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  3. Kristin Smedley
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Kristin Smedley

Motivational Speaker, Author, Podcast Co-Host
KristinSmedley.com
Country or state 
United States (Pennsylvania)
Available to 
Europe,
North America
City 
Philadelphia
Fee 
Languages 
English
Volunteer
Yes

Personal Details

Bio

My mantra is “Life is funny… sort of.” My fun-loving spirit and energetic personality guided my life in the direction of a career in teaching.

But, fate had other plans, and I found myself shockingly dealt a double dose of darkness. My firstborn son, Michael, was diagnosed as blind when he was just four-months old.

Once known for my smile, I found myself devastated and angry.

Yet fate wasn’t finished. Three years later, I received another blow when my second son, Mitchell, was also diagnosed as blind at four months of age.

Before the birth of my babies, I had never known a blind person. The boys’ retina specialist informed my family that both children would need white canes to navigate the world, and that neither of them would likely ever attend a normal school, pitch a baseball, drive a car or be able to secure a great job. With no idea how to navigate their needs, I saw little hope for their future.

Nearly suffocating from my own fears, I knew I needed to overcome the anxiety, worry, and obstacles for the sake of my sons, but I had no idea how to proceed. Yet, knowing that Michael and Mitchell needed their mother to fight for them, I began advocating for the tools my blind children needed.

As I found and equipped my boys with the resources to help them thrive, they not only took on the world, but changed my perception of blindness. With the right foundation and a multitude of resources and tools, my children have become popular, accomplished athletes, high achieving students, International Braille competition finalists, a recording artist and a Paralympics hopeful.

In 2011, I launched a mission to fund research and resources for children living with the rare eye disease my sons have. In less than eight years, the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation has raised over 1.3 million dollars and achieved the first legislation in US history to be submitted in Braille; legislation that advocates for better resources for blind and visually impaired Americans.

In 2016, my blog about changing people’s perceptions of blindness went worldwide and was followed by my 2017 TEDx talk on setting extraordinary expectations. I partnered with Comcast media to spread awareness of the inclusive X1 product.

I was one of twelve people in the world invited to testify before the FDA to advocate for the approval of the first ever gene therapy to reverse blindness. I am currently the Pennsylvania Ambassador for the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) and a 2019 Champion of Hope Award Winner.

In 2019 I published my first book, Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight, which achieved #1 New Release on Amazon for Kindle and paperback versions.

My message to everyone is that if I could do it, if I could pick myself up from hopeless devastation more than once and create an extraordinary life… if I could do that… so can you.

Current position (3)

Motivational Speaker, Author, Podcast Co-Host

KristinSmedley.com

CEO

Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation

Ambassador of Pennsylvania

National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD)

Achievements (2)
#1 New Release on Amazon (KIndle and paperback)
House Resolution #625

The first legislation in US history to be submitted in Braille

Presentations

Presentations (3)
Move from Broken to Brilliant Strategies to be Brilliantly Resilient
Thy (NOT My!) Will Be Done: From Tantrums to Transformation
Unheard of to Unforgettable: How to Launch a Brand With Massive Impact
  • All (3)
  • Videos
  • Photos (1)
  • Slides (1)
  • Press information (1)
This speaker hasn't uploaded any videos yet.
Keynote ACRP 2019 - Nashville
Keynote ACRP 2019 - Nashville
TEDx Talk: How I learned To See Through The Eyes of My Sons
This speaker hasn't uploaded any one sheet yet.
Bucks County Mother On A Mission To Change The Perception Of Blindness

Books & Articles (2)

Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight
Thriving Publications,
2019
The HIll - "We’re misreading millions of blind Americans"

Expertise (17)

Leadership
Health & Well-being
Education
Blind Rare Diseases Faith special needs advocate Perceptions parenting children of special needs Parenting special needs child Education Inspirational Faith-based changing perceptions social media for non profits Motivational speaker fun motivational speaker

Clients

Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP)
World Orphan Drug Congress
TEDx Lincoln Square
Ultragenyx
National Institutes of Health
Association of Regenerative Medicine
Brialle Challenge: Maryland School for the Blind
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Global Genes

Awards & certifications (2)

Champion of Hope
Global Genes
2019
Power Person of Bucks County 2017, 2018, 2019
Bucks Happening

Reviews

Testimonials (4)
  • I've heard Kristin speak a number of times, including on her TEDx talk and recently delivering the keynote at a women's summit on entrepreneurship. On every occasion, Kristin challenges, motivates and touches her audience with her tale of resilience and her never-give-up attitude as she raised her two blind sons. Kristin's message transcends her own circumstances and gives her audience the confidence and courage to step out of their comfort zones and be extraordinary. Kristin certainly is. Your audience will be delighted with Kristin and her powerful message.
    Mary Fran Bontempo
    Verified
  • I was lucky enough to attend Kristin's Tedx talk in New York. Kristin made me laugh through tears as I listened to her incredible journey. She inspired me to change the way I look at things, and also made our entire audience see challenges as opportunities to change our mindset and change our outcomes."
    Kathleen Marcino
  • Kristin Smedley is making waves in the rare disease world influencing, inspiring and impacting many! She is on an extraordinary journey to help others thrive! It was awe inspiring to witness Kristin bring tears to the eyes of her audience and receive a standing ovation. Her journey is one of challenge and triumph and her delivery of her story is impactful and inspiring for any audience. After photographing Kristin’s speech, I had the pleasure to observe the book sales. Several people said that Kristin had changed their life. They now had a new perspective on their personal situation and life journey and would be forever changed by the words Kristin delivered. Not only are Kristin’s words impactful, her energy is palpable and brings life to the stage she is speaking from. She adds humor to situations most of us would be in bed crying over and tells her story so organically that you feel you are right along side her on her journey raising her two sons who are blind. Kristin is extraordinary!
    Robyn Graham
    Verified
  • First time I heard Kristin speak when she came to deliver a closing keynote presentation at Orphan Drugs and Rare Disease Global Congress in Boston last September. I really didn't know what to expect when she came on stage, but I was full of admiration when the talk was finished. Kristin is a very powerful and inspirational speaker. She is an extraordinary person who brings so much energy and passion for what she does and this, she brings on stage with her when she speaks. Listening to her is like a roller coaster ride, going through so many emotions at once, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer but most of all you will feel that anything is possible. It was an honour to have her at our Congress and is looking forward to working with her again in the future.
    Jocelyn Raguindin
Recommendations
Why choose me? 

I make audiences laugh, cry, cheer... and change their perceptions to live Brilliantly Resilient.

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