Marilee Talkington

Kathryn interviews Author & Rehabilitation Consultant Val Walker MS.While social media enables us to make connections with more people than ever before, social isolation is a growing epidemic in the U.S. The National Science Foundation has reported the number of Americans with no close friends has tripled since 1985 and an unprecedented number of Americans are living alone, particularly those over sixty. Generation Z and Millennials report being the loneliest despite their high consumption of social media. After major surgery, Val Walker developed a plan of action for those seeking to heal from the pain of isolation. For 24 years she’s led support groups for people living with chronic illness, grief and trauma. A blogger for Psychology Today, her first book The Art of Comforting was recommended by the Boston Health Commission as a guide for families impacted by the Boston Marathon Bombing.Kathryn also interviews Award-winning Actress Marilee Talkington.A lifelong advocate and a voice for other actors that are also visually impaired, Marilee Talkington will be lighting up television sets alongside Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, AQUAMAN) in Apple TV+'s upcoming futuristic, post-apocalyptic drama See. Legally blind herself, Marilee will be playing more than just a role in a show, but a pivotal role in the fight for authentic casting and representation. Born with cone-rod dystrophy, a retinal disease she had inherited from her mother, Talkington had no central vision, and learned how to not just survive, but thrive. While studying Psychology, she took an acting class on a whim and fell in love immediately. Since then, she has starred in NBC's New Amsterdam, CBS' NCIS, and countless theater productions, both Off-Broadway and Regional.