Episode 17 - Self Advocate Megan DeJarnett

Today we are joined by our friend, Megan DeJarnett. Megan is the founder of No Such Thing, a company with a mission to help others redefine purpose by removing defining labels. As an author, she is currently producing a series of children’s books including No Such Thing as Normal.

Megan was diagnosed at the age of 2 with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). With a tremendous faith in God and the love and support of her family, Megan lives life determined to experience life to the fullest and choose joy over despair.

In addition to being an author, Megan is a speaker, a wife, a mother and was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Tennessee.

Self AdvocateMichelle SullivanMarch 3, 2021Advocacy, inclusionComment

Episode 16 - Living and Learning While Raising a Person with Down Syndrome with Liz Plachta and Kelle Hampton

On today’s show Liz Plachta, founder of Ruby’s Rainbow, interviews Kelle Hampton, author of New York Time bestseller Bloom: Finding Beauty In the Unexpected and fellow Vice President of Ruby’s Rainbow. They share the touching stories of their experiences on the road together, the transition from surviving as a parent to a child with a disability to advocating in their everyday lives, and they discuss profound simple realities of the small steps they took toward making a difference in their lives, that then effected others in positive and beautiful ways.

Michelle SullivanFebruary 23, 2021Advocacy, inclusion, Down SyndromeComment

Episode 15 - The Need for Grief and Self Care with Tameka Diaz

Our friend Tameka Diaz spends some time with us on the show sharing about her experiences with grief and how important it is to develop a self regiment. She goes into detail about a never before shared experience in her own life that stopped her in her tracks before things could have gone terribly wrong. Tameka’s conversation is filled with grace and space for those who've hit rock bottom and need that empathy to cry, scream, and shout out the hurt. And, there’s hope on the other side.

Michelle SullivanFebruary 17, 2021Advocacy, inclusion, SLP, Therapy, Occupational Therapy, OkanaganComment

Episode 14 - Naturalistic and Relational SLP Therapy with Sarah Dhooge

Today on the show, Sarah Dhooge shares with us about her experience as an SLP and her unique approach to her clients, industry in B.C., and how it effects her day to day life with her 3 boys. Sarah is a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in naturalistic developmental interventions to help support the communication development of children with speech and language delays. Currently living in the Okanagan Valley with her Craft Beer enthusiast husband, Sarah is a mother to three boys and a retired-therapy dog named Bear.

Michelle SullivanFebruary 10, 2021Advocacy, inclusion, SLP, Therapy, Occupational Therapy, OkanaganComment

Episode 13 - Beyond Kindness and Inclusive Storytelling with Amy Webb

Amy Webb joins the podcast today and spends some time sharing her journey toward speaking up for inclusion for her daughter "Lamp" (Not her real name) who was born with a condition called microgastria and limb reduction complex. In addition, we revisit some blog content she previously wrote as a way to look at what's changed in her life and how we can observe that as a mirror to see our own prejudice and we talk about the practice of anti-ableism by looking at the work accomplished in advocating against racism.

Michelle SullivanFebruary 3, 2021Advocacy, inclusion, books, ableismComment

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