What happens when a painful childhood experience becomes the foundation for a mission that changes other children’s lives?

In this Impact Interview on The Maytte Dusseau Show, Maytte sits down with Christy Vogel, founder of Sounding Joy, to talk about childhood hearing loss, hearing aids for children, resilience, purpose, and the power of turning personal struggle into meaningful impact.

Christy shares how she first discovered her hearing loss at age 11, how she unknowingly taught herself to read lips, and what it was like growing up without the hearing aids she needed. For years, she believed she was less capable or slower than those around her, only to later realize how much she had been missing simply because she could not hear clearly.

At age 27, Christy finally received hearing aids, and the experience changed the way she understood herself and her life. Years later, she began asking a bigger question: What happens to children whose families cannot afford the hearing support they need?

That question ultimately led to the creation of Sounding Joy, a nonprofit helping children access hearing aids and connecting families with audiology providers throughout Florida. Christy explains how the organization was born, why there is still a significant gap for many working families, and why helping children hear can affect confidence, education, connection, and overall well-being.

In this conversation, we talk about:

Childhood hearing loss

Hearing aids for children

The emotional effects of growing up with untreated hearing loss

Lip reading and communication

Confidence, self-worth, and identity

Turning hardship into purpose

Starting a nonprofit

How Sounding Joy helps families

The importance of pediatric audiologists

Gratitude and resilience

Overcoming fear and taking action

Creating impact even when you do not know where to begin

Christy also shares why one of the most important things anyone can do when they feel called to make a difference is simply start asking questions. Her story is a powerful reminder that we do not have to know the whole path before we begin.

And perhaps the message that captures her journey best:

You are unstoppable. You do not have to do it alone. And you can create massive impact.

Learn more about Sounding Joy and the work Christy Vogel is doing to help children hear, grow, and thrive.

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