DadnNat Unified Nation Podcast

We are delighted to interview writer and disability activist Melissa Blake, who became a social media sensation in 2019 after an article she wrote resulted in trolling on her personal account. The negative feedback was extremely hurtful, but rather than concede to negativity, she decided to post a selfie every day for the next 365 days using the hashtag #mybestselfie. Her response was both a celebration and defense of who she is as a disabled person, and her campaign has drawn not only positive response, but has garnered attention for disability awareness and acceptance by changing the way we see and talk about disability. Melissa has written a new book titled 'Beautiful People: My 13 Truths about Disability' that releases on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

We are very excited to speak with Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equiha. They are amazing partners creating art and animations like Nickelodeon's 'El Tigre, the Adventures of Manny Rivera', the movie 'Book of Life', the Netflix series 'Maya and the Three', and most recently the 'American Citizen' episode from the Netflix series 'We the People'. Their stories are beautiful, with characters who seek acceptance for themselves and from their families, who deal with flaws and excel in spite of them. Powerful lines like 'If it is to be, it is up to me' or 'No retreat, no surrender!' are mantras from their films. There is also a beautiful contrast in the working styles of these two artists, and their collaborations are as much about art as they are about love and life. Jorge and Sandra have a son who is diagnosed with Autism. Following a conversation with his parents about the similarities of his younger years and for those of his son, Jorge was also diagnosed with autism at age 40. He explains how his diagnosis explained who he was and is today. He is an advocate for his family and for representing disability in the industry.

Kevin Gillese is a film writer and producer at Dad's Garage. Kevin builds inclusion through storytelling and self advocacy for his characters in film, starting with recognition of his film short 'That was Awesome'. We're going to discuss disability representation in his soon-to-be released film 'How to Ruin The Holidays', which you can watch the trailer for at howtoruintheholidaysmovie.com!

Nyasha Derera served with Special Olympics as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger from 2019 to 2023. He is a short and long distance runner who most recently completed the 2022 Berlin Marathon leading up to the 2022 Berlin World Games. He is a Global Health Messenger and past Chairperson of the Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress. Through his leadership roles he speaks with confidence, kindness, empathy, bravery and compassion.

Ben Mattlin is a journalist and the author of 'Disability Pride', a book that explores what's taken place in the US since the signing of The Americans with Disabilities Act, more commonly known as the ADA. The first Disability Pride Day was held in 1990 the same year as the signing of the ADA. Ben decided to explore the changes taking place in a thriving disability culture that is normalizing Disability. He also looks at problems that still exist in stigma, ableism, and the erasure of voices and visibility within the movement, particularly for people of color and for the LGBTQIA+ communities.

DadnNat welcome Joshua 'Swagman' Felder and talk with him about his role as a Global Ambassador for Best Buddies. Josh is currently a board member and global ambassador for Best Buddies, and a Mission Partner for Dean Valenti, a Champion candidate for Best Buddies gala in Tampa Bay, Florida. He became a social media sensation in 2021 when he performed at the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show with The Weeknd and subsequently became the first person with autism to perform at a halftime show. Josh also garnered a role in the 2023 film 'Champions' that shined a light on his acting ability when he played Darius, a basketball star of a Special Olympics team who has to make a difficult decision about love and forgiveness.

DadnNat talk with Scott Weaver, the CEO and President of Special Olympics Utah. Scott joined Special Olympics Utah in December of 2020, and has an extensive background working as an advocate for inclusion with Special Olympics at state, regional and national levels. Scott was most recently a Senior Manager for Unified Sports and Sports Education with Special Olympics North America, and brings a wealth of experience, connection and community to his role in the Intermountain region.

Sep 9, 2020 update: after 2 months, Special Olympics Utah announced that Jeannie Gamble is no longer with the organization. SOUT subsequently retained Scott Weaver as its CEO effective December 1, 2020. Original: KatnNat talk with Jeannie Gamble, the new CEO and President of Special Olympics Utah. Jeannie has ambitious plans to grow programs and events over the next four years for the Utah charity. Jeannie plans to roll out introductions and her vision of the future with Special Olympics in 8 days of Town Halls that will take place across the state.

KatnNat talk with Erica Lopez, Executive Director of Variety - the Children's Charity of the United States about their 2020 Gold Heart Pin Campaign, and its ties to the upcoming release of Dreamworks Trolls World Tour on Friday, April 10, 2020. #TrollingForGood

KatnNat discuss the upcoming Spread the Word Inclusion campaign taking place on Wednesday, March 4 2020. Topics turn to social media, where #DiaryOfADisabledKid is trending, followed by an Instagram Q&A, and end with a shout-out to the indomitable @melissablake. Oh, and Katie is preparing to leave for her mission. #HoustonWeHaveAProblem

KatnNat Podcast interviews Boston Iacobazzi of Special Olympics Utah regarding the first annual USU vs BYU Unified Flag Football Rivalry Series. The USU Aggies hosted the BYU Cougars Unified team at Maverick Stadium on Friday, November 1, 2019. Boston talks about organizing a first event, what Unified Sports promotes in the community, and on what it means to be inclusive.

Daniel Smrokowski is a 2018-2022 Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger for Special Olympics and host of the Special Chronicles podcast! Dan is one of our inspirations to make our own podcast about the Special Olympics #GenerationUnified movement taking place across America! We first met Dan when he invited us to his show (episode 335) leading up to the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, and were able to meet him in person in the UAE. You can find more information about Daniel at specialolympics.org and at specialchronicles.com.

SIRSY discusses the impact of their song 'Stand' off of their new album 'Like a Drum' after Jessica Harrington, a teacher in New York, picked up on the lyrics and started playing the song in her classroom as part of her own anti-bullying campaign. The band began announcing this story at shows as they toured across the United States, and as a result now have school rooms (including special education classrooms) playing the song in New York, California, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Kat n Nat talk with Unified Partners Britney Bautista and Sidney Tanaka from Special Olympics Hawaii, who were featured in the video 'Be the Change: A Special Olympics Unified Champions Schools Film'. We talk about the making of the film, what its like to be part of Unified Programs in the Hawaiian Islands, and future work before breaking down to talk about inclusion and food.

Kat n Nat welcome Ray Roberts- former NFL Football player and current Special Olympics Director for Unified Champion Schools, Urban Development as their first guest on the show. In our Podcast Episode 1, Ray talks about his story of growing up, a vision of what it means to be a leader, and talks about the necessity of making Diversity and Inclusion happen at the same time.