Hello Everyone,

This month I am proud to introduce Nathan Shipley to the show. This interview is more of an authentic conversation between people with unique types of Cerebral Palsy. Where we make each other laugh and have a valuable and relatable conversation. 

This was such an eye-opening interview because Nathan was born with Cerebral  Palsy Spastic Quadriplegia. In this interview we learn what life was like for Nathan when he was in elementary and high school. Back then accessibility was not a high priority which made it harder for the diverse community. It is cool to see how  society has adapted to include more nowadays, in such ways of making universal design part of the standards. Hiring people with multi talents and engineers to point out potential barriers to all  types of people. We also talked about barriers, success and accommodations required for Nathan to graduate secondary school with a dogwood living with what must be a dark feeling to have that type of diverse need and feel and need to be very reliable on others to live your life to its fullest potential. Happy listening and I hope you all enjoy this fascinating episode with Nathan Founder of Rolling With Nathan. Congratulations Nathan.

I would like to say thank to all my Meeting Mighty People Podcast listeners for their support and patience.

About this MMP Pro D Day course!

This month myself and Marco Pasqua, founder of Marco Pasqua Enterprises and Meaningful Access Consulting were invited to host a Professional Development Day teaching all staff about the journey’s people with disabilities undergo inside and out. In this presentation me and Marco outlined the meaningful importance of having equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and dignity as part of the person’s life journey even though they may have a diverse ability which sometimes makes us adapt we are still beautifully talented on the inside weather or not we are able to perform daily living skills without assistance.

This particular episode speaks to the importance of an acronym I D E A Inclusion, Equity,  Diversity, and Accessibility.

Enjoy the show. 

Meet Brittny Anderson,  Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Nelson/Creston, and Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility and  MLA of Chilliwack, Dan Coulter.  This was an exciting episode because it gave me a glimpse into politics and understanding laws, both old and new, around disability rights, accessibility and funding models. 

Here is the amazing story: One day, I was really fed up with the way people with disabilities and funding models were being distributed. So I decided to write a letter to Brittny Anderson and we eventually met in Creston at the farmer's market July 2022. In the discussion I got more information on the new funding model that is in the works. I then invited her onto my podcast so that she could talk about this new funding model and other new laws around accessibility so that other can learn about it. Brittny thought it was a good idea and invited Dan Coulter, who also has a disability, to the interview. Having first-hand experience living with a disability, Dan is passionate about creating an accessible province. This was a great interview, and I so pleased with how this interview turned out because it allowed me to give Brittny and Dan my perspective on living with Cerebral Palsy in a small community. I am hopeful that I will get to work with them in some capacity in the future.

Dear Meeting Mighty People Audience,

Yesterday, I had the honorable pleasure of sharing my perspective on being a person living with diverse needs with all the teachers and staff of School District 8.

Being the student chosen to participate  in presenting my perspective on being a person with diverse needs in the general community and in school made me feel important, meaningful,  valued, heard,  and proud of my  team who supported me in  this particular part of my personal journey.It means lot to be able to share my life experiences with you all.

Thank you all for joining me in this part of my journey.

Alexis Folk 

Ever wonder what it's like having a sibling with diverse needs? In this episode, Marina Pasqua talks about her experience growing up with her little brother, Marco, who was born with Cerebral Palsy. If not learn more in this interview. Which is amazing! I will leave off there and my guest Marina speak to the rest as well as share her own personal story and experience.  

Noor Shaker is a 14-year-old teenager with cerebral palsy living in Port Coquitlam, BC, who decided she wanted to make a difference with how people with disabilities live an everyday life. She is a part of the StrongerBC Young Leaders Council, which has given her opportunities to talk to other youths who also want to create a better world for young people living in British Columbia. In June of this year, she was interviewed by Alexis to discuss accessibility issues and how making a difference, even a small one, is important. In this interview, she shares her experience with talking to Premier John Horgan, as well as how education needs to change to include more accessibility.

Blind Beginnings is a Vancouver-based organization that is dedicated to supporting children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families. The organization was founded in 2008 by Shawn Marsolais and has grown into a successful nonprofit in 14 years. Blind Beginnings offers a variety of programs including a youth leadership program, building confidence program and a fashion show. On a related note, this is a timely interview for me because I recently found out that I have low vision and was very interested in hearing about Shawn's journey with visual impairment.

Apart from working at Blind Beginnings, Shawn is also a mom, a trained counselor and a former Paralympian. Join us in learning all about Shawn and how she created a successful organization. 

Meet Alexis Folk, host of the popular Meeting Mighty People Podcast. In this interview, you will hear all about the founder of this MMP show, how the show has opened her perspective on living life with Cerebral Palsy and what she has learned from almost two years of podcasting. 

Alexis notes that she has seen so many people open up after being interviewed on her show, and they say "Alexis you have made such a big difference to my life." This is important because people with disabilities need to feel like they are making a difference to the lives of others. Sometimes, people with disabilities can be underestimated because all that is seen is their disability. Alexis points out that everyone comes with gifts and abilities and this is what she focuses on in her show.

 This is a very special episode that provides a glimpse into Alexis's life.  

Hello Meeting Mighty People Fans!

Today we are honored to share my last interview with you, Melissa Lyon!

The part I enjoyed most about having Melissa on the show was that I got to hear her Mighty excellent story about her jobs, challenges and the fact that she had some similar challenges and passions!

I also enjoyed hearing her thoughts on  accessibility in the BC universities.

I  really appreciated her being vulnerable about her accessibility journey during her university term to become a Special Education teacher with Cerebral Palsy & Epilepsy Thank you for sharing your inspiring school experience Melissa.

Dear Meeting Mighty People Fans!

As of today I’m excited  to announce that I have accomplished a BIG dream of mine, which was  to interview someone on my Meeting Mighty People Podcast every month. 

In this Meeting Mighty People Podcast with inspirational Lexi Czar, I learned about the steps to becoming my own better ally. I really learned about how Lyme disease works! Thank you to my interviewee Lexi! I also liked learning about what her thoughts were on what makes a fabulous ally or support worker! Honestly her thoughts are very similar to mine.

Please join me to listen to Lexi Czar’s wonderfully courageous and educational Meeting Mighty People Podcast!