No Barriers

Who are Youth Caregivers? Caregiving youths are children and adolescents who are 18 years of age or younger and who provide significant or substantial assistance, often on a regular basis, to relatives or household members who need help because of physical or mental illness, disability, frailty associated with aging, substance misuse, or other condition.Connie Siskowski’s broad background in healthcare and dedication to diminishing caregiver struggles led to the establishment of the American Association for Caregiving Youth (AACY), headquartered in Boca Raton, FL. AACY integrates healthcare, education, and the community to provide a strong foundation for the youth and their families.Connie authored the book, I’m a Teen Caregiver. Now What?  She has received many awards including the lifetime Ashoka Fellowship, Purpose Prize, Distinguished Alumna Award from Johns Hopkins University, and Top Ten CNN Hero for 2012. Connie is now on the faculty of the national Family RAISE Caregiving Council to give caregiving youth a voice.Resources: NY Time Article: Supporting Children who Serve as Caregivers American Association of Caregiving YouthAACY VideosCNN Hero: Connie Siskowski

In 2014, Jill was a Phys Ed teacher in Europe when she was hit in the head by a rogue baseball during class. The severity of the blow resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a 70% vision loss. In addition to the physical wounds, it left Jill in a deep state of despair. After 26 months in 7 hospitals in 3 countries, she was finally on the road to physically recover but still felt emotionally lost. Inspired by the mountain view from her hospital bed, she formed a goal: to run trails on mountains all around the world - a challenge to her broken body and the return to independence that she craved.

An educator for over twenty years, Lisa Yokana is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) coordinator at Scarsdale High School, where she designed and teaches a three-level STEAM course sequence for Scarsdale’s Design Lab.  In 2019, the program won the gold medal in the STEAMEX international contest for innovative curriculum design. Lisa works with teachers across the disciplines to integrate Design Thinking and Making into their curriculum. She was a Coach for IDEO’s Teachers Guild, is an author of curriculum for outside organizations including the U.S. History Advanced Placement course, and co-instructs Project Zero/Harvard Graduate School of Education’s online class: Thinking and Learning in the Maker Centered Classroom. She leads Innovation Education, Design Thinking and Maker workshops and presents at conferences, encouraging educators to shift their practice.  Lisa earned her BA in Studio Art and French Literature from Williams College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and her Master's Degree in Art History from Columbia University. She also has a degree in building and district level administration from Stony Brook University. Resources:Follow Lisa on Twitter: @lyokana59Check out her Blog: http://innovated2x.blogspot.com/How I Built This PodcastThe No Barriers Global Impact Challenge Winners: Scarsdale High SchoolNo Barriers Education Resources

Michael O'Toole has been immersed in education and coaching for more than three decades. His work in the classroom focuses on the areas of both physical and cultural geography as well as Earth system science. Throughout his career as an educator and curriculum developer, he has had the opportunity to work with students and teachers around the world and with such organizations as National Geographic, NASA, UCAR, the National Science Foundation, The GLOBE Program, Discovery Education, and the University of Colorado. Michael spent 2 years as the STEM Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley Schools before moving to his current position as Coordinator of Science Curriculum for St. Vrain Valley Schools.  He is very interested in increasing geographic and scientific knowledge as well as promoting STEM education and the use of technology in the classroom. Michael is an avid outdoorsman and can be found regularly on the trails and frequently summits Mount Kilimanjaro.Resources:How St. Vrain Valley Schools Started a STEM RevolutionNPR Article: How 3 Countries are Educating Their Kids During Their PandemicSt. Vrain Valley SchoolsNo Barriers for Educators 

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/