My blurred opinion

Winning isn't easy

In her late teens, Nancy's father was diagnosed with leukemia. As someone who witnessed firsthand the devastating emotional and financial impact on both individuals and families that being disabled and filing for benefits can have, Nancy is not just an attorney, but an empathetic presence who understands what claimants are going through. She represents people across the United States in getting their Social Security and Long-Term Disability benefits. Nancy has spent her career working tirelessly on behalf of Americans who have not received fair treatment or promised benefits. In doing so, she has written many consumer-friendly guides to disability, including The Disability Insurance Claim Survival Guide for Professionals and Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits. She is a National Organization of Social Security Claims Representatives (NOSSCR) member. While she has a nationwide practice, she is licensed in Florida and the District of Columbia I had the opportunity to ask Nancy numerous questions regarding Social Security disability, and she was incredibly helpful throughout. Her answers were thorough, and clear, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject. She was patient and attentive, making sure all my concerns were addressed. Nancy's assistance truly made a complex topic much easier to navigate.
Website https://caveylaw.com
Listen to her podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/winning-isnt-easy-long-term-disability-erisa-claims/id1529937679
 

Hi Im Sam

This episode is with Samantha Vanalstyne. She is a disability advocate, author, and a good human overall. She talks about the inspiration for her books, living on her own, being a wheelchair, user, and much more. She was one of those people that caught my eye on TikTok, because she was being so open about her disability, and though she struggles as we all do, she refuses to let anything break her.
 
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=Nfe0GXn51tIJduBL5rM5bV7fyh5FfAZ8fkhiBLczap8
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=7hotO7WyeEQlFHjy4FbPUba59oNvMst94AoS0n5Po0f

Achieving mental health for real

Robert Adelman is a  65-year-old male with ADHD, OCD, severe depression, severe anxiety, and dyslexia. He struggled for 40 years working in the high-pressured Information technology field. Even though it was good money, his x-wife and he didn't have much luck in the financial department. ​In 1991, at the age of 33, was when the severe anxiety attack occurred, and the support system was not there to handle it. So, he checked himself in to a mental hospital in Piscataway, NJ. That started my long road to recovery. After the attack, he  severely depressed and anxious for 6 months. His childhood seemed normal to me, but I now know that he was born with ADHD and anxiety in the form of worry. he found many things scary. Even then he was an analyzer, he analyzed everybody and everything. ​I hope you really enjoy Bob story, because he's an absolute fighter, great person to talk to.
HIs website https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealth

The one and only Miss Jackie

This episode is with someone I met at work, her name is Jacqueline Caesar and she's a very interesting person. When you first get to know her, you immediately know that she is her own individual, and there's no one like her. Take it or leave it she says how she really feels, and for someone like me I absolutely respect that. In the episode, we talk about the stroke she had, and how it has changed life for her. We talk about advocacy, mental health, it's so much more.

There's no hiding the chair

Tima is a guy I met through work. I heard a lot about him through other people, so I figured I'd try to introduce myself, and here he is. He was born in Russia, and he has spina bifida. In the episode, he talked about his condition, maintaining a decent weight, mental health, advocacy, independence, and more. Tima is a very strong individual, and I have so much respect for him as a person and a disability warrior.

You don't need vision to be a visionary.

With 40 years experience in the world of low vision and injury trauma, Bob Williams shares powerful and personal insights with those affected by visual impairments either directly or indirectly. Whether in the public domain or the private sector, Bob advocates for the sight loss community. He also advises and consults with organizations who want to be more inclusive of the visually impaired. Bob is a  survivor of a gun shot injury that caused the loss of his right eye and heavily damaged his left eye, Bob has spent over 40 years living in the half seen world of low vision. His experiences will help inform and connect persons interested and/or inflicted by visual impairment.
His website  https://www.resilientvisionconsulting.com
 

Empower your sobriety

Jennifer shares her powerful story of struggling with alcoholism, the toll it took on her life, and the multiple rehabs she underwent before achieving sobriety. She talks about the turning points in her journey, including a high-speed chase that led to her final wake-up call and a transformative hospital stay. Jennifer’s story highlights the importance of support systems, faith, and the commitment to recovery, offering hope and inspiration to others in similar situations
 
 Her website https://www.jenalaisobercoach.com/

An 8 hour healing journey

Lots of people live as prisoners to their past traumas, but it doesn't have to be that way. Jamie Fleming is a survivor of sexual abuse and was healed from 34 years of childhood sexual trauma in just 8 hours using psychedelic-assisted therapy (Ibogaine & 5MeO DMT). Now, she shares her incredible true life healing story and what it's like to live life without a trauma filter everyday and helps others find healing in their own lives.  We discuss all the she went through as a kid, all the sexual abuse , that led to crippling trauma.   
 
Her website  www.AfterTraumaArt.com

Cutting through tradition

This episode is with Douglas Katz, he's a West Point graduate, disabled Army veteran, and adaptive product innovator on a mission to change lives in the kitchen. With an extensive career spanning the military, telecom, and lending, Doug has brought his problem-solving skills to a new frontier—adaptive technology. Inspired by his personal experiences as a disabled veteran and as a caretaker for an octogenarian, Doug set out to create the NULU knife, an adaptive kitchen tool designed to empower people of all abilities to cook safely and confidently. I really enjoy talking to him because he's got a big heart, and he's found a niche on how to make an impact, and help those who have disabilities.
His website https://linktr.ee/dougkatz
His TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@nuluing
His Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/d.m.katz/
His YouTube channel  https://www.youtube.com/@gnulou
 

Yes, I have a disability, but I'm Kathy

This episode is with Katherine Knight. I met her on Facebook. It was a random day when I was just perusing through random videos when I stumbled upon her. She was so forthcoming and transparent that I instantly loved and respected her just through the videos alone. She was born with Proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), a rare birth defect that affects the upper thigh, bone, or femur. It's also known as congenital femoral deficiency. She is a disability advocate, who doesn't shy away from how she really feels, she talks about the differences in how she was treated because of her disability, and how all that made her feel, and it made her the advocate that she is today.