12 Minute Convos W/ Engel Jones

Dr. Nina M. Addison, known as The You Can Specialist, is a dynamic force of faith, resilience, and purpose. Born the ninth child in the blended family of Audrey and Freeman Pendleton, she was raised on the South Side of Chicago with an unshakable belief that she was created to change lives. Despite being born with club hands—no bones in her thumbs and underdeveloped arms—Nina boldly states, “I do not consider myself handicapped, because I do not limit or disable myself from doing anything needed or desired.” Early Life and Education Dr. Nina earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and pursued Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. Her lifelong mission has been to show that with God, nothing is impossible—even when the world notices your differences first. Youth Empowerment and Nonprofit Work In 2005, Nina launched her first nonprofit, T.O.U.C.H. NFP, later rebranded in 2021 as Youth Can, a faith-driven organization empowering