What if the best insights into your child's future came not from you, but from her 10-year-old classmates sitting around a table eating banana walnut bread and Oreos?
In this episode of Driven By Purpose, Evan Rosenblum, Isaac Shapiro, and Mike Ghesser sit down to unpack one of the most emotional and eye-opening experiences of Evan's parenting journey. His daughter Sydney, who has severe cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, just had her very first person-centered planning meeting at age 10, years before schools are typically required to hold one. Fifteen people showed up, including her best friends, her teachers, her paraprofessionals, and her family. What came out of that room was a portrait of Sydney that even her own parents had never fully seen. And a plan to make her dreams real.
In this episode, we explore:
▫️ What a person-centered planning meeting actually looks like from the inside, how the room was set up, what the questions were, and why bringing Sydney's friends made all the difference
▫️ How Sydney's classmates competed in the sweetest way possible to prove who knew her best, and what their answers revealed about her love of music, her power chair, and her dream of working at Starbucks
▫️ The plan that came out of the meeting, including DJ Sydney's monthly themed lunch concerts at school and her guest spot at the school dance, and why the administration went all in
▫️ Mike's honest reflection on what it feels like to not have a community of parents who know how to include kids with disabilities, and the rare story of Lindsay from 321 Coffee who chose to build one
▫️ How a Disneyland birthday party with Sydney's classmates turned into a core memory that left Evan and his wife with real hope about her friendships and her future
This one is a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish. If you are a parent, an educator, or anyone who believes every kid deserves a future they actually chose, do not miss this episode.
If this episode moved you, like this video, subscribe to Driven By Purpose, and share it with a parent or teacher who needs to hear this.
SUBSCRIBE & CONNECT…
📱 Follow @drivenbypurposepodcast on all platforms
🧼 Clean Logic — cleanlogic.com
🌟 Inspiration Foundation — inspirationfoundation.org
👤 Isaac Shapiro — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isaac-shapiro
👤 Mike Ghesser — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-ghesser-b837a552
61.She's 10, Nonverbal, and Already Has a Career Plan
00:36:06
60.He Lost His Vision at 40 and Had to Rebuild Everything. Here's What He Wants Employers to Know. | Michael Jarmon
00:29:53
59.She's 10 Years Old and Already Planning Her Career | Sydney's Person-Centered Planning Story
00:24:35
58.He Spent 10 Years Opening Walmart's Doors to Small and Diverse Owned Businesses. Now He's Opening Them for People with Disabilities. | Michael Byron
00:35:32
57.She's 10 Years Old and Already Planning Her Career | Sydney's Person-Centered Planning Story
00:32:20
56.He Wrote a Superhero Book So His Daughter Could See Herself as the Hero. Now It's Changing Schools
00:36:33
55.Boots on the Ground: Visit to the Ultra Accessible Theme Park Morgan’s Wonderland & Mychal's Café
00:27:54
54.What Happens When You Build a Workforce Around Purpose, Not Just Productivity
00:32:01
53.Entrepreneurs: Don’t Slow Down This Summer Until You Hear This
00:26:44
52.$70K in Inspiration Foundation Tech Grants Changing Lives | Jeremy Grandstaff Interview
00:37:19
51.Built for Purpose: How Ed Lynch Turned Tragedy Into Jobs for People With Disabilities
00:29:00
50.What We’ve Learned About Purpose & Disability
00:23:12
49.The Lamar Odom Story You Haven’t Heard (From Inside the Hospital)
00:24:31
48.The Reality of Bullying Kids with Disabilities (And What Parents Can Do)
00:32:33
47.133 Million Americans Live With Chronic Illness. Here’s What It Really Feels Like
00:33:17
46.From $3,000 to Millions: How They Built STACKED Together
00:26:27
45.They Told Him He’d Be Bedridden… Now He Built a Million Dollar Brand
00:28:49
44.He Raised 40 Kids and Transformed Disability Hiring in America
00:30:41
43.Paralyzed from the Neck Down — Then He Rode 350 Miles and Changed the Outdoors Forever
00:27:33
42.From Rejection to Executive Director | Jeremy Grandstaff’s Fight for Disability Employment
00:32:35
41.Dining in the Dark: A Dinner That Changes How Leaders See the World
00:19:02
40.Purpose in Practice: Karina Mamoon on IEP Advocacy for Families
00:23:45
39.Accidentally Offensive? How Good Intentions Can Still Hurt
00:23:12
38.Carrying Helen Keller’s Legacy: Dr. Kirk Adams on Purpose, Leadership, and Disability Inclusion
00:31:10
37.Brewing More Than Coffee: Evan Rosenblum’s Journey Toward Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship Part 2
00:38:55
36.Convincing Leaders to Take the Leap: Lessons From Tom Gustafson of Dollar Tree
00:33:02
35.Brewing More Than Coffee: Evan Rosenblum’s Journey Toward Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship
00:36:39
34.Redefining America’s Pastime: Jason Frazier’s Purpose-Driven Mission Through Beep Baseball
00:31:17
33.Setting Purpose for the New Year with Mitch Harrison
00:39:36
32.Brain Health, Not Mental Health: Dr. Leigh Richardson's Mission to Change the Narrative
00:29:22
31.Growing up in a House With a Family Member With a Disability
00:26:57
30.The Unexpected Cost of Caregiving
00:22:37
29.Creating Careers, Changing Lives: The Supply Chain Revolution with Tom Gustafson
00:30:57
28.Dear Mall Santa: Tips for an Accessible Holiday
00:31:46
27.Traveling with a Disability Shouldn’t Be This Hard
00:30:24
26.The Accidental Advocate: How Jenn Thompson Is Revolutionizing Hiring at VF Corp
00:25:41
25.Beyond the Aisles: How Walmart and Purpose-Driven Brands Create Impact | Jerrit Davis Interview
00:28:30
24.Refill the Tank: Burnout, Purpose & the Path Back with Mitch Harrison
00:32:26
23.Dining in the Dark: Launching the Inspiration Seal and a Workforce Revolution
00:20:12
22.How Accessible Technology Gave My Nonverbal Daughter a Voice
00:19:42
21.Accessibility Is Everyone’s Responsibility
00:24:42
20.No Greatness Without Goodness
00:34:32
19.Accessible Dreams: How Morgan Inspired a Movement
00:33:45
18.Driven to Burnout: When Purpose Takes a Toll
00:30:09
17.Turning Chaos into Care with Ryan Sheedy
00:28:24
16.Ken Anderson: From NFL Legend to Quarterbacking a Movement for Change
00:31:56
15.Dear Caretaker, My Kid Is Not a Gig
00:26:24
14.Creating Impact and Profit: A Purpose-Driven Blueprint
00:25:20
13.Falling Off the Cliff: When Support for Disabled Kids Disappears
00:27:54
12.Brian Schwartz Is Mowing His Way to a Movement
00:33:05
11.10 Episodes In: What We’ve Learned About Purpose and Progress
00:28:58
10.Losing Her Eye Wasn’t the End… It Was the Beginning with Chandler Plante
00:28:20
9.She Stood on a Surfboard and Changed Her Dad’s Life with MLB All Star Royce Clayton
00:12:15
8.Soledad O’Brien: How Purpose and Parenthood Shaped her storytelling
00:24:07
7.Living Without Sight, Leading With Vision: Beatriz’s Story
00:33:35
6.Offset Saw My Son in a Wheelchair: What Happened Next Went Viral
00:25:56
5.When Purpose Becomes Personal
00:36:33
4.The Diaper Don: Turning a Father’s Fight Into a Movement
00:33:51
3.Evan Rosenblum - Walking Away From Millions to Find Your True Purpose
00:28:42
2.Mike Ghesser - When Fatherhood Becomes Your Business Mission
00:23:04
1.Isaac Shapiro - From Personal Mission to Multimillion Dollar Impact
