What happens when you give people a chance?
Our guests this week are the remarkable mother–daughter team Gabi and Mary Angelini, founders of Gabi’s Powered by Special Abilities, a nonprofit redefining employment, dignity, and purpose for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Gabi, who has Down syndrome, spent years applying for jobs — dressing up, practicing interview answers, and doing everything she was told to do — yet employer after employer told her “no.” One smoothie shop even gave her a full tour… only to later reject her without ever letting her try the job.
After that heartbreaking moment, Mary made a decision that would change hundreds of lives:
If the world wouldn’t hire Gabi, they would build their own company.
From that fire came Gabi’s Grounds, a coffee brand now sold in multiple grocery chains across North Carolina. When the pandemic shut down coffee events, they pivoted again and launched Gabi’s PALS — a thriving packaging, assembly, labeling, and shipping enterprise now employing over 50 adults with special abilities.
Their model proves what the world often overlooks:
🎯 Ability is not defined by disability.
🎯 People just need a chance.
🎯 When included, they excel — with precision, joy, and pride.
Gabi now speaks on national stages, including TEDx and The Kelly Clarkson Show, inspiring others to embrace their superpower.
This conversation is a testament to resilience, purpose, and the extraordinary things that happen when someone refuses to let society limit their child — or anyone else’s.
🌟 This Episode is the Final Installment of our November series on The Power of Giving
Episode Takeaways:
✨ The real story behind hundreds of rejections — and the “last straw” that changed everything
✨ How Gabi turned a lifetime of “no” into a thriving nonprofit employing over 50 adults
✨ Why adults with special needs lose support after high school — and what needs to change
✨ The hidden gift: how neurodivergent employees deliver impeccable quality and consistency
✨ How inclusive workplaces unlock confidence, independence, and community
✨ Zion’s story: from warehouse worker to cybersecurity graduate — all from being given a chance
✨ Gabi’s fearless TEDx journey and her superpower of kindness
✨ What success looks like now: dreams of “Gabi’s Village,” expansion, and nationwide opportunity
✨ How YOU can help create meaningful employment for adults with special abilities
About Our Guests — Mary & Gabi Angelini
Gabi Angelini is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, coffee founder, disability advocate, and champion of kindness. Born with Down syndrome, she transformed a world that kept telling her “no” by building something bigger than herself.
Mary Angelini, her mother and co-founder, is the powerhouse who turned heartbreak into a movement. As the visionary behind Gabi’s Powered by Special Abilities, she has created dignified, meaningful jobs for over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mary is a national advocate, speaker, and inclusive employment leader.
Together, they run Gabi’s Grounds (coffee) and Gabi’s PALS (packaging, assembly, labeling, shipping) — proving that ability is everywhere when doors are opened.
Connect with Gabi & Mary
🌐 Website: https://poweredbygabis.org/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabisraleigh
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabi-angelini-359bb5239
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-angelini/
📹 Watch Gabi’s TEDx Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m78DQLocD5A
About the Host - Dr. Amna Shabbir
Dr. Amna Shabbir, MD, NBC-HWC, CPC is a Dual Board-Certified Physician and TEDx Speaker with advanced training in Integrative Well-being, Performance, and Leadership Development. She speaks, coaches, and consults on Perfectionism, Sustainable Success, and the Well-being of High Achievers.
Connect with Dr. Shabbir
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amnashabbir/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amna-shabbir-md/
🌍 Book Her to Sp
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