What happens when you begin losing your vision as a child—and refuse to let it define your future?
In this inspiring episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland welcomes Kathy Nimmer, recipient of the prestigious Helen Keller Achievement Award, author, speaker, and retired high school English teacher who spent nearly three decades educating and inspiring students while living with blindness.
Kathy shares her remarkable journey of progressive vision loss caused by a rare retinal degenerative disease, the challenges she faced along the way, and the resilience that helped her build a life filled with purpose, achievement, and impact.
In this episode, Kathy discusses:
- Growing up with gradual vision loss and adapting to change
- Teaching high school English for nearly 30 years as a blind educator
- Overcoming depression, anorexia, and uncertainty about the future
- The role of advocacy, family support, and disability representation
- Pursuing mountain climbing, writing, public speaking, and teaching
- Employment challenges facing people who are blind or visually impaired
- Practical advice for families navigating vision loss and disability
Kathy also shares insights from her latest book, Two Plus Four Equals One, an anthology celebrating the unique bond between people with disabilities and their assistance dogs.
This powerful conversation is a reminder that while circumstances may change, purpose, passion, and perseverance can help us achieve far more than we ever imagined.
Learn more about Kathy at KathyNimmer.com.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Listen on iHeart
Today, I’m honored to sit down once again with Brooke Brown — an “ink weaver of life, faith, and fiction,” an honors graduate of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2022, and founder of Brooke’s Butterfly Touch, a ministry that helps individuals discover the power and purpose of their own stories. Brooke is also the author of Rolling in Grace: Volume 1 — A Foundation of Faith and Imagination, now available in audio format. Having read it myself, I can promise you: it’s full of relatable, uplifting, and beautifully practical stories. Living with cerebral palsy and using an augmentative communication app, Brooke demonstrates that every voice — every single one — can inspire hope, healing, and opportunity. This is her second appearance on the show, so after watching, don’t forget to visit WereNotStumped.com to catch her first episode.
In this inspiring episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Caitlin Conner, founder of Be More Adaptive, to explore how she’s building a global hub for disability resources designed to empower people with disabilities to live fulfilling, confident, and sustainable lives. Caitlin shares her powerful journey — from surviving a life-changing motorcycle accident while pregnant to becoming a Paralympic-level athlete, model, and outspoken disability advocate. She talks candidly about adapting to life as an amputee, the importance of self-advocacy, and how adaptive sports helped her rebuild her identity, purpose, and strength.
When Drew Ann Long, a stay-at-home mom from Birmingham, Alabama, discovered there were no shopping carts designed for her daughter Caroline — who has Rett syndrome and cannot walk or talk — she decided to create one herself. In this inspiring episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Drew Ann to discuss her journey from frustrated mom to inventor of Caroline’s Cart, an adaptive shopping cart now featured in over 15,000 stores across eight countries, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Lowe’s. Drew Ann opens up about overcoming rejection, financial struggles, and even a hacked social media page — all while pursuing her mission to bring dignity and inclusion to families with disabilities.
