Mission of SimpleHealth

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show, everyone in the United States and around the world. Special shout out to Richard Roberts from the State Department who just left Japan and will soon be going on his, to his next country, uh, Gangneung in South Korea. Such a great advocate. Cheryl Smith Harris, I'm sorry, in Tunisia, uh, Veniamin in Kazakhstan, Ambassador Norland in Libya, and just today I talked to Nigeria and later this week to Austria, which means I have listeners around the world dedicated to this show, and China is one of the largest. So thank you. But I always tell people, even if there's only one person listening, one, that one person can make a difference. But, you know, I want to thank all the listeners in the United States. Oh, you know, you are so loyal because I see the data every week. And I just want to tell you, do me a favor. Tell someone else about the show so that we get out the mission of quality of life for people living with disabilities. And shout out to Yoshiko Dart. Yoshiko, you know I love you and you know I always remember to have that shout out. And to my sponsor, Highmark. Highmark has been the sponsor for 6 years, the lead sponsor. They are just absolutely awesome. So with that, I'm so excited about our guest today. I always love to meet new people and have them on the show. And the first thing I'm going to do, Carrie, how do you pronounce your last name?

Subut.

Subut. You know, I have this thing. I hate to pronounce names wrong. So Carrie is the CEO of Simple heart and a disability advocate and a pleasure to have on the show. But since we do have listeners throughout the United States and around the world, Carrie, how about if you tell our listeners first about you, like where you grew up, where you went to school, how you got involved in healthcare and the technology industry, you know, a little bit about your story.

Sure.

Thanks, Joyce. Thanks for having me. So, as Joyce said, Kerri Seibert, CEO of a company called Simple Health. We do women's health tech. So, a little bit about my story is I grew up in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, and I moved to the U.S. when I was 11. I'm half Black, half Chinese, and also disabled. And so, my disability started at age 11 when I started limping with no reason. And my parents were always like, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" And I'm like, "Nothing's wrong." I just hurt my foot. But the reality is I knew even as a little girl something was really wrong, but I was a big nerd and loved to read, so I was able to stretch that little lie out for probably about 4 or 5 months till finally was thrown into the healthcare system where I was probably misdiagnosed about 4 or 5 times until we got to dystonia. And so, for those that don't know what dystonia is, it is very— I always call it a cousin to Parkinson's, very rare movement control disease affects around 300,000 people. And for me, my symptoms were both of my feet were cramping, my hands were both having writer's cramp, and my speech was very, very inaudible. And so, today though, coming to speak to you, it's a bit more audible because if there are Parkinson's patients out there listening, I had deep brain stimulation 16 years ago. And the reason why I got into healthcare was I remember being awake for 8 hours on that operating table and looked up and said, God, if I could ever walk again, I would do 2 things: run a 10K and go dedicate myself to health and wellness. And so of course I started walking 8 weeks after. I have to keep my promise. And so, I left my job. I went to work at a fitness company. And in 2018, by the grace of a miracle, I ran the New York City Marathon. And that's when I realized I truly had to find my purpose in my career. And that's when I joined Simple Health. So, a little bit about how my— you know, I believe that our personal story sometimes we've been to where we end up in life. And so, for me, being disabled and being told many times what I couldn't do, I just, I feel like part of my journey is to show people what you can do, even if you're differently abled.

Wow, well, two things I wanna ask you about. First, many people have a disability, but not everyone chooses to become an advocate the way you have. And yet you have this passion, you became an advocate, why? And the second question is, when you were growing up and then, you know, later on in your life, when you said people would say you can't do this, could you give us an example of what you mean? So first, why did you become an advocate?

So my reason of why was my sister actually also has the genetic flaw, and she was not as fortunate for me in terms of being able to walk without crutches or or a wheelchair. So, I think part of my why is just to always have her be proud of her bigger sister who is just as differently abled as she is, but really just to inspire other people who believe or have been told that they cannot do something, that you can absolutely do everything that you think you can. It may take a little longer, Joyce. It definitely was not a linear path for me, but I really believe my why is to have conversations with people like you who have an audience that either, you know, want to be inspired by someone like myself or may have a child that like they don't know like how to have them be inspired. And I really hope to be an advocate because I just know when I was little, I always knew I wanted to be a CEO, but I'd never seen someone that looks like me as a CEO. So for me, My why is to inspire people who think they can't, that they absolutely can.

Well, for example, with you, when did you run into that obstacle?

You know, it was so many times. Like, you know, so someone said you shouldn't go to Stanford because, you know, with your disability and everything else, it's really going to be hard for you to move across the country. Well, I didn't see Stanford being a big roadblock for me. And to be honest, I had a handicap sticker and I had such wonderful classmates that they actually called the handicap sticker the VIP pass. And so, it made it like, you know, a call to action if you got asked to be with the VIP. So, I just think for me, you know, I've always had a good disposition. Of course, I've had my good days and my bad days, but You know, I've never let my disability define me. I've always defined my disability.

So you did have people that told you you can't do it?

Oh, 100%. 100%. I shouldn't be a CEO, it's too stressful. I shouldn't be a CEO, it's just, it's too much with my disease. And why would you put your body under all that stress? But how I navigate that, Joyce, is I just you build boundaries, right? So, you read all the time about tech CEOs emailing people at 1, 2 o'clock in the morning. Well, the reality is I'm in bed by 9:30 every night. I need 8.5 hours, 9 hours of sleep every night. So, I manage it. I manage both as best as possible. And so, for everyone that thought I couldn't do it, I just show them every day that I can do it.

You know, isn't it hard to believe? Well, I guess it isn't, but people, like, when I tell them this, they'll say, "Oh, you've got to be kidding," you know, with the Americans with Disabilities Act and different things. Isn't it, though, something? How, even today, that people would say that to somebody?

It, um, I think our society has this contrived view of what people should look like or be like or whatever. And I, um, again, like I was telling you before, I do believe my why in this world is to show people that, like, I'm gonna do it. I might do it a little differently, um, you know, but you can do it. You just have to hold your boundaries My health is the most important thing I have, and so I always put my health first. So, if I feel like the day I wake up I have tremors, I might just work from my bed that day, or when I go get my quarterly brain adjustments, I'll take the next day off. It's just a matter of self-care is probably the most important care that I can do to be able to be disabled and run a company.

Yeah, and look at that. That is awesome, but not surprising. People are absolutely seen as being unable to do jobs that they can do. And, you know, good for you that you did this. So, Carrie, tell us what you did at Medcan Health Management.

Yeah, so my last job, I was working for a company in Toronto. Called Medcan, and I oversaw the Eat Move Think portfolio. So, I'm a big believer, going back to, again, being disabled, that, you know, your mental health, your physical health, and how you eat all fuel your body. So, example, I sleep 8 hours. I try and meditate every day. I try and get on my bike and ride, or, you know, and I don't drink. I don't smoke. I eat very properly. So, again, like, I— that Joyce Bender solidified this whole sort of holistic process of eat, move, think, and I think that also is another reason why I've been able to really manage my disability, because I really try and treat my body as though it's a temple. Because the reality is, as much as I have batteries and wires in me, I have seen people that don't take care of themselves where they actually— the disease actually wins over the technology. So, it's very important for me to balance both that whole, like, you know, self-care and also just making sure I'm taking care of myself in a way that just matches going to a doctor, getting my checkups and my tune-ups. So, that's really what drew me to that last position at MedCan in Toronto.

Well, is that where you live? Do you live in Canada?

No, I live in— I live in— In Florida, that was my last— that was my international job when I was in MedCan.

Yeah, well, I'll tell you, it is amazing that in parts of Canada there is such, you know, care about providing, you know, opportunities from a medical standpoint for people with disabilities, but not as many in employment. Of course, Look at right here, you know, 70% of people with disabilities are not counted in the workforce. So I'm hoping, Carrie, with people like you, you know, taking a stand one at a time, we can make a difference. But right now we're going to break. Hey, if you just joined us, we have Carrie Subutt, the CEO of Simple health, a national disability advocate. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. We'll be right back with Carrie. Don't go away.

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Since 1985, Bender Consulting Services has served as a national leader in advancing employment of people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, with private sector companies and federal government agencies. Bender assists customers with achieving their diversity and workforce inclusion initiatives by tapping into a talent pool of individuals seeking professional positions, including those in the STEM fields. In addition, Bender Services include disability employment consulting, training, and technology accessibility through their HI-TEST line of service. For more information, please visit www.benderconsult.com.

Get the news on our shows and other happenings by following us on Twitter. Find us @VoiceAmericaTrn. Or twitter.com/voiceamericaTrn. You're listening to Disability Matters. If you have a question or comment, call in toll-free at 1-866-472-5788. That's 1-866-472-5788. Now please welcome back the host of Disability Matters. Here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome back to the show. If you just joined us, we're talking to Carrie Subutt, the CEO of Simple Health and a disability advocate. Something I want to mention, two things first. If you know of someone and you're thinking, oh, I wish they could listen to this show, remember it's on demand. So here's an easy way. Go to Spotify, subscribe to Disability Matters with Joyce Bender, and they can hear all these shows. You could also go to voiceamerica.com, but I'm just making it easy for you since I know a lot of people use that social media. And the second thing I want to mention, you know, the candidate market is taking off. And finally, people are including people with disabilities. I don't know how long this will last. I hope it continues. The other thing is people are allowed to work from a remote standpoint. So if you or someone you know is seeking employment, you've got to get in touch with me at benderconsult.com. Joyce Bender, that's benderconsult.com. Just go to that site and you'll see the contact information because we all know that without employment, you're never free in this country. Can't buy a house, can't buy a car, can't live the American dream. So if you know someone, don't leave them out. Make sure you tell them, uh, and you can tell them about this show and they can hear me talking about this. But right now, back to Carrie. Carrie, what did you learn about— because I think this is so state-of-the-art— digitization and personal healthcare? Tell us about that.

Yeah, so I joined Simple Health in February, maybe 8 days before shelter-in-place. It was quite, quite an achievement of being a first-time CEO. And again, like having this pandemic happen. But Joyce, I'm always going to come back to my disability because I think when I get presented with obstacles, my first sort of thought is, "How do I solve this?" Right? I've always lived my entire life— you and I were kidding about a ramp, but sometimes I've been to places that didn't have a ramp. So, how do I get down the steps before my surgery? And so, for me, when I took over this company and realized that you can actually give really great healthcare via technology, I was like, wow, this is super great. So in the pandemic, we grew 900%, which again was no small feat. And it was never about growing the company. It was all about meeting our patients where they had to be met. And that's something that I've always lived with. And so knowing that people knew their contraception, whether it was for birth control or endometriosis or cramps, or even sometimes if you're disabled, you might have really bad symptoms from your period. So, again, I knew that we had to have this happen. And so, we just— the team and I just sort of leaned in and got everyone the medication they needed. But I would say my proudest moments are when I get emails from patients, because I email— quote-unquote, "I email everyone when they're a new patient." And the best emails are the ones that come back like, "I have 2 kids. I'm actually disabled, and it's been such a challenge for me to leave my house. Thank you for the service." I'm disabled. It's always been a challenge for me to get to the pharmacy anyway, but you put a pandemic over that. Thank you for helping me get my medication. So, it's just— it's such a— I would say a lifeline to me. When I email every individual, I talk about my disability. I'm very open about it, because people, you know, society wants me or has trained me to not talk about it, and for a very long time I didn't. And really, when I sort of, you know, I always call it coming out of the closet, was when I just realized that I had a gift that I can give to others that I just was sort of quieting down in me. And so, if you look, if you Google me, I run carrierun.org, you'll see my videos. It's pretty bad how, you know, my movements and my disability. So, to be able just to let people know that like there are people out there, there are services out there with the digitization of healthcare. That you can get some of your, I would call it, lohan fruit medication to your house that you've been leaving. It's just such a joy to me. Like, science is really the one thing I think that science does really have a positive impact on people's lives, right? So, for me, having deep brain stimulation and having a battery and having to charge every day and all that, I'm truly blessed every day that I'm a modern miracle because 50, if I was 50 years ago, I would be in a different place right now. So, again, like, you know, just really honored to be— and I talk about this on my platform when I sit on panels and stuff, that, you know, I am disabled. And even when I do some of those things, Joyce, like, you know, like when you have a disability, people that people can't see either, they say things that you're like, "Wow, you don't even know me." And I think about sometimes when someone's like, "Well, why did you cross your legs like that?" I'm like, "Because I can't cross them any way else. It makes me very uncomfortable." And so, those are just things that as I think about just educating people on what it's like to be different is something that, again, whether it's my patients or myself or talking to you, it's something that I truly You say disability advocate, I almost think of it as disability hero because I'm really hoping to change the way that we think about whether it's hiring people with disabilities, whether it's, you know, talking about it, just making it mainstream is sort of like my journey on, you know, having conversations like this.

Oh, yeah. And just as you said, digitization, all of this has taken us forward in such a great way for people with disabilities. Even telehealth, you know what I mean, is doing so much to help people with disabilities. So, your work is a great thing you're doing. Tell me, how are you working to raise awareness for people who, like you, are battling dystonia and movement disorders?

Well, first of all, Joyce Bender, talk to people like you. You know, again, like, it's something that's been very new to me, and sometimes it's a little bit— you know, there's always a little bit of sadness when you think about it, right? Because just being discriminated my entire life is something that people don't realize how much of a mental health toll it takes on you sometimes when you know you're just different. Like, that's all it is. Nothing deeper than that, right? Like, we have the same brain, we have the same thoughts, and so For me, it is having the courage, the boldness, the superhero cape to come and have these conversations with people like you. A couple weeks ago, I won an award for leading one of the 50 fastest woman-led companies for the WPO, and my first introduction was, "I am disabled." And you could tell the crowd was not expecting that. Because again, like, as a society, we have a way that disabled people should look and not really like wanting to lean in and find out people's authentic differences. So, you know, just being open. A lot of my podcasts, all that I do is around my disability, and I'm totally fine talking about that because it's part of my why. I believe, you know, I was given this disease to be an advocate for not only disabilities but women's rights, you know, Diversity, inclusion, belonging, like all of the things. And that is one thing that I make sure that we do at Simple Health. Number one, I really— my mission is to really keep healthcare simple, affordable, and really effective, right? Joyce Bender, you mentioned a little bit about the technology, but while I am grateful for that, I also like, I have to be honest, my brain surgeon did not take insurance, right? So, I had to pay for that like over 5 years. People don't sometimes tell you that you can ask for payment plans. You can tell them that there are ways that you can access some of this stuff. So, even just talking about stuff like that is something that I think about and I talk about every day. I'm very fortunate that I was able to pay off my bills in 10 years, but not everyone can do that. I mean, brain surgery is not very cheap. So, again, really just spreading the word and Telling people to never give up and to keep on fighting and believing is something that I think we all have to hear from time to time.

Wow. Well, I'm going to talk about this a little more, but right now, time for our news break. And we have Perri Jude Radesic, our reporter, who is going to give us an update on what's going on. Perri, welcome.

Joyce, thank you, and it's a pleasure to be here. So Joyce, last week Paris Hilton, along with key members of Congress, spoke out about the serious abuse and neglect of youth with disabilities who are sent to these youth residential treatment facilities. Paris Hilton spoke about her own negative experiences with abuse and neglect at a treatment facility she had been sent to. This press conference followed the October 14th release of a National Disability Rights Network report called Desperation Without Dignity. Now this report revealed widespread abuse and neglect at for-profit youth residential treatment facilities across 18 states in the United States. The report examines the history of the for-profit residential treatment industry, that private funding structure that fuels it, and the report also discusses alternatives and recommendations to residential placement. Now, in Pennsylvania, so what's it, what's it like in Pennsylvania? Here in Pennsylvania, incidents like those cited at the press conference and in Desperation Without Dignity have happened in all types of congregate settings for youth. That includes the for-profit, the nonprofit, and the state-operated facilities, as well as youth who are in juvenile justice settings. So instead of receiving treatment, rehabilitation, education, youth with disabilities often face inhumane treatment, abuse, and neglect. So Disability Rights Pennsylvania has filed litigation to improve conditions in our state. I'm gonna talk about two cases. One is Disability Rights Pennsylvania versus the Department of Human Services. We filed that lawsuit in April of 2019 on behalf of youth with disabilities at three state-operated youth development centers, And that litigation alleges that staff at those centers abusively restrained youth with disabilities, often because of their disabilities, verbally abused and harassed residents based on their disabilities, and failed to provide the residents with appropriate programs, services, and rehabilitation. Another lawsuit we filed in 2017 alleges the Department of Human Services violated federal law by failing to provide children with mental health disabilities in the foster care system with medically necessary behavioral health services in the most integrated settings. So Joyce, advocacy matters. We urge your listeners to go to disabilityrightsPA.org, click on today's link for the show, and read Desperation Without Dignity. These, and look for the recommendations that are in "Desperation Without Dignity," which include a consistent and effective system of state oversight of these facilities, more community-based systems of support, and Congress needs to pass legislation to sufficiently finance community-based placements for youth in the Medicaid program. So go to disabilityrightsPA.org you'll find some news coverage of the Paris Hilton press conference and a link to the report from the National Disability Rights Network.

Thanks, Joyce.

That is terrible. Uh, Perry, would you give me an example? What do you mean by a treatment center? Is this like rehab for someone that is a juvenile offender, or what is it?

You know, it could be all of the above. It could be a place where a juvenile offender has gone for supports and services, either for mental health or for, for detention. In Pennsylvania, we call them Youth Developmental Centers. It could be for-profit residential treatment facilities. Sometimes parents want to send their children out to another state or within state where they expect that their child's behavior will be modified in some way. And so we're talking about for-profit, nonprofit placement that is supposed to be treatment and rehabilitation, but sometimes does not end up that way.

Well, I'm going to tell you something. I was just writing some notes about this. What is going on in this country when this is happening? I mean, this is absolutely horrible. I have read so much about this and the school-to-prison pipeline. And you know what I want you to do? I want you to go to that website. That Perry told you, and look this up, disabilityrightspa.org. There's something I say all the time. If you don't get involved, we can't change anything. You know, in other words, we can't sit back and say, oh my God, is that terrible? That's so terrible. Well, what are you doing about it? We've got to do something about it. And when you go there, disabilityrightsPA.org, you consider making a donation to that organization, because I'll tell you, I'm so honored to be on their board, but it's work like this that really makes a difference. Perry, are you still with us?

I am, Joyce Bender.

Perry, I just want to tell you, that so impresses me what you're doing, because, you know, so many of these kids, you just don't know what happens to them. And that same desperation, I mean, what does— what happens? What does that mean? And oh, it's so terrible. So, Perry, how should we— what should we do? What should we wait for? And what can our listeners do?

Well, I think definitely follow news coverage of the event. Definitely check out Desperation Without Dignity on our website. And then, and then follow our lawsuits. We often give updates about the lawsuits that we have in Pennsylvania to address these same or similar issues.

And I will say again, this is such great work being done. As you can see, I'm very passionate about young people because at the Bender Leadership Academy, we are training high school students with disabilities for the world of work and how to deal with bullying. And now we have the Mary Brocker Mental Health Initiative, which is so personal to me. But I am, I am passionate about young people with, you know, with disabilities and what's going on. Just across the board. So please go to disabilityrightspa.org and make a donation. It's hard to do anything, you know, when you don't have any help. So, Perry, thank you so much for the great work you're doing.

Thank you, Joyce Bender, and have a good day.

All right, well, that is so awesome. Sorry about that, but I see that I was by mistake off air for a minute, but here I am reconnected. So what did you think about that, Carrie?

Oh, Joyce, just horrific. You know, it just— and you touched on something that I want to come back to. And you know, when you have a physical disability, along with that comes some mental health burdens and challenges, right? And so I just think when you mentioned just, you know, having the mental health component, that's extremely important because no one has ever talked about like how society causes such mental stress on people who are differently abled. And it's something that I spent years in therapy talking about because it's, um, people are cruel. I don't know how else to say it, but there are people who are not nice out there. Yeah.

And that's why we have a school-to-work pipeline, you know, a school-to-prison pipeline. I'm sorry, school-to-prison. That's why I have a school-to-prison pipeline. I wish it was a school-to-work, but it is really— we all got to get together on it. So, Carrie, we've talked about all these things you've done. Let's go to today. What is Simple Health?

Yeah, Simple Health is— we do reproductive care. Right now we are solely focused on the sexual health birth control product, but we are pivoting and iterating to basically do the whole reproductive healthcare journey for people with uteruses. So, you know, think sexual health, think fertility, think menopause. You know, I recently went to my neurologist and said, "I've been getting tremors since I've started to— I feel like entered perimenopause. Is there any research done around this?" And she simply said, "No." And I'm like, "What do you mean no?" And she's like, "You know, science doesn't necessarily invest in studying menopause." And I'm like, "But it's got—" But I'm like, think about it. At puberty was the onset of my disease. Why wouldn't menopause have a strong correlation to it? So again, I'm definitely just really excited to get further our company in the reproductive life cycle of people with Uterus Syndrome, women, and also just be an advocate for that. We don't talk enough about menopause. We don't talk enough about when to start thinking about kids. So society, again, has also taught us to not say these things. But again, I feel like if I'm going to have a loud mouth, I might as well just be the loudest person in the room. But I also do want to start talking about taboo topics such as menopause and why it's okay to say to your team, "Hey, I'm having a bad menopause day. I'm going to take the day off." We shouldn't be afraid of that. If you have a cold, you tell people. Why are we afraid to say, "Hey, I didn't sleep all last night. I had hot flashes." There's a lot, Joyce Bender, that we're trying to tackle right now, and to your point earlier, it's the digitization. So not a small feat, but again, you know, I was also told 20 years ago I'd never be able to walk again. Here I am running half marathons and marathons. So I'm going to try really hard to see how we can change the landscape of reproductive health and women's care in the U.S. Wow, that is so awesome.

That you're doing that, Carrie. That is awesome. You know, I have to tell a story here. I went to— years and years ago, like years ago, 1984— and I told my family doctor that I was having these fainting spells. And he said to me, "Oh, that's just some female hormonal problem." Well, stop it, Joyce!

No! Yeah, he was wrong.

He said that to you? One night in 1985, I went to see the movie Amadeus, and that's when I had my accident where I, at the intermission of a movie, I fell. I had a seizure and I hit the floor so hard I fractured My skull had an intracranial brain hemorrhage, life-saving brain surgery. And when I come to, I'm on epilepsy medication. Now, those times I did have a seizure since then, it was exactly like that fainting spell. In other words, I always had epilepsy. And I tell women all the time, you've got to get a second opinion. You know, there's not enough done for women in medicine, and you just have to ask more.

Carrie, would you agree with that? Oh, Joyce, I mean, your story is very commonplace, right? Like, actually, I just got— I got just angry because there's so much that's— I mean, I read the book about, you know, hormones and Alzheimer's in women, and like, there's just so much studying that we need to do around hormones and neurological diseases, and we don't because your body is going through a change. It's just natural and normal, right? So, for some of us who are differently abled, there could be a correlation with symptoms. And I've gotten— since I started to become perimenopausal, I've got some minor tremors now. I clench my jaw all the time, which is why I have to get Botox in my jaw now. But again, when I ask, "Is this a symptom of just me getting older?" The answer is like, "We don't know." And then I say, "Why don't you Why don't you study it? It's like, you know, deaf ears, and no one wants to like answer the question. So I just, I really hope that, you know, over time, the more I talk about it, the people will, you know, will start thinking about like, how can we do some more research on the later stage of, you know, womanhood? Yeah.

Why do you think that is? Why do you think, you just think that's because people don't care about these issues? I mean, doctors, what do you think?

So Joyce, women's health is one of the most underfunded sectors of healthcare. I just think it might be a level of lack of education, you know, but like if you think about it, I think there's some crazy statistic that like pre-1970s, there were never any FDA trials on like, you know, women of childbearing age or some crazy, crazy like statistics like that. And like, that's when like you just realize that like not enough has been done for women's health, and it's the most underfunded, I would say, area right now in healthcare. And I just, I think it's a societal problem, right, like where people just sort of write our symptoms off. But to the person who's experiencing it, they are real. Like, I do sometimes have night sweats and not stay up half the night. And so, you know, again, like These are true, true things that affect our daily lives. And so, by the way, thank you for sharing your story as well, because until people like you and I start having these conversations, I don't think anything will change.

That's terrible. We need more women's groups or, you know, someone to talk about this because it's terrible. Look at me. I could have died. The night that I fell and had life-saving brain surgery, I could have died. But, um, yeah, that's why I tell women, if you don't think it's right, get another opinion. Don't just be— why did I believe it? I'll tell you why. I was in my 20s and he's a doctor, so I thought of course he would know. But I was wrong. He did not know. So remember Speak up, speak up. All right, well, right now we're going to go to break, and this will be our last break before we close the show. We've been talking to Carrie Subbot, CEO of Simple Health and a real disability advocate. I hope you will follow her, and I hope you will tell other people about this show. This is our last break. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. Don't go away. We'll be right back with Carrie.

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Since 1985, Bender Consulting Services has served as a national leader in advancing employment of people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, with private sector companies and federal government agencies. Bender assists customers with achieving their diversity and workforce inclusion initiatives by tapping into a talent pool of individuals seeking professional positions, including those in the STEM fields. In addition, Bender services include disability employment consulting, training, and technology accessibility through their high-tech line of service. For more information, please visit www.benderconsult.com.

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VoiceAmerica.com. You're listening to Disability Matters. If you have a question or comment, call in toll-free at 1-866-472-5788. That's That's 1-866-472-5788. Now please welcome back the host of Disability Matters. Here's Joyce Bender.

Hey, before we go on, I've got to tell you something. You know what? Sometimes you're off track or you're— something happens, you're not on the air. And I've got to tell you, my engineer Aaron is so awesome at Voice America. He's so awesome. So, you know, I need to make sure the executives know that he's been with me a long time and he does a great job. So I have a buddy, just so you know that. Carrie, welcome back. Um, it's been a pleasure having you on the show today. I wanted to ask you a question, and that is about you. You know, here you are, you have all this passion, you overcame all this, you fought all these barriers. Something had to give you that drive. So who is your role model?

That's a great question. I often ask myself, why did I have this drive? Because My sister and I are so different. I kind of ran through the disease and the disease sort of like took her over. So, two very different outcomes, same family, same parents, same disease. I just, I think I just, at a very young age, just really was so passionate about being a CEO when I grew up and I just, decided that this disease was going to take me off path. And I know that sounds super stubborn, and I know that sounds— but I really think that's just how, no pun intended, how I'm wired. You know, I had just growing up, I had seen a lack of powerful women. Then you double-click on that and the lack of women of color, and then you double-click on that, a lack of women of color who are disabled. And I just saw like, Carrie, you can't give up. You have something that is just so different that you can offer the world. I was on a podcast a couple of weeks ago and my friend's daughter has alopecia. She was like, Carrie, you know, when I had told you about her, you said, "Do not force her to wear a wig." I took your advice. She was like, she chose not to wear a wig. She is like, "I want the world to see how different I am." I don't know, Joyce Bender, for me, like, I'm not sure I necessarily have, like, a role model. I just think that maybe I was meant to be the role model of, you know, when my friends ask me who have disabilities, what should I do? I'm like, you don't do anything different. You don't, like, coddle them. You don't— like, my parents never said to me, you cannot do something. And so, again, like, because I never They took a stance of not necessarily making the disease a big thing, but more that it was just part of the family. So, I don't know, part stubbornness, Joyce, part grit, part competitiveness, I guess, but that's kind of really why I never gave up and probably still won't give up for a long time.

Well, good for you. It's that internal drive, you know that? It's that internal drive that makes a difference. Well, look at you, Carrie. You have done so much in your life already. You have so many accomplishments. But if you had to list what you feel your greatest accomplishments are, what would you say?

I would say Running the New York City Marathon, running a New York City Marathon wearing a shirt saying, "I have dystonia, I'm battery operated," on my back and finding the voice to talk about my disability. Like I said, I never talked about this 5 years ago, much less 2 years ago. So, I think I'm truly proud to have been able to take the sadness and the sorrow and use this voice for A Voice of Change, I think that might be one of the greatest accomplishments I truly feel like I've had in this life to date. Well, they are absolutely tremendous accomplishments.

So, Carrie, let me ask you this. What message do you have for our listeners today?

Don't give up. Don't listen to the nos. Believe in yourself and manifest your dreams. Write them down, keep the list, check the list off, but nothing or no one's holding you back. As big as, as far as you want to dream, I think you should always follow that dream of yours.

Right. And what message do you have, Carrie, for young people with disabilities that seem to be facing one obstacle after the next trying to get internship or employment?

Um, I don't know if it's any different than if you're able-bodied, Joyce, but I guess I would just say, you know, when you're writing people on LinkedIn or whatever it is when you're trying to get that internship, tell people how you can add value and go with the mindset that like, I can add value to Company A, B, or C, not like, you know, living with like, oh, I'm nervous, should I tell them about disability or not? Like, always remember that when you apply to a job or internship, you've been invited to that party, right? And I would say, you know, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and you need to join the company that not only invites you to the company, to the party, not only, you know, says, hey, we want to interview you, but also wants to make sure that you belong in that organization, that culture. I think Those are things for people who are thinking about joining companies and stuff. And if the companies won't accommodate your special needs, then that's not the right place for you to go. Like Jessica was saying to you, I don't— when I look at employers who don't have ramps or elevators in buildings, I don't join those organizations or companies. I just— that just means that they're not attuned to what it's like to be differently abled. So I would just say never compromise your values, no matter how much you really want something. Make sure that all the qualities are there in a job or an internship.

Don't compromise your values and don't give up. What better advice could that be? Carrie Subbot, CEO of Simple Health Thank you so much for being with us today.

Thank you, Joyce. Thank you for having me.

And again, if you know someone and you think, well, I wish they heard this show, remember it's on demand. You can go to Spotify and look for the podcast Disability Matters with Joyce Bender on Voice America. You can go to voiceamerica.com. You can go to benderconsult.com. You can find this show and share it with someone else. And in closing, you know, I lost my closest friend, Mary Brocker, and I appreciate everyone's support. Mary had a saying. She lived with depression, but every day she would get up and she had a saying, and that saying is, "Choose joy." So what I say to you and what I'll say on every show, go out and choose joy before I talk to you next week. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you next week with our fabulous guest, Deb Rice Johnson. Talk to you then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk Voice America.com.