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A Little Something Extra is hosted by GiGi Gianni, the namesake of GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, her brother Franco and her mom, Nancy. With 59 GiGi’s Playhouse locations across the country and Mexico they spread a global message of acceptance for all. GiGi’s offers free programs and celebrates everybody’s Little Something Extra! This podcast invites others to share their Little Something Extra in hopes of inspiring people to find theirs!!
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Father and son authors Andrew and David Olshine join the show! Andrew and his father, David, join us to talk all about their journey which ultimately led to the creation of their brand-new book, Fearless as a Honey Badger, Brave Like a Wolverine.
In this episode, David, an established Author of 16 books, tells us about his experience as a father of a son with Down syndrome and how he embraced the diagnosis to create the best life possible for his son. Andrew (who we would all want as a best friend) is a miracle in his own right! He shares his story of overcoming Gulliane Barre Syndrome and how his bravery and strength helped him overcome the virus. After recovering, his dad helped him channel that bravery and his love for animals into their latest book! We then dive into some fun conversations about our greatest fears, our favorite animals, the experience of co-writing a book together, some inspirational words to live by, and of course some great ‘Little Something Extras’! It is a super fun episode with a really amazing father/son duo. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
To purchase their new book, visit: Home | Fearless Brave Book
Watch the video version of this episode here
Thursday Apr 18, 2024
S3 E6: A Little Something Extra with Connor Tomlinson, Star of Love on the Spectrum
Thursday Apr 18, 2024
Thursday Apr 18, 2024
Connor Tomlinson, breakout star from Love on the Spectrum season 2, joins the show!! Joining Connor are his mom, Lise, and brother, Ben. Love on the Spectrum did such an amazing job capturing the dynamic of this amazing family, and we wanted to bring that same energy to the podcast! If you have not seen Love on the Spectrum, it will surely be your next binge. For those who have, you saw Connor steal the show by being his most authentic self. From being a one-liner machine (which you can find all over his new merch) to his love for movies and lore, how could you not want to hang with this guy?
In this episode we talk about his experience on the show and how it has transformed his life overnight. He tells us about his perspective on autism and its “the next step in human evolution.” We walk through his experience being on the show and his plans for dating in the future. Lise and Ben give us some interesting insight into the family growing up with a brother/son with autism. Connor tells us about his interests and, of course, some perspective on the Game of Thrones vs Lord of the Rings debate. It’s a perfect episode for celebrating Autism Awareness Month and the amazing people blessed by it! We hope you enjoy it!
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
S3 E5: A Little Something Extra with John O’Hurley
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
The great John O’Hurley and his golden voice join the podcast in the studio!! John O’Hurley is an incredibly talented actor, comedian, author, television personality, and even a singer! You may know him as the eccentric J. Peterman in the hit sitcom Seinfeld. He also hosts the National Dog show, voices King Neptune in SpongeBob along with hundreds of other voice acting roles! He joined us just hosting the GiGi’s “I Have a Voice Gala”
This one is a Seinfeld lover dream! In this episode, we touch on it all! John tells us about his journey into acting, voice acting, the theatre, and more! We talk about his experience landing Seinfeld and how he brought this character to life. We recap some of his favorite moments from his time on the show and hear some of his most famous quotes (literally Franco’s dream conversation)! We touch on his career in the theatre, his greatest passion. We also discuss his role in hosting the National Dog Show and his life as a dog lover! He talks about his role in hosting our gala and how eye-opening the experience was in learning about the Down syndrome diagnosis and how it changed his perspective on life. This episode is filled with big laughs, wise words of wisdom, fascinating insights into the entertainment industry, and some great tips for public speaking!
“Then In the distance, I heard The bulls. I began running as fast as I could. Fortunately, I was wearing my Italian Cap Toe Oxfords." - J.Peterman.
Watch the video version of this episode on our website.
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
S3 E4: A Little Something Extra with Dee and Deven from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Tampa Bay Bucs defensive back Dee Delaney, and wide receiver Deven Thompkins join the podcast in studio!! Dee and DT(Deven) have really inspiring stories to tell. While being NFL players and teammates, both Dee and Deven are also parents to kids with Down syndrome! Deven’s story begins at just 19 years old, he talks about his experience having a son with Down syndrome in college and how he embraced the responsibility to create an amazing life for his children. Dee talks about his family’s experience having a beautiful daughter with Down syndrome at the age of 25, balancing that with an NFL career and embracing the diagnosis from the beginning.
Earlier this year, both Dee and Deven participated in NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign, rockin’ GiGi’s Playhouse on their cleats! In the episode we discuss the campaign and the opportunities that came with it. We then dive into the impacts these young men are making and will continue to make for the Down syndrome community and beyond in promoting and creating acceptance for all! It’s a really special episode in the way you can see the realization in both these men regarding the impact they can make in this world. We absolutely loved hanging out with them and hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Watch the video version of this episode here
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
In honor of World Down Syndrome Day, the extremely talented Kevin Iannucci and James Keith join the podcast!! Kevin and James are both actors who starred in the 2023 comedy Champions, A Bobby Farrelly comedy centered around a college basketball coach who was ordered to coach a special needs basketball team. Both Kevin and James KILLED IT in their roles, so they joined us to talk about it! Kevin and James are both really impressive guys. Kevin is an experienced actor who has Down syndrome. He was featured in multiple roles leading up to Champions, with this being his breakthrough role! James’s path is a bit different, being a Special Olympics athlete who took this on as his first acting role, but you would never have known! In the episode, we discussed their experience on set with the big stars, their acting methods behind the scenes, and their interests and hobbies outside of acting; we did some podcast karaoke to a certified classic, learned their ‘Little Something Extra’ and of course heard some of GiGi’s TIPPSS! It is a super fun episode filled with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. Like us, you’ll surely want to be best friends with these dudes when it's over! Enjoy!!
See the video version of the episode here.
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
S3 E2: A Little Something Extra with Tanner Smith and his amazing mom, Nicci!
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
On this week’s episode of A Little Something Extra, we are joined by Love on the Spectrum star Tanner Smith and his amazing mom, Nicci! Love on the Spectrum is a show that follows various individuals on the autism spectrum on their search for love. Tanner was a breakout star in season 2, no doubt due to his upbeat personality and his incredibly positive outlook on life. In his own words, Tanner is polite, he has a good personality, and he is a kind young man! His mom, Nicci, is equally as amazing. Only seeing a few short snippets of her on the show, this podcast takes a deeper dive into her experience raising Tanner, Tanner’s transition into adulthood, and his newfound fame. She is legit a super mom, whose story and words of wisdom need to be heard! In this episode, we talk with Tanner and Nicci about his experiences dating, his life at Clemson Life, the experience of growing up with Autism, parenting advice, some words of inspiration, and, of course, some…TIPPSSSSSSS on spreading joy!
We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
See the video version of this episode here.
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
S3 E1: A Little Something Extra with John and Mark Cronin
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Season 3 of A Little Something Extra is starting off with a bang, featuring John and Mark Cronin the father/son duo behind John’s Crazy Socks! If you are not familiar with their story, this is the perfect place to learn it. Mark (father) tells us about his journey, both as a professional and as a father of a son with Down syndrome. John then tells us the story behind his crazy sock empire! Their story takes us from their humble beginnings of hand-delivering socks, door to door, to them becoming one of the largest sock companies in the world! This story, fueled by a lack of opportunity and value seen by the world, leads us to a greater discussion about the importance of developing careers for those with Intellectual disabilities. Finally, it wouldn’t be A Little Something Extra without some laughs, moments of inspiration and dare I say…TIPPSSSS!
We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
S2 E19: A Little Something Extra with Jennifer McCormick
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Jennifer McCormick joins the show!! On this week’s episode, we are celebrating the beauty of motherhood by featuring parent blogger and influencer, Jennifer McCormick. Jennifer has a three-year-old with Down syndrome, named Riley. Riley falls right in the middle of, soon to be, 5 kids! Making all her siblings her biggest fan and advocates in the world. We talk about the impacts that a child with Down syndrome can have on their siblings and the people they turn out to be. As well as all the funny and odd circumstances that come along with the journey of raising a family with a child with Down syndrome! Jennifer talks about how social media and her life as a blogger have impacted her life. She started her social media because of the lack of guidance and understanding she was exposed to when Riley was born. She is now a part of an amazing community of social media moms helping break the stigmas behind Down syndrome and helping other parents realize there is nothing to fear! We of course then hear some amazing words of inspiration from Jennifer, including her “One Message to the World” and her “Little Something Extra”. This is an amazing episode for all the moms out there looking for some guidance and peace of mind or for those looking to see the impact that someone with Down syndrome can have on your life!
Watch the video version here.
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
S2 E18: A Little Something Extra with Joanne and Nathan
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalists Nathan and Joanne join the podcast to talk about their amazing journey! Joanne and Nathan are a dancing duo who won over the hearts of Great Britain on the latest season of Britain’s Got Talent. This incredible journey began back in 2019 in one of Joanne’s dance classes. Nathan is an adult with Down Syndrome who has always been interested in dance and performing. Well, after taking classes with Joanne, he knew he had found his passion! Joanne did not go into this as an advocate looking to spread awareness for Down syndrome, nor did she see this as a charity case. Nathan and her merely formed a connection with one another on the dance floor that she believed the world should see! After years of practice and growth, Joanne secretly submitted an inquiry about performing with Nathan on BGT, and the rest was history!
Tune in now to hear their heartwarming story, some amazing British accents, see some of GiGi and Nathans's dance moves, hear GiGi’s Tipppsss on dancing your heart out, and much more fun!
Watch the video version at https://gigisplayhouse.org/alittlesomethingextra/
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
S2 E17: A Little Something Extra with Jennifer Hogan Jones
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Jennifer Hogan Jones, known on social media as My Beautiful DS Journey, joins the show! Jennifer is a super mom who has been sharing her Down syndrome journey on social media. When she received her prenatal diagnosis that her son, Hudson, had Down syndrome, she thought her world would fall apart. Being a mom of 3 other daughters, she didn’t know how the family would take it. Well fast forward 4 years and those dark moments are a thing of the past. Jennifer talks with us about the reason behind sharing her story and the light that is spreading across the lives of so many. Tune into the episode to hear all about how Jennifer is changing the way the world views Down syndrome by celebrating Hudson’s life and showing people the beauty of the DS diagnosis.
See the video episode at, https://gigisplayhouse.org/alittlesomethingextra