Heard & Empowered

10/07/2025

🚨 New Episode Alert!

What happens when business success is reinvested into people?

In this episode of Heard & Empowered, Michael Monteferrante, president and CEO of Envision, shares how workforce innovation, mentorship, and purpose-driven leadership are transforming the lives of people who are blind across the country.

🎧 Tune in to hear:
✅ How Envision empowers individuals who are blind through employment and mission-driven services
✅ The power of structured mentorship cohorts in launching careers
✅ Why Envision reinvests every dollar of margin back into community impact
✅ How partnerships with organizations like NSITE and National Industries for the Blind are expanding Envision's access and impact nationwide

Michael’s journey from transit manufacturing to leading one of the largest blind agencies in the U.S. is proof that purpose and performance can go hand in hand.

🔗 Listen now: https://hubs.ly/Q03wJGXH0

26/06/2025

This week we're excited to bring you a powerful new episode of our Mission Driven series!

Soraya Correa, president and CEO of National Industries for the Blind, sits down with Jeff Mittman, president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises and president of the National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind, for an inspiring conversation about leadership, purpose, and impact.

Together, they explore how NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies are creating meaningful employment opportunities for people who are blind and delivering mission-critical products and services to federal and commercial customers nationwide.

Tune in now: https://hubs.la/Q03tYLRd0

12/06/2025

🎧 New Episode! Advocating by Example with Rebekah Grieb

What does it take to break barriers and lead by example?

Rebekah Grieb, CMS senior site supervisor at Alphapointe and National Industries for the Blind Advocate for Leadership and Employment, shares her journey navigating vision loss, overcoming industry bias, and championing policies that create meaningful job opportunities. From federal contracting to live theater, she’s using her voice—and her work—to drive real change.

🎙️ “Just being out in the world as a visually impaired person, you’re already doing advocacy work.”

Listen now: https://hubs.la/Q03rSc9p0

05/06/2025

“What are the opportunities that I’m not seeing? We often say ‘I have to do this. I have to do this.’ But it really is about ‘I get to do this. I get to make my path.’”

In this powerful moment from her Mission Driven podcast episode with NIB President and CEO Soraya Correa, Maj. Gen. Alice Treviño challenges us to reframe limitations as opportunities and see leadership as an investment in perspective.

Whether it’s navigating fiscal constraints or shifting mindsets, it’s not about what you have to do—it’s about what you get to do.

Listen to the full episode: https://hubs.la/Q03qS02n0

29/05/2025

New Episode Out Now! 🎉

We’re excited to welcome Dean Thompson as the new host of the Heard & Empowered podcast!

In today’s episode, “Becoming a Storyteller,” Dean shares how losing his sight led him to build a career in film and television, and what he hopes to bring to the mic.

Plus — did you know Dean once worked with John Lennon? Don’t miss the story behind that unforgettable experience.

🔗 Listen now: https://hubs.la/Q03pLKdl0

💬 Drop a welcome message for Dean below — and follow so you never miss an episode!

20/05/2025

Exciting News: Heard & Empowered Has A New Host

We're excited to announce Dean Thompson as the new host of the National Industries for the Blind Heard & Empowered podcast! With an extensive background in television and radio—including roles at ABC News, CBS News, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Joko Films—Dean brings decades of storytelling expertise to the mic.

After losing most of his vision at age 14 due to Stargardt disease, Dean pursued a career in media, eventually founding his own production company in NYC. His longstanding collaboration with the NSITE Entrepreneurial Initiatives Program has made him a mentor and advocate for aspiring professionals who are blind, low vision, or visually impaired.

🔗 Read more about Dean here: https://hubs.la/Q03npczp0

After a short hiatus, NIB’s Heard & Empowered podcast is back with a new host, Dean Thompson, who has an extensive background in television and radio. Thompson has been an interviewer and producer for…

15/05/2025

🚀 New Podcast Series Alert!

We’re kicking off Mission Driven, a powerful new series from the Heard & Empowered podcast—hosted by none other than Soraya Correa, president and CEO of National Industries for the Blind!

This series dives into what it really means to lead with purpose—featuring bold voices from across government, industry, and the nonprofit world who are all united by one thing: the mission.

🎧 First up: Maj. Gen. Alice Treviño, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. She joins Soraya for a dynamic conversation on transforming defense acquisition and why people—not just processes—are the key to driving meaningful change.

If you are passionate about leadership, service, and innovation—you won’t want to miss this!

🔗 Tune in: https://heardandempowered.org/mission-driven-series-transforming-defense-acquisition-with-maj-gen-alice-trevino/

20/09/2024

🔍 Looking for a career that matches your unique skills and interests?

This week on the Heard & Empowered podcast by National Industries for the Blind, Christopher Burke, Executive Director of the New York State Preferred Source Program for New Yorkers Who Are Blind (NYSPSP), shares how his organization is creating limitless career opportunities for people who are or have .

💬 “We try to be as broad as we can in our employment opportunities because people come to us with different skill levels, different interests, and different directions they want to go in,” he told our host, Hoby Wedler, Ph.D.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this week’s episode:
🔹 A wide range of job opportunities—from providing safety products like gloves and blankets to work-from-home opportunities like digital accessibility testing services.
🔹 How NYSPSP’s social entrepreneurship approach creates upward mobility, helping people build solid careers and move into leadership roles or even pursue new fields.
🔹 The impact of self-sustaining programs that reinvest revenue into more services and support, ensuring continued job growth.

Whether you’re curious about how NYSPSP is creating real change for people with or just want to hear inspiring stories of career growth, this episode is for you!

🎧 Listen now at https://heardandempowered.org/40 and discover how NYSPSP is making a difference, one opportunity at a time! ✨

18/09/2024

Did you know that a line worker could become a CEO? 🤯

It’s happening! And it’s all thanks to innovative programs like the New York State Preferred Source Program for New Yorkers Who Are Blind (NYSPSP).

Chris Burke, Executive Director of NYSPSP, is today's guest on the Heard & Empowered podcast by National Industries for the Blind.

In conversation with our host, Hoby Wedler, Ph.D., Chris shares how NYSPSP is creating real opportunities for career growth for people who are or have . From producing everyday essentials like blankets and work gloves 🧤 to providing cutting-edge services like digital accessibility testing 💻, this program helps people with build solid skills, meaningful careers, and empowering futures.

Whether you’re interested in hearing more about how NYSPSP helps clients in government or the private sector, or you’re curious about the wide range of available in New York State, this episode is for YOU. ✨

🎧 Don't miss out: the full episode of Heard & Empowered is out today! Listen at https://heardandempowered.org/40

16/09/2024

🌟 We’ve got something BIG coming your way this Wednesday! 🚀

How does creating hundreds of life-changing jobs for people with sound? Or turning challenges into real opportunities for people who are or have ? Well, that’s just a taste of what’s happening in New York—and our guest, Chris Burke, Executive Director of the New York State Preferred Source Program for New Yorkers Who Are Blind (NYSPSP) will be sharing all the details! 🙌✨

🎧 This week’s Heard & Empowered episode by National Industries for the Blind is packed with insights that will blow your mind. You’ll discover:

🙌 How New York State Preferred Source Program is transforming lives through employment!
💼 Real success stories of career growth and empowerment
📈 How this business-savvy nonprofit is making waves and helping the public sector!

Curious?

While you wait for the full episode to drop on Wednesday, why not dive into our library of groundbreaking conversations? Every episode has something for YOU! Start exploring now at https://heardandempowered.org/podcast/ 💥

Set your alarms so you don’t miss out on Wednesday. In the meantime, catch up on episodes you’ve missed or binge-listen to our whole library—you’ll be glad you did!

07/09/2024

If you're searching for a job in the public, private, or non-profit sectors, gives you the professional tools to succeed.

06/09/2024

🌟 “When people meet other people who are or that are in a career that they did not think they could succeed in…it just really gives them the roots and wings they need to move on.”
— Lori Scharff, Lead Content Contractor for Careers and Employment at APH Connect Center

In today’s episode of the Heard & Empowered podcast by National Industries for the Blind, we’re exploring the impact of training and in . Join our host, Hoby Wedler, as he chats with Lori Scharff and her colleague Richard Rueda, Assistant Director of the American Printing House for the Blind ( ) ConnectCenter, and Marianne Haegeli, Director of Learning and Leadership at NSITE .

They discuss how their partnership is helping people who are blind or have low vision find and thrive in careers they never thought possible…

And this is possible, in part, thanks to the Job Seeker’s Toolkit, a resource that is changing the game for people with or , by helping them craft standout resumes, make informed decisions on disclosing disabilities, and find the perfect career fit.

🎧 Tune in now and listen to the full episode at https://heardandempowered.org/39 Discover how you can use the Job Seeker’s Toolkit to make a difference in your !