Please join us in extending our condolence's to Penny Forward Podcast editor Byron Lee after the unexpected passing of his mother last week. To give Byron time to spend with his family, new episodes of the Penny Forward podcast will return in mid July. Until then, we'll be rereleasing some early episodes along with recently completed transcripts. This week, we're releasing the first ever episode of the Penny Forward Podcast. Our first guest was Michael Malver, who had recently found a full-time job after over 10 years of part-time work. You'll learn how Michael's friends and family have always supported him by referring him to opportunities they knew he'd excel at. You'll also learn how trusting his friends has changed his life for the better. A full text transcript of this episode can be found at https://pennyforward.com/podcast-transcript-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

Does fear hold you back? When opportunities come up throughout our lives we don’t always take them because we’re afraid. Whether we’re afraid of failure, or afraid of success, that fear can hold us back from achieving our highest potential. This week, 2022 American Council Of The Blind JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellow Byron Lee returns to tell us how he recently overcame fear to accept a new and challenging job opportunity. A full text transcript of this episode can be found at https://pennyforward.com/podcast-transcript-the-fear-factor/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

This week’s guest is Star Trek’s first blind actor, Bruce Horak.  Bruce is originally from Calgary, Alberta where he trained in theatre and Improvisation. Horak lost over 90% of his eyesight to Retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer.  He has worked for over 25 years as an actor, writer, musician, composer, and painter, often creating work which addresses vision-loss, perspective, and perseverance.  His one-person shows have taken him all over the world.  "This is CANCER" premiered in 2006 at the Summerworks festival in Toronto, and went on to be performed over 1000 times earning awards from coast to coast. "Assassinating Thomson" premiered in 2013 and has been produced nearly 800 times.  The    National Arts Centre, Common Boots Theatre, The Blyth Festival, and Manitoba Theatre Centre are just a few of the spaces to present his work. He can be seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds     for Paramount Plus as the blind alien engineer, Hemmer. When not creating new works and performing onstage, Bruce devotes his time to painting.  More can be seen at http://www.brucehorak.com/ A full text transcript of this episode can be found at https://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e9-where-no-blind-actor-has-gone-before-pt-ii/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

This week’s guest is Star Trek’s first blind actor, Bruce Horak.  Bruce is originally from Calgary, Alberta where he trained in theatre and Improvisation. Horak lost over 90% of his eyesight to Retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer.  He has worked for over 25 years as an actor, writer, musician, composer, and painter, often creating work which addresses vision-loss, perspective, and perseverance.  His one-person shows have taken him all over the world.  "This is CANCER" premiered in 2006 at the Summerworks festival in Toronto, and went on to be performed over 1000 times earning awards from coast to coast. "Assassinating Thomson" premiered in 2013 and has been produced nearly 800 times.  The    National Arts Centre, Common Boots Theatre, The Blyth Festival, and Manitoba Theatre Centre are just a few of the spaces to present his work. He can be seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds     for Paramount Plus as the blind alien engineer, Hemmer. When not creating new works and performing onstage, Bruce devotes his time to painting.  More can be seen at http://www.brucehorak.com/ A full text transcript of this episode can be found at https://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e8-where-no-blind-actor-has-gone-before/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

Have you ever worked hard for a goal, only to have something come up that set you back and made your hard work seem wasted? Setbacks occur throughout our lives and being prepared to deal with them is an important part of setting yourself up for success. In this episode, you’ll learn some strategies for dealing with setbacks no matter where they arise. This episode is a compilation of excerpts from our monthly American Council of the Blind community event. ACB community events are free and open to anyone. Learn how to join us at https://www.acb.org/acb-community-events A full text transcript of this episode can be found at https://pennyforward.com/?p=3382&preview=true The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

Are you stressed out wondering if you’ll get a tax refund or owe money this year? We wanted to learn why some of us get a refund while others end up having to pay, so we invited Leah Hassler, a Certified Public Accountant and professional tax preparer, on to tell us how, with proper planning, we can minimize that stress. A full text transcript of this episode can be found at http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e6-coping-with-the-most-taxing-season-of-the-year/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

Have you always believed that you could only make a living if you went to college? George Wurtzel was the star of a 2018 Subaru Outback commercial, but he is also a blind woodworker and craftsman who believes that blind people can be successful in any type of job. In part 2 of a two part interview, we’ll learn how George’s talent and resilience helped him to succeed throughout his 50-year woodworking career, and what it was like to film that famous Subaru commercial.   You can learn more about George by visiting his Wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wurtzel or by visiting his web site, http://www.gmwurtzel.com/ A full text transcript of this episode can be found at http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e5-seeing-the-world-in-ways-you-never-imagined/ The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.

Have you always believed that you could only make a living if you went to college? George Wurtzel was the star of a 2018 Subaru Outback commercial, but he is also a blind woodworker and craftsman who believes that blind people can be successful in any type of job. In part 1 of a two part interview, we’ll learn how George’s talent and resilience helped him to succeed throughout his 50-year woodworking career, and what it was like to film that famous Subaru commercial.   You can learn more about George by visiting his Wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wurtzel or by visiting his web site, http://www.gmwurtzel.com/   A full text transcript of this episode can be found at http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e4-seeing-the-world-in-ways-you-never-imagined/   The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Listen by asking your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, or by visiting pennyforward.com/podcast.  

Will blind people ever live and work in space? This week, on the Penny Forward Podcast, Sheri Wells-Jensen will tell us why she, and Mission: AstroAccess believe that it’s critical that even an environment as hostile as space must be accessible to everyone. We’ll also learn how it feels to experience zero gravity and how you can get involved with Mission: AstroAccess and their on-going research into accessibility’s final frontier.   A full text transcript of this episode can be found at http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-podcast-s2022e3-accessibilitys-final-fronteer/   The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Subscribe by searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, ask your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, check out the Penny Forward YouTube channel, or listen to all of our past episodes and read full text transcripts at pennyforward.com/podcast.

If the topic of investing seems incredibly daunting, or your first thought upon hearing the word "investing" is, "I could never do that!" You are most definitely not alone. Additionally, while our inclination when our elders tell us things may be to not listen to them, much wisdom and invaluable life lessons can come from age and experience. Les Kriegler is 71 years old. Over his long life, he has enjoyed a successful career in the New York state rehabilitation system, both as a counselor and an administrator, raised two children with his wife Jane, and become a successful investor. We invited Les on because we think he has a lot to teach us about how investing can be a powerful tool to help blind people lead comfortable and care free lives.   A full text transcript of this episode can be found at http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e2-how-a-lifetime-of-investing-has-paid-off/http://pennyforward.com/penny-forward-transcript-s2022e2-how-a-lifetime-of-investing-has-paid-off/   Do you have an investing story you want to share? Continue the conversation in the Penny Forward Facebook group, a safe space to get support from the Penny Forward community.   The Penny Forward podcast is about blind people building bright futures one penny at a time. Subscribe by searching for “Penny Forward” using your favorite podcast app, ask your smart speaker to play the podcast, “Penny Forward”, check out the Penny Forward YouTube channel, or listen to all of our past episodes and read full text transcripts at pennyforward.com/podcast.