No Barriers

Our guest today grew up in rural Mongolia; hundreds of miles from anything resembling an advanced health care facility. So when his legs stopped working as a young boy; finding out the reason would not be easy. The family began their quest by traversing over 400 miles across Mongolia without a paved road in sight making their way to the capital city. They found new jobs and connected their son with the best health care available at the time. 3 years later they still had no answer. In fact in took 7 years until our guest, Bayar Damdinjav, received his diagnosis of an...

Chris Layne on Instagram. 

A couple days ago myself, our host Erik Weihenmayer, and maybe 50 others were sitting in an auditorium with our eyes closed. My knees were pressed up against the seat back in front of me. My arms were pinned between the hard wooden armrests. I was not comfortable. However… and I know this may sound a bit out there… buts… minutes later I found myself floating in space. I could no longer feel the pressure points in my knees and arms. I was on my way to a state of hypnosis. I was about to have a conscious conversation with my subcon...

Some might imagine our guest today as the superhero on the cover a graphic novel. The headline would read… mild mannered kindergarten teacher by day and single handed slayer of ice creatures by night (or weekends more accurately). Kimber Cross was born with one hand. The nutshell version of her journey to where she finds herself today started with pushing her parents outside of their comfort zones, navigating her passions with insecurities, and flipping adversity into ultimately transformative moments in her life. Prior to climbing Everest or kayaking through the Grand Canyon, blind of course, our host, Erik Weihenmayer, was a...

https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/

If you provide care for an aging parent, spouse, relative or for an ill or disabled person, according to the AARP you are one of 53 million Americans in that same boat. That’s nearly one in every 5 people. Our guest today is Bianca Padilla. She also found herself in that position, however, it was at a time this Millenial’s life, when most of her peers were starting careers and stepping out on their own. Her grandmother’s health was declining and she needed daily care to recover from a surgery. Bianca had a decision to make. We all get thrown...

The most recent census reported 7% of the US population are veterans. That’s about 18 million people who served in the active military, naval, or air service at some point and have since been discharged. “transitioning to civilian life” is a common topic for veterans when leaving the military. We get into that with our guest today, Matt Lewis. Matt is the chief operating officer of a spatial data company valued at almost a half a billion dollars. Matt is also a Navy Seal with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt. . Matt changed his entire mindset as part of his tr...

Hans' website. http://www.hansflorine.com

On Insta. https://www.instagram.com/hansflorine/

Han's author page on Amazon. 

http://diananyad.com/

https://everwalk.com/

Diana's blog: https://medium.com/@diananyad

Diana on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/diananyad/

Diana's memoir:  Finding a Way

https://dzi.org/

https://youtu.be/UCnZdbGK2mM

Sebastian on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/zuko_carrasco/

Libre film. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/zukolibre

Abby on Insta. https://www.instagram.com/adventurous.miss/

Abby's website.  https://www.abbyholcombe.com/

USA Freestyle fundraiser for World Championships. https://www.gofundme.com/f/usa-freestyle-fundraiser-for-world-championships

Steve's Book: You D.E.C.I.D.E.: A 6-step action plan to becoming the hero of your own life

Steve on Team USA: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/athletes/Stephen-Emt

Steve's Website: https://www.steveemt.com/

Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephen.emt/

https://educatingoutsidethelines.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educatingoutsidethelines/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/educatingoutsidethelines

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-omachel/

Move United Organization https://www.moveunitedsport.org/

Ajmal Subat is an artist, activist, and creative consultant who helped coordinate the evacuation of some of Afghanistan’s most visible female leaders. He is trained in classic Indian and Afghan music and toured Afghanistan with one of the nation’s leading musicians. Ajmal coaches Afghan artists pro bono, composes music for television and film, and is currently producing his second album.

https://restorehervoice.org/

https://www.instagram.com/restorehervoice/

https://www.instagram.com/subatmusic/

https://www.instagram.com/caseyharris_xa/ - Casey on Insta.

https://www.xambassadors.com/ - Official website. Check out their latest album, Beautiful Liars

https://www.instagram.com/xambassadors/ - X Ambassadors on Insta

Dr. Zach Skiles on Linkedin

Translational Psychedelic Research (TrPR) Program at University of California San Francisco

The Mission Within

Heroic Hearts Project

National Center for PTSD

Fantastic Fungi Film

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

It’s safe to say Caitlin has gone through the lowest of lows… how does one rise from those ashes and overcome incredible adversity. What did that process look like; that mental and physical journey to becoming an endurance athlete competing in triathlons, a boxer, a runway model, the founder of a non-profit aiming to build the largest database of adaptive resources in the world, and most recently building the sport of para-speed skating. It’s all about human potential she says.

https://www.ccadaptive.com/

https://www.instagram.com/caitlin.andherlegnamed.rex/

It all started with Sabriye Tenberken, who is blind, embarking on horseback ride through Tibet as an extension of her studies of Tibetology and Central Asian Sciences. There she met eventual co-founder Paul Kronenberg and together they started the first school the the blind in Tibet’s capital city of Lhasa. This school formed the foundation of Braille Without Borders, an organization that empowers blind people to take their lives in their own hands.

Kanthari Website 

KanthariTV (YouTube)

This episode is about biking blind. No, this is not a metaphor. Even Helen Keller, the famous disability rights activist, who happened to be deaf and blind, enjoyed a spin on her bike as a teenager in the late 1800’s.

“Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing...

Dr. Lin's website: https://www.exploreralbert.com/

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/exploreralbert/

https://twitter.com/exploreralbert

https://www.facebook.com/exploreralbert/

Welcome to Earth Interview

https://screenrant.com/welcome-earth-albert-lin-interview/

Nat Geo Explorer Profile Page

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/albert-yu-min-lin

Thurgood Marshall College Commencement 2018 - from UC San Diego Commencement Ceremonies  - https://youtu.be/GaFIqfJvMXM

What is Transhumanism? From Nat Geo 2019 Story Tellers Summit

https://youtu.be/ZB6IJgnKwpY

https://www.dwayne-fields.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dwaynefields/

https://twitter.com/DwayneFields

https://www.facebook.com/DwayneFieldsAdventurer/

John’s Social Links

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

VIDEO: Ted talk on what separates the best from the best.

BOOK - Fearless Success - The quest for perfection is not only possible--it's actually our natural state, says author and former Blue Angel pilot, John Foley. Imagine what the same preparation and mindset that allowed him to fly in formation mere inches apart from another jet can do for you, your teams, and any organization. In, Fearless Success, John Foley gives us the secrets that elite performers know and practice on a...

Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode.

Episode 110: Determination and Faith with Chris Norton

Episode 113: Embracing Vision with Kyle Coon

Episode 119: Equity in Entertainment with Keely Cat-Wells

Episode 132: Restoring Vision with Geoff Tabin

Episode 133: Rebuilding Community & Purpose with Cpt. Dave Inbody, US Army, Ret.

To introduce our guest this week, read you a passage from a recent essay he wrote: “I gaze at her straight charcoal hair, serious blinking eyes and flawless skin. She is only a day old, but already her muscles are tight and when she cries it is high-pitched and she is difficult to console. Her urine is positive for benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cocaine, and opioid derivatives.” These are the words of Benjamin Rattray. He takes care of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. He walks the path where life and death are regularly held in his hands. He balances clinical scie...

David Inbody is the father of three children, two sons and a daughter, and has been married to his wife Tiffany for nineteen years.

David was medically retired from the U.S. Army in 2012, after eight years of service. He attained the rank of Captain. He enlisted in 2004 and attended officer candidate school and was commissioned in 2008. He was assigned to Bravo Co, 1st Squadron, 112th Cavalry Regt as a scout platoon leader. He later served as a plans officer and supply officer for the squadron before deploying as a member of an Agricultural Development Team in...

Imagine life if you were unable to see. Could you find the toilet, or leave in an emergency? Now imagine you lived in a place where there are no paved roads, no clean water. In our world, 14 million people, more than the entire population of Canada, are blind, unable to perform the daily tasks of living. Ninety percent of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. Eighty-five percent of the blindness on our planet could be cured, or could have been prevented. 20 million people are needlessly blind from treatable cataracts.

Now imagine: There exists a surgery...

This much is true... no one gets outta here alive.

If you had the option of knowing the day you would die and how it would happen, would you want to know?

This is Jim.

Jim was very much alive when this episode was recorded.

Jim was dead 2 months later..

Jim has a Stage 4, terminal cancer diagnosis and has ceased all treatment. Two weeks before this episode was recorded he was told he had roughly a month to live.

Since his diagnosis, Jim has endured countless rounds...

Joe Strechay is a Producer and Consultant for film, television, theatre, and literary works. He consults on accessibility, disability, and blindness to assure respectful and accessible work environments and portrayals. He has worked on AppleTV+’s SEE, Netflix’s The OA, and Marvel’s Daredevil. 

Joe has supervised services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; managed a web program; instructed in services for individuals who are blind or have low vision; advised states and countries on services, and mentored numerous people with disabilities. He has consulted for the American Printing House for the Blind specific to CareerConnect and their N...

In this episode get up close and personal as this Olympian shares her triumphs, challenges (physical & mental), blunders here and there, and where her life is headed now. Growing up in Vermont, Sarah Will was a natural on the slopes. She competed on the nationally-ranked ski team at Green Mountain College. Her skiing career took an unexpected turn in 1988, when a skiing accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She did not give up. 4 years later she went to the 1992 Paralympic Winter Games winning gold medals in the downhill and super-G. 10 years after, and back to back appearances...

16-year-old Alex Knoll is a tech founder and international speaker with a passion for helping others. He has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, BBC, Irish Times, NBC Nightly News, Sky News & many more.

Alex developed Ability App, a global crowd-sourced web app that helps people with cognitive, hearing, vision, and/or mobility disabilities and caregivers search for specific accessible and inclusive features at locations around the world. 

Ability App launched globally on May 1, 2020. Please visit the Ability App website for more information at TheAbilityApp.com.

Most recently, Alex was awarded The D...

Faith Malton is a natural-born engineer.  She was born missing her right arm and thus, grew up problem-solving and adapting to her environment through innovation.  More importantly, she engineered her mental aptitude and psyche to be rooted in a growth mindset.  A student ambassador, she found herself inquisitive on how other cultures worked and how culture determines the perception of disability. Her curiosity led her to places like Antarctica, India, and Tanzania. Every trip was an awakening and revealed to her how the built environment shapes the way in which humans experience the world.  

She now works at Wa...

Amy Rusiecki is the owner of Beast Coast Trail Running and the Race Director for the Vermont 100 mile race, Seven Sisters Trail Race, Chesterfield Gorge Ultra Event, and Mount Tobey 50k, as well as a winning endurance athlete herself. 

Amy is a true barrier-breaker in the ultra community. She successfully petitioned for the Vermont 100 to be the first ultra race in the country to recognize AWDs (athletes with disabilities) in their own division and has taken the Vermont 100 partnership with Vermont Adaptive to new heights. Since becoming the race director seven years ago she has helped raise close t...

Mark served in the United States Air Force for ten years, starting out as an aircraft mechanic. He loved his job but was looking for more challenges, so he switched to air traffic control for the remainder of his time in service. During a deployment in Kuwait, he sustained injuries resulting in his right leg needing to be amputated above the knee. He went into a deep depression and lost all hope and was very inactive. 

Eventually, he found outdoor therapy programs like No Barriers and regained purpose and meaning in his life. Now he is the Fo...

Comedian, Josh Blue, sat down with Erik and Jeff at our studio in Golden, CO to discuss his career as a comic who happens to have cerebral palsy. 

Following his groundbreaking win on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006, Josh Blue has risen through the ranks to become a well-established headliner at venues throughout the world. His story has been featured on Fox, CBS, ABC, MSNBC,  and CNN.  He was the first comedian to perform stand-up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was named Best Winning Reality Show Guest on Live with Regis and Kelly, and made standout appea...

Colleen Rose is a military caregiver for her husband, John, an active duty Marine. While on his 2nd tour in Afghanistan, John was wounded by an IED blast sustaining vision loss and extensive injuries. 

Colleen acted as his caregiver, and then, in 2016, the roles were reversed when Colleen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Several years later, Colleen has helped her husband retain his active duty status, and Colleen is cancer-free and in remission, and they are proud parents to their baby, Declan. 

Colleen now serves as a Dole Caregiver Fellow, placing her in a great po...

Sean Passmore served 22 1/2 years in the Army before retiring in 2014. 

Today, he leads the Military Talent Strategic Outsourcing (MTSS) team and oversees enterprise military and veteran initiatives at Wells Fargo, supporting the military community with housing affordability, financial wellness, small business support, and career transition assistance programs. 

The MTSS team is 100% dedicated to attracting, recruiting, coaching, and advocating for veterans seeking career opportunities at Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo is a longtime supporter and partner of No Barriers. We are grateful for their ongoing support and their sponsorship of this episode - the first in...

Antoinette, an 11-year United States Army Veteran,  is an American Adult Cross-Cultural Kid (ACCK) and Third Culture Adult (TCA) with family ancestry in Nigeria, Ireland, China, and Jamaica. 

Antoinette is a former IT executive, a blogger at the New Normal Big Life blog, Producer of New Normal Big LifeTV for Culturs Global Multicultural TV, Contributing Writer at Paddling Magazine and Culturs, global, multicultural magazine. 

Antoinette is also a transformational public speaker and an advocate for people living with traumatic brain injury, health challenges, and those diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. 

She is a...

Sean Entin was a successful entrepreneur who suddenly had a stroke at 39 years old. After many surgeries, doctors told him he would never walk, talk, drive or be independent again. 

It has been 10 years since he had his stroke and he has not only regained his independence — in his recovery process —Sean became the StrokeHacker; learning how the brain works and what it takes to make it better. 

His mantra “I can, I shall, I will” helped him through the most

difficult times in his life. That knowledge allowed him to teach thousands of people...

Keely Cat-Wells is an Entrepreneur and Disability Activist dedicated to making social, systematic, and economical change. 

Keely is the Founder/CEO of C Talent, Zetta Studios, and Zetta Finance. She founded her first company at a very early age while in the hospital, which eventually evolved into C Talent. C Talent represents Deaf and Disabled artists, athletes, and influencers globally to normalize disabled people being experts in subjects beyond disability. 

After noticing the lack of access in the entertainment industry, Keely formed Zetta Studios, which is the world’s first-ever studio to be fully accessible, desi...