Not many people can claim to be pioneers in two fields, and certainly not in two fields as seemingly different as bovines and autism. However, the lessons learned through empathy, humanity, and courage throughout an illustrious career often bleed through the specific topic of conversation. With a spot on the 2010 Time100 list of the most influential people, a Double Helix Medal, multiple honorary degrees from around the world, inductee into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame, author of dozens of scientific journal articles in animals sciences and books on autism and disability, a Ted Talk and an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning movie of her own, here's my conversation with Dr. Temple Grandin.

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Sina Bahram lost the majority of his sight and became legally blind during his childhood. An obvious genius, he gravitated toward subjects like astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and computer science to realize that the only thing getting in his way was the inaccessibility of the material, and not because he couldn't understand it. In a somewhat begrudging career diversion, he decided to dedicate his career to making sure that regardless how one sees, we can all experience the world together.

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From a very young age, Drew Maxwell's drawing ability exceeded that of the people in his school, including his teachers. For an eager, witty, and talented first grader, his only kryptonite was the evil element of spelling. Not diagnosed with dyslexia until middle school, the public school system provided a daily smack down of the soul. But, Drew swore his revenge on the system that didn't recognize his superpower and battled back by eventually turning down full rides to major art schools, working in Hollywood, creating the largest-ever movie production company in Milwaukee, publishing a popular comic book, and finally through some proverbial poetic justice becoming as professor and the Executive Director of the Innovation Center at the Milwaukee Institute for Art and Design.

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After devastating and rare crash in a downhill skiing race, Kelly Brush learned she was paralyzed from the waist down. As an innate athlete with a competitive spirit, she found the motivation to overcome her newfound reality through sports. Shortly thereafter, she founded the Kelly Brush Foundation to help introduce others to adaptive sports and offset the insane costs of the equipment through individual grants.

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Noah was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as a young adult and after working at a summer camp for kids with autism, he inspired the creation of  Asperger's Are US, the world's first comedy troupe comprised of people on the autism spectrum with the help of some of his former campers. After a popular Netflix Documentary and a docuseries on HBO, Noah and I had the opportunity to reflect on his pathway to comedy, his reckoning with autism, and a career battling with an audience that sometimes didn't know why, how, or when to laugh.

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Thank you for joining us on Taking Flight.

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