What does it mean to truly be heard when you can’t speak? Jessica Frew, a nonverbal actress, model, and passionate disability advocate, joins We’re Not Stumped to share her powerful story of living with cerebral palsy and using an eye gaze device to communicate—a technology she began using at just nine years old.
While Jess initially limited the device to school and close friends, she opens up about the emotional weight of using it publicly and the deeply personal regret of not speaking to her father through it before he passed away.
Over time, Jess found strength in her voice and now uses it to educate, advocate, and challenge misconceptions about nonverbal individuals. She speaks with host Mike Bolland about the common experience of being talked down to or ignored—and how she responds with patience, courage, and relentless advocacy.
Jess also talks about modeling with Runway of Dreams, pushing for more disability representation in fashion and entertainment, and fighting for real change in policy—from disability education in schools to raising income limits for Medicare. She introduces her book The Disabled, or the Nonverbal Princess and teases exciting upcoming projects, including a love story and a TV pilot about an inter-abled couple.
This is a story of voice beyond words, and of a woman determined to make sure others like her are seen, heard, and respected.
#DisabilityAdvocate #CerebralPalsyAwareness #NonverbalVoices #InclusionMatters #AdaptiveTechnology #RepresentationMatters #RunwayOfDreams #DisabilityRights #AuthenticRepresentation #WereNotStumped
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What does it take to overcome a challenge you've faced since birth? In this episode of We're Not Stumped, Mike Bolland welcomes Nathan Winston, who was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD), a rare limb difference that led to the amputation of his left leg at the age of four. Nathan shares his incredible journey from adapting to life with a prosthetic to excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. His determination eventually carried him to the Little League World Series and into the ranks of professional baseball. Along the way, Nathan reflects on the challenges he faced, the resilience he developed, and the mindset that helped him keep moving forward—even when the path wasn't easy.
What does it really take to produce a podcast? In this special solo episode of We're Not Stumped, I'm taking you behind the scenes to share how the podcast started, what happens before and after every interview, and the lessons I've learned from producing more than 200 episodes. I'll talk about: Why I decided to start the podcast My recording setup and workflow Editing What I'd do differently if I were starting today Advice for anyone thinking about launching their own podcast Whether you're interested in podcasting, storytelling, or simply curious about what goes into creating We're Not Stumped, I hope this episode gives you a new perspective—and maybe the confidence to start your own show.
In this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland sits down with Janne Kouri, entrepreneur, founder of NextStep, and co-founder of Lencaro Finnish Long Drink. Janne shares the incredible story of how a spinal cord injury from a swimming accident in 2006 changed the course of his life. After spending two months in the ICU battling paralysis, pneumonia, and a 104-degree fever, he traveled more than 2,000 miles to receive groundbreaking activity-based rehabilitation that wasn't covered by insurance—but changed everything. That experience inspired him to create NextStep, a nonprofit rehabilitation center that helps people living with paralysis access advanced therapy long after traditional insurance benefits end.
