Podcasts about Craig Hospital

In July 2009, Kevin Mather was on a training ride in the foothills of Los Angeles with a group of friends when he was hit by a truck. A few years later, he would win the wheelchair division of the Los Angeles Marathon and finished second at the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. He was encouraged to get into para archery through a friend at Craig Hospital in Colorado and decided to get serious with the sport in 2017. That paid off for Kevin in 2020, when we won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games.

This week on the Live to Walk Again Podcast we had the pleasure of speaking with Jason Stroffer who is the host of the CureCast Podcast, the Cure Advocacy Network Manager for Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, and a Spinal Cord Injury Survivor. We spoke with Jason about the car accident that left him paralyzed, 7 1/2 years ago, the process of getting accepted into Craig Hospital for his rehabilitation, and how he got into SCI advocacy so early on after his injury. We then chat about the elephant in the room regarding the elimination of funding for SCIRP which is about 1/3 of SCI research funding and arguably the most important 1/3. Jason lays out what SCIRP does, why it's so important, and some ways that we can fight to get this funding reinstated. Connect with Jason and Unite 2 Fight Paralysis at the links below!! Please listen, like, rate, review, and share the podcast!! We're just trying to find a cure for paralysis!! Jason Stoffer: IG: @js_rolling FB: @jasonstoffer       @stomebody Jason's Article: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/article/collateral-damage-how-the-wrong-program-got-shot-down-in-the-hunt-for-government-waste.html   Unite 2 Fight Paralysis: IG:  @u2fp FB: @unite2fightparalysis Twitter: @U2FP_CureSCI YouTube: @unite2fightparalysis

Jacob Vanderslice is the co-founder of VanWest Partners and a seasoned real estate investor since 2005. He oversees the creation of self-storage investment portfolios and leads the Investor Relations team, known for its exceptional stewardship and transparency. Jacob is dedicated to maintaining long-term relationships with investment partners, with many renewing commitments over the years. Under his leadership, VanWest has deployed over $375 million in capital into value-add self-storage facilities across the U.S. and acquired more than 1,000 residential properties. He also led a significant institutional partnership resulting in nearly 400 residential acquisitions between 2013 and 2014. Jacob designed and leads VanWest's Investor Relations platform, recognized for its industry-leading investor reporting, reflecting his commitment to transparency and accountability. Before his real estate career, Jacob served as a firefighter and arson investigator in Colorado. He continues his community service on the Board of Directors for Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, a leading facility for neurorehabilitation and research specializing in spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Outside work, Jacob enjoys aviation, skiing, hiking, and spending time with his wife and two young sons.   In this episode, we talked to Jacob about why you should invest in the self-storage market and the expenses to consider while doing so, implementing value-add strategy in your business, recent trends in the self-storage market, and much more.   Announcement: Learn about our Apartment Investing Mastermind here.   Self-Storage Units;   02:09 Jacob's background; 10:56 Benefits of investing in self-storage market; 15:20 Expenses to consider while investing into self-storage; 18:06 Implementing value-add strategy; 24:56 Recent trends in the self-storage market; 28:28 Round of Insights   Announcement: Download our Sample Deal package here.   Round of Insights   Apparent Failure: Lack of due diligence in earlier deals that resulted at loss. Most Recommended Book: Into the Silence. Digital Resource: Slack. Daily Habit: Utilizing a calendar efficiently and regular daily workouts. #1 Insight for self-storage investing: Do a deal and take the risk, as this is the best way to learn the market. Best place to grab a bite in Denver, CO: Quality Italian & Buckhorn Exchange.   Contact Jacob: Website   Thank you for joining us for another great episode! If you're enjoying the show, please LEAVE A RATING OR REVIEW,  and be sure to hit that subscribe button so you do not miss an episode.

Lauren De Crescenzo is a cycling icon, gravel racing protagonist, winner of the biggest off-road races on the continent, and TBI (traumatic brain injury) survivor, advocate and champion.  In this conversation, on the first official day of her off-season, we explore how LDC became a paragon of off-road endurance cycling, her propensity to shake things up by taking flyers early and often, and how she became a poster child for grit and tenacity. Lauren shares stories from Unbound (triumph and flats), winning The Rad Dirt Fest for the 3rd time, and how she found gravel.  We'll also discuss her decorated collegiate career, her near fatal crash and traumatic brain injury (the before and after), her Master's degree of Public Health in Epidemiology and her time working at the Centers for Disease Control. We'll wrap up this deep dive exploring her latest adventure as a privateer and her advocacy work for the TBI community and the Craig Hospital.  Lauren's candor, courage, compassion and witty sense of humor are on full display throughout this conversation—as is her high intelligence and charismatic nature. She's got the best laugh in the game and races with her heart. The Queen of the comeback, or better put, the epitome of the bounce forward, LDC's maturity, wisdom and perspective will offer aspiring athletes a glimpse into the mind of one of the baddest and fastest women on two wheels.  WNbL,  Lauren's Instagram: @laurenissima LDC Merch: https://e9aece-3.myshopify.com/collections/all Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@michaelleachba⁠⁠⁠⁠ Show's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebounceforward⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael's Mindset and Mental Endurance Coaching: ⁠https://beaudacious.com/coaching/⁠ This episode was powered by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bicycle Station ⁠

This week on the Live to Walk Again Podcast we had the pleasure of visiting with Zack Moore who is a Recovering Quadriplegic, Spinal Cord Injury Survivor, and a Disability Advocate. I got to chat with Zack about the diving accidents that caused his spinal cord injury, having the opportunity to go through the rehab process at Craig Hospital in Colorado, and the incredible amount of recovery he's had since his injury. We also discussed the incredible family and friends support group that he's had throughout the process, the steps he's taking to be able to drive independently, and raising money to help him purchase a van that he would be able to use. Follow Zack on his journey at his IG page and check out his Help Hope Live campaign page below!! Please listen, like, rate, review, and share the podcast!! We're just trying to find a cure for paralysis!! Zack Moore: IG: @zacklemoore32 HHL: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/24376/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYKSxPN93By-N6SY-xTViRPE9LdmX_1H7Ou9uM_qUkGIf43qtrCEnu-hKQ_aem_2U9wIs0KExN9sIVFIqVltQ

Jacob is a co-founder of VanWest Partners and has been investing in real estate since 2005. He leads the Investor Relations team and the launch of private Funds to raise capital for self-storage acquisitions. On behalf of VanWest, Jacob has deployed over $250 million in capital for value-add self-storage investments throughout the United States. Additionally, Jacob acquired 1,000+ residential properties on behalf of a national private investment firm. Prior to founding VanWest, Jacob was a professional firefighter and arson investigator in the state of Colorado. Jacob sits on the Board of Directors for Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation and research hospital in Englewood, Colorado specializing in spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and research. Jacob enjoys flying airplanes, skiing, hiking, and spending time with his wife and two young sons. In our podcast, Jacob shares his story of going from being a fix and flip investor who did over 1000 residential deals to becoming a self storage facilities investor. Jacob shares the realities of investing in self storage including the risks and operations of owning self storage facilities. Jacob also shares the benefits of investing in self storage and why he and his company decide to focus on self storage as their buy and hold investment of choice to produce cash flow for their investors. You Can Find Jacob @: Website: https://www.vanwestpartners.com/ Email: Jacob@VanWestPartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-vanderslice-02905b16b/

On episode 477 of The Nurse Keith Show nursing and healthcare career podcast, Keith interviews author, coach, and speaker Dr. Terry Chase, ND, MA, RN, CEIP-Ed regarding her remarkable story of recovery from a traumatic bicycle accident and spinal cord injury that left her confined to a wheelchair but not confined to a life of limitation. In her inspiring book, Spoke by Spoke: How a Broken Back and a Broken Bike Led to a WholeHearted Life, Dr. Chase tells a moving story of grit and determination in the face of adversity, including choosing to become a nursing student despite the challenges of doing so in a wheelchair. Dedicated to healthcare since 1990, Dr. Chase has a Master of Exercise Science (MA'90) from the University of Denver; a Doctorate of Nursing (ND‘96) from University of Colorado-School of Nursing, and a Masters in Spiritual Psychology: Consciousness, Health and Healing (MA'04) from the University of Santa Monica. Dr. Chase has worked for Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO (1996-2014) as Patient & Family Education Coordinator, Admission Liaison, and in various research programs. She is recently retired as Associate Professor, BSN Nursing-Mental Health, at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO. She is a professional speaker, author, and coach living fully with spinal cord injury for 32 years and is active in kayaking, cross-country skiing, hand-cycling, and whenever possible, riding horses. Connect with Dr. Terry Chase: DrTerryChase.com Facebook LinkedIn ----------- Nurse Keith is a holistic career coach for nurses, professional podcaster, published author, award-winning blogger, inspiring keynote speaker, and successful nurse entrepreneur. Connect with Nurse Keith at NurseKeith.com, and on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Nurse Keith lives in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely wife, Shada McKenzie, a highly gifted traditional astrologer and reader of the tarot. You can find Shada at The Circle and the Dot. The Nurse Keith Show is a proud member of The Health Podcast Network, one of the largest and fastest-growing collections of authoritative, high-quality podcasts taking on the tough topics in health and care with empathy, expertise, and a commitment to excellence. The podcast is adroitly produced by Rob Johnston of 520R Podcasting.

When resilience meets healing, extraordinary stories emerge. This episode unfolds the riveting journey of Craig grad Dave Liniger, the real estate giant who founded RE/MAX. His physical therapist from Craig Hospital, Stephanie Beinecke, joins the narrative, sharing her perspective on the power of therapy and resilience. Together, their testimonies celebrate the transformative encounters at Craig, where patients and staff alike forge an unbreakable bond, channeling unwavering support into every step of recovery.This episode does not merely capture recovery milestones; it's a celebration of life's unwritten chapters that are redefined through the compassionate lens of Craig Hospital staff.  The tales shared here serve as a poignant reminder of the human spirit's capacity to overcome adversity while underscoring the simple yet profound truth that to give is truly to receive. Join us for a journey through pain, perseverance, and the ultimate triumph of the human heart.

WARNING: THIS EPISODE TALKS ABOUT A FATAL SKI ACCIDENT.In this episode we talk with Kelli Johnson, ski mom and co-founder of the Snow Angels Foundation with her husband Chauncy. Kelli joined us from her home in Thermopolis, Wyoming, about 4 hours from Jackson Hole.Kelli shares the story of her family's Christmas Eve 2010 ski trip that ended in tragedy.  Kelli was skiing with her 5 year old daughter, who had fallen and Kelli was helping her put her ski back on. A snowboarder going 50-60 MPH collided with Kelli and her daughter. Kelli's daughter was thrown 30 feet and she passed away later that day. Kelli talks about the 3 months she spent at Craig Hospital in Denver, recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Kelli tells us the story of starting Snow Angel Foundation, to work to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.  We loved the foundation's “Ride Another Day” video, that brings the whole story and message together. Snow Angels Foundation has presented at the National Ski Patrol convention, at many resorts and has an active social media presence.  Kelli still loves to ski, she wants all of us to have fun on the slopes, but she also believes that safety education and awareness can prevent future injuries.  January is National Ski Areas Association Safety Month, so look for events at your local mountain. Keep up with the Latest from Snow Angels Foundation!Snow Angels WebsiteSHOP IKSPLORFrom infants to grown-ups, Iksplor crafts their layers from premium 100% merino wool. Ski Moms members can save 10% off with code: SKIMOM on the Iksplor website. Discover why every adventure feels better when wrapped in the comfort of Iksplor. With Mabel's Labels, parents can easily identify their kids' belongings and prevent items from being lost or misplaced. Their durable, personalized labels are perfect for school supplies, clothing, lunchboxes, ski gear and more. Mabel's Labels are dishwasher and laundry safe.

Subscriber-only episodeWARNING: THIS EPISODE TALKS ABOUT A FATAL SKI ACCIDENT. In this episode we talk with Kelli Johnson, ski mom and co-founder of the Snow Angels Foundation with her husband Chauncy. Kelli joined us from her home in Thermopolis, Wyoming, about 4 hours from Jackson Hole.Kelli shares the story of her family's Christmas Eve 2010 ski trip that ended in tragedy.  Kelli was skiing with her 5 year old daughter, who had fallen and Kelli was helping her put her ski back on. A snowboarder going 50-60 MPH collided with Kelli and her daughter. Kelli's daughter was thrown 30 feet and she passed away later that day. Kelli talks about the 3 months she spent at Craig Hospital in Denver, recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Kelli tells us the story of starting Snow Angel Foundation, to work to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.  We loved the foundation's “Ride Another Day” video, that brings the whole story and message together. Snow Angels Foundation has presented at the National Ski Patrol convention, at many resorts and has an active social media presence.  Kelli still loves to ski, she wants all of us to have fun on the slopes, but she also believes that safety education and awareness can prevent future injuries.  January is National Ski Areas Association Safety Month, so look for events at your local mountain. Keep up with the Latest from Snow Angels Foundation!Snow Angels WebsiteSnow Angels on FacebookSnow Angels on InstagramKeep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!Website: www.skimomsfun.comSki Moms Discount Page: https://skimomsfun.com/discountsSki Moms Ski Rental HomesJoin the 10,000+ Ski Moms Facebook GroupInstagram: https://instagram.com/skimomsfun Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you'd like to hear next! Sarah@skimomsfun.comNicole@skimomsfun.com

This episode recorded live at the 11th Annual Becker's Healthcare CEO + CFO Roundtable features Jandel Allen Davis, President and CEO of Craig Hospital. Here, she discusses the contentious payer/provider relationships as of late, the difficult regulatory landscape, and more.In collaboration with R1 RCM.

More on YouTube? Check the video version on YoutubeWho is the Guest?Jacob is a co-founder of VanWest Partners and has been investing in real estate since 2005. He leads the Investor Relations team and the launch of private Funds to raise capital for self-storage acquisitions. On behalf of VanWest, Jacob has deployed over $250 million in capital for value-add self-storage investments throughout the United States. Additionally, Jacob acquired 1,000+ residential properties on behalf of a national private investment firm. Prior to founding VanWest, Jacob was a professional firefighter and arson investigator in the state of Colorado. Jacob sits on the Board of Directors for Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation and research hospital in Englewood, Colorado specializing in spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and research. Jacob enjoys flying airplanes, skiing, and hiking, and spending time with his wife and two young sons.Visit Him at:Website:https://www.vanwestpartners.com/ Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-vanderslice-02905b16b/ Start taking action right NOW!Goal-setting the right way! Hesitant to make the first step toward real estate investing? Axel learned the hard way- but you DON'T have to start that way. Feel free to talk to him :)Connect with us through social! We'd love to build a community of like-minded people like YOU!Support the show

CureCast co-host Jason Stoffer was injured 5 and ½ years ago. Earlier this year, his friend Lewis Johnson sustained a spinal cord injury. The similarities are uncanny: they were both in the same career field; they both went to the same inpatient hospital; and they both attended the same inpatient rehab facility. For Jason, the big question on the table is this: What has changed in 5 years? What progress are we making? Are newly injured folks getting the same message I got from my clinicians? We asked today's guests to give us some high level answers to those questions. Dr. Shekar Kurpad is Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Candy Tefertiller is the Executive Director of Research and Evaluation at Craig Hospital in Denver. More info here: u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-82.html

Dr Jandel Allen-Davis and Miriam discuss what might have happened if, only a few years ago, she'd walked away from her highly successful career to pursue her art full time. Along the way they talk about what it means to risk it all for your passions, the difference between seeing and looking, and whether it's always necessary to pick a lane. Jandel is also a wildly prolific artist, and so they talk about pretty much every material under the sun.Dr Jandel Allen-Davis is the President and CEO of Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries. Before this, she was Vice President of Government, External Relations and Research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Jandel is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and was in active practice for 25 years. She is also one of Miriam's mother's closest friends, who she's known since she was a teenager, which made this episode a particularly special one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of our "History of Craig" series, we looked at Craig's early days and focused on the man who founded it all - Frank Craig. In this episode, we pick up where we left off and dive into Craig's origins. We go from 1914, the year of Frank Craig's passing, up to 1954 and the real start of the Craig we know today. While the focus was still on tuberculosis up until 1954, those in-between years were incredibly important to ensuring Craig could survive as a non-profit institution. We go through newspaper clippings, letters and a few photos to catch up on what happened during this time period – we promise it's anything but boring!------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

We teamed up with two members of the Adaptive Transportation Program – Barry Doyle and Natalie Uyeno – to try our skills on the adaptive driving simulator while answering trivia questions aimed to distract us. You'll hear from Barry and Natalie on how we did on the virtual course (spoiler alert: not great) and learn about why it's so easy to become distracted on the road, even while engaged in basic things like listening to the radio or talking with someone in the car or on the phone. You'll also learn some semi-useful trivia knowledge that might come in handy on your next game night.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

We all learned during new hire orientation that Craig Hospital traces its roots back to Frank Craig, who established a tuberculosis colony in Colorado in the early 1900s. You may have also seen his black-and-white photo in the 1W corridor on our history wall. But do you know anything else about him and the founding of our hospital?It turns out, not so surprisingly, that Craig Hospital was founded by one really impressive person, who might possibly have moonlighted as a comedian in his free time when he wasn't devoting his energy to helping tuberculosis patients – a disease he also had and eventually died from. We dug through hundreds of pages of photos, newspaper clippings and handwritten letters to bring the humble origins of our hospital to life…and it's anything but dull!------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

To shower you with love on Valentine's Day, we asked Sereno Bruzgo, president of the Craig Hospital Foundation, to share a few love letters from patients and families.We've always known that many of our patients leave Craig profoundly grateful for the dedicated work our staff put in to helping them achieve their best possible outcomes – and we have it in writing! The Craig Hospital Foundation team handpicked a few notes they received that highlight the amazing impact our hospital has on those we serve. If you're prone to tears, grab some tissues, otherwise sit back and enjoy this dose of happiness on Valentine's Day (or any day you're needing a mood boost!).------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

We speak with Craig's director of therapeutic recreation and Operation TBI Freedom about his involvement with adaptive sports for over two decades. We also have some cringe-worthy dad jokes sprinkled in throughout, courtesy of Tom and one of the podcast's co-hosts.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

In celebration of the most wonderful time of the year, Craig's CEO Jandel Allen-Davis joined the podcast to answer some holiday-related questions. Who on our staff is most like Buddy the Elf? What new holiday tradition should we bring to Craig? What's the weirdest white elephant gift Jandel has ever received? What would Jandel put in a snow globe? Let's find out!------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

We talk with executive chef, Bryce Orblom, and sous chef, Erica Goncalves, about the inner workings of our five-star nutrition services team at Craig. What's the most popular entrée at Craig? How many meals are served every day? How are the recipes created? What does it take to plan a Halloween menu…or any holiday menu? We serve up all that and more!------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

Special guests and self-professed Halloween lovers Sarah Purdy and Sara Wells take us through the history and hijinks of this one-of-a-kind day at Craig, including some of the creative, outlandish and slightly scandalous (if you're a doctor, at least) Halloween costumes our staff and patients have worn through the years.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

Amy and Ann have a conversation with Hudson and Tim Haws. Hudson is a 24 year old quadriplegic paralyzed from the chest down. He broke his neck playing a high school football game during his senior year in 2015. He spent time at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO going through inpatient therapy for a spinal cord injury. Hudson graduated from Southern Nazarene University in 2020. Later in 2020 him and his father, Tim Haws began The 34 Project. The 34 Project is a private pay adaptive exercise and training center for people with neurological disabilities. Located in Bethany, Oklahoma, they provide an outlet for the body, mind, and soul for those with neurological disabilities. The 34 Project On Instagram: @the34project  On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the34project  Tim Haws book "In The Waiting" purchase it here

Jason and Mathew talk with Andrew Park, a clinician-researcher at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Jason met Andrew while in Denver for one of U2FP's Cure Advocacy Network stakeholder meetings last February. During that meeting, Andrew's passion for his work became evident. In this podcast, we talk about what's behind that passion, including: his path to becoming a researcher; his research interests and philosophy; a system-level path to functional recovery for the SCI community; and much more. Join us for this energetic and insightful discussion. Finally, we want to acknowledge that while Dr. Park works at Craig Hospital, our conversation was a reflection of Andrew's personal opinions and not the opinions of Craig Hospital. Bio: Andrew Park, MD, is a physician in spinal cord injury (SCI) medicine and an early investigator at Craig Hospital. In his role, he provides clinical care to individuals with SCI on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. He performs translational research at Craig Hospital and holds joint appointments at the University of Colorado Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Veterans Affairs Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Center (VA SCI/D). He is performing research at both Craig Hospital and VA SCI/D with parallel research focused on inflammatory mediators of secondary complications after SCI. These studies laid the groundwork for his research interests at the intersection of clinical care and understanding of mechanisms related to immune dysfunction after SCI.

For SCI Awareness Month, we share some of the more lighthearted moments of living with an SCI (while not brushing under the rug the many challenges people with SCI face on a daily basis). Rachel Wilson and Ashley Jack, two staff members who use wheelchairs, both have unique perspectives on what they've gained from living with a SCI, which makes for an entertaining, often humorous and uplifting conversation.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

You may have heard the word "perseverance" bantered about from time to time but I promise you, Miracle Matt gives new meaning to the word! And he gives all the credit to an inner voice. YOUTUBE VERSION HERE.

We go behind the scenes and speak to two Therapeutic Recreation specialists about some of the random, unscripted moments that make Adventure Program trips so special. You'll hear about crowd-surfing at an Afroman concert, digging out ATVs from a wall of snow on the Continental Divide, and moments of incredible determination and resilience from our Craig grads.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

Annijke Wade joins Payson again, nearly a year after the mountain bike crash that left her paralyzed. The last time they talked on the show, she was living at Craig Hospital, a leading institute for spinal cord injuries. Now, she's home, learning the ins and outs of living with her injury. She talks about how she plans to spend the first anniversary of her crash, all the details about her new bike, and getting back on the trails with other adaptive athletes. She also talks about balancing optimism with realism. While she is technically paralyzed below the chest, she recently regained some musculature and sensation in parts of her body where she'd lost feeling. Now, she spends 40 hours per week on rehab, and talks to Payson about managing expectations while setting concrete goals for her recovery.

We sit down with the man behind the finances – our CFO, Dan Frank. We hear about his poker-playing side hobby, his commitment to keeping Craig independent, and his experiences at our hospital that made him think, “Well, that could only happen at Craig.” We also get to the bottom of one of our pressing questions – why he has a South Park character of himself.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

We learn why Jandel was compelled to respond to a ransom note demanding donuts in return for a flamingo, why members of the nursing team vacated a room in a hurry, and why Dr. Spier is the proud owner of a dress that looks like it came straight out of “The Sound of Music.”------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

The first episode, Stories on the Night Shift, focuses on a side of Craig that few of us get to experience. We asked two members of the night shift team to tell us what really happens inside these walls when the sun goes down. What's the wildest patient story they can recall? Is it true that no one wants to work during a full moon? What about ghost stories or unexplained events? We explore it all and then some.------------------Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org------------------Download transcriptions at https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast------------------Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. No professional relationship is implied or otherwise established by reading this document. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. The information on this page is a public service provided by Craig Hospital and in no way represents a recommendation or endorsement by Craig Hospital. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital.

Guest: Dr. Eric Spier, Brain Injury Program Medical Director, CNS Physicians March is National Brain Injury Awareness month.  Craig Hospital serves people that have had major trauma and are recovering from a brain injury and spinal cord injury.  There are many ways people can have a brain injury, the most common is when people hit their heads hard.  Craig Hospital sees people from all over the country.  https://craighospital.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyrina Bullard breaks all the rules and stereotypes. As a second-generation certified pharmacist, she has long been interested in helping other people manage their pain and live healthier lives. After two traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), she had to teach herself how to walk, talk, and function again. Then, post-initial recovery, she dealt with daily headaches and had to retire from practicing pharmacy. She describes her second career as a spiritual calling. One night, something compelled her to look up the domain name, “Catching Happiness dot com”. It, for some reason, was free, so she immediately paid the $38 required to register it, and over time realised that she wanted to continue helping people, this time by training them to live more courageously, more mindfully, and more empathetically. Join Mighty Pete and Cyrina for an inspiring conversation about hope, perseverance, and the true definition of success.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Resilience skills can be developed over time and through practice. “Whole grain health practices” such as sleep, eating healthy, and meditation can have measurable effects on our bodies. Our communities can be a real resource, as well – ask around what works for others. By sharing information, we become stronger and build connection. We only live one life, so we might as well make it a great one. What are your passions? What lights you on fire? What is holding you back from living the life of your dreams? Believing in science and fact-based knowledge does not preclude believing in miracles and serendipity. We are human beings, meant to experience the world and all it has to offer, but we are also here to be of service to others and be a contributing member of the human community. BEST MOMENTS “How can we empower each other to live our best lives, because we don't know what tomorrow holds? I (want to) help people be conscious about what activities they introduce to their days, because you can't control what happens in your life, but you can control how you react to, or respond to what's happening in your life. We need to be able to adapt to situations and rise.” “I think we learn and grow as we go, but it's a process, becoming our best.” “I've studied a lot about the brain, since I've had these two brain injuries: how I can optimize my brain health, and none of it has to do with drugs. A lot has to do with meditation, exercise, the way you eat, do you sleep? … There are so many things we can do naturally to help with our physiology, because our bodies are so intelligent.” “I'm a very resilient person, so I'm capable of allowing myself to move through challenges…I feel like I'm on this path and I'm capable of feeling guided and listening to that inner voice.”   ABOUT THE GUEST Cyrina Bullard is a certified HeartMath trainer and a Life Mastery consultant, helping people discover their true vision for their lives and cultivate the courage to pursue it. She is a member of the Continuing Education committee at the College of Pharmacy and at a consumer advisory board at Craig Hospital. She practiced as a pharmacist for many years, until a series of traumatic brain injuries forced her into early retirement; but from that serious setback she realised that she could still help people by sharing her story, and the health and resilience skills she learned along her way back to life. Cyrina loves to travel, have a glass of red wine or some dark chocolate, and tries to live in the present moment as much as possible.   CONTACT METHOD Creating Conscious Connection Website: https://creatingconsciousconnections.com/ Cyrina's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrinabullardcatchhappiness/ Catch Happiness: https://catchhappiness.com/ Catch Happiness' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catchhappinessnow/ Catch Happiness' Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatchHappinessNow/     ABOUT THE HOST The ‘Mighty Pete Lonton' from the ‘Mighty 247' company is your main host of ‘Fire in The Belly'. Pete is an entrepreneur, mentor, coach, property Investor, and father of three beautiful girls. Pete's background is in project management and property, but his true passion is the ‘Fire in The Belly' project itself. His mission is to help others find their potential and become the mightiest version of themselves. Pete openly talks about losing both of his parents, suffering periods of depression, business downturn and burn-out, and ultimately his years spent not stoking ‘Fire in the Belly'. In 2017, at 37 years of age that changed, and he is now on a journey of learning, growing, accepting, and inspiring others. Pete can connect with people and intuitively asks questions to reveal a person's passion and discover how to live their mightiest life. The true power of ‘Fire in The Belly' is the Q&A's - Questions and Actions section. The ‘Fire in The Belly' brand and the programme is rapidly expanding into podcasts, seminars, talks, business workshops, development courses, and rapid results mentoring. CONTACT METHOD https://www.facebook.com/mightypetelonton/ https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mightypete https://www.facebook.com/groups/430218374211579/   Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/430218374211579/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest:  Serena Bruzgo Craig Hospital Foundation President, Vince Rugteri, Craig Hospital graduate (former patient) Craig Hospital is a rehab and research hospital committed to spinal cord and brain injuries.  Craig Hospital sees patients from around the world.  The average age of the typical patient at Craig is a 42 years old.  Before a patient can come to Craig there is an interview process because of how rigorous the rehabilitation is at Craig.  Vince moved to Colorado for a job and enjoying all that Colorado has to give.  In 2021 he got injured in a skiing accident and became fully paralyzed.  A lot of the programs are donor funded and many of the treatments are not covered by insurance.  Craig Hospital is a non-profit and they reply on donor support.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A very important component of having a private forensic practice is to network and create lasting relationships with colleagues in the field. You must make sure your work is above board, accurate, and usable in a court of law because forensic psychologists are held to higher ethical standards than their clinical counterparts. In today's episode, I spoke with Dr. Brenna Tindall about how these elements assist with building a forensic private practice and becoming a forensic psychologist. In addition, we chatted about the following:-Self-care and knowing your limits in forensic work-Forensic practice business models (being a consultant and mitigation expert)-The use of an engagement letter-How to get referrals Resources Mentioned American Academy of Forensic Psychology  APA Forensic Psychology Specialty GuidelinesDr. Tindall's episode on The Testing Psychologist Podcast- Assessing Intimate Partner Violence About Dr. Brenna TindallDr. Tindall has been a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Colorado (PSY.0003709, expiration 08/31/2021) since 2010. She also is licensed as a psychologist in Wyoming (#T:-077, expiration January 2021). She has been granted licensing reciprocity in South Dakota and Nebraska. Dr. Tindall is certified as a Full Operating Evaluator for both juveniles and adults through the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB). She is also Certified to complete court-ordered domestic violence evaluation through the Colorado Domestic Violence Offender Management Board (DVOMB). Dr. Tindall is also certified as a Full Operating Evaluator to complete sex offense specific evaluations with offenders who have developmental/intellectual disabilities (DD/ID). She is also licensed as a Certified Addiction Counselor III. Dr. Tindall currently serves as the mental health representative on the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board in Colorado for the Attorney General.  Prior to her forensic work, Dr. Tindall has worked at Craig Hospital with brain and spinal cord patients, at a dual diagnosis treatment facility, at the CSU Counseling Center in their drug and alcohol program, and in a child and family clinic. She worked in private practice directly after graduate school and co-owned a substance abuse treatment agency. Dr. Tindall is regularly endorsed as an expert witness in various areas including psychological evaluations, psychosexual evaluations, domestic violence, intimate partner sexual violence, substance abuse issues, addiction, normative sex, psychosexual development, trauma, and many others. Contact Dr. Brenna Tindall Office: 970-231-9611Email: dr.tindall@drbrennatindall.comDr. Tindall's Website About the host, Dr. Nicole ViennaCo-founder and Clinical Director of Vienna Psychological Group, Inc., Dr. Vienna is a licensed psychologist (PSY26945) that specializes in forensic and neuropsychological evaluations. She completed her Doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology at Alliant International University- California School of Forensic Studies. She is in her 2nd year of a two-year post-doc neuropsychology specialization program. Additionally, she holds two master's degrees in Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology.  She earned her bachelor's degree at The University of Arizona.Dr. Vienna is appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court Expert Panel of Psychologists and the Los Angeles County Juvenile Delinquency Panel of Experts. She has expertise is areas of neurodevelopmental disorders (intellectual disabilities, autism, etc.), transfer to adult cases, trauma (PTSD and adverse childhood experiences), and substance abuse. She has also met Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) continued professional experience (CPE) to conduct public safety pre-employment psychological evaluations. She is a member with the American Psychological Law Society (APLS), National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), and International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF).Contact Dr. Vienna:Office: 626-709-3494 | Email: support@vpg-corp.comVPG websiteSchedule a consultation here (please hyperlink this): https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/DrNicoleMVienna@ViennaPsychologicalGroup.com/bookings/ 

Dr. Tyler Balfour -- physical therapist at Functionize Health takes time to discuss his journey in physical therapy, from his beginnings of instructing and leading Outward Bound adventures to his time volunteering at the Craig Hospital. Then the whole team discusses the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) assessments. tyler@functionizehealth.com

Annijke Wade is a mountain biker who was finishing her third season of racing when a crash on a familiar trail left her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Now, almost three months later, she talks to Payson about coming to terms with her life-altering injury. Shortly before the crash, Annijke became a certified mountain bike coach and founded BIPOC AF, an organization that seeks to make the cycling community more inclusive and accessible to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. In spite of her sudden change in circumstances, Annijke says that she found acceptance almost immediately. She attributes this mindset to her late grandfather and to her practice of non-attachment, a philosophy related to Buddhism. She joins Payson from Craig Hospital in Denver, a leading institute for spinal cord injuries, where she has been living for two months. She talks about the rigorous program there, why she calls it the “Hogwarts of spinal cord injuries,” and why she can't wait to get back on a mountain bike. She also talks about how the accident has affected her relationship with her partner, and some of the changes she'll have to adapt to when she leaves the hospital. 

Several years ago, a very serious traumatic brain injury (TBI) landed Lauren in Craig Hospital for several months where she had to relearn basic things like how to walk. She went from being a pro cyclist to someone who said she was done with cycling forever... understandably, given the extent of her injuries. She went back to school, getting her masters degree in epidemiology and then a short while later found herself on COVID task forces during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Feeling that itch once again, she decided to try cycling again and actually set the women's WR for Everesting --which is where a cyclist rides the equivalent of the elevation gain of Mt Everest on their bike in one sitting/one ride. This sparked something inside her and the desire and urge to again race at the top of the sport returned … at the same time her paths crossed with CINCH Elite when she appeared on their podcast, and the next thing you know... Lauren won Unbound Gravel (formerly known as DK), then she won Steamboat Gravel, and then she won Gravel Worlds, setting a new women's course record. She's had several other podium finishes in there as well. It's been an incredible season for her. Her team offered her full support so she was able to leave her dream job to focus on racing full time. All of these things sound like reasons to celebrate - -redemption, road to recovery, comebacks, overcoming the odds and so much more... Oh yeah and in the midst of all of this, she was also married this summer, in May. And yet--this series of successes has been clouded by much online negativity and really caustic commentary about women's gravel racing. Regardless of who is right or wrong, or what side you align with (if that's even a thing), the online and social media vitriol surrounding these events has really been something to witness-- and it's been heartbreaking to see, also. Lauren has been subjected to some really pointed criticism. Somehow, she seems to thrive in adversity (which I think she readily admits about herself) and she's doing her best to put one foot in front of the other as she navigates this growing -pain-season in women's gravel bike racing … a relatively new sport which historically has been one race, where all racers start together. Hear her chime in on her thoughts about TBIs and recovery, gravel racing, the online commentary and how she is processing all of this. You can find and follow Lauren online at: https://www.instagram.com/laurenissima/?hl=en And the Craig Hospital ride she mentions and supports: https://craighospital.org/events/2021-pedal-4-possible If you're looking for some context for the gravel racing discussion, check out her recent interview with Cycling News: https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/lauren-de-crescenzo-you-cant-fake-gravel-racing/ She also recently appeared on Groadio - The Premier Gravel Cycling & Racing Podcast— here: https://www.podcastaddict.com/episode/127793749

Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, president and CEO of Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., joined the podcast to discuss how her nearly 25-year career as a physician shaped her into the leader she is today, as well as gender equity in the healthcare workforce.

Join Brian and I as we dive into the way education can be affected by our social, emotional and mental health and felt in our physical bodies. Brian Trzaskos PT LMT CSCS CMP MI-C is a somatic intelligence expert and co-creator of Sensation-Based Motivation coaching. He is a nationally recognized expert for his work in coaching, training, and mentoring leaders of health and wellness service organizations as well as human development professionals in holistic, somatic coaching practices and the science of trauma-informed motivation. Initially educated as a physical therapist at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the world-renowned Craig Hospital in Denver CO, Brian has experience in neurophysiology, somatic psychology, and energy medicine practices. Currently, Brian serves as both President of Motivation Beyond Measure and Director of the Institute for Rehabilitative Qigong & Tai Chi. Contact Brian on Linked in or at: https://motivationbeyondmeasure.com https://instituteforrehabilitativeqigongandtaichi.org --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Laura has been looking forward to today’s interview for a while, and the reason will become very clear, very quickly. On May 6, 2017, Robert Paylor was playing for the number one college rugby team in the country as they competed in the National Championship, a dream come true for any young athlete. Mere moments into that game, Robert broke his neck and was subsequently told that he would never walk or move his hands again. His life was changed forever in that instant, but if you think that’s where Robert’s story ends, you couldn’t be more wrong. That fateful day not only impacted his physical life, but his mindset, his faith, and his outlook on life, and he shares the whole story with us all today.   He begins by describing how he got involved in rugby in the first place, his experience at Cal, and then he shares, in chilling detail, the events of that day in May, 2017, as well as the immediate and long-term decisions and treatments involved in his rehabilitation, which continues to this very day. Along the way he touches upon the need for mental toughness, working through the daily grind toward his vision, the role that neuroplasticity plays in his rehabilitation, and the power of forgiveness. Throughout his story are woven Robert’s feelings of gratitude, the incredible support from family, friends, doctors, teammates, and coaches, and, especially, his discovery of the greatest purpose and commitment of his life. What happened to Robert truly changed his life on so many levels, and by listening in to his heartfelt and moving conversation with Laura today you’ll find out why he wouldn’t have it any other way. Episode Highlights:   How Robert got involved with rugby His experience at Cal The day Robert’s life changed forever The advice he received and the decision he made in his darkest hour Accessing mental toughness to make treatment decisions Robert’s post-surgery experience Support of family and friends Robert’s rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Colorado False hope and false hopelessness Working through the grind toward his ironclad vision The first flicker of movement Accessing perspective to be more grateful The three ways to achieve recovery form spinal cord injury The role that neuroplasticity plays in his recovery Robert’s rehabilitation since he left the hospital The support from Robert’s rugby team and especially Coach Billups Graduating from Cal The power of asking yourself, “Compared to what?” The impact that Robert can have on the lives of others Talon’s story The biggest commitment that Robert has ever made The power of forgiveness Counting the days and appreciating the daily grind Quotes:   “It was a day of legacy.” “My face slams against my chest, I feel this crunch in my neck, and I immediately can’t feel or move anything below my neck.” “The reality is, you will never walk again. You will never move your hands.” “The one thing you have control over is your mindset. Your positivity, your ambition, your willingness to wake up every single day and fight is up to you.” “I was going to give everything I had to get absolutely everything I can get.” “I knew I couldn’t live with the regret of not going into this surgery.” “It was like Death was sitting with me in that hospital room, waiting for me to quit.” “If I don’t do this, I might die!” “They look at me and they see potential, not some broken body.” “The one thing we do know is that we are going to give you everything that modern science and medicine has to offer.” “I came here to walk out of these hospital doors.” “Appreciate every victory we have no matter how small they are.” “There was just so much that I had lost that I had taken for granted in my life.” “I couldn’t have graduated if it weren’t for this team.” “Just being a quadriplegic is a job in itself.” “It was my perspective that really fuelled me.” “Remind me not to complain about anything ever again.” “I think that’s very unhealthy when we dismiss our challenges.” “There are so many positives in our lives that we can be focusing on right now.” “If I could go back and change what happened to me on May 6 of 2017, I wouldn’t and I couldn’t, because…it has given me now the greatest purpose that I have in my life.” “I forgive him whether he is sorry or not.” “I’m either going to get out of this wheelchair one day or I’m going to die trying.” Links: The Pursuit of Gold homepage 5 Smart Strategies to Confidence Conquer Your Fear in 5 Days   Laura’s Social Media: Instagram:   Laura's Instagram Facebook:   Laura's Facebook page   Connect with Robert: Robert's homepage Robert's Facebook Robert's Twitter Robert's Instagram

Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis is the CEO and President of Craig Hospital, a superb rehabilitation center for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Dr. Allen-Davis, an obstetrician and gynecologist, spent 25 years caring for patients and honing her leadership skills in multiple organizational and community roles. In this episode, she describes “The Disappointment” when she was NOT selected for a CEO role, and she shares how she navigated that pain. Dr. Allen-Davis’s subsequent selection as the Craig Hospital CEO in 2018 was her arrival “home.” The Craig Hospital community welcomed the authentic expression of who Jandel is and what she believes.So who is Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis? We get some insight here about her values, her warrior spirit, her uncompromising patient advocacy, and how critical it’s been for her to lead an organization where she can bring her whole self to her work. As the first female and the first Black CEO at Craig Hospital, and the first physician CEO there in 40 years, she is a high profile exemplar of what excellent leadership looks like.We talked about the societal upheaval precipitated by George Floyd’s murder. Jandel emphasizes the need to embrace the hard conversations about racism and white privilege and how counterproductive it is to shame or blame. She describes her own lifelong reckoning with systemic racism, including how the 2020 book “Caste” (Isabel Wilkerson) hit her like a brick to the head. She points to some parallels between people of color and people in wheelchairs who are also marginalized in society. Dr. Allen-Davis takes a practical view on why physicians must be the ones to lead and transform healthcare. She ties it directly to physician expertise and the sacred trust they have in serving patients and community.

In this episode, Alex talks about the mental process of injury and his time at Craig Hospital. Subscribe and rate! New episodes out every Monday at 10 AM PST!

Guest: Jordan Ames Craig Foundation Communications Manager and Ashley Jack Craig Hospital graduate (former patient) Craig Hospital is a rehab and research hospital committed to spinal cord and brain injuries.  Craig Hospital sees patients from around the world.  The average age of the typical patient at Craig is a 42 years old.  Before a patient can come to Craig there is an interview process because of how rigorous the rehabilitation is at Craig.  Ashely shared her story about her experience at Craig Hospital.  She was driving down the highway one night after work, and the driver ahead unexpectedly stepped on their brakes, she swerved, hit the guard rail, and her car rolled five times.  They have been blessed and have not seen a single case of COVID but donations have been down.  A lot of the programs are donor funded and many of the treatments are not covered by insurance.  Craig Hospital is a non-profit and they reply on donor support.  Giving Tuesday is happening December 1st and they have a goal to raise $100,000.  craighospital.org/givingtuesday See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristen Aguirre was working as a TV reporter and anchor in Denver, CO,  when she had her stroke. What followed, of course, changed her life. She spent months in rehab, eventually returned to the air. She has since left that role and now focuses on her recovery, her workouts, and working with other survivors. We cover all that and more in this episode. Bio Kristen Aguirre is an emmy nominated latina journalist turned young stroke survivor. At the age of 31 Kristen suffered an ischemic stroke. It left the entire left side of her body paralyzed. Her doctors told her she would probably need a wheelchair the rest of her life. Despite the prognosis Kristen kept pushing and never lost hope. After months in the hospital and therapy, Kristen is now back to running, lifting weights and rebuilding her career. She uses her story to motivate others to never stop pushing and how to hold onto hope in daunting times. Gratitude One of the topics Kristen talks about is gratitude. As part of her daily prayer and meditation ritual she makes certain to find something to be thankful for each day. At the very least, we’re here. We woke up today. And that’s the start of any new amazing journey. Neurofatigue After a stroke, naps take on new importance. Our brains, working with fewer optimized resources, burn a lot more energy.  Plus, a lot of the work of recovery and neuroplasticity can only happen as we sleep. I talked about it in the episodes on this page. It can be a big thing in a person’s life. While I don’t deal with it as much these days, it still pops up from time-to-time (usually when I’ve been getting less sleep for other reasons…go figure). If I have another injury it will come roaring back with a vengeance. When it does, it’s not like being tired. There’s no reserve bank of energy to dig into. There’s not an option to push through, Sleep suddenly becomes essential. Part of living with stroke is not having a reserve pool of resources or bunch of spare spoons. Naps are the natural result of looking into that pool and finding it empty. Like Minded Kristen teaches a women’s empowerment workshop in Jane Connely’s Like Minded program. Several Strokecast guest teach in that program. You can find those interviews with Jane, Joe, Ella, Vince, and now Kristen at Http://Strokecast.com/LikeMinded To learn more about this program for brain injury survivors that comes from the mind of Heal the Brain with Jane, visit the program here: https://healingthebrainwithjane.com/membership-purchase Beauty and Her Brain  Kristen is starting her own podcast focused on issues women face in stroke world. Kristen herself talked about navigating post stroke life and balancing her deficits with her appearance and with getting comfortable in her new skin. While she’s working on the show, she’s already profiling some of these amazing women on the Instagram page for the show here: https://www.instagram.com/beautyand_herbrain/ Once the show is live I look forward to listening to it and adding it to this list of stroke-related podcasts. Links Kristen Aguirre on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kristenaguirre Beauty and Her Brain on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/beautyand_herbrain/ Kristen Aguirre website http://kristenaguirre.org Kristen on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenaguirre/ Kristen on Muck Rack https://muckrack.com/kristenaguirre Kristen on Twitter https://twitter.com/kristenaguirre Craig Hospital https://craighospital.org/ Talking Yoga https://www.talkingyoga.com/ Like Minded with Heal the Brain with Jane https://healingthebrainwithjane.com/membership-purchase Like Minded Instructors on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/LikeMinded Neurofatigue on Strokecast http://strokecast.com/tag/neurofatigue/ Other Stroke Podcasts http://Strokecast.com/StrokeRelatedPodcasts Where do we go from here? Follow Kristen on Instagram @KristenAguirre Tell us what you’re grateful for this week and tag @KristenAguirre and @Bills_Strokecast on Instagram or @KristenAguirre and @CurrentlyBill on Twitter so we can celebrate your gratitude with you. Subscribe to Strokecast for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don’t get best…get better. Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.  

Welcome to the fourth episode of our Bitesize bonus track for SCI Care: What Really Matters. This week we published the 7th episode of our podcast series with a lively and incredibly insightful discussion with Prof Stanley Duchrame and Dr Jane Duff on ‘Overcoming adversity after spinal cord injury – a positive psychology perspective.' Following on from this discussion we are now joined by our guest Dr Susan Charlifue. Dr Charlifue will not only talk about the importance of a positive psychology but also the importance of social health and the impact and factors this has on the overall quality of life of people with Spinal Cord Injury. Dr Charlifue is the Co-Principal Investigator of the SCI Model System at Craig Hospital in addition to coordinating several SCI research clinical trials. She is the Principal Investigator for both NIDILRR, Craig H Neilsen Foundation and Department of Defense SCI grants. In 2016 she was awarded the Society Medal from ISCoS for her outstanding contribution to the prevention or rehabilitation of spinal cord injury or research related to spinal cord injury.In this episode: Dr Charlifue gives her insights on the following question: ‘How does psychological heath affect the quality of life of persons with Spinal Cord Injury. What are the other factors which have an impact on the quality of life of such individuals.'Thank you for listening, please do subscribe to SCI Care: What Really Matters, podcast series on the podcast platform of your choice.Click here to register for the 59th ISCoS conference and this year it is fully virtual. You can access the preliminary programme hereEmail admin@iscos.org.uk for any questions or topic suggestions you may have for future episodes.This show is brought to you by ISCoS, you can follow us on Twitter @iscosmeetings, hosted by Dr Harvinder Chhabra produced and directed by Heather Pownall of Heather's Media Hub @heathershub--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/scicare/message

The River Deep Foundation is dedicated to helping military veterans and other individuals who have experienced physical, emotional or psychological trauma—and those who assist them—to heal and re-engage in life through adventure, recreation and a network of support. Over the last 15 years Bob Adwar has help organize almost 300 outdoor adventures including Pheasant, Duck, Big Game Hunts and Fly Fishing outings for wounded war veterans and others with severe injuries. He began his involvement working with patients and alumni of Craig Hospital—one of the best in the country for treating Spinal Cord and TBI injuries—while serving on their board. During his service on the Board of Directors for Safari Club he expanded the outings to include wounded veterans from Operation TBI Freedom and Freedom Hunters and also serve on their advisory committees. Bobby is joined by Bob, Chuck, Susan & Service Dog “Token“ to discuss Helping Others, No Limitations, Handicapped Activities, US Military Veterans, Fly Fishing, Colorado, Hunting, Sport Shooting, Art, Horseback Riding, Outdoor Life & much more. Please subscribe or like us on social media platforms for updates on shows, events, and episode drops.www.TheMountainSidePodcast.comwww.RiverDeepFoundation.orgSponsor Linkswww.TraegerGrills.com

We DiscussIntroductions an overview of Shirley’s roles throughout her career (02:14);Shirley’s transition from therapist to CF Supervisor (07:20);Shirley’s learnings from supervising large groups of one profession (11:56);Specific characteristics of a successful CF (15:23);What a prospective CF can do to prepare themselves for a great experience (19:54);Preparing yourself as a CF Supervisor (24:03);Additional resources for CFs and CF Supervisors (27:36);About Shirley Padilla-Martinez MA, CCC-SLPShirley Padilla-Martinez MA, CCC-SLP, has been a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist since February of 1990. She graduated with her Master of Arts Degree in Communication Disorders and Speech Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1989—she went on to earn a certificate in Linguistically Diverse Education from Regis University in 2014. Shirley has worked for the Development Disabilities Resource Center serving the severe/profound student population, Nova Care (Long Term Care Geriatrics), Craig Hospital for Head and Spinal Cord Injured Patients with TBI patients, and with Jefferson County Public Schools for the past 25 years.  Shirley was the Southwest Metro Regional Representative on the Speech Language Advisory Council for Colorado Department of Education.  She represented SLPs from Jefferson County, Gilpin County, Platte Canyon, and Clear Creek Counties over 10 years. She also sat on the Colorado Bilingual SLP Providers Group for the state for over 7 years.  Shirley retired from Jefferson County in May of 2019.  She had planned to retire fully, but she has continued to work part-time as an SLP at a neighborhood charter school during the COVID-19 Pandemic. To date, Shirley continues her work as a CF Supervisor for traveling SLPs through Advanced Schools. About the ShowContact Us: slpfulldisclosure@gowithadvanced.comWebsite:https://www.advancedtraveltherapy.com/slpfulldisclosure/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gowithadvancedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gowithadvanced/Produced by Jonathan Cary
Music and Editing by Aidan Dykes
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Castle Craig Hospital has a total of 120 beds on campus where guests share triple rooms for both sexes. There is an extended nursing area with over 100 full-time carers and a long-term care facility with extended nursing facilities. Built over 200 years ago, the castle is surrounded by lush greenery, including trees and manicured gardens. Private rooms are also available, with private rooms for up to four people in a single room. https://worldsbest.rehab/castle-craig/ The common area consists of matching red walls and large windows covered with ornate curtains. There are antique coffee tables and oriental rugs, and there is a large dining room with an antique table and chairs and a small dining table. The extended care area includes a cottage with a separate dining room, and guests are served three healthy meals and nutritious snacks daily. The continental breakfast includes fresh fruit, eggs, oatmeal and oatmeal. Dinner favorites are chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork, fish, chicken and fish supper Fridays. Before treatment, each patient is subjected to a comprehensive evaluation and receives an individual treatment plan. Mobile phones and laptops are checked upon arrival, and telephone privileges and access for home computers are limited. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), which includes Suboxone and Librium, is available and is used at Castle Craig, where a Minnesota model targeting abstinence is used. Detox periods vary, but are typically between four and ten days, and customers are monitored around the clock. If necessary, they can be re-evaluated and the detox time varies. In the first phase of care, four to five clients are assigned to a team of ten therapists. Each client takes part in a three-day group and the treatment lasts between six and ten weeks. The weekly treatment includes three to four sessions a week, three days a week for three weeks, with weekly follow-up examinations. There is also a women's group dealing with gender issues, and there are also sessions for men and women on topics such as depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety disorders. These issues are the subject of the first phase of care at Castle Craig Hospital and the second phase. Dual diagnosis care is available and residents in need of care are moved to a hut for up to six weeks. There are 34 staff, including nurses, doctors, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and nurses. Treatment at Castle Craig Hospital is considered through evidence-based procedures such as applying a combination of physical and mental health, as well as social and psychological support. Clients can also participate in video conferencing sessions with therapists and follow-up care at locations in London and Amsterdam, Holland. Residents undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy in an oxygen chamber that looks like a submarine. Clients inhale pure oxygen under pressure, and clients can inhale and exhale into the pressure chamber for up to 30 minutes at a time. Castle Craig Facilities Other alternative therapies include art, drum and horse therapy, and there is a gym available, although exercise is also an important part of the program. Castle Craig is a 12 Step Facility Support the show (https://worldsbest.rehab)

Episode #41 welcomes Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and her most recent book, Naked for Tea. Rosemerry has been a regular contributor to Poets Respond and the Ekphrastic Challenge for years. Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer lives in southwest Colorado and is the author of eleven collections of poetry. Her poems have appeared in O Magazine, Rattle.com, TEDx, in back alleys, on A Prairie Home Companion, and on river rocks she leaves around town. She’s taught poetry for Think 360, Craig Hospital, Ah Haa School for the Arts, Weehawken Creative Arts, Camp Coca-Cola, meditation retreats, addiction recovery programs, hospice, and many other organizations. She’s won the Fischer Prize, Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, the Dwell Press Solstice Prize, the Writer’s Studio Literary Contest, and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. As Colorado’s Western Slope Poet Laureate (2015–2017), she created and curates Heard of Poets, an interactive poetry map. She earned her MA in English Language & Linguistics at UW-Madison. Since 2006, she’s written a poem a day. One-word mantra: Adjust. Naked for Tea was a finalist for the 2017 Able Muse Book Award. For more information, visit: https://www.wordwoman.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded, via Skype, or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Run-on-sentence poem. Write a prose poem consisting of one long sentence (commas and other punctuation OK). Next Week's Prompt: From the perspective of a ghost or spirit. The Rattlecast will be livestreaming on YouTube, Facebook, and Periscope.

During a week-long break from running track at Utah State University, Brittany fell in love with climbing the red rocks of southern Utah. And a moonlight rappel from a 200-foot cliff with a friend was just the adventure Brittany was looking for. But that night, adventure quickly turned to tragedy, leaving Brittany with a life-changing diagnosis that ultimately led her to a new relationship with her self and her Savior. This episode of THIS IS THE GOSPEL is sponsored by the First Light Concert Celebration of the First Vision presented by Deseret Book. SHOW NOTES To find the pictures and videos of Brittany's story, head to our shownotes at LDSLIVING.com/thisisthegospel EPISODE TRANSCRIPT KaRyn Lay  0:03   Welcome to This Is the Gospel, an LDS living podcast where we feature real stories from real people who are practicing and living their faith every day. I'm your host KaRyn Lay. We all know that person, you know, the one who takes all the hard things that life sends their way and eats them for breakfast.  The one who somehow finds the way to remain fully cheerful regardless of their circumstances. And can I tell you a secret? I've always been a little bit suspicious of that person. As someone who generally seeks consistent happiness, but sometimes can't find it, I often wonder if it's all a show- a mask- because I felt the pressure to put on a happy face even when I wasn't feeling it, so why wouldn't someone else? And I guess you could say that I'm a little pessimistic about whether it's actually possible for someone to remain fully optimistic in the midst of really hard things. And then I was put into a church calling with someone that I would have described, once upon a time, as painfully cheerful. From the outside, her life seemed perfect. Her children were perfect. Her hair even seemed perfect. And if she was struggling with anything, it would be impossible to know. And I didn't trust it. I made it my mission to try to figure out what was really under all that optimism and hope. I brought all my suspicions to our joint service. And do you know what I discovered? To my chagrin, as I grew to know and love this woman, I learned that life her life was far from perfect, but her choice to see and speak the positive was as real as it gets. In those moments of conversation, when it would have been easy to head below the line, I could actually see the wheels turning in her heart and in her mind as she worked her way back up to the top, finally landing her words in a place of hope, and goodness, and possibility. Now listen, I'm a huge fan of honoring our vulnerability and allowing our vetted safe people to cradle us in our sorrow, but this wasn't about that. She had her people to mourn with her. But she also made a conscious effort to speak hope. To turn her words and her face to the Savior in all things. And frankly, that's something I'm still trying to learn how to learn.  Well, today we have one story from Brittany who learned her lessons in optimism in a unique way that she believes was tailored specifically to her. Here's Brittany. Brittany  2:27   In 2012, I was a 21-year-old student athlete at Utah State and I ran cross country in the fall and track in the spring, and I was always on the go. I rarely sat still. And I just loved being in nature. I genuinely loved running. Running in nature is where I would pray and felt closest to God and just loved every moment of life. I had great friends. I was doing well in school. I was healthy, no stress fractures and I felt closest to the Lord than I ever had in my life. And so just every aspect of my life really seemed to be going my way. And it was just this beautiful, busy life that was spent outdoors as much as I possibly could.  So, in March of 2012, our coaches gave us the weekend off before outdoor track season started. So, I took the opportunity to join some friends down in St. George for a little bit of a spring break climbing trip and it was there that I fell in love with the red rocks. I think I went on like six runs in one day. We started climbing at 7:30am - climbed all day- I fit in six runs in between and ended the night I think swimming. So when I got the invitation to go out for a moonlight rappel... If you haven't gotten the gist, I was always up for an adventure... And so when I got that invitation I, I accepted and, and was all for it. And it was there that we went to Cougar cliffs.  Sitting at the top of the cliff, I was just looking up at the stars and had this peaceful feeling while the fellow I with was setting everything up. And once we started the descent of the rappel, I had no idea how big the cliff was. I hadn't seen over the edge. And so as we started rappelling, that rope was really heavy and I never done a repel like this before, of this size. The cliff was 250 feet. And so as the speed kind of picked up, I tried to slow myself down, and my hand was burning so badly that, just kind of like when you touch a hot stove, it was just instinct to let go. We later found out I had a third degree burn on my hands so I had held on for as long as I could to try and slow my slow my descent but... At that point, it was a free fall for the next 80 to 100 feet. If you've ever been cliff jumping into water, it's that same feeling in your stomach or a roller coaster. I couldn't scream. I couldn't make any noise because I was falling so fast. But I kept wondering, when's the ground going to come? When's the ground going to come? And all of a sudden, just bam, there was.I fell about 80 to 100 feet, I hit the ground. From that moment, things went a little blurry.  After the initial shock of the fall, I kind of came to my senses again. I looked up at the sky and how peaceful it was. And the fellow I was with had gone to call for help so, I was all alone. And I knew something was wrong. I assumed there was some bone sticking out in my legs, so I didn't look down at the damage... But as I looked up at the night sky, I just had this peaceful feeling again, and I thought to pray. And I think it was just instinct. And so I tried to roll over for the first time since I had fallen. I tried to roll over to maybe kind of kneel and pray and I couldn't even roll over. I didn't think anything weird of it. I just decided to stay on my back and look up at the stars and pray and it was kind of one of those desperate. "Heavenly Father, you know, please help me. I know I'm in trouble. I don't know what kind of trouble, but, like, if you help me in this situation, I'll do anything you ask." and maybe kind of bargaining with the Lord. But I I just felt such peace as I laid there alone. Slowly, search and rescue came and found me and started boarding me up. Lifeflight had landed and they were getting ready to take me to the hospital. When search and rescue had been called, they typically get two types of calls: a rescue and recovery. Recovery, they're just going in to get a body and   rescue, they're going in to get someone in danger, someone who's hurt in a tight place. And so when they heard my situation, they assumed they were coming in for recovery just to get a body. And so you can imagine their surprise when not only was I alive, but I was awake. And so from there they life flighted me to Las Vegas. I went through all the initial CAT scans and MRIs. And from there, they whisked me away into surgery, and I woke up 10 hours later, 12 hours later, I think, is how long the surgery took, with my mother by my bedside. She had had time to fly from Chicago- book a flight from Chicago and get to the hospital to be by my bedside. But I was still intubated and couldn't speak and my mom was able to just sit by my bedside and read scriptures to me to help me calm down because I'd woken up really anxious. I knew what had happened, but I didn't know why I couldn't talk or move. And so the scriptures were able to just bring peace and I was able to fall back asleep until they could take all the tubes out of my throat.  And the first few days were just cycles of in and out of sleep and pain medicine. I ended up with lots of broken bones in my legs,a burnt right hand and multiple fractures in my spine, including my T 12 vertebrae, which burst instantly paralyzing me from the waist down. The official diagnosis was a spinal cord injury and paraplegic. And it wasn't until I had been moved out of ICU. I had been filled with a lot of optimism and hope in those moments that I was awake. And it wasn't until I had been moved upstairs and I looked down my legs for the first time. I'd been so afraid that there were bone sticking out. But I figured at this point, I've had surgery on my legs. I've had surgery on my back, like, it can't be that bad. And when I looked down, I wanted to see my strong running legs, my great calves and quad muscles that helped me run fast in college. But instead, what I saw were these swollen, lifeless, cut up and bruised legs. That ...was.... that was my first moment of kind of doubt and discouragement crept into my mind. And that was the first time that I questioned "Who am I anymore?" You know, before I was this student athlete, this rock climber and this runner, all these things that I identified with my legs, and that was no more. So I kind of went through this identity crisis, wondering Who am I? doubting myself for the first time. From Las Vegas, I was eventually transferred to another rehab hospital in Colorado, which was Craig Hospital. It was a hospital just for spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. And it was there at Craig hospital that I learned to live life again in a wheelchair. I learned how to dress myself; how to go the bathroom;  how to drive a car; how to cook in the kitchen. The simplest tasks became such a struggle to learn again, and from  there I went through months and months of intense  rehabilitation and physical therapy. And even after I was discharged from the hospital, I continued to learn how to walk. Once my bones had healed in my legs. I'd regained some muscle function and sensation in my legs enough to walk with a walker. And then eventually I learned to walk with crutches. And I can take some independent steps on my own, but I fall pretty quickly. And so, it was just this juggling act of wheelchair, walker, and crutches. And it was an intense year of physical therapy and healing both spiritually and emotionally.  I think one of the biggest struggles I had, on top of all the physical pain, there was neuropathic pain, which was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Then there was also just a spiritual stretching, which was painful, as I learned so many new lessons. And the hardest thing physically though, was not having running to cope with anymore which was also emotional because running was my therapy. Running was what I did when I was happy or when I was sad, when I was frustrated or when I was excited. And so finding something to fill that hole that running had left in my life.... It wasn't until about a year and a half into my recovery. I had graduated from Utah State. I had student- taught in my wheelchair. I had walked across the stage at graduation. And I had finally kind of slowed down and realized that this is permanent. That this diagnosis wasn't going anywhere. My paralysis wasn't going away. And that's when I kind of hit my spiritual and emotional low. And that's when I faced the depths of grief and depression. And those were the moments where I felt completely alone and wondered where that promise was that that God had given us saying, "I will not leave you comfortless." There I was, feeling pretty dang comfortless and questioning everything that I had... I knew about our loving Heavenly Father. But I came to learn with perspective in hindsight, during those those months of darkness and depression and grief, that Heavenly Father was aware of what I was going through. He was aware of my loss and my struggles and my sadness, but he had to allow me to feel that darkness... to feel that sadness, so I could understand what others have gone through and will go through and are going through. So I can empathize and have compassion towards them and minister to others. It was so meaningful to know that the Savior understood my struggles individually because I was facing some really unique circumstances, some pain, some neuropathic pain that literally caused me to cry out in the night. I couldn't even describe the pain to anyone. And learning to go to the bathroom again, the simplest little task that we learn at two years old, I was learning this again and the Savior knew I was struggling with once again. He knew the pain and the loss that I was experiencing. And that meant so much because even other spinal cord injuries didn't know exactly what I was experiencing or feeling. They may have a better understanding, but only the Savior truly knew and had felt that neuropathic pain - had felt that emotional pain and loss that I was experiencing.  And, it just helped me feel like I wasn't alone at all. But during that season when I wasn't so optimistic when the grief and and loss and depression was so heavy, it was hard to find the light. And that's where I just practiced CPR: church, prayer, reading the scriptures. It was spiritual CPR and I wasn't feeling it for so many months... But as I continued to do those small and simple things, there was no one light bulb moment when everything came together and I was happy again. It was more of a gradual sunrise. It was more of a gradual coming back to myself... coming back to finding joy and and choosing joy. Because we're taught that it's our reaction to adversity, not adversity itself, that that really matters. And so, we don't always get to choose what happens to us, but we always get to choose how we react. And I don't think Heavenly Father's upset with us when we feel the sadness and the darkness, but just as long as we still choose him at the end of the day. I believe in a just and loving Heavenly Father, and I believe he doesn't cause bad things to happen, but he allows them to happen. And that night, he allowed that accident to happen. He allowed the effects of gravity to pull me down to the ground and to cause all these broken bones upon impact. I mean, that's the laws of gravity, like God is not only a just and loving God, but He's the God of order. And, and that's a part of it -- our free agency and those consequences. And so I've found a lot of peace and knowing that Heavenly Father didn't cause this to happen, but he allowed it to happen. But he also did so much more in preserving my life. First off, I mean, the fact that I even survived. I know that Heavenly Father was involved in the details. That he preserved my life and not only my life, but my ability to speak and think for myself, and have relationships... because I didn't have a helmet that night, and that there was no brain damage is such a tender mercy, a miracle in itself on top of the miracle of still being alive. So I know that Heavenly Father was involved in the details, but that he didn't cause it to happen, but he allowed it to happen. My life now is nothing like what I would have pictured myself. If you had asked 21 year old Brittany where she would be in seven years, I would not have painted this picture. But now that I'm living it, it's so beautiful, as I've become a wife and a mother and I have my boys- my husband and my son and my dog --and I still am able to be active and get outdoors. That looks different than what I would have imagined and what I would have preferred running on my own two feet, but I still able to get out there until live a full and beautiful life regardless of my abilities and my circumstances. And each and every one of us can live this beautiful full life that Heavenly Father has planned for, for us as we learn to be content with our circumstances. I learned this before my accident, during my accident and now still. Especially when fall comes around my legs just like yearn to run again in the fall crisp weather. And it's so hard when those feelings of loss and grief resurface. But, then I look at my beautiful life and I realized that gratitude and grief can coexist. You can still mourn your loss. You can still feel the sadness, but you can also still feel so much joy and so much gratitude. And so just allowing myself to feel the sadness, but then to look up and to look around at how beautiful life still is - that I'm still getting out in nature. It may be a little different than it used to be, but I'm still out there. I'm still... I'm still me. I'm still Brittany. And that that has brought a lot of comfort to me knowing that grief and gratitude can coexist.  The other thing that I do is silly and and simple, but I call it two goods and a bad and I've been doing it since I was in high school. And it's just a practice of, you know, you may have a really crappy aspect of your day or life and acknowledging that... but then balancing it out by seeking out good things in life too. And sometimes the bads in our life are really heavy and you have to find 2,3,4,5, 20 good things to help kind of balance out the bad, but, just practicing that two goods and a bad by acknowledging the hard things in life but also seeking out the good and the sweet things.  I came across the scripture in Philippians 4:11 and Alma 29:3 and they both talk about being content with the things which the Lord has allotted you. And the Lord has allotted me so much. He's given me so much. He's given me an opportunity to bear my testimony and to share my light and to become a mother. I don't know if I ever would have slowed down enough to become a wife and a mother if I still had my own two legs to carry me through the mountains and adventure up every peak and canyon. Even if it's on four wheels instead of my own two legs, it still is a beautiful life regardless of my trials. Regardless of my circumstances, I can still become who Heavenly Father... because of my trials and circumstances, I'm able to become who Heavenly Father wants me to be. KaRyn Lay  21:09   That was Brittany Fisher Frank. Brittany's story of incredible optimism has been featured in so many cool places, including the Today Show and People magazine. Like she said, she truly has had so many opportunities to share her testimony with the world as a result of her experience. And were you as struck as I was by the wisdom that she just casually dropped about grief and gratitude coexisting? I can't stop thinking about that. And I really think that that understanding might be one of the secrets to living a more optimistic life.  Here's my deep thought of the day. So many times we define optimism as the choice between seeing the glass half empty and seeing the glass half full. But I don't think that's quite right. If Brittany's lesson is correct, then the glass really is both things at once. And that means that I dont have to ignore the emptiness in order to see the fullness. The glass just is...in perfect balance without judgment. And I can honor the space where there is no water and also be excited about the water that is there. I think what Brittany's story teaches us is the true nature of the principle of opposition and all things. Maybe, just maybe, true optimism is just allowing ourselves to live in a world filled with the word "and" instead of the word "or." We met Brittany when we filmed her for an LDS living video documentary, and if you wonder why you can basically hear her smile as she talks about falling off a cliff?  Well, that's because she IS smiling as she talks about falling off a cliff. In fact, Brittany sent us several pictures for that documentary and I was shocked as I looked through them to see one of her grinning at the camera as she's being loaded into that lifeflight helicopter. And while we might attribute some of that to the effects of adrenaline and shock, I can honestly say how met and spoken to Brittany. That that's just genuinely who she is - no mask, no pretend, authentic Brittany. But if you were listening closely, you probably heard what I heard. Before her accident Brittany was already practicing her two goods and a bad. Before she ever had to accept the truth about her new life, Brittany was practicing the art of accepting gratitude AND grief. Now, you may write this off and say that she's lucky that she was just born with an innate ability towards optimism. And that may be true because there really are as many spiritual gifts as there are people. But we cannot dismiss the truth of the matter. That positivity, perspective, and peace are some of the fruits of practiced discipleship. If, like me, you don't feel that you already have these gifts the way you wish you did. You can seek them. You can practice toward them.  And here's the best news. Our Savior and our heavenly parents are true optimists. Elder Uchtdorf said this in his October 2014 General Conference talk,  "Yes, God loves you this very day and always. He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times that you've held on to the fading light and believed even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed, and he still loves you. He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly. He knows you as you really are and He loves you today and always." Isn't that so interesting? We, you and I, are God's half empty, half full glass of water. He sees all of us and the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be filled up with and feel the love of God, whether we find ourselves in joyful or dire circumstances, or both. And to me, that is some good news worth smiling about. That's it for this episode of This Is the Gospel. Thank you to Brittany Fisher Frank and her family for letting us invade with cameras and recording equipment last year. We'll have links to the video we made with Brittany including that picture of the lifeflight transport and a transcript of this episode in our show notes at LDS living.com/thisisthegospel.  If you have a minute to tell us what you love about this podcast, we would love to hear it. Please leave us a review on iTunes. And if you're not sure how to do that, go to our Instagram @thisisthegospel_podcast and in our highlights  wewill have all the instructions on how to leave a review. It really does help us and it helps more people to find this podcast. All of the stories on this podcast are true and accurate as affirmed by our storytellers. If you have a story to share about living the Gospel, please call our pitch line and leave us a pitch. We often find many of our stories from the pitch line and we love to hear how the gospel is blessing your life. Call 515-519-6179 and pitch your story in three minutes or less. This episode was produced by Sarah Blake with additional story producing and editing by Jasmine Mullen, Ashley Porter and me, KaRyn Lay. it was scored, mixed, and mastered by mix at six studios and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. You can find past episodes of this podcast and other LDS living podcasts at LDSliving.com/podcasts. Have a lovely week. Transcribed by https://otter.ai

What would you do if in a single moment, everything you had worked so hard for was wrenched from your grasp forever? Scream? Cry? Give up?Kevin Ogar may have screamed and cried after the accident that left him—a lifelong athlete —paralyzed from the waist down, but he didn't give up. He rolled with it, finding purpose in helping adaptive athletes, veterans and able-bodied people alike change their lives through fitness.After the accident, Kevin went on to become a member of the CrossFit Seminar Staff, teaching the Adaptive Training specialty course (he now works with the independent Adaptive Training Academy, which teaches a CrossFit-preferred course). He opened his own gym, CrossFit WatchTower, and co-founded the Reveille Project, a nonprofit that uses fitness, nutrition, community and faith to help veterans post-active duty. Kevin also competed on the U.S. Paralympic Powerlifting team.Listen to Kevin's interview with Sean Woodland to learn how he stays positive and driven—and get his advice for how you can do the same.Links:CrossFit WatchTowerAdaptive Training AcademyThe Reveille ProjectOGAR: Will of SteelContact: Instagram: @kevinogarTimeline:1:24 – Kevin Ogar, pre-CrossFit: a “meathead.”2:28 – His first CrossFit workout and the “Kevin-sized hole in the wall.”4:17 – Becoming a competitor.5:58 – The accident.7:27 – Rehabilitation at Craig Hospital.8:52 – Getting through the low moments.10:32 – The response from the CrossFit community. 12:20 – Moving forward.13:13 – Opening an affiliate and the power of coaching.14:52 – The Reveille Project17:03 – On the power of helping others.17:59 – Joining the U.S. Paralympic powerlifting team.19:12 – On the adaptive-athlete community. 20:55 – What it’s like to be an inspiration.22:17 – Helping others get through similar struggles.23:33 – Where does his positivity come from?24:54 – Helping people understand what it’s like to be disabled.26:20 – On being a newlywed: “I get less of my bed now.”28:24 – Lessons learned since that fateful day in 2014.29:05 – Refining a sense of purpose.29:54 – Why he wouldn’t trade everything that’s happened for the ability to walk again.

Guest: Jordan Ames Communications Director and Melanie Shutt Craig Hospital graduate (former patient) Craig Hospital is a rehab and research hospital committed to spinal cord and brain injuries.  Craig started as a hospital for Tuberculosis in 1907 and evolved into what it is today.  The average age of the typical patient at Craig is a 42 year old male.  Before a patient can come to Craig there is an interview process because of how rigorous the rehabilitation is at Craig.  A recent patient, Melanie, also shares her story from the past year about a brain aneurysm and how Craig was vital to her healing.  Craig Hospital is a non-profit hospital and many of the cutting edge treatments are not covered by insurance which is why they need your donations on Giving Tuesday which is happening December 3rd.  https://craighospital.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I’m not there to run my own agenda.  This is about the mission of the organization.  I’m there to STEWARD that mission.” Jandel Allen-Davis, CEO, Craig Hospital You, like I, have probably heard stories of Craig Hospital’s tremendous successes, sometimes with stories of celebrities who have been treated at Craig.  Planning for my interview with its CEO, Jandel Allen-Davis, I really wanted to explore how the leader of such a well-established and successful organization steps into that role, and what we can apply from how Craig operates to our businesses. 

In this episode, Heather speaks with Dr. Jandell Allen Davis, President and CEO of Craig Hospital in Colorado about her refreshing perspective on connection and bringing her whole self to the workplace, Her leadership fumbles and the unlikely, but likely journey she is on in her leadership. Key takeaways:  Our journey whether smooth or bumpy puts us where we are supposed to be Your people want to see you and be seen Touching customers and employees as a CEO deepens purpose and refreshes you in the mission Better to show up and speak up Leaders need to have a healthy narcissism Trust the wisdom of your team People have something to contribute. Don’t shut people out and down Focus on the work and the people I am responsible for It’s important to speak truth to power Don’t worry about being a king or queen, because people are always watching Let the forces of the water move you   This is Heather’s Top 3 pick so far!

Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis MD Podcast The post Episode 30 – Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, CEO Craig Hospital first appeared on Y on Earth Community.

While Trevor Kennison may never become a household name, he caught the attention of the snow world last week during the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s event.  Travis Rice and Caite Zeliff may have won the money but “Riders Choice” winner, Trevor Kennison, started a new life.  Five years ago Trevor had a life-altering injury that put a hard stop to life as he knew it.  While Trevor doesn’t know what his future will hold, what he did on his sit-ski in Jackson Hole last week...has the opportunities rolling in.  It will be fun to see what he does with them.  Trevor Kennison Show Notes: 2:00:   His big week and monoskiing 10:00:  Keane, NH, sports, and snowboarding 17:20:  Plumbing 20:20:  Evo:  The best online experience in action sports with retail to back it up RESQWATER (enter the code resqwatertpm for a 20% discount on a 12 pack) 21:40:  Moving to Colorado and riding 25:00:  The accident, the aftermath, and the process of living  39:00: Spy Optic:  Get 20% off on their site Spyoptic.com using the code TPM20 The 10 Barrel Brewery:  My favorite is 'Out of Office' Pilsner 40:20: Getting on snow with Craig Hospital, The High Fives Foundation, and becoming an athlete 45:30: Adaptive Training Foundation, falling in a hole, and did the injury change him    56:30:  Inappropriate Questions with Roy Tuscany

Guest: Jon Plaszcz Craig Hospital graduate (former patient) and Jordan Ames Communications Manager Craigs Hospital Foundation Craig is not a typical hospital. Craig Hospital is rehabilitation and research hospital exclusively devoted to two types of injuries: spinal cord injury and brain injury.  Craig Hospital is the only stand-alone, private, not-for-profit hospital in Colorado. craighospital.org/givingtuesday   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Wellman is a nationally acclaimed author, filmmaker and motivational speaker. Despite being paralyzed in a mountain climbing accident, Mark has inspired millions to meet their problems head-on and reach for their full potential. A two-time Paralympian and former Yosemite Park Ranger, Mark's NO LIMITS philosophy encourages individuals to adventure into new horizons; to go beyond the seeming unreachable. Mark is used to being on the road since he travels throughout the year, bringing his adaptive climbing wall to companies, organizations, and schools. We caught him during one of his road trips and he agreed to swing by Golden, Colorado to the No Barriers podcast studio and catch up with his old friends, Jeff, Dave, and Erik. Mark is unbelievably accomplished but also reserved and humble. He talks about his legendary, groundbreaking athletic achievements with the same tone most use to describe what they had for lunch. But there was a time in Mark's life where he was unsure, depressed, and hopeless with no clear path ahead. Mark discusses his near-death injury that he sustained on a climb that left his paralyzed from the waist down. He spent months in the hospital unsure of how to go forward and lost. That was, until he received some wisdom. I had this one physical trainer, she was from Germany, and she said: “You need to train like your training for the Olympics!” And I just really took that to heart.” Mark first was determined to find employment where he could stay connected to the outdoors. So, he went back to school and got his degree in Park Management. He worked as a Park Ranger in various capacities, already shattering people's ideas of what he was capable of, but that was just the beginning. He soon discovered the world of adaptive sports and threw himself into learning more and designing his own adaptive equipment to get back out into the field. It was then he came up with the crazy idea of climbing the sheer granite face of El Capitan. He found a partner, built an ascending rope pulley system, and started to train. Now, folks of many different abilities have climbed El Cap, but until Mark, this was unthinkable. He pulled it off and became the first paraplegic to make the ascent. “Are you crazy to take this paraplegic guy up El Cap? Seems like a really stupid idea. Something could go wrong,’ but fortunately we didn’t really listen to that.” Mark went on to gain tons of media attention, made national and international news, met the President, lit the flaming torch up a 120-foot rope at the Paralympic games in Atlanta; a fun story he shared with us, and continued on to break even more records of athletic achievement, like being the first paraplegic to sit-ski unassisted across the Sierra Nevadas. Listening to Mark describe his epic achievements it's easy to forget he has a disability or about all the struggle that led him to this point in his life. But for Mark, it's about mindset. “I learned my disability wasn’t a death sentence - let’s get on with life, dude!” But Mark wanted to share what he learned with others. He details the spark of an idea he had with a friend that led to the formation of the nonprofit, No Barriers, and the humble beginnings of an organization that is now becoming a movement. He uses his time to speak to groups and offer inspiration, as well as lead hands-on adaptive activities that get people out of their comfort zones. “Let’s get out and enjoy life.” Read Mark's Autobiography Here Visit Mark's website: No Limits Learn more about No Barriers autobiography Climbing Back. The first paraplegic to sit-ski unassisted across the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, --------------- EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ------------------------- Dave: Well welcome to our No Barriers podcast. We are thrilled today to have Mark Wellman with us, who's one of the founders of No Barriers. Can't wait to hear some of his stories about what this organization was founded upon. He's really the heart and soul behind why many of us are here at the organization. Before we get into that conversation, Erik, you just came back from a really interesting experience, why don't share with our listeners a little bit about it? Erik: [00:00:30] Yeah, I was at a conference with all these authors. There were four of us, and the first was a lady, she was the author of Hidden Figures, this great book that was made into a movie, these African American women who were behind getting us to the moon, didn't get any credit at first, but then their stories were really illuminated by her book. And this guy who is falsely sent to death row for 30 years. He was incarcerated- Dave: Wow. Erik: In a five by [00:01:00] seven room, had to kind of go into his mind and think about how to expand his mind. He said in his mind he married Halle Berry. They were married for 25 happy years. Dave: When was this set? Erik: Recently. Literally just got out of ... he got out of jail, no apology from Alabama. But he wrote this amazing book, so ... And then a lady who wrote a book called Beauty Sick, mostly [00:01:30] about girls who struggle with body image, and how much productivity is lost in the world because girls are having to pay attention to makeup, and weight, and all the things that they worry about. Guys too, but mostly the focus was on girls, and I have a daughter, so I was sitting there just hanging on every word, thinking about my daughter and her struggle, so it was really book because it was four very No Barriers... Dave: That's a lot of No Barriers. Erik: ...authors right there. [00:02:00] Maybe we'll get them on the podcast at some point. Dave: That sounds like perfect fit for the kinds of topics we explore. Erik: Yeah. And I am totally thrilled... this is great. I'm so psyched to have my friend, all our friends, Mark Wellman on the podcast today. Dave: The legend. Erik: The legend, the dirt bag... is that okay to say? Mark: Yeah, yeah. Dave: You embrace it, right? Mark: It's great to be here. I embrace everything. Erik: Mark almost doesn't need an introduction, but Mark is [00:02:30] a world class adventurer, and an innovator, and is the key founder of No Barriers. Has done amazing things that blow your mind as an adventurer. Has skied across the Ruth Gorge. Has traversed the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Has mountain biked the White Rim Trail. Has climbed El Capitan, Half Dome. We were just talking this morning, your Half [00:03:00] Dome ascent was 13 days? Mark: Yeah, it was. Erik: On the wall. Just, Mark, a hero of mine for sure. You're a few years older than me. When I was a teenager and you were just a little bit older climbing El Capitan and doing all these amazing adventures, you were a huge part of my motivation, so I'm psyched right now. Mark: It's great to be here, thanks a lot Erik. Yeah I guess I could [00:03:30] start off with... 35 years ago I was an able bodied climber and we were climbing a peak called Seven Gables, which is pretty close to the Mount Whitney area. We had a 20 mile backpack to get into the base, and this is back in 1982, I was 22 years old. My good friend Peter Enzinger and I were back there to do this climb. [00:04:00] We set up a base camp about 10,000 feet, and the next morning we got up pretty early, grabbed our technical rock climbing equipment and left most of our provisions at the base camp, our sleeping bags. Sure would have been nice to have that sleeping bag with us but didn't have it. And we climbed Seven Gables. It was sort of technical, kind of a mixed route. There was a little bit of ice, a little bit of rock, and made [00:04:30] the ascent. By the time we topped of it was a little bit late in the afternoon, about five o'clock. We just embraced this beautiful view from the summit. American Alpine Club places sometimes these cairns, or climbing registers, at the top of the mountain. It was kind of cool to see this. In this case it was just a pile of rocks with a Folgers coffee can. And I opened up the Folgers coffee can and dumped out the little pieces of paper, and there's my [00:05:00] hero Royal Robbins had climbed it. "Cool man, I'm gonna put my name next to Royal." Did that, and then we decided we're gonna go down a class four descent on the backside, just scrambling, not roped. We were just kind of walking down a tail of slope. I'll be the first to kind of admit my guard was down. My partner said, "Hey, maybe we should put a rope on [00:05:30] this one section here." I go, "No, no. I wanna get down to base camp, I'm really hungry. There's some really good freeze-dried food I wanna eat." You know that wonderful Mountain House stuff. Erik: And 35 years ago. Dave: Delicious. [crosstalk 00:05:44] Mark: So next thing I knew, I slipped on some scree, and I pitched forward and I started rolling. I made a couple of somersaults and I rolled off about a 100 foot cliff. When I landed I broke my lower back at T 11, T 12. Of course at the time I didn't know it. [00:06:00] I was 22, I didn't even know what a wheelchair was. That happened, and my partner thought I possibly could have been killed. But he heard me yell back at him. He got down to where I was... he said he spent a couple hours with me stopping some bleeding on my legs, and some other stuff. Jeff: What's your recollection of that period of time... Mark: He said he was with me for two hours, it felt like ten minutes. Erik: Right. Mark: And then he left. [00:06:30] He left an orange, an extra jacket, and some trail mix and said "Man, I gotta get out and get some help." So after 30 hours, the best sound I've ever heard in my whole life was the sound of this... [helicopter sounds] ...coming up the canyon. Erik: You almost froze to death. Mark: It was cold that night. Yeah it was real cold. I was laying on some ice. That probably helped because it kept the swelling down in my back. So I'm an incomplete [00:07:00] para. I have a little bit of movement in my legs. They said that might have helped me, the swelling. But the helicopter got up there, it was actually a ship from the Forest Service. They were gonna just go up and see if it was more of a body recovery, but fortunately I waved to them and the helicopter disappeared. About an hour later, a second helicopter came up and this time was from Lemoore Navy Base, and they did [00:07:30] a technical rescue. Flew in, brought the rotors within several feet of the cliff surface, lowered a navy medic, got me in a stokes litter, got me back up into the ship. I was down at a trauma center, they were cutting my clothes off, and a nurse said, "Who's your insurance company?" And fortunately I did have insurance, I had Kaiser. I went through stabilization of my back with Harrington rods. I was in the hospital in 1982 for seven months. Dave: [00:08:00] Wow. Erik: Including rehab? Mark: Including rehab and the whole nine yards. And nowadays, a paraplegic if you go to Craig Hospital, it's kind of the factory up here in the west. A paraplegic will be in the hospital for about six weeks. It's pretty dramatic... in those days, it was a much longer hospitalization. Learning how to take care of yourself. And then... Erik: More time is better, right? I mean, [00:08:30] would make sense right? You can develop more time? Mark: Yeah, a little bit. I think seven months was a little excessive. Erik: Right. Mark: But you know, there's a lot to learn. Your life has really changed. Your spinal cord runs your body, and you're paralyzed from your waist down. You have bowel and bladder issues. You have skin issues you have to be careful about. So all those things were really important, and I had this one [00:09:00] physical therapist who was from Germany and she goes, "You need to train like you're training for the Olympics." I just really took that to heart and started lifting weights. Was ambulating with long leg braces. This was sort of the beginning of the wheelchair revolution where wheelchairs weren't a stale piece of medical equipment, they were a lightweight piece of aluminum that was more of an extension of your body. And the wheelchair [00:09:30] could take you from point A to point B. Fortunately, in 1982 was really when these wheelchairs... they started making lightweight chairs. And I was a part of that. Erik: Not the clunky Vietnam-era things, right? Mark: Exactly. The old Everest and Jennings chairs were more obsolete, and they were using... well there was a woman who started Quickie wheelchairs, Marilyn Hamilton, she got hurt in a hang gliding accident. They took hang gliding technology, clevis pins, aluminum, powder coat. [00:10:00] And they kind of messier of manufacturing these wheelchairs sort of like... taking the technology from hang gliders and applying it to wheelchairs. Erik: We're still less than ten podcasts in here, but we've already heard a lot of stories of people... these No Barrier stories of people who go down deep into these dark places. I don't want to bring you down, but you have a lot of experience right now and so you can look back. You went to a dark [00:10:30] place, obviously. Mark: Yeah. It was close to saying goodbye to this Earth. Fortunately I made it through. I remember getting back into rehab, then I met a state rehab counselor who said, "You know Mark, you have this great love, this great passion for the outdoors, why don't you become a park ranger?" And I'm thinking, "How's somebody in a wheelchair gonna be a park ranger?" I'm thinking [00:11:00] law enforcement, search and rescue, and she goes "No, there's many hats in the National Park Service, or many different jobs." She took me down to Fort Funston where I met a ranger who kind of showed me the ropes and said "Hey, you could maybe do a job, this would be an entry level position, but you could help us plant dune grass and work in the nursery, or you could go to the entrance gate and help out there." [00:11:30] So I did that for a summer and then I went back to school and went to West Valley College and studied park management. Erik: Cool. Mark: And became a ranger at Yosemite. I remember my first job wasn't exactly my idea being a ranger. There I was sitting in this little kiosk, this little booth, at Big Oak Flat, the entrance to Yosemite. In those days it was a three dollar entrance fee and I'd collect the money and be breathing in auto fumes all day long. That really wasn't [00:12:00] my idea of being a ranger. But it was entry level. The next summer I went down to Yosemite Valley and started working at the visitor's center doing interpretation. Interpreting the natural processes of the park, the public. Bear management, geology, climbing was a big subject too. I'd give programs on climbing, talk about A climbing versus free climbing. Jeff: Were you transparent with people that would come through the park, with how your injury took place? [00:12:30] When you'd talk about the [crosstalk 00:12:31] Mark: I was, I was. I would start my climbing program off with my accident, actually. And bring that in, because I think that was a big part of it. They might say, "Well who's this guy in a wheelchair, what does he know about climbing?" I'd kind of bring that in. That was before I climbed El Cap, I was doing those things. Jeff: Were you percolating on doing something like that when you were there? Mark: I was. It's kind of an interesting story. There was a magazine called Sports And Spokes, it was a wheelchair [00:13:00] athletic magazine. On the front cover on that magazine was a DSUSA chapter, a woman who was being lowered down a cliff in a wheelchair on a river rafting trip. The river went over a waterfall, and then you did portage all the equipment around the waterfall. They had a swami belt and a climbing rope and they had a helmet, I guess they wanted to put a helmet on her for safety, sounded like a good idea. And they lowered her down this cliff in this wheelchair, [00:13:30] and it was on the front cover of this magazine, Sports And Spokes. I got the magazine at my little cabin in Yosemite and I had it on my lap. I was wheeling over to the visitor center to open it up in the morning, and I bumped into my future climbing partner Mike Corbet. And Mike's nickname was Mr. El Cap back in the 80s, he had climbed El Cap more than anybody else in the world, over 50 times. And Mike had never really talked about climbing to me because he knew that's how I got hurt. But when [00:14:00] I showed him this picture, Mike's eyes got really big, and he got really excited. He goes, "You know what Mark, I wanna start climbing with you, but what I really wanna do is climb El Cap." And we had no idea how we were gonna do it. Dave: That's great. Mark: That evening, we were sitting at the mountain room bar, we might have had a beer or two. Dave: Or three. Jeff: That's where all good decisions are made. Mark: Where all good decisions are made. So we had a little beer napkin and we started writing down notes. We said, "Okay, [00:14:30] we're gonna take a jumar..." A jumar is a rope ascender, this was back in the day, kind of like what Kleenex is to tissue. So we took a jumar, and we mounted a pull up bar and a jumar, and then we had a second ascender on a chest harness. And we put a rope up right by the Ahwahnee Hotel. Church ball tree. It was an oak tree. We had this rope and we started ascending up into the tree and then he'd lower me back down. So we go, "Okay, [00:15:00] so a paraplegic can ascend a rope using their upper body strength. Now to get on El Capitan, we got to actually protect your lower extremities from the granitic rock." We knew we were gonna be up there at least a week. I don't have feeling in my legs, so I really needed to protect my legs from any kind of abrasion or any kind of sore that could have occurred up there. We went down to this hardware store in Fresno, California outside [00:15:30] of the park. We bought some leather, a speedy stitcher, some closed cell insulation foam, and we just started making these rock chaps and they sort of evolved over a course of six months. We were climbing Jam Crack, Warner's... Erik: Weren't they... what was the material of those? I've felt your chaps before. That sound's weird... Dave: The truth comes out. Jeff: Hey, we're all friends here. Mark: The original [00:16:00] rock chaps were made out of leather and canvas. But the pair of rock chaps you felt were actually made out of some kind of silky material. No, no... Dave: Oh that was lingerie? Not chaps. Jeff: This was the first No Barriers improv meeting, what you're talking about, with your buddy Mike. Mark: Absolutely. Jeff: That was it, that was the genesis of what... fast forward to today, that was the beginning. What [00:16:30] year was that? 1980... Mark: That was 1988. Jeff: 88. There you go. Mark: Yeah 88. I was 28 years old. Erik: So if you think about it that way, No Barriers began in the Ahwahnee bar. Jeff: Yeah, on a bar stool. On a bar napkin. Dave: I know you guys are all dirt bag climbers. I'm not a dirt bag climber. For our listeners who are not dirt bag climbers, someone paint a picture, because we're getting to the El Cap story. Which is a phenomenal story. Paint a picture of El Cap for us, because not everyone knows what that is. Jeff: Yeah, well. El Cap [00:17:00] is probably the most revered, iconic, monolith in North America if not the world. Uninterrupted, over 3000 feet of granite. It is... when you're in Yosemite, you look up at it and it's got this perfectly symmetrical flank apron on both sides that comes out into this promontory called the nose. And [00:17:30] you can't take your eyes off it. If you look away for a minute, you have to look back at it just cause it's so magnificent and powerful. And it represents so much too. If you want to call yourself a climber, you kind of have to climb El Cap at some point. Erik: When you stand in the meadows below, which is just clogged with tourists just all driving by gawking. What I've heard, is you have to look up and up and up, way higher than [00:18:00] you think you have to. Dave: And if you see a person climbing, as a person who's not a technical climber speaking, you think "Those people are crazy. They're insane. What are they doing up there?" Jeff: Erik and I climbed El Cap. And his dad, Erik's dad, and future wife were down there in the meadow with telescopes watching us. We had one of those little lighty things, little sticks, and we were shining our headlamps down at everybody. It's [00:18:30] a magnificent thing, but it's also very intimidating. It can be very cool when you stand up and look at it, but then the idea of going and climbing it I think is a whole different story. Erik: And as a quote on quote gimp, and that's a word by the way that Mark taught me. I never even heard that word before. It's one of those words I guess you somehow have the license to use if you are... Mark: If you are. Erik: If you are in a chair or you are blind. So what did, when you talked about this out loud, what did people [00:19:00] think? Are people like, "You're nuts." Mark: Yeah, we had kind of a mixture of both. People that knew us, were "Oh yeah you guys should go do this." Mark's been training, he's always skiing, always riding his bike, hand bike around... well in those days it was more of a row cycle. And then we had people say, mainly not to me so much but more to Mike, "Are you crazy? Take this paraplegic guy up El Cap? Seems like a really stupid [00:19:30] idea. Something could go wrong." But fortunately, we didn't really listen to that. We just started training, we made these rock chaps. Like I said, they kind of just evolved over about a six month period. We kind of have a little circuit in Yosemite Valley that we climbed together. We did Jam Crack, the Prude, Warner's Crack, The Rostrum, we went over there. Erik: Oh, wow. Mark: So we did some stuff in the Valley [00:20:00] just to really warm up. And then I actually went up and spent a night on El Cap. Because we wanted to feel what that was like. Jeff: Up at sickle? Mark: We actually went to Heart Ledge. Erik: Wow. Jeff: Over on the south. Mark: Yeah, over on the south. The route we were gonna climb was a shield. So... Jeff: Cause it's overhanging. Mark: It was overhanging... once you get over the shield roof it's overhanging. The beginning of it's not. It's pretty low angle. Jeff: Were you scared at all before you did this or [00:20:30] were you just super fired up and kind of naïve? Mark: I was scared the night before. Jeff: You were. Mark: Yeah. Jeff: Like really scared? Mark: Yeah I was... couldn't sleep. This kind of what happened was... really Mike, about two weeks before we're gonna blast off, Mike goes, "Man we've trained so hard for this, I'm gonna write a letter to Tom Brokaw..." who is the national NBC News guy, who is a climber too, a little bit. And, I'm going, "Okay... " so basically [00:21:00] Corbet just wrote out a note with a pencil. He was a janitor at the Yosemite Medical Clinic to support his addiction to climbing. He just wrote a little note to Tom Brokaw, and I think three or four days later he's talking to... Tom Brokaw called the medical clinic and talked to Mike, and said "We want to come out and do this story." Erik: Gosh. Mark: And all of a sudden the pressure was on. That's when I really was thinking, "Wow you're telling national news, this is gonna add [00:21:30] a lot more pressure for myself." But as soon as we got to the base of El Cap and I touched that granite, all that training and preparation really got into par, and I got relaxed. I started doing pull up after pull up, dragging myself up the largest unbroken granite cliff in North America, El Capitan, and the first night... we do something called, we fix pitches. So we were fixed [00:22:00] up about 800 feet. So we had... Mike used to say, "It's always nice to kind of have a jumpstart." Erik: Right. Mark: You know, fix those lines, get all your water, we had 250 pounds... Erik: It's like a trail of ropes that go up 800 feet so you can just... Mark: The next morning... Erik: Start on the ground and zip up 800 feet and have like a jumpstart on this gigantic monolith. Mark: Exactly. And have all your water, all your gear up there. So he had to work three or four days to make that happen prior to us [00:22:30] leaving. Once we left Mammoth Terrace, we were on our own. We went through the Gray Ledges, and we went over... the roof was really tremendous. Because Mike is basically climbing upside down, and then gets up onto the pitch above it and fixes a rope. Then I kind of untied myself and I swing underneath that roof, and you can hear the cheers of the people down below. It's like [00:23:00] what Jeff was saying, It's quite a scene at the El Cap meadow. You really have to have binoculars. It's hard to see climbers up there, because they're so tiny, they're like little ants up there. If you don't know what to look for, it's hard to see these people. The crowd was yelling, and the green dragon would come by. It's a tour vehicle that has it's open air shuttle. Erik: "If you look upright you will see a nutcase [00:23:30] climbing El Capitan." Mark: We could actually hear them talking about "Mike Corbet, Mark Wellman, first paraplegic..." So that was kind of interesting. Finally when we topped out, it was seven nights, eight days of climbing. This was before digital technology on El Cap, when national news came out. They had a mule train, they brought out a satellite dish that was like five feet wide, and we were live on top of El [00:24:00] Cap talking to Tom Brokaw. Jeff: Sick. Mark: And we've got... between the Today Show and NBC News, and in a week we were on TV for like several hours if you took all the time that they played this. There wasn't really much going on in the news, so they really kind of played this story up in a big way. As soon as we got off that climb, about a week later, we're sitting in the Oval [00:24:30] Office talking to President Bush. It was myself, Mike Corbet, "Writtenaur" who was Secretary of the Interior, and Jack Morehead, superintendent of Yosemite. The four of us are in the White House, in the Oval Office, talking about bone fishing because President Bush loved to bone fish and we presented him with a flag that we took with us on the climb, and it changed my life. Erik: Mark, so you're not that old, but I see [00:25:00] you sort of as the father of adventur e sports for people with disabilities. I want people to understand that the idea to climb El Cap back in the 80s... nowadays, I think... how many people have climbed El Cap in chairs, paras? Mark: Oh the chairs? Erik: Dozens, right? Mark: Yeah, dozens. Erik: But you sort of unleashed that. You opened up this door. And now, quote on quote gimps are doing everything, right? Mark: Every summer there's [00:25:30] a paraplegic. Erik: But you opened that door for all of us. So, it's sort of a crazy thought to me. Mark: It is. You can't take the first ascent of El Cap, you can't take that away from me. That's something I'll always remember. It was a huge accomplishment for both Mike and I, and there's been different paraplegics who have gone up it. A gentleman with cerebral palsy, Steve Wampler, was probably the most [00:26:00] disabled person that's been up there. Lots of amputees. I call them amputees, hardly disabled. Paraplegics wanna be amputees. Erik: Those will be our first complaint letters. Dave: Exactly. [crosstalk 00:26:15] Mark: Quadriplegics wanna be paraplegics. Everybody has their differences. There's been a quadriplegic, incomplete quadriplegic, climbed El Cap with Tommy Thompson, good climber. [00:26:30] Steve Muse. Erik: There's that kid who climbed The Chief, he was inspired by you. Mark: Yep. Erik: He was a quad, and he climbed The Chief. He invented kind of this, almost like a contraption with wheels if I remember right, that kind of rolled up the face. Mark: Yeah it was... the premise was taking the Dolt cart. A climber by name of Dolt had this cart and he used to use it for a hauling system on El Cap. Brad "Szinski", the Canadian guy you're talking about, he came up with this [00:27:00] cart. His hands didn't really work as well as a paraplegic, he lost some muscle mass in his hands and fingers. So he had a different type of system where he could ascend a rope using a crank, and developed that. So there's been all kinds of different adaptations that allow people that are wheelchair users to go rock climbing. Jeff: This sort of set you [00:27:30] on this course to being an improvisational pioneer, those are my words. Were you like that always or do you feel like your accident cued you up for this opportunity to then over the past thirty years... Mark: Thirty five. Jeff: Yeah thirty five years. Now you've continued this trajectory of being this pioneer when it comes to just making it work. You make it work, right? Mark: I was so young. When I got hurt [00:28:00] I was 22. I wasn't climbing big walls, I hadn't got to that point yet of climbing El Cap. Finally, when I did have my accident it kind of made sense. The steeper the climb for somebody in a chair the better. Mountaineering is gonna be really tough. There are ways of doing mountaineering. We got four paraplegics on top of Mount Shasta. Erik: Yep. Mark: And there was a guy named Pete "Rikee". It's funny... people [00:28:30] come to me if they've got an idea, a lot of times they'll want me to be a part of the project. Least... Erik: That was a pod that they were in, that had almost like tractor wheels, right? Mark: Exactly. What we did is we took a snowmobile and cut the snowmobile track in half and made a tractor stance. So you have two tracks and a seat with a bicycle crank, and we actually crank our way up Mount Shasta. We had to get special permit from the Forest [00:29:00] Service. You can only be on Shasta for three days, and we knew we were gonna be up there for a week. So I had to drive up... I was trying to explain to this district ranger on the telephone, he really wasn't getting it. Erik: Sometimes they don't get it. Mark: And he wasn't getting it at all. He was thinking mechanical device... Jeff: Motorized... Mark: Right. He knew who I was, so he said "Come up and bring the machine with you so I can take a look at it." So I brought one of the snow pods up there and I met with the district ranger [00:29:30] and a couple of his back country rangers, and they got it. They said, "This is cool man, we'd like to let you guys do this." They gave us a special use permit. The big thing about the Forest Service and wilderness, or National Park Service wilderness, you cannot take... supposedly mechanized devices cannot go into the wilderness. But if you have a disability, your bicycle could almost be considered a wheelchair, or your snow pod can be considered [00:30:00] a wheelchair. Long as it doesn't have a Briggs and Stratton engine on it. That was the big thing, it has to be a manual piece of a gear that's human powered. So we got that, and we got four paraplegics on top of Mount Shasta. Erik: And El Cap really launched you into being able to do all these amazing things, right? You pretty much became a professional climber, adventurer, doing these things around the world. I know you lit the torch for the Paralympics, right? Mark: I did, I lit the Paralympic torch in Atlanta in 1996. [00:30:30] Muhammad Ali lit it for the able bodied Olympics. They had this torch, and the night before we're training for it... it's a big surprise, they don't want to see the person light the torch the night before, no media, so we're out there. I was gonna climb an 80 foot rope doing rope ascension, doing pull up after pull up. And North Face made me a little, kind of a... we envisioned this Robin Hood thing with... behind [00:31:00] my shoulders, this arrow quiver where I put the actual torch in. I didn't wanna burn my hair, what's left of it, so... Erik: You had a lot more hair... Mark: So I said, "Let's make this torch holder so it comes off your legs." So they made that for me. That night we're training, I get up the 80 foot rope, and I lit the fuse and the fuse blew out. Erik: Oh no. Mark: And the pyrotechnics guy goes, it was windy, and the [00:31:30] next day it was gonna be windy too. So the pyrotechnics guy guys... "Okay Mark, I'll make sure this fuse doesn't go out the night you do it." And I go, "Great." So I get up there in front of 80,000 people, I'm climbing up this rope. Liza Minnelli is singing this song and she's going "Go Mark, Go Mark." The whole stadium of 80,000 people is going nuts. So I lit this fuse, and literally the thing blew up. There was fire all over me. And I'm leaning back, hoping I'm not gonna catch [00:32:00] on fire. Then the fuse went up and lit the actual cauldron, and that was the start of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Jeff: You did not combust. Mark: I did not combust. I had the best seat in the house. Erik: You'd be like a Motley Crue drummer. Mark: Exactly. So that was fun. Erik: Takes us on a little tour of what you did. All those amazing adventures that you did after that. Takes us on a little tour around the world. Mark: What a lot of people don't realize, which I think is harder than climbing [00:32:30] El Cap, or spending 13 days on Half Dome was another big ascent we did years ago... but was doing the Trans Sierra ski crossing. I've done it twice now. I did it in 1993, it was a big winner, and I did it in 2011. So we took a cross country Nordic sit ski. You sit low to the ground, you have two skis mounted underneath a frame with a seat, and you're sitting maybe a foot off the snow. And you have two [00:33:00] poles, and you actually double pole. So you're double poling to make this device go down the trail. I was on the US Disabled Nordic Ski Team. Competed in two Paralympics, in France and in Norway. Got beat up by the Finns, the Norwegians, they're so passionate about that sport. Jeff: And they're vikings. Mark: And they're vikings, man. They're so tough. My best finish out of 30 guys was of fifth place, that was in France. [00:33:30] In Norway, I got even more beat up. I wanted to actually get into Nordic ski racing because I had other things I wanted to do. I wanted to try to get into the back country in a Nordic ski. Back in 93 a guy named Jeff Pegles and myself was also on the US disabled Nordic team. We took sleds, little polks, behind our rigs. We had our bivy gear. And we skied 55 miles from Snowline [00:34:00] on the east side of the Sierra on Tioga road, we got someone to open up the gate. Guy that worked for the power company opened up the gate. We got up to Snowline and we skied from Snowline to Crane Flat, which is 55 miles. Jeff: Wow. Mark: Following the Tioga road. Jeff: Just the two of you? Mark: Well we also had Pearlman with us too. Erik: Filming. Mark: He was filming, yeah. Erik: And, you gotta tell the story about the White Rim. So you biked the White Rim, I think you were on one off mountain bikes? Mark: [00:34:30] Yep. Erik: Or some kind of devices, hand crank mountain bikes. And it was so sandy, the story I heard, you had to get out and you had to pretty much pull yourself on your arms and pull your chair, did you pull the other guys chairs too? Or were the other guys' bikes... Mark: It was an epic, groveling adventure. Seems like everything I do turns into that. Jeff: Yeah. [crosstalk 00:34:50] Mark: If you're not suffering, you're not having a good time. That's kind of how it is out there. We had these one off mountain bikes and [00:35:00] we actually did a Jeep tour to kind of check it out a couple years prior. We did have it a little easier, we didn't carry all our water and food with us, we had a swag wagon out there. Suburban, follow the four paraplegics. Myself, Bob Vogel, and Steve Ackerman. We rode this, 52 miles is the full circumnav of the White Rim. There was times, [00:35:30] yeah, it was an interesting experience out there because some of these washes were like moon dust. We couldn't get our bikes through it. So I had a pair of rock chaps with me and I threw the rock chaps on and did some crawling. Had an 11 mil static rope and dragged the guys behind me. Did a few epic things like that. Jeff: I mean, If I'm riding my mountain bike and I come up on that scene in the middle of the White Rim, who knows what to make of that? Mark: [00:36:00] You can walk man, so best thing to do is just walk your bike. Jeff: Like, "You guys are good right?" and they'll be like "Yep, we're good man." Erik: Leave us alone. Jeff: Leave us alone. Mark: Don't touch me. Jeff: There's nothing to see here. Yeah. Erik: Yeah. Jeff: Wow, that's rad. Mark: And then recently, just a couple of years ago... in the winter we had a drought in California and Tahoe, so I circumnaved Lake Tahoe in a kayak in winter. And that was a really amazing adventure. It was 72 [00:36:30] miles, two nights of camping. But the cool thing was, and it was cool at night, it was really cold at night. There was no power boats. In the winter you don't have any power boats on Lake Tahoe, it was kind of like being out there in the 1800s. Seeing bald eagles, none of the tourists were on the water, it was really a fantastic trip. Dave: So Mark, you are someone who really embodies the spirit of No Barriers and you helped [00:37:00] start the organization. So tell us, all these adventures, all these things you've done to challenge what's possible, what people think is possible. Why No Barriers? Tell us that story. Mark: You know, No Barriers... I did a movie called No Barriers, and I got a poster out called No Barriers. It was a word that really meant a lot to me. My wife and I, we were down in San Francisco at a fundraiser... in those days it was called Yosemite Fund, now it's called Yosemite [00:37:30] Conservancy. We were at this dinner, and I met this kind of wild old character named Jim Goldsmith. And Jim came up to me, knew who I was... we started talking. He had a cabin in the subdivision I live in called Tahoe Dawner. So Jim and I, and Carol, and his wife Connie would get together, we had a couple of dinners together. And then Jim started talking about the Dolomites, and his [00:38:00] son-in-law and daughter. And he said, "Man, it would be really neat to kind of do something for disabled people and able bodied people if we did something in the Dolomites." And I go, "Man, I know a couple of guys who I've done some stuff with, a guy named Hugh Herr, double amputee who's done some rock climbing with him, and Erik Weihenmayer." This was probably after your Everest... Erik: Yeah, after. Mark: This was after your Everest climb. And I said "Hey, these [00:38:30] guys..." we did a climb out in Moab Utah, the three of us, it was kind of gimp helping gimp, it was this real magical event out there. Which was really cool... Erik: Climbing the Fisher Tower. Mark: Yeah. The Fisher Tower. Ancient Ark. Erik: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mark: And it was this really fantastic climb. I'd like to get these two guys involved with what we're talking about. SO I called Erik, I called Hugh, and we ended up putting our first [00:39:00] little... in those days, it was more of a festival, we called it, instead of a summit. We did it in the Dolomites. It was a very obscure little place up in the mountains, this real beautiful location, but nothing was really accessible. The hotels weren't that accessible, everything was kind of difficult to put this together. But it was this real magical place in the mountains... Erik: I remember the chair operators didn't even know how to get people with disabilities on the chairs. Mark: They didn't have [00:39:30] an idea. They didn't... yeah. Erik: On the ski lifts. Thank you. Yeah. Mark: They weren't doing adaptive skiing in those days in that little village. It was actually the home of the 1956 Olympics. SO that was kind of my envision was to start this, and who knew it was gonna get into what it is today. It's just amazing what you guys have done, and all the different things No Barriers has to offer people. Erik: What do you think about when you think about the evolution? You had this little germ [00:40:00] of an idea to go to this town and start talking about accessibility and innovation, and some of your lessons about how you've broken through barriers, or how the three of us had broken through barriers. And now, when you look at it today... Mark: [sighs] It's kind of mind boggling how it's grown so big and how many different people it affects, it's not just the disabled community, it's able bodied community bringing everyone together. Trying new experiences. The youth programs [00:40:30] that you guys have been doing is tremendous over the years. Soldiers to the summit. We're having all these guys coming back doing ten tours, they're not adjusting back into society very well, and taking them out into the outdoors with Jeff and different mountain guides, it just changes their lives. Brings them more back into a reality where they can really kind of adjust back into society. And then the summit is just... I love [00:41:00] coming to the summits. I've been to every one now, I haven't missed one since the beginning. It's gonna be fantastic in New York, I'm really looking forward to that. Erik: And you bring your climbing wall, your portable climbing wall. Mark: I'll have... Erik: Almost to every summit. So that's your mission now, right? To go around and use your climbing wall as a No Barriers tool to help people break through barriers. Tell us about that. Mark: Absolutely. Climbing has been such a big part of my life, that I just like to introduce different [00:41:30] people to the sport. A lot of times, somebody that's... we don't say electric chair, electric chair is something you die in. Power chair. A power chair takes you from point A to point B. A power chair user, a lot of times doesn't have all the... there's not as many things out there for a power chair user to participate in. Climbing on my wall, they can. We have these harnessing systems [00:42:00] that support your core. It's almost like a Bosen's chair, pulley system. If you have the desire to get on the climbing wall, we can facilitate that. We don't turn anybody away. We've had people that weigh 500 pounds on my wall before. Very obese wheelchair users... it doesn't matter. I had a gentleman that had spina bifida and he was unfortunately caught up in the American society of drinking a lot of soda, [00:42:30] and became really big. We got him on the wall, it was really difficult for him. We would talk to him and he wouldn't really look at you eye to eye as we were talking. I saw him a year later, he dropped 150 pounds, quit the soda, got into a training, cut his hair in a mohawk, and it just changed his life. Got out of the power chair and was in a manual chair. So climbing was kind of the responsibility of really changing this guys life, and now I see [00:43:00] him down in Los Angeles. I probably take the wall to Southern California maybe seven or eight times a year, San Francisco, Bay Area. I sort of have different groups hire me year after year, once they experience the wall they really want to have it be part of their event. We bring in, mini El Cap I call it, and we get people on it and we have a great time. Erik: And you're traveling around with your wall, full time. People bring you in to create this experience for their [00:43:30] rehab hospital or organization or team, right? Mark: Exactly. All those venues... I do adaptive climbing seminars. So a gym might call me and wanna know, "how do we get an adaptive climbing program going?" So I do that. And a lot of times I'll do not only a seminar on adaptive climbing, but then maybe that evening do a show and tell about adventure sports and where adventure sports have taken the disabled in the last 35 [00:44:00] years. Erik: And you are like Kleenex now, because... you talk about the pulley system, it's not a pulley system, pull up system, a lot of people say, "Oh yeah, Mark Wellman system." Mark: Yeah, it's... yeah it's kind of getting that way. Jeff: You're like Beyonce now. Mark: I'm like Beyonce. It's just kind of neat that my passions over the years... everybody should have a passion. And my passion has always been [00:44:30] to be out camping, doing something in the outdoors, coming up with new ideas, new technologies... and some of these technologies are more like a backyard technology. It's not that fancy. Sometimes some of the most simplest things can change something. Like mountain bike tires on a wheelchair can change a chairs getting into the back country tremendously. Mounting a pull up bar in a sender can allow a paraplegic [00:45:00] to do 7000 pull ups in eight days to go up El Cap. Just simple little technologies can really change peoples' lives, and you can take that backyard technology, garage technology, put something together that works for you that can help a whole bunch of people. Dave: I'd like to go back to that... You've told us a story, sort of the arc of your life, and when I look at you Mark and think about what you've accomplished I think "God, this is incredible. [00:45:30] This is an incredible human being that very few people who had what happened to you would ever have chosen the path that you have chosen." And I think, when I think about our No Barriers community, every so often you get folks who will say "Yeah, that's Mark Wellman but that couldn't have been me. You're putting someone in front of me that's so incredible, how could I possibly do this?" Erik: Yeah, you're de motivational. Mark: Right, right. I know, I get it. Dave: I'd love to hear, what do you think we can... 'cause this is what we do at No Barriers. We... If you're [00:46:00] listening to this, it's not like we take everyone up mountains, but we try to remind them about something in their spiri t... Mark: Yeah. Dave: ...that teaches them anything is possible. So talk to us a little bit about, Mark, how did you get to that point? Is it just sort of who you were from the beginning, was it an evolution? It just seems like everything you encountered, you are like, "I can do more." Mark: I think it's really important for people to get out of their comfort zone. Nowadays, it's so easy for young people to get... they get into gaming. And they [00:46:30] just, you know... it's stagnant. You're not getting out of your comfort zone. And the outdoors has a way of getting you out of your comfort zone. And you can make it safe... you don't need to think about what I do, it's more about finding, maybe getting some different experiences. And that's what's so cool about the summit. You have all these different activities going on where you just get a little taste of it. And hopefully [00:47:00] that little taste will inspire your imagination to want to try it again. And that's where I think it's really important if you're facilitating skiing or climbing, or whatever you're facilitating, you have to make sure that these people, their first experience is a good one. If they don't have a good experience, most likely they're not gonna go back to it. And, it's really important that the very first time... One of our board members, Sasha. [00:47:30] He was an academia guy, a professor. He came to the No Barriers event in Squaw Valley, the first one. Never had tried climbing before, and we took him to Donner Summit and got him up on this road cut climb that's 80 feet with big exposure, and it changed the guys life. It was something he was real nervous about, but it was getting him out of his comfort zone, and him [00:48:00] really having, you know... it was exciting for him, it was thrilling, it was challenging not only physically but mentally challenging at the same time. All those things combined. Kind of changed his life. And he became a board member of No Barriers because of that. Dave: Yeah. Mark: And there's stories like that all the time. Or Mandy, I remember her... wonderful singer. She got on my wall, it was 25 feet, and she [00:48:30] was really scared. It was a really scary moment for her where she had this big fear of heights. It wasn't like she was on a 1000 foot rope, she was on a 24 foot wall. But she might have well have been. Jeff: Relative for her. Mark: Could have been a 1000 foot climb. But she made it through. And came down... I got a guy that helps me, Wes, he's a search and rescue guy, kind of a big guy. He's just magical with [00:49:00] people, and really helped her a lot. So, you have all these different experiences... Erik: And I think that experience, by the way, gave her the courage to go out and do something completely non-climbing related, which was to write music and to go on to America's Got Talent, and... Mark: Exactly. Erik: Get into the finals, and now skyrocket into stardom. Mark: To fame. Absolutely. Making a better quality life for herself. [00:49:30] A lot of times when you say, somebody that's a wheelchair user... what is it, like 90 percent of the people in wheelchairs don't have jobs. And it's always kind of bummed me out, I'm thinking, "Wow." Why would you wanna be caught in a system like with Social Security and be basically poor your whole life, because "Oh I have Medicare, I have my Social Security disability," So you're trying to live on six to eight hundred dollars a month. And you're caught [00:50:00] in this kind of vicious circle. You've got to get away from that somehow, and get into the workforce, be productive. You're gonna feel better, you're gonna be a more productive citizen in this country, and you're not gonna be wrapped up in this vicious circle of never getting ahead and always having the government thumb you down, so to speak. Erik: Last question for [00:50:30] you from my end, this is Erik, and I wanna know, I've made it kind of clear that I look up to you. Tell me, who are the people that you look up to? Tell us about that guy Larry, tell us about some people who influenced your life. Mark: Oh man. There's been a lot for sure. There was a guy named... actually I think you're thinking of a guy named Mark Sutherland. When I first got hurt, Mark was a quadriplegic ten [00:51:00] years post to my injury. And he was back in the hospital. He had a bone spur, the spur was touching his spinal cord, and he was losing some of his action. Some quadriplegic can move their arms and they can push manual chairs, and he was one of those. But he was losing some of his arm strength, so he was in the hospital, and my room was next to his. We would talk at night. 'Cause I was really bummed out when I was first injured. To me, being a paraplegic was a fate [00:51:30] worse than death. I was on the sixth floor, if I could have crawled over to the window and jumped out I would have cause that's how bad I felt. I was just thinking, "Not having the use of my legs, I'm not gonna ski again, I'm not gonna climb." I was 22, I was just like, "Why didn't the mountain just take me." Those were the kind of thoughts I was having. But then I would go into this guys room, Mark Sutherland, and he would talk about, "Oh I had this milk truck that I converted, and I had a stool. One time I was driving it with my hand controls [00:52:00] and I fell off the stool, and I was on the ground and I had to throw my hand on the brake to stop it so I didn't kill anybody." Jeff: And you were like, "That's the greatest story ever." Mark: Yeah. I wanna do that. So I was just hearing this stuff from this guy, and he was talking about girlfriends, and how he was running around doing this and doing that, and I'm going, "Man, this guy has a life." And it was really inspiring to be... so where I was really depressed and laying in the hospital bed, and couldn't feel [00:52:30] my lower extremities, and "What's a catheter?" And I'm just like, "Man, this is horrible, what did I get myself into." And this guy was really upbeat and uplifting... Jeff: Showed you it wasn't a death sentence. Mark: Yeah. Showed me it wasn't a death sentence, and let's get on with life, dude. And it was like, boom. That just changed me. Then we went into rehab together, we were more in a hospital setting and then we both went into our physical rehab. That's [00:53:00] when it just started clicking for me, and that was it. Dave: Well, just to wrap up this excellent conversation that we're having about the history of No Barriers and all that you've done as well just individually, you've seen No Barriers be this thing that started in the Dolomites in 2003, we're 15 years into this. What's your dream for what it becomes? Mark: Wow. I would just consider it to be... I'd like to see maybe a couple summits a year, possible. [00:53:30] More, smaller clinics would be really cool too. I think you guys are really on a good, good path. But maybe some smaller events too. Just keep growing it. Keep doing more of these kinds of things. More technology. Bringing in more people, better speakers. Better people that are... or people that are doing more things that inspire others that give the ideas [00:54:00] to do more things. I'm amazed in 15 years where it's come to. Who knows where it's gonna go. Another 15 years from now, man this could be a huge, huge organization that could affect a lot of people and bring a lot of people together. This whole family, bringing the tribe together. It's always fun at the summits, and seeing people I haven't seen for a year, [00:54:30] spending time with them. I love getting people out climbing, so that's my passion. Erik: What if people want to learn how to get in touch with you, how to work with you, how to bring your wall to their organization? Mark: Yeah. Google Mark Wellman or just go to my website, No Limits Tahoe dot com. Give me a call. Erik: Although they won't talk to you, 'cause you're never home. You're always out [crosstalk 00:54:55] or something. Dave: Always on the road, right. Mark: Well, no, yeah I'm easy to get a hold of. Talk to my wife, Carol, [00:55:00] and I can get back to you. Erik: Right. Mark: Send me an email. I'm better on the phone, I don't like to email tons. Love to talk to you, if you have ideas lets talk about, lets see you at the summit. Lets get out and enjoy life. Erik: Cool. Well thank you so much Mark. Jeff: Listen Mark, I know you well enough to know you don't need to hear what I'm about to tell you, but, I think it's important for you and the listeners to know [00:55:30] in conversations like this, it becomes so clear how you are sort of the upside down pyramid. And you're the point on the upside down pyramid. And it all sort of funnels up from you, really. And I know there's others, but you're the man. And I know it's important for you, it is important for me to know that you know how many thousands of lives you've impacted. Erik: Tens of thousands. Jeff: Thousands of lives dude. You have been the kick starter [00:56:00] and the imputes. And you're just one of the most wonderful pioneers. I know you know it, but you need to hear it more, because you're the man. Mark: I appreciate it man, it's humbling. And, to take a passion that I had and a dream... and like I said, just simple adaptations, a pull up bar on a jumar. Man, how that changed other people to go climb up El Cap, or do Castleton, or whatever [00:56:30] mountain you want to get up, it's been a pretty cool experience. It's been fun to work with other companies. We're making more adaptive climbing equipment now. It's really kind of evolved from just handmade rock chaps to a real sophisticated pair of rock chaps that allows people to get out there and do a lot of cool stuff. Dave: Well it's been an honor to have you here Mark, I know many of our listeners are part of that No Barriers tribe. Many of them will know you, but a [00:57:00] lot of them won't. The movement has grown so big that it's well beyond you. But per what Jeff was saying, it's so important I think for the people of our community to know where this began. Mark: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Dave: And you are the point that Jeff mentioned where it began, and so, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate having you. Mark: My pleasure. Erik: What did you guys take away from that? Might take us a while. Dave: Yeah. Exactly. Jeff: Might be a lengthy debrief on that one. Dave: I guess for me, as someone who's helping to build [00:57:30] this movement, like I was ending with there, just to remember the roots of where No Barriers began which is individuals coming together in small communities around creative ideas to do stuff that people didn't think was possible. And as we start to move to tens of thousands, maybe millions over the next ten years of people that we impact, that there's something in that special sauce that's still about the [00:58:00] individuals getting together having a fun, creative idea and going out and pushing their comfort zone. Erik: Yeah. I think that, No Barriers recipe is sort of hidden right in the story of El Capitan, which is... Mark's a smart guy, but he's not a scientist or anything, he's not Hugh Herr, who's inventing stuff where you go, "I could never do that." What he said is a pull up bar and a jumar. These are commercially available things. I think he had to adapt a few things, but [00:58:30] not all that crazy technology. Pretty simple. You combine that series, that innovation with the human spirit and a great friend or great support system, a great rope team, you do this amazing thing that opens up the door for a lot of people. It's a pretty simple recipe. Dave: It is. Jeff: All the big things that have happened with regards to our species all started with this small [00:59:00] germination of somebody sitting in their theoretical garage just being like, "How do I do this? Hmm?" And head scratch, and start piecing these things together, and then, boom, the movement begins. I think Mark embodies that, and what a great cornerstone for this organization. Dave: Well, and the movement continues. So if you're sitting there listening saying, "I wanna be a part of this organization, I wanna be a [00:59:30] part of No Barriers," please go to our website, No Barriers USA dot org. You can join us at the summit that Mark mentioned that's coming up in October in New York. There are many more ways you can join us but please, No Barriers USA dot org is our website. You can also share our podcast with your friends and colleagues and families, and follow us on our Facebook page. Thank you so much for listening. Erik: Live No Barriers. Dave: Thanks.

So fired up to get send you this interview! The coolest thing about this interview for me is that I grew up right across the street from Dr. Indira Lanig! I knew she was good at what she did, but interviewing her gave me insight into her life I had never heard before. She is truly one in a million and has impacted lives in HUGE ways in her life and career. Let me tell you a bit about the good doctor... Indira Lanig is a physician leader, facilitator, and speaker with an incredible background anchored in her subspecialty expertise of Neurotrauma and Spinal Cord Injury Medicine. She is a Past President of the American Paraplegia Society - a professional society of physicians and researchers focused on the medical and societal consequences of paralysis and spinal cord injury. She has served in both national and international leadership positions including - Chief of Service within the VA system many years ago when she was in academic medicine, as a physician at Craig Hospital for over 20 years--a center of excellence for spinal injury, as well as most recently as Medical Director at a freestanding rehabilitation hospital in northern Colorado. She now focuses on leadership development and its critical role in the healthcare industry. Highlights of her 25-year medical career include: 21 years as an inpatient attending physician at Craig Hospital Rocky Mountain Regional Model SCI System Chief of the Spinal Cord Injury Service at the Houston VAMC, Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated teaching hospital Recipient of the 2005 Baylor College of Medicine Alliance Distinguished Alumni Award The first Black female president of the American Paraplegia Society (APS), and a recipient of both the APS Estin Comar Distinguished Clinical Service Award and the APS Special Recognition Award for her leadership, vision, and commitment Chairperson of the Annual Scientific Program Committee for the American Paraplegia Society Co-Chair of the Congresses on Spinal Cord Medicine and Rehabilitation Medical Director of Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital Lead author and editor of A Practical Guide to Health Promotion after Spinal Cord Injury Author and co-author of several chapters on SCI care, including a chapter in DeLisa's textbook: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Yes, she is incredible, and you will take a ton of leadership and mental toughness lessons from this interview! As I always recommend, please connect with Dr. Lanig at http://www.drindiralanig.com Enjoy!

Ask Win is a podcast where you are a VIP. Win wants to focus and teach people more and Cerebral Palsy. You’re welcome to ask questions about anything that you want. CP questions but mainly life questions on how to deal with CP or not. Win can ask you base questions if you want. Please let us know or there will be no base questions. If you have any questions for Win please email her at askingwkelly@gmail.com. In 2018 let be open and honest on Ask Win. To learn more about Ask Win visit http://askwin.weebly.com.  Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To learn how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org.    On Ask Win today (Monday, March 12, 2018), Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Eric Thomas. Eric, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life. As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled. His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric’s life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”. Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever. A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair. Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother’s and stepfather’s home. Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed. Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company. His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny’s Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it’s an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities. Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities. He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care. These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor that promotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by. He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. To learn more about Eric visit http://ezawareness.com/. To follow Win on Twitter go to @winkellycharles. To follow Win on Instagram go to winkcharles. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To see Win's art go to https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-win-charles.html. Interview with Mel Marton: http://traffic.libsyn.com/winwisdom/LAF3494_08172017150526412_1189015.mp3. "Books for Books," you buy Win's books so she can purchase books for school. "Getting through school is a 'win' for her fans and a 'win' for her." Win is a professional writer and in 2018 she is going to get a new MacBook to write her books and do the podcast. With every book she sells and the donations from Ask Win will go to her new MacBook. Please support her in getting her new MacBook. Win Kelly Charles’ book “She is CP” will get to the New York Times somehow and to help her either by voting or send her good vibe. Please vote at https://soopllc.com/blog/book-ideas/cp-win-charles/. Please send feedback to Win by email her at winwwow@gmail.com, or go to http://survey.libsyn.com/winwisdom and http://survey.libsyn.com/thebutterfly. To be on the show please fill out the intake at https://goo.gl/forms/aS4L6FuHyDSUhvrj2. If you would like to support Ask Win go to https://www.patreon.com/wcharles. Ask Win is sponsor by The Teeki Ambassador Program: http://mbsy.co/teeki/35149532. Superwomen Secrets Revealed: Successful Women Talk About Fitting in Fitness and Dare You to Join Them on Amazon http://amzn.to/2gImve5. :) I have a Facebook page for the book http://facebook.com/SuperwomenSecretsRevealed Instagram http://instagram.com/SuperwomenSecretsRevealed and book page on the website: http://FitArmadillo.com/books. If you want to check out what Win’s friend, Dannidoll, is doing (a.k.a. Dannielle) go to https://www.facebook.com/dannidolltheragdollclown/?notif_t=page_invite_accepted¬if_id=1492366163404241. To learn more about Danielle visit http://www.dancanshred.com. For iOS 11 update: https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNupFUYqcRY. To learn about the magic of Siri go to https://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email. If you want to donate Ask Win, please send a PayPal donation to aspenrosearts@gmail.com or aspenwin@gmail.com. Please donate to the Bridging Bionics Foundation. Please send a check in the mail so 100% goes to Bridging Bionics Foundation.    In the Memo section have people write: In honor of Win Charles. Thank you in advance, Win.   Send to:   Bridging Bionics Foundation  PO Box 3767 Basalt, CO 81621   Thank you Win

Four years after his tragic accident, Kevin Ogar continues to be an inspiration. He is a successful affiliate owner, Level 1 Seminar Staff member, and vice president of the Reveille Project, a nonprofit that uses fitness, nutrition and community to support post-active-duty veterans with mood disorders. On today’s show, Ogar reflects on the accident, training for USA Para Powerlifting, and what it’s like to live as a paraplegic. Notable mention: Sevan Matossian, Kevin Ogar, Matt Bischel, Eric Maciel, Ogar: Will of Steel, Carey Peterson, Jay Vera, Megan Combies, Chris Stoutenburg, Wheel WOD, Zack Ruhl, Joshua Rucker, Dr. Bob Spears, Barbells for Boobs, Mat Fraser, Tyler Lasley, CrossFit Fringe, Matthew Bickel, CrossFit Specialty Course: Adaptive Training, Craig Hospital, Megan John, Johnathan Haynes, Zionna Hanson, Alec Zirkenbach, Logan Aldridge, Zach Forrest, Ben Smith, Brooke Ence, Brooke Wells.

Lauren Ziaks and Melinda Roalstad host episode 5 of Phoenix Concussion Recovery Podcast, and they discuss the recent (Jan 7-10) Brain Injury Summit in Vail, Colorado, at Craig Hospital, which Melinda attended. Melinda talks about the questions around CTE and the presentation of Dr. Grant Iverson.

Ask Win is a podcast where you are a VIP. Win wants to focus and teach people more and Cerebral Palsy. You’re welcome to ask questions about anything that you want. CP questions but mainly life questions on how to deal with CP or not. Win can ask you base questions if you want. Please let us know or there will be no base questions. If you have any questions for Win please email her at askingwkelly@gmail.com. In 2018 let be open and honest on Ask Win. To learn more about Ask Win visit http://askwin.weebly.com. Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To learn more about Challenge Aspen go to https://challengeaspen.org. To learn how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org. On AsK Win today (Tuesday, January 2, 2018), Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Eric Thomas. Eric, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life. As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled. His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric’s life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”. Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever. A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair. Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother’s and stepfather’s home. Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed. Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company. His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny’s Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it’s an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities. Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities. He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care. These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor that promotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by. He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. To learn more about Eric visit http://ezawareness.com. To learn more about Win Kelly Charles visit http://wincharles.weebly.com/. To follow Win on Twitter go to @winkellycharles. To follow Win on Instagram go to winkcharles. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To see Win's art go to https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-win-charles.html. Interview with Mel Marton: http://traffic.libsyn.com/winwisdom/LAF3494_08172017150526412_1189015.mp3. "Books for Books," you buy Win's books so she can purchase books for school. "Getting through school is a 'win' for her fans and a 'win' for her." Win is a professional writer and in 2018 she is going to get a new MacBook to write her books and do the podcast. With every book she sells and the donations from Butterflies of Wisdom will go to her new MacBook. Please support her in getting her new MacBook. Please send feedback to Win by email her at winwwow@gmail.com, or go to http://survey.libsyn.com/winwisdom and http://survey.libsyn.com/thebutterfly. To be on the show please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/bow2017. Ask Win sponsored by Kittr a new social media tool that is bringing about new ways of posting on Twitter. It's fun, full of free content you can use, helps you schedule at the best times, is easy to use, and it will help you get more followers. Visit Kittr at gokittr.com. This is a 20% off code for www.gracedbygrit.com. The code will be XOBUTTERFLIES. If you would like to support Ask Win go to https://www.patreon.com/wcharles. If you want to check out what Win’s friend, Dannidoll, is doing (a.k.a. Dannielle) go to https://www.facebook.com/dannidolltheragdollclown/?notif_t=page_invite_accepted¬if_id=1492366163404241. To learn more about Danielle visit http://www.dancanshred.com. For iOS 11 update: https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNupFUYqcRY. To learn about the magic of Siri go to https://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email. If you want to donate Ask Win, please send a PayPal donation to aspenrosearts@gmail.com or aspenwin@gmail.com. Please donate to Challenge Aspen or the Bridging Bionics Foundation. Please send a check in the mail so 100% goes to Bridging Bionics Foundation. In the Memo section have people write: In honor of Win Charles. Please donate to the charity of your choice thank you in advance, Win. Send to: Challenge Aspen PO Box 6639 Snowmass Village, CO 81615 Or donate online at https://challengeaspen.org. Bridging Bionics Foundation PO Box 3767 Basalt, CO 81621 Thank you Win Tuesday notes from fans: Jennifer is inviting you to be a part of Jenny’s Tutoring in Jackson, NJ area. She can tutor online, SKYPE, or on the phone as well. She can tutor in the following areas: American Sign Language, English as a Second Language, Psychology, History, Special Needs, basic skills (reading, writing and math), career services and essays etc. Jennifer Beilis is a current American Sign Language Professor on the college level and past Psychology Professor as well. She holds her Master’s degree in Education and Deafness Rehabilitation, New York University, SCPI, BA in Psychology, Rowan University and AA in Social Sciences from Brookdale Community College. You can email or call her at Jenny08520@aol.com or (732)534-6422, FB Jenny08520@aol.com or Twitter @JenniferBeilis and Linked In #JenniferBeilis.

Jason McMillan was seriously wounded in the Las Vegas shooting and is now recovering at Craig Hospital. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock, Jake Skifstad from Shield 616, and Bob Adwar are joined by Jason to discuss his story and raising funds for a track wheelchair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Ogar is the Owner and Head Coach of CrossFit WatchTower. Kevin is a Level-3 Certified CrossFit Trainer, and is a member of the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff. Kevin has accomplished the incredible feat of qualifying for the CrossFit Regionals four times, finishing as high as 6th in 2012. Outside of CrossFit, Kevin serves as Vice President of the Reveille Project, which aims to ease veteran's transition to civilian life by instilling holistic lifestyles into their routines post-active duty.  In January of 2014, Kevin suffered a life changing spinal cord injury during a fitness competition and has overcome great odds to get to where he is today. Kevin performing a snatch pre-injury. Kevin's accident occurred while performing a 3 rep max hang snatch during a fitness competition.  Being one of the better snatchers in the sport of CrossFit at the time, this was nothing new or out of the ordinary for Kevin. Kevin opened up the snatch event at 235 lbs, which was a weight that he could hit consistently under normal circumstances.  During this episode, Kevin takes us though the moments that led up to his injury. Specifically, he discusses how the slant in the lifting platform caused him to not stick the catching of the weight overhead. Upon trying to bail out from underneath the unstable weight, the bar hit Kevin's left shoulder, which caused the bar the hit the weights stacked behind him, ultimately causing the bar to then bounce off the weight stack like a rocket right back at him severing his spine between T-11 and T-12. Kevin describes the intense pain he felt immediately after the bar hit him in the back. He said it felt like every inch of his body felt like it was on fire.  After being transported to a near-by local hospital, doctors later told him that the injury caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. Kev opens up about the wave of emotions that understandably ensued after this moment.  Although lucky to have survived the initial impact from the bar, Kevin wasn't completely in the clear once he got to the hospital. Kevin's injury required an extremely risky surgery called a thoracotomy because any more trauma to the spine would have killed him due to the onset of shock. He was given a 15-18% chance of surviving this first surgery.  Most people die from lack of oxygen or blood loss in this surgery, but Kevin believes the only thing that kept him alive was his fitness level before the injury because his body was so efficient at processing oxygen.  After surviving the surgery, Kev then only had a 25-35% chance of surviving the complications from that surgery. Kevin obviously overcame these odds and described how a lot of things on the day of his injury actually worked in his favor rather than against him.  For example, the doctor who performed the surgery wasn’t even supposed to be working that today and he just happened to be the second best spinal surgeon in the US. In addition, Kevin grew up with the Vice President of Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that exclusively specializes in the neuro-rehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury (Kevin Pearce from episode 57 also did his rehab at Craig).   While at Craig, Kevin wasn't satisfied with just surviving because he wanted to be thriving. Kevin has never been someone who was okay with not being able to do something or excel at it.   The toughest thing to cope with at Craig was realizing how much he had lost after doctors performed the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor/sensory exam which aims to take stock of the extent of paralysis.  This was difficult for Kev because it pointed out everything that he had lost after the injury. Luckily, this injury wasn't the only adversity he had ever faced in his life.  During our conversation, Kevin talked about how despite getting kicked out of college twice, there was something positive that came out of each of those negative situations.  One of those positives were meeting his fiancé who he has been with for 10 years. Figuring his spinal cord injury was probably the worst thing that will ever happen to him, he is determined to generate the best outcome possible. Below are some of the other topics we touch on throughout our conversation: The importance of maintaining a sense of humor. The similarities between athletes and veterans based on what he has seen with the Reveille Project. Both groups are coming from a background of purpose, a situation of structure, a brotherhood/community. All of which are usually lost in the transition to civilian life and can be forged through CrossFit. Barbell Shrugged Interview from a few years back (6 months post injury) Mark Bell's recent podcast interview with Kev: How Kevin got kicked out of college twice and what/who turned him around. The multiple sports Kevin played growing up. Basketball (main sport) Swimming Baseball Soccer Football Rugby (college) Safe tackling tactics in Rugby. What got Kevin into CrossFit. “Man I really suck at this, maybe I should give it another shot." Kevin's current aspirations of qualifying for the Paralympics in bench press. 430-440 lbs (touch-and-go) 395-405 lbs (competition) How Kevin avoids overtraining. Good at listening to his body. Changing planes, intensities, etc. The challenges Kevin faced on his quest to getting on the CrossFit level 1 seminar staff. Difficulties in learning how to coach from a chair. Why Kevin sometimes allows himself to have a bad day, but he doesn’t ever let is affect the next day. WHERE CAN YOU FIND Kevin ogar? WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM  WHERE CAN YOU support the Reveille Project? Website | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | Donate  download Kevin's new documentary "ogar : will of steel" (Trailer below) itunes | Amazon Download Episode 91 : iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud Permalink

Approximately 1.7 million each year sustain a traumatic brain injury. Superstar snowboarder, Kevin Pearce, suffered one on a practice run preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Kevin, along with his brother, Adam, called the show to discuss their story and their new mission. I was on this super clear path to be a professional snowboarder, and to be one of the best in the world. —Kevin Pearce   On December 31, 2009, while training for the Olympic trials in Park City, Utah, Kevin suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Although wearing a helmet at the time, the injury left Kevin in critical condition and in a medically induced coma. His recovery—and his journey to accept his new life—was chronicled in the HBO documentary, “The Crash Reel." Kevin emerged as a passionate advocate for the prevention of brain injuries and the promotion of a brain healthy lifestyle. Along with his brother, Adam, Kevin co-founded the Love Your Brain Foundation(Loveyourbrain.com). Their mission is to prevent brain injuries, support brain injury recovery and promote brain health. Kevin is a Sports Ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society.  He credits his brother David, (born with Down syndrome), as a huge influence in his life and career.  In addition, Kevin is the 2014 recipient of The Dana and Christopher Reeve Inspiration Award from Craig Hospital.  Furthermore, he received The Victory Award (2011) from The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. I asked Adam Pearce to share one thing he would say to a family who just experienced a traumatic brain injury.  He recalled the advice given to his family by one of Kevin's physicians. If you could think about being in the woods. Instead of thinking as if you are going to walk out of the woods—the woods become less dense. It Takes a Lot of Patience and Support "Understand that this is a long journey, and one that really  takes a lot of patience and support."   [In addition,] it requires the coming together of your community to support this.  Because it is a long one and that's the reality of it. —Adam Pearce Adam also offered comments about the impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on family relationships. "It definitely puts some strain on those relationships.  But I think with good communications and just the right support, I think it makes those easier. But in the end, it has the ability to bring you closer to family and that loved one going through it.   About Peter Rosenberger Peter Rosenberger, a thirty-year caregiver, is the author of Hope for the Caregiver.   Peter hosts a weekly radio show for caregivers on 1510 WLAC, broadcast Sunday’s at 3 PM CST.  In addition,  Peter serves as the president and co-founder of Standing With Hope. The author of four books, Peter earned 2nd dan (degree) black-belt in Hap-kido, and is an accomplished pianist.  He recently release his new CD, Songs for the Caregiver.   Peter Rosenberger's radio show for family caregivers can be heard each Sunday at 3PM CDT on Newsradio 1510 WLAC. The show is streamed world-wide through Iheart Media.

Butterflies of Wisdom is a podcast where we want to share your story. We want to share your knowledge if you have a small business if you are an author or a Doctor, or whatever you are. With a disability or not, we want to share your story to inspire others. To learn more about Butterflies of Wisdom visit http://butterfliesofwisdom.weebly.com/ Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To find out more about Challenge Aspen go to https://challengeaspen.org. To find out how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/ or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org.   On Butterflies of Wisdom today, Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Eric Thomas. Eric, a young, motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life.  As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design," specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled.  His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric’s life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Miscellaneous.”  Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997, changed Eric's life forever.  A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair.  Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital, Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family, he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother’s and stepfather’s home.  Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed.  Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his staff and set goals and dreams using the person-centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company.  His list of charitable works involve everything  from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny’s Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden, but it’s an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities.  Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities.  He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care. These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently and is a motivating factor that promotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by.  He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self-Determination Living Arrangement Eric can have his house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his destiny. To learn more about Eric visithttp://ezawarenessbydesign@gmail.com/. To find out more about Win Kelly Charles visithttps://wincharles.wix.com/win-charles. To follow Win on Twitter go to @winkellycharles. To support Win on Instagram go to winkcharles. To support Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. Please send feedback to Win by email her at winwwow@gmail.com, or go to http://survey.libsyn.com/winwisdom and http://survey.libsyn.com/thebutterfly. To be on the show, please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/bow2017. Butterflies of Wisdom sponsored by Kittr a new social media tool that is bringing about new ways of posting on Twitter. It's fun, full of free content you can use, helps you schedule at the best times, is easy to use, and it will help you get more followers. Visit Kittr at gokittr.com. This is a 20% off code for www.gracedbygrit.com. The code will be XOBUTTERFLIES. If you would like to support Butterflies of Wisdom go to https://www.patreon.com/wcharles. If you want to check out what Win’s friend, Dannidoll, is doing (a.k.a. Dannielle) go tohttps://www.facebook.com/dannidolltheragdollclown/?notif_t=page_invite_accepted¬if_id=1492366163404241. To learn more about Danielle visithttp://www.dancanshred.com. To learn about the magic of Siri go tohttps://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email. If you want to donate Butterflies of Wisdom, please send a PayPal donation to aspenrosearts@gmail.com or aspenwin@gmail.com. Please donate to Challenge Aspen or the Bridging Bionics Foundation. Please send a check in the mail so 100% goes to Bridging Bionics Foundation.    In the Memo section have people write: In honor of Win Charles. Please donate to the charity of your choice thank you in advance, Win.   Send to:   Challenge Aspen PO Box 6639 Snowmass Village, CO 81615 Or donate online at https://challengeaspen.org.   Bridging Bionics Foundation  PO Box 3767 Basalt, CO 81621   Thank you Win

Kevin Pearce grew up in Vermont with three older brothers who were very into snowboarding from a young age. Like any younger brother would, Kevin wanted to join in on the fun and tried to copy what his older brothers were doing and compete with them. Kevin eventually turned pro and began beating the worlds most renowned snowboarder in competitions, Shaun White.  During our interview, Kevin talked about how he struggled tremendously in school because of dyslexia and found snowboarding as an outlet where he can succeed and ultimately make money.  However, Kevin would be the first to admit that his entire identity was wrapped up in the sport of snowboarding (sounds like another Kevin you may know...).  Like in many of the interviews I have done with successful athletes, it is almost necessary to fully immerse yourself in a sport if you expect to become elite.  The problem comes when your sport is ripped away from you and its out of your control.  It's a shitty feeling to say the least and it happens to almost every athlete at some point in their careers. In ideal situations, athletes career's come to an end on their terms.  However, you can't control what happens to you as an athlete, especially when it comes to injuries. In the high stakes world of extreme sports, even at the peak of success, you never know when your last run might be.  For Kevin Pearce, it was on December 31, 2009 in Park City, Utah after he crashed hard while attempting a new trick on the halfpipe.  Complicating matters was the concussion he sustained a week prior in Copper, Colorado at the first olympic qualifier of the season. He chose to hide his symptoms because he didn't want anyone to tell him he couldn't snowboard (also sounds like another Kevin you may know...).  Like myself, Kevin also suffered from Second Impact Syndrome after the December 31st crash and was put in a medically induced coma. He then spent 36 days in critical care until he was eventually transferred to Craig Hospital, which is a rehabilitation hospital that specializes in treating patients with traumatic brain injuries.  Kevin made a miraculous recovery, but hasn't yet to make it back to the level he once competed at and says he is reminded of his brain injury everyday because of his residual symptoms. I watched The Crash Reel (featured above) prior to my conversation with Kevin and I was blown away. I recommend that anyone and everyone watch it because it shows the importance of a strong support system for any injured athlete and why you should listen your support group. This film takes you through Kevin's early life/snowboard career and his injury/rehabilitation.  In addition it bring's you into Kevin's tight knit family and what they were feeling during and after Kevin's traumatic brain injury.  All throughout Kevin's rehabilitation, he had the goal of returning to snowboarding, despite multiple doctors advising him not to.  This drive to never settle for average pushed him to get better faster, but it also worried his family, especially his brother David who has down syndrome. 

Kevin Pearce grew up in Vermont with three older brothers who were very into snowboarding from a young age. Like any younger brother would, Kevin wanted to join in on the fun and tried to copy what his older brothers were doing and compete with them. Kevin eventually turned pro and began beating the worlds most renowned snowboarder in competitions, Shaun White.  During our interview, Kevin talked about how he struggled tremendously in school because of dyslexia and found snowboarding as an outlet where he can succeed and ultimately make money.  However, Kevin would be the first to admit that his entire identity was wrapped up in the sport of snowboarding (sounds like another Kevin you may know...).  Like in many of the interviews I have done with successful athletes, it is almost necessary to fully immerse yourself in a sport if you expect to become elite.  The problem comes when your sport is ripped away from you and its out of your control.  It's a shitty feeling to say the least and it happens to almost every athlete at some point in their careers. In ideal situations, athletes career's come to an end on their terms.  However, you can't control what happens to you as an athlete, especially when it comes to injuries. In the high stakes world of extreme sports, even at the peak of success, you never know when your last run might be.  For Kevin Pearce, it was on December 31, 2009 in Park City, Utah after he crashed hard while attempting a new trick on the halfpipe.  Complicating matters was the concussion he sustained a week prior in Copper, Colorado at the first olympic qualifier of the season. He chose to hide his symptoms because he didn't want anyone to tell him he couldn't snowboard (also sounds like another Kevin you may know...).  Like myself, Kevin also suffered from Second Impact Syndrome after the December 31st crash and was put in a medically induced coma. He then spent 36 days in critical care until he was eventually transferred to Craig Hospital, which is a rehabilitation hospital that specializes in treating patients with traumatic brain injuries.  Kevin made a miraculous recovery, but hasn't yet to make it back to the level he once competed at and says he is reminded of his brain injury everyday because of his residual symptoms. I watched The Crash Reel (featured above) prior to my conversation with Kevin and I was blown away. I recommend that anyone and everyone watch it because it shows the importance of a strong support system for any injured athlete and why you should listen your support group. This film takes you through Kevin's early life/snowboard career and his injury/rehabilitation.  In addition it bring's you into Kevin's tight knit family and what they were feeling during and after Kevin's traumatic brain injury.  All throughout Kevin's rehabilitation, he had the goal of returning to snowboarding, despite multiple doctors advising him not to.  This drive to never settle for average pushed him to get better faster, but it also worried his family, especially his brother David who has down syndrome.  The Crash Reel Starring Kevin Pearce, Shaun White What a great family! Check out The Crash Reel to find out what I'm talking about! In addition to the compelling depiction of Kevin's family, the film is great for athletes who are coming to grips with a new normal that may or may not include their sport.  When Kevin did eventually try to snowboard for the first time, he quickly realized that he was nowhere near the level he once competed at.  During our interview Kevin talks about his decision to continue snowboarding, while stepping away from competitions and how he does that smartly and safely.  In addition he talks about the various ailments he continues to battle and what he has done to try to improve his symptoms, especially the troubles he's had with his vision.   You can download the documentary on iTunes or on The Crash Reel's website. iTunes : The Crash Reel   Store: The Crash Reel Similar to how I felt compelled to create this podcast, Kevin and his brother Adam created the LoveYourBrain Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that works to connect, educate and empower people to live a brain healthy lifestyle. Through yoga, meditation and mindfulness programs, LoveYourBrain helps improve lives, creating community and optimizing health for everyone they reach.  During our interview we discuss the benefits of yoga and ways to LoveYourBrain everyday.  Since recording this interview back in September, I have taken up a yoga practice for the first time.  I have really enjoyed it and I hope this episode inspires both athletes and non-athletes to explore the countless benefits yoga can bring to your life.  I have found it to be a great de-stresser in addition to supplementing my knee rehabilitation.  Some additional topics we discuss are the impact Dave Mirra's death has had in the extreme sports community and what Kevin's advice is to snowboarders and all athletes for loving their brain's. WHERE CAN YOU Support Love your brain? WEBSITE | Documentary | Shop | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE WHERE CAN YOU FOLLOW Kevin Pearce? INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | Facebook Download Episode 57 : iTunes | Stitcher Permalink

Bob Adwar and Tom Carr are on with Craig Hospital and then we rock on through some open lines and topics. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you at the Holloween Bash.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Federeer on to discuss the 5th Amendment and then we have Bob Adwar and Tom Car Dir. of Therapeutic Rec at Craig Hospital. Then we have Open Lines and Topics for the last bit of the hour. Thanks for listening folks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Their facebook page is:   https://www.facebook.com/Sassysavvy.org/?fref=nf   The Project Walk Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=project%20walk%20paralysis%20recovery%20centers     To learn more about Win's Women of Wisdom visit http://winswomenofwisdom.weebly.com/. Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To learn how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org.   On Win's Women of Wisdom today, Best-Selling Author, Win Kelly Charles welcomes Cristin Georgis. Cristin provides operations and managerial support to Denver's Project Walk facility. For the past three years, she held the title of Operations Coordinator for Craig Hospital’s PEAK program. That experience has helped shape Cristin's understanding and knowledge of activity-based recovery. Prior to her experience at Craig Hospital she had worked for over 15 years in consulting, project management and marketing/product development. At the conclusion of that experience, she turned her focused towards a career in helping others. Cristin holds a Bachelor’s degree from a hybrid business/engineering program at Texas A&M. She enjoys hiking, skiing, camping and hanging out with her family and huskies. To learn more about Cristin visithttp://projectwalk.com/. To learn more about Win Kelly Charles visit https://wincharles.wix.com/win-charles. To send feedback to Win, email her at winwwow@gmail.com. To be on the show please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/1MLJSLG. To look at our sponsorships go to http://www.educents.com/daily-deals#wwow. To learn about the magic of Siri go tohttps://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email.  

Eric Patrick Thomas is an ambassador The D-Man Foundation which runs a barrier free music studio located in Berkley,MI.! Eric Patrick Thomas, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life.  As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled.  His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric's life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”.  Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever.  A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair.  Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother's and stepfather's home.  Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed.  Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company.  His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny's Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it's an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities.  Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities.  He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care.These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor thatpromotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by.  He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. Eric Patrick Thomas Owner of EZ Awareness By Design 4340 A Miller Road Flint, MI 48507 810-618-0197 ezawareness.com Website for D-Man: mydman.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericpatrickthomas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericpthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericpthomas Matt and I take the first hour to talk about a ton of top...

Eric Patrick Thomas is an ambassador The D-Man Foundation which runs a barrier free music studio located in Berkley,MI.! Eric Patrick Thomas, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life.  As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled.  His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric's life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”.  Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever.  A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair.  Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother's and stepfather's home.  Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed.  Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company.  His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny's Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it's an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities.  Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities.  He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care.These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor thatpromotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by.  He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. Eric Patrick Thomas Owner of EZ Awareness By Design 4340 A Miller Road Flint, MI 48507 810-618-0197 ezawareness.com Website for D-Man: mydman.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericpatrickthomas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericpthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericpthomas Matt and I take the first hour to talk about a ton of top...

Eric Patrick Thomas is an ambassador The D-Man Foundation which runs a barrier free music studio located in Berkley,MI.! Eric Patrick Thomas, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life.  As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled.  His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric's life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”.  Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever.  A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair.  Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother's and stepfather's home.  Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed.  Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company.  His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny's Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it's an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities.  Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities.  He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care.These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor thatpromotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by.  He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. Eric Patrick Thomas Owner of EZ Awareness By Design 4340 A Miller Road Flint, MI 48507 810-618-0197 ezawareness.com Website for D-Man: mydman.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericpatrickthomas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericpthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericpthomas Matt and I take the first hour to talk about a ton of top...

Eric Patrick Thomas is an ambassador The D-Man Foundation which runs a barrier free music studio located in Berkley,MI.! Eric Patrick Thomas, a young motivated, ambitious businessman, leads a busy life.  As well as the leading force behind "EZ Awareness By Design", specializing in graphic design, custom apparel, signage, and vinyl banners, he is a public speaker, philanthropist, volunteer and advocate for the disabled.  His keen business sense began before the early age of ten when he started renting his Nintendo video games in the neighborhood. Music has always been an influence in Eric's life from writing to recording his album with the Hip Hop group “Mizcellaneous”.  Appreciation and the love of music and photography eventually led Eric to Lansing Community College where he pursued a degree in photography and broadcasting after graduating from Clio High School in 1996. A random shooting on the fateful night of September 20, 1997 changed Eric's life forever.  A young man with dreams of a career in music or photography learned that life is not always fair.  Left paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet to the C3 and C4 vertebrates; Eric spent several months on a ventilator with a halo screwed to his head to support his neck fighting for his life. Upon being released from the hospital Eric spent the next six months in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado learning to cope with his new circumstances. Doctors recommended an assisted living center after leaving the hospital, but with the support of his family he made the transition from rehabilitation to his mother's and stepfather's home.  Thanks to the hard work of his stepfather many changes and modifications were made to the home so that Eric could navigate throughout the structure. With the support of Disability Network, a self-determination living arrangement (SDLA) was developed.  Having a SDLA permitted Eric to hire his own staff and set goals and dreams using the person centered plan process, allowing Eric to live independently in his own environment. Eric's portfolio resonates with a vast variety of activities from public speaking to managing his graphic design company.  His list of charitable works involve everything from Toys for Tots, Relay for Life, Coats For Kids, Food Bank Of Eastern Michigan, American Heart Association, president for the Flint Film Festival, co-founder of Wheels 4 Wheels, local leader for Michigan Partners for Freedom and an ambassador for Danny's Miracle Angel Network (D-Man). Eric does not view his life as a burden but it's an opportunity to help other individuals with disabilities.  Some of the most rewarding moments of his life include testifying at both House and Senate hearings at the local, state, and national level, for the advancement of care and rights for people with disabilities.  He believes in providing both financial means and access to affordable health care.These things will allow disabled individuals to live independently, and is a motivating factor thatpromotes his voice for those in need. Eric is not content to simply let the world pass by.  He is constantly planning new opportunities that will enrich not only his life but those less fortunate. Goodwill Industries has provided Eric with affordable space for his business EZ Awareness By Design. With the support of Genesee Health System, supportive employment, and a Self Determination Living Arrangement Eric is able to have his own house, own his own business, and access to quality of care that provides him with the independence to be responsible for his own destiny. Eric Patrick Thomas Owner of EZ Awareness By Design 4340 A Miller Road Flint, MI 48507 810-618-0197 ezawareness.com Website for D-Man: mydman.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericpatrickthomas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericpthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericpthomas Matt and I take the first hour to talk about a ton of top...

An interview with ultra-distance runner Diane Van Deren It's been my pleasure to interview some of the best endurance athletes in world. I've spoken to high altitude climbers like Conrad Anker and Ed Viesturs, extreme skiers like Scott Schimdt and ultra marathon runners like Tim Twietmeyer and Dean Karnazes. These men are incredibly tough individuals.  And with humility and grace all have made their mark on the world by pushing their bodies past the breaking point to achieve amazing feats of strength against incredible odds. But I have to tell you that one of the most inspiring stories I've ever heard is that of a woman named Diane Van Deren. Diane is consistently among the top finishers in some of the most rugged and challenging long distance trail running events in the world. She most recently completed the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a 430 mile unsupported race in Alaska along the dogsled route of the Iditarod. As she ran in temperatures 40 degrees below zero, Diane hauled over  50 pounds of food and equipment behind her in a sled. But what's more impressive to me is that this wife and mother of three accomplished this and most of her career highlights after a long and painful battle with epilepsy. This 2007 interview with Diane Van Deren first ran on the outdoor industry podcast SNEWS-Live. Two years later Diane is still going strong and is now traveling the country on a speaking tour. In advance of her appearance here in Madison, I'm rerunning our conversation to share with you her amazing journey. Diane will be speaking in Madison, Wisconsin  on October 7th at the Orpheum Theater at 7PM. For Tickets visit: http://thenorthface.inticketing.com/events/45213/DIANE-VAN-DEREN-KARINA-HOLLEKIM--Beyond-the-Edge-Risk-R- New music this week by Sly Joe & the Smooth Operators comes courtesy of the podsafe music network For more information on the treatment of spinal cord and brain injuries at Craig Hospital visit www.craighospital.org.

An interview with ultra-distance runner Diane Van Deren It's been my pleasure to interview some of the best endurance athletes in world. I've spoken to high altitude climbers like Conrad Anker and Ed Viesturs, extreme skiers like Scott Schimdt and ultra marathon runners like Tim Twietmeyer and Dean Karnazes. These men are incredibly tough individuals.  And with humility and grace all have made their mark on the world by pushing their bodies past the breaking point to achieve amazing feats of strength against incredible odds. But I have to tell you that one of the most inspiring stories I've ever heard is that of a woman named Diane Van Deren. Diane is consistently among the top finishers in some of the most rugged and challenging long distance trail running events in the world. She most recently completed the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a 430 mile unsupported race in Alaska along the dogsled route of the Iditarod. As she ran in temperatures 40 degrees below zero, Diane hauled over  50 pounds of food and equipment behind her in a sled. But what's more impressive to me is that this wife and mother of three accomplished this and most of her career highlights after a long and painful battle with epilepsy. This 2007 interview with Diane Van Deren first ran on the outdoor industry podcast SNEWS-Live. Two years later Diane is still going strong and is now traveling the country on a speaking tour. In advance of her appearance here in Madison, I'm rerunning our conversation to share with you her amazing journey. Diane will be speaking in Madison, Wisconsin  on October 7th at the Orpheum Theater at 7PM. For Tickets visit: http://thenorthface.inticketing.com/events/45213/DIANE-VAN-DEREN-KARINA-HOLLEKIM--Beyond-the-Edge-Risk-R- New music this week by Sly Joe & the Smooth Operators comes courtesy of the podsafe music network For more information on the treatment of spinal cord and brain injuries at Craig Hospital visit www.craighospital.org.