Advocating & educating people about his disability from a young age! with Nick Smit
05/15/24 • 56 min
This episode I'm interviewing my new friend all the way from South Africa! This is the first of many episodes with Nick, he has an incredible story and is doing so many amazing things in the disability world!
Nick's Bio:
A teacher by profession and passion which led him into public speaking, corporate training and disability advocacy. He is part of the PSASA (Professional Speakers’ Association of South Africa), runs two companies - Straight A Tutors and Smergos and launched his speaker brand – The Rebel Ninja.
He believes that challenging life experiences push you as a person; forcing you to either grow to meet the challenges or shy away into their shadows. His greatest strength, and what sets him apart from many others, is his physical disability as a result of a car accident when he was 6 months old. He is a very determined and positive person, perceiving the seemingly impossible as challenges to be overcome. Instead of his disability becoming a weakness it has become an empowering tool.
As an award-winning international speaker and coach, he has presented a variety of workshops and the like, to an array of audiences, including schools, universities and companies. Most relate to disability advocacy, awareness and inclusion; the power of the mind, Growth Mindset and overcoming challenges.
He’s the guy you call when you want to break down barriers and build bridges or maybe if you want to dance some salsa. I give you Nick Smit, The Rebel Ninja
Connect with Nick:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]
Thank you to our partner this week:
- Showit! Want to start a website or update your current one on an easy to use platform? Check out Showit! It's the website platform I use to create my website and blog! You can get one month free when signing up with the code: Katey
- Flodesk! Want to stay connected to friends, family, customers and your community you're building? Flodesk is, in my humble opinion, the best email service out there! They don't penalize you for growing your list, like many other email providers out there do! you can get 50% off your first year when signing up with the code: KATEY1
Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!
Shop new products here!
Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/
This episode I'm interviewing my new friend all the way from South Africa! This is the first of many episodes with Nick, he has an incredible story and is doing so many amazing things in the disability world!
Nick's Bio:
A teacher by profession and passion which led him into public speaking, corporate training and disability advocacy. He is part of the PSASA (Professional Speakers’ Association of South Africa), runs two companies - Straight A Tutors and Smergos and launched his speaker brand – The Rebel Ninja.
He believes that challenging life experiences push you as a person; forcing you to either grow to meet the challenges or shy away into their shadows. His greatest strength, and what sets him apart from many others, is his physical disability as a result of a car accident when he was 6 months old. He is a very determined and positive person, perceiving the seemingly impossible as challenges to be overcome. Instead of his disability becoming a weakness it has become an empowering tool.
As an award-winning international speaker and coach, he has presented a variety of workshops and the like, to an array of audiences, including schools, universities and companies. Most relate to disability advocacy, awareness and inclusion; the power of the mind, Growth Mindset and overcoming challenges.
He’s the guy you call when you want to break down barriers and build bridges or maybe if you want to dance some salsa. I give you Nick Smit, The Rebel Ninja
Connect with Nick:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]
Thank you to our partner this week:
- Showit! Want to start a website or update your current one on an easy to use platform? Check out Showit! It's the website platform I use to create my website and blog! You can get one month free when signing up with the code: Katey
- Flodesk! Want to stay connected to friends, family, customers and your community you're building? Flodesk is, in my humble opinion, the best email service out there! They don't penalize you for growing your list, like many other email providers out there do! you can get 50% off your first year when signing up with the code: KATEY1
Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!
Shop new products here!
Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/
Previous Episode
Advoating for her two build children and creating change in the world! with Kristin Smedley
We go way back when she was a child, what she learned while playing softball and having her father as her coach, being an amazing teacher, to becoming a monther. After she had her first born child, 4 months in, she learned that her son was leagally blind. She shares her vulnerable, honest feelings finding that out. A few years later she had another son and he also was diagnoised legally blind and then not long after that she had a sighted daughter. She shares it all with us!
Kristin's Bio:
Kristin Smedley is the Mom of three children, two of which were born blind and are now thriving far beyond all grim expectations. Kristin is the Best Selling author of Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight and the award winning children's book, What I Can Be Is Up To Me. A recognized expert in the blindness and rare disease communities, Kristin won the highly regarded Champion of Hope Award, was named an Ambassador for the National Organization of Rare Disorders, and is a 2022 inductee into the Conwell-Egan Catholic Wall of Fame. Kristin is a popular, in demand speaker who has been invited to share her message internationally.
As CEO of a global patient organization, she coordinated legislation (H.R. #625) that became the first in US history to be submitted in Braille. Kristin spoke at the FDA to help achieve the first ever FDA approved gene therapy to treat an inherited retinal disease in the United States. Recently, the research her organization coordinated achieved a $1.25 Million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Her TEDx Talk, books and international summit change perceptions of blindness, and sparked a global movement, Thriving Blind Academy, that is solving the unemployment, literacy, and financial crisis in the blind the community.
Connect with Kristin:
Website: www.KristinSmedley.com
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
Thank you to our partner this week:
- Showit! Want to start a website or update your current one on an easy to use platform? Check out Showit! It's the website platform I use to create my website and blog! You can get one month free when signing up with the code: Katey
- Flodesk! Want to stay connected to friends, family, customers and your community you're building? Flodesk is, in my humble opinion, the best email service out there! They don't penalize you for growing your list, like many other email providers out there do! you can get 50% off your first year when signing up with the code: KATEY1
Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!
Shop new products here!
Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/
Next Episode
Her story of living in Iran before and after the revolution with Soodabeh Mokry
Soodabeh's story is unlike any story we have had on the Different Ability® Podcast to date. I'm so grateful that she was willing to share her incredible story with us on today's episode!
Read more about Soodabeh HERE!
Connect with Soodabeh:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
Buy Her books HERE!
Thank you to our partner this week:
- Showit! Want to start a website or update your current one on an easy to use platform? Check out Showit! It's the website platform I use to create my website and blog! You can get one month free when signing up with the code: Katey
- Flodesk! Want to stay connected to friends, family, customers and your community you're building? Flodesk is, in my humble opinion, the best email service out there! They don't penalize you for growing your list, like many other email providers out there do! you can get 50% off your first year when signing up with the code: KATEY1
Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!
Shop new products here!
Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/
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