"I'm less interested in a diagnosis than in the person sitting in front of me."

For nearly 18 years, music therapist Tori Emery has been building spaces where neurodivergent children, their families, and people on the margins of community don't have to change to belong. In this episode of Who Needs Shoes, host Tanya Manning-Yarde, PhD sits down with Tori to explore what it actually means to meet someone exactly where they are — and what becomes possible when you do.

What We Explore:

*The Yes Space Philosophy. Tori walks us through how she designs her practice — and her life — around removing the burden of change from the child. When the environment says yes, people create, connect, and heal.

*Music as a Clinical Instrument. From the NICU to pediatric wards, Tori reads heart rate, oxygen saturation, and nonverbal cues in real time — adjusting key, tempo, and volume not by instinct alone, but by science. Hear what that level of attunement actually looks like in practice.

*The ISO Principle. One of music therapy's foundational techniques — and one of the most transferable lessons in this conversation. You don't pull someone toward healing. You start where they are.

*What Ghana Taught Her About Community. Tori traveled to Ghana and came back changed — not because of what she offered, but because of what she witnessed: a culture where music isn't a commodity or a clinical tool. It's just life. Communal, unselfconscious, and for everyone.

*LoveWorks, Maggie's Love Boxes, and the Buddy Program. How do you make love tangible? You pack a box for a child in the NICU. You create a sensory room at a church and ask families what belonging actually feels like to them — rather than assuming you already know.

*Her Closing Thought — and the One Worth Sitting With:

"There's a lot more we have in common than we think."

Whether you're a parent searching for a space where your child is celebrated, a clinician who wants to reconnect with why you started, or someone who believes that community is a form of medicine — this conversation is for you.

Find Tori:

Serenade Music Therapy: serenademt.com

Find the Show:

whoneedshoes.com | askwhoneedshoes@gmail.com | @whoneedshoes on Instagram

For decades, the American public school system has operated on a binary: you are either "in" the general classroom or you are "out." But my guest today, Michele Gardner, CEO of All In for Inclusive Education, suggests that physical proximity is often mistaken for actual membership.

Michele has spent her career navigating the tension between the legal machinery of special education and the human rights of the children inside it. From managing multimillion-dollar budgets to witnessing the "messy" magic of a percussion program for deaf students, she has seen firsthand how our definitions of competence can either open doors or lock them.

In this episode, we sit down to discuss:

*The "Indicators" of Belonging: Why the most profound shifts in a classroom can be felt before they are seen.

*The Dignity of Risk: Why protecting a student from failure can sometimes be its own form of exclusion.

*Adult Readiness: Moving the conversation away from whether a child is "ready" to whether the system is prepared to receive them.

It is a conversation about the evolution of teacher training, the vital expertise of parents, and the slow, often painful pace of systemic change.

Link:https://www.allinforinclusiveed.org/

In this episode, Tanya Manning-Yarde interviews Lucy Prawl, a dedicated advocate for disability rights with over three decades of experience. Lucy shares her journey from community advocacy to her current role at the PEAL Center, emphasizing the importance of integrating personal experiences with professional expertise. The conversation explores the challenges and triumphs of advocating for individuals with disabilities, the significance of family support, and the need for continuous learning and community involvement. Lucy offers valuable insights on how to empower parents and children in their advocacy journeys, highlighting the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges.