://athousandtinysteps.com

https://mollybfoundation.org

https://www.facebook.com/barb.higgins.96/

https://www.instagram.com/barb_444/

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Christopher Scott Wyatt is a self described advocate for the disabled community, especially neurodiversity out of necessity. He has physical and neurological differences, is from a lower socioeconomic background, and there weren’t many advocates for people like him. He originally went to school for journalism, has a PhD, and has had the privilege of working in the university setting. When Scott and his wife couldn’t have kids naturally, they fostered two neurodiverse girls and adopted them four years later. 

Follow Scott’s Work:

https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/ 

https://autisticme.libsyn.com/ 

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

John and Mark X. Cronin are the founders of John’s Crazy Socks. John was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth and when his last year of high school was coming to a close, he approached his father about wanting to go into business with him. Through many ideas they landed on what is now the largest sock business with over 4,000 designs. The business has a mission to spread happiness where over half the employees have differing abilities, 5% of earnings go towards the Special Olympics, and the business is always personal. 

Connect with John & Mark:

https://johnscrazysocks.com

https://www.facebook.com/johnscrazysocks/

https://www.instagram.com/johnscrazysocks/

https://www.tiktok.com/@johnscrazysocks

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Lori Sweetman is a life coach, teacher, artist, and mom to two young neurodiverse children. They are a polyamorous non-binary sexually fluid human who strives for inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ people. Lori came out later in life and first struggled to identify as a lesbian and is now helping their community in Northern New Jersey become more inclusive.

Connect with Lori:

https://includelgbtq.com

https://www.facebook.com/includelgbtqconsulting

https://thesequeerstories.com

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

When Emma Haslam discovered she was infertile, seeking IVF treatment in the UK where she lives didn't feel right, it was super expensive and inaccessible based on her BMI and she felt like just a number. Emma successfully had private treatment in Europe and conceived their son after her third round of IVF. She suffered from postnatal depression and on her healing journey started the company Your IVF abroad with her husband Adam to help others to find a safe, best fit fertility clinic and to plan and have treatment in Europe with unbiased support.

Connect with Emma:

https://www.instagram.com/YourIVFabroad/

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/podcast

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/step-by-step-guide-to-having-fertility-treatment-in-europe

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

Andrea Carow started having body image issues at eight years old which snowballed into anxiety and depression. At fourteen she started losing weight by restricting food. When God brought her now husband, Adam, into her life, she had someone who would listen and helped her start recovering. Now she aims to serve and help others with similar struggles with her podcast, Good Vanilla.

Connect with Andrea: https://linktr.ee/andrea_carow

Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast 

Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: [email protected] 

Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com 

Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns 

Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett