In June of 2020, Shawn Marsolais, the Founder and Director of Programs and Engagement of Blind Beginnings, along with a collection of past and present youth leaders gathered online in a Zoom Room and recorded the inaugural episode of the Blind Beginnings Limitless Podcast. On that warm summer evening in June, the Limitless Podcast was born with an aptly named episode entitled, “Episode 1 - Why We Made A Podcast”.

The Podcast releases once per week, and is anchored by Shawn Marsolais who performs hosting duties, with a rotation of regular co-hosts that consist of program youth and alumni.

Monthly Limitless Committee meetings see both staff and youth volunteers coming together to plan content for both the Limitless Podcast as well as the Limitless Blog. Topics for the show are pitched by both staff as well as youth, giving both the organization as well as the youth we serve a voice for issues and topics that help shift the perspective on blindness.

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Got a question, comment, or show idea?
Contact our Limitless Podcast Team at
limitless@blindbeginnings.ca!

Episode 184 - Masking Our Vision Loss
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 184 - Masking Our Vision Loss

For some individuals, sometimes not disclosing partial sight or blindness or not asking for help when it may be needed can be tempting. This week Shawn invites podcast regulars Ishita and Acacia back to the show to have an open and honest discussion about how they sometimes “mask their blindness”, some of the situations where they do it and explore the reasons why it can be tempting to do.

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Episode 183 - Summer Camp Memories
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 183 - Summer Camp Memories

For many youth, Summer Camp experiences are transformative and impactful in a multitude of different ways. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Clement, Alethea, and Nolan to discuss their past Camp experiences and favorite memories in order to highlight the importance that programs like this can have on youth who are blind or partially sighted.

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Episode 182 - Living With Blindness and Cerebral Palsy
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 182 - Living With Blindness and Cerebral Palsy

Youth who have multiple disabilities can have a unique set of challenges and barriers to overcome. This week Shawn sits down with Priya, a Blind Beginnings program youth who has Cerebral Palsy as well as blindness to talk about her lived experience and about some of the challenges that she has faced living with multiple disabilities.

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Episode 181 - Backhanded Compliments
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 181 - Backhanded Compliments

Sometimes when people mean to pay a compliment with the best intentions, it may actually come off as insulting. This week Shawn is joined by Nolan, Ishita, and Nika to discuss their own experiences with backhanded compliments along with their strategies on dealing with it when it happens.

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Episode 180 - What Does Artificial Intelligence Know About Blindness?
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 180 - What Does Artificial Intelligence Know About Blindness?

In this episode Shawn is joined by tech enthusiasts Clement, Jugaad, and Nolan to talk about the different ways AI has improved accessibility in certain applications before experimenting and seeing just how much Chat-GPT can teach people about blindness. Chat-GPT says … you don’t want to miss this episode!

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Episode 179 - Discussing Braille vs Audio Content
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 179 - Discussing Braille vs Audio Content

Join Shawn and co-hosts Jinnie and Clement this week for a conversation about some of the fundamental differences between engaging with content in a Braille format versus audio. From personal preferences to the importance of Braille literacy, they touch on multiple aspects as well as the pros and cons of both formats.

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Episode 178 - Blind Travels with Ted Tahquechi
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 178 - Blind Travels with Ted Tahquechi

Pack those bags and get ready to hit the road! This week Shawn and co-hosts Keisha and Randi welcome Ted Tahequechi, a travel influencer, blogger, and photographer who also runs the website Blind Travels. They discuss his love of travel, how he adjusted after losing much of his vision in a car accident, and dive into travel tips and things to look for when traveling as someone who is blind or partially sighted. 

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Episode 177 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends Part 3
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 177 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends Part 3

This week we cap off our three part discussion about having sighted friends and acquaintances by inviting some of our high school aged youth to discuss what the experience of meeting new people in the high school environment is like. Shawn welcomes co-hosts Leena, Jugaad, and Nolan to provide insight and their own experiences being the only youth who are blind or partially sighted at their schools or, even, in their communities.

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Episode 176 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends Part 2
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 176 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends Part 2

This week Jinnie, Clement, and Shawn gather together once again to discuss the nuances of relationships with sighted friends in the second part of this fascinating conversation. They discuss the challenges of communicating needs to new friends while trying not to feel self conscious, how to handle people that are being too helpful or attentive, and much much more!

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Episode 175 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 175 - A Discussion About Having Sighted Friends

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Clement for an open and honest discussion about the nuances of having and maintaining friendships with people who are sighted. It’s a fascinating conversation full of insights about everything from accepting help to building new friendships that you won’t want to miss!

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Episode 174 - A Discussion About “All The Light We Cannot See”
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 174 - A Discussion About “All The Light We Cannot See”

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Acacia to discuss the recent Netflix limited series adaptation of the book, “All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.  They discuss the story, which centers around the character of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl in Paris after it is invaded by Nazi Germany as well as how blindness was portrayed within the story and translated from the book to screen.

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Episode 173 - Scott Rees Swims The Georgia Straight for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 173 - Scott Rees Swims The Georgia Straight for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind

This week Shawn sits down with Scott Rees, who has retinitis pigmentosa and recently swam the Georgia Straight in order to raise money for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. They discuss how this epic 30 km open water fundraising swim came to be, what it was like to train, and what it was like on the day of the swim itself after 11 hours in the water.

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Episode 172 - Let’s Meet Danielle and Leash of Hope
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 172 - Let’s Meet Danielle and Leash of Hope

It’s the first episode of 2024, and this week Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Danielle Main, President and Program Coordinator of Leash of Hope, an organization which trains rescue dogs to be service dogs to enable people with disabilities to enjoy more independent living. They discuss some of the benefits and challenges when it comes to using rescue dogs to be trained and what the training process is like.

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Episode 171 - Let’s Talk About Imposter Syndrome
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 171 - Let’s Talk About Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is the condition of being anxious or nervous and feeling like a “fraud” or a “phony” within a given community or job title. This week Shawn welcomes Acacia, Ishita, and Nina to talk about it in the context of being partially sighted and having this feeling of being stuck between the blind and sighted communities and not always feeling a part of either.

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Episode 170 - Let’s Talk About Job Interviews
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 170 - Let’s Talk About Job Interviews

Looking for work when you are blind or partially sighted can feel daunting, overwhelming, and even a bit scary, especially the part where you have to interview for the job. This week Shawn welcomes co-host Keisha back to the show to discuss looking for work, specifically how to prepare for the job interview, things to consider and plan during your search, and so much more! 

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Episode 169 - Let’s Talk About Blindness in India
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 169 - Let’s Talk About Blindness in India

The Limitless Podcast goes international this week as Shawn welcomes Jugaad and Jinnie to the show for a fascinating discussion about life in India as a person who is blind or partially sighted. They discuss the cultural differences in how blindness is viewed as well as how day to day life as a blind or partially sighted person can differ from daily life in Canada.

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Episode 168 - Let’s Talk About If We Were Sighted For A Day
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 168 - Let’s Talk About If We Were Sighted For A Day

It is both Halloween and the last week of Blindness Awareness Month, so this week we’ve decided to do a bit of a monstrous mash-up of the two (kind of like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup)! It’s a full house on this episode as Shawn welcomes Jinnie, Acacia, Ishita, Jugaad, and Clement back for each to share what they would do if they each were “sighted for a day”.

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Episode 166 - Let’s Talk About Choosing to Use A White Cane
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 166 - Let’s Talk About Choosing to Use A White Cane

October 15th was White Cane Day. and this year to mark the occasion, we wanted to talk about white canes from a slightly different perspective. Join us as Shawn welcomes Acacia, Dougie, and Ishita to the show for a fascinating discussion about using a white cane later in life or choosing to use one even though you may have just enough vision to manage without one. Using their own lived experiences as examples, they discuss the advantages of this choice and how perceived attitudes can sometimes influence when that choice is made.

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Episode 165 - Let’s Talk About What We Gain By Being Blind
Rob Mineault Rob Mineault

Episode 165 - Let’s Talk About What We Gain By Being Blind

When vision loss is discussed, most people think about all the negatives but rarely consider that there can be some positives as well. It is a transformative experience, which brings with it both positives and negatives. This week Shawn welcomes back Ishita and Jill to the podcast to shift perspectives and talk about some of the many positives that their blindness has brought into their lives as well as discussing dealing with the pressure that society puts on the disability community that they need to be “fixed”.

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