Thirteen years old Leta is a member of Chloe Arnold's international youth tap company, SoleTalk, a podcaster, a founder of a nonprofit dance studio for autistic dancers like her, severely dyslexic, and has autism. Along with her mom, Amanda, Leta discusses a varity of issues from the bullying Leta has faced in dance studios because of her autism and dyslexia, to the difficulties of starting a new nonprofit. Along the way, Leta and Amanda also talk about Leta's love of tap dancing. They also host special guests ranging from Leta's dance family and friends, to experts in ASD, to parents and advocates of complex kids.
Want to come on the show to talk about tap dancing, dance, autism, or neurodivergency? Check out our profile on PodMatch! You can also see what previous guests have to say about being on the show. https://www.podmatch.com/member/letastapstylesguest
Amanda is Leta's mom, and the CEO/President of Autistic Wings Dance Company. Between homeschooling Leta, working behind-the-scenes for Autistic Wings Dance Company's social media, doing all of the office work for Autistic Wings Dance Company, and trying to keep up with normal every day life, Amanda has relatively little freetime. (And is super grateful that the studio has an artistic director and dance teachers to handle the dance side of things.)
13 years old Leta Rundell has been told by dance teachers that her autism and severe dyslexia will keep her from dancing professionally. Yet, her mentors in the entertainment industry have always told Leta differently. Realizing she was one of the lucky kids who could drown out the noise of the haters with the praise of professionals, Leta decided to start a nonprofit dance studio for dancers like herself on the Spectrum.
In 2024, Leta founded Autistic Wings Dance Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She's currently the spokeswoman for AWDC.
Since 2021, Leta has been a member of SoleTalk International Youth Tap Dance Company. She has performed at DCTapFest and Hollywood TapFest.
Leta enjoys traveling out to LA to work with her mentors. She also enjoys spending time hiking, driving in the mountains, going to the local zoos, and spending time with her two dogs.
Jeaneen Tang is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with early intervention (0-3 years old) to the elderly. She specializes in early language development and has a passion for training parents, caregivers, and other educators on how to best to address the needs of young children with learning to understand and express themselves. Her goal is to shake up how we approach language development and to decrease the number of children need speech therapy.
Michelle Choairy is a mom of a complex kid. She has been her son’s best advocate and has learned through the years what it takes to get the best care for her child. She is the Founder of Collective Wisdom for Complex Kids, a support group for mothers with children with disabilities. She has a passion for helping families re-evaluate and prioritize their dynamics, along with guiding them from confusion to clarity while raising complex children.
Check out Michelle's website for more information about resources available to parents of complex kids, and to join her support group.