POPULARITY
Amey, Dr. Omar Ali and Kushal Mehra of The Carvaka Podcast discuss the Indo-US blowup over trade negotiations and where things could go from here onwards... Links - The Carvaka Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPxuul6zSLAfKSsm123Vww
Kijuan Amey is an Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, drummer, and truly and inspiration to all. He is the author of the book “Don't Focus on Why Me” and has a podcast releasing later this month on Aug 27, 2025. To find his social media links, and a link to get his book, visit his website: ameymotivation.com If you liked the show, help it grow! Leave a review and rate 5 stars on Apple Podcast, and Spotify!
In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset we get to experience a story of a man who demonstrates what real unstopability is really all about. I hope you will be inspired and that you will learn some good life lessons from what you will hear. Our guest, Kijuan Amey grew up around Durham North Carolina. After completing high school, rather than going to college, circumstances brought him to an Airforce recruiter. He scored quite high on his tests which resulted in his recruiter showing him a list of jobs including working as an in-flight refueling expert. The job was demanding, and it requires significant intelligence. After pondering and speaking with the recruiter Kijuan signed up for the job and spent the next 6 and a half years refueling aircraft in flight. In May of 2017 Kijuan was struck by a motorcycle and suffered a significant number of major injuries. Of course, his career as a refueling expert ended. He actually spent the next 3 and a half years healing and eventually deciding to move on with his life. Kijuan describes himself as someone who always likes getting answers and moving forward. This he did as you will discover. You will hear the story of Kijuan Amey in detail. Today he teaches and he is a coach. He also wrote and published a book. What I haven't told you to this point is that one of the things that happened to Kijuan as a result of his injuries is that he lost his eyesight. As he will tell you, however, “I may have lost my sight, but I have not lost my vision”. Kijuan today is a keynote speaker talking to many audiences and helping people to discover how they can move forward with their lives no matter what befalls them. About the Guest: Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his journey of resilience and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, he dedicated a decade of his life to the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as an In-flight Refueling Specialist. Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning a degree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Formerly served as the vice president for the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association, Kijuan is also a mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, onstage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me.” However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, “I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision.” Now armed with an inspiring story of overcoming adversity, Kijuan has become a motivational force, empowering others to reach their highest potential. Whether addressing a crowd of 1,500 or engaging in one-on-one sessions, Kijuan is well-equipped for any speaking engagement. He's not just a speaker; he's a catalyst for transformation, ready for the task ahead! Contact him at (919) 641-8150 | kijuan@ameymotivation.com | AmeyMotivation.com Ways to connect with Kijuan: Website: ameymotivation.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kijuan-amey-783889121?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/167F8mGMfR/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey?igsh=NmZtNHRqbW1meWNy&utm_source=qr About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Hi, everyone. I am Michael hingson, and you are listening and or watching our podcast. Unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And for those who may not really understand all of that, we start with inclusion, because if you talk to diversity people, they typically leave out any discussion of disabilities, and today, especially, that gets to be important, because our guest Kijuan, Amey, is blind, and I, of course, as many of you probably know also, am blind, and so we're going to talk about blind, and who knows what else we'll we'll get into all sorts of adventures. There's another thing that Kijuan and I have in common, and he doesn't even really probably know about it, and that is that in my book thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the triumph of trust at Ground Zero, there's a section called guide dog wisdom. And in the section of guide dog wisdom, number two, the main point of that one is, don't let your sight get in the way of your vision. And that was published in Thunder dog anyway, we'll talk about whatever comes along. But Kijuan, I want to welcome you to doing a stoppable mindset, and thanks for being here. We're glad to have you, Kijuan Amey ** 02:42 Michael, I truly appreciate you allowing me to come on your platform and share my story. Michael Hingson ** 02:47 Well, no allowance necessary. It is all all about people conversing and telling their stories and why they do what they do, and showing that they're unstoppable, so that we can show everybody else that they're unstoppable as well, or really ought to consider themselves more unstoppable than they think. But anyway, we're glad you're here, and looking forward to having a great conversation with you. Why don't we start by you going back and telling us kind of about the the early years of Kijuan, the early years of Yeah. Let's start with the beginning. You know, you know, like they, they always say you gotta start at the beginning somewhere. So might as well start at the beginning. Kijuan Amey ** 03:29 Yeah. So back in the 90s, born in Durham, North Carolina, where I was, of course, raised there as well. I don't live too far from there. Now, honestly, I'm only maybe 2530 minutes from there, so I still consider myself right here in it. Michael Hingson ** 03:48 And of course, having grown up in Durham, you must be a major basketball fan of some sort. Kijuan Amey ** 03:55 What? Why would you say that there's no basketball around here? What Michael Hingson ** 03:58 are you talking about? Yes, 25 miles away from you. Yeah, I am definitely a, a Kijuan Amey ** 04:04 true Understander of the rivalry UNC versus Duke. Okay, oh gosh, and and then I might be from Durham, but I'm actually a UNC fan. Michael Hingson ** 04:16 I was in Carolina once and Northern Carolina, North Carolina in Durham, several years ago to do a speech. And we came in on a Thursday night, and I got to the hotel was pretty tired, but I thought I would unpack and watch TV. And at the time, there was a show on CBS called without a trace. I kind of like the show, so I turned it on, and at eight o'clock, when without a trace was supposed to come on, there was suddenly an announcement that says that without a trace will not be seen tonight, because we're going to be presenting live the basketball game between North Carolina State and University of. North Carolina to see which one is going to go to the chip college championships. And so if you want to watch without a trace, you can watch it Sunday morning at two in the morning. I wasn't going to do that, but anyway. But anyway. So yeah, the basketball. It runneth hot there, obviously, Kijuan Amey ** 05:22 yeah, so it's pretty interesting. There is a meme for those who understands what that is, but it's a depiction. There's North Carolina State, Duke and UNC, all standing on top of a mountain, all of the mascots, and North Carolina State says, I'm going to do this one for my team, and they jump off the mountain. And then UNC says, and I'm going to do this one for my team, and then they kick Duke off the mountain. Michael Hingson ** 05:59 Listen, I'm telling you, man, it is serious around I know it is really serious. It's so serious. So, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 06:05 no, I grew up in a UNC household, um, grandmother, mother, I mean, dad, hey, listen, if you they even worked at Duke and still were UNC fans. It's just the way it was, you know, and it's hard to when you grew up in it was hard to go against, you know, Unc, when they have such a amazing teams with Michael Jordan, Antoine Jameson, all these guys that came through there, you just like, gosh, these guys were really great. And so it's just one of those things. But, you know, kind of growing up with that lifestyle, you had the two games during the season, and you you hope they met in the in the in the ACC tournament, right? Because you wanted to see if there could be a clean sweep, well. And so this past year, Duke got to sleep. They rightfully, rightfully so, because their star player is going to be drafted number one this year. So they rightfully got it Michael Hingson ** 07:12 another year. I was in brether County, Kentucky to do a speech, and it was the day of the NCAA championship. So one of the two teams was the what Wildcats of Kentucky, and I forget who the other one was, but I was to do a speech that started at 6pm and I was told it was at a high school. And I was told this speech has to end absolutely latest, at 6:30pm because by 631 the gym will be completely closed and and everyone will be gone because everyone wants to go home and see the Wildcats. Well, I did the speech. I ended it at 630 and everyone was gone. By 631 they were flooding out. Boy, I couldn't believe how fast they all got out. I'm Kijuan Amey ** 08:09 telling you. Man, those, what we call them is blue, blue bloods, yeah, and these are the big, the biggest, you know, college teams that that impact that sport. So for basketball, of course, you got your UNC, your Duke, your Kentucky, your Kansas, those types of teams, you know. And football we already know is kind of shifting a little bit, but hey, it's just the way it is with all this nio money now. So yeah, and that's kind of what's going on nowadays. You got to have some money. And the difference between UNC and Duke, one's a private school and one's public. There you go. Well, so tell us. So tell us more about you. Yes. So me, besides me being a Tar Heel fan, I personally, you know, went after high school, graduated from Southern High School here in Durham, and then went on to the United States Air Force. I actually was going to consider going to North Carolina State, but it was not to become a fan. It was because they had one of the better engineering programs in the state, and better than UNC, huh? UNC doesn't really offer engineering. They offer computer science. And I didn't want that. And the computer science is kind of boring to me, yeah? And I mean, I'm just being honest, yeah, that's okay. And so I wanted to do either software or computer engineering, and the two best schools in the state were North Carolina State University and North Carolina agriculture and Technical State University, which we shortened for North Carolina A and T. So those two schools are the best here in North Carolina, which actually get a lot of great funding for engineering. Yeah, by the way. So yeah, that was what I was planning on doing, but there were admission hiccups. And so I said, you guys can have your admission hiccups. I already can't afford you. Anyway, I'm gonna take a different route. And so I have a really heavy or, shall I say my family has a really heavy background in the military, and mostly navy. Jeez, maybe seven, I think maybe six or seven Navy members, and then one army, one Marine, one went from the Navy to the Coast Guard. And then you have me, who kicked off the Air Force journey, and then my youngest brother is now carrying that torch, so he's out there in Italy. Man, I'm a little jealous about it. It's okay. I never got to see Italy. It's all right. It's all right. But anyway, I went into the Air Force and became an in flight refueling specialist. So what does that mean? Exactly, yeah, yeah. That's what I was getting into. I can't just say it without not telling so what that means is, I do refill aircraft, but I do it in the sky. It's basically like airplanes pulling up to a flying gas station, Michael Hingson ** 11:28 which can be very tricky, tricky. Kijuan Amey ** 11:30 That's a That's an understatement of the year. It's dangerous the first so when I was going through school, the first warning that they had in the book says flying two planes in close proximity is inherently dangerous. You think there's no way that's possible. No couldn't be Who are they telling this to? Like, man, it's almost like a five year or five year old needed to read that or something. So I'm just like, okay, the way to scare me. Appreciate it. And anywho I did that job for on paper, 10 years, three months and 17 days. That's how long the military counted. I Yeah, say, six and a half Michael Hingson ** 12:22 years now. Why did you decide to do that, to go into the military? No to to become an in flight? Oh, Kijuan Amey ** 12:31 that's because, well, first, yeah, yeah, you're right. That's a good question, because I had no clue that even existed. Didn't even know until my recruiter showed me, because I scored so high on the ASVAB, he said, I gotta show you something. And I was like, Okay, what is it? And so, you know, when you're going into the military, you're kind of skeptical about them trying to sell you a dream. And you know, so I'm like, and again, I have plenty of military families, so they're all telling me about this. They're like, don't let them sell you no dream. Make sure you pick a job before you go to basic training, because you don't want to go in open general and all this stuff. I said, okay, cool. Well, when he shows me that video, I start giggling. I said, Okay, all right. And he's like, what? I'm like, yeah, that's pretty cool. But what's the actual job you're going to show me? And he's like, this is the job as it that looks like a video game, man. He's like, he was like, I know it's crazy, but you qualify for it Michael Hingson ** 13:40 now. What, what, what characteristic did you have, or what was the scoring on the test that made you qualify for that? Kijuan Amey ** 13:49 I don't know what the exact cutoff is, but I score an 87 on my ASVAB out of 100 so that's that's high. Um, you needed a 50 to get into the Air Force. And I scored the 87 and he was so happy and elated. He called me as soon as he got my score. Not like, waited a day or two, no, he called me as soon as he saw the opening of the email. And he was like, When can you come in? That's all he said to me. He didn't say nothing else on the phone. And I was like, um, I could be there tomorrow. He was like, I'll be here. I said, okay, but anyway, that's literally how excited he was. He didn't even tell me why until I got there, so I had no clue, until the day I arrived in his office, and he was, he pulled out this stack of papers that he had stapled together, which was a was jobs, listing of jobs. And it was like eight pages, front and back, listings. And I'm like, Okay, what is this? And then I get close to it, I read. And I'm like, Oh, these are jobs. He's like, Yeah. He's like, go ahead. You flip through him, if you like. And I'm flipping through he's already started highlighting some and I knew there was something I wasn't gonna do. I mean, there was one of them that wasn't highlighted that I thought I wanted to do, which I'm glad I didn't, because I told it basically been me working on, like, Humvees and trucks and stuff. And he was like, You are way too smart for that. I said, okay, but that's what I know. That's what I just came out of high school doing, you know, because I went to a high school that had vocational trades and stuff. So I loved cars, I still do, and worked on mine until, literally, I couldn't see anymore, and so, you know, slowly becoming a lost trait. But hey, somebody's got to do it anyway. Yeah, that's how I got into that job. He showed it to me on a computer screen, and I was like, What the heck he's like, I've never, I said I'd never seen this before. He's like, you're not gonna see it as a civilian, because only the military does. Michael Hingson ** 16:09 So why is it the military essentially said you did it six and a half years and you said you did it as 10. Kijuan Amey ** 16:14 No, opposite. I said I did it six and a half. Oh, okay, rather, okay, 10, right? Because that was the day they retired me, the six and a half is the day I had my injury, and I never showed back up to work. Basically, what was your injury? My injury was a motorcycle accident where a car pulled out in front of okay, yeah, yeah. Sustained my eyes, my eyesight loss, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, spinal cord injury, broken, both legs, everything. What do you want to know? The only thing that didn't get, I guess you say, didn't have a surgery on was my arms Michael Hingson ** 16:55 got it, but they, but they kept you in essentially, well, you were, you were in the military, so you stayed in while you were healing, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 17:06 Yeah, so it, what happened was the reason it took so long, nobody really knew what to do with me and I, and I'll get you to why, or an understanding of why. So I did four years active, but now, at the time of my accident, I'm a reservist. I'm not active duty anymore. So fortunately for me, I was on an active duty, or in an active status, is what we call it, in the reserves, because I was in a travel status that day of my accident because I had to work that weekend, and on the day, which was May 5, 2017 that was my travel day. Okay, thankfully, because had it been may 4, 2017 I wouldn't have any of this, literally just one day. Wow. And so they were trying to figure out how to process me. They didn't know what to keep me, to let me go, to drop me off a cliff, like they didn't know what to do. And so as we were trying to file every piece of paper known to the what do you call it? DOD, Department of Defense. We had no clue what to do. Medical didn't know what to do. My leadership didn't know what to do. I definitely didn't know what to do. I mean, I never dealt with an injury, you know, or seen anybody deal with an injury, especially as substantial as mine. Yeah, of course, you were in the hospital. Well, even after getting out of hospital, you know, we were still dealing with this the whole entire time until I got retired, you know, up until the point where they eventually put me, it's kind of like they were trying to out process me with an honorable discharge, but they saw that he has an injury, so we need to get him some, you know, stuff done, and then he put me on a casualty report, and which means, you know, I was very badly injured. That's basically all that means. And that put me on a another piece of or or track, shall I say, which got me connected to a headquarters in Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, which is the Air Force Wounded Warriors Program. Now, when they saw my name pop up on the casualty report, they called me, and I'll never forget Connie Sanchez's voice, because I was like, What the heck is this? But she said, Hi, I'm Connie Sanchez calling from the Air Force winter Warriors Program, and I was trying to reach a key one Amy. And I'm like, You're who from where, because I had never heard of a program. Mm, hmm. So are you trying to in today's society, the scams that go on, you know? Yeah, I don't know what's going on. Who you? Who are you from? Where I'm I've been been in the Air Force for a while now. I've never heard of an Air Force. When the Warriors program, what are we talking about here, you know? And so she's doing her best to explain it to me and keep me from from being skeptical, as she says, I saw you pop up on a casualty report list, and we help airmen who have been wounded, ill or injured, you know, and and I said, Okay, well, what do you what are we we talking about? Like, what are mean you supposed to be talking about? She's like, Oh, I'm gonna help you get medically retired. I say, you gonna help me who? These are the words I've been looking for. You know, you gonna help me do what? Oh, I'm gonna help you get medically retired. I said, Where have you been for the last three years? And so anyway, that's how that whole thing got started. The ball started getting rolled to get Michael Hingson ** 21:14 rolling so you were injured in 2017 Yeah. What was your attitude like after the injury? How? How did you move forward, or what? What were you thinking? Was it? Were you? Were you just totally devastated? Did you think you're going to just off yourself, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 21:38 Well, let me preface by saying this, I told you I had a traumatic brain injury. The damage to my brain is most severe in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe houses a lot of emotions, and so yes, there was devastation, yes, there was sadness. Yes, there was, well, what am I going to do now? Yes, there was anxiety, there was anything you can think of anger because of the guy who hit me or pulled out in front of me. Shall I say? You know, there was so much that was going on at one time, because, you know, I'm stuck in the hospital for, oh, by the way, I was at UNC hospital. Okay, so that's pretty cool. Uh, that I'm a Tar Heel Fanning and I got, you know, Life Flight of the UNC hospital. But back to what I was saying, there's so much that was going on that one time, because I'm stuck at a hospital for two months now, granted, the first month I know nothing about. I was in a medically induced coma for the first month, so from May 5 until June the sixth. Don't ask me any question. You know what? I mean, I literally know nothing, because that's when I came to I came out of my medically induced coma, and so I'm just trying to figure out where I am. I cannot see already, like my vision was already gone. This is not a gradual loss, as some might think or might be wondering. I could not talk at the time because my jaw had been broken, so they wired it shut to keep me from damaging it any further then I didn't realize it yet, but I also could not smell, and the reason I didn't realize it is because I could breathe just fine. The only time I noticed I couldn't smell is when some is when somebody said, Man, you smell that? It smelled good? No, no, I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about. What What smells good, you know? Or if I you know, yeah, something smell bad. I don't smell it. What are you talking about? And so anywho, um, all of these different things are going through my mind, and even after I was told what happened to me, because I, of course, don't remember. I have no recollection of the accident. So after they told me what happened now, I am sitting there with these thoughts in my head for basically, I don't know, 12 hours because I stopped talking or communicating with anyone after that, and I just wanted to be alone. Because, as the saying goes, I just got hit with a ton of bricks. Yeah, you know, so I'm literally going through all the emotions, the sadness, the net, the potential, thought of never being able to see again, never being able to fly again, refill again, see my, my girlfriend, see my, my nieces, nephews, a family, uncle, anything possible. My, I don't even have kids. I never get to see them, you know. So it's. It was one of those things. And I, I mean, I took a lot of pride in the things that I saw, because it was things that a lot of people would never see. And this is also why, you know, on some of my social media, when I did do air refuelings and things of that nature, or or went to really nice locations, or even some that weren't so nice. I would take pictures and post it, because some people will never get to see this. Yeah, so I want you to live vicariously if you want to say it through me, they're like, man, that's cool. That video, that was awesome. You you did the other day. Hey, I appreciate it, man. Hey, it's my job, you know? It's just what it is. It's all part of the Michael Hingson ** 25:49 game, you know. And all that was taken away Kijuan Amey ** 25:53 Exactly. And so when I tell you I used to have and I wouldn't even be sleep, I would be daydreaming, and could see so vividly, like airplanes that I used to refuel, like the F 22 Raptor, the C 17, you know, it's it's things like that. The views I used to have looking down at the ocean from 20,000 feet in the air, looking down at the coastline, flying over the North Carolina and Virginia border, where you can see literally go from land to water to land, because there is a tunnel that goes underneath the water for ships to pass over, I could literally see that stuff from the air and to now go from not seeing that ever again, the thoughts that you sit with were just like beating me up alive. And so I finally had to come out of crazy mode, because that's what it makes you do. It makes you go crazy when you do think about all these thoughts. I had to come out of that mode, because if I didn't, I probably would have really went crazy. And I finally started asking all the questions to get answers, instead of trying to formulate my own questions that I had no answers to. And so that is what you know, got me the information and how the accident happened, where I was, where I was coming from. I do remember the day that I had before that, like not not may 4, but like what I was doing before I had the accident. I do remember all of that, but the thing is, when it came up to the accident, I don't know nothing about it, it's like it completely erased that entire moment. And that's a protective mode that your neurological system does for your brain. So it's so, it's so. It's so empowering that your your mind, can do something like that. But it's also a benefit, because I would never, I do not want to relive that dream or that nightmare, shall I say, over and over. Right? Michael Hingson ** 28:22 But you made the choice to move on, to get out of the crazy mode. What? What caused you to do that? Just you decided enough was enough, and it's time to move on, or what? Kijuan Amey ** 28:39 No, I'm a man of answers. I need answers so. So when I think the military kind of did that to me too, but I've always been that guy who asked questions to you, even when I was younger, I was at, man, will you just sit down and we'll get to it, you know? So the military made it worse, because I became an instructor, and as an instructor, you tend to ask questions, so you can see what the person is thinking, how they're thinking, you know, making sure they're processing the information correctly. And so I am now doing that to everybody. I've put my instructor hat back on, and I'm going to asking questions that I need to know the answers Michael Hingson ** 29:21 to so, how long after the accident, did you start doing this? Kijuan Amey ** 29:25 Oh, no, this was a Maybe the day after I woke up from my medically induced coma. Okay, so, so the day I was informed of the accident, which was June the sixth, when I woke up out of my medically induced coma because I hate the panic button, basically not being a receipt or talk, you know what I mean? So, so I needed to figure something out, and that's when I asked the question, Well, what happened to me? Or what is the question I asked was, What? What is this motorcycle accident dream you guys are talking about? Because somebody, it was just people in my room talking, right? And they were like, Oh no, that's not a dream. That's what happened to you. And that was when I went into that shutdown period. And how long were you in that period? That was, that was the like, 12 to 16 hours or so that I didn't talk okay? And so the next day, June the seventh, is when I was like, hey, hey, I need to find something now. And that's what happened to me. What really happened? Michael Hingson ** 30:30 So when that occurred? So now, on the seventh of June, did you just basically decide fairly quickly you got to move beyond from this, or did? Was it devastating for a while? Kijuan Amey ** 30:44 Yeah, no, that's when the devastation and stuff really kicked in, because it made me say, What the heck, man, like, you know, somebody did this to me, you know, and I can't get back, none of that stuff. Yeah, that was taken away from me. I have all these different parts inside of me. I got metal plates in my head, screw rods and screws in my back, rods in both legs, a screw in my foot, like I even have two different sized feet now. Michael Hingson ** 31:16 So how long was it before you started to decide you gotta go off and do something else with your life, and you're not gonna just let all of this rule you Kijuan Amey ** 31:28 let's see when, when did that kind of transfer that it took me a little while, because I had to get acclimated to the new right life, you know, at first. So I think that would be around maybe I know I went on my first plane ride as a visually impaired person in 2018 So December of 2018 I went to my first blind rehab center. Where was that? In Tucson, Arizona. Okay, okay. The one for the V The VA has a couple of them. I can't remember how many it is, but that was the one I went to, because that was the first one to accept. I didn't want to go to the one that was closest to me. I've been to Georgia. It's okay. I wanted to go somewhere I haven't been, you know what I mean? And not no no shot at Georgia. I just wanted to go somewhere different, you know, yeah, and so that's what I did. And at first I wanted to go to Mississippi, but they took way too long to respond. And so anywho, I'm trying to get this done today, not next year, you know. And so I went there from December of 2018 until February of 2019 okay, I'm a pretty fast learner, and everything, when you go to those to the VA blind rehab centers, is at your own pace. You're fully embedded like you know, you're there the whole time. You got a room, you got everything, so they fully submerge you into this program, and you leave when you're ready. And so it only took me, and it wasn't even a full two months, is but, but I say two months because December to February, but anyway, I learned what I needed to learn, and I got out of there. I even learned stuff that I didn't know I wanted to learn, like copper tooling, wood working, you know, what's the other one? What's the leather? What's when you do leather? Yeah, but yeah, I I've even done stuff with leather, and that's so cool. It's pretty cool to do that stuff, but, yeah, I did all of that stuff, man. It's amazing. And, you know, come back home to show everybody what I learned, and they're like, Wow, you're like, a whole nother person. I said, Well, you know, I did pick up few things. And so once I got that under my belt, you know, the ability to know how to navigate, I still was not, like, really stable, because I hadn't. I hadn't, I didn't start lifting weights, or, you know, doing any like physical training, training, like legitimate training, until right before the pandemic, I was going to the YMCA and swimming, because, as we know, swimming is a full body workout, and so I was hitting the lap pool with a recreational therapist. And so what, man, that was the worst when that pandemic hit in March of 2020, yeah, because, trust me, I'll never forget it. That was when everything was looking up for me. I was like, Oh, this is so amazing. I'm I'm getting stronger, you know? I'm able to move a little bit better, get more confident in my life. And then, bam, shut everything down. I said, What? We can't go out. Wait. Everything's closed. Oh, okay, it'll only be two weeks. Oh, okay, that's okay. I could wait for two weeks. That's not that bad, yeah, but it'll be another month. Well, you said three months, six months, okay, I don't like this. So yeah, that's when everything started to come down. But then it went back up in 2021 Michael Hingson ** 35:25 Yeah, later in 2021 it started to lift Kijuan Amey ** 35:28 Well, I mean, for me, for me in 2021 it was when I started actually working out by actually lifting weights again. Michael Hingson ** 35:38 Now, were you still in the military? Swimming? Were you still in the military at this time I Kijuan Amey ** 35:43 retired? Or was literally, uh, like, officially, medically retired, June 3, 2021, but again, I had not been to work since May. No, I understand 17, you know. So there's nothing that I'm doing at work. And when I did go down there, it was just kind of the just kind of a visit and hang out with those guys for the day. Michael Hingson ** 36:07 You mean, they wouldn't give you a long cane and let you go ahead and continue to refuel aircraft, because you could just find the the appropriate place with the cane. They Kijuan Amey ** 36:15 they would have had to switch it to the left hand, because I'm left handed, and they and they make you do that with the right hand, that refueling side, I'm way better with my left hand. Well, but hey, I would have gave it a shot, but, but Michael Hingson ** 36:29 you don't move, yeah, but you, but you, but you had to make along the way the decision that you were going to move forward, which is what it sounds like you, you were doing. And certainly by June of 2021, when you retired and and so on, you made the decision that you were going to do your best to continue to to advance and do something else with your world. Oh Kijuan Amey ** 37:00 yeah, yeah, no. I mean, the pandemic actually was a part of good and bad. I mean, yes, it made me upset because they kept pushing the timeline and stuff back. But October of 2020, that's when I started writing my book. So that was in the pandemic. I started writing my book. You know, I learned how to use a computer again in September. And then once I got that down pack, hey, I'm going to the next thing. What's the title of the book? Don't focus on why me. From motorcycle accident to miracle. Got it Okay, so that's the name of it. Yeah, that's the name of it. And, excuse me, like I said, I wrote the book, or started writing the book October 2020, but I wanted to publish it in May of 2021, because of the accident. You know, the accident was in May. I wanted to publish the book in May. Well, it didn't quite happen like that, because timelines get pushed back, because you got to get an editor, you got to get a book formatter, you got to get it covered. Oh, it was taking a long time. And so anywho, it got published in June of 2021, which is my entire retirement month. So I was okay with it. I retired and I published a book, a self published, by the way, a book in June of 2021, which is a big month for me, so I celebrate both good Michael Hingson ** 38:32 so you did that, yep. And were you? So you got retired in June. And when, what did you decide to do? Or when did you decide to find work? Kijuan Amey ** 38:47 Well, I don't, I don't really consider what I do work, and I'll tell you why, so as we will from what you're about to find out, I am the proud founder, and I call myself a chief motivational officer, not a CEO of Amey motivation. Now Amey motivation, I do keynote speaking motivationally based most of the time, and then I also am a trusted mentor and a resilience coach. So I don't feel like I'm working. I feel like I'm actually doing a service and giving back, right? I'm sorry, go ahead. No, I agree with you when I'm when I when I said a job, I kind of put it in air quotes, but anyway, I got you, but yeah, no, that's how I feel in my, you know, giving back. Because I almost feel like this is a type of ministry, a type of healing, a type of journey that not only benefits me, but benefits others. And it doesn't even feel like I'm working when I do this stuff. It just feels like I'm having a conversation. It feels like I'm building. It feels like I'm helping others, you know. And I. I couldn't even dare say that I feel like I'm working, and it's not even because I'm making good money. It's not because people are paying me, it's not because I travel to do this. It's because I really just don't feel like this is work, sure. Now, when I was in the military, that was work, you know, that felt like work. But this really does not. It's enjoyable, you know, and that's the beauty of it. And I love what I do. Michael Hingson ** 40:34 But when did you decide to start motivating people? Kijuan Amey ** 40:38 Well, that started back before the pandemic, too. And my first speech, like official, big speech, shall I say, anyway, was May of 2019, that's when I came out and told everybody, you know, kind of what, what happened to me, my story. Because, you know, everybody was hearing what happened to me on Facebook. I can't stand when I see a post of something bad happening to somebody on social media. Let me tell my story. And so that's what I did. And the title of that, that, uh, that speaking engagement, was, why not me? And everybody, I'm sure, was like, Wait, what the heck? Why is it called that? And I said, you're gonna have to come in to find out. You know, so anywho I told my story, and I do have a snippet of it on my website, Amy motivation.com Michael Hingson ** 41:33 and Amy is spelled, a, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 41:36 A, M, E, y, right. So, you know, I did tell my story about just being the vulnerable side of what happened to me, how I feel, how I got through it, what I went through, what I was dealing with, you know, and man, when I tell you it was, you could literally hear a pin drop, and we were on carpet. Okay, so it was so quiet in there. Everybody was very attentive. It was a packed house, to say the least. There was not one empty seat, except for behind me, because, no, I didn't want anybody behind me. I wanted everybody to be out front. And so that was the only spot where there was an empty seat. I had people on the right side of me, people on the left side of me, people in front of me, everywhere. And so anywho you know, it was just an amazing speech and an amazing time, because a lot of people there, I knew some people I didn't, but a lot of people there I knew. And after they heard it and came up and talked to me after the speech, they were like, Man, I didn't even know you were going through that. I didn't even know this happened to you. I didn't even know that happened. I said, that's why I had to tell it, because what y'all are hearing on Facebook is partially true, and it's part of the story. It's not the whole story. Let me tell the whole story. So yeah, that's where all that started. I also did before that speech. I also did a couple of talks at high school, local high schools in Durham too. So my high school, Southern high school, my alma mater, another local high school called Jordan High School. So yeah, you know, just different things like that, Michael Hingson ** 43:31 but you still ultimately were the one that you made the choice to do it. You made the choice to move on, which is so cool, because I can think of any number of people who, if they had the same sorts of things happen to them that happened to you, would give up, and you clearly did not, Kijuan Amey ** 43:50 absolutely not. I think the hardest part for me is I can't sit down. Yeah, so, so me giving up is basically like me sitting down so and I can't do that. I'm like a person like the Energizer Bunny. As soon as you put a battery anywhere near me, I'm gone Michael Hingson ** 44:09 well, and it's so much more rewarding to do that, I know for me after the World Trade Center attacks and so on, and we started getting calls asking me to come and talk about September 11 and what people should learn. My wife and I decided that selling life and philosophy was a whole lot more fun and rewarding, which is really probably the biggest issue, rewarding psychologically, was much more rewarding than selling computer hardware and managing a computer hardware sales team, which is what I did. So, yeah, it became also a a path and something that was worth doing. And I agree it, it is. It isn't work, right? Not. Not in the same way, but that is also in part because we've chosen to structure it and make it work that way, that it's not work. Kijuan Amey ** 45:09 Yeah, yeah. You know what is. By the way, I love your story. I did hear it on another podcast that I listened to, who that I was interviewed by. And so the the so the day of the World Trade Center and the attacks, the plane that I used to fly on the KC 135 was actually the first plane to come check it out. That was the actually the first plane to come report what had happened, because it was one already airborne, nearby, and then when they look, they loop back around, and they were like, wait, the second one's on fire. Yeah. When did that happen? Like it was basically just like that. There was a Michael Hingson ** 45:52 Air Canada flight. We met, well, I didn't. My wife did. Met the pilot. We were out in San Francisco, and I was doing a presentation, and she told me about it after the speech, but she said she was coming down on the elevator, and there was a pilot from Air Canada, and they got to talking, and she explained why she was there and what what we were doing. And he said that his plane was the first passenger plane over the world trade center after things happened. And as she said, the FBI must be, have become one of your favorite friends, right, or one of your best friends? And he said, Yeah, they sure did. But Kijuan Amey ** 46:38 I don't want to get that knock, Michael Hingson ** 46:40 but it's but it is a choice, and yeah, for for us, the other part about it was that the media got the story, and I feel so blessed, ironically, given how everybody likes to abuse reporters in the Media, but I got so many requests for interviews, and clearly it made sense to do what we could to try to educate and help people move on from September 11, so we accepted the interview requests. And for me personally, what I really learned is something, well, I kind of rediscovered and it got reaffirmed, was that, in reality, talking about something that happens to you like that is the most important thing, because talking about it gives you the opportunity to think about it and move on. And I got asked so many different questions by reporters, some intelligent, some not some in the middle. But the bottom line is that by talking to literally hundreds and hundreds of reporters, that made me talk about it, which was a very good blessing by the time all was said and done, Kijuan Amey ** 47:54 right, right, instead of internalizing, yeah, no, listen, I also have to say, I'm glad you were in some shape, because what it was 78 floors, yeah, golly, hey, I don't want to hear you say 10, you know. But 78 floors, Michael Hingson ** 48:15 it was going down. So that's pretty good. As I tell people, I do understand, but as I tell people, the next week, for the next week I was starting, actually the next day, I was stiff as a board. The adrenaline ran out. And, oh, it's horrible. And, yeah, you know, my wife was in a wheelchair her whole life, and we were in a two story house we built so there was an elevator. And I swear, for the next week after September 11, I use that elevator a whole lot more than she did. Kijuan Amey ** 48:43 Ah, that's funny, Michael Hingson ** 48:46 but, but, you know, it was just kind of the way it was. But it is a choice, yes, and the bottom line is that we we move on you. You certainly had lots of things happen to you. You lost a lot of things. Did you ever get your sense of smell back? Or is it still gone? Kijuan Amey ** 49:01 No, no. It was damaged during the reconstructive surgery on my face where they had to input the two plates. Yeah. Okay, yeah. So that's where that came from. So now it happened, shall I say? So Michael Hingson ** 49:13 now getting back to something that we talked about at the very beginning, as you point out, you lost your site, but you didn't lose your vision. So tell me more about that, what that means to you, and why you say that. Because, as I said, that's something that that I've thought and talked about a lot. And of course, when thunder dog was written, we put that into thunder dog. And by the way, if you don't know it, Thunder dog and and all three of my books actually are on on Bard, so you can download them, or you can help a poor, starving author and go buy them, but, but, you know, Kijuan Amey ** 49:50 come on, I think you will off. Mr. Steve Harvey, No, I'm joking. But anywho. So, as I mentioned before. Four, you know, when I was talking about my business, I don't necessarily feel like I'm working. I feel like I'm helping and and what I mean, the reason I even preface that is because when I say I may have lost my sight, but I didn't lose my vision. Sight, to me, is the physical, the vision is the mental. And so my mental was helping others, and it's always been that way, whether it was me playing sports, I had to help in some way, because I played team sports. Now, did I play any individual? No, I played all team sports. I did bowling, I did football, the basketball and ran track. All of those are team sports. And so you can roll in singles, but at the same sense, some point you're going to be doing either doubles or three or four person teams. So most of the time I was doing teams and doubles. But anyway, I was always doing some kind of helping. I grew up with siblings. I had to help somebody. I, you know, I grew up with without much, so we had to help each other. Hey, you don't know how to cook. Let me show you. You don't know how to fix this in the microwave. Let me show you, you know. And so, um, when I got to the military, I had to help, you know, when I was became an instructor, I was helping teach the people who are coming in new and all these different times I'm helping people. And now I get to a point where, not only I have to help myself get back to where I can have some kind of normalcy of life, but what really is a normal life? You know what I mean? Yeah, I had to help others understand that if I can make it through this, you can make it through what you're dealing with as well, and be there to help you. Michael Hingson ** 51:57 How about going the other way? Though you needed help too, yeah, yeah. And were you advanced enough in your thinking at the time that you were perfectly willing to accept help as well? Kijuan Amey ** 52:12 Uh, no, I had my moments. Um, there. There's a chapter in my book I called, uh, it's called the depression set in, and that was when I was at one of my lower points, because not too long after depression, where the suicidal thoughts, the suicidal thoughts, luckily, didn't take me out and I never attempted, because I was able to think my way. I'm a very critical thinker, Problem Solver kind of guy, so I was able to think my way out of even having those thoughts again. And I said, Hey, man, this is not you. I don't know what it is, but it's not you. And so instead of me continuing to have those thoughts, I started asking people questions, what can I do? Because this is not like, it's not working, whatever life is not working for me, right? You know, and I'm a faith believer. So my grandmother, I was living with her at the time, and the first she's a faith believer as well. And the first thing she says is, you know, just pray. You know, just pray about it. I said, Grandma, we pray every day. Hear me clearly. I didn't say, some days we pray every day this obviously, and I'm not saying it's not working, but it needs something more. And so she was, well, I don't know what to tell you. And then eventually she goes in her room and thinks about it for a minute, and she said, Why don't you call your uncle? And I said, You know what? It's not a bad idea. And he, by the way, he's a senior pastor at his church, and so I said, that's not a bad idea. I didn't think to call my pastor because I didn't want to bother him. It's kind of one of those things you just felt like, I don't want him to think about that. I've had it on his mind, you know, stuff like that. And so I called my uncle, and I was telling telling him how I was feeling, and all I heard him say was, hold on key, I'm on the way. It was like eight o'clock at night, so for him to be like, Hey, I'm HOLD ON key, I'm on the way. That's what they call me Ki, my family. Some of them call me kiwi, but some call me Ki. But anyway, just as long as they don't call me late for dinner. And so I was like, Wait, he he's coming over here, you know? So I said, Okay. And I hung up the phone, and my grandma's like, Well, what did he say? I said, he said he's on the way. She's like, he went. I said, Exactly. That's what I said. And so she said, Oh Lord, well, let me put on some clothes. I said, let you put on some clothes. I need to put on some clothes. And. Yeah, and so anyway, we both get dressed somewhat. I wasn't, like, fully dressed. I just put on, like, some, you know, some basketball shorts, a shirt, yeah, you know, stuff like that. Because I'm thinking, we're just going to hang out at the house. He's going to talk to me. He's like, Hey, man, you want to throw on some pants and, you know, go out and put on some shoes. I said, Where we going? It's like, for a ride. I said, Okay, uh, yeah, uh, grandma, and she came back in there, she's like, Yeah, he's like, we're gonna go for a ride. Um, can you get my sweatpants from over this here? Because I knew where everything was in the room, and you know how it is, we know where everything is, where we put stuff. We know exactly where it is, right? And so I knew everything was get my sweat pants from this drawer and get my shirt from that drawer. And I said, No, it's the second drawer, not the third and stuff. So we I get dressed, we go for a ride, and he's talking. No, no, I'm talking first. He let me talk. He said, So key, tell me what's up. I said, I ran through the gambit of what I was going down with me, how I had the depressed thoughts, how I had some suicidal thoughts, but I had to bring myself back out of this, and I just could not figure out why this was coming over me like that. And he was like, Uh huh. And then, you know, I just stopped talking for a while. He said, You know what key I said, What's that? He said, I'm surprised it took you this long. I was like, What do you mean? He was like, Dude, I thought this would have happened to you a long time ago? He said, I've been waiting on this. And I said, that's crazy. Like I'm sitting there thinking, man, what the heck? You know? I'm thinking. People ain't thinking about me. Nobody's like, really, can't they see me smiling, laughing, giggling and all that stuff. So they're probably not even thinking about it, you know. But he was actually prepared. He's prepared for what I call the breakdown. And he said, Keith, I think the best thing you can do, and this is when we pulled over somewhere and start talking. He said, The best thing I think you can do with this situation is you're going to have to embrace and confront the issue. And I said, Can you explain that a little bit more? He's like, Yeah, yeah. He said, what it is, I think, is your the hope that we all have is for you to regain your eyesight. But the real realization is you don't have it right now. So I need you to live like you don't have it and hope that one day you'll get it. So don't keep dwelling on the hope part. Just live like you don't have it, and that way you'll keep moving forward versus thinking you're going to get it, because these thoughts are taking you down. Every day you wake up, every time you wake up from a nap, you think you're gonna open your eyes and see something that's gonna keep bringing you further and further down. I need you to embrace this thing and don't live in the denial phase of it happening. And that was when I started to come out like that was when I really started to gain some strength and a stronger mindset. Very wise words, oh, yeah, no, these are all he is, trust me, I'm just regurgitating them. I'm sorry. Oh, I said, yeah, these were definitely his words. I'm just regurgitating, Michael Hingson ** 58:46 yeah, well, but, but certainly some, some good wisdom there. But you also then chose to follow, which is great, and probably whether he's surprised it took so long. It sounds like it all happened at the right time, because you are also willing to listen, which is great. So you you moved forward. When did you form your company? Kijuan Amey ** 59:12 I mean, on paper, it was like two years ago, okay, um, but like I said, officially, I started speaking in 2019 right? I understand that, yeah. But so I always count 2019 because I really believe as soon as you start doing something, you're doing it, right, yeah, you understand and and the legality side of it, hey, you can have that. I don't care. But yeah. So that's how I view it. Michael Hingson ** 59:44 So how did 10 years, if you will, even though some of it was less active, but how did 10 years in the military help prepare you for public speaking and what you're doing today? Kijuan Amey ** 59:56 Oh, wow. I mean, well, first off, like I told you, the resilience coaching. Mm. Um, that's part of it, and that's all they used to talk about in the military, being resilient. We used to have, like, a training, I think it was every year, is it every year or twice a year, or something like that, but we used to have training on that stuff. Um, speaking, I I never really wanted to be a public speaker. I'll be honest. Um, I do have to stay that, say, say that, because I was not one who wanted to be in the spotlight. But if the spotlight found me, I'm okay with it. You know that that's that's what I was okay with. If it found me, that's fine, but I'm not trying to take over it. Don't put it on me, shine that light somewhere else and so, but what happened with that? Okay, yes, I took, I was in college for a while, and I did take a public speaking class with the instructor. Upgrade. You have to do public speaking, because you have to give presentations going through the pre training and the actual training, the certification training. So those were different. And also the the group sizes were different. Size you might be talking to one person you might be talking to an auditorium full. Mm, hmm. So there, there was that. And, you know? So these different things, I speak for different things at my church, you know? And so it started to kind of snowball again. Different things were building me up to that point, and as I got and you'll, you'll appreciate this here, as I got into my vision, or the eyesight loss, I understood that I have a superpower. Now, yeah, and I know people like a superpower. What are you talking about, man? So I can't see you so the the looks on your faces don't affect me, the fact that I'm looking at, or supposedly looking at, engaging an audience of one to 10 to 100 to even 1500 because I have spoken to over 1500 people before, it does not affect me, yeah? And that is like us to me, my superpower now. So that's how I've changed all of this to be fitting for me. Yeah, Michael Hingson ** 1:02:32 yeah. Well, so let me ask you this. We've been doing this for a while, but I want to ask you one more question. Other people are certainly going through challenges. They're experiencing difficulties in their lives, and maybe some life altering kinds of situations. What kind of advice would you give them? Kijuan Amey ** 1:02:54 Oh, the first one I can easily give you don't give up, and it's easily easy to give, but it's not easy to do. So I do have to say that you but if you keep that in the back of your mind, don't give up and you keep saying that to yourself, make it an affirmation. Put it on your vision board, put it in as a reminder in your phone, whatever you need to keep you grounded in that concept of, don't give up. And so that's one thing I would say. And for myself, I say this a lot, my situation, whether it's me being blind, me being having a traumatic brain injury, me having emotional, you know, flare ups, spinal cord issues or lack of mobility, what, whatever it is my situation that doesn't define who I am. I define who I am. Michael Hingson ** 1:03:56 So that's what I'll leave people with. And that is so true for everyone. Your your conditions don't define you. You've defined you, and you can choose how you want to be defined. Which gets back to, don't let your sight get in the way of your vision. Yep. Well, key one, I want to thank you for being here. I hope that people take this to heart, and I hope it will generate more business for you, if people want to reach out to you, maybe for coaching or for speaking and so on. How do they do that? Yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 1:04:33 and I appreciate you saying that. So again, you can go to my website. That's Amey, motivation.com A, M, E, y, motivation.com you can also find my book on there. So don't focus on why me from motorcycle accident to miracle. You can also go on Amazon, Kindle Apple books as well as audible to find my book as well. So I do have audio versions out there for those who like to listen to their book. Books and for speaking engagements, feel free to click that book me link you can speak book me for a convention or conference or an event, a gala, high school, college, whatever you want me to come speak for. Come get me because I am all over it. Michael Hingson ** 1:05:18 How many speaking events do you do a year. Kijuan Amey ** 1:05:21 I don't count. Okay, if I try to count, Michael Hingson ** 1:05:24 you know what I mean? I know the feeling, yeah, Kijuan Amey ** 1:05:27 I just do Hey, hey. That's, I think that's what Nike said. Just do it, man. Michael Hingson ** 1:05:31 Yeah, exactly right. Well, Kijuan, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you who are out there listening or watching. Really, we're grateful that you're here. I hope that what we've talked about today not only inspires you, but it gives you some good life thoughts that you can go use. Because certainly, everything that we got to discuss today is relevant, not just if you are having a challenge in your life, but it's something that is important for all of us. Life lessons like these don't grow on trees, and I hope that you'll enjoy them and use them. Reach out to key one. I'd love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michael H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at access, A, B, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O, n.com/podcast, love you to please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We love your reviews and your thoughts, so please do that, and as I also love to do, and that is to ask you, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on this podcast. And Kijuan you as well, love to get your thoughts. Feel free to reach out, introduce us to anyone who you think ought to be a guest. We're always looking for more people who want to come on and and share their stories and help us all become more unstoppable than we think we are. But again, really appreciate your time today, everyone and Kiju, especially you. Thanks for being here. This has been wonderful. Kijuan Amey ** 1:07:15 Thank you again. I really appreciate you having me on to tell my story. Michael Hingson ** 1:07:22 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.
This week, we're honored to welcome Kijuan Amey, a resilient Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, and author of “Don't Focus on Why Me.” Raised in Durham, North Carolina, Kijuan's adventurous spirit and drive led him to serve as an in-flight fueling specialist in the United States Air Force, and to pursue entrepreneurial and academic goals. But everything changed in an instant when a motorcycle accident left him blind and facing a long, difficult recovery.Kijuan takes us on a powerful journey through his transformation from independent achiever to someone forced to confront unimaginable loss—and ultimately, to a passionate advocate for overcoming adversity. He shares the pivotal moment in his hospital bed when, after questioning “Why me?”, he found a new sense of purpose and faith, choosing not to let his accident define him. Instead, Kijuan embraced his love of music, especially drumming, as a source of healing and self-expression, and discovered new ways to participate fully in life.In this episode, we explore the depths of resilience, the importance of community and faith, and how Kijuan's story inspires others to move beyond a victim mindset. Through vulnerability and humor, he reveals how he rebuilt his life, found meaning in empowering others who feel lost, and continues to break barriers as a speaker, coach, and adaptive athlete. Join us for an uplifting conversation about finding strength in the face of darkness, redefining what's possible, and living with intention—no matter the challenges life brings.
In this powerful new episode, Izzy sits down with Kijuan Amey, motivational speaker, resilience coach, and founder of No Sight, No Excuses, to unpack what it really means to lose your sight but gain a whole new vision. After a life-changing accident that left him blind, Kijuan didn't just survive; he redefined his purpose. This conversation dives straight into the tension between cultural programming and spiritual clarity. Why do so many men walk around seeing everything but planning nothing? Why do we chase status and strength instead of vision and peace? Kijuan breaks down how trauma shaped his identity, what therapy taught him that motivation couldn't, and why he no longer performs for approval. This is about vision that builds legacy, not just sight that chases clout. Izzy and Kijuan explore what it means to navigate dark days without pretending you're okay, how spiritual discipline can sharpen your mental health, and why some of us keep repeating the same patterns because it's all we know. There's wisdom here for the man still mad about his story, the man still waiting on clarity, and the man who knows he can't keep going in circles. If you've ever asked, “Am I building with vision or just surviving with sight?” this episode is for you. Because when God takes something from you, He often replaces it with something better — if you're willing to see it.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/p-s-a-the-mental-health-podcast--5520511/support.
Get ready to be inspired! Meet Kijuan Amey, the unstoppable force behind Amey Motivation. Kijuan served in the US Air Force and faced life-changing adversity after losing his eyesight. Kijuan's story is one of true resilience and unwavering vision.In this episode, discover how Kijuan turned a tragic motorcycle accident that caused a skull fracture and broke his back and both legs, which led to a TBI and blindness. He is now turning that tragedy into fuel for a mission to uplift others. As a veteran, mentor, drummer, actor, and author of the upcoming book Don't Focus on Why Me, Kijuan proves that you can lose your sight but never your vision for life.If you're ready to break through obstacles and unlock your greatest potential, this is the story you need to hear today.kijuan@ameymotivation.comHit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE to spread this message of hope and transformation!Over 90% of viewers aren't subscribed! Be sure to hit that Subscribe button, folks!#KijuanAmey #AmeyMotivation #MotivationalSpeaker #VeteranInspiration #OvercomingAdversity #BlindVeteran #DontFocusOnWhyMe #Resilience #Inspiration #transformyourlife #nuggetsofhope #letfearbounce www.kimlenglingauthor.comAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kimlenglingGoodReads: https://bit.ly/4lHUlMlLet Fear Bounce: @LetfearbounceSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tLAznvUG8hVVsTXdvTMTk?si=a828003ace2b4a9fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-fear-bounce/id1541906455Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letfearbouncepodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlylengling/XInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenglingauthor/X (Twitter): https://x.com/KimLenglingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@klengling?lang=en
Today, on Notable Leaders' Radio, I speak with Kijuan Amey, Chief Motivation Officer of Amey Motivation LLC. He highlights his extraordinary journey living his dream of working in the Air Force to an accident that changed him forever. He shares how redefining his life through resilience, faith, and the power of vulnerability, gave him what he needed to thrive again. In today's episode, we discuss: Reframe vulnerability as a source of strength. Embrace open self-expression and honesty about your struggles. This can foster healing, help you confront past pain, and empower both yourself and others. Acknowledge and address mental health openly. Recognize the reality of emotional struggles, such as depression after trauma. Seeking support and being transparent about difficulties can reduce stigma and provide relief. Remind yourself that setbacks do not define you. Internalize the mantra, “my situation does not define who I am.” Use this belief to separate your identity from your circumstances and maintain hope for your future. Appreciate the hidden lessons in adversity. Understand that challenges during childhood or unexpected setbacks build resilience and self-reliance. Apply this mindset to reframe today's difficulties as opportunities for growth. RESOURCES: Guest Bio From serving in the US Air Force to becoming a CEO, mentor, and bestselling author, Kijuan's journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Born and raised in Durham, NC, he's a true testament to the power of determination and perseverance. - Serving 10 years in the Air Force, advancing to the rank of Staff Sergeant. - Former Vice President for the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association. - Mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. - A talented drummer with 25+ years of experience. -On-stage actor. - Author of the bestseller, "Don't Focus on Why Me." In a life-altering moment on May 5th, 2017, he lost his eyesight in a motorcycle accident. But as Kijuan says, "I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision." Now, Kijuan is a motivating force, empowering others to overcome odds and achieve success. No matter the audience or location, he's ready for the task, from captivating crowds of 1,500 to one-on-one sessions, he is now the chief motivational officer of Amey Motivation LLC. Website/Social Links: ♦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kijuan-amey-783889121?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app ♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey?igsh=NmZtNHRqbW1meWNy&utm_source=qr ♦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bq7zzDeV5/?mibextid=wwXIfr Belinda's Bio: Belinda Pruyne is a renowned Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach, Consultant, and Keynote Speaker recognized for her ability to transform executives, professionals, and small business owners into highly respected, influential leaders. As the Founder of BelindaPruyne.com, she partners with top-tier organizations, including IBM, Booz Allen Hamilton, BBDO, Hilton, Leidos, Yale School of Medicine, Landis, Discovery Channel, and the Portland Trail Blazers. Recently, she led the redesign of two global internal advertising agencies for Cella, a leader in creative staffing and consulting. She is also a founding C-suite and executive management coach for Chief, the fastest-growing executive women's network. A thought leader in leadership development, Belinda is the creator and host of the Notable Leaders Radio podcast, where she has conducted 95+ interviews with top executives and business leaders, revealing the untold stories behind their success. Previously, as Executive Vice President, Global Director of Creative Management at Grey Advertising, she oversaw a global team of 500 professionals, gaining deep expertise in client services and executive leadership. With 25+ years of experience, Belinda is a trusted advisor to startups, turnarounds, acquisitions, and Fortune 500 companies, delivering strategic, high-impact solutions in today's fast-evolving business landscape. Website: Belindapruyne.com Email Address: hello@belindapruyne.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindapruyne Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NotableLeadersNetwork.BelindaPruyne/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/belindapruyne?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belindapruyne/
In this inspiring episode of Save Our Sisters Unplugged, we welcome Kijuan Amey, a U.S. Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, and founder of Amey Motivation, who shares how a tragic motorcycle accident in 2017 changed the course of his life—but not his vision.Now blind, but more focused than ever, Kijuan talks candidly about:• The moment that changed everything• Healing emotionally as a man• The role women played in his recovery• Creating safe spaces for male vulnerability• His upcoming book, Don't Focus on Why MeThis episode highlights the significance of resilience, purpose, and faith, offering valuable insights for women who want to better support the men in their lives during challenging times.✨ Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more raw and real conversations!
#ActorLife is a podcast for every actor. It doesn't matter where you are in your career; we've all experienced highs and lows and this podcast aims not only to demystify acting and this industry, but to leave listeners encouraged that no two stories are the same. Everyone is on their own journey. Follow and Subscribe below: Website Instagram TikTok
All was good in the life of Kijuan Amey of Durham, NC. He had an exciting job as an Air Force in-flight refueling specialist, advancing to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was finishing his bachelor's degree with a 3.87 GPA, played semipro football, had a girlfriend, played the drums, had started a company doing website design and social media marketing for businesses, owned a sweet 2014 Dodge Charger with a Hemi V8, and was active in his church. All at the age of 25. He also enjoyed relaxing takes drives on his Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. On the fateful day on May 5, 2017, a Honda Accord, in broad daylight, inexplicably pulled out in front of Kijuan and his motorcycle, striking and almost killing him. The long list of injuries included shattering bones in his lower right leg, left hip and femur, and lower vertebrae, a fractured skull, a broken jaw, and a torn lower eyelid that caused his eye to pop out. Kijuan was in a coma for a month, and when he awoke in the hospital, he had no idea that he'd even been in an accident, only that he couldn't see, and with his jaw wired shut, couldn't ask anyone, either. He thought he was in some sort of a nightmare, not reality. Can you imagine trying to process that in your mind? Kijuan faced arduous months of physical and mental rehab, including dealing with the permanent loss of his sight. He'll probably never know why the driver pulled out like that. However, Kijuan is too young and ambitious to be held down, so what you are going to hear in this episode is Kijaun's inspiring battle back and determination to make a difference. His motto is that he may have lost his sight, but not his vision. He is a motivating force and is empowering others to success. He has been called the “Excuse Destroyer,” because he hasn't let this rough incident hold him back and wants to make sure others don't hold themselves back, either. He's out there motivational speaking, and you can book him at ameymotivation.com, where you can also hear him playing the drums to what I think are awesomely soulful tunes. After listening to this incredible story, I highly recommend reading his soon-to-be-bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle,” which is a quick, yet uplifting read that you can find both on his website and on Amazon.Kijuan Ameyameymotivation.comkijuan@ameymotivation.comFacebook Amey MotivationInstagram @kijuanameyLinkedIn Kijuan AmeyYouTube @Story_OfSuccessBill Stahlsilly_billy@msn.comFacebook Bill StahlInstagram and Threads @stahlor and @we_are_superman_podcastYouTube We Are Superman PodcastSubscribe to the We Are Superman Newsletter!https://mailchi.mp/dab62cfc01f8/newsletter-signupSubscribe to our Substack for my archive of articles of coaching tips developed from my more than three decades of experience, wild and funny stories from my long coaching career, the wit and wisdom of David, and highlights of some of the best WASP episodes from the past that I feel are worthwhile giving another listen.Search either We Are Superman Podcast or @billstahl8
In this episode of ELI, we sit down with Amey Naik, co-founder of 'I', a homegrown, AI-powered social media application aiming to create a unique space in the Indian market.Amey shares his journey from working in service-based and product-based companies like Capgemini and Salesforce to taking the entrepreneurial leap. He delves into the origin story of 'I', a platform that combines the best of social media with innovative AI features.Discover what sets 'I' apart from giants like Instagram and Facebook, from its AI face and video swap tools to the unique 'iCoins' system that rewards users for engagement, and a 'Family Tree' feature that brings a new dimension to social networking. Amey also discusses the rise of "Social OTT" and the future of vertical, short-form video content.Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities of building a social media platform for India, the strategy behind acquiring over 1.5 lakh users in a year, and the vision for creating a seamless ecosystem for creators, brands, and users.Chapters(00:00) Intro(00:33) Amey Naik's Background Before Entrepreneurship(02:07) The Origin Story of 'I' - An AI-Powered Social Media App(03:49) How 'I' Differentiates from Instagram and Facebook(05:26) AI Tools, Face Swaps, and Family Tree Feature(06:58) Why Will 'I' Succeed in the Indian Market?(08:08) What is Social OTT?(10:24) How 'I' Acquired 1.5 Lakh Users in One Year(14:40) The iCoins Concept: Incentivizing Content Consumption(16:42) A Deep Dive into the AI Features of 'I'(21:47) Thoughts on AI-Generated Content and Deepfakes(24:35) The Rise of Vertical Content and Social OTT(29:37) The Future Vision for 'I': A Platform for Brands and Creators(34:24) Why Hasn't India Produced a Global Social Media Platform?(38:16) Why Amey is Confident About the Success of 'I'(40:48) Closing Thoughts on Data Sovereignty and Indian Tech
“Don't let your situation define who you are. You define who you are.”Today's guest, Kijuan Amey, is a dynamic speaker, author, and advocate for resilience. He shares how a motorcycle accident that nearly took his life became the catalyst for growth and why he's so passionate about helping others win in life's lessons.In a moment, his entire life changed (as it sometimes does), and he learned some invaluable lessons in guiding himself–and now countless others–through it. Listen in for a harrowing and inspirational story from a man who may have lost his sight, but didn't lose his vision. —Kijuan Amey, founder of Amey Motivation, is a dynamic speaker and advocate for resilience. Born and raised in Durham, NC, he graduated from Southern High School before serving a decade in the U.S. Air Force as an In-flight Refueling Specialist, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. After being medically retired, he pursued higher education and established Amey Motivation LLC to inspire others. Kijuan has served as the vice president of the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association and is a dedicated mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. With over 25 years of drumming experience, on-stage acting, and his book, Don't Focus on Why Me, his talents extend far beyond the stage. On May 5, 2017, a motorcycle accident took his eyesight, but not his vision. Embracing his journey, Kijuan empowers audiences with his story of perseverance. Whether speaking to thousands or engaging in intimate discussions, he is a catalyst for transformation, ready to inspire and uplift. For speaking engagements, contact Kijuan at (919) 641-8150 or kijuan@ameymotivation.com. You can also connect with him on all social platforms by searching his name, Kijuan Amey.
The Artistic Director and Founder of Improv Training Hub, Amey was the Artistic Director of E-MPROV.com, produced and hosted Indie Cage Match at UCB Theatre East Village from 2011-2016.She started at UCB NY in 2001. You can see her work on ucbcomedy.com, Funny or Die, The Food Network, IFC Channel and YouTube. Amey moved to LA in 2016 and taught improv at MI Westside Comedy in Los Angeles. Currently, she is the Training Center Director and Co-Creative Director at Chaos Bloom Theater in Denver.She performed at Westside Comedy every month in Improv Famous, Women Aren't Funny and the Faculty Show.She has been on a million teams like Lucy, Krompf, Wicked Fuckin Queeah, Spoiled Space Monkeys, and so many more across the country.Amey has directed and/or coached more than 500 improv and sketch teams across the country. She also teaches teams online. Don't miss this one! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rob Robinson hosts the "Philosophy from the Frontline" podcast, exploring the intersection of philosophy, entrepreneurship, and veteran transition.In episode 101, he interviews Kijuan Amey, a former military member who transitioned from active duty to the reserves due to burnout and poor treatment. Kijuan Amey shares his background, including his desire to pursue engineering but being rejected by North Carolina A&T. He joined the Air Force, specializing in in-flight refueling, and experienced multiple deployments. A motorcycle accident in 2017 led to his medical discharge, but he transitioned to resilience coaching and motivational speaking, founding Amey Motivation. He also authored a book about his accident.As mentioned in the podcast: Amey Motivation - Motivational Speaker - https://ameymotivation.comKijuan's Book - https://a.co/d/5C1dSVrDisclaimer: The content of the "Philosophy From the Front Line" podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This podcast does not offer legal, financial, or professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult appropriate professionals before making decisions based on the content presented. "Philosophy From the Front Line" assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content or for actions taken based on the information provided during the podcast episodes. Fair Use Statement: This podcast may contain copyrighted material not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. "Philosophy From the Front Line" is making such material available to educate, inform, and provide commentary under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. copyright law (Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act). We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as it is:Used for non-commercial, educational, or research purposes.Critically analyzed, reviewed, or discussed.Used in a transformative way that adds new meaning or message to the original work.If you own any content used and believe it infringes on your copyright, please contact us directly, and we will address the matter promptly.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/philosophy-from-the-front-line--4319845/support.
Meet the visionary behind Amey Motivation, Kijuan Amey former United States Airforce in-flight refueling specialist. Kijuan is also a mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors, an accomplished drummer, on -stage actor, and now author of the best seller book "Don't Focus on Why Me". On May 5, 2017, Kijuan was involved in a motorcycle accident that among other things claimed his vision. As Kijuan states, " I may have lost my sight, bit I did not lose my vision". Now armed with an inspiring story of overcoming adversity, Kijuan has become a motivational force and joins the podcast with host Ron Rapaport to empower and prove to others that reaching their highest potential and dreams are within their reach. Sponsors: Robert Christophor Coppes,, Author of "Impressions of Near-Death Experiences" Jennifer Cramer-Miller, Author of ""Incurable Optimist Living with Illness and Chronic Hope" Rare Patient Voice-click link to register https://rarepatientvoice.com/Itsawrapwithrap Hero Soap Company-Use Code RAP for a 10% discount https://www.herosoapcompany.com Links: https://ameymotivation.com https://itsawrapwithrap.com
Survivor to Thriver Show: Transform Your Fear Into Freedom with Samia Bano
Want to learn the #keystoresilience after suffering life-altering trauma? Listen now to this interview with Kijuan Amey, #Author and #ResilienceCoach to learn how Kijuan turned his #painintopurpose, and now helps others do the same!About Kijuan:Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his#ResilienceJourney and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, hededicated a decade of his life to the #USAirForce, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as anIn-flight Refueling Specialist. Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning adegree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Formerly served as the vice president for theCarolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association, Kijuan is also a mentor andambassador for the Air Force #woundedwarriorproject. Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, on-stage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me.” However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, “I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose myvision.”Now armed with an inspiring story of #overcomingadversity, Kijuan has become amotivational force, empowering others to reach their #highestpotential. Whetheraddressing a crowd of 1,500 or engaging in one-on-one sessions, Kijuan is well-equippedfor any speaking engagement. He's not just a speaker; he's a catalyst for transformation,ready for the task ahead! Contact him at (919) 641-8150 | kijuan@ameymotivation.com |AmeyMotivation.com#WhyNotMe #FromTraumaToTriumph #LiveUnfiltered #FaithOverFear #SpeakYourTruth #TruthHeals #BreakTheSilence #MentalHealthAwareness #VulnerabilityIsStrength #KeepSeekingHelp #SurvivorSupport #TruthTelling #DontGiveUp #SpiritualHealing #DivinePurpose #PurposeThroughService #ServeWithLove #FaithAndPurpose #LiveToServe #liveyourbestlife _____________________________________ABOUT SAMIA:Samia Bano is the #HappinessExpert, author, speaker, podcaster & coach for coaches and healers. Samia is most known for her book, 'Make Change Fun and Easy' and her #podcast of the same name. With the help of her signature Follow Your Heart Process™, a unique combination of #PositivePsychology and the #spiritual wisdom of our most effective #ChangeMakers, Samia helps you overcome #LimitingBeliefs, your chains of fear, to develop a #PositiveMindset and create the impact and income you desire with fun and ease…Samia's advanced signature programs include the Happiness 101 Class and the Transformative Action Training.Samia is also a Certified #ReikiHealer and Crisis Counselor working to promote #MentalHealthAwareness.Samia models #HeartCenteredLeadership and business that is both #SociallyResponsible and #EnvironmentallyFriendly.Samia is a practicing #Muslim with an inter-spiritual approach. As someone who has a love and appreciation for diversity, she is a #BridgeBuilder between people of different faiths and cultures. Although Samia currently lives in California, USA, she has lived in 3 other countries and speaks Hindi, Urdu, and English fluently. Want to learn even more about Samia? Visit www.academyofthriving.com :)To Book your Free HAPPINESS 101 EXPLORATION CALL with Samia, click: https://my.timetrade.com/book/JX9XJ
Want to learn the #keystoresilience after suffering life-altering trauma?Listen now to this interview with Kijuan Amey, #Author and #ResilienceCoach to learn how Kijuan turned his #painintopurpose, and now helps others do the same!About Kijuan:Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his journey of resilience and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, he dedicated a decade of his life to the #USAirForce, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as an In-flight Refueling Specialist.Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning a degree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Formerly served as the vice president for the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association, Kijuan is also a mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program.Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, on-stage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me.”However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, “I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision.”Now armed with an inspiring story of #overcomingadversity, Kijuan has become a motivational force, empowering others to reach their #highestpotential. Whether addressing a crowd of 1,500 or engaging in one-on-one sessions, Kijuan is well-equipped for any speaking engagement. He's not just a speaker; he's a catalyst for transformation, ready for the task ahead! Contact him at (919) 641-8150 | kijuan@ameymotivation.com |AmeyMotivation.com#WhyNotMe #FromTraumaToTriumph #ResilienceJourney #LiveUnfiltered #FaithOverFear #SpeakYourTruth #TruthHeals #BreakTheSilence #MentalHealthAwareness #VulnerabilityIsStrength #KeepSeekingHelp #SurvivorSupport #TruthTelling #DontGiveUp #SpiritualHealing #DivinePurpose #PurposeThroughService #ServeWithLove #FaithAndPurpose #LiveToServe #liveyourbestlife_____________________________________ABOUT SAMIA:Samia Bano is the #HappinessExpert, author, speaker, podcaster & coach for coaches and healers. Samia is most known for her book, 'Make Change Fun and Easy' and her #podcast of the same name. With the help of her signature Follow Your Heart Process™, a unique combination of #PositivePsychology and the #spiritual wisdom of our most effective #ChangeMakers, Samia helps you overcome #LimitingBeliefs, your chains of fear, to develop a #PositiveMindset and create the impact and income you desire with fun and ease…Samia's advanced signature programs include the Happiness 101 Class and the Transformative Action Training.Samia is also a Certified #ReikiHealer and Crisis Counselor working to promote #MentalHealthAwareness.Samia models #HeartCenteredLeadership and business that is both #SociallyResponsible and #EnvironmentallyFriendly.Samia is a practicing #Muslim with an inter-spiritual approach. As someone who has a love and appreciation for diversity, she is a #BridgeBuilder between people of different faiths and cultures. Although Samia currently lives in California, USA, she has lived in 3 other countries and speaks Hindi, Urdu, and English fluently. Want to learn even more about Samia? Visit www.academyofthriving.com :)To Book your Free HAPPINESS 101 EXPLORATION CALL with Samia, click: https://my.timetrade.com/book/JX9XJ
One moment changed everything.A motorcycle accident left Air Force veteran Kijuan “Kiwi” Jones blind, battered, and full of questions. But not for long.He didn't just survive—he thrived.In this episode of Persistence U with Lizbeth, Kiwi shares how he built a new life through faith, therapy, and fierce determination—and even wrote a book: Don't Focus on Why Me. https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/1737036614Connect with Kiwi at https://ameymotivation.com/#ThrivingNotJustSurviving #BlindMotivator #KiwanJones #resilienceandcourage #airforce #blindLizbeth's links Want to comment on the show? Connect at Lizbeth's author/podcast Facebook page Wanting great guests for your podcast, or to be a great guest on someone else's show? Join PodMatch here! Lizbeth's memoir Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters can be ordered where books are sold, and is now a TV movie, #Stolen By Their Father on Lifetime.Lizbeth's second book, Grounded in Grit: Turn Your Challenges Into Superpowers is available to order wherever books are sold! Tilka Faces the Odds, One Man at a Time, new release novel https://books2read.com/u/4j760X Sign up to stay in the know on Lizbeth's latest podcast episodes, books, and appearances at https://lameredith.com
Could you imagine waking up without being able to see? Or talk?In this episode, I interview Kijuan Amey, who was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized and unable to see, talk, or walk. We dive deep into the raw reality of recovery: the mindset, the struggle, and what it really takes to rebuild—physically and mentally—after everything changes.In this episode, we discuss:How the school system failed him, but he pivoted How he got into the Air ForceThe one motorcycle ride that changed his life foreverWaking up without being able to see or speakThe shift from “Why me” to “Why not me”How he brought positivity and excitement to his occupational therapyHis new exciting ambition of public speaking competitionsThis one is vulnerable, powerful, and packed with real-life insight for anyone who's ever had to start over.Find more from Kijuan AmeyLinked in/Facebook Kijuan AmeyOn Instagram @KijuanAmeyhttps://ameymotivation.com/ Find more from Rhyland On Instagram/TikTok/YouTube: @rqtrainingnutrition Twitter: @QuallyRhyland https://x.com/QuallyRhyland
A freewheeling and an emotionally charged conversation between Omar, Poulasta and Amey on Operation Sindoor.
When life suddenly changes, it can feel like everything is falling apart. You might wonder, Where do I find the strength to keep going? Resilience is about finding that courage inside yourself to face the hardest moments and keep moving forward no matter what. In this episode of Actions Antidotes, we are joined by Kijuan Amey, founder of Amey Motivation—a U.S. Air Force veteran, speaker, author, and resilience coach who shares his powerful story of resilience following a life-changing motorcycle accident. Kijuan recounts his background in the Air Force, his transition to civilian life, and the fateful day in May 2017 that altered his life's trajectory. He discusses the immediate aftermath of his accident, the extensive medical procedures and recovery process, and how he overcame the physical and emotional challenges to regain his sense of self-worth and purpose. Kijuan's journey from being in a medically induced coma to becoming a motivational speaker and author of Don't Focus on Why Me offers valuable lessons on resilience, the importance of a supportive mindset, and finding direction after a dramatic life event. If you've ever faced a major setback or want to build your ability to bounce back from life's ups and downs, this episode is for you. --- Listen to the podcast here: Resilience and Triumph: Overcoming Life-Altering Challenges with Kijuan Amey Welcome to Action's Antidotes, your antidote to the mindset that keeps you settling for less. Today, I want to talk to you all about resilience, and resilience can mean a lot of different things, but if you go about your life long enough, eventually, you'll have some sort of event, some sort of event happen to you, whether it be something like losing a job, losing a key family member, losing a good friend, and, in this particular case, an accident that can happen anytime you're going about your day to day life that can really change your life's trajectory. My guest today is Kijuan Amey and he has a story about an accident as well and his resilience around it. He is an Air Force veteran and a motivational speaker. --- Kijuan, welcome to the program. Thank you so much for having me here, Stephen. I truly appreciate you having me on to speak about my story on your platform. Well, thank you for your willingness to share your story with my audience. I know we're all trying to be better people in one way or another or trying to achieve something, and it is a real big deal when something specific happens to you, so tell us a little bit about where your story begins. This was May 5, 2017. I was, at the time, in the United States Air Force Reserve. I did four years active and I said, “I'm done with this.” I wanted to get away from that lifestyle, shall I say. And I think I made the best choice for me, personally. Other people, they love the active duty world, but I made the best decision for my life, and then not only just to be a reservist but to also go to school full time so I was pursuing my bachelor's degree because I also wanted to become a pilot ultimately, and the job that I was doing in the Air Force was in-flight refueling and that's where you refuel planes in midair. Amazing. To me, hands down, I think the best enlisted job I've ever heard. I don't care what anybody says. So just amazing to see another plane fly up to you, right behind you as you're flying in the air and you can refuel them, and I just call it a flying gas station, basically. So, quickly, how did that work? Because I'm trying to picture it in my head now, the idea that one plane is flying and another one is kind of coming up. Does someone have to actually jump out of the airplane and connect it the way we fill up our cars at the gas station? Yeah, no, if we had army guys on the plane, we would make them do that. But, no, we don't do that. Okay. Yeah, no, so we have this thing we call the boom and what you do is you lower it,
How do you rebuild your life when it feels like everything's been taken from you? After a devastating motorcycle accident left Kijuan Amey blind and battling a traumatic brain injury, he chose resilience, humor, and healing over despair. Kijuan opens up about the moment everything shifted and how he found purpose on the other side. His book, 'Don't Focus on Why Me,' serves as a testament to his journey and a source of inspiration for others facing challenges.3 Key Takeaways:You Are More Than Your LabelsKijuan refuses to let blindness, brain injury, or PTSD define him. His message is clear: “Don't let your situation define who you are—you define who you are.”Therapy Comes in Many FormsFrom music therapy to improv comedy, Kijuan has discovered healing through creative outlets. His passion for drumming and performing not only aids his recovery—it helps others heal too.Stories Save LivesEncouraged by friends and a deep sense of purpose, KiJuan wrote his memoir Don't Focus on Why Me. His powerful storytelling is a reminder that sharing your journey can help others feel seen, understood, and inspired to keep going.
In this powerful and emotionally candid episode of Martial Attitude Voice, Kijuan Amey joins Mathias Alberton to share his extraordinary story of survival and adaptation following a life-altering motorbike accident that left him blind and coping with a traumatic brain injury. Kijuan opens up about the deep and ongoing impact the accident had—not only on his physical abilities but also on his memory, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships.Through a conversation marked by honesty and vulnerability, Kijuan describes the daily challenges of navigating life with unfiltered emotional responses and short-term memory loss, and how these affect his sense of identity and connection with others. He offers listeners a raw insight into what it's like to feel misunderstood, to live with invisible impairments, and to work tirelessly at regaining control, one day at a time. This is a conversation about resilience, self-awareness, and the importance of empathy and, crucially, of the will to take actions to regain one's independence. Follow Kijuan on LINKEDIN and INSTAGRAMOrder Kijuan's book "Don't focus on why me" on AMAZON If you are visually impaired or blind, or if you know someone who is, and would like to take part to the series of Martial Attitude Voice podcast interviews exploring touch, confidence and blindness or if you would like to join in the Martial Attitude Training workshops now running in London every Sunday, please do keep in touch via Instagram or according to your communication preferences, all available HERE. Sincerely,Mathias AlbertonFounder CEO at Martial Attitude C.I.C.BPS trainee Sport Psychologist MSc in Applied Sport Psychology at St. Mary's University, Twickenham, London, UK.
Welcome to the sixth episode of the fourth season of the Perseverance Podcast. This is where you will hear the story of Kijuan Amey, a man who grew up to become a refueling specialist in the Air Force. His life was going well, and he had the career of his dreams. But after a life-threatening motorcycle accident, Kijaun was forced into retirement after serving over ten years in the Air Force. Then Kijaun began the grueling years of physical and emotional therapy just to walk and learn how to be self-sufficient all over again. Now Kijaun uses his struggles and his faith to encourage others to never give up after life throws you a curve. After hearing Kijaun's story of learning to live again not by sight, I hope you too can feel encouraged to persevere as you go through your own difficult experiences.If you would like to be a guest on this podcast, email me at info@perseverancepodcast.comFor more information, go to www.deafblindpotter.comTo donate to the See Me Cane, go to www.seemecane.com or for tax deductible donation purposes go to www.lblf.orgFor Living Beyond Challenges membership information, go to www.member.deafblindpotter.comTo support the DeafBlind Potter School for people with disabilities, go to www.school.deafblindpotter.comKijuan's Social Media Accounts and Contacthttps://ameymotivation.com/https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey/https://www.facebook.com/kijuan.ameyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Story_OfSuccessKijaun's BookDon't Focus on Why Me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miraclehttps://a.co/d/e8CMG3UMy Social Media AccountsFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/deafblindpotter?view_public_for=103433621651670InstagramDeafBlind Potter- https://www.instagram.com/deafblindpotter/See Me Cane- https://www.instagram.com/seemecaneproject/ TikTokDeafBlind Potter- https://www.tiktok.com/@deafblindpotterSee Me Cane- https://www.tiktok.com/@seemecaneprojectYouTubeDeafBlind Potter- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoESy9-tS5BEL9AqJ6dOu9ASee Me Cane- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0VJLOJCwsAqO0YW6U04dOgDeafBlind Potter School and Documentaryhttps://www.school.deafblindpotter.comhttps://www.nowness.com/series/craft-work/deafblind-potter-kelvin-crosby
“My situation does not define who I am, I define who I am!” You're going to love Episode 60 of the 'Transformation Starts Today' podcast with Kijuan Amey. Here's some background about Kijuan: Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his journey of resilience and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, he dedicated a decade of his life to the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as an In-flight Refueling Specialist. Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning a degree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, on-stage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, “Don't Focus on Why Me.” However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, “I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision.” Now armed with an inspiring story of overcoming adversity, Kijuan has become a motivational force, empowering others to reach their highest potential. Here are some ways to connect with Kijuan: AmeyMotivation.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kijuanamey Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kijuan-amey-783889121/ 'Don't Focus On Why Me' Book: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/1737036614/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16Z5YOZY01IZZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cy94Jy2W4gXZHmmmRBKvDw.2r5hMSjyBZpROVxa_H7IfIbv5bb9BlS7jVHkR6JK1k0&dib_tag=se&keywords=kijuan+amey&qid=1745293716&sprefix=kijuan+ame%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1 Dr. Jamil Sayegh – Spiritual wisdom teacher, energy healer, life-transformation coach, integrative naturopathic physician Learn more about if or how I can help you: https://linktr.ee/drjamilsayegh
It was an absolute pleasure having Kijuan Amey as my guest on the Check Your Six Podcast today. Air Force veteran, business owner, author, speaker, musician and survivor of a horrific motorcycle accident back in 2017 that took his eyesight but did not take his vision. Kijuan or "Kiwi" as he likes to be addressed, called in and spent about an hour talking about his life that was on the fast track to excellence, suddenly derailed but the accident. We talked about his journey from waking up after the accident, the panic that sets in when you realize your life is forever changed. The support he received from his family, especially his Uncle Versal, the mindset that he needed to recognize the depression that was creeping in so that he would not be another veteran suicide statistic. "I am not here for you to look at me, I am here to connect with you" , "I lost my sight but I did not lose my vision", "music is me" are just some of his points that come from his book, "Don't Focus On Me- From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle". His story is amazing, his outlook is honest and refreshing and he was a blast to have on the show!!You can check out who his is on his website, https://ameymotivation.com/Email us at tim@grpstudios.com
"I am definetly more impactful because I am sharing it now." -Kijuan Amey Kijaun Amey was living his life to the fullest. With service to our country in the Air Force, an Entrepreneur running his first business, a Musician playing weekly and going to school full-time for an advanced degree-- Kijaun was working on every aspect of his life. A tragic motorcycle accident changed all that. He lost his sight. His body was crushed. His life was changed forever. Why does Kijaun have the outlook on life that he can and is doing more today? Because even with his lack of sight he grew his vision for how life can be led. He is sharing who he is and asking us to share who we are to make a greater impact on the world.
Kijuan Amey is an Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, drummer, and truly and inspiration to all. He is the author of the book “Don't Focus on Why Me” To find his social media links, and a link to get his book, visit his website: ameymotivation.com If you liked the show, help it grow! Leave a review and rate 5 stars on Apple Podcast, and Spotify!
Ralph speaks to Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank about the Trump Administration's path of destruction in our federal government. Then, Ralph welcomes legendary public interest lawyer Alan Morrison to discuss the President's authority to impose tariffs and other constitutional questions.Dana Milbank is a nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post. He also provides political commentary for various TV outlets, and he is the author of five books on politics, including the New York Times bestseller The Destructionists and the national bestseller Homo Politicus. His latest book is Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theories and Dunces who Burned Down the House.I shouldn't be amazed, but Mike Johnson never ceases to amaze me with the rapidity with which he'll just drop to his knees whenever Trump says something.Dana MilbankWe're going to know this shortly, but it does appear that Trump's honeymoon may be over in the House as the conservatives finally seem to be finding their backbones. But I've thought that might happen before and then only to find out that they, in fact, they could not locate their backbones. So I don't want to be premature.Dana MilbankTrump seems to be gambling (and the administration seems to be gambling) that ultimately the Supreme Court is going to a wholesale reinterpretation of the Constitution to grant these never-before-seen executive powers, and it's possible that he's right about that. We're not going to know that. There have been a couple of preliminary rulings that seem friendly to Trump, but none of those is final, so we can't really be sure of it.Dana MilbankMy guess is that Chief Justice Roberts is seeing his legacy heading toward the ditch after his decision of Trump v. United States, where he said that Presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted….My guess is he's going to unpleasantly surprise Trump in the coming months.Ralph NaderAlan Morrison is the Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest & Public Service at George Washington Law School. He currently teaches civil procedure and constitutional law, and previously taught at Harvard, NYU, Stanford, Hawaii, and American University law schools. He has argued 20 cases in the Supreme Court and co-founded the Public Citizen Litigation Group in 1972, which he directed for more than 25 years.It's inevitable that even for a non-economist like myself to understand that [the costs of tariffs] are going to be passed on. Other than Donald Trump, I don't think there's anybody who believes that these taxes are not going to be passed on and that they're going to be borne by the country from which the company did the exporting.Alan MorrisonIt's an uphill battle on both the statutory interpretation and the undue delegation grounds, but our position is rather simple: If the Congress doesn't write a statute so that there's something that the government can't order or do, then it's gone too far. In effect, it has surrendered to the President its power to set policy and do the legislative function. Interestingly, Trump has trumpeted the breadth of what he's doing here. He calls it a revolution. Well, if we have revolutions in this country, my copy of the Constitution says that the Congress has to enact revolution and the President can't do it on its own. So we think we've got a pretty strong case if we can get it to court.Alan MorrisonOne of the things that I've been struck by is that laws alone cannot make this country governable. That we can't write laws to cover every situation and every quirk that any person has, especially the President. We depend on the norms of government—that people will do things not exactly the way everybody did them before, but along the same general lines, and that when we make change, we make them in moderation, because that's what the people expect. Trump has shed all norms.Alan MorrisonNews 4/9/251. Our top story this week is the killing of Omar Mohammed Rabea, an American citizen in Gaza. Known as Amer, the BBC reports the 14-year-old was shot by the Israeli military along with two other 14-year-old boys “on the outskirts of Turmus Ayya” on Sunday evening. Predictably, the IDF called these children “terrorists.” According to NJ.com – Rabea formerly resided in Saddle Brook, New Jersey – Rabea's uncle sits on the board of a local Palestinian American Community Center which told the press “The ambulance was not allowed to pass the checkpoint for 30 minutes, a denial in medical treatment that ultimately resulted in Amer's death…[his] death was entirely preventable and horrifically unjust. He was a child, a 14-year-old boy, with an entire life ahead of him.” The Rachel Corrie Foundation, founded in honor of the American peace activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian home, issued a statement reading “Rabea's death…was perpetuated by Israeli settlers who act with impunity…We believe that if our own government demanded accountability…Rabea would still be alive.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi demanding an investigation, but chances of the Trump administration pursuing justice in this case are slim.2. Meanwhile, President Trump seems to be driving the U.S. economy into a deep recession. Following his much-publicized tariff announcement last week – which included 10% tariffs on uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands – the S&P dipped by 10.5%, among the largest drops in history, per the New York Times. Far from making Trump back off however, he appears dead set on pushing this as far as it will go. After the People's Republic of China responded to the threat of a 54% tariff with a reciprocal 34% tariff, Trump announced the U.S. will retaliate by upping the tariff to a whopping 104% on Chinese imports, according to the BBC. Reuters reports that JP Morgan forecasts a 60% chance of a recession as a result of these tariffs.3. In more foreign affairs news, on Friday April 4th, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially removed from office by that country's Constitutional Court, “ending months of uncertainty and legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December,” per CNN. The South Korean parliament had already voted to impeach Yoon in December of 2024. The court's decision was unanimous and characterized the leader's actions as a “grave betrayal of the people's trust.” Upon this ruling being handed down, Yoon was forced to immediately vacate the presidential residence. A new election is scheduled for June 3rd. Incredible what a political and judicial class unafraid to stand up to lawlessness can accomplish.4. Speaking of ineffectual opposition parties, one need look no further than Texas' 18th congressional district. This safe Democratic district – including most of central Houston – was held by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from 1995 until her death in 2024. According to the Texas Tribune, Lee planned to run yet again in 2024, triumphing over her 43-year-old former aide Amanda Edwards in the primary. However, Lee passed in July of 2024. Edwards again sought the nomination, but the Harris County Democratic Party instead opted for 69-year-old former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, per the Texas Tribune. Turner made it to March of 2025 before he too passed away. This seat now sits vacant – depriving the residents of central Houston of congressional representation and the Democrats of a vote in the House. Governor Gregg Abbot has announced that he will not allow a special election before November 2025, the Texas Tribune reports. This is a stunning Democratic own-goal and indicative of the literal death grip the gerontocratic old guard continue to have on the party.5. One ray of hope is that Democratic voters appear to be waking up the ineffectual nature of the party leadership. A new Data for Progress poll of the 2028 New York Senate primary posed a hypothetical matchup between incumbent Senator Chuck Schumer and Democratic Socialist firebrand Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – and found AOC with a staggering lead of 19 points. This poll showed AOC winning voters under 45 by 50 points, over 45s by eight points, non-college educated by 16 points, college educated by 23 points, Black and white voters by 16 points, and Latinos by 28. Schumer led among self-described “Moderates” by 15 and no other group. It remains to be seen whether the congresswoman from Queens will challenge the Senate Minority Leader, but this poll clearly shows her popularity in the state of New York, and Schumer's abysmal reputation catching up with him.6. Another bright spot from New York, is Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy and specifically his unprecedented field operation. According to the campaign, between April 1st and April 6th, volunteers knocked on 41,591 doors. No mayoral campaign in the history of the city has generated a grassroots movement of this intensity, with politicians traditionally relying on political machines or enormous war chests to carry them to victory. Mamdani has already reached the public financing campaign donation cap, so he can focus all of his time and energy on grassroots outreach. He remains the underdog against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, but his campaign appears stronger every day.7. Turning to the turmoil in the federal regulatory apparatus, POLITICO reports Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated the Freedom of Information Act offices at the Centers for Disease Control, and other HHS agencies. An anonymous source told the publication that HHS will consolidate its FOIA requests into one HHS-wide office, but “Next steps are still in flux.” In the meantime, there will be no one to fulfill FOIA requests at these agencies. This piece quotes Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, who said this “sends a wrong message to the public on the administration's commitment to transparency.” Amey added, “I often say that FOIA officers are like librarians in knowing the interactions of the agency…If you don't have FOIA officers with that specific knowledge, it will slow down the process tremendously.”8. At the Federal Trade Commission, Axios reports the Trump administration has “paused” the FTC's lawsuit against major pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, related to “the drug middlemen…inflating the price of insulin and driving up costs to diabetes patients.” The case, filed against CVS Caremark, OptumRx and Express Scripts was halted by the FTC in light of “the fact that there are currently no sitting Commissioners able to participate in this matter.” That is because Trump unlawfully fired the two remaining Democratic commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter. In a statement, former FTC Chair Lina Khan called this move “A gift to the PBMs.”9. One federal regulatory agency that seems to be at least trying to do their job is the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the American Prospect, the FAA has “[has] proposed [a] rule that would mandate Boeing update a critical communications malfunction in their 787 Dreamliner plane that could lead to disastrous accidents.” As this piece explains, “very high frequency (VHF) radio channels are transferring between the active and standby settings without flight crew input.” The FAA's recommendation in is that Boeing address the issue with an update to the radio software. Yet disturbingly, in one of the comments on this proposed rule Qatar Airways claims that, “[they have] already modified all affected…airplanes with … [the recommended software updates] …However … flight crew are still reporting similar issues.” This comment ends with Qatar Airways stating that they believe, “the unsafe condition still exists.” Boeing planes have been plagued by critical safety malfunctions in recent years, most notably the 2018 and 2019 crashes that killed nearly 350 people.10. Finally, on a somewhat lighter note, you may have heard about Bryan Johnson, the tech entrepreneur dubbed “The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.” Johnson has attracted substantial media attention for his unorthodox anti-aging methods, including regular transfusions of plasma from his own son. But this story is not about Johnson's bizarre immortality obsession, but rather his unsavory corporate practices. A new piece in New York Magazine focuses on the lawsuits filed against Johnson by his all-too-mortal workers, represented by eminent labor lawyer Matt Bruenig. This piece relays how Johnson “required his staffers to sign 20-page NDAs,” and an “opt-in” document which informed his employees they had to be comfortable “being around Johnson while he has very little clothing on” and “discussions for media production including erotica (for example, fan fiction including but not limited to story lines/ideas informed by the Twilight series and-or 50 Shades of Grey.)” Bruenig says, “That stuff is weird,” but his main interest is in the nondisparagement agreements, including the one Johnson's former employee and former fiancée Taylor Southern entered into which has further complicated an already thorny legal dispute between Johnson and herself. Now Bruenig is fighting for Southern and against these blanket nondisparagement agreements in a case that could help define the limits of employer's power to control their workers' speech. Hopefully, Bruenig will prevail in showing that Johnson, whatever his pretensions, truly is a mere mortal.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
Learn more about Kijuan and get links to all his socials here: https://ameymotivation.com/ In this powerful episode of the Brojo podcast, Dan Munro sits down with Kijuan Amey, a U.S. Air Force veteran whose life took a dramatic turn on May 5, 2017. At just 25 years old, Kijuan was thriving—building a career he loved, starting a business, and chasing his dream of becoming a pilot. But one tragic motorcycle accident changed everything, leaving him blind and with life-altering injuries. Rather than giving in to despair, Kijuan chose a different path: resilience. In this candid and inspiring conversation, he opens up about waking from a coma, discovering the truth about his condition, and facing the emotional and physical toll of starting over. From rock climbing and downhill skiing to public speaking and writing a book, Kijuan proves that limits are often self-imposed—and meant to be broken. His message is clear: don't focus on what you've lost—focus on what you can still do, and do it with everything you've got.
Kijuan Amey served in the United States Air Force until he sustained major polytraumatic injuries in a motorcycle accident. Now, he motivates others through his recovery journey and says that even though he lost his sight, he never lost his vision. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 177 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! Prepare to be inspired and get ready to share this episode with your network. This week, we introduce you to Kijuan Amey, the head of Amey Motivation. After a tragic accident in 2017, Kijuan found his true calling: serving others. Now a motivational speaker, mentor, and resilience coach, Kijuan joins Mark to discuss his accident, his recovery, his spiritual journey, and the profound response he received when he questioned God. Kijuan wants you to know that there IS life at the end of whatever tunnel you're going through. And to cap it all off, stay to the end to hear what Kijuan chose as his walk-up song. Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey! We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.
Kijuan Amey is an Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, drummer, and truly and inspiration to all. He is the author of the book “Don't Focus on Why Me” To find his social media links, and a link to get his book, visit his website: ameymotivation.com If you liked the show, help it grow! Leave a review and rate 5 stars on Apple Podcast, and Spotify!
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. But no one is talking about a different version of A.I. — AUTHENTIC Intelligence. Well, except Amey Lee from Heart Content. Today, she is showing us the power of human connection and how to create authentic messaging that AI just can't produce for you. With years of experience helping brands bring together story, strategy, and content, Amey's message is more important than ever before as we get bombarded by repetitive, non-human content every time we unlock our phones. What You'll Discover in this Episode: -> How the rise of A.I. has led to a serious lack of trust from our potential clients and customers — and what you can do to bring trust back into the picture. -> Why “authenticity” is just a buzzword if you don't back it up with action, and how you can implement a deliberate strategy to make your marketing more authentic. -> The 5 elements of Authentic Intelligence and how you use each one to hone your messaging and truly connect with your ideal customer. -> What Artificial Intelligence CAN'T do (a.k.a. originality, storytelling, and emotional connection), and how to teach yourself these skills. -> Find out the #1 struggle that women business owners have when it comes to authenticity in their brand. -> Why clarity and specificity matter more than ever before. -> How to use storytelling as a strategic tool (even if you THINK you don't have any relevant stories to tell). -> How to uphold your boundaries in an age where everything is being used as content — and why posting 3 x a day does NOT equal connection and authenticity. Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Network Waitlist -> Heart Content -> Join Amey's Brand Story Strategy Workshop
Jason and Tina Marie welcome Amy Greenaway, a passionate advocate for self-development and personal growth. The conversation dives deep into the importance of nurturing relationships and the transformative power of self-love and respect.Key Topics Discussed:- Introduction to Amy Greenaway and her journey in personal development.- The significance of self-love in fostering healthy relationships.- Insights on the Manifest Method framework used by Jason and Tina Marie to enhance relationship dynamics.- Amy's unique approach to her fertility journey and how it contrasts with conventional methods.- The impact of mindset on personal growth and relationship satisfaction.- Practical strategies for couples to improve communication and understanding.Highlights:- Amy shares her experiences and the lessons learned from her fertility journey, emphasizing the importance of being proactive rather than reactive.- Discussion on the role of respect in relationships, particularly how it affects emotional connection and intimacy.- The hosts and Amy explore the concept of "Tall Poppy Syndrome" in Australia and its implications on personal success and relationships.Resources Mentioned:- Manifest A Joy Filled Relationship: A guide to help individuals understand and improve their relationships. Available at manifestojoyfilledrelationship.com.- Honest Ally Podcast: Tune in to Amy's podcast for more insights on personal growth and relationship advice.Closing Thoughts:Remember, every day is an opportunity to nurture your relationships and grow together. Join us next week for more insights and strategies to enhance your love life!Amey's Podcast Your Honest Ally on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-honest-ally-with-amey-greenaway/id1702284883Amey's IG https://www.instagram.com/the.yourhonestallypodcast/---**Thank you for listening!** If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.Send us a text
Here's what to expect on the podcast:Kijuan's inspirational journey after a life-changing motorcycle accident.How Kijuan shifts his mindset after losing his sight.The power of asking for help.Key influences that led Kijuan to share his story through speaking and writing.And much more! About Kijuan:Kijuan Amey, the visionary behind Amey Motivation, hails from Durham, NC, where his journey of resilience and success began. After graduating from Southern High School, he dedicated a decade of his life to the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant as an In-flight Refueling Specialist. Medically retired, he transitioned into academia, earning a degree and founding Amey Motivation LLC. Mr. Amey also served as the vice president for the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association, Kijuan is also a mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. Beyond his remarkable military career, Kijuan is a man of many talents, boasting over 25 years of drumming expertise, on-stage acting, and now, an upcoming bestseller, "Don't Focus on Why Me." However, life took an unexpected turn on May 5th, 2017, when a motorcycle accident claimed his eyesight. Yet, as Kijuan profoundly states, "I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision.” Connect with Kijuan Amey!Website: https://ameymotivation.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kijuan-amey-783889121/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Story_OfSuccessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/kijuanamey/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kijuanamey/Help A Veteran Find Zen Through Adaptive Sports: https://tinyurl.com/yc6k4mw6Book Available on Amazon:Don't Focus on Why Me: From Motorcycle Accident to Miracle https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737036614?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_4M53B40XBMSWFSVQBSCD_1 -----If you're struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor, BetterHelp.Visit https://betterhelp.com/candicesnyder for a 10% discount on your first month of therapy.*This is a paid promotionIf you are in the United States and in crisis or any other person may be in danger -Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Dial 988----- Connect with Candice Snyder!Website: https://www.podpage.com/passion-purpose-and-possibilities-1/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candicebsnyder?_rdrPassion, Purpose, and Possibilities Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/passionpurposeandpossibilitiescommunity/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionpurposepossibilities/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicesnyder/Shop For A Cause With Gifts That Give Back to Nonprofits: https://thekindnesscause.com/Fall In Love With Artists And Experience Joy And Calm: https://www.youtube.com/@movenartrelaxation
Things I Forgot to Remember: Wisdom | Pastor Otis Amey
Dans cet épisode #269 , je me suis intéressé au (vaste) sujet de la psychologie du traileur.Je reçois :- Dr Florence Puklavec, psychanalyste, hypnothérapeute et préparatrice mentale ;- Stéphanie Amey, fidèle PaTRAILonne et traileuse, qui s'est orientée sur les longues distances.Qu'est-ce qui nous traverse quand on court, à l'entraînement ou en compétition ? Comment est-ce que ça peut évoluer, selon les distances ?Et même, avant tout, est-ce qu'il y a des traits psychologiques entre sportifs, en général, et sédentaires ?Après avoir posé quelques bases de vocabulaire, nous allons échanger sur ces questions passionnantes et qui laissent imaginer autant d'interprétation que d'individus.Il y a évidemment une influence de notre environnement, notre histoire, notre tempérament, sur nos comportements, que l'on peut retrouver dans notre pratique du trail.Nous verrons aussi qu'il existe des phénomènes ou ressentis dans lesquels on peut finalement être plusieurs à se retrouver.Je vous souhaite une bonne écoute !#trail #trailrunning #podcasttrail--NB : Aucune rétribution n'est accordée aux podcasteurs de la part des plateformes de diffusionAucune publicité n'est diffusée sur le LTPLe seul moyen de faire en sorte que tout le travail réalisé puisse être rétribué et que le podcast puisse perdurer est d'apporter votre soutien financier via la plateforme PATREON : Pour soutenir le projet et intégrer la communauté des Patrailons c'est par là :https://www.patreon.com/lets_trail_le_podcastSelon le niveau d'engagement : -> Possibilité de participer à des des épisodes en tant que co-animateur-> Intégration de la communauté Capuccino permettant de communiquer régulièrement via des messages audioPour rejoindre la communauté LTP Les principaux liens c'est par ici :https://linktr.ee/lets_trail_le_podcastInstagram : @lets_trail_le_podcast Facebook : lets trail N'hésitez pas : abonnez-vous sur les principales plateformes d'écoute (Deezer, spotify, podcast addict ...) pour être informés lors de la sortie des épisodes et notez avec 5 étoiles si vous utilisez APPLE PODCAST lorsque vous appréciez le contenu proposé. Ce petit geste permet d'augmenter la visibilité du podcast. Je suis également attentif à tous vos commentaires et retours que vous pourriez faire ici :letstrail08@gmail.comHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Kicking off 2025 with a bang, and a BIG SharePoint event. January 2025 brought a lot of new offerings: Viva Connections on the SharePoint app bar, Pay-as-you-go billing model for SharePoint agents, Re-imagined Hero web part, Viva Engage: Leadership feed, Editorial card web part, Accessibility assistant tool for SharePoint pages, SharePoint pages: Flexible sections, Microsoft Teams: New DVR capabilities, and more. Plus, we grabbed a few important audio snippets from the BIG SharePoint Event with Jeff Teper and the SharePoint team - focused on AI and your intranet. Read this episode's corresponding blog post. 02:00 Snippets from the BIG SharePoint event 05:31 Employee engagement 13:06 Teamwork 16:29 Related items 19:01 Roadmap teasers SharePoint | Facebook | @SharePoint | SharePoint Community Blog | Feedback Mark Kashman |@mkashman [co-host] Chris McNulty |@cmcnulty2000 [co-host] Microsoft Learn - The home for Microsoft documentation for end users, developers, and IT professionals. Microsoft Tech Community Home Stay on top of Microsoft 365 changes Listen to and follow Sync Up, our podcast from the OneDrive team. Upcoming events: NOW ON DEMAND | "SharePoint: From Concept to Creation to Impact + Live AMA" with Jeff Teper and team + plus our new 5-part SharePoint learning series, new customer studies (Amey, Takeda, and Avanade), insights about the upcoming SharePoint Hackathon (March 2025), and more. M365 Miami 2025 | Feb.6-7, 2025 (Miami, FL) SharePoint Hackathon | March 3-26, 2025 (Global | Online) MVP Summit 2025 | March 24-27, 2025 (Redmond, WA & online) Microsoft 365 Community Conference | May 5-8, 2025 (Vegas) SharePoint Intranet Festival (SWOOP Analytics) | May 21, 2025 (Online) European Collaboration Summit | May 26-28, 2025 (Düsseldorf, Germany) + always review and share the CommunityDays.org website Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at aka.ms/microsoft/podcasts. Follow The Intrazone at aka.ms/TheIntrazone.
This Brown Pundits podcast episode features hosts Amey and Dr. Omar Ali in conversation with Vishal Ganesan, a lawyer and thinker, about his essay "Frontier Dharma" and the meaning of being Hindu in the diaspora. Vishal discusses how his observations of mainstream media and academic discourse led him to research the historical representation of Hindus, which he found to be distorted by a lens stemming from 18th and 19th-century missionary narratives. Vishal's essay - https://frontierdharma.substack.com/p/the-hindu-case-against-hinduism-a
Join us as Kat Amey shares her inspiring journey from yoga teacher to successful transformational coach. Discover how she built a thriving business helping people in their 30s and 40s create lives that break free from societal expectations.Key HighlightsBuilding a diverse product suite from £5 bookmarks to premium coaching packagesGenerating 30+ leads in a single day through strategic Facebook engagementCreating successful UK-based transformation retreatsOvercoming mindset blocks around selling and client relationshipsBusiness EvolutionKat's business transformation showcases the power of diversification:Expanded from 3-month to 6-month coaching packagesIntroduced multiple price points:Journaling bookmarks (£5)Online/in-person workshopsGroup coaching programsPremium 1:1 coachingTransformational retreatsMarketing Success StoryPrimary Strategy: Organic lead generation through Facebook groupsKey Win: 30 leads generated from one strategic group interactionLead Magnet: Vision board workbookApproach: Value-first engagement in targeted group discussionsUpcoming RetreatsJune Retreat - CornwallFocus: Outdoor activitiesFeatures: Yoga, meditation, paddleboardingAvailability: 4 spots remaininghttps://www.kathrynamey.com/2025-retreatNovember RetreatFocus: Indoor reflection and planningFeatures: Journaling, goal-setting for the new yearEarly Bird: 2 spots availableRegular: 5 spots availablehttps://www.kathrynamey.com/nov2025-retreatFree ResourcesDownload Kat's complimentary journaling guide and prompts to start your transformation journey today.Connect with Kat. https://www.instagram.com/kat_ameyFB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewellnesshub.101Web: www.kathrynamey.com: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the Personal Development Trailblazers Podcast! In this episode, we'll uncover the tools you need to weather the storm and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Amey Stark-Foust is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, Coach, Amazon Best Selling Author and full-time employee in corporate America. When she is not working her 9-5, she is spending time mentoring and helping women to find their identity and break out of being stuck after some of life's traumas. Working mostly with women that have been through divorce, Amey feels that all women can benefit from her methods of learning to love yourself. Connect with Amey here: Ameydeanne in Facebook and Instagram Resilienttx also in Facebook and Instagram Website: https://my-resilient-journey.com/ =================================== If you enjoyed this episode, remember to hit the like button and subscribe. Then share this episode with your friends. Thanks for watching the Personal Development Trailblazers Podcast. This podcast is part of the Digital Trailblazer family of podcasts. To learn more about Digital Trailblazer and what we do to help entrepreneurs, go to DigitalTrailblazer.com. Are you a coach, consultant, expert, or online course creator? Then we'd love to invite you to our FREE Facebook Group where you can learn the best strategies to land more high-ticket clients and customers. Request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablecoursecreators QUICK LINKS: APPLY TO BE FEATURED: https://app.digitaltrailblazer.com/podcast-guest-application GET MORE CLIENTS: https://app.digitaltrailblazer.com/client-acquisition-accelerator-pdf DIGITAL TRAILBLAZER: https://digitaltrailblazer.com/ JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablecoursecreators
In this episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Amey to explore her journey of self-discovery and empowerment following the abrupt end of her 29-year marriage. Amey candidly shares the challenges of navigating life as a mother, wife, and professional, only to find herself grappling with an identity crisis after her divorce. Despite the initial pain and grief, Amey turned her circumstances into a catalyst for personal growth and transformation, eventually helping other women rediscover their authentic selves.
In this episode of Browncast we have Kushal Mehra talk with Amey and Omar on the recent attacks on Canadian Hindu temples by Khalistanis during Diwali. We also touch upon the diaspora politics in Canada, the Khalistani influence on the Canadian state apparatus and lastly how Trudeau's radical immigration changes have contributed to the problem. Please follow Kushal on Twitter as well as his popular Youtube podcast "The Carvaka Podcast" Twitter - https://x.com/kushal_mehra Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPxuul6zSLAfKSsm123Vww Additional Links ---------------- Terry Milewski's 2007 documentary "Sikh Politics in Canada" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52zMm9JeMyE&ab_channel=PuneetSahani
Congratulations to Mr. Joseph Amey from NWCTA for being named our October Teacher of the Month! Mr. Amey will receive a $150 Visa Gift Card from Findlay Chevrolet, another $150 Visa Gift Card from Silver State Schools Credit Union, and a personalized plaque from H&J Trophies
In this edition of the browncast, Amey and Dr. Omar Ali talk to Dr. Edward Luttwak on the current escalating situation between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, the unique individualistic culture of the IDF and arc of 2000 years of Jewish and Persian history that informs both their strategic cultures.
Waxaa Melbourne lagu qabtay xaflad lagu soo dhawaynayo Safiirka Soomaaliya u jooga Koofurta Sudan horena u ahaa Madaxweyne ku xigeenka Puntland.
Amit, Amey and Razib revisit their health trajectory since 2020, and the optimum mix of dieting and working out to be fit in the 21st century.
Amey, Karol, Paulasta and Omari Ali react to the overthrow of Sheik Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Former NFL player Otis Amey is here to share his journey from professional sports to a fulfilling life centered around faith, family, and personal growth. Otis dives into the importance of setting intentions for fatherhood, the life-changing power of faith, and the lessons learned from his own upbringing and career. This conversation will give you a look into the challenges and triumphs of balancing ambition with the responsibilities of being a dedicated husband and father. Otis's reflections on hard work, resilience, and the legacy he wishes to leave for his children provide a rich tapestry of wisdom for any father striving to make a meaningful impact on their family's lives. This episode is all about real-life experiences and hard-earned lessons that shape a committed and purpose-driven father.Links:Otis on LinkedInOtis on InstagramOtis on FacebookOtis on YouTubeThe “Fore” Charity Golf Classic 2024Fellowship of Christian AthletesLinkTree---------Transform Your Body with Ned & RUK Fitness: RUK FitnessThis episode is sponsored by The Adventure of FatherhoodOrder The Adventure of Fatherhood children's book hereCheck out the TEDx----------Want to learn more about The Adventure of Fatherhood?https://www.adventureoffatherhood.com/https://www.rebelandcreate.com/Each week Ned sits down with a dad and asks him to open up his field notes and share with other men who find themselves on the Adventure of Fatherhood.Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatherhoodfieldnotesYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FatherhoodfieldnotesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebelandcreateMentioned in this episode:RUK Fitness
When life throws a curveball that could strike us out, some extraordinary individuals manage to hit a home run against all odds. Kijuan Ameys story is one such tale. From the disciplined skies of the Air Force as an in-flight refueling specialist to the immense challenges of recovery after a catastrophic motorcycle accident, Kijuan's journey is a lesson in resilience. He opens up about the day that changed his life and the subsequent fight to reclaim his identity, offering a raw and inspiring look at what it means to truly triumph over tragedy.Our conversation with Kijuan doesn't shy away from the gritty realities of his experience, including the emotional and psychological battles that are often fought in silence. It pulls back the curtain on the vulnerability that shaped his path to healing, challenging the tough-guy stereotypes and exploring how embracing our emotional side can be a source of immense strength. Kijuan's candid reflections on the importance of community support, the solace of music, and his newfound passion for voice acting provide a multifaceted perspective on life after trauma. This episode isn't just about survival; it's about transformation. Kijuan's narrative highlights the incredible support of family and friends, the faith that sustained him, and the disciplines forged in the military that became cornerstones of his recovery. Amid the seriousness of his journey, there's also a touch of lightness, as Kijuan shares his love for voice acting and the serendipitous moments that brought new love into his life. His voice, once silenced by injury, now serves as a beacon of hope for anyone facing their own battles. Join us for an unforgettable episode that will move you and perhaps even change the way you face your own challenges.https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Focus-Why-Me-Motorcycle/dp/1737036614https://ameymotivation.comLow No Drinker Magazine PodcastMeeting the people & brands leading the low-&-no-alcohol revolution!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show