Podcasts about para olympics

WICT Wisdom's Stephanie Cobian sits down with Evelyn Lee, Venue Group Manager for the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games. Evelyn brings a wealth of experience to her role at LA28, having held key positions with organizations such as the Honda Center, Live Nation Entertainment, House of Blues, and the GRAMMY Foundation & MusiCares. Despite the recent devastating fires in Southern California, plans for the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games in Los Angeles are progressing full steam ahead. In this conversation, Evelyn discusses her career journey leading up to LA28, the intricate process of planning for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics, the unique work culture at LA28, and the critical role the government plays in organizing the Games. The WICT Network's Mission: Empowering Women in Media, Entertainment, and Technology. For more information, visit: https://socalwict.org/

Thanks for stopping by and wasting your precious time with us. This is the first full episode of 2025, and we're kicking off the New Year with an explicit bang. Consider yourself warned: Enjoy! Simon, from Chiselhampton, Oxfordshire, England sets question one - “What do you think of all the banks closing their branches and forcing customers online, and do you think that reflects anything about our approach to living sustainably?” William's having a bit of a meltdown because his bank decided that actual branches are a bit too 20th century. Everything's got to be done online now. He goes on a rant about how some things are just better face to face rather than through a screen. It's all very dehumanizing, you know. Stuart, being his usual observant self, tells a story about being in his bank branch and overhearing the manager say, “You can do all this from your bed on your phone. Why even bother getting up and coming here?” Stuart's pretty sure this is just the bank's way of making branch closures sound like a brilliant idea. William tries to argue that closing branches reduces unnecessary journeys to the bank. Stuart isn't buying it; he thinks people actually want to get out and be part of the community.  The conversation then shifts to the idea of the 15-minute city. Stuart highlights the irony in people thinking it's both a way to trap us and a reason for local shops to close. Stuart wraps up with the idea that forcing everything online is just a way to make more money for shareholders by cutting out branches and overheads. Ashton, in Whitfield, Kent asks the next question - “Having just watched the closing ceremony of the 2024 ParaOlympics, do you really think it will make a difference to society? Is it representation or honest integration we need now? How do you think the competitors dealt with the media, getting the word out there? Do you think merging para events with mainstream ones like at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is a good idea?” Stuart watched the Paralympics but feels a bit guilty about not enjoying it. His boredom stemmed from the sheer number of events and categories, all crammed together for TV. It was over in a flash, leaving no time to turn the athletes into recognizable personalities. Stuart goes on about the impact the Paralympics have on people's perceptions. He mentions a chat between a Paralympian and a member of the public, who naively thought, “If someone in a wheelchair can go 26 miles, why can't you get to the shops?” Of course, the obvious answer is that they're elite athletes, not your average Joe. Stuart brings up the organization Every Body Moves, which he heard about during the Paralympics. Here's the link to them: everybodymoves.org.uk/ Stuart wraps up by saying he'd love to hear the athletes' genuine thoughts, not just their media-trained responses. He acknowledges that some athletes shared personal stories that did help push the narrative forward. What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com Sign the Petition - Improve The Oxfordshire Countryside Accessibility For All Disabilities And Abilities: change.org/ImproveTheOxfordshireCountrysideAccessibilityForAllDisabilitiesAndAbilities Fundraiser For An Extreme 8 All-terrain Wheelchair: justgiving.com/wildmanonwheels We like to give you an ad free experience. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we're not after numbers. This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.  Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends podfollow.com/ThePeoplesCountrysideEnvironmentalDebatePodcast , support our work through Patreon patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside⁠. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside

Welcome to episode 450. My thanks to so many of you for subscribing and supporting the podcast. In celebration of this milestone, I present a champion athlete who never shies away from challenge. Meet Todd Vogt, champion rower, who has dedicated himself to the sport of rowing for decades. Six years ago, when Todd turned 44, he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's Disease. As devastating as the news was, it didn't take Todd long to get back on the water and focus on winning. He recently participated in the 2024 Para Olympics in Paris and continues to train and mentor young rowers. Todd is a reminder to us all that in life, the most important way to row is forward!

Good things are happening in Wisconsin!!

Good things are happening in Wisconsin!!

நடந்து முடிந்த Paraolympics குறித்த செய்தியின் பின்னணியை பிரான்ஸ் இலிருந்து முன்வைக்கிறார் ஊடகவியலாளர் S K ராஜன் அவர்கள்.

This week was a bit unusual thanks to the Labor Day holiday but there was a lot to talk about... from Cookie Monster's lunch break to back-to-school ailments, the Para Olympics, a world of regret, and an accidental mouse-catcher... and much more from Zoe, Ansen, and Kara!

Confusion with The Para-Olympics full Some of us needed a little clarification on how this all works 751 Wed, 04 Sep 2024 03:37:19 +0000 oLi6LEWTZz6COpveIyBTh29NDDtgxwAo sports Primetime with Isaac and Suke sports Confusion with The Para-Olympics Portland's iconic sports talk show. Isaac and Suke hit the hottest topics and  the angles behind the big stories, while they entertain. Includes the popular  "Club 1080" in the show's 4th hour.   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Primetime - 09.03.24 - Club Hour full Featuring the Para-Olympics, Suke's traffic stop, and the new host of Wheel of Fortune 2438 Wed, 04 Sep 2024 03:22:19 +0000 LnxB59ZmJL33slfgvDcTzRTsBak5bWT0 sports Primetime with Isaac and Suke sports Primetime - 09.03.24 - Club Hour Portland's iconic sports talk show. Isaac and Suke hit the hottest topics and  the angles behind the big stories, while they entertain. Includes the popular  "Club 1080" in the show's 4th hour.   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Support the show: http://www.newcountry963.com/hawkeyeinthemorningSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Universal Pictures presents the inspiring new documentary, The Mountain Within Me, which tells the story of Ed Jackson, a professional rugby player who suffered a nearly fatal spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Faced with life-altering challenges, Ed finds hope and renewed purpose in helping others – and, despite being told by doctors that he would never walk again, Ed channels his determination to climb the formidable mountains of Snowdonia, the Alps and Himalayas.

Sports Broadcaster and Author Warwick Hadfield joined Philip Clark on Nightlife to discuss the latest news and issues in sports with his weekly wrap. 

Mayor gone missing?... Dog Flu?... Found money decisions… IHOP all you can eat pancakes… Caleb doing TB12 diet… chewingthefat@theblaze.com The Instigators on AppleTV+... Ryan and Blake one and two… Top movies over the weekend… Avatar 3 announced… Whoopi on Broadway… Cartoon Network website no more… Disney expansion and new stuff… Who Died Today: Susan Wojcicki 56 / Kevin Sullivan 74 / Bob Tischler 78 / Double Arch rock formation 190 million yrs old?... Plane crash in Brazil killing 62… Monkey Pox is back… Burning man losing it's aura?... Starliner can't undock automatically… Nasa retires NEOWISE… Nasa has 25 years with Chandra... Olympics is over / Medal count… Listener countries to Chewing medal count… Para Olympics coming up… Astronomy Olympics still going on… Joke of The Day… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashley Dyce, a Para Powerlifter, joins Julia Turshen for a conversation about athletic career and what drives her.Follow-up links:To pre-order Julia's new book, WHAT GOES WITH WHAT, head here!To sign up for Julia's weekly newsletter, head here.BUILT FOR THIS: THE QUIET STRENGTH OF POWERLIFTING, Julia's long-form essay, can be read here or listened to here.Watch the video about the Queer Barbell Club Julia started at her gym.Follow Ashely and her lifting on IG at @ashleiie225!

Come hear about the over 30 Olympians Pennsylvania is sending to Paris for the Summer 2024 Games. Many incredible stories of triumph are found among this incredible group from Archery to the ParaOlympics. 

The team breaks tradition in this month's Shop Talk and welcomes an exceptional visitor. Former CiCP guest, bestselling author, and former US State Department Special Agent Fred Burton, who also served as the Chief of Counterterrorism and Assistant Director for Intelligence and Counterterrorism at the Texas Department of Public Safety and former Chief Security Officer, joins the team for a dynamic discussion. Gathered around the digital campfire, the team discusses: The current heightened state of alert at US facilities across EuropeUSoming Olympics, Para Olympics, and the Eurocup The complex operating environment in Mexico Where is the Wagner Group, one year after their "mutiny" attempt Chiquita Brands Columbian woes Stage Jumpers And more... Send us your thoughts at protectiontalk@outlook.com and join the conversation

In Hour 3 we were joined by 2024 Para Olympics qualifier Amanda Rummery and recently retired NHLer Zach Parise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avey Virtusio joins us to discuss rider fitness and Ellie Brimmer, President of USPEA, gives us an update on the Para Olympics. Then Reese and Megan review the book "The Horse in Positive Tension" by Stefan Stammer. Be sure to listen in! GUESTS AND LINKS DRESSAGE EPISODE 747:Co-Hosts:Reese Koffler-Stanfield and Megan McIssac | Instagram | Facebook | FacebookGuest: Avey Virtusio | InstagramGuest: Ellie Brimmer, President of USPEABook Review: "The Horse in Positive Tension" by Stefan StammerDressage Radio Show: Website | FacebookPlease visit our sponsors, who make all this possible: Kentucky Performance Products and Savvy FeedersTime Stamps:2:00 - Olympic Talk15:10 - Ellie Brimmer26:45 -Avey Virtusio47:10 - Book Review

Avey Virtusio joins us to discuss rider fitness and Ellie Brimmer, President of USPEA, gives us an update on the Para Olympics. Then Reese and Megan review the book "The Horse in Positive Tension" by Stefan Stammer. Be sure to listen in! GUESTS AND LINKS DRESSAGE EPISODE 747:Co-Hosts:Reese Koffler-Stanfield and Megan McIssac | Instagram | Facebook | FacebookGuest: Avey Virtusio | InstagramGuest: Ellie Brimmer, President of USPEABook Review: "The Horse in Positive Tension" by Stefan StammerDressage Radio Show: Website | FacebookPlease visit our sponsors, who make all this possible: Kentucky Performance Products and Savvy FeedersTime Stamps:2:00 - Olympic Talk15:10 - Ellie Brimmer26:45 -Avey Virtusio47:10 - Book Review

Eric feels he would be a great athlete in the Para Olympics. Eric and Kiley's dog, Nora Jones, is kiting bunnies and biting the heads off of them in back yard. Eric talks about how travel sports for kids is not good for the family network. Kiley and Eric debate how kids need to start getting into the trades. Public Display of Affection: what is to much?

137. Jamie Mittleman - Women In Sport Jamie is the founder of Flamer Bearers, a global storytelling platform, shining a light on the untold stories of Women Olympians and Paralympians. Jamie has a strong belief that everyone deserves to have role modes in sport and is determined to create a space where women and para-Olympian's feel valued and empowered. We covered; - earning a living in elite sport - equal representation and opportunities across disadvantaged athletes - differences between Para Olympics vs Special Olympics - the importance of sharing stories and the power of building communities around athletes You can find Flame Bearers on Instagram here @flamebearers or on their website https://flamebearers.com/ You can find us here: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@strongerstride⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@sophielane⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lydia_mckay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our latest Youtube video⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ Discount Codes: TAILWINDSTRONG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.tailwindnutrition.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 15% off Tailwind's premium Hydration and Rebuild products! STRONGERSTRIDE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.solemechanics.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  for 15% off Vivobarefoot shoes ⁠⁠ STRONGER15 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://skorcha.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 15% of Skorcha Sunscreen Thankyou so much for listening to the show! TSSP

2024 is going to be the biggest year for tourism EVER in France (80th DDay anniversary, Summer Olympics & Para-Olympics, re-opening of Notre Dame). The experience when you travel to France can be OK but not really what you expected…or it can be simply amazing. And both are fine, you get to choose how you want to travel. Just like losing weight, and deciding on the support you get. This episode makes the case for investing in you, individual support and why private personalized attention is worth the investment. (It also gives quite a few tips if you are travelling to France in 2024!) Want more insight into the French Way of Life regarding health & wellness? Download my free guide “The French Art of Sustainable Weight Loss” at https://www.karengombault.com/thefrenchweighfreeguide Book your free private coaching information call here : https://calendly.com/kareng-coaching/1-1-private-coaching-call-with-karen-gombault Or follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefrenchweigh/

Leigh and Katrina had a conversation where Katrina shared her background story, including being born with a rare disability and undergoing multiple surgeries. Despite her challenges, Katrina's parents treated her like any other child and she was expected to do the same chores and activities as her siblings. Katrina, a person with a physical disability, used various mobility aids and participated in hydrotherapy and swimming to improve her mobility. She excelled in swimming, represented Australia in three Paralympic Games, won gold, and became a team captain, inspiring and motivating others. Katrina and Leigh discuss their personal journeys and the importance of focusing on abilities rather than disabilities.  They find motivation in the freedom and joy they experience in their environments and emphasize the power of mindset in overcoming limitations.  Katrina wanted to prove to her siblings that she was just like them, so she adopted a fearless persona. She faced obstacles head-on, even when her dad doubted her abilities, and pushed herself to accomplish difficult hikes without any assistance. Leigh and Katrina discussed their experiences with anxiety and how they have learned to manage it through techniques such as swimming and meditation.  They also emphasized the importance of staying in the present moment and not letting their minds race ahead with worries and catastrophizing thoughts. Katrina and Leigh discussed the importance of talking about mental health and the positive impact it can have, especially for men who often struggle to open up. They also considered the idea of creating a separate forum for women to address their unique experiences and challenges. Leigh and Katrina discussed the positive impact of their swimming group, Pod Squad, on their mental health and social connections. They shared stories of how the group provided support, friendship, and a sense of belonging, ultimately creating a unique and special environment for everyone involved. Katrina and Leigh discussed the positive impact of joining Pot Squad and how it has changed their lives, emphasizing that it's never too late to start and that everyone is welcome regardless of their abilities. They also mentioned the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and the power of influential conversations that can steer one's life in a different direction. Katrina had a close relationship with her nanny, who played a significant role in guiding her future after she won a gold medal at 19. Sadly, her nanny's health declined, but before she passed away, she expressed her belief in Katrina's potential and encouraged her to explore her talents beyond being an athlete. Katrina had a profound conversation with her nanny before she passed away, which transformed her life and her goals. She honored her nanny's wishes by visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio and continues to carry her nanny's wisdom and values with her, burying her medals with her nanny every year. Katrina discussed her mentors, including Bill Joyce, who helped her see the positives of having a disability and shaped her identity at a young age. She also mentioned Priya Cooper, a Paralympic athlete, who inspired her and provided guidance on managing nerves and expectations in sports. Katrina and Leigh discussed their admiration for leaders who show humility and authenticity, as well as their current reading preferences, including books about forgotten women in the military, a rom-com, and a story about a rescue dog. Katrina, a swimmer with a disability, overcame the disadvantage of not being able to push off the wall in a 100-meter race.  Despite starting behind, she stayed focused on her own race plan and ultimately won by a substantial margin, changing her life forever. Katrina discussed her mindset and preparation leading up to her gold medal-winning swim, including her commitment to training and her focus on her own abilities rather than external factors. She also emphasized the importance of focusing on ability over disability in all aspects of life. Ready to Transform Your Business and Life?  Let's Connect! Schedule a Free 1-on-1 'Lead Your Best Life Breakthrough Session' with Me and Begin Your Journey to Success. Visit www.leighfarnell.com for More Details and Book Your Exploratory Meeting Now! Want to find out more or discuss the content of this podcast with me? How to apply the content of this podcast to you, your business, your career and your life? Apply for a free 1 on 1 “Lead Your Best Life Breakthrough Session” with me and we'll discuss your struggles and goals with business, teams, relationships and life. We'll also create an actionable roadmap to get you to those goals in the quickest, easiest way possible. Find out more at our website www.leighfarnell.com Link here -https://calendly.com/lfbb/exploratory-meeting-15mins #success #empowerment #coaching #podcast #useful #practical #easy #proven #life #business

Bill Courtney is an accomplished businessman, speaker, award winning film subject and writer, and the founder of Classic American Hardwoods, Inc., a company that employs 120 people with a 45 acre manufacturing facility and domestic sales offices boasting in excess of $45 million in annual sales. He is also a nationally recognized and sought-after speaker keynoting at a variety of venues from the Para Olympics in Colorado Springs to Nike, Frito Lay, FedEx, and other nationally recognized companies. In this episode of the Dad Edge Podcast, Bill Courtney shares his three rules when it comes to playing time and dealing with helicopter parents. He emphasizes that asking to play won't guarantee more playing time and encourages parents to have conversations off the field about anything other than playing time. Coach Bill Courtney also opens up about his challenging upbringing, including the absence of his father and the traumatic experiences he faced growing up. Bill Courtney grew up in a broken home, with his parents divorcing when he was just four years old. His father passed away recently, and he had no relationship with him. His mother, on the other hand, was married and divorced five times, exposing him to various father figures who were often worse than his absent father. This lack of stability and constant changes in his family structure undoubtedly had a profound impact on his childhood. Childhood trauma can have long-lasting effects on individuals, often leading to negative outcomes. However, it is essential to recognize that resilience can be fostered even in the face of adversity. Bill's story serves as an inspiration, showing that it is possible to rise above one's circumstances and build a successful and fulfilling life. This conversation highlights Bill's journey from a childhood filled with dysfunction and trauma to becoming a resilient and successful individual. His ability to forgive, excel in sports, and find healing demonstrates the impact of childhood trauma on shaping resilience. This story serves as a reminder that resilience can be cultivated, even in the face of significant challenges, and that childhood trauma does not have to define a person's future. The choice to be a rock, as advocated by Coach Spain, empowers individuals to rise above their circumstances and become symbols of strength and resilience. www.thedadedge.com/friday130 1stphorm.com/dadedge www.normalfolks.us www.coachbillcourtney.com  

As regular listeners to Unstoppable Mindset have observed, I have the opportunity to talk with a number of people referred to me by Sheldon Lewis, accessiBe's nonprofit coordinator. This episode includes one such person, Jagwe Muzafaru from Uganda. I will tell you upfront that you will need to listen pretty carefully to Jagwe as his Ugandan accent is quite pronounced, but he is quite articulate and I believe you will enjoy him.   Jagwe is nearly 27 years old. He has earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Computing. Due to burns when he was younger, his eyesight would classify him as low vision.   For a number of years, he has had an interest in sports. In 2021 he organized his company, Blind Football Uganda. Of course, “Football” is what we call “soccer” here in the States. Blind people playing Soccer/Football? Why not. I leave it to Jagwe to tell us all about how that is done. Believe me, the sport is every bit as competitive for blind people as for sighted people and teams.   I very much hope Jagwe's story will inspire you and help you to gain a broader dimension of blindness. Near the end of our time, Jagwe tells us how people can help support his efforts.     About the Guest:     Jagwe is a graduate of Makerere University (MUBS) class of 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Computing. He is the Founder and Chairman of Blind Football Uganda a Para football organisation governing, promoting and developing the game of Blind Football in Uganda, a para sport administrator and a disability inclusion advocate who began his Para sport career as a volunteer with Uganda Paralympic Committee in 2018.     Ways to connect with Jagwe:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muzafaru.jagwe Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jagwe_muzafaru Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jagwe_muzafaru Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jagwe_muzafaru Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagwe-muzafaru-87ab69132 Link to GoFundMe effort for Uganda Blind Football, https://gofund.me/7a712989   Links about Blind Football, Uganda   CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/09/football/blind-football-uganda-spt-intl/index.html   Voice of America: https://www.voaafrica.com/a/6779597.html   Al Jazeera: https://youtu.be/i6hqF2z9qi0   Black Excellence Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8xd3qbEi5o   New Vision: https://www.newvision.co.ug/articledetails/135489/blind-football-sets-sight-on-2024-paralympic    The Observer: https://observer.ug/sports/75448-blind-football-giving-new-opportunities-to-visually-impaired   NTV Uganda: https://www.ntv.co.ug/ug/news/sports/blind-football-players-are-eying-international-competitions-3995476   Mazima news: https://mazima.ug/sports/uganda-set-to-start-national-blind-football-league/   Uganda Radio Network: https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/ugand-set-to-start-national-blind-football-league   Beautiful news South Africa: https://www.facebook.com/1675691709362077/posts/3300601080204457/?flite=scwspnss&mibextid=u81vWr868JTqCiLD   Solutions now Africa: https://youtu.be/YHP7Ih1slgM     About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes     Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Well, hi once again. And here we are with another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to travel outside of the United States to meet with Jagwe Muzafaru and I'm hoping I'm pronouncing that mostly right if I'm not he'll correct me. He is a person who has become very much involved in Paralympics in Uganda, especially blind football and we're going to talk about that what it is and, and and hear other things from him as well. So Jagwe, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 02:00 Thank you. Thank you, Mike, for hearing addition and interest in what I do.   Michael Hingson ** 02:06 Well, so I want you to start if you would, by telling us about you as a young man, and growing up and all that kind of stuff. So have you been blind your whole life? And none truly   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 02:24 informed you My name is Jagwe Muzafaru. And I'm the founder and CEO but tell you about my story. I'm totally blind or blind. Yes, I did. And I have one of my left eye is the one which domain and this came as a result of from school with a good a good band on the left side of the body with fire and lift my I dealt with the left side that your essay has some site. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 03:03 but you are considered blind today. You are considered a person who is who is pretty much mostly blind, I assume.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 03:11 Yeah, but they consider me as somebody with low vision may be   Michael Hingson ** 03:16 okay with low vision is fine. We we bring them all together. So that's okay. So tell me about you growing up. So you went to school and all that and well, so tell us about you a little bit growing up.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 03:31 Yeah. I went to school. And growing up, I'm born in a family of about eight people by the last born in the family. And I grew up maybe being taken care of by mostly my brothers sisters around because our mom, too, has grown us simply alone. Because that day the alley when I was young, in the 90s and then she has been caring for us for over all those years up to now. So for the studying, I started up to University where I graduated as a in a budget with a bachelor's degree in business computing from Macquarie University. And for through the growing up. It's where I've been participating in several events, mostly in sports. And that's where the interest came in. And this really interest comes in from what I do what I run, carrying, because even at campus I used to spit in sports. But I suppose mostly especially global, and it's really I will be in is to also inventor into sports management as an administrator.   Michael Hingson ** 05:05 Okay, so tell us a little bit about what Goalball is.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 05:12 Football is a team sport that is played by three people on each side. And for Bobo, you roll the ball around, but the ball makes you roll the ball around sending it to, to open it. And if you miss the ball, they end up, they end up scoring a goal, or it's a goal, which is considered if they fail to block the ball from going into their neck. Okay? for it. It's played on a surface of 18 by 918 meters long by nine in width. And it's played by three people specifically, but all these people are all blindfolded.   Michael Hingson ** 05:55 There, they're blindfolded or, or they're blind.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 05:59 They're blind, they can be blind or visually impaired. But they are blind for it. Right.   Michael Hingson ** 06:05 So that every move some   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 06:07 people Yeah, they are on an equal ground. So yeah, for for sports, we use certain ones like that i applying and then blind. So where does it come from? It comes from the classes that they give us for be one of those people who have not no, uh, no level of sight, or they can't see anything, then forbid to those are the people we always consider, who have some sight who can even do that this is a shape of something oh, can tell that this is light. So for with the people were cited, slightly cited, and this bit is at least have some side. They can do we can easily read or the use large print. And these can be people who have albinism or people when your eyes simply damaged, or people have long sightedness or short sightedness. So that's how we are categorized. So if I use the blind, so nobody get confused the voltage.   Michael Hingson ** 07:19 Okay. So you got a bachelor's in business computing? And when did you get that degree?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 07:30 I graduated in 2019   Michael Hingson ** 07:32 and 2019. So how old are you now?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 07:36 I'm going to plug in 27 in August.   Michael Hingson ** 07:40 Okay, well, and early, happy birthday to you. I was just asking because I wanted to really just put everything in perspective, because you have really done a lot. Since graduating. And while you were in school, you have done a lot. And I think that's pretty interesting to really have some of those experiences. So you formed an organization? When did you form it? And what's the name of it? And what is it do?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 08:15 Yeah, I started the organization. It's called blind football, Uganda. And I started in 2021. So blind football Uganda, it's a two way organization. First, we run it as an NGO that advocates for a few things related to persons with visual impairments and blindness. And then on the other side, we run it as a sports federation. So on the Ugandan setting, we are recognized by you we are affiliated to Uganda only Paralympic Committee, and, and even which is a member of our National Council of Sports. And currently we are, we applied to for review, to be and also to affiliate and our FA in Uganda, which is Federation of Uganda Football Association, that is FIFA. And so blind football Uganda is a passport organizations that specifically govern, promote, develops, and, and make the sport of blind football and when I tell you about blind football, it's a sport or game that is played specifically by people who are blind or visually impaired depending on their category.   Michael Hingson ** 09:41 Well, now you've told us about gold ball. And I assume that blind football is different than gold ball. gold ball sounds more like well, I was gonna say it sounds more like soccer but, but what's the difference between gold ball and blind football?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 10:02 Yeah, the difference between Goldberg and blank Soccer is the way it's played. For Goldberg Goldberg is played on. It's a team sport, like blind football, but golf is played by three people. But blind football will play five people on a beach. For Bobo, we use hands, draw the ball, then the ball reaches the open ends. But for blind football, we specifically use the feet we kick   Michael Hingson ** 10:32 the ball, like with regular soccer.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 10:36 Yeah, it's like no more rigid Ahsoka. And to tell you about later about blind football, blind football is a modified sport from the game of food. So for those who may have been in knowing foods or food, so is, is also a no more like a sighted persons game is played on foot on my foot diameter by 20 meter surface which is also blind football size of a game. But the difference comes in with a with the rules that we use our rules for blind football are always modified in one way, as compared to as compared to the footstool site. There are some things that will remove that applied in footsore, which don't apply in blind football, for example, for status, the ball we used to play is a board that makes returning sound whenever it was. So this is, I haven't worked here with me. And I think I can   Michael Hingson ** 11:39 I hear that. And so, whenever the ball moves, that's when, whenever the ball moves, that's what what people here.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 11:50 Yeah, that's the sound that it creates. As the boat. Yeah, and as the book keeps play in play. So the person who always have the ball, he has to say, or he has to keep quiet play. And I you can imagine if somebody is blindfolded, and is blind, how can somebody play without being injured? So we have communicating words or rules that we have in play. One of them is the voice rule. So it's V OYV. Oy, it comes from a Spanish word, it is it. It's just an interpretation of a Spanish word, which we use to save go go. So for us, we use voivode. Why is it in Spanish because the game was developed in Spain in 1970s, around 1970s. So if I'm the one with the ball, I have to keep sailing and keep playing. So if Mike has the ball, Mike has to say void void. So that's how I can easily understand that Mike is coming from the side I and then find means of dodging, not colliding with him. So when I hear his voice Desna is going to come off in an offense or defense mode to just take the ball or take possession of the ball from you. So to prevent it, you have to do it. And before us, we have gates in our in our normally now game behind the goalkeepers the somebody who stands behind the goalkeepers and communicates to a player that you have reached this direction. You can shoot any reduce them awareness so that they know and reach a point that they can shoot a ball at any time. So that's how they structure the structure. But some things are moved, like offsides, we don't have offsides, we play for less than two minutes late, which is not the same for cited for football. For us we play for 15 minutes, one half is 15 and the other half is 15. Which makes a total awful time that in minutes. So in the past we have been playing for 20 minutes each half. But as per the modified rules for this year occupant 2015 25 We are playing for 15 minutes on this stuff. So 14 by 20. And the only side on the side of the photo meters we always have boards that cover the catch lines because if somebody is blind, there is no way you can throw the ball if the ball goes out. There is no way you can throw it when when they can see and about a team it's played on by five people on each side. But the goalkeeper is a sighted person. The four outfield players are always blind or are blindfolded, but the goalkeeper is a sighted person And then as I've told you, behind the goalkeeper there has to be a guide with Deluxe these people are playing. The sweet thing about it. When it comes to scoring goals, the four outfield players can score a goal and they can be considered. But they will keep Piven if you score as any goal, it can't be considered for reason of fairness. And some people always wonder, why do blind people have to be you know, they're blind. So how, why do you still have to blindfold them? It's because of the classification that we have. Because some may be have some little side as mainland. And in football or in sports, we always have to promote that thing of fair play. So we cover their eyes, to put them at a level of ground where everybody plays at a level ground. And the game is played by male and female categories.   Michael Hingson ** 15:59 But they're separate teams. So you don't have male and female on the same team? Or do you   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 16:05 know, we don't have male on the same team? They feel differently. But when it comes to training for inclusive matches, you can do it but for official matches, standard matches. They're separate teams.   Michael Hingson ** 16:22 So I'm curious, why did they cut the time from 20 minutes and a half to 15 minutes and a half?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 16:29 I personally I don't sit on the on the on the assembly. Because internationally, you have to be a member of the International blind spots association. So for me, I'm at the receiving end, I didn't really get to know why they cut it. And Nick, as began this year, in January, last year in Vietnam, and   Michael Hingson ** 16:55 so now so when again, we're talking about blind football or what we call in the United States Soccer, right? Yeah, right. Right. Well, flying football is.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 17:12 Yeah, it's it should stay as well. Because when you consider your use you your direction like football, what you consider as football. It's used if you play with hands, which is?   Michael Hingson ** 17:25 Yeah. Yeah, well, no, I understand. And in most parts of the world, it is football, not soccer. So it's okay. So now, how do people? How do people know where the goal is? So you're playing and everyone is being very active? And they're trying to get the ball or stop the ball and so on. But how do you know where the goal is? Does the goalkeeper make sound? Is there some other sounds so that people know where the goal is compared to where they are? Yeah,   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 17:57 that's something I've been, I've talked about that forever. Every game has to get a guide. And the guide is a sighted person. So that's the person who communicates to the players when they play, it seem to them the direction of the goal, it seems to them when to shoot, or how to move, if they are going to reach the goal line or to score the state gate. They roll the game.   Michael Hingson ** 18:27 So how do people know when they're near the goal?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 18:31 Yeah, it's the guide still tells them because the goalkeeper doesn't have to. That's not his work,   Michael Hingson ** 18:37 right? So there are guides that tell you that that that notify people   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 18:43 Yeah, they stand behind the goals, like they give them two meters by two meters by length, and then five meters maybe by windy. This this is how they will always stand behind the goal line. So in that way, he can tell that you have reached the goal. You can shoot that that place then you should Okay.   Michael Hingson ** 19:15 All right. It's It's fascinating and certainly it is very I assume it's as aggressive a game as regular foot sighted said that people's football in Uganda.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 19:30 Yeah, yeah. aggressive and very, because Uganda is a football loving country. People have really embraced it.   Michael Hingson ** 19:40 Well, and that's, that's fine. So how many blind football teams are there in Uganda at this point?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 19:53 At this point, we have eight teams that I can safely if I say that tomorrow we have a competition We have ATMs and these teams are spread to Blue bullies then in the north, Northern Uganda. We have a team in in the center in the central area. We are situated in two universities, the central like Kampala, we have one team two teams in Macquarie University and then even CHambo University. And then we have also team in camera the cameras in the east of Uganda. After ginger, you go to calmly Oregon. So Camilla is in the East. And we also have a team there. And as of this week, I've spent a day a week in sorrow desert is almost like 292 kilometers in the East Far East, where we have fully organized and set up new team in cirrhotic districts and as they go on, we are many as but as per the current working on with my colleagues, we are remaining with to two venues to areas that we are going to introduce playing football and then we shall set up teams there from the age when they will increase either to 12 or 13. So we are remaining with Lila realize she is in the north and then cover a cover the district and Cavalli is in the west. It comes   Michael Hingson ** 21:34 you have a teens now but you're growing, which is exciting. So how, how big are the crowds that come to watch you play?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 21:46 So far, most of the crowds that we are for this year as policia the crowds, we have organized the games have been specifically crowded within school settings, like secondary schools, to bring people aware about the sport and know how it is played. The crowds are very, very exciting. And the crowds are very, very many when we organize them. But our major product is various the blind football championship and that happens always on the 14th of October. We either do it on the 14th or 15th. As reserved word said they are white king, one of the two days but this year we are going to do it on on the 14th of October. So on the 14th Yeah, we always have so many people come around and then B is j s AP. is the major product that we sell the blank Bowl championship every year.   Michael Hingson ** 22:50 How many people do you think there will be   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 22:51 this year? This year? I can't tell because it's an open ground. So even if people are just passing they kind of come around and and see. Yeah, so I can tell at the moment. And lucky enough because of the activeness. We have. We have a team that has already requested it's going to come from Nairobi, Kenya, to be part of this year's don't I mean, because they understood that in Kenya, the blind football is not so active. And the people want to play. So when one of the coordinators there requested to me and we accepted, they are coming to Uganda, so we may have to have nine teams if they also come around.   Michael Hingson ** 23:39 How many people came to the championship game last year?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 23:43 That is we didn't record their numbers. Because the best game but they it was they were very, they are known so so many because we used an indoor beach. It was an indoor Beach, UK. And for Anindo it's always resisted the numbers but I can tell from the media. Because so many media persons were with us. They come around on that day.   Michael Hingson ** 24:13 You get a lot of people who are fans of sighted football who also come to see blind football because it's still a football game.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 24:23 Yeah. And so when by the way most of our spectators are always people who are sighted. Most of them well, yeah, because just as coming around wearing a jersey branded blind football, Uganda so somebody starts to imagine these guys are blind. They are going to play football. How do they play? So that intriguing mind forces somebody to come and see and stay around?   Michael Hingson ** 24:54 Why did you specifically start the organization blind football I'm what what really made you do that?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 25:07 For the first instance, is to give it was to widen the opportunities for playing opportunities for persons with visual impairments, to see that they can play some more from global and athletics, because those two spots are traditionally then in schools that have been here, but they don't observe a given number of people, or they don't give an update. Appreciate it. So I looked at, why can't we? Why can't I set up something that you can see, anybody can relate with. And, and way wherever you move in every household, there is somebody who plays football, or there's somebody who talks about football on the day, even if they don't pay at least a support. So that inspired me to start but as well, on my personal grounds, I always looked at most of us when we left sports at the university, and then we come to the community, most of the sports activities always die and stop at the university. So for me, I looked at why can't we start something and then be the spearhead that Oh, something that can grow and then be of great value to our communities. So from universities, I looked at, come into community, I looked at doing sports as a career itself, and inspire people to come and join the sports environment. Because in Uganda, our focus is always on jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs are never easy to get. So I looked at sports as a shortcut, which can offer solutions to our socio economic difficulties that we have in our community, because sports is a universal language that you can use to promote or campaigned for anything. You can use words to promote jobs, your job creation, because of the network you may be having. You can use food as, as therapy, you can use sports as a health or well being activity in all aspects. So those are majorly the reasons why I strictly decided to form and start that organization and promote event planning.   Michael Hingson ** 27:32 Now, the real serious question is, do you play blind football today?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 27:42 I learned probably, I don't prefer it because I can't be a chairman, or a president for you. Most of the people who are you can't be I can't be a president of something. And then you double, double, double desk yourself. Because there are some things that need to be administrative specifically. And you have to handle administrative work. So for me, my role is on the technical side, and administrative work. So I find other people play, I identify other people play,   Michael Hingson ** 28:18 as they would say here, if you played it would be a conflict of interest, because then you're the chair, you're the chairman, the chair of the company, but you are playing for a team that is really kind of hard to separate. So that doesn't work. Do you play for fun? Or what do you do for exercise and for fun than when you're not being the chairman of the organization?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 28:44 And yeah, I do I do run. I do run for a while. I do some other physical exercises. But there is no rule that refuses me to play football, but I do even play blind football, for fun. And I also play some football with some sighted person persons. But for blind football. I only play like if these an inclusive match. And they want us to play like CEOs. Like they want as we are demonstrating to chair chairman of companies there. Yeah, then I can come in. But but for for the exact matches, standard matches. No rule refuses me to play, but I really look at it as anyway, even in Uganda, I think I'm the only leader in sport who is who is not playing on the pitch most of them find themselves playing.   Michael Hingson ** 29:47 But I think you take a right position because it's very difficult to be the chairman of the organization and then be on a particular team. It can be done difficult to sell. It's I'm glad that you, you don't know, when you're playing the CEO with CEOs and you're doing those kinds of fun matches. The real question is, do you win?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 30:14 It's it's never about winning. It's about just the giving the people the feel of what other Shapiro, what the, our, our our players go through, and giving them an understanding. Because for them, most of the CEOs, they can't even play for five minutes. They can play in minutes. So   Michael Hingson ** 30:41 they don't exercise that much.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 30:44 residentially so you have to be linear to them as well.   Michael Hingson ** 30:49 Make them work, make them work. But what how do they react, though? Do they, when when they're done? Do they go away with a different idea? Does it help teach them? Do they go away and decide to support what you're doing, and they, they have a whole different picture than when they started?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 31:15 Yeah, they are always interested. And they feel intrigued about how the game is played. And if they find it even more difficult to play it. And they always tell me that blind people are special people. And most of them always helped me and always want to come on board. And we have started a few relationships here and there with them work for free. For instance, we have started the a good few clubs. And they are willing to support a few of our activities. And also they invite us to the events, like we can demonstrate to more people to know about this boat. And that's how we we are moving on one step at a time.   Michael Hingson ** 32:12 I must admit that. I don't exercise enough to be able to play it. But I enjoy hearing about it. And I've I've not ever learned all the rules of football. I've learned more about us football than football in Europe and Africa and so on. But I do think it's fascinating. I was in New Zealand and actually learned about rugby a little bit, which is which is a totally different thing and probably even more aggressive than playing either kind of football, but it's still a there's always strategy. And that's what I'm fascinated about with sports, the strategies that that people have and that the teams work out. Yeah. So it makes it so it makes it makes it a lot of fun, which I think is important to do. So for you. You've now had this organization going what, four years, you started it in 2019 or 2018 rather.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 33:21 20 official   Michael Hingson ** 33:22 2021 2021 So it's only two years old. Okay. So what are what   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 33:30 was 17? I'm sorry, it was 17. June.   Michael Hingson ** 33:37 Okay. Oh, my gosh. So, two years. And right now, we're recording this on June 22. So two years and five days Happy Birthday. Well, what are your plans for the organization? What are your plans for the organization going forward?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 33:59 Yeah, first, for the plans, we have water. Bill continuing is expanding the game to all the more parts of the country so that more people can really get the chance to watch it and even play. So we are reaching more other places. Besides that, we are now rolling in more events for people to get the opportunity to participate fully in a spot. For the for status, we are going to include under age competition, and one of it is for primary schools next year. And from that we are going to also have a second School Championship. I believe if you're in the US, that's the High School Championship. So in Uganda we use secondary. So we are going to rule out as a secondary school championship and then even at at the latest If we want to have another another tournament, which we will be in for entire university, so universities will compete within themselves, and then our major product of the nationally will stay there. So those are the few things that we want to do in the competition side. But when you go to the technical side, we want to continue training more coaches, more people who can help us in the technical aspects, so that the every area has someone to, to coach, it's a really tear, some and costly if we have, you have some someone has a team, and he wants to play, but it's almost 200 kilometers from you. And you tell him come to this place where I am, which is very expensive, he comes and lands one day goes back goes. So it's not really impacting. So you want to leave every area so that if somebody calls from any area, we just contacted him, we have a coordinator or a coach there, go to this person, it says question you. And we also now focusing on having more ladies on the team. Even today, I've been chatting with at least four ladies, and they are willing and today we have the new status sessions. And we shall be progressing and see how they will perform. Then administratively I want to is because we are housed on the Uganda Olympic committee we share the address, they just give us a small desk where we can be so I'm looking at also going independent, we get our own office is separate from any other body where anybody can freely come. If possible, if you get maybe land where someone can come I come there to lay around and also can do anything related to blind football activities there from there. So that's that's those are some of our plans.   Michael Hingson ** 37:15 Now, in general, not talking only about blind football specifically but are their professional teams teams where the players and everyone get Pele and get paid for doing what they do.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 37:31 It's only I believe it's only in Europe and maybe okay, I don't know about but in Europe it's really very very, very active very active   Michael Hingson ** 37:42 out there yet.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 37:45 Yeah, they have sponsors on board everything but for Ugandan setting, we only play specifically just for fun, and there is no payment that is involved   Michael Hingson ** 38:00 about the coordinators, the coaches   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 38:04 and I don't pay anyone at the moment we don't pay any. But for for first what we do is like I told you that we do some advocacy work. So we use bots to to serve a few things that players may not be having or may not be accurate with for example, if someone needs a white cane so we corroborate with the organization's they get us the white cans for free if someone is needed agree with a puzzle coordinate with an organization's that you have within the blind community. And then we try to source some of the materials for them as as part of their sports aspects. Yes. And also we advocate and try to give them a few learning tips like on financial literacy, how can you start something you initial blind? How can you so we just share but we collaborate with a few organizations. Yeah. And then we try to do it.   Michael Hingson ** 39:06 About expenses like you talked about if somebody has to go a long ways to to get to be able to play is there any help to assist with expenses and so on for them?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 39:21 Yeah, for for our competitions, like if we organize an event, like we organize an event on 14th October always invite players from all over the country. So for us we'll get in the transportation and accommodation and feeding. So everybody who comes give them transport, accommodation and feeding. But for allowances like refunds on transport we don't normally give them. We help them in that way. And also have collaborations with a few led organizations that, that help us to in fundraising, for resources that we use, like water, feeding, and then we end up executing settings. So   Michael Hingson ** 40:20 how do you actually promote the organization? How do you make it known that you that you need money? Or what the organization does? How much? Are you able to talk about it and get people to take an interest? How do you promote it?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 40:38 I promoted firstly, with social media, through social media platforms, on our own social media platforms, on all social media platforms, then also on radio, TV and print. So in some instances, like when we have an event, just like we have one, in October, we start to visit Organized TV stations, radio stations, and then they give us time. And as soon as they were granted permission to be on air, it's when they sell, I will promote, and I've got the chance to be on several interviews, and booked about this spot and leaving the organization. Even in the US, I've been with the CNN, I've been with the Voice of America. I've been with the Al Jazeera, and they'll be in a week black excellence. So those are the media outlets that and work for the US. Organizations have never reached out to them. They just saw the work we do on social media. And then they came and interviewed us. But for our our Ugandan settings, even some of them, like 80% of them have not contacted them directly that I want at a time, or I want some publish about this. It's them have come out and come to me. And so is love enabled to promote the sport. Yeah, it's unfortunate that myself, I've never seen myself live on air. And even when some some of the recordings are taken, they just find me either moving or people just don't always say on TV. And I asked them when not remember, because nobody will tell you that just published. Suggested recordings of the interviews. I do. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 42:37 Have you ever looked on YouTube to see if any of them are there? So you can watch them?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 42:43 Yeah, I guess follow up afterwards. Yeah. They're always they watch them? And yeah, I see them.   Michael Hingson ** 42:51 Yeah, the fact is with television, a lot of times you just don't know exactly when it's going to air and like when I've been interviewed, I'll ask people when it will appear. And it can be on a newscast. But it could be anywhere within an hour or half hour newscast. And unless you have the time to watch the entire newscast, you don't always see it. So it's kind of one of the things that you have to deal with. Well, so you know, but it's kind of more important. Well, it's important that you get to see it so you can evaluate how you're doing and get a chance to listen and think about how you might do it better, which would be a reason for doing it. But it is more important that other people get to see you and and I'm sure that if somebody had some great thought for you, they would tell you about it. But you know, one of the questions that comes to mind is that the Para Olympics is coming up next August of when a year in Paris. Are you looking to try to to go there? And is there any kind of blind football matches in the Paralympics? Yeah.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 44:03 And what I have to first inform you is blind football as a sport is the only football currently in the Olympics Games is the only football that is there. So next year, yeah, it's going to be it's going to feature but as per the qualification window, I think we are very late for it. We woke up late. And to the west, we first have to be members of the international body and then we start to play sanction games. And by May it's when I first applied to the first regiments. It's when I first applied to the organ to the to the the national body to be for membership and there are some things they still requested, which I'm working on. One of them is the anti doping rules. For our country, because we have to come up with a code that we shall also be following. So we are working on it close with a few patronizing spots to see that we have it done. So for next year, we shall not feature in. We have not been Paris as blind football, Uganda. But we are in for 2028, which will be staged for Los Angeles, Angeles, I believe next year if yes, ingredient eight. So I believe next year, if everything is sorted, within the international body, we are going to start to play international sanction games and we shall see how we shall fight to qualify for 28. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 45:49 And some of your players play for other countries next year? Or do you see that even as a possibility?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 45:56 I have no problem with it personally, if a country approaches them, and you would like to, because for us, we are not, most of my prayers are not yet registered in a country that are based on international database. So if any country approaches us, or any country or someone approaches the country, individually, it's okay. For us, we are open to give them that opportunity so that they can venture and seize. We spots sports can help them to see how their legs contain.   Michael Hingson ** 46:37 What kinds of challenges do people who are blind or low vision face and going into sports, say in Uganda, like blind football or other things are, are there efforts to encourage that or do families and people still really say, well, blind people can't do that, and so they discourage it.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 46:59 Ah, it all ends with our participation, as as long as people are seeing plain, people easily understand that these guys can play. And whenever they see them on pitch, they always understand that I was scared to tell my child to go play because I thought they can collide. But when they see themselves on the pitch without any collusion, so people just encourage them to keep playing. So it's the mindset, which prevents them, but what if you're the challenges one of them is the accessibility it comes to the road, it comes to the technology, it comes even in communication. So, most of our people are known, when it comes to moving to the fields, they are not so visually impaired friendly, most of the fields we have even when it comes to playing, they are not visually impaired, or friendly moving in playing around or even just walking around them, you can find one peach is shared by almost four teams of sighted people. So when it comes to playing, you know, our game is a silent game. So, it always disturbs us in the training and you have to fight for the spaces. Another thing can be on the aspect to the finances, there is a lot of expectation because I if somebody sees you on TV, somebody hears you on radio, and there was CZ on international channels. So so someone comes, may reach out to you like on Facebook or, or email and say I want to be part of blind football Uganda, how can I can how can you involve me? So most of the people work with come with a high expectation of money because of a huge publicity we have. I had to devise the end up when we talk to them, we end up finding that we can't we can like work with them because of the aspect. You can't pay them at the moment. Yeah, if someone can be can you be a volunteer? It says I'm past volunteering. Legit. Some of us are volunteer. This was for over ever since we started like professional careers. Yeah, those are issue challenges.   Michael Hingson ** 49:43 It's an it's a new sport. Really. It's it's not been around long. And it is a process and a lot of times I can imagine people are impatient and when they they need to understand that it's new and it's a and sometimes it's a rare A person who will take the step back and say, Okay, I'll help try to make it better. And maybe someday there'll be money to pay. But it isn't all about money. As you said, the players are also playing for fun, which I think is really important and really pretty cool. So I'm glad that people do play it for fun. And so far that's working. And you'll grow. I mean, it will, it will continue to grow, and there'll be more substance later. So what can people do to help support what you do? And what kind of message do you want those people who listen to unstoppable mindset to hear?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 50:45 First that as, as blind football, we are challenged with the equipment side. So to get the equipment that we used to play in Uganda, and Africa at large, it's a little bit had an expensive, so work with. Yeah, so I began a fundraiser. It's on GoFundMe, we are only soliciting for only to buy standard equipments from eyeshades from the bulls. Even make our own boards that we use on the pitch, everything that you may understand that is used in soccer, we need support for it, because as I've told you have a teams spread over every region. So our fight is to have more and more teams, more teams with equipment supplied to them. So that's our fight. So if someone wants to help us in one way or the other, we can go to GoFundMe look for look for blend football. And then they can cast any donation. And I can assure you that the money goes to the right cause already we have like 700 700 euros that have been so far donated to us. And we are moving anyway, we are moving. But more so if someone needs Oh, is willing, who can be willing to come to Uganda Oh, it can come as a by the way, you somebody's coming to Uganda, then they come and give us just the knowledge of bland food. Because I've I've never been of all the people I work with even me, we have never got that knowledge of how to play standard out, like the standard training. We have never got that knowledge, we use YouTube tutorials, and even the internet. So we read, research, and then use it but we have never got like, experience knowledge with a professional. So if someone is willing to come to Uganda, just to give us some little knowledge about the game, how we can improve here and there and give us tips on how we can play then we also invite you to do Uganda.   Michael Hingson ** 53:16 Well, okay, so tell me how people can reach out to you and learn and contact you and learn more about the program and so on. If you would spell your first and last name and then tell us how they can reach out to you. I would appreciate that.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 53:34 My name is Jagwe Muzafaru, and if you want to reach out to   Michael Hingson ** 53:39 do if you could spell if you could stop. Can you spell that please?   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 53:43 Yes, my name is Jagwe Muzafaru and Jagwe is spelled as J A G W E Jagwe and Muzafaru is spelled M U Z A F A R U. And you can reach out to me directly on all social media platforms, specifically Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Instagram. And you can you can also reach out to our social media platforms, which run under the name blind football Uganda, blind football Uganda say you can reach out email. Even if I'm not the one who responds, someone will respond. And if you direct one to talk to me, someone will direct you to and then you can have an opportunity to chat with me or the team more so if you want to watch some of our works, you can go to YouTube and on YouTube we use blind football Uganda is where we post some of the videos of our work. So you can go there and watch a few of our activities that we are doing in Uganda.   Michael Hingson ** 54:56 So blind football Uganda is had a website   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 54:59 not yet we are working on that don't have as for now.   Michael Hingson ** 55:05 Well, I know that you're, you're working on it.   Jagwe Muzafaru ** 55:09 Yeah, but we are all we are on all social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, just typing blind football, Uganda. Yeah. Okay. And then your computer   Michael Hingson ** 55:24 as well, I know, I met you through Sheldon Lewis at accessiBe. And so I hope that when you get a website, you'll use accessiBe to make sure that it is accessible for everyone to be able to use. And we're all ready to help in any way that we can to, to assist with that. And so keep working with Sheldon, but if any of us can help them, we're glad to do that. But I want to thank you once again for being here. This has been fun. And I think very interesting. And we're anxious to hear more about how things go with blind football Uganda as you continue to progress. So you'll have to come back and tell us more later. When for you listening. I hope that you enjoyed this, please, please reach out to us. I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at Michaelhi at accessiBe.com. That's M I C H A E L H I at accessiBe A C C E S S I B E.com. Or you can go to our podcast page www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast. And Michael hingson is m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com. And so I hope that you will come comment on what we have talked about today. And I hope that you'll give us a five star rating. Wherever you're listening to this, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate your your ratings very much and we'd love to hear your comments. And of course, as always, if you can think of anyone else that you believe that we ought to have as a guest on unstoppable mindset, unstoppable mindset, please let us know. And Jagwe that's the same for you if you know anyone that we ought to have as a guest. I would appreciate you telling us about it. But I want to thank you one more time for being here and for talking with us today. So thanks very much. This has been fun. I hope you've enjoyed it as well. Thank you   **Michael Hingson ** 57:31 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Dennis Connors is a stay-at-home Dad, combat veteran, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke survivor, para-athlete, super Husband, and amateur chef who loves coffee and modern cuisine.

Fish and Grunny blast out about kids in the Para Olympics with Deb Carabet! Also NFL and Vegas strip clubs!

Coach Bill Courtney is the founder of Classic American Hardwoods and he is the subject in the Oscar Award winning documentary Undefeated. In 2003, Bill began volunteering at Memphis' inner city Manassas High School in an effort to turn its underperforming football team around. That same year, the team had 19 players with a dismal 4-95, 10-year record. In the 2008 & 2009 seasons, the team's record improved to 18-2, with 75 players. The story inspired the Hollywood film—Undefeated—which won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. In 2011, Bill was inducted into Bridge Builders for leadership in diversity, community, and justice. He was the 2012 recipient of the Liberty Bowl's Harry Zinn Spirit of 1776 award for distinguished citizenship, recipient of the Carnival Memphis' King's award for outstanding achievement in Business and Industry, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of fame Memphis chapter's award winner for The distinguished American for Contribution to Amateur Athletics. In 2013, he was inducted into the prestigious Society of Entrepreneurs as a result of his success in business and community service. Today, Bill still operates as the President and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods. He speaks at a variety of events from the Para Olympics in Colorado Springs, with Nike, PepsiCo, FedEx, and other nationally recognized companies, to churches, schools, and hospitals. His first book, Against the Grain, was published in May 2014. So make sure you check out his website, book and documentary in the links. Dad Up! Dad Up YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/DadUpPodcast Dad Up Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dad-up-podcast/id1486764562 Dad Up Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daduppodcast/ Dad Up LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Daduptribe Bill Courtney's Website: Coach Bill Courtney Official Website | Books and Undefeated Film Undefeated Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/70177633?s=i&trkid=0 Bill Courtney's Book: Against The Grain Book by Bill Courtney | Details and Buy Now Bill Courtney's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-army-of-normal-folks/id1689470062 Bill Courtney's Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamcoachbill --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daduppodcast/support

Regular listeners know I like to share my thoughts not only about wealth creation but also about success, and I have had the privilege of speaking with extraordinary guests who have achieved amazing things, and today is no exception. Today we'll talk about overcoming adversity, pursuing passion, and achieving personal success, and my guest today, Kevin Rempel embodies all of that and more. He's a man whose story is an embodiment of the phrase 'triumph over adversity'. We dive into his journey, the highs and lows, the victories and setbacks, and the lessons he's learned along the way to become a paralympic champion. Links and Resources: Michael Yardney Kevin Rempel -  The Hero Mindset Connect with Kevin Rempel on Linked In Get the team at Metropole to help build your personal Strategic Property Plan Click here and have a chat with us Get a bundle of eBooks and reports = www.PodcastBonus.com.au Shownotes plus more here: Turning Setbacks into Comebacks: A Conversation with Para Olympics Medallist Kevin Rempel

It's an all new That Real Blind Tech Show. We finally found Ed, he's in Italy. Ed pops on to tell us why in the world he is in Italy. Also joining us on this episode from Italy is Amanda Maxson, a member of the New York City Blind Baseball team.   We start things off with Amanda explaining to us how she got involved with blind baseball, and what the American team is doing in Italy. Amanda tells us about her love of the 1990's Yankees, and Brian couldn't agree more. Amanda then fills us in on what the plan is for the New York City Baseball team once they return from training in Italy.   We then locate Ed, he's been in Italy. Ed takes a seat in the interviewee chair to tell us about his Italian Baseball travels. He gives us an update on the progression getting Italian Baseball recognized as a Para-Olympic sport.   Ed tells us about the amazing Volunteers that have been helping out with the Blind Baseball team, and how traveling around Italy has been.   Ed tells us about the expansion of Italian Blind Baseball around the United States.   You can keep up with the All Blind Baseball USA Team on Facebook.   And it's a light version of Watcha Streaming, Watcha Reading.   To contact That Real Blind Tech Show, you can email us at ThatRealBlindTechShow@gmail.com, join our Facebook Group That Real Blind Tech Show, join us on the Twitter @BlindTechShow , or leave us an old school phone message at 929-367-1005, and make sure to visit our website where you can listen to any of our past episodes.         

Throughout our lifetime, people will enter and exit our lives. Each of these people will leave some form of impression upon us. At times these impressions can be either positive or negative, while others will simply become "Life Changing" ... This was my experience in meeting Andrew Kurka. Not only is is Andrew, presently one of the TOP para-skiers in the world, he is also a boat captain, and is soon to become an airplane pilot! This former elite level wrestler and ice hockey player, was born and raised in Anchorage Alaska. After experiencing a horrific ATV accident, at the age of 13, this incredible athlete was asked to participate within a group called Challenge Alaska. A program that teaches young athletes the fundamentals of numerous sports. Within two years of becoming a member of this program, Andrew Kurka was selected the Team USA's Para-Olympic team (debuting in 2010 as a part of Team USA that was set to compete in the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics). After sustaining a major injury just days before the 2014 Olympics, Andrew sustained major injuries during a training run, just before the event. This achievement, in 2014, has now turned into Andrew's vocation. In 2018, Andrew was selected again to represent the United States in the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics. But once again, Andrew would sustain several major injuries just before one of his olympic events. Somehow he would muster together the focus and strength to over come his injuries and sense of fear. Andrew would describe the ability to overcome this scenario as one of the many important life experiences he attained from his child-hood upbringing where he worked on his family's farm - daily. Andrew explained his ability to overcome the physical pain he carried just before the olympic events like this ..."It was easy ... there was simply NO WAY I was not racing. If I combined all of the injuries and pains I endured for years before the games ... they were so much more than the pains I am facing today!". Andrew Kurka's perspective on life and the many challenges we are faced with throughout our life time as "Never Lose" scenarios. Andrew explains this perspective in that he places ultimate focus upon "his" efforts and doing "his best". This was developed at a young age through the help of his wrestling coach. A person who put inside of Andrew's head/mindset ... you must always be prepared to face someone who is going to be better than you. But no matter if you are a part of team dynamic or an individual competition, your ability to focus on being your individual best will "always" put you in a place of control for both yourself as well as for your teammates. This thinking is what Andrew refers to as the development of the mental mindset and skillset to "dominate". During this aspect of mindset and competitive nature, Andrew discusses the importance of developing the "Dominate" mindset. The conversation builds upon how the perspective of dominating one's competition is not just a way of thinking ..."It's a Skill". It is this mindset combined with a perspective of I "Never Lose" (because any time I lose, I actually learn something about my opponent as well as myself ... Losing = Learning), which is supported by the physical dexterity to never give up ... makes Andrew Kurka the STRONGEST person I have ever met, and arguably the TOUGHEST competitive athlete on the planet! You can follow Andrew Kurka on the following platforms" https://instagram.com/andrewkurka?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.facebook.com/USAdaptive?mibextid=LQQJ4d https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-kurka-6556471a https://twitter.com/andrew_kurka?s=21&t=RAwR0pH0kXfJF7zQG93gAgSee More from Jason Galeahttps://andrewkurka.wordpress.com/page/2/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/headset-sports/support

The world looks up to Jamaica's Para-Olympic participants for their tenacity and zeal as they overcome challenges to represent Jamaica at the highest level on the world stage. Under the direction of its President Christopher Samuda, the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) has started the "I'm Phenomenal" campaign to celebrate the athletes; educate the public; and hunt resources for these athletes who are “a critical part of the sporting asset of this country”. Additionally, the campaign aims to provide a crucial anchor for ongoing advocacy for the rights of “able persons, but with a difference”. Mr. Samuda notes that a para-federation has been established in each parish and declared: “We are committed to deepening and growing the pool of para-athletes in Jamaica so that they can get an opportunity to transition to the international stage.” He speaks with Impacting Jamaica host Keisha Hill about the various activities that will be planned to recognise and support the abilities and accomplishments of Jamaica's para-athletes in the rich national sporting tradition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathryn Johnson says that she is “an expert at turning obstacles into joy”. I believe it especially after interviewing her for this episode of Unstoppable Mindset. Born with the disability cerebral palsy, Kathryn constantly faced challenges growing up as a person with a disability. Like most of us, her biggest challenges were the people who thought they knew much more about what she needed than she did herself. She will tell you stories about this and how she worked to make her life an example of how to turn “no you can't” to “yes I can”. Kathryn represented Canada in what we now know as the Para Olympics where she won in Germany two bronze metals. She has three college degrees. She worked as an accountant for more than 15 years before deciding to write her first book and begin her own coaching business. Kathryn is by any definition unstoppable as you will see. She points out that being unstoppable is really a matter of choice; a choice we all can make. About the Guest: As an expert in turning obstacles into joy, Kathryn can help you find the gift in any situation. Born with the disability cerebral palsy, Kathryn overcomes a lifetime of “no you can't” to “yes, I can”. With 3 degrees, 2 world championship bronze metals, a best-selling book, multiple awards, and certifications; her life's journey has prepared her to help YOU navigate and succeed on your life's road. Kathryn's integrated open-door coaching programs utilize both analytical left-brain thinking (she spent over 20 years as a certified accountant) and intuitive right-brain thinking (she is a certified life coach and spiritual intuitive) to gather deep insight into your life. This whole brain combination of left and right brain thinking comes together in one-of-a-kind open-door coaching programs that range from 8 weeks to one year. Book a FREE online discovery session to talk with her about how she can help YOU turn your everyday obstacles into greatest joys! How to Connect with Kathryn : Website: www.inspiredbykathryn.com Email: kathryn@inspiredbykathryn.com Inspired by Kathryn (@inspiredbykathrynjohnson) • Instagram photos and videos Facebook (20+) Inspired By Kathryn | Vancouver BC | Facebook LinkedIn: (99+) Kathryn Johnson | LinkedIn Link to Free Gift for your audience Link to my special gift for your audience: Joy of Obstacles Workbook Contains questions to help you overcome your obstacles as well as additional quotes not in the book. https://inspiredbykathryn.com/shop/#33-principles-living-joyfully Coupon Code: JOY About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:21 Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to talk to Kathryn Johnson. And she will tell you that one of the things that she gets to do is turning obstacles into joy. And you know, you can't get any better than that. So I'm not going to give her any more of an introduction than that. Except I expect this to be a good fun interview. And that's what we want to do here at unstoppable mindset is have fun anyway. So with that in mind, Kathryn, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kathryn Johnson  01:54 Oh, thank you so much for having me, Michael, I'm so happy to be with you today. Looking forward to chatting with your listeners.   Michael Hingson  02:02 Well, I appreciate that. And yeah, they're, they're as much a part of this as anything. So I appreciate all the background that you gave me to help me prepare, and at the same time, you taking the time to do this. So let's start this way. I love to start this way. Tell me a little about you growing up and sort of your, your earlier years before we get into everything that's going on today.   Kathryn Johnson  02:27 Well, my earlier years actually set the stage for where I am today, I had the interesting experience of being born with something called cerebral palsy. And that is a neuromuscular disorder disability that causes difficulty in my case with walking and coordination. And so I actually view that as my greatest gift. Because it's shaped by perspective of everything I do shape my perspective of the world. I realized it simply being alive is a privilege because sometimes people you know, they don't make it as much as to live as many years as I have. And being able to move freedom to move is also a privilege. And there's a lot of people that aren't as able as I am. So I see very much as a privilege rather than what I've lost.   Michael Hingson  03:25 So, you you grew up with cerebral palsy, do you walk at all? Or do you watch here or what?   Kathryn Johnson  03:33 No, I walk with two walking canes. And when I am at home, I don't use my canes at all I just I basically use my canes for being outside of my home.   Michael Hingson  03:45 That stability, better balance.   Kathryn Johnson  03:49 Yes. You know, there aren't there things like walls and stuff like that they don't hang on to side so. So I need some support. But otherwise, I'm self sufficient on home and I just find it easier because I have full of use of my hands that way so   Michael Hingson  04:07 well, you know, that's as good as it gets. So do you have any children? No, I know. If you did, so you got your hands you can beat him up and all that sort of stuff. And you know, whatever it takes I don't and I mean that facetiously of course but still. That is great. So you grew up with cerebral palsy?   Kathryn Johnson  04:26 Yes, I did. And so how   Michael Hingson  04:31 did that affect you in school? What was it like going to school and being it definitely in a minority from that standpoint? Oh,   Kathryn Johnson  04:41 for sure I'm gonna date myself a little bit. I started school right at the end of the end of I think what they called segregation or the beginning of mainstreaming, which means they used to, they used to send people like me A quote unquote, too special school with people with disabilities. What your what year was that? What year was that? I started kindergarten not 1978. Okay. So yeah, by the time I was in first grade, that was 1980. And it was just they were just starting to realize that maybe we can put these kids with, with the normal kids.   Michael Hingson  05:26 Yeah, the whole concept of normal. So. So you were, you were mainstreamed as it were? Yes. And how did that all work out for you?   Kathryn Johnson  05:36 Oh, you know, I feel as an adult now, looking back, I feel bad for my teachers. They had no idea what to do. And, you know, the truth is, they didn't need to do anything. They just needed to treat me like anybody else. Because fortunately, cognitively. I'm just as smart as my peers, if not towards the top end of my class. But they just thought, what are we going to do? Like, it was always a question of what are we going to do with Katherine because she's different. And I, I've spent my whole life I think, with this message of whoever I talked to that, you know, you really don't need to do much differently. If I, if I would like help, I will ask you directly. Because I know my limitations. So if you, if I don't ask, don't worry about it. I've got this handled. I've dealt with this my whole life. I've find that people see me, I walk into your room, and the first thing they think is, how can we help. And it comes from a place of having good heart, but also a lack of awareness, that somehow, maybe like, things are hard. And I don't I don't think that things are hard. And things are just different. Because like I said, I'm used to this dealing with this every day all day 24/7 I don't get a day off. So I got it handled. The best thing to do for me personally, is if you want help me ask me how I need help. Because often, people tend to just kind of take over and think they know what I need. And then and then we end up kind of literally tripping over each other. And it becomes this awkward mess of how to help Katharine and I just, I just want to be with people, you know, just be with me just get to know me and be with me and learn all the interesting things there is to get get to know me, because there's really a lot of things that I've accomplished   Michael Hingson  08:01 as school progress did. Did life in a sense, get any easier? Did did teachers improve it all the more they got to see you and see that? Gee, maybe it isn't really as bad as we thought.   Kathryn Johnson  08:17 Absolutely. And I think I think there's two reasons for that. I think one society changed over time, thank goodness. And I think also, you know, I matured, so I was able to communicate better, and people got to know me over time. So they just learned they learned my observation that you know, all this worrying we've been doing about Katherine really is not an issue. I remember in the 10th grade in high school that that this isn't the 90s, early 90s The teachers had this great idea that I needed a escort from from, you know, grade 12 to help me get from the front door to where the bus Mia at the end of the parking lot. Because what if I fail? What if I fell on the ice in the wintertime? And I thought for goodness sake. I'm 15 years old. Are you serious? But you know it just my request to be left to my own independence fell on deaf ears. Until one day, my buddy my bus Buddy was walking along with me on the ice. And she slept and I didn't. And that was the end of that. And they left me to my own devices after that.   Michael Hingson  09:50 So where were you going to school by the way geographically.   Kathryn Johnson  09:53 I went to school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is north of North Dakota. So I see pictures are are a definite thing. We've got snow from November to February at least Yeah.   Michael Hingson  10:06 Yeah. Do you live there now or where do you live now?   Kathryn Johnson  10:09 No. Now I'm very fortunate to live in beautiful British Columbia on the on the West Coast. Less snow. Almost no snow. However, we do have snow today. It's snowing today.   Michael Hingson  10:23 Yeah, we might live south of you in Victorville California. I don't think we'll get snow. We live in a valley. So the snow usually goes over us but places around us get snow. We won't. But we'll be getting rain later this week. So that's fine.   Kathryn Johnson  10:37 Oh, good for you. California. Rain.   Michael Hingson  10:40 We live up in the mountains. And it is true. You can go from the beach to skiing in a couple of hours. And we're closer to the skiing than the beach. But still. It's nice. And we enjoy Well, that's great that you're living in British Columbia? Yes. Much better than a little bit more climate friendly place to be?   Kathryn Johnson  10:59 Yes, it is. I moved for a lot of reasons I like that the city is that things are closer together than in the West, the western provinces of Canada, and it's just easier to get where I need to go. So that's why I moved.   Michael Hingson  11:16 So you went to high school? And eventually they they left you alone a little bit more and left you to your own devices? Yeah. Did you ever slip in the snow or on the ice?   Kathryn Johnson  11:27 Oh, sir. But I got up. I mean, you know, people keep that. So people say what if you fall? What if you fall? And I say well get up? To me, it's such an obvious answer. Because what am I gonna do sit, like, sit there and cry about it? You know? No, I'm gonna get out because I know how to fall so that I don't I don't hurt myself. You know, I don't do it dangerously. And I just I know, I also know how to get up because they don't let you therapists don't let you leave. Don't live. Don't let you go home with a pair of crutches unless you know how to get up from them. When he got home, so So you are you are well prepared when you leave with your walking aids to use them in all aspects?   Michael Hingson  12:29 Well, you just said something very interesting to you know how to fall. Yeah, of course, a lot of people don't really learn how to do. And so they are more apt to hurt themselves than somebody who truly knows how to fall when something happens.   Kathryn Johnson  12:46 That's true. My experience is, you know, if I, when I start to fight gravity, that's when I hurt myself, when I just go with it. I'm not really falling, my knees are touching the ground, but I'm not really falling. Right. And it's, you know, I've heard I've gotten hurt more often because people try to catch me then then if I just let gravity do its thing. It's, it's so it's very interesting.   Michael Hingson  13:18 And that's an interesting way to put it that you get hurt more when people try to help. Because they don't know how to help. And we're not doing enough to educate people, we just assume that disability means lack of ability. And that's not what disability means at all. It's a characteristic and we need to somehow educate the public that the reality is you should learn what to do. And the best way to learn is to ask us,   Kathryn Johnson  13:46 yes. And everybody's different. So you know, I know what works for me and I, I always talk about my experience. And then I say, you know, in general, ask the person because I don't know what it's like for everybody on crutches. I just know what it's like for me on crutches.   Michael Hingson  14:08 Yep. Well, so you left high school after graduating and all that and then what did you do?   Kathryn Johnson  14:14 Well, then I decided to enroll in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba. i The plan was to get a Bachelor of Social Work. But you needed a year of a year of university. So I decided to study psychology. And then I didn't get into the Faculty of Social Work. So I decided to study another year of psychology. I even applied out of province. And you know, year three, I I tried two years to get in to the Faculty of Social Work, and that that didn't happen. So in year three, I finished my mice my arts degree with a major You're in psychology and a minor in sociology. And that was, that was interesting, but it was like, Okay, now what? Because an arts degree doesn't qualify you to do a lot of things in the world of work. So I took a year off. And it was kind of like Now watch, and I was training competitively for track and field at that time. At that point in my life I was, was racing competitively, in wheelchair racing. I raced anything from 100 meters to 800 meters. And I've also done some some half marathons and thing, some road races. So I took a year off, and I went actually to Vancouver to train with the national team for a few months in night, and then that summer, I went to Germany to represent Team Canada.   Michael Hingson  16:00 Now was that in Paralympics or regular non para Olympics,   Kathryn Johnson  16:04 that was what you would consider para Olympics. Okay, adaptive sports.   Michael Hingson  16:10 But still, the bottom line is you did it and you ran?   Kathryn Johnson  16:15 That's right. Well, in a wheelchair, yes. In a racing wheelchair. Okay. Yes. All right.   Michael Hingson  16:22 So you say you went and competed and,   Kathryn Johnson  16:26 and I ended up with two bronze medals in the 102 100 meters. For Team Canada, yay, lay. And then I realized something very interesting. Why am I doing this? Because at that time, I had I started racing when I was 12, or 13. At this time, I was now 20. And I, I, you know, it's it literally you're going in circles, racing around the track going in circles. And it was a lot of work. And I just thought, you know, I just, I've got all these metals. And I'm never going to be satisfied because I'm always going to be able to get faster. So I left the sport after I competed in Germany, because I felt like life was calling me to different things. And and after that, what did I do? Well, I went into, I went into business school, community college, one of the best things I ever did. I took business, majored in accounting. And my teacher said, Gosh, Katherine, you're so good at accounting, you should really finish finish your accounting, get a professional accounting designation. And I thought, My goodness, more school like this is down five years of post secondary education, more school. And so yes, I did finish and I ended up with a professional accounting designation. And then,   Michael Hingson  18:15 so what degrees did you have by this time,   Kathryn Johnson  18:17 by this time, I had a Bachelor of Arts major in psychology, a Business Administration diploma, and a CPA, which is a Chartered Professional Accountant in with a Canadian designation.   Michael Hingson  18:34 Now your first degree, the Bachelors of Arts degree, you said you got in three years, is that normal?   Kathryn Johnson  18:40 That is normal. That was the last year they offered a three year program. It's now four,   Michael Hingson  18:44 it's now four. Okay? Alright, so you now have three degrees, you have become a person very knowledgeable in accounting. And what did you do with that?   Kathryn Johnson  18:56 Well, I finally started working   Michael Hingson  19:01 to start at some point, anyway,   Kathryn Johnson  19:03 yeah, well, I had summer jobs and different things along the way. But you know, I finally started in though in the world of work, full time work and accounting, accounting, being an accounting clerk and working my way up and, you know, along the way, I work for a lot of small businesses and I tend to be very efficient at what I do. Because you know, having a disability your eye, have private I pride myself on being efficient because there are certain things I do they take longer. So I need to be more efficient at what I do right to be equal to others. And so what this did is gave me a very unique skill in that I was a lot I would it allowed me to see ways I could make companies more efficient, which was wonderful. I tended to save them. 10s of 1000s if not hundreds of 1000s of dollars a year, streamlining their processes, and making everything more efficient and making the company more profitable, and the employees happier. And in the process, I got to experience six layoffs in 20 years. Oh, boy, just because, wow, you took the job from a job and a half when you you know, you're you're doing your job, and you're working overtime over much so much because you're buried in inefficiency and pile of paper to, oh, we only need you halftime and I was like, Well, I don't want to work half time, I want to work full time. So like, I laughed, and I moved on, and I found something else. And then happened six times in a row.   Michael Hingson  20:55 So there's a there's a message there somewhere, there is a message   Kathryn Johnson  20:58 there somewhere. The sticks, layoff and the final layoff was in 2017. I chose I chose a layoff package in 2017. For several reasons, the company was going through a restructure. And I was feeling like my work at my company. As good as it was, I wasn't making the impact in the world I wanted to make. And I just thought you know, I I need to do something else. So I took a layoff package. And I went to California for six months. Right? It sounds cliche, but I honestly that's what I did. I went to California for six months to unwind, took the train from from Vancouver, all the way down to the Bay Area had a lot of fun with some friends I have there and took a bunch of personal growth retreats, I'd been studying personal growth since 2009. And my very last retreat that I was at in October of 2017 was a small meditation group of 10 people. And they all said one thing, they said, Catherine, you're brilliant, you gotta write a book. And I thought, me write a book. I'm an accountant. I don't know how to write a book. And, you know, but everybody said it. And they really meant it. I could tell and, and so I went home, and I thought about it for a while. And because I thought what am I going to do with my life, you know? And I thought, okay, if I write this book, it will change my life. I just know that I know that in my heart. And I thought, well, do I really want it? And the answer was absolutely yes. Because at the end of my life, I absolutely did not want. Somebody has shown me. Look what you could have had, if you chose to be uncomfortable for a little while. Look at the impact. But you said no, no, no, I'll stay in my comfort zone. That's okay, I'll stay in my numbers and my comfort zone and my steady paycheck. i The thought of that just made me sick. So I thought, Okay, I'm gonna write this book. And in January 8 2018, I started to write a book called The Joy of obstacles. What am I going to write about? And I thought, well write what you know, which is my life. And so my book is, is a self help memoir that takes readers from birth to present day, and different milestones in my life, different experiences, each chapter has questions where the reader can look at their own life and take the principles from the book and apply them to their own life to help them move through obstacles. Essentially, my message is this. We all have obstacles, as a vehicle for learning and growth. And there's always good in the obstacle, even though, just keep looking for that good because there's something there's something there, that's good, you're growing, you're learning, you're connecting with other people, most importantly, you're connecting with other people, if we had all the answers, we wouldn't need other people as much. We wouldn't need creativity, we wouldn't need all these things. And the world would stagnate. So really, obstacles exist to help us learn, learn and grow and connect and be a better version of ourselves through being a better version of ourselves. Everybody wins. So it's our job to him. embrace those obstacles that were given and connect and look for the good and help each other grow when we reach out to, to overcome our obstacles. We grow because we've overcome what we're struggling with, but also the person helping us grows. Now, I want to just tie that back to something I said earlier about people trying to help me and it made it a little different, a little difficult. So in that case, I would say the lesson is, for me to be communicate in a way that I don't necessarily communicate in a way so that my needs are heard. And the lesson for the other person is to understand me on a different level, and broaden their perspective about who I am. And what I'm able to do and look at me in a different way.   Michael Hingson  26:02 The other side of talking about the fact that we all face obstacles, is that we also all have gifts. And we need to recognize how to use our gifts, and we need to learn to use our gifts. And those of course, gifts that we have, can help us deal with the obstacles that are put in our path, because the obstacles that are put in our path are there because of whatever and whoever we are, right? That's right. And so it's all about learning to use the gifts that you're given. What do you think your greatest gift is gift is?   Kathryn Johnson  26:40 Well, I think, I think honestly, being born with cerebral palsy was my greatest gift. And it is my greatest gift because it it shapes that shapes by perspective of everything because I don't get a day off. As I said, I don't get a day off from this. I don't have good days and bad days. It just is. i It's impossible for me to live life without it. And I realized, like, I've learned all these skills, I've learned to be resilient. I've learned to be an excellent listener. Because when you maybe don't move like other people, you need to rely on your other senses. And for me, it's listening and speaking, as opposed to maybe running away from a difficult situation, right? Also, I've learned to be a very good problem solver, in terms of how am I going to get from A to B? How am I going to navigate this situation life? I understand. You know, I'm very resourceful. I'm very efficient. I know how to I'm organized. My time is very well organized. I'd look at people who can drive and have two legs that work like most people. And I think about how they they run their day. And I think my goodness, how do you get anything done? You're going you're going back and forth and up and up and back and inside out and like I would have that done in half the time   28:23 you drive at all?   Kathryn Johnson  28:24 Actually I do not I rely on public transit and I'm I'm okay with that. That's one of the reasons I moved to Vancouver because their transit system is   Michael Hingson  28:33 yeah, the transit system up there is really good. Didn't know whether you by any chance drove and used hand controls?   Kathryn Johnson  28:41 No, I do not. I choose not to I find it easier just to take the bus. I'm fine with that.   Michael Hingson  28:48 Well, in my opinion, it will be high time when autonomous vehicles really are perfected and we can take driving out of the hands of drivers because they certainly don't do it very well.   Kathryn Johnson  28:58 Well, that's what I've heard you know, it'll be interesting. It'll be interesting when we have those autonomous driving cars I wonder what that will be like you never know.   Michael Hingson  29:09 I I've been in many cars and I listened to the people who are driving grumble about this person cut me off or this person wasn't watching. This person is doing whatever. So I figure that there's there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to drive and I think that the Department of Motor Vehicles is very prejudiced not allowing a blind person to drive because I think we can probably drive just as well as anybody else. The way I keep hearing people drives. I don't see a problem.   Kathryn Johnson  29:38 We'll see what happens with that one. Michael? Hi. No,   Michael Hingson  29:40 no, the the time will come when we really get to. And I'm serious. Take the hands take the driving out of the hands of drivers because too many people take it way too much for granted. They're not really looking at it seriously. And as you said they they're often very disorganized and frazzled, and in what they do,   Kathryn Johnson  30:03 hmm, yeah, I, I'm fine with taking transit or taking a taxi. It's either way it works saves me a   Michael Hingson  30:12 lot of money. It does, it does in the long run, it'll save you a lot of money. We don't have really good public transit here. But I've been on the transit systems up in Vancouver, so I know how good they are and how well you can get around up there. We're using them. I lived in Boston for a while. And then Massachusetts. Boston has good public transit too, which really worked out well, for me.   Kathryn Johnson  30:40 That's good. You know, what I've noticed lately, Michael, in Vancouver is they're, they're starting to put Braille on the bus, the sign for the bus, and they put it at sort of arm height so that you can know what bus is gonna stop at the stop.   Michael Hingson  30:58 So does it change as buses are coming?   Kathryn Johnson  31:01 But it's Braille. So?   Michael Hingson  31:05 Well, what I'm getting at is that oftentimes, the signs that are available, show you what bus is coming, what the next one is, or whatever, they don't do that in Braille. They could, but that's a pretty expensive process.   Kathryn Johnson  31:18 Yeah, they don't they don't. We also have digital signs. That's what I'm getting at some, some stops have digital signs, the sky train has digital signs. The newer line has voice, as well. So it tells you what stopped it. You're at and which train is coming and all of that. Yeah. Right.   Michael Hingson  31:47 Well, so for you, having been born with cerebral palsy, and, and I can appreciate you saying that that's really your greatest gift. And we could talk about disabilities and how they are our greatest gifts. And there's a lot of merit to that, for the reasons that you said, What is your disability taught you specifically,   Kathryn Johnson  32:09 never give up. Or at least, never give up. If you want to do something. Like if you really want to do something, never give up because there's a way you know, and there comes a time in life. And I talk about this in my book, there comes a time in life when maybe it's time to move on. And that's a separate issue with a separate decision making process. But if you have some, if if somebody has the passion and the desire to do something, do not give up because you have the passion, it's yours to have. And there's a way, there's a way you'll figure it out, you'll be connected with the people to help you. You'll find the resources, you know, often people in life, they say, Well, I'd love to have this in my life. But here I am at point A and I can only see these certain things in this box. And why when I coach people to do is what would you absolutely love. Start there. And then take a step. Because as you take a step from 100%, of what you want this vision of 100% of what you want, your perspective will change just like you're walking down the street, when as you walk, you see different houses or you are aware of different things in your environment. But if you don't move, you don't see different options. So start with 100% of what you would love in your life. And take one step at a time. And eventually, you will find your way. There's a   Michael Hingson  33:55 big difference between being stubborn and being passionate, just being separate. I'm going to do this regardless, which may or may not be something that you will be able to do. And it doesn't necessarily reflect the passion of being able to do it, you're just going to do it because but if you're truly passionate, there's a whole lot more of yourself that goes into it. And as you said, you start by really envisioning what you want, and you will figure out how to get there because it's what you really want to do as opposed to just being stupid about doing.   Kathryn Johnson  34:29 That's right. And I've been both we all have. I've definitely had my stubborn moments in life which have served me you know, they've served me at the time, I think in a way they've served me how so? Um, it just yeah, it's just this idea of like, I'm not gonna let what someone else thinks, stop me, just because someone else is older, bigger, stronger. are indifferent and tells me they know. Because they don't know. If there's something in my beingness that is guiding me to do something, I'm going to do it. And nobody can tell me otherwise, even if it seems crazy to them, that I can get something done. I know I can. And that's all that matters. So what it's taught me is don't worry so much about what other people think.   Michael Hingson  35:33 When he asked you this, you said something earlier about having experienced six layoffs. Do you think that your last layoff for example, you said the company was restructuring and so on? Did any of that come about because of the things that you did to make them more efficient, and they had to change the way they were doing things?   Kathryn Johnson  35:53 That sounds like such a, like, another lifetime ago? I? Um, yeah. I mean, I think so.   Michael Hingson  36:04 It didn't hurt.   Kathryn Johnson  36:05 Yeah, it certainly didn't hurt. That's good way of putting it. I know that the majority of the other layoffs were because of efficiency because of efficiencies that I created.   Michael Hingson  36:17 Well, so you, you've been through a number of changes. Yeah. Then you didn't start decided to start writing a book? Did you publish it yourself? Or do you find a publisher to help you? Or how did that all work out?   Kathryn Johnson  36:30 It's it's self published on Amazon. Okay, it's available in ebook print and audible. It was very important to me to have an audio book because I know not everybody can use their hands. And in this case, not even be able to, you know, read text. So I wanted to have I wanted to have an audio book for people who learn differently by verbal information. Did you make Did you read it? No, no, I hired. I hired a voice, a voice when you call them?   Michael Hingson  37:11 I heard a reader   Kathryn Johnson  37:13 a voice. She's a voice actress. Beautiful job. Very, very happy with what she did. Yeah. Because again, it's not my strength. A lot of people told said all it's a self help book, you should record it would be better if it's your voice, you know. And I thought, you know, it's not that it's not as easy as people think, to record a book. Like, really, I respect that there is finesse involved. And that is not something that I have, at least not in in terms of writing of reading an entire book. And I'm so glad that I that I hired it out. Because I know people who started publishing their print book at the same time I did their print book is long published, their audio book is yet to be yet to be published. So it's still you know, in the studio. And that's too bad. Yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson  38:25 And everyone has gifts, as I said before, and yours may very well not be in the reading of the book. I think that it is, it is very possible for most all of us to learn to tell stories and to communicate with people. But reading a book is a whole different art form. And so that that may very well not be what you should do. And that's something that only you can decide, and nobody should second guess that so I'm with you. Yeah, yeah. i When my first book thunder dog was published, people said, Are you going to record it? And I said, No, because I think there are people who could do a much better job than I and the publisher of Senator Doug Thomas Nelson publishing contracted with Oasis audio when Christopher Prince an actor out here in Los Angeles, actually read the book and did a wonderful job with it.   Kathryn Johnson  39:22 Yeah, it was, it was certainly a great investment, I think.   Michael Hingson  39:27 Yeah, but it's good that it was at least put in to into an audio format. It's on Audible and all that. So I hear exactly what you're saying. However,   Kathryn Johnson  39:38 she loved my book. You know what she said? She said, your book came to me just at the perfect time, Catherine. So it helped her.   Michael Hingson  39:47 Isn't that the way of it? A lot of times that happens? Yeah. Are you a religious person?   Kathryn Johnson  39:54 No, I'm not a religious person. I am a spiritual person though. So I don't necessarily believe in any strict dogma. But I do believe in things like divine timing. And I would say a divine intelligence. Okay.   Michael Hingson  40:15 And that is, that is as good as it gets them. And I agree with you, we all get guidance. And there is that inner voice that talks to all of us if we would but learn to listen to it.   Kathryn Johnson  40:27 That's right.   Michael Hingson  40:30 Well, you talked a lot about obstacles and dealing with obstacles. What do you think the most important important thing is? In facing obstacles, what's kind of the, the most important key to facing an obstacle that you can tell us about?   Kathryn Johnson  40:49 We always have a choice of how we respond. So remember, things don't happen to you. That's I think that's a that's a key for people to remember is, is life doesn't happen to you. Things happen. Events are neutral, we may not like them, believe me, I've had my share of doozies. But things are neutral. And they're there for our good for our growth, how we how we choose to view them is up to us. You know, they've done studies with twins that grow up in in not so pleasant environments. One of them ends up being incredibly successful. And they said, Well, why? And they said, well, because of the tough environment I grew up in, I want it to be the exact opposite. And they went off that they got to be incredibly successful, whatever that meant for them, the other twin, and basically repeating the cycle, whatever that cycle was. And so it's all a matter of perception, and like, what am I going to do with what I'm faced with? It's not the thing, it's how we respond to that thing. And that's 100% within our control. If you need help, you know, there's coaches out there, I coach people on how to overcome their obstacles. So I'm here for you, if you're looking for some support.   Michael Hingson  42:25 Well, let's talk about that a little bit. So you wrote a book. And when you were writing the book, is that all you did, or you got laid off? And you had to, I would assume figure out a way to get some sort of income. What did you do?   Kathryn Johnson  42:39 What did I do? Well, I've been, I have been building my business ever since and relying on on my resources that I've accumulated up to that point.   Michael Hingson  42:54 So tell us about that. So you decided to start your own business and exactly what is the business   Kathryn Johnson  43:00 the business is, I'm a, I'm a coach, speaker, author. So I have my book, joy of obstacles, I have a workbook that goes with it. I also have a second book called 21 simple solutions to take you from surviving to thriving, which is just as it says 21, quick one page tips, then it's a journal that you can apply those tips to your life and steps to implement them on a weekly basis. I do speaking all over virtual speaking mostly at this time. I'm based in Vancouver, and I'm also a coach. So I coach a system that was taught to me by Mary Morrissey. And like I said, I help people build a vision and then give them support for for creating a life that is in their heart, and then they would absolutely love. I'm also intuitive, so I do things like intuitive card readings or tarot readings. I do mediumship readings. And I do a process called ancestral clearing, which is great to help people overcome obstacles because what that does is it's all about what you feel in your body. I don't need to know your history. A lot of people say I don't want to talk about is too difficult. I don't need to know. All I need to know is my shoulder hurts. Or My knee hurts or oh, I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach or whatever. I can work with that. So you know if you've got some pattern that you'd like to resolve, you can book an appointment with me all my appointments are virtual. So it doesn't matter where you are in the World I can help you.   Michael Hingson  45:02 You can do readings virtually.   Kathryn Johnson  45:04 Yes, I can. Yeah, I can.   Michael Hingson  45:07 How did you get to be a coach?   Kathryn Johnson  45:10 I decided, yeah, I've got I've got 15 years, I've been studying personal growth since since 2009. So, so what happened is I, I finished accounting school in 2002. And then, you know, almost immediately I started to study esoteric, spiritual things consciousness, why are we here, all of those big questions. And then when I moved to Vancouver, you know, personal growth is big out here as it is in California as well. And I just got really involved with, with this whole movement of being the best person you can be. And I thought, that's what it's all about. That's what it's all about. It's not about it's not about for me, it's not about you know, going to school getting a job saving your money, so you can retire and golf. I mean, that's just, that's, that's great, if that's what you want. But for me, that wasn't the point, there was a bigger picture. And, and I saw, I just kept studying, and the more I studied, the more I loved it. So now after 15 years, I decided to coach,   Michael Hingson  46:32 you have to get a license or certification to be a coach,   Kathryn Johnson  46:36 I am certified, I did take a correspondence course. However, coaching at this point is a profession that you do not need a certification. That's not it's not a nationally standard, standardized profession.   Michael Hingson  46:54 But there is still a process behind it.   Kathryn Johnson  46:56 There is a process behind it. Yeah, they vary depending on which which school you you take your training through, I took mine through correspondence. So   Michael Hingson  47:09 you know, it's, it's interesting, what comes to mind, as you're talking about all the various aspects of things here is that we spend so much time focusing on a lot of stuff. And the real focusing of ourselves on a lot of stuff is all about, we think we have to control it, or we want to control it, then we never really learn to recognize what we really have control over and what we don't have control over, which gets back to your whole issue about choice, right? And that, in reality, we should learn to focus on what we can control and leave the rest alone. And we also seem to have a hard time doing that, don't we?   Kathryn Johnson  47:54 Yeah, we do. Um, myself included. And I think that that comes from fear, which is false evidence appearing real. It's the stories we make up in our head, you know, they get the best of us, sometimes myself included. And so you know, get information, obviously, the more information you have, the more likely those little fear Gremlins will calm down. But also, you know, trust your heart, trust your heart, I believe your heart is like your compass. That's your guiding light of what's what is right for you, or what's your path? Or, you know, what's your next move? And often it doesn't, it doesn't always make sense, you know, why would somebody with a successful accounting career after 20 years, you give it a lot? Why would somebody do that? And basically, because it felt like the right thing to do. And there's something calling me that says, I want to make a bigger impact in the world. And I think that this is a better way for me to do it. versus sitting and dealing with, you know, accounting numbers all day. I want to be talking to people and helping people directly.   Michael Hingson  49:25 Tell me your acronym again, for fear,   Kathryn Johnson  49:28 false evidence appearing real.   Michael Hingson  49:31 There you go. And it is something that we all deal with a lot. And we, again, it gets back to want to control and you're right, a lot of it is based on fear. We're actually writing a new book that is a little way away from being publishing published. We have a publisher for it. And our working title is a guide dogs Guide to Being brave because I've worked with a guide dogs over the years. But we were writing it to talk about fear, and to try to help people overcome what I call being blinded by fear. Because things happen to us, we don't expect them to happen. We've been conditioned to be afraid of those things that happen to us that are unexpected. And I suppose you could say there's some natural reaction that causes some of that. But at the same time, we can learn to let real fear be a positive influence and force in our lives rather than letting it overwhelm us. And so we're writing a book about that. And it'll be a lot of fun when we're done with it, we've got our first draft done, and hopefully it will be going to the publisher soon. And that will be fun. But fear is oftentimes false evidence appearing real. I think it was Mark Twain who said, I've had lots of fears, and most of them don't ever come true.   Kathryn Johnson  50:59 That's right, we worry. Again, myself included worry about things. And 95% of them are never going to happen. Focus on what you want, not what you're afraid to just take one step at a time. One step, just a small step makes a huge difference.   Michael Hingson  51:21 Well, for you, having come to the place where you are in the world, what do you feel your purpose or your mission is in life today.   Kathryn Johnson  51:30 My mission is to move the world together, through embracing obstacles and helping people find their joy, we're stronger together than we are separately. And as I've said, throughout this interview, obstacles are here for us to learn and grow not just the person with the obstacle, but the person helping the person with the obstacle. And all of us, you know, are meant to live our best life that I think is our sort of our personal mission. As humans on this collective Earth, Deepak Chopra describes it as we all have, we're all pieces in a puzzle. And if we're not living our best life, we're in the wrong place in the puzzle, and the other pieces don't fit together. So we all have the possible, we all have the responsibility to live our best life and be be the best version of ourselves be in the right place in our puzzle. Other people around us will then move into their right place, and the world will be so much better for everybody. And it's all about, you know, trusting our hearts, people are so caught up. And I think this is collectively we're caught up in doing what is our normal, you know, we sort of were born into circumstances, and we just go from one thing to another because we do and more comfortable and we don't know what else to do. So I'll just keep doing what I always do. But is it really? Is it? Does it really feel right? Are we really happy? Or are we just comfortable? And I think, you know, especially now with all the changes in the world, people are really starting to wake up and say, you know, there's something, there's something out there for me that is just more impactful than what I'm doing. This is great. I've learned a lot from this aspect of my life. But it doesn't, it doesn't feed me. It doesn't feed me. It I you know, there's something different that's calling me, I don't know what it is. But boy, just there's something else where my time is better spent. And people are starting to search. And so those that's those are the people that I want to draw into my community, and we can help each other overcome our obstacles and be the better version, the best version of ourselves.   Michael Hingson  54:09 Yeah, we, we oftentimes do find that we just want to stay in our comfort zone. And that is great. That's okay. It's nice to be comfortable. But if we don't learn to grow, we never will grow. And it is something that all too often people just don't want to do. I'm always fascinated when I hear that one of the top five fears that people have is public speaking. It's been considered the number one fear a lot of the time. Yeah. And I kind of think why? Because people are afraid or they're going to be criticized or they're going to be laughed at or they put all sorts of obstacles in their way. But that's the key, right? They're putting the obstacles in their way. They're not even real ops. Stickles. But the reality is that we talk to people all the time we all communicate, we don't have a problem doing that. And so why should it be any different if you're actually going to go out and be a public speaker, because what you're going to be doing is saying, essentially, hopefully the same things to now a much bigger audience. And probably if people come to hear you speak, they want to hear what you have to say. And that's really pretty good.   Kathryn Johnson  55:29 That's really powerful. Would you believe it? That I was probably the kid in the class who was the worst at public speaking?   Michael Hingson  55:38 It's hard to imagine.   Kathryn Johnson  55:40 Now I'm sitting here on the radio with you, Michael, we're having great time.   Michael Hingson  55:44 We are. And it's, it's not all that hard to do if we allow ourselves to grow and stretch and there are things that we can use to learn to speak well, did you do anything like go to Toastmasters? Or any of those sorts of things? Or how did you learn to become a good speaker?   Kathryn Johnson  56:01 Um, I got some mentoring. I did honestly go to Toastmasters. I didn't stay very long. Because I feel like the type of speaking I do is not really what Toastmasters teaches. Toastmasters is more of a business speaking organization. What I didn't realize though, is is what I'm good at was speaking. So it gave me some sort of awareness that way.   Michael Hingson  56:35 I think it's shifted some from that. I haven't heard many people today really say it's all about business speaking, because it's really about speaking, and whether it's business or something else. It's still about learning to communicate. And there's a lot of opportunity to get more information. I didn't do a lot with Toastmasters, although I've done some. But I think that for me, probably, I love to tell this that, for me, the biggest way that I learned to be a public speaker, was when I was growing up, and I had to take spelling tests in school, the teacher would hand out will everybody had their pencils and papers, and the teacher would say the words and everyone had to write the words on papers, and then you exchange them. And then the teacher would write the words on the board, so that you could grade the spelling, except when it was my class, because I wasn't going to be grading papers. And I wasn't going to be writing the words because I didn't know how to write well enough to do that. So the result was, I had to spell the words in front of the class. I remember missing one once. But the bottom line is I worked at not missing so that I could spell the words correctly, and that people could rely on me to spell them appropriately. So I usually got an A in spelling, my wife would would say today, you do a lot better with spell checker. But still, it's all about learning. And I think that helped me a lot not to be afraid to be in front of an audience. So I've kind of always rejected the concept that we have to be afraid of public speaking, we don't need to be.   Kathryn Johnson  58:22 That's true. That's absolutely true. And again, it goes back to you know, like your obstacle was not being able to write so you had to speak. So there you go, how an obstacle actually gave you a strength that is probably better than average. Right?   Michael Hingson  58:40 So and in a lot of ways because it also when I was learning to teach, I took courses and teaching from the Irvine School UC Irvine School of Education. And one of the things that I did was not write on the board for my classes, I would get a volunteer every day to write on the board. And it got to the point where everyone wanted to be the board writer that day. So they had helped me engage with the classes and establish a relationship with them, which was also a good thing. And it also meant that I was facing the class talking with the class and not staring at the board writing something down and I've been in classes where all the professor's ever did was just write on the board all day and never understood why students didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to what they did.   Kathryn Johnson  59:31 Well, isn't that interesting? Thanks for sharing, Michael. That's interesting. Yeah, that's great.   Michael Hingson  59:38 So what makes your coaching program unique and something that people should want to partake of?   Kathryn Johnson  59:45 Well, my my coaching program is unique in that it focuses on both the practical side or the right brain and the intuitive or left for Brain side. So as we've been talking, today, we've talked about how I'm very organized, and I'm gonna getting from A to B and problem solving and all that. So my coaching program helps people navigate life in that way. But it's also, it helps people connect with their intuition. And I help them connect with their hearts with their, with their passions, and their higher selves so that they can use their their inner guidance to guide them on their path. And I do readings, as well as for part of my coaching.   Michael Hingson  1:00:43 Well, if people would like to reach out to you, and I'll go ahead,   Kathryn Johnson  1:00:47 yeah, so I suppose both sides, both that intuitive side and your practical side, that's what you get with   Michael Hingson  1:00:53 me? Well, if people want to reach out to you and learn about your program, learn about the coaching and perhaps get a reading, perhaps, learn a lot of the skills and tools that you have to offer people how do they do that?   Kathryn Johnson  1:01:06 They can reach out to me on my website inspiredbykathryn .com Kathryn is K AT H R Y N.com. And you can send me a message, there's, you know, there's courses, everything's on the shop page. So inspired by katherine.com/shop that will take you directly to all the wonderful things I have. I'd love to hear from anybody. I have a wide variety of services to help you no matter where you're at. So if you're looking for support, please reach out. I know, I know I have at least something that could help you. So I'd love to say hello, and help you on your way and connect and say hi.   Michael Hingson  1:01:57 I can't resist saying that you and I met through Podapalooza and we've talked about podapalooza on this podcast often. What brought you to Podapalooza?   Kathryn Johnson  1:02:07 My, my marketing consultant is connected with with the group somehow. And she said, Hey, Catherine, you might want to try this event. What do you think? And so I signed up.   Michael Hingson  1:02:24 So did you go to be interviewed? Or did you go because you might start your own podcast? Or have you started your own podcast? That kind of thing?   Kathryn Johnson  1:02:31 No, I don't have my own podcast as yet. I've been to pod palooza. I've done two events. And I'm registered for the January one as well.   Michael Hingson  1:02:41 Yeah, as As am I. So I think that will be a lot of fun to do. Well, Kathryn, thanks again for being here. And for my with us. And I hope everyone really appreciates all that you've offered. You've offered some great insights and great lessons. And as I said, I think that the most important thing that you and I and we've shown it a lot here today, the most important thing we can say is disability does not mean lack of ability, and that people need to grow and recognize that we have talents too. We are just capable as you we may not do exactly things in the same way that you do. But it doesn't mean that we can't do them. So I hope people will reach out. I hope people will come and talk with you and learn and become better than they are.   Kathryn Johnson  1:03:35 I hope so too. I just love to help people. And it it hurts my heart to see people struggling unnecessarily. So if I've said anything at all, if you have any questions for me, I I'd love to just you know, have a chit chat and answer some questions. I offer a free 30 minute discovery call. For anyone who is just looking for information, no obligation. You can book it straight from my website. Inspiredbykryn.com Perfect. Well,   Michael Hingson  1:04:09 all of you please reach out to Kathryn hope that she'll do that. I would really appreciate it. If after listening to this you would write me personally I'd love to know what you thought of the podcast. Please give us a five star rating. If you'd like to write me, please email Michaelhi at accessibe A C C E S S I B E.com Or go to our podcast page www dot Michael hingson H i n g s o n.com/podcast. But please give us a five star rating We appreciate it. I really would love to hear your comments and your thoughts and if you know of anyone who might be a good guest for unstoppable mindset and and hopefully some of you have listened to a lot of these and so you've got a pretty good idea of what we do love to hear from you with any suggestions of people who we ought to have on the podcast. Kathryn, that goes for you as well. If you can think of anyone love to have your thoughts and suggestions about others to have on the podcast,   Kathryn Johnson  1:05:08 I sure Well, I should Well, I'm meeting a lot of people. So I'll keep you in mind Michael, this was a great time. Thank you so much.   Michael Hingson  1:05:16 Well, thank you and I really appreciate you coming on and once more thank you for being here with us. Here welcome.   Michael Hingson  1:05:27 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I talk with my former client, friend and general badass Selina Donald. Selina has done so much already in her life, so prepare yourself to be inspired to think differently. She has worked on large-scale events, such as the Olympic and Para-Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and Vivian Westwood's climate revolution. She worked on England's 2018 World Cup bid for the Rio Olympics and has been part of the senior management team for ITV events. She co-founded the sustainable events agency The Bulb, which helps companies produce sustainable, creative and meaningful events.  She also often passionately speaks on issues of women's empowerment, female entrepreneurship and gender equality.  We chat about the current unsustainable practices of the creative and events industry, and how Selina has been proving through her own work that it's possible to be creative, exciting and environmentally responsible. We will get into what sustainable brands can do when their events don't reflect their company values (because, spoiler alert, they often don't). We also dive into how Selina structures her day to allow the time and space to make conscious, sustainable choices in her own life and business.  This is a super fun episode full of laughs, so tune in for Selina's inspiring story and so much more. Enjoy! Key Points Discussed: How Selina being a vegetarian as a child triggered her to how sustainability could be applied to her career (3:40)  The discomfort but also movement that has come in the events industry, because of the Pandemic, which has ended up working to Selina's advantage (10:40)  How the discomfort of the failure of her first business Bulb 101, made her take a step back and come back with knowledge from the failures and resurrected into a sustainability consultancy for event organisers (12:55) Being burnt out and moving back in with parents at age 35, with no savings and no pension (17:00) How learning to put a value on her time made Selina charge for her worth and say no to things that don't reflect that. Protecting both her energy and her time (21:15) The power of saying No (24:50) The environmental and sustainability issues that the Event industry faces (29:40) Making the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies the most sustainable events possible. As well as bringing sustainability to the forefront (36:35) Working on Lush's naked packaging and other brands/artists on recycled materials (38:05) How Selina's hatred for her legal career took her through another story of failure to an exciting career (48:25)  How composting at events is not actually a viable sustainable option (54:10) Connect with Selina: Selina on The Bulb website Selina on Twitter Connect with Betsy: Betsy on Instagram Betsy on Twitter Betsy on Linkedin Rate, Review, Learn and Share Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow, like, and/or drop us a five star and written review. Share this episode with others and help spread the word and grow our audience. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media! --

Para-Olympic & Adaptive CrossFit Athlete John Edward Heath [IG @carbonfiber_john_ ] joins the show recorded live on the podcast stage at Wodapalooza. John shares his journey into CrossFit and discussing the challenges athletes face.

In this episode Coach McD catches up with Team USA Gold medalist on his experience in the games, competitive mindset, and his role as athlete ambassador to USA Archery. Learn Barebow From John Demmer - Click here https://thepusharchery.teachable.com/p/johndemmerbarebow Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thebarebowproject- online store -online coaching -in person coaching -Advanced Barebow Seminar …And Much More GET EXCLUSIVE CONTENT HERE : https://www.patreon.com/barebowproject?fan_landing=true After three consecutive months get. a-free tshirt! See our online store here: www.barebowproject.com for custom t-shirts and coaching! See our tee spring store that delivers in 10-14 days of order here: SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! PLEASE FOLLOW THEM HERE! Lancaster Archery Supply - www.lancasterarcherysupply.com & https://www.lancasterarchery.com/lancaster-archery-classic Ethic Archery: www.ethicsarchery.com Hoyt Target Archery - https://hoyt.com/ One More Arrow - www.onemorearrow.com XS Vanes - https://www.xswings.com/ Arizona Archery Enterprises - https://arizonaarchery.com/ Yost Archery Products - https://www.yostarcheryproducts.com/ Jager Archery Products - https://jagerarchery.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thebarebowproject/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thebarebowproject/support

Candice Caesar (Kandi Kane) is a retired Sargent in the United State Army.  She is a Para Archer who plans to go to the 2024 Para Olympics in Paris!  Candice talks about her challenges but the peace that it brings is like yoga! She is one of our favorite archers who shoots at Texas Archery and it was a pleaser for us to sit down and talk to her! #raisinganarcher #texasarchery #iamtexasarchery #paraarchery #youtharchery #targetarchery

In this episode I invite you to meet Davida Shensky. Davida grew up in a time before the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation guaranteeing persons with disabilities many of the same rights enjoyed by most people in the United States. You will learn about Ms. Shensky's disability and that of her sister. Davida faced much discrimination when trying to break through the barriers imposed on persons with disabilities. You get to see how she overcame much to become successful in the workforce. Davida's perseverance is quite remarkable and should be inspirational and a lesson to us all. When it comes to overcoming obstacles, Davida will show us how it is done. I would love to hear your thoughts and, of course, I hope you will give us a 5 review after hearing Davida. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening and I hope you will let me know your thoughts about our episode and the Unstoppable Mindset podcast by emailing me at michaelhi@accessibe.com.   About the Guest:*  She was born and educated before there were laws on the books that guaranteed people with disabilities the right to an education. She entered the workforce 12 years before ADA became law, which guaranteed people with disabilities the right to an employment. Therefore, when she entered the workforce there were a few opportunities for people with disabilities to find gainful employment. When she couldn't find gainful employment, she looked for other avenues and opportunities to earn an income. She had experience and training conducting group therapy sessions in both Transactional Analysis and Psychodrama. Without a Masters or PhD as a psychologist, her opportunities were limited. She holds degrees in Mental Health Work, Psychology, and Rehabilitation Services (employment counseling for people with disabilities). When she looked at the skills that she truly enjoyed doing she recognized that her strengths lay and standing in front of the room motivating attendees to overcome any obstacles or fears they have that were keeping them from reaching their goals. She did this by leading by example. Because it wasn't the limits she placed on herself, but the limits that society placed on her simply because of her disability and their lack of knowledge about people with disabilities. As a Motivational Speaker her business thrived. She also recognized how the workplace was transitioning across the board and every industry. For motivational speakers, that meant moving from working with corporations as in-house trainers and the speaking circuit for conventions to building and marketing your business from home. I help business owners use digital marketing to build an online presence and increase revenue with an E-Commerce store with commonly used systems to create multiple streams of income.  My goal is to establish a NPO called International Disabled Entrepreneurs, Inc to help people with disabilities who want to become entrepreneurs to learn the skills needed and develop an entrepreneur mindset, as well a be a resource for adaptive equipment needed to run a business. About the Host:  Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/  https://twitter.com/mhingson  https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links  https://accessibe.com/  https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe  https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!  Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast  If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review  Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes UM Intro/Outro  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:13 Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset. Thank you for being here. Hope that your week is going well. And we hope that you enjoy the podcast today. Our guest is Davida Shensky.  And she has an interesting story to tell. And I like talking with her because we share some interesting and similar ideas about dealing with disabilities and so on the Vita happens to be a person who we classify as someone with a disability. And I'm gonna let her tell you more about that as we go forward with Davida Welcome to unstoppable mindset. How are you? Davida Shensky  01:57 I'm doing great. And thank you for having me. Michael Hingson  02:01 Well, it's a pleasure to to have you on and we're honored that you're here and taking the time with us. So tell me a little bit about you, if you would, let's start with that. Davida Shensky  02:12 Okay, well, I grew up with a disability. And it's at first let me back up. I was born in 1951. And in 1961, there were no laws that address people with disabilities, because the slot and society looked at his disability community as being non existent. And it was prior to the laws of when the individual Disability Education Act came into existence, because that came into existence in 1977 when I was in graduate school, and I had already been in the workforce a few years before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law. And because society didn't recognize its disability community, and the fact that I came from a dysfunctional family to begin with, I was always told that I can't, and I can't, and I can't. And part of that was that my, you would think it's because my, my parents were worried about me, but it was more that they had their own issues about it. And all they saw was a way to hold their children back from living full and productive lives. Michael Hingson  03:37 So they weren't necessarily the most supportive. No, not at all. Now, you say hold their children back, you have siblings with disabilities. Davida Shensky  03:49 I have an older sister that was born deaf, and hers is a nerve deafness. And it's a specific syndrome that I cannot remember the name of it offhand. But it's, you know, it's it's not a it's a segment of people that are born deaf, and it's called a syndrome, because it's not a fully the number. No, but the total numbers are a thing for it to be called whatever it is, you know, so it's just lumped in to being deaf. Yeah. Just like I have spastic, hemiplegia. Because cerebral palsy only affects one side of the body as opposed to the whole body of certain other lands because it depends on how much is the brain is damaged, and what specific lens are affected to determine what the terminology is for it. Michael Hingson  04:57 So how was it between you and your sister growing up? Davida Shensky  05:01 Well, it was kind of mixed because she was always sent off to school or initially because my mother was in New York, and they had Lexington School for the Deaf up there, where she could go to school and stayed here during the week and then go home on weekends. And when she went home on weekends, she stayed with my grandmother, I want to add Snuggles. And she never really had a stable home that she went to. And that created some issues for her. And in my case, you know, because I was the only person with a disability in the classroom. And in the school, and people didn't know a whole lot about disabilities, I was bullied. And it's like, when you go home, and you don't have any parents, the hugging when Saudi they love, they love you, then it's like you be isolated, and trying to cope with things on your own. Yeah. Well, Michael Hingson  06:05 just to, to put it in perspective, I was born in 1950. So I was from the same era as both of you and fully understand what you have said about all of the issues regarding the laws. But for you, it was probably quite the challenge. Do you do you use or did you use a wheelchair? Davida Shensky  06:34 No, I went, because it only affects my right side. And initially, I was the Oh, the brace was only up to the knee. Because if I the way it affects it is that the tendons in the foot is very tight. And, and he and I either go flat foot or I go, I want toe heel as opposed to heel toe and drag my foot and then I would catch my total of the shoe with a toe would catch the ground. And it would cause me to fall over. So wearing and they were the the old iron braces. And then in 1980 as to how floods started to come into existence and an understanding of how exercise and strengthening and straightening and that help. Well when I turned 14, I had surgery on both my hands and my foot because my hand was very drawn up at all and then I could not really just pull it down to my side. And then it kind of moved down to an a 90 degree angle or maybe 60 degree angle. And by exercising a gave me a little bit more mobility, and it allowed me to not have to put the brace back on but when I turned 65 And I noticed that I was tripping over my own two feet and living alone. And if I fell and hurt myself, there would not be anyone there. Then I started wearing a walk on price. And I also have a brace on my hand that supports my wrist so it holds up so the risk doesn't prolong. And recently, I had a knee brace put on because years ago after the surgery, my orthopedist said I had caught football knees because there was no fluid around the knee. And then the bone was rubbing against each other. And over the years it slowly got up either. A little worse. And then the last couple of times, I noticed that when my knees started hurting me I could put pressure on my foot. And because I you know, white health insurances as you become a senior citizen, they called Nick now I see you, they called me and they think the nurse and anyway, they said go see an orthopedist. So I had to go to my doctor. And what he did was he sent me to the orthopedist, the author, Peter said, you need a sleeve. And then when I went to the prosthetics place, they said no, this is what you need. And one thing I found was by putting the knee brace on, it's repositioning my foot. I'm able to work better and continue to exercise three times a week. Michael Hingson  09:52 So how was it that we go ahead? How was it like for you in the classroom in grammar? school, in high school and so on? Davida Shensky  10:01 Well, because cerebral palsy affects how the brain processes information. What happened was it kind of short term memory. And even though I would study for hours, it didn't always show when I took the test what, what I was truly capable of. So based on my grades, it was like, Oh, she daydreams. A lot of you know, she's, you know, was it more like C or D, as opposed to what could have been an ARB? And you know, that then they kind of like labeled you according to your grades? Michael Hingson  10:42 Well, yeah. And how did your your classmates react? Or how did they deal with you? Davida Shensky  10:50 Well, it was I was teased a lot. I was the they kind of played on my name and how they said it, and it was it well, let's let's back up. I once had someone called me and asked me out for a date. And somebody told me, they were not going to show that she never know for certain so you get ready, but I never expected it. And of course, they didn't show. Yeah, they were playing. Yeah, they were they get together and they flow. Let's let's see what we can do to play a game on. Michael Hingson  11:28 There's a lot of meanness in in kids. And do you think, you know, given what you do now, and we I definitely want to get into that. But do you think that's changed a lot for kids with disabilities in school today? Davida Shensky  11:44 It's changed, so but it's still got a long way to go. And the thing is that because of our IV, A, which is individual disability, disability education, that, and it's mainstreaming kids into the classroom, when they're capable of keeping up that people with abilities are seeing more people with disabilities. So they're a lot more accepting than what they were in the past, because people with disabilities and severe disabilities were hidden away. And they just didn't know that they existed. And it was not talked about. Michael Hingson  12:27 Do you think that kids in the classroom, take that approach? Are they more still into the bullying mentality? Do you think they are starting to understand the difference and that, in reality, there's nothing wrong with someone just because they happen to be different? Davida Shensky  12:46 I believe there is. Because when when you see a whole group of people that have specific disabilities, then it's it's not. It's easier to accept, then if you just see one or two people. Yeah, it's like, Okay, I've got one person, they are their friends. I know what you know, the ignorance of what a disability was at that time, because it was not talked about today, it's talked about, and you see the pirate complex, and you see people who have lost limbs in the war or whatever. So it's a little bit more accepting, although it's still got a long way to go to become mainstream. Michael Hingson  13:37 Yeah. I know. In the case of blankets, for example, we see so little emphasis on doing some of the things that really make sense. That is, for example, teaching Braille, which is the main vehicle for reading and writing available to blind kids, not only totally blind kids, but a lot of children who are partially blind, who are low vision, but who cannot see well enough to read regular print. And by using large print or magnified print, it causes a lot of eyestrain, so they'll never be able to be able to read as quickly or as efficiently as a sighted person or a blind student that does get the opportunity to learn to read Braille, but unfortunately, I think still even today in the educational system, it is always or let me never say always, it is often basically said that a child who has some eyesight gets to read print, while a totally blind child has to learn to read braille, and you can see the distinction gets to as opposed to has to, even though the child who reads Braille may very well be a much better reader than someone Who has some vision, who doesn't get the opportunity to learn to use Braille and as a result, has to use large print that doesn't give them all the luxury and efficiency of truly having a reading and writing language that they can use? Well, Davida Shensky  15:20 you know, even when in technology, when people look to build, build websites today, they don't always think about accessibility. Michael Hingson  15:33 They don't. And, in fact, hence the company that I work for accessiBe, which is all about creating products to help websites become accessible for a variety of disabilities. And it is very much true that website access isn't just something that is relating to a person who is blind and might not be able to see graphics and so on on the internet, there are so many disabilities that need to be addressed, not being able to use a mouse for a variety of reasons or having epilepsy. And as a result, not being able to experience cursors that blink and need a different way to make that happen, or cognitive disabilities or ADHD. All of those are issues that invoke a need for access that oftentimes we don't pay attention to. Davida Shensky  16:31 Heard that, I think is that until people with disabilities, that more people with disabilities actually have their own business or, or become managers and business owners, where they're more visible, and still going to be kind of a situation where it's a secondary idea to the majority of people, it's like when it becomes I guess the the best way is to equate it with Christianity and Judaism, that we live in a country where it's more Christians than Jews, and yet, especially in the Baptist religion, it's like, they consider Catholics and Protestants that, you know, kind of like not being I don't want to say that non Christians, because of the doctrines or the ways they look Michael Hingson  17:33 at it. But I think it goes beyond us owning our own businesses. Because that may or may not make some of it more visible. We, we really need to create an environment that's more inclusive in general. The The fact is that there are some who say, and rightly so let's deal with access, that the only way to make a website accessible, or the best way, some say the only way, which is not true, but the best way to make a website accessible, is to really do it from the outset. And I can accept that concept. Except how's that working for us, we don't generally see websites as being accessible from the outset. In fact, probably no more than about 2% of all websites today, even pay much attention to accessibility. No matter what the disability, some websites may very well be usable. But they haven't really done all that or anything that they need to do to create access. So we have an environment where we don't create web accessibility from the outset. And that's something that we have to teach and that needs to go into our schools and that all of our programmers need. But even if we do it, we then need to make sure that websites continue to remain accessible. It isn't just doing it the first time. Davida Shensky  19:09 That's true. I'm also gonna go back and say that even a lot of the laws started changing, like with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It addresses all of the issues that come up under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But what makes the ADEA more enforceable is that clause that says that if an individual can prove that they're being discriminated against, they can go to the EEOC or they can go to the Department of Justice and file a lawsuit. Michael Hingson  19:48 The difficulty is that courts have also said however, you got to prove intent. Right. And that has been part of the difficulty it. And the other part is that some legal minds have challenged the issue of accessibility, let's say for the internet saying, well, the ADEA came along before the internet. So clearly, it doesn't apply even though the ADEA does not in any way, mentioned, places of physical accommodation. It talks about places of business, leaving, leaving aside title two, which deals with the government and federal agencies, Title Three, deals with places of business and it doesn't say physical or not, which is the way it ought to be. Because it doesn't matter where you conduct business, you need to make sure that what you do is available to all. Davida Shensky  20:45 That's true. And I, we also need to look at the mentality or behavior patterns. Because what we learn as children is what we how we are as adults. And until you really get to where children come up, truly integrated with people with disabilities in the classroom, there's still going to be prejudiced. Michael Hingson  21:15 Sure. And until we can break down that fear barrier, because that's what it really is, is that people have so much fear around something that's different than they. And they don't recognize that, in reality, disability is something that anyone can face. Suddenly, even if your life didn't start out being that way. And again, I, I don't have a better term than disability. But the reality is, disability doesn't and shouldn't mean in our case, no ability or a lack of ability. It is a way to, to categorize us like it or not as being different. But it shouldn't mean that we don't have ability, because if we're going to talk about ability, every person who has eyesight has a disability, and that is that your light dependent, you can't function well in the dark. That's why we have light bulbs. That's why we have candles, and before that we had torches and other things like that. But the reality is, those are all accommodations that have been created to allow you to be able to function in an environment without light. Davida Shensky  22:33 And then if you remember, prior to Ada, Ada was when they started changing the terminology, that it was always handicaps. And if you remember back in the very beginning of the 20th century, when people used to stand with a cap in hand, asking for money, and that's what handicap means. And that's it still had the mentality of the majority of people. Is that someone getting ahead there? Michael Hingson  23:09 Yeah. And in reality, we can change perceptions of words, words are very strong and very powerful. But I, for example, have maintained for a long time that diversity isn't what it used to be. Diversity very rarely includes disabilities today, even though what diversity means is we have a very wide range of categories of people that exist, and we're supposed to recognize all of them. But we generally don't include disabilities in that. And it's the same fear that causes that. So we haven't really seen the breakdown in terms of moving forward with that, and I'm not sure what it will take to change that. But maybe what we need to do is to get another president who has a disability, Franklin Roosevelt has been forgotten for that. Davida Shensky  24:06 What that was, that's right. Also, if you back in the 1980s, when corporations started bringing in trainers, and they would talk about diversity, they would they would not include disability, but what they would talk about is the different cultures or the different religions, but they never talked about difference and showing someone with a disability as opposed to someone with ability and showing just how, just because you're able bodied doesn't mean that you're any you're really any difference Michael Hingson  24:46 or any better. Yeah. And that is what Hopefully, people will get to understand. Well, tell me what degrees do you have so you went on to high school Cool, and you went to college and did all sorts of stuff like that. And Davida Shensky  25:03 yeah, I have an Associate's in mental health. I have credits. I have a bachelor's in psychology. And then I also have credits towards a master's and rehabilitation counseling. Not that I wanted to become a rehabilitation counselor, as I wanted to learn about the laws. And then I went on and got certification and psychodrama and certified in using transactional analysis. And both of those modalities are Natl, basically, repackaged under the laws of attraction. And I'm certified as a law of attraction coach, as well as a career coach and a life coach. Michael Hingson  25:54 And the law of attraction. In some ways, it's certainly become a very popular concept on the internet, and I think in probably the minds of a lot of people. But again, that gets misinterpreted too. Davida Shensky  26:09 I actually have someone send me an email that it's a company called bach.com is out of the UK. And they sent me an email a we have clients that need your services, really, and truly the way they have set up and what they did was they sent me a copy of a lead, but they no get people to call in and tell them what their needs are. They just asked him a few basic questions. Like, are you looking for a life? What kind of coach Are you looking for, or what kind of issues do you want to deal with, and then they give you a one to five chance to bid on a lead. And now, you can register for free, then you can upgrade for a monthly fee to become an Elite Pro, which they've all they do is put some type of badge on your profile, but you have to buy credits, to be able to approach these leads that they sent you. And when you upgrade for the first batch, what they do is they don't let you know upfront Well, if you don't make any sales, you get those credits back. But if once you start getting low, they will automatically add more credits in charge your checking account. Now, when I started looking at a majority of those needs were people that had either management or they were looking to have an insurance pay for the services. Well, if you're just a certified life coach, and you do not have licensure as a psychotherapist, insurance companies will not pay for your services. And I'm actually before I actually upgraded, I met looking for some reviews and couldn't find any. But then when I went to put a complaint in all of a sudden out of bounds, some reviews, and there was someone in there that said that every that what she found was that and I'm assuming she kept probably buying more and more credits, because she said she had to keep lowering her fees, just because no one would purchase it and still never got a sale. So what that means is that particular company is more about putting money in their pocket as opposed to really being a lead generation company. But people who need services, Michael Hingson  29:04 there are a lot of those in the world, whether it's dealing with, with what you're talking about, or in so many areas, Davida Shensky  29:13 and where mental illness and mental health issues is still a disability issue. So that's also another avenue because mental illness is something that's a hidden disability. It's not something that you can really see other than in someone's behavior, but they can be people who whose behavior is not the best, but they're not truly mentally ill they just have some issues of personal issues they got to deal with based on the environment and the family they've loved in when you went into Michael Hingson  29:55 the workforce what what did you specifically joined the workforce to do, Davida Shensky  30:02 actually, because my background was in mental health and psychology, I'm qualified I went, I applied to the merit system in Georgia. And I qualified for positions that was done, if you remember the title, where it was more of a social work position, oh, Human Services technicians thing, there was the title. And then there was also a mental health counselor. But the the because I wanted to work with disability agencies, the first company that I got hired on with, there's a company that was really a daycare center for people with developmental disabilities at the time, but once the laws began to change, and the state came in and took over those agencies, they, what happened was that the woman that was running at that became the Executive Director, she was just a, what happened was, she did not have the true qualifications to be an executive director. So any Hurst people that came in, in my position, if they weren't forced out within the first six months, and they got, you know, their permanent status, that automatically they would start pulling back on the roster to get another position somewhere else, because she couldn't, or she, she felt threatened by those in that position. And when my six month probationary period was coming up, she basically said to me, if you don't reply, you're gonna be fired. And so and then after that, I could never get back on with the state. And my only other alternative was, and I would have eventually done this anyway. But I would have waited, so I was more financially secure. And I found that I wanted to do rent groups using transactional analysis and psychodrama, but they were, whereas they were more acceptable up in the north, they weren't as accepting or, or known modalities in the south. And what because I didn't have the actual masters, or PhD as a psychotherapist. I couldn't get in with the hospitals, the mental health hospitals. And then it eventually evolved into the speaking industry, and more involved with National Speakers Association, Georgia chapter, and Toastmasters. And what because I didn't have as much mobility, and didn't have transportation to get around as easily. My business never quite got off the rail. But once the technology evolve, but being able to build a business online, it's really taken off. And now it's taken off is that I've shifted from going into companies doing the training, but creating the E learning courses, and putting them on various platforms. And what one of the companies run with is called one education or educators. And I got a nice little surprise from them. And I got a nice paycheck this month. And they also sent me an email that they partnered with a company called E learning solutions. So that may have been why my paycheck for them for my courses increased astronomically. Michael Hingson  33:56 And it's unfortunate that all too often, no matter how much in the way of qualifications you actually had, because you didn't have that PhD that that tended to limit you. Do you think that's as true today? Or do people now more recognize that there are other kinds of things including experience and so on, that should open up opportunities for you? Davida Shensky  34:26 I think the experience as much as anything opens up the opportunities. But also it you know, it's like what I've been able to do is because of my background in mental health in psychology, and my and my background in rehabilitation counseling, which is career counseling, that I've been able to do more in the line of the life coaching and the career coaching, and then getting the certifications with those particular industry. Ah, and then it's just a matter of like, how am I going to sell myself to my potential clients? Michael Hingson  35:06 Right? So when did you enter the workforce? What year? Davida Shensky  35:10 Actually 1977? Michael Hingson  35:12 Okay, so. So there you go. And when you entered it did leaving aside things like what you described about the director of that agency and so on? Did you face much real discrimination from a disability standpoint, when you started, and, again, how has that changed over the years? Davida Shensky  35:37 Very much so because even once I lost my job with the state, I could never get back on with the state. And I and even though I would be applying to switch positions within corporations are small businesses, they, and even though you had the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, there were a lot of things that, you know, they just didn't hire people with disabilities. And when the laws change, and ADA came in, what was then known as the defects, but just the will the disability, business technical assistance centers, they patch right now they call the ADA Centers, but they are really just a support system, to see to it, that what the cooperations need. And even though it took ABA, before companies were willing to start looking at people with disabilities, as even, you know, and, and doing the other patients in the workplace, so that, you know, but having to comply with ADA. So there was it was more of an opening not until the early 2000s, or the late 1990s, before corporations and companies really started looking at hiring people with disabilities. And one of the things is, if you went to the rehabilitation services, they, if you went to their employment specialist, their employment specialists really didn't know how to serve the disability community in getting jobs, other than telling them things like I have these job function positions. Now, here's the book, go in and find the company that's gonna let you come in and train other people. And it was more of going into the restaurants and teaching people with developmental disabilities to be to bus tables, you know, it was the most the low paying low skilled jobs that were really open and not the mainstream companies like IBM, that were really open to hiring people with disabilities, Michael Hingson  38:09 I should have asked, when you were presented with that offer to resign or get fired? What choice did you make? Well, I Davida Shensky  38:16 ended up deciding if I was gonna just to resign, it was better to just resign instead? Of course I am because either way, it's still meant the same thing. Michael Hingson  38:29 So the reason I asked that question was, the difference is that technically speaking, the way you described it, if you were fired, you couldn't get back in to a state position because you've been fired. And you have to accept all the consequences of that, such as they are. But if you resigned, and correct me if I'm wrong, technically speaking, you should have been able to attain or obtain other positions within the state, correct? Yes. So the, Davida Shensky  39:05 here's the thing, when they would go and get reviews, remember, like she was a she became an ex employer. So they would go to her and say, What kind of employee is she? I guess what she did give me a good review. And that also, if when you work within the state merit system, it's usually what I don't think she really wanted to hire me to begin with that because I was that that's higher on that list. She had to give me the position. So that's also how it works within the merit system. So even though I might have been interviewed in these mental health centers, where I would have gone in and done counseling, as opposed to, you know, just being a like, in a social work position where I would represent the Clients and go to meetings and make sure that they got the services they, they deserved it, I was never able to get back in to the state. Michael Hingson  40:11 Did that ever change for you? Davida Shensky  40:13 No. I mean, once I kept, let's put it this way Rehabilitation Services Employment, the employment specialist should have been able to say, Hey, I've got contacts within these companies. I am looking at your background. I can, you know, I can send you out for interviews, they should have been able to do that. He never said that to me. Michael Hingson  40:39 Yeah. Which all too often happens in the rehabilitation admin. Well, the rehabilitation environment, and it is so unfortunate. We had the opportunity to in an earlier podcast episode interview, Kirk Adams, who is the president and CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind. And he made the comment that there was a meeting where both rehabilitation counselors and HR people were present. And the HR people constantly said, it was the rehabilitation counselors that never really did the research or understood what needed to be done to bring people with disabilities in and the rehabilitation counselors always said that the HR people were the stumbling blocks. So you know, near the twain seem to be able to meet, Davida Shensky  41:30 I think all they were doing was passing along the blame, especially because, first of all, your aid, your rehabilitation services, people and your HR people should have been working together to help each other understand they should have been educating each other. What's the job? What are the skills needed? And how can your client fit into this? It's like, many, many years ago, my sister who's deaf, went through rehabilitation services in New York, to get a job. And what did they do? They sent you on a job where she needed to answer the phone. Now, how could someone who's deaf, answered the phone, and they was back then she was actually trained to do use dos. And dos is just programming software. There's no people who were deaf were easily placed in jobs. And yet she was not getting the right kind of job for her. Michael Hingson  42:38 Yeah. And that's, of course, the disconnect. Right? Where's the logic and doing that? And there is not I mean, the so it's a rhetorical question, but there really is done. So for you, how long did you keep trying to get into state opportunities? And then what did you do if you weren't able to get in? Davida Shensky  43:02 That's when I when I what I did was I looked at that education, I looked at my experience, I looked at where my skills lied. And that's what I said, Okay, let me see if I can, I can start my own business doing as using my training and transaction analysis and psychodrama to run groups and went to the mental health hospitals in the mental health centers. And because I didn't have that PhD, I was they were not going to refer business to me. Now, I do have a friend that was living in California, that was a licensed family, and marriage therapist, and a lot of referrals came from the insurance companies. And then it notoriously, they were slow to pay. Yeah. So what did you do? Here's, that's, that's what I'm saying insurance companies, if the client even in poc.com, is sitting there saying, Well, my insurance is gonna pay, even if they end up firing you insurance. They only pay you every three months, and pay you back pay. But what are you doing that three months that they're not paying you? Michael Hingson  44:23 Right? So what did you do if you weren't getting the referrals? Davida Shensky  44:27 That's when I slept. That's when I looked at the fact that I came across a company at the time that was called Performax which was assessment profiles and to become a distributed with and training, how to use the desk and other assessment profiles like leadership profile, the listening profile, the values profile, and taking those and also, a company called Personal dynamics are switching to have the fully training packages. And though into companies as a trainer, and that's also training as a speaker and getting up in front of groups, and also want to try to work with companies like to set seminars, but because I don't make good eye contact, and because when I speak I, it's not a smooth way or whatever, I couldn't always get on with those companies. But what I did was, I went directly to the associations, and I went directly to the corporations to offer to sell, sell some of my profiles to them, and come in and do train the trainer sessions. Michael Hingson  45:52 And how did that work? It was, Davida Shensky  45:55 I made some money, but it was not as consistent and it was not as good as growing, because a lot of those companies at the time were built on what, what's known as multi level marketing. So if you like there were other people in the industry that knew that I specialized in a sport and a certain aspect of it, and instead of referring business to me, because I wasn't in their downline, and they weren't gonna make money off of it. I was never getting those types of referrals either. Michael Hingson  46:30 So obviously, it was kind of a struggle. And I guess the question would be, so then what happened? Davida Shensky  46:37 Well, it's just slowly, I just stopped them. A lot of what I did was knowing that I wanted to start a nonprofit that would serve people with disabilities, who wanted to become entrepreneurs, I went to work with a company where it was going to kind of going voted, go up, selling down our business to business with specific items to sell them as a fundraiser and, and then I worked with a company, then I went out on my own, and that brought in a lot more consistent income. And then that was also about the time that the internet started to grow. And I was able to move everything online. And that's when I started my podcast back in 2007. Michael Hingson  47:30 So you, you started, basically, somewhat of an online business, and you started working with companies going door to door? And what what did you eventually do about starting the nonprofit, Davida Shensky  47:44 I actually got the paperwork and went to Lagos zoo to get it started. But then to get the 501, C three, I had to pay a certain amount of money or a fee to get the accreditation just didn't have that money. So it kind of all got big, it all got put on hold, and never quite got off the ground either. And I knew that I needed some people in the business industry that would support what I was doing, and helped me raise the funds. I had one person that was a small business owner, but I never quite got any people in the corporate world to take an interest in the organization. So that kind of you know that a lot of those things. It's, it's like people, you'll see people who start nonprofits, and they bring that they bring their friends on to the board. Well, a few friends are great. But if they don't know how to help you raise money for your organization and get it out there and get it know that it's never going to grow. Michael Hingson  48:59 So what did you do? Davida Shensky  49:00 So it's kind of still on the back burner with that organization. It's, it's still something I want to do. But I'm thinking more in terms of eventually just setting it up as a foundation that people with disabilities can apply to, to get funding. So also, I've come across several organizations in Europe that had already gotten off the ground and had connections with financial organizations that would be willing to offer financial financing to people with disabilities who are starting up a business. So it's it's it's the potential is out there is a little bit more difficult to get up and moving in the United States. And if you look at what's happening in politics today, that's also what affecting Whether or not a nonprofit that serves the disability community other than say, if it's for the blind, or if it's for people who would almost say autistic or specific, then what happens is they got more people who have children who have those types of disabilities that are coming together and working with them. Michael Hingson  50:24 So you do a podcast, how often is the podcast on? Davida Shensky  50:29 My podcast is every Saturday on a weekly basis? And I've been doing it for close to 16 years that way? Michael Hingson  50:38 Wow. Well, we'll come back to to that in a minute. But so what is your main way of generating income? What are you doing primarily in the workforce today? Or are you or what is it you do to help people today? Davida Shensky  50:56 My, my main income today is coming through my membership sites, my elearning courses, and I'm more involved with putting together joint ventures that I have done in the past. Michael Hingson  51:18 Can you tell me something about some of those like, your courses, your elearning, site, and so on. Davida Shensky  51:25 They deal with personal development, things like team building, listening skills, communication skills, body language, listening, and also starting a business as an entrepreneur, being able to use digital marketing with being able to create a website. And just specific areas like that. Michael Hingson  51:54 How's that? Is that working out pretty well for you? Davida Shensky  51:57 It does, it does. And the way I say it also comes into play Awesome. Now, the best way to look at it is, if I'm talking about and my business, then what I need to do is look at how specifically they they work together. And what's happening is that I've also gotten involved with some companies, where it's affiliate marketing, and then through some of my courses, I've created some high end products. So I can offer them as an affiliate program, and an offering them as an affiliate program, then that's allowed me to have a Salesforce of people who actually can go out and such sell my products. And then they are information on it. But let me quickly lay it out for you. So you can understand exactly how I say it so that it'll work. And what I've also been able to do is create that I've been able to go on summits for other companies, and be a presenter. Now, here's how I would say it. If I'm talking to someone who wants to learn how to build a business online. And I would say entrepreneurs hire me to recession proof their business and increase their bottom line by assisting them to build an e commerce Store to establish multiple streams of income, because they're intimidated. When it comes to incorporating technology into their business. They fear losing sustainable income, and they don't know how to incorporate social media into the marketing plan. So bottom line, I can help someone launch grow and expand a home based business. Now if I'm talking to someone on the personal development side, I would say I'm a career and personal development strategy coach, and entrepreneurs who are in search of personal development, and learning success strategies. Hire me to overcome their limiting beliefs and develop healthy habits, a successful mindset and smart goals. So bottom line, I can help you develop a more positive attitude, set achievable goals and make better choices in life. Michael Hingson  54:43 And that is certainly a good way to put it. And it's it is about helping people to improve. And of course, that's what we all want to do. How have you helped the disability community in general, through what you've done? How do you feel you had an effect on the community. Davida Shensky  55:03 When I lived in Atlanta, I was a, I was very active with the access group. And I was also very active with the gym chats. And when the power Olympics was a rather, let's back up when the Atlanta IOC wanted to bid for the Olympics. At that time, the Olympics and the Para Olympics were actually bid for separately. And they bid for the Olympics. And they refuse to bid for the Para Olympics. So it was the disability community that got together and bid for the Paralympics, and brought it to Atlanta. And then the head of the IOC at the time, basically went in and change the bylaws so that any host country who bids for one is automatically bidding for both. So they're known since 1996. They have not been good for separately they've been bid for as one unit. And another thing that I did was whenever the opposite the access, whenever thing we put on job fairs for people with disabilities, I was a volunteer with them, and would work with someone that was blind, to take them around to the tables, so they can interview for positions. Michael Hingson  56:35 And it makes sense that the Olympics should be handled that way and that there should be emphasis put on it in the same way that the Olympics is portrayed. Do you think that there is room for people in parallel Olympics, at least to some degree, to be able to be encouraged or to be able to take more of a part in the standard Olympics rather than being if you will put in the Paralympics environment? Or do you think that they're so different, that they really have to be separate? Davida Shensky  57:16 I think really, they should very much be interconnected. And it's like, in fact, the South African runner who had competed in the Olympics, I mean, it competed in the Paralympic seat. The lat he competed in the Olympics one year, didn't do very well, but he did at least compete. And since then, he accidentally kill someone and his spending county jail. I cannot remember his name. Michael Hingson  57:49 Well, I asked the question because I have a friend who was an acclaimed international rowing competitor. And she participated in the Paralympics, they've never asked her or discussed why they didn't just be part of the actual Olympics, and rowing teams and so on. And it just seems to me that there are certainly a number of people who ought to be able to be part of the regular Olympics. Regular is the wrong term deal Olympics as opposed to the parallel Olympics. Davida Shensky  58:31 They should, but you know, it still falls back on how society works and people with disabilities. Michael Hingson  58:41 There you go. And that's the problem, isn't it? Davida Shensky  58:46 There's no reason why they cannot be what interconnected. And when the media covers on Olympic competitions, that they also compete, or they show people with disabilities competing, because think about it. In the Winter Olympics, you have what is it snowboarding, in the Paralympics, you have snowboarding the differences in in Paralympics, you might have someone doing it one with one leg. And they might they could still be compete at the same level as people in the audience. But here's the thing, how many times when people think of the Paralympics, they get it interchange with Special Olympics. Think about it because in Special Olympics, everyone gets a medal. But in the Paralympics, the metal the metal basically very similar in the way that people in the Olympics. Get metal, you know, first, second or third way X, Michael Hingson  1:00:00 and how often the parent do the Paralympics get the same amount of media, television coverage and so on. As the Olympics. Davida Shensky  1:00:11 Actually people don't even know it even exists because we just had the Winter Olympics. And everyone knew when the when the Olympics was on, but no one knew that a month later, that, you know, rather three weeks later, the Paralympics started because the Meet the media, the sports does not cover it in the same way. Michael Hingson  1:00:37 How many of the events in the parallel Olympics actually show levels of competition and numbers? At the end of events that are pretty much the same? Well, no, are the same as what you would see in save the Winter Olympics this past? February? What I'm getting at is the Paralympics, people compete, as you said, in snowboarding, the Paralympics have a number of events that are equivalent to like what we had with the Winter Olympics. Are the results pretty similar in terms of times or whatever we use to measure who wins? Davida Shensky  1:01:23 I think so. I mean, if they're competing against against the boards, and gymnastics, and stealing, and all the same types of of events. And if people would see below the level at which someone with a disability is able to compete, then maybe it might change some of their attitudes. Now, think about it. When salary started, well, let's look in the United States. You have the Warrior Project, and they have a Olympic style competitions. Now, Prince Harry started, what is it? The Invictus Games, right? And it's still the same thing. You still have you still have wheelchair basketball, you still have the exact you know, in the Summer Olympics, whereas you have basketball, the Olympics, you're that wheelchair basketball? How Michael Hingson  1:02:29 possible would it be for wheelchair basketball players to compete on the same court at the same time? With people who don't use chairs? You know, I don't know. I don't know. So Davida Shensky  1:02:42 well, versus Did you know it? I don't think they ever really tried it. I understand that seem to me that if they tried it, it might show just how athletic someone is using a wheelchair. Yeah. But here's the thing in Atlanta, we have what's known as the beat straight. And the road race, which is a six pack, yes, six cut or no. And before the rubbish stop, you've got the wheelchair racers, and they go first. And then and you know, and they will post what they're fine next, and then you and then you've got the runners and the p3 can have as many as 50,000 or more runners. Right. And that's usually it's like you have to get certain accreditations to take part in other events. And the 10k is one of the ones that someone has to take part in other events in order to qualify to participate in the 10k and the peach tree. So sometimes you will have runners who are from Kenya or from other countries who participated in the Olympics that actually come to participate in the Peachtree road race, and they're usually the elite runners, and they're usually the ones that win not just everyday runner that participates. Michael Hingson  1:04:27 Right. Well, okay, but if those are the standards they are now the question is, would a person in a chair running the race have a better or worse time on average, or can they be as competitive equivalently speaking as the elite Davida Shensky  1:04:46 competitive is you've ever seen some of those kids like they use their racing chairs and that they really could just go off to high speeds and those chairs Mine is even better than some of the elite runners. They compete in the peach tree. Michael Hingson  1:05:06 What I'm what I'm getting at basically, is does one runner have an advantage over another? Does a wheelchair runner have an advantage over the elite runners? if you will? Or can they be an Do you think they should be viewed as equivalent? Davida Shensky  1:05:27 I think they there are. They if they were as one in a race, they would win because those those Wait, those wheelchairs are racers and they can go up to high speed. Michael Hingson  1:05:41 So somebody could argue that a runner is at a disadvantage? Yeah. Interesting argument. Well, where do you see yourself in the next few years? Davida Shensky  1:05:54 Well, probably retired. Michael Hingson  1:05:57 Good for you happen sometime. Davida Shensky  1:06:00 You know, yeah, I see myself what I'm working toward was, is to have bills, and extended extra income, to supplement what I'm currently getting in. So I can live a lot more comfortably. There you are. Michael Hingson  1:06:23 Well, let me ask you this, if people want to contact you and reach out to you and take advantage of your services, or get to know you better, or take your courses, what are the ways to do that? Davida Shensky  1:06:36 Okay, they can, I've got two websites that a membership site, one is askdavidashensky.com The other one is businessblueprintnetwork.com. And also, they can contact me by sending an email to info@1personalcareercoach.com. And if they want to learn more about the types of services that I offer, as well as my courses, they can go to 1personalcareercoach.com And they listed number one that this spelled down. Michael Hingson  1:07:14 So let's go through those again. So if they want your courses, where do they go? Davida Shensky  1:07:21 They go to my one on personal development is askdavidashensky.com Michael Hingson  1:07:27 and spell Davida Shensky? If you would, please. Davida Shensky  1:07:31 D A V I D A S H E N S K Y. So, right. It's, and I have more people that will drop the A and David David spelling. Michael Hingson  1:07:54 So askdavidashensky.com. Yes, I'm in and then what's the next one again? Davida Shensky  1:08:05 Okay. That should be my main website is, is onepersonalcareercoach.com. One, Michael Hingson  1:08:13 I do that once more. Davida Shensky  1:08:15 That's my main website. And that gives them information on my services, on the types of courses I offer, on the types of coaching I offer, and what the prices are, and see that website once more. 1 is the number 1personalcareercoach.com Michael Hingson  1:08:32 1personalcareercoach.com. Okay, well, I hope people will reach out I think you bring a very interesting and positive orientation to all of this. And I believe that you offer a really good perspective that people should learn more about. And I believe as you do, there's a lot of educating to be done and I really appreciate you being out there and and helping in that process because it is what we need to do. Davida Shensky  1:09:13 Thank you for having me. Michael Hingson  1:09:15 Well, thank you for being here. And being with us and taking time out of your day and thank you who are listening to this for taking time to listen and to be a part of unstoppable mindset. Please tell your friends about us. And please don't hesitate to review us we would appreciate a five star rating wherever you're getting this podcast from. If you'd like to reach out to me I hope you will you can email me at Michaelhi M I C H A E L H  I at accessibe A C C E S S I B E .com. We'd love to get your emails and we'll respond. If you'd like to be a guest we'd like to hear hear about that too. As Davida will tell you, we do engage and we will respond to emails, right? Davida Shensky  1:10:07 Yes, you do. Michael Hingson  1:10:08 And if you'd like to learn more about the podcast, please visit www.Michaelhingson.com. That's M I C H A E L H I N G S O N.com/podcast. So again, thank you all for listening. And thank you to Vita for being here today. Davida Shensky  1:10:30 Thank you, y'all have a nice day.  Michael Hingson  1:10:32 You too, and all of you out there as well and join us again next week. For the next episode of unstoppable mindset. Michael Hingson  1:10:42 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

On Ryan Rae Harbuck's Instagram, she refers to herself as a "word sifter, wheelie expert, boy mom and underwater dreamer." I'll add courageous woman, inspiring swimmer and badass mom to that description. A paralyzing car accident in her teens left Ryan with a new life to build. In her book, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Chair,  Ryan shares a poignant message, "Everyone has a chair," that thing we are bound to or unwillingly defines you, an element that makes you different from the rest, one that you have little choice in the matter.  But it does not mean life is without choices.  Ryan's story is a series of choices that will surprise, inspire and motivate you to life your own life to the fullest. Support the show

The Off The Water podcast aims to provide some insights from people involved at all levels of recreational boating in Scotland. In this episode Marc Turner catches up with new Regional Development officer for the West of Scotland, Laura Cowan.  We discuss her experiences of RYA Sailability in her previous role with Prestwick Sailing Club, before hearing from Rory McKinna on his para sports journey in sailing so far. Rory has enjoyed sailing a Hansa 303 at various locations around Scotland, the UK and Europe, enabled by his family, alongside volunteers from class associations, clubs and centres, that have all aided his passion and success within competitive sailing. He has taken on many responsibilities in raising funds and finding solutions along the way and is a keen advocate for getting sailing reinstated in the Para-Olympics, as part of the #SailToLA campaign.  Further links below: RYA Para-Sport Hub Launch  World Sailing #SailtoLA RYA Sailability Prestwick Sailing Club The Hansa Class  Scottish Disability Sport  

Paralympian Ellie Cole is like no one you've ever met before. After losing her right leg to cancer at age 3, at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, she became Australia's most decorated female Paralympic athlete. With a record-breaking 17 Paralympic medals and OAM to her name, Ellie Cole is an extraordinary athlete. Overcoming injuries and adversity, Ellie has risen to prolific heights and, in recognition was honoured as the flagbearer at the Tokyo 2020 Closing Ceremony.  Ellie is raw and real, funny and wonderfully charismatic, refreshingly humble and completely unaware of the true inspiration she is. In this episode we discuss: [2:10] - Being conscious about setting milestones and goals is important as an elite athlete, however it's just as important for all of us in our dental businesses. [4:47] - The mantra of "I'll be happy when ... or, I'll be successful when ..." can be incredibly dangerous in business and in the Olympic medal chase. [7:17] - What does success and chasing dreams teach us about life in general? [9:01] - What does failure teach us about ourselves? [10:47] - When obstacles and life gets in the way of us working towards our business goals, how does it relate to the pursuit of gold Olympic medals? [14:12] - If we prepare well for something, often we can assume or relax about the outcome. Executing a race plan on the day can help us understand the preparation necessary to succeed. [18:10] - Understand the passion that can drive, maintain ... and lead us to our goals. [20:51] - Mentoring and guiding our teams is an important leadership skill. Ellie explains some simple ideas she applies in the swimming fraternity that we can utilise in our dental practices. [23:47] - Looking after ourselves and re-charging is incredibly important ... as it is for elite athletes. [28:07] - Ellie's experience on how the Para Olympics has evolved over the past 8 years. [36:24] - Interview ends. Find out more Book A Strategy Call  Savvy Dentist Facebook Group Access FREE Video Series: Earn More, Work Less Savvy Dentist App - Download Now

Jamal Hill is a Speedo-Sponsored, 10x National Champion, and Tokyo 2020 Para-Olympic Medalist. This Team USA professional swimmer, author, and philanthropist is a champion with a cause. The work and legacy Hill is leaving is commensurate of a Nobel Peace Prize. He has founded a movement dedicated to teaching millions of marginalized communities how to swim worldwide, called, “Swim Up Hill” and in 2022 was named President of AquaticsToday.com, a media company providing best practices, better systems, and leadership development to aquatics professions.

दिव्यांगांबद्दल सगळ्यांनाच सहानुभूती वाटते! पण त्यांना गरज असते ती समानतेच्या वागणुकीची! दिव्यांगांच्या जिद्दी वृत्तीबद्दल बोलत आहेत डॉक्टर राजीव आणि माणिक On this episode, Dr. Rajiv and Manik talk about how everyone sympathizes with the differently-abled but what they need is to be treated equally!. Tune in to discover their never-say-die attitude to achieve something in their life on Marathi Khidkitun. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I am joined by Brenden Hall. Brenden is a 4x Para Olympic swimmer and 3x Para Olympic gold medallist. Brenden and I chat about his start in swimming and how he lost his leg and some of his hearing. He talked about how swimming was a place for him where he felt like it was an even playing field and his disability didn't hold him back. He reiterates throughout our chat that the only limitations are the ones you put on yourself. Brenden delves into his experiences across each Olympic Games and how his results in Tokyo left him feeling like he had failed. There are some great lessons in this in how we can take out the positives in situations where we feel like crap. Brenden still has a passion for swimming which is evident in the way he talks, and Paris 2024 is on the cards. I had a blast getting to know Brenden and his sense of humour comes out in our chat too! I hope you enjoy listening! You can follow her on Instagram @brendenhall93 To keep up with the podcast follow the Instagram page @perfectly_flawed_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectly-flawed-podcast/message

Shawn fluke today's amazing guest Ability Beast Talk Shawn is an Wheelchair rugby Champion. Host of the live to roll podcast. Spinal cord Survivor. Para Olympics extreme sports competitor.

Sophie has won so many Olympic medals including individual Gold at Rio including team Gold and individual silver Recently at Tokyo . I find out about her general philosophy and what the future holds

What would you do if you lost both of your legs? When Vanessa lost both of her legs in a tragic train accident at the age of 15, she got told she would never be able to walk again. She went on to become a paralympic gold medallist and world record holder in the long jump.    We discuss: grieving the entire life she envisioned she'd have  standing up against those 'wiser' and who 'knew more', and winning the difference between determination and self-punishment moving beyond perceived present limitations and carving a new path how physical excellent will be limited by your level of mental strength  understanding deeply that the power of choice is in your hands alone what life looks like now; love, purpose, passion, goals and training the single most potent advice she has to offer from this wild and wonderful journey If you have a moment we'd love to know if you can relate to anything we shared. Comment below if so. The Amber Hawken Podcast is available to subscribe to on your chosen platform  - iTunes, Spotify, Libsyn - if it feels good for you, we always love a review of the show. Grateful in advance and thanks for listening.  Hugs, Ambz  

Endurance coaches Tom Walker and Rob Jones welcome you to The Run Strong Podcast. A show to discuss topics to educate and inspire runners. From couch-to-5k'rs, triathletes, up to multi-stage ultra runners this podcast will interest you. A successful season 1 means the boys are back and currently recording and releasing season 2. Please rate and review to help spread The Run Strong Podcast!Sebastian was a typically active 11 year old in 1999, his life then changed forever when he lost his leg in a boating accident. Ever since Sebastian has continued to be active and vowed to seek out the boundaries of his abilities as a para-athlete. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to IRONMAN Copenhagen Sebastian refuses to be denied. He is now in his 2nd Para-Olympic campaign and took some time to come and chat to us on todays show. Reach out to Seb on his Instagram @sebastian.engwald_amputri or his Facebook page Sebastian Engwald Jensen. To reach the lads you can email endurance@innerfight.com.To reach out to Rob email rj@innerfight.comTo reach out to Tom email tw@innerfight.comPlease also rate and review the podcast! Below is the link to our iTunes pagehttps://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-run-strong-podcast/id1483567507#Therunstrongpodcast