In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, Mike Bolland sits down with Karen Morales, a wheelchair user and leader of Fora Travel’s Accessibility Initiative, to discuss how the travel industry can become more inclusive for everyone.
After becoming a wheelchair user in 2020, Karen quickly discovered that planning an accessible trip often meant endless phone calls, unanswered questions, and uncertainty about whether hotels, transportation, and attractions would truly meet her needs. Rather than accepting those challenges, she helped create an initiative that’s training hundreds of travel advisors to better serve travelers with disabilities and other accessibility needs.
Mike and Karen discuss:
- Why accessible travel is about confidence—not limitations.
- The biggest obstacles travelers with disabilities still face.
- How hotels and airlines can create better experiences.
- Why accessible travel benefits far more people than you might think.
- Practical advice for planning your first accessible trip.
Karen also shares how adaptive skiing and travel helped her reclaim a sense of freedom after becoming a wheelchair user, and why she believes everyone deserves the opportunity to explore the world.
Whether you’re living with a disability, traveling with a loved one, or work in the travel industry, this conversation offers practical insights and an inspiring reminder that travel should be accessible to everyone.
- Karen IG — https://www.instagram.com/gojoyward/
- Karen LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-morales-157b412/
- Fora IG — https://www.instagram.com/foratravel/?hl=en
- Fora LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/foratravel/
- Fora Website — https://www.foratravel.com/
- Karen Fora Page — https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/karen-morales
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Host Mike Bolland sits down with Alexia Michitti—a public speaker, athlete, and entrepreneur born without a right hand. Together, they reflect on their shared experiences of limb difference and Alexia’s powerful journey of resilience, determination, and innovation. Alexia shares how she’s breaking barriers in sports and beyond—from representing the U.S. in the first Women’s Amputee Soccer World Cup, to filing a patent for adaptive clothing through her brand Em13race (https://em13race.com/), to finding her voice as a motivational speaker. She opens up about life without a prosthetic, her role models, and her passion for inspiring children with limb differences to embrace their uniqueness.
In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland reviews EmpowerFest 2025, celebrating the limb loss and limb difference community with inspiring speakers, adaptive activities, and unforgettable moments. Mike also shares a story about a comedian who made a tasteless joke about the limb loss community — and how he got the comedian to remove the post. Tune in for insights, laughs, and a look at what makes the limb loss community so resilient and inspiring!
In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Joslynn Bigelow, founder and CEO of Say How Consulting, for a powerful conversation on disability advocacy, system navigation, and the importance of dignity of risk. Joslynn shares her personal journey into advocacy, the launch of her consulting business, and her five guiding principles for creating inclusive services: dignity of risk, individual readiness, assess and address, authentic experience, and realistic opportunities. The discussion dives into: ✅ Why “say how” means finding solutions when systems say “no” ✅ The role of dignity of risk in fostering independence and inclusion ✅ The origins and growth of the United Adaptive Soccer Association (UASA) ✅ The challenges of advancing inclusion in adaptive sports ✅ The unique opportunities upcoming global sporting events offer for disability awareness
