No Barriers
No Barriers USA
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Hosted by Erik Weihenmayer (the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest; among many other perhaps more impressive achievements) our audience tunes into hear stories of perseverance along with the outcomes on the other side. Individuals who've defied the odds (defying the odds) or flipped the script of their lives are frequent guests. - Podcast producer contact: podcast@nobarriersusa.org
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
May 18, 2023
Freeriding Blind with Jacob Smith
https://www.instagram.com/jake.skis/
VIDEO: Invisible Mountains: Jacob Smith, Blind Skier (Skiing the Big Couloir)
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Apr 28, 2023
The Brewability Lab with Tiffany Fixter
Many entrepreneurs say that starting a business is something they always felt destined to do. Then there are people who never in a million years thought they’d be running their own business, but, lo and behold, somehow the opportunity found them. The ‘accidental’ entrepreneur some might call themselves. Meet Tiffany Fixter. She founded The Brewability Lab, and what’s interesting is not only her path there, but the entrepreneurial journey, filled with challenges and adversity, that she is still smack in the middle of right now. Unique to this business are its employees. Disabled, abled, neurodiverse, you name it… bottom line, great beer and food create by people who’ve traditionally seen very limited career options. This inclusive workplace Tiffany is creating is prepping its employees for more opportunities beyond. How does she do that? How does she handle the skeptics? Was she destined for this journey or was it an accident? Hang around and find out.
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Apr 12, 2023
Baking Blind with Penny Melville Brown
Penny Melville Brown's passion is cooking. However, for a career she chose the Royal Navy. Yes she’s British. During her service in the Royal Navy she became the first female barrister there; it’s a type of lawyer, the ones that wear those wigs. Then as it happened to all of our guests on this podcast, she had a life altering moment. In Penny’s case, she lost her sight and had to leave her 20-year career with the Navy.
The next chapter of her life get’s real interesting. With an eye towards her cooking roots, she sets her mind on a culinary focused worldwide journey to learn and teach the concepts of baking blind. In the process she’s shattered assumptions about the capabilities of blind chefs. In this episode we jump from the Australian outback, to the streets of Paris, to a small Malawian village, and more.
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Mar 31, 2023
In the Fight with Sam Tokita
SAM'S SOCIALS: Instagram - BionicKick
VIDEO: Muay Thai and Me
WEBSITE: https://www.samanthatokita.com/
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Mar 8, 2023
Journeys of the Unexpected with Eric Larsen
Polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator, Eric Larsen has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth. He traversed 550 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean to get to the North Pole. That wasn’t enough, so off he went to the South Pole. 600 frozen miles and 41 days later he made it. Then back to the North Pole in winter, then up to the top of Mt. Everest… shall I go on? The curveball arrived. Did these journeys of isolation and endurance prepare him for the ultimate battle; one for survival in the face of an unexpected cancer diagnosis? In this episode Larsen's shares his honest and thoughtful insights; honed from the mental gymnastics practiced during the the isolation experienced in expanses of snow and ice.
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Feb 22, 2023
2022 Year End Recap
To kick off 2023 we want to take a trip down memory lane from 2022. This episode showcases some of our favorite highlights from guests we spoke to in 2022. Enjoy!
Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode.
EPISODE 136: 500 MPH WITH FORMER BLUE ANGELS PILOT JOHN FOLEY
EPISODE 148: OVERCOMING TRAGEDY WITH SEBASTIAN “ZUKO” CARRASCO
EPISODE 152: MINDSETS WITH MATT LEWIS, NAVY SEAL AND COO
EPISODE 159: LONNIE BEDWELL FEAR SLAYER
EPISODE 161: DR> HOBY WEDLER AND HIS SUPER SENSES
EPISODE 162: SEEING SILENCE WITH PETER MCBRIDE
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Jan 25, 2023
Buddy Levy Unpacking a Quest for Knowledge
A long or arduous search for something. The act of seeking. The idea of a quest is littered throughout history with 1000s of famous examples.
Right now? humans want to go to mars AND return to the moon. The quest to solve climate or energy crisis is happening in real time.
What do these have to do with the… Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition
…. the life of the famous Apache leader Geron-imo
…a 16th century explorer’s death defying navigation of the Amazon
… or the The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett.
In the words of our guest today, Buddy Levy, who’s authored books with those titles, he says, “Humankind’s quest for knowledge and understanding has set many a historical precedent. And these historical models provide a sort of connective tissue for today’s innovators and thought leaders who will show us the way to do the things we need to do in the future to survive on this big rock.”
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Jan 12, 2023
Patrick Kane Becoming Bionic
Patrick Kane needed a prothetic arm. Would he rather have one that looked quite natural, with real looking skin or one that was ‘machine beautiful’ with exposed titanium, carbon fiber, alloys, and the like.
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Prosthetics have been around for 1000s of years. They’ve been found in Egyptian tombs. There’s a story about a German soldier who lost his arm in war, but that didn’t stop him from returning to the battlefield. He had a suit of armor made with a metal hand on it and he was known to be brutal. The phrase Ruling with an Iron Fist is sometimes attributed to that story. What about the ethics of prosthetics? Here’s simple question. Just because someone is missing an arm do they need to wear a prothesis. Do athletes with prosthetic limbs have an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes?
Patrick Kane was once known as the bionic teenager. He was one of the youngest people to ever be fitted with an artificial limb. He joins our host Erik Weihenmayer and guest host Billy Lister and they tackle these ideas and more.
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Dec 22, 2022
Jen Bricker, Everything is Possible
Born without legs, one would think Jen Bricker would be destined for a life of hardship. However, the hand of destiny brought her an amazing adoptive family, who gave her one simple rule, “Never say can’t” and helped her forge a life of triumph, not tragedy. As a child, Jen was obsessed with gymnastics, and her idol was Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Moceanu. Seemingly against all odds, Jen went on to compete against able-bodied athletes, and became a State Champion in power tumbling—only later to discover Moceanu was actually her biological sister.
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Dec 8, 2022
Seeing Silence with Peter McBride
TED TALK: Is the Grand Canyon for Sale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71jvm2Pq0Us
WATCH: Peter’s 750-mile trek across Grand Canyon National Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLDc1Ib1acg
LISTEN: NPR 1A podcast with Erik & Peter
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/03/1042831854/seeing-silence-one-photographers-mission-to-find-the-worlds-quietest-places
READ: Seeing the Silence book excerpt in Nature magazine.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/magazine/magazine-articles/book-excerpt-search-for-silence/
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Nov 18, 2022
Dr. Hoby Wedler and his Super Senses
As Dr, Hoby Wedler puts it, wine is just two ingredients, yeast and grapes. Yet when people talk about how wine tastes it’s more complex and described through the lens of fruit flavors or perfumes or other plants and trees. As a food and beverage sensory expert Dr. Wedler's clients rely his abilities to translate those complexities into products that you and I enjoy. There is a twist though. Dr. Wedler is blind.
Hoby earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California, Davis, and is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization, Accessible Science. In our conversation Hoby was a fountain of so many ideas that, we ran out of time during the original recording and resumed the next day. I guarantee a few of these you can put into action as you look towards a goal for today or a year from now.
One thought I had, that probably you do to… Is it true that when people who lose one sense can gain super abilities in another? Or maybe “super-abilities” are through pl…
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Nov 4, 2022
Chris Waddell Embraces the Struggle
Our guest usually finds himself speaking in front of large audiences motivating them through topics like the power of change or embracing the struggle, but today… we get him all to ourselves.
Chris Waddell is a Hall of Fame Paralympic skier and wheelchair track athlete. A college skiing accident paralyzed him waist down. Yet he went to the highest levels of competition in the Paralympics winning medal after medal for a decade. The adventure continued with his unassisted ascent of the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro at over 19,000 (the first paraplegic to do so). Authoring a few books came next, founding a non-profit, delivering commencement speeches, and the list goes on… ’m glad you’re joining us for this conversation between host Erik Weihemayer and guest Chris Waddell.
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Oct 17, 2022
Lonnie Bedwell Fear Slayer
In 2013 Erik Weihenmayer picked up the phone with an idea and a pitch. After 6 years of training, he was ready to throw himself into some of the biggest whitewater in the country... in a kayak. Where? That stretch of the Colorado River flowing through Grand Canyon. Who did he call? Lonnie Bedwell; today’s guest.
Erik’s journey learning to kayak was a bit lonely at times. Where were the other blind kayakers? Eventually he found Lonnie, blind, who had thrown himself into the sport, and with rapid speed, into that big water in Grand Canyon as well. Erik wanted Lonnie to join him on this epic river adventure. His pitch, “One blind descent is an anomaly, but two would be a statement”)
Erik and Lonnie indeed tag teamed that descent through the Grand Canyon and inspired others who followed years later. Let’s get into Lonnie’ story. We’ll cover how he lost his sight in a hunting accident, kayaking the Zambezi in Africa, how his experiences in the military on submarines taught…
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Sep 23, 2022
Shattering Expectations with Bayar Damdinjav of the Mongolian Consulate
Our guest today grew up in rural Mongolia; hundreds of miles from anything resembling an advanced health care facility. So when his legs stopped working as a young boy; finding out the reason would not be easy. The family began their quest by traversing over 400 miles across Mongolia without a paved road in sight making their way to the capital city. They found new jobs and connected their son with the best health care available at the time. 3 years later they still had no answer. In fact in took 7 years until our guest, Bayar Damdinjav, received his diagnosis of an incurable auto-immune disease.
The pivotal moment in Bayar’s life was when he decided to move back home to eastern Mongolia and attempt to be a normal teenager, which at that point involved going to high school. Nothing in his town was built for someone in a wheelchair. No sidewalks, no paved roads, no ramps, or elevators. Academically, there would be a lot of catching up to do, as he hadn’t attended school in 3 years.…
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Sep 15, 2022
Chris Layne, Ms. Wheelchair Colorado 2020/21
Chris Layne on Instagram.
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Sep 1, 2022
Conscious Conversations with your Subconscious Mind
A couple days ago myself, our host Erik Weihenmayer, and maybe 50 others were sitting in an auditorium with our eyes closed. My knees were pressed up against the seat back in front of me. My arms were pinned between the hard wooden armrests. I was not comfortable. However… and I know this may sound a bit out there… buts… minutes later I found myself floating in space. I could no longer feel the pressure points in my knees and arms. I was on my way to a state of hypnosis. I was about to have a conscious conversation with my subconscious mind. That’s the way our guest today describes it. Dr. Vidor Friedman.
Dr. Friedman was leading a group hypnosis experience, at the No Barriers Summit, intended to give us a small glimpse into the process. That day was about reprogramming our response to stress or anxiety. However, the potential here runs so much deeper as you hear today. Pain management without narcotics. Surgery without anesthesia (yes, as a matter of fact, there’s been succ…
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Aug 18, 2022
What is An Adaptive Athlete?
Some might imagine our guest today as the superhero on the cover a graphic novel. The headline would read… mild mannered kindergarten teacher by day and single handed slayer of ice creatures by night (or weekends more accurately).
Kimber Cross was born with one hand. The nutshell version of her journey to where she finds herself today started with pushing her parents outside of their comfort zones, navigating her passions with insecurities, and flipping adversity into ultimately transformative moments in her life.
Prior to climbing Everest or kayaking through the Grand Canyon, blind of course, our host, Erik Weihenmayer, was a middle school teacher for many years. He and Kimber compare classroom challenges to mountaineering challenges (subjective vs. objective hazards), they get into the latest in hand prosthetics, the realities of adaptive devices like Erik’s brain port that projects images onto his tongue and the process of figuring out how to connect Kimber’s ice tool to an…
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Aug 4, 2022
Integrating Caregiving into Your Life with Elizabeth Miller
https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/
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Jul 14, 2022
Helping Caregivers with Bianca Padilla
If you provide care for an aging parent, spouse, relative or for an ill or disabled person, according to the AARP you are one of 53 million Americans in that same boat. That’s nearly one in every 5 people. Our guest today is Bianca Padilla. She also found herself in that position, however, it was at a time this Millenial’s life, when most of her peers were starting careers and stepping out on their own. Her grandmother’s health was declining and she needed daily care to recover from a surgery. Bianca had a decision to make.
We all get thrown these curveballs in life. It’s when the unexpected comes hurtling at you and fast… Bianca swung and knocked it out of the park. She turned the lessons and experience she gained by caring for her grandma and used it to start a company with the goal of simplifying the lives of caregivers. Investors thought she had a good idea and put 5 million towards the effort. Now that number is up to 30 million. Let’s face it, as we age we’re gon…
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Jun 23, 2022
Matt Lewis-Navy Seal and COO
The most recent census reported 7% of the US population are veterans. That’s about 18 million people who served in the active military, naval, or air service at some point and have since been discharged. “transitioning to civilian life” is a common topic for veterans when leaving the military. We get into that with our guest today, Matt Lewis. Matt is the chief operating officer of a spatial data company valued at almost a half a billion dollars. Matt is also a Navy Seal with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt.
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Matt changed his entire mindset as part of his transition to civilian life. We’ll hear about this journey and the importance of seeking challenges in life; including some of his own. Along the way he’s discovered that happiness comes through experiencing discomfort; that juxtaposition is key he says. Matt’s a deep thinker and the insights he shared are applicable to not only veterans, but people from all walks of life.
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Jun 9, 2022
Vertical Pursuits with Hans Florine
Hans' website. http://www.hansflorine.com
On Insta. https://www.instagram.com/hansflorine/
Han's author page on Amazon.
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Jun 2, 2022
Chasing Dreams with Diana Nyad
http://diananyad.com/
https://everwalk.com/
Diana's blog: https://medium.com/@diananyad
Diana on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/diananyad/
Diana's memoir: Finding a Way
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May 19, 2022
dZi Foundation with Jim Nowak
https://dzi.org/
https://youtu.be/UCnZdbGK2mM
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May 12, 2022
Sebastian Zuko Carrasco
Sebastian on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/zuko_carrasco/
Libre film. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/zukolibre
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May 5, 2022
Abby Holcombe, Team USA Freestyle Kayaker
Abby on Insta. https://www.instagram.com/adventurous.miss/
Abby's website. https://www.abbyholcombe.com/
USA Freestyle fundraiser for World Championships. https://www.gofundme.com/f/usa-freestyle-fundraiser-for-world-championships
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Apr 28, 2022
Steve Emt, Paralympic Champion Curler
Steve's Book: You D.E.C.I.D.E.: A 6-step action plan to becoming the hero of your own life
Steve on Team USA: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/athletes/Stephen-Emt
Steve's Website: https://www.steveemt.com/
Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephen.emt/
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Apr 15, 2022
Disability Awareness Education with Patty O'Machel
https://educatingoutsidethelines.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educatingoutsidethelines/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/educatingoutsidethelines
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-omachel/
Move United Organization https://www.moveunitedsport.org/
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Apr 7, 2022
Cross Cultural Music with AJ Subat
Ajmal Subat is an artist, activist, and creative consultant who helped coordinate the evacuation of some of Afghanistan’s most visible female leaders. He is trained in classic Indian and Afghan music and toured Afghanistan with one of the nation’s leading musicians. Ajmal coaches Afghan artists pro bono, composes music for television and film, and is currently producing his second album.
https://restorehervoice.org/
https://www.instagram.com/restorehervoice/
https://www.instagram.com/subatmusic/
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Mar 23, 2022
Casey Harris of X Ambassadors
https://www.instagram.com/caseyharris_xa/ - Casey on Insta.
https://www.xambassadors.com/ - Official website. Check out their latest album, Beautiful Liars
https://www.instagram.com/xambassadors/ - X Ambassadors on Insta
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Mar 9, 2022
From Warrior to Healer with Dr. Zach Skiles, PsyD
Dr. Zach Skiles on Linkedin
Translational Psychedelic Research (TrPR) Program at University of California San Francisco
The Mission Within
Heroic Hearts Project
National Center for PTSD
Fantastic Fungi Film
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
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Mar 3, 2022
From Surviving to Thriving with Caitlin Connor
It’s safe to say Caitlin has gone through the lowest of lows… how does one rise from those ashes and overcome incredible adversity. What did that process look like; that mental and physical journey to becoming an endurance athlete competing in triathlons, a boxer, a runway model, the founder of a non-profit aiming to build the largest database of adaptive resources in the world, and most recently building the sport of para-speed skating. It’s all about human potential she says.
https://www.ccadaptive.com/
https://www.instagram.com/caitlin.andherlegnamed.rex/
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Feb 24, 2022
Social Change Makers Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg
It all started with Sabriye Tenberken, who is blind, embarking on horseback ride through Tibet as an extension of her studies of Tibetology and Central Asian Sciences. There she met eventual co-founder Paul Kronenberg and together they started the first school the the blind in Tibet’s capital city of Lhasa. This school formed the foundation of Braille Without Borders, an organization that empowers blind people to take their lives in their own hands.
Kanthari Website
KanthariTV (YouTube)
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Feb 9, 2022
Blind Stokers Club with Dave White
This episode is about biking blind. No, this is not a metaphor. Even Helen Keller, the famous disability rights activist, who happened to be deaf and blind, enjoyed a spin on her bike as a teenager in the late 1800’s.
“Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing.” Her words.
She was, in modern terms, a stoker. The person who sits behind the captain on a tandem bike.
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Blind Stokers Club website
Facebook page
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Feb 2, 2022
Frontiers of the Mind with Dr. Albert Lin
Dr. Lin's website: https://www.exploreralbert.com/
Social Media
https://www.instagram.com/exploreralbert/
https://twitter.com/exploreralbert
https://www.facebook.com/exploreralbert/
Welcome to Earth Interview
https://screenrant.com/welcome-earth-albert-lin-interview/
Nat Geo Explorer Profile Page
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/albert-yu-min-lin
Thurgood Marshall College Commencement 2018 - from UC San Diego Commencement Ceremonies - https://youtu.be/GaFIqfJvMXM
What is Transhumanism? From Nat Geo 2019 Story Tellers Summit
https://youtu.be/ZB6IJgnKwpY
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Jan 27, 2022
Beyond the North Pole with Dwayne Fields
https://www.dwayne-fields.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dwaynefields/
https://twitter.com/DwayneFields
https://www.facebook.com/DwayneFieldsAdventurer/
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Jan 12, 2022
500 mph with former Blue Angels pilot John Foley
John’s Social Links
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn
VIDEO: Ted talk on what separates the best from the best.
BOOK - Fearless Success - The quest for perfection is not only possible--it's actually our natural state, says author and former Blue Angel pilot, John Foley. Imagine what the same preparation and mindset that allowed him to fly in formation mere inches apart from another jet can do for you, your teams, and any organization. In, _Fearless Success,_ John Foley gives us the secrets that elite performers know and practice on a daily basis.
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Jan 5, 2022
Recap 2021
Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode.Episode 110: Determination and Faith with Chris Norton
Episode 113: Embracing Vision with Kyle Coon
Episode 119: Equity in Entertainment with Keely Cat-Wells
Episode 132: Restoring Vision with Geoff Tabin
Episode 133: Rebuilding Community & Purpose with Cpt. Dave Inbody, US Army, Ret.
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Dec 16, 2021
Frontlines of the NICU with Benjamin Rattray
To introduce our guest this week, read you a passage from a recent essay he wrote: “I gaze at her straight charcoal hair, serious blinking eyes and flawless skin. She is only a day old, but already her muscles are tight and when she cries it is high-pitched and she is difficult to console. Her urine is positive for benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cocaine, and opioid derivatives.” These are the words of Benjamin Rattray. He takes care of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. He walks the path where life and death are regularly held in his hands. He balances clinical science and compassionate care, with the goal infusing his medical practice with empathy and humanism. What does this all mean for us? Have a listen and discover for yourself.
NOTE: This is our final episode of the year and our production team is taking a break for the holidays.
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Dec 8, 2021
Rebuilding Community & Purpose with Cpt. Dave Inbody, US Army, Ret
David Inbody is the father of three children, two sons and a daughter, and has been married to his wife Tiffany for nineteen years.
David was medically retired from the U.S. Army in 2012, after eight years of service. He attained the rank of Captain. He enlisted in 2004 and attended officer candidate school and was commissioned in 2008. He was assigned to Bravo Co, 1st Squadron, 112th Cavalry Regt as a scout platoon leader. He later served as a plans officer and supply officer for the squadron before deploying as a member of an Agricultural Development Team in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
David was injured by an improvised explosive device while on a patrol on 15 July, 2010. As a result of injuries sustained from the blast he lost his right foot and sustained various other injuries. After two years of rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, David medically retired and returned home to College Station, Tx.
He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medals…
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Dec 1, 2021
Restoring Vision with Geoff Tabin
Imagine life if you were unable to see. Could you find the toilet, or leave in an emergency? Now imagine you lived in a place where there are no paved roads, no clean water. In our world, 14 million people, more than the entire population of Canada, are blind, unable to perform the daily tasks of living. Ninety percent of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. Eighty-five percent of the blindness on our planet could be cured, or could have been prevented. 20 million people are needlessly blind from treatable cataracts.
Now imagine: There exists a surgery that can restore perfect sight to these people in five minutes, for the cost of $25 per surgery. Imagine: We can overcome all the needless blindness in the world. People say it's impossible.
Some of Dr. Tabin’s Highlights:
* Dr. Tabin was also the fourth person to climb the Seven Summits
* In 1994, Dr. Tabin established the Himalayan Cataract Project with his colleague Dr. Sanduk Rui
* On an 8-day expedit…
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Nov 24, 2021
Harnessing Positivity with Jim Kwok
This much is true... no one gets outta here alive.
If you had the option of knowing the day you would die and how it would happen, would you want to know?
This is Jim.
Jim was very much alive when this episode was recorded.
Jim was dead 2 months later..
Jim has a Stage 4, terminal cancer diagnosis and has ceased all treatment. Two weeks before this episode was recorded he was told he had roughly a month to live.
Since his diagnosis, Jim has endured countless rounds of chemo, multiple surgeries and a brief ‘remission’. He has accepted his fate and has made it his mission to squeeze as much life out of the short time he has left. And along with that, has committed himself to encouraging people to wake the hell up with regards to valuing this one precious life that we each have. To not forget how fleeting and finite it all is. To love those around you and live the best version of your life.
We’re grateful to him for that critical reminder that our walk on this planet is brief…
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Nov 17, 2021
How to See with Joe Strechay
Joe Strechay is a Producer and Consultant for film, television, theatre, and literary works. He consults on accessibility, disability, and blindness to assure respectful and accessible work environments and portrayals. He has worked on AppleTV+’s SEE, Netflix’s The OA, and Marvel’s Daredevil.
Joe has supervised services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; managed a web program; instructed in services for individuals who are blind or have low vision; advised states and countries on services, and mentored numerous people with disabilities. He has consulted for the American Printing House for the Blind specific to CareerConnect and their National Transition Conversation.
Joe did his graduate work at Florida State University and his undergraduate at East Carolina University. He speaks around the United States about employment, transition, accessibility, and inclusion in entertainment, and his experiences. He and his wife, Jen, live in Pennsylvania.
LINKS
Joe on YouTube https://…
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Nov 10, 2021
Concurring Limitations with Sarah Will
In this episode get up close and personal as this Olympian shares her triumphs, challenges (physical & mental), blunders here and there, and where her life is headed now. Growing up in Vermont, Sarah Will was a natural on the slopes. She competed on the nationally-ranked ski team at Green Mountain College. Her skiing career took an unexpected turn in 1988, when a skiing accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She did not give up. 4 years later she went to the 1992 Paralympic Winter Games winning gold medals in the downhill and super-G. 10 years after, and back to back appearances at every winter olympics she had racked up 12 golds and 1 silver. Will is one of the most decorated athletes in U.S. ski team history.
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Oct 6, 2021
The Ability App with Alex Knoll
16-year-old Alex Knoll is a tech founder and international speaker with a passion for helping others. He has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, BBC, Irish Times, NBC Nightly News, Sky News & many more.
Alex developed Ability App, a global crowd-sourced web app that helps people with cognitive, hearing, vision, and/or mobility disabilities and caregivers search for specific accessible and inclusive features at locations around the world.
Ability App launched globally on May 1, 2020. Please visit the Ability App website for more information at TheAbilityApp.com.
Most recently, Alex was awarded The Diana Award, given out by the charity of the same name with the support of The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex, and was created to honor Princess Diana’s work while inspiring others to action.
Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their sponsorship of today’s podcast in a series featuring folks who are breaking barriers in the business and the workplace.
Resources:
Visit…
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Sep 29, 2021
Accessible Design with Faith Malton
Faith Malton is a natural-born engineer. She was born missing her right arm and thus, grew up problem-solving and adapting to her environment through innovation. More importantly, she engineered her mental aptitude and psyche to be rooted in a growth mindset. A student ambassador, she found herself inquisitive on how other cultures worked and how culture determines the perception of disability. Her curiosity led her to places like Antarctica, India, and Tanzania. Every trip was an awakening and revealed to her how the built environment shapes the way in which humans experience the world.
She now works at Walter P. Moore, an international civil engineering firm, doing site design. She believes design teams have a responsibility for their designs to be universally accessible, inspire the human spirit, and nurture a connection to the natural world.
Malton also works to help others break through mental barriers and navigate the world with limb differences through her YouTube channel, One…
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Sep 22, 2021
The Ultra Barrier Breaker: Amy Rusiecki
Amy Rusiecki is the owner of Beast Coast Trail Running and the Race Director for the Vermont 100 mile race, Seven Sisters Trail Race, Chesterfield Gorge Ultra Event, and Mount Tobey 50k, as well as a winning endurance athlete herself.
Amy is a true barrier-breaker in the ultra community. She successfully petitioned for the Vermont 100 to be the first ultra race in the country to recognize AWDs (athletes with disabilities) in their own division and has taken the Vermont 100 partnership with Vermont Adaptive to new heights. Since becoming the race director seven years ago she has helped raise close to $1M for the adaptive sports organization.
She has made bold moves to push past gender barriers, creating non-binary divisions in all of her events and she has led conversations nationwide about how to better manage gender equality within the race industry. Amy has been coaching for 18 years, working with High School and College running and XC ski teams, named ‘Coach of the Year’ three…
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Sep 8, 2021
Regaining Purpose with Mark Yearsley
Mark served in the United States Air Force for ten years, starting out as an aircraft mechanic. He loved his job but was looking for more challenges, so he switched to air traffic control for the remainder of his time in service. During a deployment in Kuwait, he sustained injuries resulting in his right leg needing to be amputated above the knee. He went into a deep depression and lost all hope and was very inactive.
Eventually, he found outdoor therapy programs like No Barriers and regained purpose and meaning in his life. Now he is the Founder and Executive Director of Outdoor Salute to Veterans. There are 22 veterans that commit suicide every day and OSTV strives to reduce these numbers by taking disabled veterans on outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, rafting, rock climbing, and camping.
Mark has also been married to his wife for 34 years and has three wonderful and successful children and five beautiful grandchildren.
Special thanks to CoBank for sponsoring today's ep…
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Sep 1, 2021
Humor as a Mirror with Josh Blue
Comedian, Josh Blue, sat down with Erik and Jeff at our studio in Golden, CO to discuss his career as a comic who happens to have cerebral palsy.
Following his groundbreaking win on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006, Josh Blue has risen through the ranks to become a well-established headliner at venues throughout the world. His story has been featured on Fox, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN. He was the first comedian to perform stand-up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was named Best Winning Reality Show Guest on Live with Regis and Kelly, and made standout appearances on Comics Unleashed.
Recently, Josh crushed his set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and was honored with a performance at the William H. Macy Gala at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada. He also just recorded his fifth-hour special at his home club, Comedy Works in Denver, CO.
Josh does over 200 shows a year, continuing to spread laughter and break down stereotypes of people with disa…
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Aug 25, 2021
Caregiver Advocate and Alchemist: Colleen Rose
Colleen Rose is a military caregiver for her husband, John, an active duty Marine. While on his 2nd tour in Afghanistan, John was wounded by an IED blast sustaining vision loss and extensive injuries.
Colleen acted as his caregiver, and then, in 2016, the roles were reversed when Colleen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Several years later, Colleen has helped her husband retain his active duty status, and Colleen is cancer-free and in remission, and they are proud parents to their baby, Declan.
Colleen now serves as a Dole Caregiver Fellow, placing her in a great position to advocate and provide encouragement for all caregivers, sharing her experiences as a caregiver and care recipient.
Thank you to our sponsor, Prudential, for sponsoring this episode and more featuring alchemists like Colleen.
Resources:
For Military and Veteran Caregiver resources as part of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation: https://hiddenheroes.org/
Elizabeth Dole Foundation FB group: https://www.facebook.com/El…
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Aug 18, 2021
Veteran Hiring with Sean Passmore
Sean Passmore served 22 1/2 years in the Army before retiring in 2014.
Today, he leads the Military Talent Strategic Outsourcing (MTSS) team and oversees enterprise military and veteran initiatives at Wells Fargo, supporting the military community with housing affordability, financial wellness, small business support, and career transition assistance programs.
The MTSS team is 100% dedicated to attracting, recruiting, coaching, and advocating for veterans seeking career opportunities at Wells Fargo.
Wells Fargo is a longtime supporter and partner of No Barriers. We are grateful for their ongoing support and their sponsorship of this episode - the first in a series highlighting folks who are working to increase inclusion and representation in career mobility.
Resources:
Sign up for the No Barriers Summit 8/28-8/29 (both in-person and virtual options): https://www.nobarriers.live/ Make sure to check out Wells Fargo’s career panel on 8/29 at 1 PM Mountain.
Wells Fargo Military Res…
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Aug 12, 2021
Whitewater Healing with Antoinette Lee Toscano
Antoinette, an 11-year United States Army Veteran, is an American Adult Cross-Cultural Kid (ACCK) and Third Culture Adult (TCA) with family ancestry in Nigeria, Ireland, China, and Jamaica.
Antoinette is a former IT executive, a blogger at the New Normal Big Life blog, Producer of New Normal Big LifeTV for Culturs Global Multicultural TV, Contributing Writer at Paddling Magazine and Culturs, global, multicultural magazine.
Antoinette is also a transformational public speaker and an advocate for people living with traumatic brain injury, health challenges, and those diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress.
She is also the Producer of WhitewaterTV, a Kokatat National Brand Ambassador, and co-founder— Diversify Whitewater to name a few of her many accomplishments.
Thank you to our sponsor, Prudential, for sponsoring this episode and more featuring alchemists like Antoinette.
Resources:
https://antoinettetoscano.com/about-me/
https://www.instagram.com/antoine…
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Aug 4, 2021
Meet the StrokeHacker: Sean Entin
Sean Entin was a successful entrepreneur who suddenly had a stroke at 39 years old. After many surgeries, doctors told him he would never walk, talk, drive or be independent again.
It has been 10 years since he had his stroke and he has not only regained his independence — in his recovery process —Sean became the StrokeHacker; learning how the brain works and what it takes to make it better.
His mantra “I can, I shall, I will” helped him through the most
difficult times in his life. That knowledge allowed him to teach thousands of people how to do the same.
He is currently a survivor coach, podcast host, and founder of the StrokeHacker Community.
Resources:
Learn more: https://strokehacker.com/
Watch Sean on ABC: https://abc7.com/curt-sandoval-mma-training-sean-entin/1101903/
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Jul 28, 2021
Equity in Entertainment with Keely Cat-Wells
Keely Cat-Wells is an Entrepreneur and Disability Activist dedicated to making social, systematic, and economical change.
Keely is the Founder/CEO of C Talent, Zetta Studios, and Zetta Finance. She founded her first company at a very early age while in the hospital, which eventually evolved into C Talent. C Talent represents Deaf and Disabled artists, athletes, and influencers globally to normalize disabled people being experts in subjects beyond disability.
After noticing the lack of access in the entertainment industry, Keely formed Zetta Studios, which is the world’s first-ever studio to be fully accessible, designed with disabled people in mind.
Keely is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment 2021 honoree, an Aerie Change-Maker, Advisory Board Member at Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, a Disability Subject Matter Expert at Google and The Lego Group name a few of her awards and recognitions.
Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their sponsorship of today's podcast in a…
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Jul 21, 2021
Leading with Vulnerability: Chris Prange-Morgan
Chris Prange-Morgan has worked extensively in the field of mental health and is familiar with the topics of trauma and resilience, grief and loss, adoption, and adapting and overcoming obstacles. Today, Chris and her husband, Scott, host a podcast and website, _Full Catastrophe Parenting_, which is dedicated to helping parents and professionals in the trenches of working with challenging family/life circumstances.
Over the past several years she has provided clinical pastoral care to hospitalized patients, created an adaptive rock climbing program, taken second in the para-climbing nationals (2015 female leg amputee division), and summited her first Colorado 14’er with her family.
Chris’ book, _Full Catastrophe Parenting: Adoption, Disability, Trauma and Other Joys of Motherhood_, is forthcoming.
Resources:
WEBSITE: https://www.fullcatastropheparenting.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/full_catastrophe_parenting/
FACEBOOK: https://m.facebook.com/cprangemorgan
PSYCHOL…
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Jul 14, 2021
Meet Feminist Plumber: Judaline Cassidy
Judaline Cassidy hails from the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Having experienced, first-hand, the challenges and injustices women working in male-dominated fields face, Judaline has devoted her life and work to being a force of change.
By day, she’s a history-making plumber in NYC, where she’s mastered her trade over the last two decades while fighting for equality in the construction industry. She dedicates every other waking second to her trademarked "Jobs Don’t Have Genders" activism, and to Tools & Tiaras Inc., the pioneering nonprofit she founded in 2017.
Through hands-on, mentoring workshops and summer camps led by tradeswomen leaders, her organization introduces girls and young women to skilled trades jobs like electrician, carpenter, plumber, and auto mechanic. Girls gain awareness of these rewarding and lucrative career options, along with invaluable life skills. Ultimately, Judaline is empowering girls with the grit, moxie, and self-confidence needed to succeed…
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Jul 7, 2021
The Roots of No Barriers with Mark Wellman
Mark Wellman is a nationally acclaimed author, filmmaker, and motivational speaker.
Despite being paralyzed in a mountain climbing accident, Mark has inspired millions to meet their problems head-on and reach for their full potential. A two-time Paralympian and former Yosemite Park Ranger, Mark's NO LIMITS philosophy encourages individuals to adventure into new horizons; to go beyond the seemingly unreachable.
An accomplished wheelchair athlete, Mark is best known for the first historic paraplegic ascents of the sheer granite faces of El Capitan and Half Dome, in Yosemite National Park.
His notoriety has been acclaimed on national television, by congressional commendation and meetings with two United States Presidents. The first paraplegic to sit-ski unassisted across the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Mark has also carried the flaming torch up the 120-foot rope, shocked by thousands of spectators, and lit the cauldron for the opening of the Paralympic Games in Atlanta.
Mark shares…
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Jun 30, 2021
Radical Vision with Two Blind Brothers
We are honored that Prudential is sponsoring today's podcast highlighting people who are alchemists.
Bradford and Bryan Manning are two blind brothers on a mission to cure blindness. At a young age, they were diagnosed with an eye disease that causes blindness over time.
To fight back, they left their former careers to start Two Blind Brothers, a small charitable clothing company that donates 100% of its profits to drive life-changing research for a cure for blindness.
Their condition inspired special attention to detail, a passion that carries over into the construction of their clothing line.
Two Blind Brothers focuses on quality, comfort, and "sense of touch."
Thank you again to Prudential for supporting our podcast today and for allowing us to elevate these diverse and unique voices.
Resources:
Shop: https://twoblindbrothers.com/
Shop Blind: https://twoblindbrothers.com/pages/shop-blind-monthly-challenge
Watch Bryan and Bradford on
Ellen
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Jun 23, 2021
A Champion Role Model: Reggie Showers
At 14, Reggie had a tragic electrical accident that left him a double amputee. But, his “never-say-die” attitude has propelled him to also become an accomplished pilot, inspirational speaker, certified snowboard instructor, and marathoner.
In 2017, he was part of ROMP, the Range Of Motion Project’s elite team of amputee & able-bodied climbers that climbed Cayambe, an 18000’ stratovolcano in Ecuador as part of a fundraising effort that benefitted amputees in third world countries.
Reggie continues to inspire folks around the world with his speaking career, athletic accomplishments, and mentorship programs.
Special thanks to the Winnebago Industries Foundation for their support of this podcast and their advocacy for accessibility in outdoor spaces.
Resources:
Check out Reggie’s website: https://lifewithreggie.com/
Follow Reggie on Facebook and Instagram
Introducing Reggie Showers on
National Geographic’s _Mygrations_
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Jun 16, 2021
Embracing Vision with Kyle Coon
Kyle Coon lost his sight at the age of six after a battle with Retinoblastoma—cancer of the eye. However, not having sight has not stopped him from pursuing his vision. Since then he has become a competitive rock climber, downhill skier, runner, and triathlete.
After summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro at the age of 15, Kyle knew he needed to live a life filled with adventure. After getting his college degree and trying the working world for a bit, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming an endurance athlete, competing in numerous marathons and triathlons.
In 2018, he was a member of the first team of tandem cyclists with all blind or visually impaired stokers to complete Race Across America—the world’s toughest bicycle race—racing from Oceanside, Calif to Annapolis, Md in seven days 15 hours. Later in 2018, at Ironman Arizona, Kyle became the first totally blind person to complete an Ironman branded Triathlon (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run) in under 11 hours. He continues t…
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Jun 9, 2021
Mt. Everest 20th Anniversary
Mountaineers and others scoffed at the notion that Erik Weihenmayer, blind since 14, could climb Mt. Everest. They thought he would be a danger to himself and his team. But, on that day in 2001 Erik and his team, through preparation, personal sacrifice, and the belief that they would succeed, stood together on the top of the world.
To celebrate this milestone Erik and members of their record-holding team reunited virtually and shared fond memories and recounted their struggles. Most importantly, they reflected on the advice their team leader, PV Scaturro, gave them on their descent: “Don’t make Everest the greatest thing you ever do.”
Resources:
Watch Michael Brown’s documentary film, _Farther Than the Eye Can See__ _on Amazon
Outside Magazine
Luis Benitez
PV Scaturro
Brad Bull (and his father, Sherman Bull)
Kami Tenzing Sherpa
Kevin Cherilla & K2 Adventure Travel
Jeff Evans
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Jun 2, 2021
A KWEEN of Social Justice - Parker McMullen Bushman
Parker (she/her) aka KWEEN WERK is an outspoken social media diva who focuses on environmental justice and social justice matters. Parker tackles these complex, interconnected issues by addressing them through head-on activism and education. She is the founder of a DEI Consulting Firm called Ecoinclusive, the creator of KWEEN WERK, and the co-founder of Inclusive Journeys.
As a leader at the intersection of culture and justice, Parker believes in using social media as a tool for social change. As a woman, as a Black person, as a curvy hiker, as a mother, as a Black business owner, she stands at the intersection of multiple identities. Her work shines a light on racism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, and ableism; and aims to also give people tools for change.
KWEEN Werk is dedicated to disrupting the narrative that only white able-bodied people care about the environment and participate in outdoor recreation activities. KWEEN stands for Keep Widening Environmental Engagement Narratives…
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May 26, 2021
Determination and Faith with Chris Norton
As an 18-year-old freshman at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Chris Norton suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during a college football game.
Told by doctors that he had only a 3 percent chance of regaining movement below the neck, Chris has continually defied medical odds and, in 2015, successfully accomplished his goal of walking across his college graduation stage with the help of his then-fiancee, Emily.
Video from the event went viral, inspiring millions worldwide. Most recently, he walked Emily 7 yards down the aisle of their wedding - documented in his film “_7 Yards_” now available on Netflix.
Chris believes that our lives aren’t shaped by circumstance. They’re shaped by us. Perseverance isn’t about the physical act of standing: it’s about attitude, and the ability to shape yourself in the face of adversity.
Resources:
Read more about Chris and book him for your next speaking gig
Watch _7 Yards_ on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or AppleTV
Follow Chris on Fac…
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May 19, 2021
An Inclusive Circus with Lisa Lewis
Lisa Lewis began her career with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. She earned a master’s degree in Clown/Circus History from NYU. During the same period, she co-founded the Super Scientific Circus, a STEAM-based series of 6 shows which tour the country using Circus Skills to make science fun and accessible for all learning styles.
Lisa received her certification from Marquis Studios as a teaching artist for District 75 specializing in Autism and at-risk youth in NYC where she taught for four years. Lisa performed with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit and inspired by the efforts to serve new audiences, she became project coordinator for Circus of the Senses, a performance adapted for blind, visually impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing, and those who are neuro-diverse.
Lisa doubled the reach of the program and seeing a need in the community, she created the Embracing Autism performances. Lisa expanded both offerings and audiences, created an inclusive training program for sta…
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May 12, 2021
The Business of Elevating with Douglas Jackson
Dr. Doug Jackson serves as the President and CEO of Project CURE. Since 1987, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered equipment and supplies to hospitals and clinics in over 135 countries and was named by Forbes as one of the top 20 charities in America.
In addition to delivering approximately five semi-truck-sized containers of medical relief each week, teams of medical professionals travel abroad to provide hundreds of hours of hands-on medical care and training through the C.U.R.E. Clinics program.
Doug is a frequent motivational speaker to civic, corporate, and community organizations.
Resources:
https://projectcure.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectCURE
Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectcure
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May 5, 2021
Purpose and Faith with Kristan Seaford
Kristan Seaford was a 38-year-old stay-at-home mom with five young children when a catastrophic illness struck. What began as the flu and strep throat turned into pneumonia and a life-threatening condition called septic shock. After 100 days, a medically-induced coma, six hospitals, and a miracle, she survived. She lives as a triple amputee, with her remaining foot missing the toes and heel. Today, Kristan is as busy as ever working as a motivational and faith-building speaker, a personal counselor, blogger, and writer.
Resources:
http://www.kristanseaford.com/
Watch Kristan’s journey here:
No Barriers Summit Story
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Apr 28, 2021
One Love with Anthony Ferraro
Anthony Ferraro was born blind. Today Anthony is 25 years old and refers to himself as a professional athlete, musician, and motivational speaker. Flashing back to his High School career, Anthony was the only blind wrestler on his team. With the goal of winning a New Jersey state championship his senior year, his older brother Oliver followed him around and collected hundreds of hours of live footage. His film, “_A Shot in the Dark_” is now available on Amazon Prime.
When the United States Paralympic committee came across a viral trailer of the film they asked him if he would train in Judo to represent his country at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. COVID derailed Anthony’s training temporarily and he pivoted to music as his main outlet. Taking his musical talents on the road, Anthony branded a live stream music tour he called, "Anthony Ferraro's Blind Busking Live Stream Music Tour 2020.” Along with his fiance, they traveled through 23 states and over 9,800 miles of Americ…
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Apr 21, 2021
The Heroic Journey Mindset with Peter Bailey
As President of The Prouty Project, Peter Bailey develops creative experience-based leadership development programs for companies and people to expand their life skills, belief systems, and communication processes. In his free time he roasts his own coffee beans, writes, sails, surfs, rock climbs, and enjoys time with his wife, kids, and two cats.
Resources:
Peter’s TEDx talk: “Developing The Heroic Journey Mindset”
To learn more visit:
www.proutyproject.com
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Apr 14, 2021
The Unseen Bean with Gerry Leary
Gerry Leary is the founder of the coffee shop, Unseen Bean in Boulder, CO. Gerry has been blind since he was born but his lack of vision does not stop him from roasting coffee. You don’t need sight to roast coffee, you need a heart, and Gerry has a huge one. Before coffee, Gerry was an auto mechanic for 40+ years. He loved working with his dad in their garage growing up and was told he couldn’t work on cars as a blind person - which only made him determined to do so.
Gerry Leary's passion for coffee began in 1994 when visiting a San Francisco cafe. He heard what sounded like a rock tumbler and discovered it was a coffee roaster. He realized then that coffee didn’t have to be flat and bitter, as coffee roasting was a true art form. Gerry's visual impairment kept him from finding an apprenticeship in the coffee business. So he attended the San Francisco Coffee Training Institute and began a journey into the land of gourmet coffee roasting.
Resources:
Visit Gerry’s website to p…
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Apr 7, 2021
Radical Innovation with Hadeel Ayoub
In 2017, Hadeel Ayoub founded BrightSign, a wearable technology start-up. BrightSign develops technology pieces that employ AI to facilitate communication for individuals who need it, such as people with hearing or speech disabilities or children with non-verbal autism.
Hadeel’s BrightSign Glove innovation has gained international recognition and has won global awards in Innovation and Artificial Intelligence.
A special thanks to Arrow Electronics for sponsoring this episode as part of their series highlighting people pioneering inclusive technology.
Resources:
Twitter: @hadeelayoub
Site: brightsignglove.com
From Sign to Speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qDUK1xOY8o
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Mar 31, 2021
From Inspiration to Information with Nicole Kelly
Nicole Kelly proudly identifies as a person living with a disability and spends much of her time advocating for it! Nicole stepped into the role of a public figure in 2013 when she won the title of Miss Iowa, making her one of very few to compete at Miss America with a physical disability.
Nicole is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast, Disarming Disability, which aims to break down the stigma surrounding disability by engaging disability experts in conversation. Nicole has proudly spoken at schools, universities, and corporations across the country about disability equity and inclusion.
This episode is sponsored by Wells Fargo, CoBank, Prudential, Arrow Electronics, and Winnebago Industries Foundation.
Resources:
www.missnicolegkelly.com
Follow Nicole on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
Subscribe & watch Nicole's videos on Youtube
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Mar 24, 2021
Relax to Recover with Dr. Subhasis Banerji
Subhasis has spent about 20 years developing cutting-edge technology, 5 years of practicing therapy, and 10 years in clinical research with varying degrees of success and failure. His diverse background led him to invent and commercialize the world’s first fully wearable, connected brain plasticity training tool that trains brain and body in one system.
SynPhNe is the outcome of his Ph.D. (Biomechatronics) study which he completed after recovering from a brain injury himself. He is passionate about neuroplasticity, movement analysis, learning mechanisms, and aging.
He has been a yoga and martial arts practitioner for the past 40 years and is currently living in Singapore. He makes friends easily with those who love food, traveling, and adventure.
This episode was made possible by the support of Arrow Electronics.
Resources:
Visit SynPhNe’s Website: www.synphne.com
Additional reading: The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
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Mar 17, 2021
The Human Connection with Ann Curry
Ann Curry is an award-winning journalist and photojournalist. She is a former NBC News Network anchor and international correspondent and has reported on conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Darfur, Congo, the Central African Republic, Serbia, Lebanon, and Israel; on nuclear tensions from North Korea and Iran and on numerous humanitarian disasters, including the tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Japan, and the massive 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Her awards for journalism include 7 Emmys. She has also been given numerous humanitarian awards, including from Refugees International, Americares, and Save the Children. One award she especially prizes is a Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, for her dedication to reporting about genocide.
She has also reported and executive produced a documentary series about people caught in transformative world events entitled “We’ll Meet Again,” anchored and executive produced a live series about medical care in America entitled…
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Mar 10, 2021
Storytelling with Michael Brown
Michael Brown has excelled as both an adventure athlete and as a filmmaker. He has been to the summit of Mount Everest five times, each time with cameras rolling. His work as a director and cinematographer spans all seven continents and has won many film festivals and industry awards, including three national Emmy Awards. Michael is also a recipient of the International Alliance For Mountain Film's 'Grand Prix' awards at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Explorers Festival’s Camera Extreme,' and the Giant Screen Cinema Association (IMAX) 'Outstanding Cinematography' Award.
Michael's lens has captured ice caves for NOVA, tornadoes for Discovery, science at the South Pole for National Geographic, avalanches for the BBC, and mountain climbing for four giant screen IMAX movies. Michael has made a habit of going to the world's harshest, most dangerous environments and always comes back with incredible footage and compelling stories. Outside Magazine describes the cerebral filmmaker a…
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Mar 3, 2021
Finding Flow with Sam Morris
Sam Morris is the founder of Zen Warrior Training®, an enlightened leadership and embodied wisdom coaching program.
In 1999, Sam endured a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the waist down. This incident catalyzed a deep dive into somatic healing arts, depth psychology, wisdom traditions, and the innate intelligence of the body.
Sam trains his clients in how to master the inner workings of the mind, body, and spirit and live from an enlightened state of presence in their businesses and in their personal lives.
Thank you to our No Barriers Podcast sponsors: Wells Fargo, Prudential, CoBank, Winnebago Industries Foundation, and Arrow Electronics.
Resources:
Zen Warrior Training Website
Watch Sam Morris speak at the 2020 No Barriers Summit
Sam’s email: Sam@zenwarriortraining.com
Follow Sam on Instagram at @zenwarriortraining
Books:
_The Untethered Soul_ by Michael Singer
_The Power of Now_ by Eckhart Tolle
_Breath_ by James Nestor
_How to Change Your Mind_ by Michael P…
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Feb 24, 2021
Loss and Light with Mike May
Michael May was blinded by a chemical explosion at the age of three, but regained partial vision, at the age of 46, after cornea transplants and a pioneering stem cell procedure.
He has raised millions of dollars to develop four companies and has changed the landscape of how blind people get around independently. Mike’s start-up ventures have included developing the world’s first and only Laser Turntable, inventing a portable heating cushion for sports and medical applications, and starting 2 companies in adaptive technology including Sendero Group in 1999, which released the first-ever accessible GPS for the blind.
Currently, he is Chief Evangelist for Good Maps, Inc., a pedestrian navigation company with an emphasis on accessible navigation for people who are blind or visually impaired. Mike also holds the record for downhill skiing by a person who is completely blind -racing at 65 mph-and is the subject of the best-selling book _Crashing Through_ by, Robert Kurson.
Huge thank…
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Feb 17, 2021
Reclaiming Life Outdoors with Quinn Brett
Having Minnesota roots, Quinn’s parents were committed to taking their children to national parks all over the country, gradually traveling further and further west. With her first look at El Capitan, Quinn knew that she’d climb it one day; ten years later, she did. Since that first climb, Quinn has amassed an impressive list of big wall ascents, speed records, and difficult free climbs, first in places like Yosemite and Zion and then in the larger mountains of Patagonia, Greenland, and India.
But everything changed in 2017 when Quinn took a one-hundred-foot fall while climbing the Nose of El Cap, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Today, Quinn lives in her beloved Estes Park, Colorado where she works for the National Park Service, using her background as an environmental advocate to speak up for increased accessibility on public lands.
Special thanks to the Winnebago Industries Foundation for their support of this podcast and their advocacy for accessibility in outdoor s…
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Feb 10, 2021
Exploring Within with Biohacker, Victor Mifsud
Victor Mifsud is a citizen scientist, biohacker, natural vision educator, psychedelic advocate, and filmmaker. He has recently completed a very personal feature-length documentary called “My Neuroplastic Adventure”. His journeys take him from the cutting edge of neuroscience to the most ancient forms of tribal healing.
He has interviewed doctors and scientists who are using technology and wisdom in equal measure. He has worked with renowned National best-selling author & physician Dr. Gabor Maté; Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology of Motor Learning Director, Dr. Lara Boyd, and NY Times best-selling author Dr. Norman Doidge to name a few. He also happens to be blind.
Resources:
IG @blindbiohacker
Victor’s Documentary: www.myneuroplasticadventure.com
Documentary trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKKP477-MA&t=6s
Read _Breath_ by James Nestor
Read _The Brain that Changes Itself_ by Dr. Norman Doidge
Read _It Didn’t Start With You_ by Mark Wolynn
Explore Dr. Gabo…
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Feb 3, 2021
Coping with COVID with Dr. Kurt Papenfus
Dr. Kurt Papenfus works in family practice and emergency medicine in the rural communities of Colorado. Kurt attended school at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine where he graduated in 1986 and began to complete his internship and residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, CO. Kurt has been involved in the Center for Disease Control, National Occupational Research Agenda, Oil and Gas Sector Council, and was an Occupational Safety and Health Administration Advisory Council member. Kurt was also the doctor for the USA Climbing Team on Mt. Everest with the USA-Soviet-Chinese in 1990 and 1992 and can be remembered as the doctor on staff for the movie “Cliffhanger” in which Sylvester Stallone played an important role.
Resources:
Dr. Papenfus featured on CPR
Read _Breath_ by James Nestor
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Jan 27, 2021
Keepin’ It Real with Heather Thomson
To many, Heather Thomson is an adored reality star from the hit Bravo reality television series, _The Real Housewives of New York City_, but what many don’t know is that she also is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and recently launched _beyond fresh _organic_ _nutrition brand and _Heather Thomson superfood _shows, developed to educate and support people making positive and sustainable changes impactful to their health and well-being.
The real Heather wears many hats as a married mother of two, successful entrepreneur, celebrated designer and inventor, philanthropist, speaker, avid adventurer, and her latest undertaking as host of her new podcast, _in MY heart - _with new episodes, every Tuesday.
Resources:
For more information go to Heatherthomson.com
Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @iamheathert and find Heather A. Thomson on Facebook.
Heather Thomson: No Barriers Ambassador
Check out Beyond Fresh & https://www.shophq.com/
Listen to _in MY heart_ Podcast
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Jan 20, 2021
Vulnerability and Strength with Joanna Walters
When Joanna Sprtel Walters graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1994, she was among the first group of women out of the Academy to have selected warfare specialties.
She served aboard the USS PAUL F FOSTER (DD964) and the USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194) and finished her career in the Navy at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes while getting her MBA from DePaul University. Since graduating with her MBA in 2001, she has enjoyed a very diverse career ranging from Procter & Gamble, Real Estate Investing, REI Course writing, Casino owner/COO and eventually CEO, Principal of a Private Equity Firm, author of _Girl At Sea, _Motivational Speaker and e-commerce entrepreneur/owner of Wish Rock Relaxation.
Joanna spends her downtime enjoying the mountains with her family and can often be found climbing the cliffs of North Table Mountain, running or riding the trails, hiking to the top of 14ers, and playing in the snow. What she treasures most are the adventures she shares with her family as a…
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Jan 13, 2021
Action & Activism with Courthney Russell
Courthney Russell is a creator, activist, and social entrepreneur.
At one time on a collision course with incarceration or death, Courthney turned his life around after high school when he applied and was accepted to a pre-med program. Though he found his calling in med school, he continued to struggle with homelessness until graduating in 2011.
Courthney’s resolve to overcome his difficult life experiences propelled him to be the authentic, determined, and humble leader he is today.
Courthney is the co-founder of A2H2, a non-profit focused on meeting the health needs of those experiencing homelessness in Atlanta; he co-runs WeUp, a company built on the idea of uplifting community through hope and empowerment; and he co-hosts the podcast, _Humanize_, which broaches uncomfortable topics with the goal of disrupting social order and creating a more just and equitable society.
Resources:
Visit A2H2 and follow on Instagram: Changing Healthcare & Facebook: Changing Healthcare - A2H2…
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Jan 6, 2021
Pushing Limits with Maureen Beck
Maureen Beck was born without her left hand, but that didn’t stop her from picking up the sport of climbing at the age of 12. Now based in Colorado’s Front Range, Mo spends her nights training at the gym and her days climbing all over the American southwest. She works closely with the adaptive climbing community as an instructor with Paradox Sports and is the Chair of the USAC Paraclimbing Committee.
As a competitive climber, she has won 6 national titles, a gold medal at the 2014 Paraclimbing World Championships in Spain, and defended that title with a gold medal at the 2016 World Championships in Paris. In 2018, she went on her first alpine expedition to the Northwest Territories in Canada’s Nahanni National Park where she and fellow adaptive climber Jim Ewing attempted the legendary Lotus Flower Tower. Maureen starred in the 2017 Film _Stumped_ which has won numerous awards and toured hundreds of cities all over the world, and in the 2019 film _Adaptive._ Mo is an athlete for…
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Dec 23, 2020
2020 Recap
Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode:
* Episode 57 - Cultivating Compassion with Physician, Dr. Rana Awdish
* Episode 78 - Serendipity with Jill Wheatley
* Episode 54 - Thinking Through Uncertainty: Neuroscientist, Beau Lotto
* Episode 53 - Examining Collective Grief with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber
* Episode 64 - Exploring Vision with Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib
* Episode 41 - Harnessing Adversity with Dr. Paul Stoltz
* Episode 58 - Harnessing Positivity with Jim Kwok
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Dec 16, 2020
Panel Discussion with Eduardo Garcia, Erik Weihenmayer, and Jeff Evans
Eduardo Garcia is a professional Chef who owns retail food brand Montana Mex, a Mexican inspired line of Organic, NON-GMO condiment sauces, seasonings, and Avocado oil.
He is known as the "bionic chef" because he cooks with a prosthetic left arm, the result of an accident while hunting in 2011. His story is the subject of the feature-length documentary_ Charged_. Eduardo is an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, hunter, triathlete, and motivational speaker.
After becoming the first blind climber to summit Mt. Everest, Erik Weihenmayer turned his focus to an entirely different kind of challenge: He learned to kayak and decided to attempt to paddle the length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It was the next chapter in Weihenmayer’s quest for presence, independence, and self-agency — things hard to achieve without sight. As _The Weight of Water_ chronicles, the trip was much more than an adventure athlete notching another accomplishment in his belt. Weihenmayer joins a team…
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Dec 9, 2020
Speaking with Maverick, Mike Savicki
Mike Savicki
In November 1990., while training to become a U.S. Navy F-14 fighter pilot, Mike Savicki sustained a severe spinal cord injury after diving into the ocean. In an instant, he went from being a fit, active, promising Naval officer – commissioned as the top-flight candidate in the nation’s number one ROTC college graduating class – to a quadriplegic who was challenged with learning to live life again using a wheelchair.
As he regained his independence, Mike earned an MBA, delivered the commencement address, and became involved in wheelchair sports. He is a 22-time finisher (and five-time division winner) of the prestigious BAA Boston Marathon (making him the only person to have completed the marathon on foot and subsequently in a wheelchair) and has earned more than 100 gold medals in the National Wheelchair Veterans Games. In 2009, he became the first quadriplegic to finish the 70.3-mile Beach to Battleship Half Ironman Triathlon.
From there he became deputy directo…
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Dec 2, 2020
Mission & Vision with Kate Merrill
Kate Merrill is a Registered Nurse who worked in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit for 22 years before taking the plunge to open her own bakery in Chicago.
Edge of Sweetness was off to a strong start in 2020, hitting its sales targets and becoming a neighborhood favorite. Then, COVID-19 hit, and after months of adjusting and taking the necessary precautions, Kate and her staff made the choice to temporarily close.
Kate then answered the call from the Governor for nurse support and return to work at the hospital she had worked in previously, to treat patients with COVID. Since she has been laying the groundwork for her bakery to make a triumphant return.
Resources:
Visit Kate's bakery: https://www.edgeofsweetness.com/
Check out “What’s Within You” to read more of Kate’s story
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Nov 25, 2020
Health and Humanity with Dr. Raul Perea-Henze
Dr. Perea-Henze is a global health physician, government official, and corporate executive who served most recently as Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services for the City of New York since 2019. He was responsible for the citywide response for COVID19 from the start of the pandemic, preparedness for recurrences, and recovery efforts.
He was the Chair of the NYC Health and Social Services Sector Advisory Councils and Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Racial Inclusiveness and Equity Task Force. He also provided oversight for 14 agencies, including the departments of health & mental hygiene, social and homeless services, children, aging, the public hospital system, domestic violence, LGBTQ, data informatics, and food policy.
Nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate, Raul served as the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning at the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2010-2013.
Currently, he serves as a member of the Advisory Board to the Comptroller General of The United…
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Nov 18, 2020
Leading from the Front with Gretchen Evans
Prior to her combat injury and subsequent retirement from service, Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans served 27 years in the US Army and was responsible for more than 30,000 ground troops in Afghanistan. She is one of the most decorated female veterans in U.S. history.
During her service, Gretchen survived a rocket blast which left her with hearing loss and a traumatic brain injury. While struggling with depression after her injury, she relied on a new rope team to bring her back into the world and show her she still had the ability to find purpose by serving and leading again. Despite her injuries, Gretchen serves others as a passionate volunteer. She also achieved her No Barriers goal by finishing her book, “_Leading from the Front_.”
Last year, Gretchen assembled Team Unbroken - the first-ever team whose members all had disabilities - to compete in the World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, hosted by Bear Grylls. Watch now on Amazon Prime!
Now, Gretchen is scheduled…
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Nov 11, 2020
Healing Through Art with Richard Casper
Richard Casper is a United States Marine Veteran, Purple Heart recipient, Artist, and Entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of CreatiVets, a non-profit that provides art, music, and writing programs for wounded veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.
Richard was named one of TIME magazine’s _Next Generation Leaders,_ is the feature of TIME’s documentary _Evidence of Things Unseen,_ and recognized by President George W. Bush and The Bush Institute for his passion and work helping combat veterans. He was one of the thirty-three scholars chosen to be in President Bush’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program.
Richard served in the USMC from 2003-2007. During the first portion of his enlistment, Casper served as Presidential guard at Camp David. Later in 2006-2007 during his tour in Iraq, Richard survived four IED blasts which left him with a left-traumatic brain injury and witnessed the death of his friend which caused h…
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Nov 4, 2020
Exploring Resilience with Veteran, Aaron Hale
After serving 14 years in both the Navy as a chef to the Commander of the US 6th Fleet and then transitioning on to becoming an Army team leader in one of the military’s most dangerous jobs, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Staff Sergeant Aaron Hale was blinded by an IED. Not letting his injuries hold him back, Aaron became an EOD instructor, motivational speaker, mountain climber, white water kayaker, and marathon runner. Four years later tragedy struck again when Aaron contracted bacterial meningitis which robbed him of his hearing leaving him not just 100% blind but completely deaf as well.
Again, Aaron picked himself up, dusted off, and continued to chase the best of what life has to offer. Today, he’s back speaking and sharing his story, running marathons, he’s a proud husband and father of a 9-year-old son and the recent addition of identical twins, runs a thriving chocolate company with his wife, and recently completed his first 100-mile ultramarathon.
Resources:
Purc…
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Oct 28, 2020
Caregiving with Grace with Debbie Fisher
Debbie Fisher was a physical therapist for over 20 years and is now a full-time caretaker for her daughter, Grace.
In 2014 during her senior year of High School, Grace Fisher’s spine was ravaged by a virus leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. She was diagnosed with Acute Flaccid Myelitis and sent to Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, CO.
At Craig Hospital, she was introduced to music therapy and adaptive art. This not only helped strengthen her neck but also helped heal her mind and soul. She worked with Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill her desire to help other children with disabilities through art and music, by starting The Grace Foundation, which brings the healing touch of art therapy to other children living with a disability.
Debbie resides in Santa Barbara alongside her husband, Bill, and their daughters, Grace, and Emily.
Resources:
Visit the Grace Foundation
Watch the Trailer for Amazing Grace
Check out Grace’s Blog
“Embracing New Possibilities”
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Oct 21, 2020
Caregiving for Veterans with Melissa Comeau
Melissa Comeau is honored to serve as the Director of the American Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network.
Her book _Sleeping with the War_ was published in 2015 and has brought the family and caregiver perspective to life after combat. Melissa served as a Fellow for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. She has a long history of providing peer support to military families and is supporting efforts at Blue Star Families, Psych Armor, and the Military Family Advisory Network.
Melissa was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee for Veterans’ Family, Caregivers and Survivors at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. She is a recognized advocate for the military and veteran community with a career supported by an MSM in Information Technology and Project Management.
Her education and background have made her a valuable resource and a pioneer in the development of technology to support caregivers. Melissa is invested in the long-term care of our Nation’s heroes as well as the…
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Oct 14, 2020
Youth Caregivers with Connie Siskowski
Who are Youth Caregivers? Caregiving youths are children and adolescents who are 18 years of age or younger and who provide significant or substantial assistance, often on a regular basis, to relatives or household members who need help because of physical or mental illness, disability, frailty associated with aging, substance misuse, or other condition.
Connie Siskowski’s broad background in healthcare and dedication to diminishing caregiver struggles led to the establishment of the American Association for Caregiving Youth (AACY), headquartered in Boca Raton, FL. AACY integrates healthcare, education, and the community to provide a strong foundation for the youth and their families.
Connie authored the book, _I’m a Teen Caregiver. Now What? S_he has received many awards including the lifetime Ashoka Fellowship, Purpose Prize, Distinguished Alumna Award from Johns Hopkins University, and Top Ten CNN Hero for 2012. Connie is now on the faculty of the national Family RAISE Caregiv…
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Oct 7, 2020
Serendipity with Jill Wheatley
In 2014, Jill was a Phys Ed teacher in Europe when she was hit in the head by a rogue baseball during class.
The severity of the blow resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a 70% vision loss. In addition to the physical wounds, it left Jill in a deep state of despair. After 26 months in 7 hospitals in 3 countries, she was finally on the road to physically recover but still felt emotionally lost.
Inspired by the mountain view from her hospital bed, she formed a goal: to run trails on mountains all around the world - a challenge to her broken body and the return to independence that she craved.
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Sep 30, 2020
Design Thinking with Lisa Yokana
An educator for over twenty years, Lisa Yokana is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) coordinator at Scarsdale High School, where she designed and teaches a three-level STEAM course sequence for Scarsdale’s Design Lab.
In 2019, the program won the gold medal in the STEAMEX international contest for innovative curriculum design. Lisa works with teachers across the disciplines to integrate Design Thinking and Making into their curriculum.
She was a Coach for IDEO’s Teachers Guild, is an author of curriculum for outside organizations including the U.S. History Advanced Placement course, and co-instructs Project Zero/Harvard Graduate School of Education’s online class: Thinking and Learning in the Maker Centered Classroom. She leads Innovation Education, Design Thinking and Maker workshops and presents at conferences, encouraging educators to shift their practice.
Lisa earned her BA in Studio Art and French Literature from Williams College, where she was el…
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Sep 23, 2020
Innovating with Michael O'Toole
Michael O'Toole has been immersed in education and coaching for more than three decades.
His work in the classroom focuses on the areas of both physical and cultural geography as well as Earth system science. Throughout his career as an educator and curriculum developer, he has had the opportunity to work with students and teachers around the world and with such organizations as National Geographic, NASA, UCAR, the National Science Foundation, The GLOBE Program, Discovery Education, and the University of Colorado.
Michael spent 2 years as the STEM Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley Schools before moving to his current position as Coordinator of Science Curriculum for St. Vrain Valley Schools.
He is very interested in increasing geographic and scientific knowledge as well as promoting STEM education and the use of technology in the classroom.
Michael is an avid outdoorsman and can be found regularly on the trails and frequently summits Mount Kilimanjaro.
Resources:
How St. Vrain Val…
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Sep 16, 2020
Providing Guidance with Dr. Michael Kuchar
Dr. Michael Kuchar is the Superintendent of the South Bergen Jointure Commission, a New Jersey public school district whose mission is to dramatically increase the independence of individuals with extraordinary challenges.
With a combined twenty-five years of experience as a school district administrator, Dr. Kuchar has served as the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Bergenfield School District; the Superintendent of the Bergenfield Public School District for 11 years; the Bergenfield High School Principal; Bergenfield Director of Guidance/Testing; and the High School Principal at Dobbs Ferry in Westchester County, an International Baccalaureate School. He was an associate professor of education at Seton Hall University in the doctoral program of Education, Leadership, Management, and Policy and still serves as a doctoral mentor/lecturer.
He is the immediate past-president of the New Jersey Association of Superintendents (NJASA) and the Chair of…
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Sep 2, 2020
Mindset Mastery with Christian Leeby
In his quest for contentment, Christian Leeby dedicated his life to yoga. After studying with the world’s greatest masters and teaching full time for over 25 years, he finally attained the lofty goal of “stilling the mind”. But it didn’t work. When life got hard, as it does for everyone, and he couldn’t escape to practice the yoga he loved, he fell apart.
For two years all he focused on was trying to stay above water in an ocean of anxiety. Then everything changed when he found ancient knowledge from the Vedas that explained his exact situation. Contentment doesn’t come from making the mind still and feeling good for short moments. It comes from using the mind to transform its negative habits and empower our positive life vision.
He created a Mindset practice that he did every day, and saw his whole life transform. Christian currently guides others in creating their own Mindset practices in his immersion course Calm To The Core.
Resources:
To get more information about…
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Aug 26, 2020
Beyond the Kitchen with Blind Chef, Christine Ha
Christine Ha lost her vision over the course of a few years in her early twenties due to a neurological condition called neuromyelitis optica, which affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. Hosts, Jeff and Erik, speak with Christine about the challenges she faces as a blind Chef, and through their conversation, they discover that her tenacity and strength has been a mainstay of her personality since childhood.
Christine’s resume is impressive: she is the first-ever blind contestant and season 3 winner of the competitive amateur cooking television show “MasterChef” with Gordon Ramsay. She defeated over 30,000 home cooks across America to secure the coveted MasterChef title, a $250,000 cash prize, and a cookbook deal.
She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the nationally acclaimed Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, where she served as Fiction Editor for _Gulf Coast _literary journal, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Aust…
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Aug 19, 2020
Business in the Time of COVID with Greg Brenneman
Greg Brenneman speaks to Erik and Dave about balancing work and life in the time of COVID on this latest episode. His lengthy business resume and acumen have positioned Greg as an authority on how to succeed in the corporate world, but he is also a believer in spending equal time investing in family and giving back to the community. With his unique lens, Greg offers wisdom in the form of what he calls "the five F's" and other strategies to prosper in both life and the workplace.
Greg is Executive Chairman of CCMP and a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee. Greg plays an active leadership role in executing the Firm’s overall strategy while remaining actively engaged in completing transactions, developing strategies, and coaching the senior management of CCMP’s portfolio companies.
Prior to joining CCMP in October 2008, he served as Chairman, CEO, President, and/or COO of Quiznos Sub, Burger King, PwC Consulting, and Continental Airlines. In 1994 Greg founded Turnworks, Inc.…
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Aug 5, 2020
Caring for Caregivers with Heather Zoccali
A continuation of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we speak to Heather Zoccali. Heather hails from Kentucky and has made Colorado her home since 2002. Heather taught dance in public schools but personal tragedies in her life led her in a new direction. Heather found that caregivers were often a forgotten part of the rehabilitation and recovery process and needed opportunities to practice self-care. With that in mind, she founded The Arch Foundation in 2017, to help bridge that gap and provide caregivers with resources.
She has since been honored as a Colorado State University Hometown Hero, as Rookie of the Year for Volunteer Disaster Aid Work with The American Red Cross, and received a Tribute from the State of CO for her pioneering work for Family Caregivers. Heather firmly believes in the notion that a broken spirit grows back stronger in the face of tremendous life challenges and lives her life accordingly.
Heather’s core beliefs are rooted in choice…
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Jul 29, 2020
On the Front Lines with Dr. Andres Maldonado
When Dr. Andres Maldonado started experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, he resisted heading to the hospital. As his condition worsened, his friends and family urged him to seek help. So, after 9 days he was tested and it was positive. He was rushed to the ER and soon, the ICU.
His stoicism quickly diminished when he was bed-bound and was placed on a high-flow nasal cannula to force oxygen into his lungs. For days, he struggled to breathe and was close to intubation. For a week Andres was helped by nurses and doctors (normally his coworkers) and was forced to adjust from the role of caregiver to being a patient. He fought to stay alive and was buoyed by the support of his parents, his brother, his girlfriend, and his large network of friends; many of whom sent him messages via social media.
Finally, with new medication and all treatment options deployed, his lungs cleared enough to be discharged. We speak with Andres about his commitment to medicine, the strength of his Rope Team…
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Jul 22, 2020
Celebrating the ADA with Sofija Korać
Continuing with our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we interview Sofija Korać, a senior human rights adviser at the United States Mission to the UN covering a range of issues including the human rights of persons with disabilities.
She previously worked on human rights issues for the bureau of democracy, human rights, and labor at the State Department. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Sofija and her family immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. Sofija started her career off working on disability rights in the Balkans both with the United Nations and civil society during the time when Serbia and others in the region ratified the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD). Sofija is fluent in five languages including her native Serbian and English, an avid theatre-goer, and theatre director on the side.
Sofija also grew up playing a variety of adaptive sports including wheelchair basketball, track and field, swimming, weightliftin…
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Jul 15, 2020
Breaking Ground with Joseph Gray
Around the time when lockdowns were becoming a reality for most of the U.S., our hosts had the opportunity to slow down and catch up with world-renowned athlete and long-distance runner, Joseph Gray. Living in Colorado, Joseph was enjoying time with his family and took some time out of his training schedule to chat with our No Barriers Team. As part of our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential), we are excited to share his episode and story. It is definitely one to inspire.
Joseph Gray is a 36-year-old American world champion runner who competes mostly in trail, mountain, and snowshoe races. The 31-time USA National team member hails from the Pacific Northwest and now splits his time training in Colorado Springs, CO, and Tacoma, WA. His achievements are far too numerous to list out but to name a few: he is a 2-time World Mountain Running Champion (most recently won in 2019), he is the first African American to win the USA Mountain Running National Championship and al…
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Jul 8, 2020
Advocate for Change with Haben Girma - Expanded Version
Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, she has received the Helen Keller Achievement Award and secured a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016.
Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation and travels the world teaching the benefits of choosing inclusion. Her memoir, _Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law_, is a captivating read. A review from O Magazine states "This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit.”
Learn more about Haben here: https://habengirma.com/
Watch her TED Talk
Check out her appearance on the Today Show
Purchase or learn more about her book
Follow Haben on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Visit our No Barriers Show Page for Transcripts and more
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Jul 8, 2020
Advocate for Change with Haben Girma - Condensed Version
Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, she has received the Helen Keller Achievement Award and secured a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016.
Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation and travels the world teaching the benefits of choosing inclusion. Her memoir, _Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law_, is a captivating read. A review from O Magazine states "This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit.”
Learn more about Haben here: https://habengirma.com/
Watch her TED Talk
Check out her appearance on the Today Show
Purchase or learn more about her book
Follow Haben on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Visit our No Barriers Show Page for Transcripts and more
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Jul 1, 2020
Exploring Vision with Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib - Condensed Version
In the latest installment of our No Barriers Alchemy Series, sponsored by Prudential and Wells Fargo, Jeff and Erik speak with Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Cyrus was elected Washington State’s 16th Lieutenant Governor in November 2016 at the age of 35. He had previously been elected to the State House of Representatives in 2012 and the State Senate in 2014, where he was Democratic Whip and a member of the Democratic leadership team. As Lt. Governor, he is President of the State Senate, serves as Acting Governor whenever Governor Inslee leaves the state, and oversees an agency whose key issues include economic development, trade, and higher education.
A three-time cancer survivor, Lt. Governor Habib has been fully blind since age eight. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Iran before he was born, and he is the first and only Iranian-American to hold statewide elected office in the United States.
He is a graduate of Columbia University summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa, Oxford Uni…
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Jul 1, 2020
Exploring Vision with Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib - Expanded Version
In the latest installment of our No Barriers Alchemy Series, sponsored by Prudential and Wells Fargo, Jeff and Erik speak with Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Cyrus was elected Washington State’s 16th Lieutenant Governor in November 2016 at the age of 35. He had previously been elected to the State House of Representatives in 2012 and the State Senate in 2014, where he was Democratic Whip and a member of the Democratic leadership team. As Lt. Governor, he is President of the State Senate, serves as Acting Governor whenever Governor Inslee leaves the state and oversees an agency whose key issues include economic development, trade, and higher education.
A three-time cancer survivor, Lt. Governor Habib has been fully blind since age eight. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Iran before he was born, and he is the first and only Iranian-American to hold statewide elected office in the United States.
He is a graduate of Columbia University summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa, Oxford Univ…
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Jun 24, 2020
CMC Responds with Dr. Carrie Hauser - Condensed Version
Our Alchemy series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, continues on with Erik and Dave speaking to Dr. Carrie Hauser, an academic leader in Colorado.
Serving as President and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a public two- and four-year degree-granting institution with eleven campuses serving 12,000 square miles of the central Rocky Mountains, Dr. Hauser explains how this pandemic has been affecting the academic sphere.
Hauser’s background includes teaching assignments at UCLA, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. She has held research and legislative staff roles as well as positions with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the University of Arizona, her undergraduate alma mater. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.
She is currently a governor’s appointee to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a member of the Great Outd…
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Jun 24, 2020
CMC Responds with Dr. Carrie Hauser
Our Alchemy series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, continues on with Erik and Dave speaking to Dr. Carrie Hauser, an academic leader in Colorado.
Serving as President and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a public two- and four-year degree-granting institution with eleven campuses serving 12,000 square miles of the central Rocky Mountains, Dr. Hauser explains how this pandemic has been affecting the academic sphere.
Hauser’s background includes teaching assignments at UCLA, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. She has held research and legislative staff roles as well as positions with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the University of Arizona, her undergraduate alma mater. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.
She is currently a governor’s appointee to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a member of the Great Outd…
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Jun 17, 2020
Mission Possible with Mick Ebeling - Extended Version
Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic & inspirational innovation. Ebeling is a film, television, and commercial producer, philanthropist, technology trailblazer, author, and entrepreneur.
Ebeling founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of "commit, then figure it out" allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers, and thinkers to create devices that better the world by bringing about accessibility for all. This unconventional approach brought to life highly-acclaimed initiatives - The Eyewriter, Project Daniel, Don's Voice, and most recently Music: Not Impossible - that brought the ability to draw back to a paraplegic street artist, 3D printed arms to Sudanese amputees, a 'voice' to an ALS patient who hasn't spoken in 15 years, and wearables that let deaf and hearing people alike feel music in a "surround body" experience.
Ebeling's book, _Not Impo…
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Jun 17, 2020
Mission Possible with Mick Ebeling - Condensed Version
Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic & inspirational innovation. Ebeling is a film, television, and commercial producer, philanthropist, technology trailblazer, author, and entrepreneur.
Ebeling founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of "commit, then figure it out" allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers, and thinkers to create devices that better the world by bringing about accessibility for all. This unconventional approach brought to life highly-acclaimed initiatives - The Eyewriter, Project Daniel, Don's Voice, and most recently Music: Not Impossible - that brought the ability to draw back to a paraplegic street artist, 3D printed arms to Sudanese amputees, a 'voice' to an ALS patient who hasn't spoken in 15 years, and wearables that let deaf and hearing people alike feel music in a "surround body" experience.
Ebeling's book, _Not Impo…
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Jun 10, 2020
Harnessing Positivity with Jim Kwok - Extended Version
What does it mean to live a good life? Jim Kwok has been reflecting on this simple but important question since his colorectal cancer diagnosis 3 years ago. After 41 rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and 28 rounds of radiation, Jim is stage 4 and is told it is non-curable. He has recently ceased all treatment and now focuses his energy on making the most of his remaining time.
He has had a largely successful career and is still actively working as a Managing Director at JP Morgan. He lives with his loving wife of 28 years, spends time with his two children, and remains active in his local running and tennis community.
Jim now says “I am determined to live out my time a certain way - resolute that cancer doesn’t get more than its fair share.”
The Alchemy series is generously sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential.
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Jun 10, 2020
Harnessing Positivity with Jim Kwok - Condensed Version
What does it mean to live a good life? Jim Kwok has been reflecting on this simple but important question since his colorectal cancer diagnosis 3 years ago. After 41 rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and 28 rounds of radiation, Jim is stage 4 and is told it is non-curable. He has recently ceased all treatment and now focuses his energy on making the most of his remaining time.
He has had a largely successful career and is still actively working as a Managing Director at JP Morgan. He lives with his loving wife of 28 years, spends time with his two children, and remains active in his local running and tennis community.
Jim now says:
“I am determined to live out my time a certain way - resolute that cancer doesn’t get more than its fair share.”
The Alchemy series is generously sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential.
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Jun 3, 2020
Cultivating Compassion with Critical Care Physician, Dr. Rana Awdish
For part nine of our No Barriers Alchemy Series hosts Erik and Dave interview Dr. Rana Awdish. Rana is a critical care physician operating on the front lines during COVID-19 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Her own serious illness in 2008 has informed her belief in the power of compassion, sacred listening, and community. As medical director of the Care Experience for the Henry Ford Healthcare System, she is training staff to practice empathy in critical care.
She completed her medical degree at Wayne State in 2002 where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, her residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, and her fellowship training at Henry Ford Hospital where she serves as the current Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and The American College of Chest Physicians and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Society in 2019.
She was named Henry Ford Hospital’s Critical C…
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Jun 3, 2020
Cultivating Compassion with Critical Care Expert, Dr. Rana Awdish - Condensed Version
For part nine of our No Barriers Alchemy Series our host Dave Shurna and guest host, Tom Lilig, interview Dr. Rana Awdish. Rana is a critical care physician operating on the front lines during COVID-19 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Her own serious illness in 2008 has informed her belief in the power of compassion, sacred listening, and community. As medical director of the Care Experience for the Henry Ford Healthcare System, she is training staff to practice empathy in critical care.
She completed her medical degree at Wayne State in 2002 where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, her residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, and her fellowship training at Henry Ford Hospital where she serves as the current Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and The American College of Chest Physicians and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Society in 2019.
She was named Henry…
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May 27, 2020
Thinking Through Uncertainty with Neuroscientist, Beau Lotto - Expanded Version
Continuing on with our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential) our hosts Erik and Dave speak with a world-renowned expert in perception, Dr. Beau Lotto. Beau's perspective during these particularly uncertain times explains how our brain is built for adaptability and evolution. We've encountered perilous times before and our brain is equipped to handle change and risk.
His research explores the ways in which we experience the world through our own versions of reality. As Beau puts it, "the brain never sees the world as it actually is, only the world that is useful to see." By illuminating these principles of perception he has helped individuals and companies transform their approach to creativity and innovation.
Beau is a three-time main stage TED speaker. He has spoken at the G8, Google’s Zeitgeist, Wired, Oslo Freedom Forum, Big Think, and contributed to the BBC, National Geographic, Netflix and PBS.
Beau is also the founder of the world’s first neuro-design st…
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May 27, 2020
Thinking Through Uncertainty with Neuroscientist, Beau Lotto - Condensed Version
Continuing on with our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential) our hosts Erik and Dave speak with a world-renowned expert in perception, Dr. Beau Lotto. Beau's perspective during these particularly uncertain times explains how our brain is built for adaptability and evolution. We've encountered perilous times before and our brain is equipped to handle change and risk.
His research explores the ways in which we experience the world through our own versions of reality. As Beau puts it, "the brain never sees the world as it actually is, only the world that is useful to see." By illuminating these principles of perception he has helped individuals and companies transform their approach to creativity and innovation.
Beau is a three-time main stage TED speaker. He has spoken at the G8, Google’s Zeitgeist, Wired, Oslo Freedom Forum, Big Think, and contributed to the BBC, National Geographic, Netflix and PBS.
Beau is also the founder of the world’s first neuro-design st…
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May 20, 2020
Examining Collective Grief with Pastor and Author, Nadia Bolz-Weber - Condensed Version
On this episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential we speak with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber.
Nadia was our most popular guest to date was one of our first when we began our podcast in 2018. We knew we had plenty to catch up on and that Nadia would be a perfect guest to offer guidance during these confusing times of COVID-19. An ordained Lutheran Pastor, Nadia is not your typical faith leader. She often writes and speaks about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith, and really whatever the hell else she wants to. As she puts it, she always “sits in the corner with the other weirdoes.”
She served as the founding pastor of the House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, CO and is the author of three NYT bestselling memoirs: Pastrix; The Cranky, Beautiful Faith Of A Sinner & Saint (2013), Accidental Saints; Finding God In All The Wrong People (2015) and SHAMELESS; A Sexual Reformation (2019). Shameless was written as a challenge to the antiquated ideas our s…
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May 20, 2020
Examining Collective Grief with Pastor and Author, Nadia Bolz-Weber - Extended Version
On this episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential we speak with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber.
Nadia was our most popular guest to date was one of our first when we began our podcast in 2018. We knew we had plenty to catch up on and that Nadia would be a perfect guest to offer guidance during these confusing times of COVID-19. An ordained Lutheran Pastor, Nadia is not your typical faith leader. She often writes and speaks about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith, and really whatever the hell else she wants to. As she puts it, she always “sits in the corner with the other weirdoes.”
She served as the founding pastor of the House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, CO and is the author of three NYT bestselling memoirs: Pastrix; The Cranky, Beautiful Faith Of A Sinner & Saint (2013), Accidental Saints; Finding God In All The Wrong People (2015) and SHAMELESS; A Sexual Reformation (2019). Shameless was written as a challenge to the antiquated ideas our s…
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May 13, 2020
Navigating at Home with Endurance Athlete, Rebecca Rusch - Condensed Version
Part 6 of our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Prudential and Wells Fargo):
Our hosts, Erik and Jeff, meet with Rebecca Rusch - a familiar face from the adventure scene. Rebecca speaks about her journey "home" and what that means in this pivotal moment in history.
Known as the “Queen of Pain” with a heart of gold, Rebecca Rusch is a multi-decade professional athlete and 7x World Champion. Her career includes numerous adventure sports, and countless wins and accolades including induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
In 2017, Rebecca released an Emmy award-winning feature film, _Blood Road_, which followed her personal journey along the 1,200 kilometer Ho Chi Minh Trail. Now, as CEO of Rusch Ventures, she hosts her signature gravel bike event, Rebecca’s Private Idaho (RPI), Rusch Academy backcountry gravel camps, and her epic travel adventure MTB-LAO.
She is also the best selling author of _Rusch to Glory_, a world-renowned motivational speaker, and volunteer firefighter. F…
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May 13, 2020
Navigating at Home with Endurance Athlete, Rebecca Rusch - Extended Version
Part 6 of our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Prudential and Wells Fargo):
Our hosts, Erik and Jeff, meet with Rebecca Rusch - a familiar face from the adventure scene. Rebecca speaks about her journey "home" and what that means in this pivotal moment in history.
Known as the “Queen of Pain” with a heart of gold, Rebecca Rusch is a multi-decade professional athlete and 7x World Champion. Her career includes numerous adventure sports, and countless wins and accolades including induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
In 2017, Rebecca released an Emmy award-winning feature film, _Blood Road_, which followed her personal journey along the 1,200 kilometer Ho Chi Minh Trail. Now, as CEO of Rusch Ventures, she hosts her signature gravel bike event, Rebecca’s Private Idaho (RPI), Rusch Academy backcountry gravel camps, and her epic travel adventure MTB-LAO.
She is also the best selling author of _Rusch to Glory_, a world-renowned motivational speaker, and volunteer firefighter. F…
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May 6, 2020
A Gen Z Perspective on the Pandemic with Activist, Maya Penn - Extended Version
As we continue to speak with thought leaders and experts during this pandemic for our Alchemy Series, it became clear a voice was missing: how are younger people adapting during this time? After all, Gen Z is notably affected: missing graduation ceremonies, virtual learning replacing the classroom entirely, proms, and other milestone moments being called off - we wanted to hear how someone in this demographic was responding to this moment in time.
This past Earth Day, our guest was Maya Penn - a suitable fit as Maya has been working in sustainability for 12 years and she started her eco-fashion company in 2008 at only 8 years old. She has been hand chosen by Oprah Winfrey as her youngest Supersoul 100 changemaker and thought leader and received a commendation from President Barack Obama for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship.
Maya made history in 2016 during the Obama administration when she was commissioned to create an animated film for the opening of the first-ev…
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May 6, 2020
A Gen Z Perspective on the Pandemic with Activist, Maya Penn - Condensed Version
As we continue to speak with thought leaders and experts during this pandemic for our Alchemy Series, it became clear a voice was missing: how are younger people adapting during this time? After all, Gen Z is notably affected: missing graduation ceremonies, virtual learning replacing the classroom entirely, proms, and other milestone moments being called off - we wanted to hear how someone in this demographic was responding to this moment in time.
This past Earth Day, our guest was Maya Penn - a suitable fit as Maya has been working in sustainability for 12 years and she started her eco-fashion company in 2008 at only 8 years old. She has been hand chosen by Oprah Winfrey as her youngest Supersoul 100 change maker and thought leader and received a commendation from President Barack Obama for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship.
Maya made history in 2016 during the Obama administration when she was commissioned to create an animated film for the opening of the first-e…
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Apr 29, 2020
Pioneer Through the Pandemic with Professor and Innovator, Dr. Hugh Herr - Condensed Version
For our fourth episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, there is no greater example of harnessing adversity than No Barriers co-founder, Hugh Herr. In his early 20s, Hugh had both of his legs amputated after a tragic mountain climbing accident. An avid rock-climber, he was determined to return to the sport. Hugh created new iterations of prosthetic limbs for legs and feet he could use to climb even better than before. Watch some of his videos in the resources below to see his technology in action. Inspired by his own self-improvement through tech he set out to change the world for others. Now, Hugh heads the Biomechatronics group at the MIT Media Lab, where his team is creating bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs; providing greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities.
He is the author and co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and patents, chronicling the science and technology behind his many innovation…
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Apr 29, 2020
Pioneer Through the Pandemic with Professor and Innovator, Dr. Hugh Herr - Extended Version
For our fourth episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, there is no greater example of harnessing adversity than No Barriers co-founder, Hugh Herr. In his early 20s, Hugh had both of his legs amputated after a tragic mountain climbing accident. An avid rock-climber, he was determined to return to the sport. Hugh created new iterations of prosthetic limbs for legs and feet he could use to climb even better than before. Watch some of his videos in the resources below to see his technology in action. Inspired by his own self-improvement through tech he set out to change the world for others. Now, Hugh heads the Biomechatronics group at the MIT Media Lab, where his team is creating bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs; providing greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities.
He is the author and co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and patents, chronicling the science and technology behind his many innovation…
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Apr 22, 2020
Off-Balance and Hopeful with Speaker and Author, Dan Thurmon - Expanded Version
Welcome to part three of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain advice and practical strategies to harness the adversity of COVID-19 and not just cope, but possibly thrive. Our guest today, Dan Thurmon, advocates for always being a bit “off-balance” in order to achieve greatness and expand our potential. Now, more than ever, as we are all forced out of balance in our daily and professional lives, his philosophy takes on even more importance.
Erik and Dave chat with Dan to hear how he is dealing during this time while isolating with his family in Georgia, and what his life’s work can offer our listeners. Seeing Dan perform and speak on stage is an experience in itself but today we strip those elements away and hear what Dan has to say.
_If you limit yourself to what’s comfortable, you deny yourself what’s possible - Dan Thurmon_
Dan Thurmon is the president of Motivation Works, Inc., where he…
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Apr 22, 2020
Off-Balance and Hopeful with Speaker and Author, Dan Thurmon - Condensed Version
Welcome to part three of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain advice and practical strategies to harness the adversity of COVID-19 and not just cope, but possibly thrive. Our guest today, Dan Thurmon, advocates for always being a bit “off-balance” in order to achieve greatness and expand our potential. Now, more than ever, as we are all forced out of balance in our daily and professional lives, his philosophy takes on even more importance.
Erik and Dave chat with Dan, to hear how he is dealing during this time while isolating with his family in Georgia, and what his life’s work can offer our listeners. Seeing Dan perform and speak on stage is an experience in itself but today we strip those elements away and hear what Dan has to say.
Dan Thurmon is the president of Motivation Works, Inc., where he has helped hundreds of organizations and individuals implement action plans and move confidently th…
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Apr 15, 2020
Art and Music as Collective Therapy: Speaking with Musicians, Mandy Harvey & Adrian Anantawan - Condensed Version
Welcome to part two of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain nuggets of wisdom during COVID-19. The arts have played a critical role in everyone's lives during this trying time. When crisis occurs, art and music take on a new role in our lives. Whether that is escape, relief, or outlets of creativity, the importance of the arts becomes clear.
Dave and Erik speak to two of our No Barriers Ambassadors, Mandy Harvey and Adrian Anantawan, each talented and resilient musical artists to shed some light on the role of art during this pandemic.
Born without a right hand, Adrian Anantawan began the violin at nine and has since established himself as a rising star in classical music. Memorable moments include performances at the White House, the Opening Ceremonies of the Athens and Vancouver Olympic Games and the United Nations. He has played for the late Christopher Reeve, Pope John Paul II, and His Holiness th…
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Apr 15, 2020
Art and Music as Collective Therapy: Speaking with Musicians, Mandy Harvey & Adrian Anantawan - Extended Version
Welcome to part two of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain nuggets of wisdom during COVID-19. The arts have played a critical role in everyone's lives during this trying time. When crisis occurs, art and music take on a new role in our lives. Whether that is escape, relief, or outlets of creativity, the importance of the arts becomes clear.
Dave and Erik speak to two of our No Barriers Ambassadors, Mandy Harvey and Adrian Anantawan, each talented and resilient musical artists to shed some light on the role of art during this pandemic.
Born without a right hand, Adrian Anantawan began the violin at nine and has since established himself as a rising star in classical music. Memorable moments include performances at the White House, the Opening Ceremonies of the Athens and Vancouver Olympic Games and the United Nations. He has played for the late Christopher Reeve, Pope John Paul II, and His Holiness th…
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Apr 8, 2020
Harnessing Adversity with Dr. Paul Stoltz, CEO & Founder, PEAK Learning, Inc. - Condensed Version
This is our condensed version of this interview. Please tune into episode 40 for the full extended version.
Welcome to the first episode for our new weekly Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential. Our No Barriers motto, "_What’s Within You is Stronger Than What’s in Your Way”i_s more relevant now than ever before.
We’ll be featuring thought leaders and experts in harnessing adversity. They’ll provide practical guidance, hope, and optimism during these uncertain times.
Our hosts, Erik Weihenmayer and Dave Shurna speak with the leading expert in the field of handling adversity: Dr. Paul Stoltz.
DR. PAUL G. STOLTZ is considered the world’s leading authority on the integration and application of grit and resilience. He is author of five international bestselling books on the subject and was voted by
HR Magazine as “One of the Top 10 most influential global thinkers.” Dr. Stoltz has served as faculty for MIT’s acclaimed entrepreneurship program and for…
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Apr 8, 2020
Harnessing Adversity with Dr. Paul Stoltz, CEO & Founder, PEAK Learning, Inc. - Extended Version
Welcome to the first episode for our new weekly Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential. Our No Barriers motto, "_What’s Within You is Stronger Than What’s in Your Way”i_s more relevant now than ever before.
We’ll be featuring thought leaders and experts in harnessing adversity. They’ll provide practical guidance, hope, and optimism during these uncertain times.
Our hosts, Erik Weihenmayer and Dave Shurna speak with the leading expert in the field of handling adversity: Dr. Paul Stoltz.
DR. PAUL G. STOLTZ is considered the world’s leading authority on the integration and application of grit and resilience. He is author of five international bestselling books on the subject and was voted by
HR Magazine as “One of the Top 10 most influential global thinkers.” Dr. Stoltz has served as faculty for MIT’s acclaimed entrepreneurship program and for Carnegie Mellon’s distinguished Global Leaders Program, where his AQ and GRIT- related methods and assessm…
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Mar 25, 2020
Humor as a Mirror: A Conversation with Award-Winning Comedian, Josh Blue
Content Warning: Profanity and Adult Content
Visit Josh's Website to learn more.
Following his groundbreaking win on NBC’s _Last Comic Standing_ in 2006, Josh Blue has risen through the ranks to become a well-established headliner at venues throughout the world. In 2018, Josh crushed his set on _The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. _In the same year, he was honored with a performance at the William H. Macy Gala at the prestigious _Just for Laughs Comedy Festival_ in Montreal, Canada. He wrapped up 2018 by recording his fifth hour special at his home club, Comedy Works in Denver, CO. Josh does over 200 shows a year, continuing to spread laughter and break down stereotypes of people with disabilities. His stand-up routine is in a constant state of evolution and his off-the-cuff improvisational skills guarantee that no two shows are alike.
Critics have said Josh is not a cerebral palsy comic; he’s a comic who happens to have cerebral palsy. However, his closest friends describe…
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Mar 11, 2020
Changing Patterns and Learning New Behaviors with Guide Dog Instructor, Laura DeMaio Roy
Laura DeMaio Roy has been training pet and service dogs for 10 years with a specialization in guide dog training and instruction. She has run successful dog training businesses in Connecticut and Colorado and currently owns DoggyU LLC where she runs a popular YouTube channel and helps owners train their own service dogs. Her YouTube channel, DoggyU, brings practical, positive reinforcement-based step-by-step training instruction to those who may not otherwise have access to it. Her channel also covers product reviews, dog lifestyle videos, service dog training, and dog and van travel videos. Laura has performed with her dogs all over the country, spoken at national and state conferences, and her dogs have appeared in print media ads.
Laura is a certified guide dog instructor and placement specialist for Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation where she trains and places German Shepherd Guide Dogs with clients throughout the US and Canada. She holds a BA in Business and Entrepreneurship and a Mas…
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Feb 26, 2020
Creating Connections with Laurent Roffé, the Founder of Inclusive and Accessible Travel Company, Tapooz Travel
TAPOOZ TRAVEL
Laurent Roffé and Aïcha Nyström are the husband-and-wife team behind Tapooz Travel.
Prior to founding their accessible travel company in 2012, their diverse professional backgrounds included architecture, technology, business consulting, design and photography.
Aïcha and Laurent have lived, worked and traveled across Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East and the United States.
They have been involved with the disability community for many years, including volunteering as accessible outdoors expeditions trip leaders.
Since the inception of Tapooz Travel in 2012, Aïcha and Laurent have organized accessible trips for hundreds of clients, from individuals and families, to small group travel.
Today, the company operates in over 27 (and growing) carefully selected destinations in the US, Canada and worldwide.
Their deep experience and hands-on expertise translate into the ability to customize accessible trips to the specific requirements and budget of their…
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Feb 12, 2020
Pursuing Passion and Elevating the World with Entrepreneur and Storyteller, Ryan Letada
Ryan spoke to our hosts, Erik, Dave, and Jeff, about his own personal journey that has inspired his following his life's passion to bring recognition, agency, and awareness to the stories of migrants and refugees around the world.
Born in Kuwait to refugee parents, Ryan Letada was raised in the Philippines before his family immigrated to the Bronx. His journey from failing student to CEO of his own organization has taught him a thing or two about luck, grit, and survival.
While living and going to school in the Bronx, Ryan was awarded the Posse Foundation Scholarship. This recognition paved the way for a Fulbright, which he then used to launch the One Laptop Per Child program in the Philippines. His team launched and piloted the country’s first one-to-one digital learning program in rural communities.
Today, as the founder and CEO of NextDayBetter, a media company that exists to humanize the migrant experience. With the goal of creating the world’s largest library of migrant sto…
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Jan 29, 2020
Finding Joy in the Experience with Endurance Athlete, André Kajlich
Our hosts, Erik, Jeff, and Dave, spoke with André, the other week during his training for his newest endeavor: to explore human potential as him and his team cross continents - from the lowest point to highest summit, starting with South America.
But André's story began in 2003 when, as a 23 year old student in Prague, he wound up on the tracks in front of an oncoming subway train.
His injuries required both of his legs to be amputated above the knee. After his recovery he still returned to Prague to resume his studies, but it was a long road to recovery - both physically and emotionally. He wrestled with his inner demons and the choices he made that had led him to be in this situation.
He speaks in depth about the mindset and steps it took to bring him to where is today in his athletic achievements.
André’s journey taught him that he is always capable of more. In 2010 he became an ultra endurance pioneer, a Team USA Paratriethlete, an Ironman World Champion, and the only whee…
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Jan 15, 2020
Legacy and Purpose: Breaking Age Barriers with Anne Lorimor
Our hosts, Erik and Jeff, sit down with our first No Barriers Podcast guest of 2020, Anne Lorimor. Erik and Jeff had just both returned from their own adventures in Nepal and were fighting jet lag and the come down of an epic trip but as Jeff puts it: Anne was the cup of coffee they needed.
Anne is a goal setting achiever at heart. She holds numerous degrees, including an RN, "as a backup career choice," and never stops pushing her limits to achieve what others see as impossible.
Anne keeps up her fitness with hiking around her hometown and around the world; all with the goal of not just aging gracefully but to break records. At age 85, she broke the record for being the oldest woman to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Her record was soon broken, so at age 89, she returned to the mountain to reclaim the record. In July of 2019, she became the oldest person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, giving her a place in the 2020 Guinness Book of World Records…
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Dec 11, 2019
Resilience and Facing Pain with Business Leader, Gena Harper
Gena Harper works as a Certified Investment Management Analyst, Senior Vice President and Senior Investment Management Consultant at Morgan Stanley and provides her clients with custom financial planning that delves into and simplifies even the most complex situations.
Gena also happens to be blind and has spent her entire adult life proving that limitations are simply hurdles to be cleared. She made the US National Para cycling Team in 2012 and won a bronze medal in the National Disabled Ski Championships. She cycles, bikes, whitewater rafts, rock climbs, skateboards, practices yoga and has even tried cliff diving. She has won numerous awards including being the first recipient of The Glaucoma Foundation Award of Merit, the Women of Vision Award, the American Foundation for the Blind Kay Gallagher Award, and was recognized by Morgan Stanley as one of the 15 outstanding women professionals in 2015.
She is passionate about empowering others, and improving the lives of people with many…
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Nov 27, 2019
A New Approach to Education: Learning with Compass Community Collaborative School Leader's Jan Harrison and Jason Malone
Hosts, Dave Shurna and Jeff Evans, speak with School Leader's, Jan Harrison and Jason Malone of the Compass Community Collaborative School. The Compass School is a tuition-free charter school located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Students learn through active and engaging real-world projects — and graduate with a plan, a portfolio, and the tools to make a positive impact.
Today we are speaking with school leader, Jan Harrison, and assistant school lead, Jason Malone.
Jan has an extensive background in education with three master’s degrees, two in science and one in Educational Leadership, as well as a principal’s license and served for 15 years as a public education as a high school classroom teacher, a department leader, a Dean of Students, and as a district-wide high school interventions facilitator. She is highly qualified and committed to facilitate the work of a team of creative thoughtful, and energetic change agents who are committed to writing the next chapter in public ed…
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Nov 13, 2019
Finding Your Community: Experiences at the No Barriers Summit
Today we have a special episode for you. We are sharing some one on one interviews with No Barriers Summit participants from this past June at Lake Tahoe. Our host, Jeff Evans, took a “man on the street” approach and got firsthand accounts from various folks to talk about their personal experiences. He spoke with Veterans, teachers, coaches, parents and many more people who were taking part in different activities to get their feedback and their personal takeaways.
Jeff meets up with Lanelle, a participant who just took part in the No Barriers activity: The Amazing Race. Like the show on TV teams move through various obstacles and work together to complete the challenges. The No Barriers version is all accessible and you might be paired up with a blind person, someone who is using a wheelchair, or a family of 4! The half day event proves that these physical differences aren't important when you unite around a common Vision. Lanelle is taking part in the No Barriers Warriors (she's…
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Oct 30, 2019
The Power of Travel: Talking with the Founders of AFAR Media, Greg Sullivan and Joe Diaz
Dave and Erik interviewed No Barriers supporters, business leaders, and co-founders of AFAR Media, Joe Diaz and Greg Sullivan for this episode’s podcast. AFAR Media is a critically acclaimed, multi-platform media company. Founded by Diaz and co-founder Greg Sullivan in 2009, AFAR inspires, guides, and enables the world’s best travelers to have deeper, richer, and more fulfilling experiences. AFAR’s innovative and award-winning platforms include AFAR Magazine, AFAR.com, AFAR Experiences, AFAR in Residence, and AFAR Conversations. Ten years ago, when they launched AFAR Media, they also joined forces with No Barriers Youth to also launch Learning AFAR, which provides travel experiences to high school students from low income families. Over 1,500 students have been given life changing experiences through this joint program.
Greg started his career as a corporate securities attorney and later an investment banker before launching a series of successful entrepreneurial ventures, inclu…
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Oct 16, 2019
Taking The Sharp End: Celebrating Life with Adventurer, Timmy O’Neill
Our hosts, Jeff and Erik, sat down with Timmy at our studio in Golden to catch up. He was in town to train with Erik for their upcoming expedition to climb Ama Dablam, a beautiful peak in Nepal. Timmy, Erik, and Jeff have been friends for many years and know Timmy not just as a wild speed climber but as a thoughtful philosopher of sorts who has dedicated a large portion of his life to giving back both through his nonprofit, Paradox Sports, and his work with Cure Blindness in Africa.
Timmy talks about his quest to live in the now and to find meaning in all of his pursuits. He works with folks who are in the midst of challenge; whether they are physically disabled and part of Paradox Sports, or are taking part in one of his leadership seminars, and he has learned many lessons along the way. A brief background on Timmy:
Hailing from Philadelphia, Timmy O’Neill left after one semester of college to head out and design a life for himself. He quickly became known as the “Urban Ape," sc…
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Oct 2, 2019
Channeling Pain into Positive: Speaking with Running Man, Charlie Engle
Our hosts, Jeff Evans and Erik Weihenmayer, had the opportunity to catch Charlie for an hour during his extremely busy schedule. Charlie was in the midst of training to head off on his latest pursuit: to run from the lowest point on earth; the Dead Sea to the tallest; the summit of Mt. Everest. Jeff and Erik wanted to hear more about not only his athletic accomplishments (too many for one podcast!) but to hear about how he got to this place of focus in his life.
Charlie Engle is many things: a writer, runner, recovering addict and speaker. He’s run across the Sahara Desert, the Amazon, swum with crocodiles and summited ice covered volcanoes, but according to Charlie his greatest challenge has been becoming sober. He has stayed clean since 1992 and has channeled his addictive nature into his passion to run and what he calls “positive, purpose-driven pursuits.”
He discusses the mental clarity and resolve it takes to run such long distances and not avoid pain but to tap into it. H…
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Sep 18, 2019
Grit and Passion: Speaking with Pioneer, Tish Scolnik
Jeff and Erik spoke with our guest, Tish Scolnik, calling in from her Boston headquarters, about her journey to cofounding and running her own company: GRIT that created the Freedom Chair. Tish has been a longtime friend and supporter of No Barriers. Her Freedom Chair, the "mountain bike of wheelchairs" has been used by many folks at our No Barriers events to navigate tough terrain and help wheelchair users climb mountains that would be otherwise completely inaccessible.
While at MIT Tish met her friends and co-founders who came together over their belief that everybody deserves access to the outdoors and adventure. They created a prototype of the Freedom Chair and brought it around the world. Many iterations later, they are still working hard to customize chairs and improve each new version for their many users - all with unique needs.
Learn more about GRIT here.
Call GRIT at 877-345-4748
Message them at Facebook and Instagram @GRITFreedomChair. GRIT is a small team committed to t…
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Aug 28, 2019
"Amitabha," Spreading Infinite Light with Army Veteran, Actor, Speaker, and Burn Survivor, J.R. Martinez
Our hosts, Erik and Dave, sat down with J.R. Martinez the night before our No Barriers Summit began in a conference room at Lake Tahoe Squaw Resort to talk about his journey. Background on J.R.:
J.R. Martinez is an actor, best-selling author, motivational speaker, advocate, and wounded U.S. Army veteran. He hails from a small town in Georgia, where he grew up as the son of a single working mother who emigrated from El Salvador.
After high school, he joined the army and in 2003 was deployed to Iraq. One day his humvee hit a roadside bomb, ejecting the three other soldiers and trapping J.R. inside. He suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to 34 percent of his body. He spent 34 months in recovery and had 34 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery in the eleven years since his injury. During his recovery, he discovered the power of sharing his experience and listening to others. He now travels the world spreading his message of resilience and optimism.
He ha…
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Aug 14, 2019
Live at the Summit: Speaking to No Barriers Ambassador, Singer and Songwriter, Mandy Harvey
At our most recent No Barriers Summit at Lake Tahoe this past June, our three hosts were joined on stage by Mandy Harvey for a special live production of our podcast.
Mandy Harvey is an award-winning singer and songwriter who also happens to be deaf. Mandy was a Vocal Music Education major at Colorado State University, when she lost her residual hearing at age eighteen due to a connective tissue disorder that affected her nerves.
She left the program and pursued several career options, including education, but returned to music in 2008, as her true passion could no longer be denied. She quickly became a successful performer and has released three albums and won numerous awards.
Most notably, in 2017 she was on America’s Got Talent where her performance of her original song “Try” while playing the ukulele, moved Simon Cowell to press his Golden Buzzer to send Mandy straight to the Quarterfinals. She went on to make the Finals and placed 4th overall.
Watch her performance here.…
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Aug 1, 2019
Resilience and Commitment: Rolling with Speaker, Actor, and Athlete, Gabriel Cordell
Warning: Adult Content, please do not play with children present.
The night before our No Barriers Summit began, our hosts Dave and Erik met with Gabriel Cordell at Squaw Resort at Lake Tahoe to record. Gabriel was scheduled to speak at the No Barriers Summit opening ceremony the next evening but came in early to meet with our podcast crew.
Throughout the hour, Gabriel detailed how he dealt with his car accident at age 22 that left him paralyzed from his mid-chest down. After four months of recovery and physical rehabilitation, Gabriel continued to pursue his dream of being an actor, now as a paraplegic. He established his acting career on stage and screen, with credits including CSI, Dexter, and Numb3rs as well as national ads for IBM, Maxwell House and Pizza Hut.
At the age of 42, Cordell focused on a different kind of role. He became the first person to roll across the United States in a standard, manual wheelchair — a 3,100-mile journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the fi…
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Jul 17, 2019
We are all Vehicles of Expression - A Conversation with Inclusion Activist, Marisa Hamamoto
Hosts Jeff and Erik spoke with Marisa about her trajectory from a dancer to finding her voice and her own company, Infinite Flow.
After 20 years of dancing ballet and contemporary dance in both the US and Japan, Marisa discovered and fell in love with ballroom dancing while recovering from spinal cord infarction, a rare stroke which caused her to be temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. In 2015, Marisa founded Infinite Flow, An Inclusive Dance Company, leading a global movement to make dance accessible to all and use dance to inspire inclusivity.
She has brought Infinite Flow’s professional dancers with and without disabilities to perform at over 100 events, from school assemblies to corporate events with Apple, Red Bull, Porsche, Kaiser Permanente, and others. Infinite Flow’s videos have been viewed by over 50 Million people and she has been featured in over 100 media outlets including NBC Today, Good Morning America, Refinery 29, and others.
Our team was introduced to Mari…
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Jun 19, 2019
Brave & Ignorant: Exploring the Mindset of a Pioneer with Scott Kim
Jeff and Dave spoke with Scott Kim a few weeks before he was scheduled to speak at our No Barriers Summit in Tahoe. Scott called in from his hometown of San Francisco (and was appropriately sporting a Warriors jersey) to tell them about his journey to success in creation of the Rapael Smart Glove. As with other innovators and entrepreneurs they have spoken with previously - Scott outlines the difficulties and barriers he faced and how he dealt with them.
Background: Scott is the CEO of NEOFECT USA, and one of the founders of its parent company, NEOFECT, a rehabilitation technology company headquartered in South Korea. He wore several different hats before joining Neofect – a management consultant and a product manager in the software industry. Scott worked for mobile gaming companies such as GREE, Z2Live (which was acquired by King.com, a “Candy Crush” maker) and 505 Games, and founded a couple of startups. Recently, NEOFECT went on an IPO in November 2018, and is currently trad…
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Jun 5, 2019
There is Always a Way Forward: Speaking with Pioneer and Fashion Designer, Mindy Scheier
Erik, Jeff, and Dave connected with Mindy to talk about the leaps and bounds she's made in the field of accessible fashion for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. Although she had been in the fashion world for years she was unaware of the lack of consideration given to those with alternate needs until her son, Oliver, who was born with muscular dystrophy, wanted to fit in with his friends - fashion-wise.
“In my entire career in fashion there was never a thought of the challenges people with disabilities faced.”
Mindy talked about the emotional and personal struggles that came with having a child with a disability that wasn't immediately diagnosable and how ultimately her situation provided inspiration to help others.
“I could help not just Oliver’s life but the millions of people out there who are experiencing the same thing. This gave me a sense of purpose in a situation where I felt helpless.”
Our hosts dive into the Pioneering process Mindy went through fr…
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May 22, 2019
You are Enough: Discussions with Coach, Body Positive Activist, and Entrepreneur, Natasha Nurse
Our hosts caught up with Natasha Nurse, before they meet her in person at our No Barriers Summit this June 13th-15th.
Natasha spoke with Jeff and Erik about the map to start loving yourself and the road she personally traveled to get to that point herself. Now, a successful business owner and coach who illuminates the path for others, Natasha will be speaking and sharing her pointers with our No Barriers audience this June in Tahoe.
Listen to the episode and let us know what you think in a review. If you haven't signed up for the No Barriers Summit yet go here and Register today
For more about Natasha's company, Dressing Room 8, Check it out here.
Get more fashion tips at Plus Model Magazine.
If you loved the content of Natasha's story, definitely check out her and her husband's podcast: WokeNFree
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May 8, 2019
Inclusion Activist, Artist, and Pioneer - Jamie Petrone
Jeff and Erik connected with Jamie to hear her story and how her drive and grit has led her to become such an accomplished actress, activist, dancer, and founder of THISAbility, a performing arts conservatory and professional theatre company, cultivating inclusion in the arts.
At age 19, Jamie was given a misdiagnosis and experienced a terrible reaction to medication that led to semi-paralysis and confinement to a wheelchair. After such a devastating blow, Jamie chose to fight back. Listen to Jamie discuss her musical and artistic trajectory and how she became a well known face and name in the performing arts community.
Follow Jamie on social media at: @thisabilityarts
Register for our No Barriers Summit here.
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Apr 24, 2019
Raising Others Up and the Power of Community: Speaking to Paraclimbing Legend Koichiro Kobayashi
Koichiro Kobayashi, known as “Koba,” is a “paraclimbing legend.” Koba went blind at age 28 from a degenerative eye disease and at age 31 decided to take up climbing. He has since racked up a number of gold medals around the world! Koba envisions a world where various groups of people can live together without being worried about their handicaps. To pursue his vision, he established a Tokyo-based non-profit organization called Monkey Magic that promotes free climbing among those with visual impairments. Koba believes climbing “is a lifetime sport that people with disabilities can enjoy throughout their lives which increases exercise opportunities, promotes self-reliance and social participation by empowering, and improves quality of life.” Koba is joined today by his guide, Naoya Suzuki.
Erik and Skyler speak to Koba and Naoya about their journey into paraclimbing and how they work together in this adaptive sport. They speak about all the different techniques they use toget…
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Apr 10, 2019
Making a Difference one Stove at a Time: Speaking with Humanitarian and Philanthropist, George Basch
Our three hosts sat down with George Basch in our studio. Repeat episode description.
For Jeff and Erik it was more of a reunion as they have a climbing history together. They reminisce on their first climb in ‘98 up Aconcagua. In fact, George and Erik met in Phoenix during Erik’s previous life as an English teacher (he taught George’s son!) and he essentially became a mentor and an inspiration when he was looking to make his life in the mountains as an adventurer.
Previous to his life as an adventurer, he was a business person. Our hosts dive into George’s past in the business world; including a time when he had to declare bankruptcy. He essentially started over at age 50.
Part of his internal ethos (that he inherited from his family) is to go out and DO. To be part of action and make a difference in folk’s lives. He’s active in the American Alpine Club, the Explorers Club, and other organizations. But one constant has been his desire and drive to give back.
“That wa…
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Mar 27, 2019
Contemplating Faith and Forgiveness with Pastor and Author, Nadia Bolz-Weber
*Please note that this episode explores mature themes and has minor profanity
Dave brought Nadia in as a guest after he heard her speak at the Nantucket Project and was incredibly impressed with her and the parallels of her words and our No Barriers messaging.
All three hosts sat down with Nadia in our studio in Golden to talk about her own journey to become a Pastor for House for All Sinners and Saints, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado. From her struggles with alcoholism and feeling lost in the world, Nadia found a community when she entered the world of comedy and became a stand up comedian. Using humor and her faith as therapy, she eventually began to heal and transformed her trauma into a passion for helping others.
Now, she has two best-selling books and most recently released her latest book, Shameless, an examination and take down of the "harmful and antiquated ideas about sex, gender, and our bodies."
The hosts and Nadia discuss the conc…
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Mar 13, 2019
A 29,000 Foot Platform of Hope: Meet Cancer Survivor and Adventurer, Sean Swarner
Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday Sean Swarner came to Launchpad studios to meet with Jeff and Erik and speak about his journey beating the odds to become an incredible adventurer and inspiration to so many.
With only one functioning lung, a prognosis of fourteen days to live, and being in a medically-induced coma for a year, Sean Swarner is the first cancer survivor to stand on top of Mt. Everest. Sean has broken through defined human limitation in order to redefine the way the world views success. Diagnosed with two deadly, different, and unrelated forms of cancer, once age thirteen and again at age sixteen. Sean astounded the medical community when he survived both. He realized that after defeating cancer twice, no challenge would ever be too great, no peak too high. He has since topped the “7-Summits”and skied both the South and the North Poles. He continues to test his own endurance and inspire and motivate people around the world with his message of hope. He founded the…
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Feb 27, 2019
Speaking with Climbing Legend, Craig DeMartino, on Gaining Perspective and Purpose
Jeff and Erik met up in Golden following Thanksgiving to hang out with Craig Demartino, a renowned rock climber who is also an amputee. They are missing their “fearless leader,” Dave Shurna.
Craig works with an organization called, Adaptive Adventures, that helps folks of all abilities get out and experience athletic endeavors. Craig works with helping people learn to or get back to rock climbing despite any challenges they are facing. Half the population he works with are Veterans (they are a vetted VA provider) and will come in a few times a week to the rock gym before they venture outside. He talks about the different adaptations and innovations they use to get anyone up the wall.
But before Craig worked with this group he was just a regular climber. Before 2001, he was focused mostly on what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be, along with his wife and two kids. They traveled and climbed as Craig worked as a photographer.
In 2002, Craig was climbing with a partner in Es…
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Feb 13, 2019
From Swiss Cheese to Whole: Finding Inner Light with Survivor and Artist, Angie Shireman.
Angie Shireman, a jewelry artisan, small business owner, certified yoga instructor, wife, mom, and artist, Angie seemingly has lived a carefree life. But, her smiling personality belies her real story. During this episode, our hosts have Angie recount these dark moments in her life and how she dug deep to find her way to the light and become the shiny person she is today.
Host, Erik Weihenmayer has a new film that is making the rounds on the film festival circuit: Weight of Water, about his pursuit of kayaking the Grand Canyon. The film was started in 2014 by director, Michael Brown, and now is winning awards left and right. At the time of this episode it had just taken home the Grand Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival.
Dave points out that the movie highlights the internal struggles of those folks in Erik’s life and how we are all carrying some sort of mental or emotional burden at any given time. Angie has had her fair share of burdens.
She starts with an overview of her chil…
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Jan 30, 2019
Seeking Truth & Meaning: Talking to the Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, Luis Benitez
Dave, Jeff and Erik welcomed Luis to the No Barriers Podcast studio and it felt initially like a trip down memory lane. Jeff and Erik have known Luis since they were all young mountain climbers in their late 20’s. They have made films, went on great expeditions and shared countless experiences. Since those days all three have been on different trajectories all while still maintaining a connection to the outdoors where it all started. When Luis is asked if he expected to have gone from climbing to being in the world of business and politics he is adamant he never saw this path for himself.
In 2001 the team that would eventually summit Everest together and make history as the team that included the first blind person, Erik Weihenmayer, to ever reach the top. They were brought together, along with our Technical producer and expedition photographer, Didrik Johnck, by their team leader, Pasquale (PV) Scaturro. Luis talks about how people viewed this decision to take a blind guy up Everes…
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Jan 7, 2019
A Servant Heart: A conversation with Maj. Diggs Brown
Erik and Jeff begin the session recapping a recent experience helping Nerissa Cannon, a young woman in a wheelchair, climb a Colorado 14er. The discussion revolves around the importance of teamwork which is fitting since our guest is Maj. "Diggs" Brown who, since he left the Army, has worked with teams of Veterans to help them heal.
Diggs has had seemingly many lives. He's a current film actor, served in the Army as an officer in the Special Forces, and even worked as a financial advisor - the position he had when 9/11 happened, which led to his decision to join the Army.
The conversation starts with Diggs describing how he found the organization No Barriers at age 56 after returning from Afghanistan with a TBI and other injuries, including PTS and joined the No Barriers Warriors to take on his first expedition with other Vets.
When he returned home he was lost and it was during his time with these other Vets, in training sessions and during talks around the campfire, that he found…
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Dec 17, 2018
Combatting Apathy: A Recipe for Activism with Shannon Galpin
We recorded this episode shortly after Erik had just returned from New York City where he circumnavigated all of Manhattan in a kayak to promote the No Barriers Summit that took place in October 2018. He took interviews along the way as journalists and you can read more and see some photos here.
Erik, Dave, and Jeff dove in with Shannon asking about her and her daughter’s website and how they came up with the name: “endangered activists.”
Shannon shares her love of activism with her daughter and decided to encourage her passion for animals and so, they built a project around this passion.
“Perhaps activism is also an endangered species”
Most of the time, Shannon explains, people find activism overwhelming and, especially in this day and age with all that is going on, it can seem like too much work to be involved. And instead, people become apathetic. But Shannon’s goal is to get people (including her daughter) to blast through this apathy, find their passion, and start…
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Dec 3, 2018
Bringing No Barriers into Business: Meet SVP Steve Rae
After establishing Steve and Dave’s Chicago connection the hosts dive into why he’s been brought on as a guest - after Steve attended a No Barriers Corporate retreat he was able to recognize the core No Barriers elements that he could bring back to his own company to reinvigorate his teams.
Corporations face their own types of barriers but in more “invisible” ways. Steve talks about how employees are not willfully disengaged but they have perhaps lost their connection to the mission or are checked out:
“Something about their environment is disabling for them to give their best and have the fulfillment that comes from work.”
By providing the No Barriers elements to employees Steve feels can reinstall a sense of agency to their job life.
We dive into Steve’s background growing up overseas. His father’s job involved moving the family around quite a bit and exposed him to diverse experiences and cultures; igniting his sense of curiosity and passion for learning and adve…
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Nov 19, 2018
Entrepreneur and advocate Heidi McKenzie makes her mark with humor and a loud voice.
Jeff, Erik, and Dave speak with Heidi McKenzie who is speaking from her home state of Kentucky. After a car accident left her as a T4 paraplegic in a wheelchair when she was just 21 she not just survived but started a thriving career and has been an outspoken advocate for folks with disabilities.
Heidi talks about what it was like to now live day to day in a power chair and learn her “new normal.” One of the pursuits that helped her find her voice and passion was the founding of her adaptive clothing company, Alter Ur Ego. After she was crowned Ms. Kentucky and went on to Ms. Wheelchair America she networked with other girls in wheelchairs and when they talked about their various struggles one that kept coming up was the difficulty in finding cute but functional clothing! Heidi knew what she had to do.
Her line of clothes include items that fit well, are still easy to get on and off, and have unique aspects like pockets on the thighs and straps on the waistband that work specific…
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Nov 5, 2018
Innovation Born from Adversity: Tom Dixon talks about his No Barriers Story
Erik and Jeff speak with Tom Dixon, a young man from Philadelphia and the inventor of a brilliant mobile app called ME.mory. Like most app inventors Tom identified a need that wasn't being met and created software to address that need. His tragic accident and unique story behind his creation is what sparked our hosts interest and what makes Tom a true No Barriers Pioneer.
8 years ago, in what Tom refers to as his "old life," he was on track to being a psychiatrist for children when he was hit by a car while out for a run. When he awoke in the hospital he was made aware he had sustained a traumatic brain injury which caused him to have severe memory loss.
"I tell people it was a day I’ll never remember, and a date I’ll never forget.”
He kept a notepad by his hospital bed to remember details such as what he had eaten that day and names of people that visited him. Without these notes Tom would eat multiple meals and recalled very little of his interactions.
Tom discusses memory…
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Oct 22, 2018
Driving the Bus in Business and in Life - Talking with CEO, George Heinrichs
George Heinrichs' resume is filled with awards and accomplishments for his aptitude for business as well as social justice. But George would not have gotten where he is today, the CEO of a major company, without facing barriers both professionally and in his personal life.
Our hosts, Jeff, Erik, and Dave, are familiar with George from his role as a Board Member of No Barriers. He helps to extrapolate the No Barriers message to the corporate world and how to use adversity to fuel success.
Before our podcast team had secured a studio space we holed up in a coworker's basement, huddled together around a small table in the corner to hear George tell us about his accomplishments in his typical humble demeanor.
He started by explaining his work at his current company, ANDE and its purpose with decoding DNA at such speed with little equipment needed. ANDE has power to be the ultimate public safety tool. It's used to improve the safety of our world; capturing terrorists, helping children ou…
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Oct 1, 2018
What is the No Barriers Podcast?
This episode will introduce our listeners to the mission behind the No Barriers Podcast and what we are trying to accomplish with putting this out to our community. To start you will meet our hosts and hear about their background.
Host Erik Weihenmayer discusses his background as a blind climber and being known most widely as being the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest and what got him interested in starting an organization that helps people challenge themselves to break out of the barriers that confront them in their daily lives.
Jeff Evans, who was on Erik's Mt. Everest team, goes through his back story as an adventurer, speaker, and high altitude medical expert. Jeff explains what fascinates him about listening to people share their stories and his experience working with No Barriers.
Dave Shurna introduces himself as the Executive Director of No Barriers and his trajectory with the organization and his desire to learn more from our guests.
Jeff and Erik talk about the se…
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Oct 1, 2018
Leading from the Front with Former Command Sergeant Major, Gretchen Evans
Gretchen Evans served 27 years in the US Army, earning a bronze star, and rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. During her service, Gretchen survived a rocket blast which left her with hearing loss and a traumatic brain injury.
While struggling with depression after her injury, she relied on a new rope team to bring her back into the world and show her she still had the ability to find purpose by serving and leading again. Despite her injuries, Gretchen serves others as a passionate volunteer. She also achieved her No Barriers goal by finishing her book, “Leading from the Front.”
On this episode of our No Barriers Podcast we connected with Gretchen remotely from her home in North Carolina. Showing her Army roots, Gretchen was early to the call and well-prepared, including with adaptive technology to communicate since she is deaf.
The episode begins with Gretchen detailing her time in the Army, her many tours, and her overall love for the service.
“I’ve done 9 Combat…
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Oct 1, 2018
The Roots of No Barriers: A Conversation with Co-founder Mark Wellman
Mark Wellman is a nationally acclaimed author, filmmaker and motivational speaker. Despite being paralyzed in a mountain climbing accident, Mark has inspired millions to meet their problems head-on and reach for their full potential. A two-time Paralympian and former Yosemite Park Ranger, Mark's NO LIMITS philosophy encourages individuals to adventure into new horizons; to go beyond the seeming unreachable.
Mark is used to being on the road since he travels throughout the year, bringing his adaptive climbing wall to companies, organizations, and schools. We caught him during one of his road trips and he agreed to swing by Golden, Colorado to the No Barriers podcast studio and catch up with his old friends, Jeff, Dave, and Erik.
Mark is unbelievably accomplished but also reserved and humble. He talks about his legendary, groundbreaking athletic achievements with the same tone most use to describe what they had for lunch. But there was a time in Mark's life where he was unsure, depress…
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Oct 1, 2018
Just Say Yes - Talking with Paralympian Cyclist Billy Lister
Billy Lister is a Paralympic cyclist, who most recently represented Team USA in the Rio Olympics, competing in both track and road events. 18 years ago, Billy was diagnosed with a rare and acute brain abnormality which resulted in a loss of mobility due to a stroke.
With 6 million stroke survivors living in the U.S., Billy hopes his aspirations will lend them hope and courage. He has pledged to train for the next three Paralympics in the years 2020, 2024, and 2028.
In this episode, Erik, Jeff, and Dave traveled to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to catch up with Billy between his training sessions and talk about his No Barriers Journey. Billy describes being sidelined from his track in life of finding a job in finance and living a “normal” life to discovering his condition, having a new, experimental brain surgery and his road to not just rehabilitation but a successful career path as a Paralympic athlete.
Billy explains the difficulty he had with acknowledg…
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Oct 1, 2018
Ethan Johnston: A Blind Man's Journey from Ethiopia to the U.S.
As a young boy, Ethan Johnston was kidnapped from his family in Ethiopia, blinded and used as a beggar. Fortunately, at age 10 he was adopted by a family in the United States.
He faced numerous emotional, physical and cultural barriers, including slowly learning not only English but English Braille. He found sports, including baseball, which became an outlet and passion.
Despite the hardships he faced in his younger years, he is thriving in America.
Always determined, he finished college, found employment, and lives by the motto, “Wanting it won’t get it for you, you have to go get it!”
Ethan (Esubalew) Johnston applied and was chosen for a Reach scholarship in 2017 to come to a No Barriers Summit in Squaw Valley. Over the four days he became well-known to everyone for his huge smile and his enthusiasm. He is a vibrant, funny, outgoing individual. The struggles Ethan has faced seem unbelievable juxtaposed to such a thriving person, but hearing Ethan’s story of resilience it…
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