What if the label you see first is blinding you to the person who could change your team, your school, or your city? That question drives a candid conversation with Angela Calzone, president and CEO of Inroads to Opportunities, a New Jersey nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. Together, we unpack how person-first thinking turns inclusion from a slogan into a system: vocational training, life enrichment, and mental health supports that meet people where they are—age 14 through retirement.

Angela’s journey—from serial entrepreneur and turnaround consultant to mission-driven leader—offers a timely blueprint for teens and early-career listeners anxious about “choosing one path.” Skills like strategy, marketing, and leadership don’t evaporate when you switch lanes; they compound. She shares how those tools now fuel accessible programming, stronger organizations, and community partnerships. Along the way, we confront the quiet costs of exclusion: lost ideas, weaker culture, and missed productivity when workplaces overlook disabled talent. With real stories and practical insight, we highlight why many disabled employees bring extraordinary loyalty, focus, and perspective when barriers come down.

We also explore the human side of inclusion: respect, humor, boundaries, and the patience that grows when you adapt teaching and communication. That patience doesn’t just help the learner—it reworks the teacher, manager, and teammate into better listeners and clearer thinkers. We imagine what changes when schools normalize collaboration across difference and when employers design roles with flexibility and accessibility. Fewer assumptions, richer dialogue, and a culture that sees ability before label.

Ready to reframe how you see difference—and how you show up at work and in life? Press play, then share this conversation with a friend or colleague. If it resonates, subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us one inclusive change you’ll make this week.

🔗 Connect with Angela Calzone:

https://www.inroadsto.org/

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