No Barriers

Dr. Michael Kuchar is the Superintendent of the South Bergen Jointure Commission, a New Jersey public school district whose mission is to dramatically increase the independence of individuals with extraordinary challenges.With a combined twenty-five years of experience as a school district administrator, Dr. Kuchar has served as the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Bergenfield School District; the Superintendent of the Bergenfield Public School District for 11 years; the Bergenfield High School Principal; Bergenfield Director of Guidance/Testing; and the High School Principal at Dobbs Ferry in Westchester County, an International Baccalaureate School. He was an associate professor of education at Seton Hall University in the doctoral program of Education, Leadership, Management, and Policy and still serves as a doctoral mentor/lecturer. He is the immediate past-president of the New Jersey Association of Superintendents (NJASA) and the Chair of the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools. In 2017, the College Board recognized his commitment to education with the Bernard P. Ireland Recognition Award. And in 2020, the NJASA recognized his administrative achievements with the 2020 Distinguished Service Award.Dr. Kuchar holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Fordham University, an Ed.M. in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. from Seton Hall University.Resources:Learn more about SBJCThe SBJC Restart & Recovery Plan

In his quest for contentment, Christian Leeby dedicated his life to yoga. After studying with the world’s greatest masters and teaching full time for over 25 years, he finally attained the lofty goal of “stilling the mind”. But it didn’t work. When life got hard, as it does for everyone, and he couldn’t escape to practice the yoga he loved, he fell apart. For two years all he focused on was trying to stay above water in an ocean of anxiety. Then everything changed when he found ancient knowledge from the Vedas that explained his exact situation. Contentment doesn’t come from making the mind still and feeling good for short moments. It comes from using the mind to transform its negative habits and empower our positive life vision. He created a Mindset practice that he did every day, and saw his whole life transform. Christian currently guides others in creating their own Mindset practices in his immersion course Calm To The Core. Resources:To get more information about how you can create your own Mindset Mastery Practice, visit Christian’s website at https://www.christianleeby.com/Join his private Facebook™ groupDownload his free PDF here. Check out Christian's eBook: Own Your Mind, Love Your Life What is Iyengar Yoga?An Introduction to The Vedas  

Christine Ha lost her vision over the course of a few years in her early twenties due to a neurological condition called neuromyelitis optica, which affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. Hosts, Jeff and Erik, speak with Christine about the challenges she faces as a blind Chef, and through their conversation, they discover that her tenacity and strength has been a mainstay of her personality since childhood. Christine’s resume is impressive: she is the first-ever blind contestant and season 3 winner of the competitive amateur cooking television show “MasterChef” with Gordon Ramsay. She defeated over 30,000 home cooks across America to secure the coveted MasterChef title, a $250,000 cash prize, and a cookbook deal.She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the nationally acclaimed Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, where she served as Fiction Editor for Gulf Coast literary journal, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working on her memoir and second cookbook. Christine’s first cookbook, Recipes From My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food, was a New York Times best-seller. She has been featured on NPR, the BBC, and CNN International, and travels around the globe to give keynote addresses and TEDx talks. Christine has also spoken about disability advocacy at the United Nations and served as a culinary envoy overseas for the American Embassy as part of cultural diplomacy programs in Jordan, Serbia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, and Croatia. She was a co-host on the Canadian cooking show “Four Senses” and a judge on “MasterChef” Vietnam. Christine received the 2014 Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, a recognition formerly bestowed upon Ray Charles, Patty Duke, and Stevie Wonder among others. Christine’s first restaurant, The Blind Goat, is now open in Houston.Resources: theblindcook.comFacebook: facebook.com/theblindcook Twitter: @theblindcook Instagram: @theblindcookYoutube:  YouTube.com/ChristineHaTube

Greg Brenneman speaks to Erik and Dave about balancing work and life in the time of COVID on this latest episode. His lengthy business resume and acumen have positioned Greg as an authority on how to succeed in the corporate world, but he is also a believer in spending equal time investing in family and giving back to the community. With his unique lens, Greg offers wisdom in the form of what he calls "the five F's" and other strategies to prosper in both life and the workplace. Greg is Executive Chairman of CCMP and a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee. Greg plays an active leadership role in executing the Firm’s overall strategy while remaining actively engaged in completing transactions, developing strategies, and coaching the senior management of CCMP’s portfolio companies.Prior to joining CCMP in October 2008, he served as Chairman, CEO, President, and/or COO of Quiznos Sub, Burger King, PwC Consulting, and Continental Airlines. In 1994 Greg founded Turnworks, Inc. (“Turnworks”), his personal investment firm that focuses on corporate turnarounds. Prior to founding Turnworks, Greg was a Vice President for Bain & Company. Greg currently serves on the board of directors of Eating Recovery Center, Hayward, PQ Corporation, BGIS, Baker Hughes, Baylor College of Medicine, and The Home Depot, Inc.Greg is also an Emmy Award winner and the author of Right Away & All At Once, Five Steps To Transform Your Business and Enrich Your Life. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting/Finance, summa cum laude, from Washburn University of Topeka, Kansas, and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Washburn University.Resources:Download or Purchase Greg's book Today: Right Away & All At Once, Five Steps to Transform Your Business and Enrich Your LifeExplore the No Barriers Leadership Program 

A continuation of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we speak to Heather Zoccali. Heather hails from Kentucky and has made Colorado her home since 2002. Heather taught dance in public schools but personal tragedies in her life led her in a new direction. Heather found that caregivers were often a forgotten part of the rehabilitation and recovery process and needed opportunities to practice self-care. With that in mind, she founded The Arch Foundation in 2017, to help bridge that gap and provide caregivers with resources. She has since been honored as a Colorado State University Hometown Hero, as Rookie of the Year for Volunteer Disaster Aid Work with The American Red Cross, and received a Tribute from the State of CO for her pioneering work for Family Caregivers. Heather firmly believes in the notion that a broken spirit grows back stronger in the face of tremendous life challenges and lives her life accordingly.Heather’s core beliefs are rooted in choices we are all capable of making: the choice to forgive; the choice to find magic in the world, especially at times when it seems near-impossible; and last but surely not least, the choice to be happy and find within yourself a resilience that we all possess. She continues to live in Fort Collins, CO with her husband Matt and her two sons, Connor & Max as well and now her mother ‘Nana.’Additional Resources:https://themighty.com/2020/01/becoming-caregiver-after-spinal-cord-injury/No Barriers Caregiver ProgramNo Barriers Caregiver ResourcesNo Barriers Caregivers Facebook Group (Private)AARPElizabeth Dole FoundationNational Caregiver AllianceAging and Disability Resources Centers

When Dr. Andres Maldonado started experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, he resisted heading to the hospital. As his condition worsened, his friends and family urged him to seek help. So, after 9 days he was tested and it was positive. He was rushed to the ER and soon, the ICU. His stoicism quickly diminished when he was bed-bound and was placed on a high-flow nasal cannula to force oxygen into his lungs. For days, he struggled to breathe and was close to intubation. For a week Andres was helped by nurses and doctors (normally his coworkers) and was forced to adjust from the role of caregiver to being a patient. He fought to stay alive and was buoyed by the support of his parents, his brother, his girlfriend, and his large network of friends; many of whom sent him messages via social media. Finally, with new medication and all treatment options deployed, his lungs cleared enough to be discharged. We speak with Andres about his commitment to medicine, the strength of his Rope Team, and the importance of empathy for his patients his experience has brought him. Resources:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/opinion/sunday/young-doctor-coronavirus.htmlVisit our Show Page at https://nobarriersusa.org/podcast/Learn more about No Barriers: https://nobarriersusa.org/ 

Continuing with our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we interview Sofija Korać, a senior human rights adviser at the United States Mission to the UN covering a range of issues including the human rights of persons with disabilities. She previously worked on human rights issues for the bureau of democracy, human rights, and labor at the State Department. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Sofija and her family immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. Sofija started her career off working on disability rights in the Balkans both with the United Nations and civil society during the time when Serbia and others in the region ratified the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD). Sofija is fluent in five languages including her native Serbian and English, an avid theatre-goer, and theatre director on the side.  Sofija also grew up playing a variety of adaptive sports including wheelchair basketball, track and field, swimming, weightlifting, and currently does adaptive rowing. Sofija has a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and Spanish from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Arts in international law from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.Resources:Learn more about the ADALearn more about No Barriers Sofija Korac's Article on Removing Barriers: https://statemag.state.gov/2020/07/0720feat02/  

Around the time when lockdowns were becoming a reality for most of the U.S., our hosts had the opportunity to slow down and catch up with world-renowned athlete and long-distance runner, Joseph Gray. Living in Colorado, Joseph was enjoying time with his family and took some time out of his training schedule to chat with our No Barriers Team. As part of our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential),  we are excited to share his episode and story. It is definitely one to inspire. Joseph Gray is a 36-year-old American world champion runner who competes mostly in trail, mountain, and snowshoe races. The 31-time USA National team member hails from the Pacific Northwest and now splits his time training in Colorado Springs, CO, and Tacoma, WA. His achievements are far too numerous to list out but to name a few: he is a 2-time World Mountain Running Champion (most recently won in 2019), he is the first African American to win the USA Mountain Running National Championship and also the first African American to make the USA World Mountain Running Team. Additionally, he is the first athlete to win the North American, Central American,and Caribbean Championships in Cross Country and Mountain Running.  A few notable Colorado achievements include completing the Manitou Incline in 17 mins and 45 seconds. and is a three-time winner of the Pike’s Peak Ascent. Joseph continues to be a mainstay atop the podium worldwide and strives to see and inspire more diversity in the running world and actively mentors young Black runners in his community. From Joseph:  “I try my hardest to do my part by being an example of what hard work can do in terms of the opportunities this sport has given me and the notion that no matter your upbringing you too can be a National or even World Champion if you work for it.”Follow Joseph: Twitter and IG @joegeeziFacebook.com/journeyofjoegeezi#ProjectInspireDiversity #journeyofjoegeeziCheck out more No Barriers Stories on our show page: https://nobarriersusa.org/podcast/Check out this other interview with Joseph: https://www.5280.com/2019/10/joseph-gray-wants-to-see-more-diversity-in-the-mountains/ 

Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, she has received the Helen Keller Achievement Award and secured a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016. Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation and travels the world teaching the benefits of choosing inclusion. Her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, is a captivating read. A review from O Magazine states "This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit.”Learn more about Haben here: https://habengirma.com/Watch her TED TalkCheck out her appearance on the Today ShowPurchase or learn more about her bookFollow Haben on Facebook, Twitter, or InstagramVisit our No Barriers Show Page for Transcripts and more 

Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, she has received the Helen Keller Achievement Award and secured a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016. Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation and travels the world teaching the benefits of choosing inclusion. Her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, is a captivating read. A review from O Magazine states "This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit.”Learn more about Haben here: https://habengirma.com/Watch her TED TalkCheck out her appearance on the Today ShowPurchase or learn more about her bookFollow Haben on Facebook, Twitter, or InstagramVisit our No Barriers Show Page for Transcripts and more