The Toby Gribben Show Highlights

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Laura Ford

Season 2021, Ep. 221

Hi, my name is Laura Ford and I am an author. My new YA novel Sounds Like Love has just come out.


Together with writing I love to travel and seek out new experiences and adventures to enrich my life and inspire my stories.


My journey in adult life started off with a scholarship to attend law school at 18. I had never studied law before but I thought that if I put my mind to it I could achieve anything. I was interested in society, people’s stories, justice - and from my point of view as a student - how the law may be able to help protect vulnerable people and the environment.


I specialised in environmental law and found that this was easy for me to study and put hours of time into as I love the natural world. I would write long essays and spend hours studying.


I graduated at 21 and worked in LA afterwards for a while. I then returned to London and studied at the London Film Academy and wrote a short film in a week called ‘Sounds Like Love’. My screenplay reached the top ten percent of the Blue Cat International Screenplay Competition and the story just would not leave my mind.


I later immigrated to the US where I performed stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and appeared in comedy sketches for the Jimmy Kimmel show. I enjoyed writing my comedy routines so much and using my imagination that I realised I had to write Sounds Like Love as a novel. I had always written short stories and even a book as a child.


Since this time, I have had short stories published in publications in the US, UK and Canada and recently had a piece translated into Japanese.

Writing is fulfilling for me on a soul level.


My novel Sounds Like Love was written from the heart and inspired by the different cats that I have shared my life with. One cat in particular - a kitten that I rescued from the street while on holiday in Greece - was an inspiration for one of the characters in my book.


When I wrote Sounds Like Love it was important for me to create a protagonist that was relatable. I wanted my protagonist to be a seemingly ordinary girl who is extraordinary on the inside. You don’t need to know Kung Fu or be a rocket scientist to be extraordinary!


People have immeasurable strength and resilience inside of them and this is something I wanted to focus upon in my story. The extraordinary hope, strength and resilience that lies within people - but cannot be seen to passers by.

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3/31/2023

Heather Stone

Season 2023, Ep. 92
Heather Stone founded Stone Insurance in 2003, delivering insurance options that are tailored to each individual's needs. That same spirit of personalized care led to her becoming a special needs advocate and establishing Invisible Parent as a valued resource.Heather's passion for making health insurance both simple and understandable for all was ignited when her disabled son developed health problems at a young age. That drove her to focus on finding affordable healthcare solutions for all, whether through private insurers or public options such as Medicare and the Health Insurance Marketplace.Over the years, Heather has fostered special needs children and discovered a void when it comes to their insurance and care options. Drawing on her presentation skills, humour, and subject matter expertise, she's a tireless advocate for differently abled children -- including those with autism.Her list of accolades runs long. Highlights include being a member of the Florida Legislative team for national health care, acting as a Certified Special Needs consultant, leading parent support groups, and a role as a contributor for both Kiplinger's financial magazine and Health Care News. In addition, Heather teamed with the city to start special needs school break camps for kids in middle school and high school, providing them with a safe place to learn and play.Heather doesn't define herself by her career, though. A loving wife and doting mother of five, she enjoys a variety of outside activities such as travelling and trying the latest in fine dining. Above all, though, her passion for leading political change that benefits people with disabilities and supports -- and recognizes -- the role that parents and caregivers play.