What does it truly mean to lead — not just others, but your own life? In this powerful episode of the Active Action Podcast, Dr. Nazif sits down with Molly Kennedy, a disability consultant, self-advocate, and founder of Molly Kennedy Consulting. Born with cerebral palsy, Molly has spent her life defying expectations — from being the first student with a disability at her Catholic school, to earning her master's degree, to launching a nonprofit after losing her ability to walk. Molly shares her deeply personal journey of building confidence, embracing failure, and using self-determination as the foundation for authentic leadership. Her philosophy is simple but profound: "It's not what I overcome — it's what I become." Whether you live with a disability or simply face life's inevitable setbacks, this episode will challenge you to rethink what leadership really looks like.
What Listeners Will Learn
- How self-advocacy changes the trajectory of your life
- The role confidence plays in becoming a leader
- Why leadership starts with leading your own life
- How to reframe setbacks instead of being defeated by them
- Why failure and risk-taking are essential parts of the human spirit
- That disability does not limit your right to dream
- What self-determination really means in practice
Be sure to check the webpage of Molly at the Active Action Podcast Website to learn more about her work, and ways to connect with her.
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00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 Welcome to another episode of the Active Action
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 Podcast. It's me, your host, Dr. Nazif, back
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 again with another amazing guest. And today we
00:00:58 --> 00:01:03 have with us Molly Kennedy. Molly is a disability
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 consultant and she defies stereotypes that are
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 associated with people with disabilities with
00:01:10 --> 00:01:15 the way she lives her dynamic life. Molly continually
00:01:15 --> 00:01:19 strives to advocate for actions and activities
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 that positively impact the lives of others. Through
00:01:23 --> 00:01:27 Molly's humor, wisdom, determination, and a little
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 bit of stubbornness, She creates her own path
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 to live her authentic and accomplished life and
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 offers consulting services to help others do
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 the same. Good evening, Molly. How are you doing
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 this evening? Good evening, Dr. I'm doing great.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 Thank you. That's so wonderful. So do you want
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 to introduce yourself a bit to our audiences
00:01:52 --> 00:01:58 apart from what I said? I'm Molly Kennedy. I
00:01:58 --> 00:02:04 live in the San Diego area in California. I grew
00:02:04 --> 00:02:10 up in California. I was part of a big Catholic
00:02:10 --> 00:02:16 Irish family. My parents, I had six siblings,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:22 so I had to learn early how to advocate for my
00:02:22 --> 00:02:27 family. with all my siblings. I moved to the
00:02:27 --> 00:02:32 Bay Area where I got my bachelor's degree, my
00:02:32 --> 00:02:38 master's degree, and worked up there for 18 years.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 The topic for today's podcast is being a leader
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 through self -advocacy. So we'll learn about
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 Molly, we'll learn about her journey, and we're
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 going to discuss some aspects that you can definitely
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 learn from Molly and from her wonderful journey
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 that she has embarked upon. Molly, would you
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 like to tell a little bit about your journey
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 and how you actually help people? Well, I was
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 born with cerebral palsy, and my parents were
00:03:09 --> 00:03:16 a doctor and a nurse, and I was their sixth child.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:22 So they knew how to parent. So when I came along
00:03:22 --> 00:03:27 and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it was
00:03:27 --> 00:03:33 not that... involved as others could be. I could
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 walk and talk. And so they basically let me live
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 my life like my sisters and brothers. I went
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 to private Catholic school from first grade till
00:03:49 --> 00:03:56 I graduated from college. And so it was... Like
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 my high school and my grade school, they never
00:03:59 --> 00:04:04 had a person with a disability. But my parents
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 were like, you just try your best and you will
00:04:08 --> 00:04:13 succeed. And that's what I did. That's so wonderful
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 to learn, Molly. And I know you have a wide variety
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 of accomplishments and activities in your life.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 Was there a moment when you realized that standing
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 up for yourself changed the direction of your
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 life? Yes. And I could give you one little story.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:36 Yes, please. When I was a senior in high school,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:41 at first, I thought I'd go to college. There
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 was a university very close to my house. And
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 my parents just thought I would go there or do
00:04:49 --> 00:04:55 a community college. But then the college counselor
00:04:55 --> 00:05:00 at my high school was like, oh, you should try
00:05:00 --> 00:05:06 and apply and go away to college. When I decided
00:05:06 --> 00:05:11 that that's what I wanted to do, it kind of shocked
00:05:11 --> 00:05:16 my parents. Because they were like, we know you
00:05:16 --> 00:05:22 can do college, but being far away, not being...
00:05:22 --> 00:05:27 I advocated that this is what I needed to do.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:34 I needed, A, to get a college degree, but B...
00:05:34 --> 00:05:39 More or just as important, I need to learn to
00:05:39 --> 00:05:44 be on my own and to be independent and not rely
00:05:44 --> 00:05:49 on my parents like I did growing up. And I thought
00:05:49 --> 00:05:54 this was a good way to do it. Yeah, that's so
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 wonderful to learn, Molly. And I can understand
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 like from your story of you getting into college,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 the determination you actually showed to get
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 into that. And that definitely had impact in
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 changing the direction of your life. What do
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 you think, Molly, what role does confidence play
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 in self -advocacy and how did you build your
00:06:14 --> 00:06:20 self -advocacy? So confidence is very important.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 Especially when you are a person with a disability.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:33 Because people look at me and I don't think it's
00:06:33 --> 00:06:40 meanness. Not understanding that the way I look,
00:06:40 --> 00:06:48 the way I talk, doesn't mean I don't have intelligence
00:06:48 --> 00:06:54 in a full life. So I had to build confidence
00:06:54 --> 00:07:00 by setting goals and achieving those goals, like
00:07:00 --> 00:07:06 graduating from college, getting a job at a college
00:07:06 --> 00:07:12 at the county of San Mateo, and getting my master's
00:07:12 --> 00:07:16 degree. All of this keeping confidence in myself.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 and help me to learn to be a great advocate,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:26 not just for myself, but for other people with
00:07:26 --> 00:07:30 disabilities and other populations that might
00:07:30 --> 00:07:37 not have their voices heard. I want to work with
00:07:37 --> 00:07:44 them to say, you have a limit. Thanks so much,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 Molly. And I do agree with you, you know, like
00:07:46 --> 00:07:50 there are stereotypes in our society where they
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 look at people who have disability like in a
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 different eye. But I myself, I have members in
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 my family who have disability and they have outshined
00:08:00 --> 00:08:04 us in so many ways. I see they have a strive
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 to achieve, which even, you know, people who
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 don't have disability don't have that drive.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 But that drive those persons have, those are
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 so strong, though they're so resilient, they're
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 so self -confident that they strive to excellence,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 you know, bypassing everyone. So that actually
00:08:21 --> 00:08:25 amazes me, Molly, you know, and I really. I really
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 appreciate that perspective that you just shared.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:32 I know you refer yourself as a leader. So in
00:08:32 --> 00:08:38 what ways do you lead people? So, first of all,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:43 for me to be a leader, I have to be a leader
00:08:43 --> 00:08:49 of my own life. And that means... You know, everyone
00:08:49 --> 00:08:53 likes to dream of what they can achieve. But
00:08:53 --> 00:08:58 once you have dreams, they don't work unless
00:08:58 --> 00:09:04 you put together a plan, like having goals, knowing
00:09:04 --> 00:09:09 how to problem solve, knowing how to make decisions.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:17 So to be a leader, you first have to have the...
00:09:17 --> 00:09:21 the ability to lead your life and be in control
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 of your life and you know for people with disabilities
00:09:25 --> 00:09:30 it's harder because everyone wants to quote unquote
00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 take care of you but I had to show them that
00:09:35 --> 00:09:40 I did have leadership qualities and I could pursue
00:09:40 --> 00:09:47 things that anyone else would pursue like a professional
00:09:47 --> 00:09:54 career or being involved with, you know, a community
00:09:54 --> 00:09:58 project, all that stuff. That's wonderful to
00:09:58 --> 00:10:02 know, Molly. And also, you know, like, I know
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 you are a self advocate. You help people with
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 disability. So how do you use your self advocacy?
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 and the leadership skills that you just mentioned
00:10:12 --> 00:10:17 to handle setbacks and obstacles? So, like everyone,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:23 I have setbacks and obstacles. Some are related
00:10:23 --> 00:10:28 to my disability. Some are not. I think the first
00:10:28 --> 00:10:35 thing is I'm not afraid to fail. I think failure
00:10:35 --> 00:10:41 and taking risks are a part of... the human spirit,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:47 and whether you achieve your goals or you have
00:10:47 --> 00:10:52 a setback, it builds on who you are, your resiliency,
00:10:53 --> 00:11:00 your determination. And so that, when I have
00:11:00 --> 00:11:04 a setback, like, for instance, it's been 10 years
00:11:04 --> 00:11:10 that I lost my ability to walk. At first, it
00:11:10 --> 00:11:14 was really hard because I was living on my own
00:11:14 --> 00:11:20 independently. And now I have to live at a senior
00:11:20 --> 00:11:27 community for help when I need it. And that was
00:11:27 --> 00:11:31 hard to accept. But I learned that, you know,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:37 you just got to reframe who you are and still
00:11:37 --> 00:11:42 keep... what deeply matters to you. Just because
00:11:42 --> 00:11:47 I couldn't walk doesn't mean I can't be involved
00:11:47 --> 00:11:53 in my community. I started a non -profit. So
00:11:53 --> 00:11:57 when you have setbacks, you need to take a break
00:11:57 --> 00:12:02 and take a deep breath and look at the situation
00:12:02 --> 00:12:10 and then you just start building. a way to get
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 out of that situation and build more leadership
00:12:14 --> 00:12:18 in yourself and more confidence in yourself.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:22 That's so wonderful to hear, Molly. And I apprised
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 like how you mentioned that even when you had
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 a setback yourself, you didn't let that setback
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 take over your life. You actually looked into
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 ways and opportunities you can overcome those.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:37 And that is what actually makes you more resilient.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:41 It makes you strong because we do learn, you
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 know, from our own incidents. We can actually
00:12:43 --> 00:12:47 use that setback and create it as opportunity
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 for building strength, how we can use that setback
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 and how we can leverage that. to achieve the
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 things that we want to do in your life. And that
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 is what wonderfully you are doing. You used to
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 live alone independently with some of your abilities,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 not able to bring work, but that didn't actually
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 stop you. That actually strived you to help others
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 who might be going through the same things. I
00:13:11 --> 00:13:16 have a saying that I say, it's not what I overcome,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:20 it's what I've become. What would you say to
00:13:20 --> 00:13:24 someone who feels their disability limits their
00:13:24 --> 00:13:29 ability to dream big? I think everyone has the
00:13:29 --> 00:13:36 right to dream and imagine how they like their
00:13:36 --> 00:13:40 life to be. And that's no different than people
00:13:40 --> 00:13:45 with disabilities. They have a right to dream.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:51 I have a right to dream and pursue those. I think
00:13:51 --> 00:13:55 we live in a society that doesn't look at people
00:13:55 --> 00:14:01 with disabilities as being able to accomplish
00:14:01 --> 00:14:06 their dreams. I think it's a lot better than
00:14:06 --> 00:14:10 a hundred years ago when we're more integrated
00:14:10 --> 00:14:15 and respected. But we got a long way to go. And
00:14:15 --> 00:14:20 it's about, you know, realizing we're not different.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:25 We just have a disability. But that shouldn't
00:14:25 --> 00:14:30 stop us from dreaming and having an impactful
00:14:30 --> 00:14:35 life. I know you are the owner of Molly Kennedy
00:14:35 --> 00:14:40 Consulting. So how do you actually help? people
00:14:40 --> 00:14:45 through your consulting? Well, right now I do
00:14:45 --> 00:14:52 a lot around self -determination. I'm starting
00:14:52 --> 00:14:59 to go, I'm creating a curriculum to go work with
00:14:59 --> 00:15:05 youth with disabilities to see that they can
00:15:05 --> 00:15:10 have a life that is their determine what their
00:15:10 --> 00:15:17 dream, their goal. So I go and speak at conferences
00:15:17 --> 00:15:22 and then I work with people to help understand
00:15:22 --> 00:15:28 self -determination and how it can benefit their
00:15:28 --> 00:15:34 lives. And even though you need support because
00:15:34 --> 00:15:39 of your disability. does not mean you can achieve
00:15:39 --> 00:15:45 things and have an impact on society. That's
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 so true, Molly. And dear listeners, I do encourage
00:15:48 --> 00:15:52 you to check out Molly Kennedy's consulting firm.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:58 So if you go to the website, M -O -L -L -Y -T
00:15:58 --> 00:16:04 -K -E -N -N -E -D -Y dot com. i'll give that
00:16:04 --> 00:16:08 link in the description of the chat um and also
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 in the description of our website and video so
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 feel free to visit that and see how molly is
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 wonderfully empowering people with disability
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 and you know and helping them again from her
00:16:19 --> 00:16:24 own lived experiences i really like how molly
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 you shared that it's not what you have overcome
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 it's not what you have become that's such a strong
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 and powerful message. So dear listeners, please
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 feel free to check out Molly Kennedy's consulting
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 page as well. It was very wonderful to have you,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 Molly Kennedy, today in our podcast. I appreciate
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47 it. I have learned something very valuable from
00:16:47 --> 00:16:51 you is that even though we might have personal
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 setbacks, even though we might face situations
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 that might be difficult, But with enough courage
00:16:57 --> 00:17:02 and enough resilience, we can turn those setbacks
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 into strengths that actually enables us to lead
00:17:05 --> 00:17:09 ourselves as well as others from our lived experiences.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:13 And that is something I think our listeners will
00:17:13 --> 00:17:17 definitely take away from this podcast. Again,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 Molly, I thank you so much for joining the podcast
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 and I wish you all the best with your future
00:17:22 --> 00:17:26 all endeavors. Have a good day. Have a good day.
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