Team Peri Step Out of Line

Elizabeth Mehditach is a living example of what it means to serve your dreams. A survivor of domestic violence, her values as a mother, teacher, and chef are grounded in truth and conviction. When she needed to protect her children, she did whatever it took. We are all stardust (credit to Neil deGrasse Tyson). It’s a miracle we’re here, so we must make the most of our circumstances, move past trauma, and keep going.This entreprenista (a Women Founders Network) calls herself a cockeyed optimist whose glass is always more than full. She keeps a backup plan for her backup plan, pivots when things go south, and thinks ahead, bringing that same mindset to her children.In this episode of the Step Out of Line Podcast, “We ARE Stardust,” we explore trauma related to domestic violence, the importance of women standing up for themselves and their beliefs, and the mindset shifts that helped her rebuild her life, protect her family, and move forward with purpose.

Tiffany Yu’s career journey has been a jungle gym of bold, agile leaps. From Wall Street to becoming a disability advocate, founder of Diversability, entrepreneur, grantmaker, and author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto, she continues to use her voice to create change. Most recently, she’s taken on para climbing, adding yet another adventure to her story.At nine years old, Tiffany survived a tragic car accident that took her father’s life and left her with a permanently paralyzed arm and multiple broken bones in one of her legs. She used a wheelchair for four months and was years later diagnosed with PTSD as an adult.In this episode of the Step Out of Line Podcast, titled “Dear Nine-Year-Old Tiffany,” we explore mental health, disability advocacy, the author journey, and the lived disability experience.

The cultural landscape around disability often overlooks beauty, fashion, and art; they’re seen as “extras,” not essentials. But for many of us in the disability community, those creative pillars are just as vital to identity and self-expression. Xian Horn's nonprofit, Give Beauty Wings, recognizes this truth. Their work reminds the world that inclusion in art and design matters, that everyone deserves to feel seen in beauty.Too often, society assumes disabled people should simply be content with what they have, no matter how limited the options, even something as basic as shoes. Expanding access to beauty and fashion isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a movement toward greater equality, one that ripples far beyond what we wear.

When you have a visible physical disability, you face two options: spend your energy hiding your differences, or accept who you are—and if people stare, let them. This was the beginning of Angela Yoder Stepping Out of Line and into the life she wanted. As a photographer, she captures people in the moment by interpreting their unspoken thoughts and feelings through the lens of her camera. Yet for years, she didn’t admit what she was asking from others: to be transparent and live their own unique truth. She soon recognized that it was time for her to be open about her life, her medical challenges, and all that is in between so that others like herself would not feel so isolated and alone.

Dana Arschin is a 3X Emmy Award-winning journalist, mother of two, granddaughter of an Auschwitz survivor, and a dedicated Holocaust storyteller. Her life’s work is centered around one mission: ensuring the stories of survivors are never forgotten. Her dream was to ‘make it’ as a journalist in New York, and that journey began at News 12 in Brooklyn. She later joined Fox 5 NY, where she launched a powerful series featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors. The rest, as they say, is history.But when we say “never again”, what do those truly mean? As history continues to repeat itself, it’s fair to ask whether telling these stories really makes a difference for the next generation. The simple answer is yes. These testimonies—whether from the Holocaust or other genocides—are sometimes all we have left, and as such, it is our collective responsibility to keep their memories alive. And still, it is often times more complicated than that.