August 13, 2025 • 12 mins
From the moment of catastrophe to a life of global adventure, Kayla Godwin story captivates with raw honesty and unexpected turns. After a devastating car accident left her in a month-long coma and permanently changed her physical abilities, Kayla found herself at rock bottom—one-handed, using her non-dominant hand, and questioning whether life was worth living.
Her candid revelation about contemplating suicide creates an immediate connection with listeners who've faced similar dark moments. But what makes this conversation truly remarkable is the serendipitous twist that changed everything: meeting Corey Lee, a well-known wheelchair athlete who needed a personal assistant. This chance encounter launched Kayla from never having set foot on an airplane to exploring some of the world's most extraordinary places—from the chaotic beauty of India to the pristine isolation of Antarctica.
The conversation at the Abilities Expo in Chicago reveals fascinating details about her medical journey, including innovative surgeries that turned her arm into a mechanical "pulley system" allowing limited but crucial functionality. Despite her challenges, Kayla learned to build guitars discovered new perspectives on humanity through her global travels. Her description of India challenges Western stereotypes, highlighting how people with so little material wealth demonstrate extraordinary generosity and kindness.
This speedcast episode delivers a powerful message about resilience, second chances, and finding purpose in unexpected places. Whether you're facing your own challenges or simply seeking inspiration, Kayla's journey reminds us that even our darkest moments can lead to unimagined opportunities.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, guys?
As you can see, we're not inthe studio at home.
We're actually at the AbilitiesExpo in Chicago, and this
podcast is going to be a littledifferent.
It's going to be like aspeedcast.
The sound is not going to be asgreat because of how wide open
this space is, but please enjoythis Life to the Max speedcast.
(00:37):
What is up everybody?
It is Life to the Max and weare at the Abilities Expo in
Shawburg, illinois.
It is June 21st 2025.
And today I have Kayla Garman,and she is a personal assistant
to Corey Lee, a very, verywell-known person and a very
(00:59):
humble person, and it's an honorto meet you, kayla.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
It's nice to meet you too.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I did hear that you have health health problems as
well, like a disability is thatcorrect?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
yeah, I have a brachial plexus injury.
Okay, um, I was killed.
I was almost killed in a caraccident about 10 years ago now.
Okay, uh drunk teenager really,really is it.
How long has it years beenabout?
Nine years about nine years.
Yeah, october will be 10 yearsfor me.
So, um, I was in a communallife support for about a month
(01:32):
and everything.
And, yeah, I have a brachialplexus injury, so I became
one-handed and left-handed allat the same time at 20 years old
are you uh 22?
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Yeah, I was at 20 as well, really, yes, awesome.
Well, it's not awesome but Imean it's cool to have that Like
I'm terrified for my 10 yearanniversary.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, Um, I'm not going to lie on the.
For me, the first one was notthat bad, the second one was not
that bad.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
The second one was pretty bad.
The second one was bad for metoo.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Ten years I haven't really thought about it I'm I
kind of pushed things to theback of my mind.
So cause I mean, I you know,you just have to deal with it.
Like there's not really a lotof people that understand what
it kind of is like to go throughsomething where you were
walking and now you're not, socan you explain this near death
(02:27):
experience, what happened?
Whenever I woke up, I was likeI said.
I was in a coma, in a lifesupport, for about a month when
I woke up.
Yeah, jesus and I remember themtaking the trach out of my
throat.
That's the first memory I haveafter about a month and I'll
never forget that feeling, um,because I'd pulled my feeding
tube out.
So they just was like, well,we're gonna see if she can.
(02:51):
What?
Yeah, she pulls my feeding tubeout.
Um, they were like it was amedically induced coma.
So they hadn't given me mymedicine yet and I was starting
to wake up, pulled my feedingtube out so the doctor was like,
hey, let's see if she canbreathe on her own were you
driving?
no, I was a passenger.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
So was I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
And that was kind of the worst part for me is I was a
passenger with my stepdad, whoI was taking care of at the time
.
He had a stroke and the worstpart for me, honestly, was
outside of just getting better,was the legal side of it,
because where I live they don'treally care about people who
(03:32):
look different.
I live in a very racist part ofgeorgia, um, so it's, it was a
battle.
I knew it was going to be abattle, um, because I grew up
with racism all around me, so Iknew it was going to be a battle
.
I didn't know I was going tolose the battle but, um, like,
the construction company neverhad to pay anything, like it was
(03:53):
just, it was what it was.
They got off scotch free neverowed a dime.
So that was the worst part thebetrayal of it.
Um, and then obviously,learning life one-handed and
left-handed was hard.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Can you explain that a little more?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, so basically with my brachial plexus injury,
there's four nerves put out ofmy spinal cord and my hand it
honestly kind of looks like aquad hand is what a lot of
people say.
So I don't have a lot ofmovement.
People say so I don't have alot of movement.
(04:33):
I have about 30 pounds of gripstrength now but, um, I've had a
couple of surgeries wherethey've basically rerouted
everything in my arm to work asa pulley system wow so when my
wrist goes down, my fingers open.
When it goes back, it closes,just to give me a little bit of
functionality and I do good.
I mean, I taught myself how toredo everything that I've ever
done, plus.
Um, I built guitars for years.
(04:56):
Um, so I learned I don't know,I can't play it, but I can build
hard body hard body.
Electric and bass guitars I canbuild, so yeah, you gotta build
me one oh, we could definitely.
We can definitely build you onefor sure.
Uh, I loved it.
I did it for about 10 years,and so now I just started
traveling more full-time withCorey yeah, um, can we uh get
(05:19):
into that a little bit?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
so how did you meet Corey?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
um, well, one of my best friends when I was in the
rec knew Corey and Corey waslooking for a new caregiver.
So we met and we just kind ofhit it off and one day he asked
me to go to Amsterdam, in India.
I'd never been on an airplane,I'd never even been to an
airport.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
So I was in.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
India yeah, amsterdam in India, and I was terrified
(06:08):
no-transcript.
I just ended everything.
I didn't want to be aliveanymore.
So, um well, it was just one ofthose things yeah, that's
that's grim.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
I've been in that situation 200%.
It's a terrible experience.
The person who was driving thecar for me was my best friend,
and we don't talk to this day.
Yeah, and I'm trying to makeamends with him, yeah, so, zach,
if you're listening, give me acall, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I try to make amends with him but he might have a
guilty conscience.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I kind of hijacked no , no, I mean zach, seriously it
contacting, because it takes alot, uh, being the person in the
situation, being the personthat that was hurt.
It takes a lot to get to apoint where forgiveness is oh my
god is on your heart like it.
So, zach, reach out.
(07:13):
I mean, it takes a lot to getto that point.
I mean, and like you said,you've been there to the point
where suicide was an option Ialmost hired someone to.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I almost hired someone to kill me.
Like, honestly, my friends,like I almost did it and I was,
I was like my friends said, I'llgo to jail with you.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
That's not that's not a good friend, yeah so let's uh
circle back.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So you, so you're an indian, yeah, yeah it was
life-changing.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Um, I still wasn't sure that I wanted to live, but
I knew that there was more tolook forward to, um, so, yeah,
it kind of turned in.
I think the next trip wasactually antarctica.
I my first cruise.
I'd never been on a cruise andit was a month long.
So I was like, well, I hope Idon't get seasick, but I was.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Uh, it's a month long cory just said do you want to
go to an article?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
yeah, he was like you want to go, like we need.
You know his mom gets seasick.
He was like it's a month longand it's going through the drake
passage, which is the roughestwater in the world, and I'm like
sure, why not?
And dude, that is awesome.
Yeah, that is so cool all of myfirst have been pretty extreme.
I will say it's uh, so you goto india there you go to
(08:34):
antarctica.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, what's been your favorite so far with cory?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
um, my favorite would have to be india.
Just because of, just becauseof the humanity I mean, it's a
lot of those people don't haveanything but they.
You don't see people that arehungry over there, because they
will give you anything that theyhave and it's it's unbelievable
(08:59):
to see something so vastlydifferent than america culture
shock yeah mean they're just sokind, and I think that a lot of
us kind of had a perception or Iknow where I come from, since
it is so just backwards racistlike you, india, not because I
(09:26):
knew anything about Muslimpeople, just because I had been
conditioned that way and didn'treally realize it.
But that is my favorite countryand every Muslim country I've
ever visited.
I feel safer in that countrythan I would feel walking around
in towns in America.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Wow, well, for everybody listening, make sure
you check out India, becauseit's not as bad as people say.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Exactly, it is life-changing.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Would you say, corey changed your life.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say that in some ways, yeah, just, it was
kind of like the perfect stormus meeting and him needing a
caregiver and wanting to travelmore out you know, outside the
States it was kind of a perfectstorm.
And then plus also like seeinghis you know, just seeing him
(10:20):
overcome a lot of things, likeit's incredible because I can
still walk and I can't imaginesome of the things that he's
done not being able to walk, youknow.
So, and I've definitely almostwent to jail a couple times over
Corey, because I get prettyprotective, that's good and we
get in some places that are yeah, it's a.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
He seems like a really really good guy.
Yeah, I'm super happy he cameinto your life.
Really good guy, and I'm superhappy he came into your life.
It seems very likeserendipitous.
You guys were able to like cometogether and you're able to
help each other.
I feel like people come intoyour life like yeah, for a good
reason absolutely my personalassistant.
(11:03):
I'm very grateful for her.
She does everything under hissun for me and she makes sure my
life's great, and I'm prettysure you make sure Corey's life
is great.
So I'm told I gotta wrap this up, but is there anything you
would like to say to the peopleout there?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Well, for one, zach, reach out, because it takes a
lot of forgiveness for someonewho has been on the other end of
an accident.
It takes a lot.
So please reach out, and I meanI think what you're doing is
great.
If you guys want to follow me,I have a website too.
It's called Country toCountries, and you can find me
(11:45):
anywhere.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah at Racist.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Exactly, there you go yeah yeah, because I got
stronger words for it, but we'renot going to say it on the
podcast if you guys enjoyed thiscontent, please like, comment
and subscribe and, as always,take a breath thank you so much,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I try to keep it cool .
All you lames keep it bogus.
I head on a swivel looking outfor the locust.
Thank you, see you.
What's up, guys?
As you can see, we're not inthe studio at home.
We're actually at the AbilitiesExpo in Chicago, and this
podcast is going to be a littledifferent.
It's going to be like aspeedcast.
The sound is not going to be asgreat because of how wide open
this space is, but please enjoythis Life to the Max speedcast.
(00:37):
What is up everybody?
It is Life to the Max and weare at the Abilities Expo in
Shawburg, illinois.
It is June 21st 2025.
And today I have Kayla Garman,and she is a personal assistant
to Corey Lee, a very, verywell-known person and a very
(00:59):
humble person, and it's an honorto meet you, kayla.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
It's nice to meet you too.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I did hear that you have health health problems as
well, like a disability is thatcorrect?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
yeah, I have a brachial plexus injury.
Okay, um, I was killed.
I was almost killed in a caraccident about 10 years ago now.
Okay, uh drunk teenager really,really is it.
How long has it years beenabout?
Nine years about nine years.
Yeah, october will be 10 yearsfor me.
So, um, I was in a communallife support for about a month
(01:32):
and everything.
And, yeah, I have a brachialplexus injury, so I became
one-handed and left-handed allat the same time at 20 years old
are you uh 22?
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Yeah, I was at 20 as well, really, yes, awesome.
Well, it's not awesome but Imean it's cool to have that Like
I'm terrified for my 10 yearanniversary.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, Um, I'm not going to lie on the.
For me, the first one was notthat bad, the second one was not
that bad.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
The second one was pretty bad.
The second one was bad for metoo.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Ten years I haven't really thought about it I'm I
kind of pushed things to theback of my mind.
So cause I mean, I you know,you just have to deal with it.
Like there's not really a lotof people that understand what
it kind of is like to go throughsomething where you were
walking and now you're not, socan you explain this near death
(02:27):
experience, what happened?
Whenever I woke up, I was likeI said.
I was in a coma, in a lifesupport, for about a month when
I woke up.
Yeah, jesus and I remember themtaking the trach out of my
throat.
That's the first memory I haveafter about a month and I'll
never forget that feeling, um,because I'd pulled my feeding
tube out.
So they just was like, well,we're gonna see if she can.
(02:51):
What?
Yeah, she pulls my feeding tubeout.
Um, they were like it was amedically induced coma.
So they hadn't given me mymedicine yet and I was starting
to wake up, pulled my feedingtube out so the doctor was like,
hey, let's see if she canbreathe on her own were you
driving?
no, I was a passenger.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
So was I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
And that was kind of the worst part for me is I was a
passenger with my stepdad, whoI was taking care of at the time
.
He had a stroke and the worstpart for me, honestly, was
outside of just getting better,was the legal side of it,
because where I live they don'treally care about people who
(03:32):
look different.
I live in a very racist part ofgeorgia, um, so it's, it was a
battle.
I knew it was going to be abattle, um, because I grew up
with racism all around me, so Iknew it was going to be a battle
.
I didn't know I was going tolose the battle but, um, like,
the construction company neverhad to pay anything, like it was
(03:53):
just, it was what it was.
They got off scotch free neverowed a dime.
So that was the worst part thebetrayal of it.
Um, and then obviously,learning life one-handed and
left-handed was hard.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Can you explain that a little more?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, so basically with my brachial plexus injury,
there's four nerves put out ofmy spinal cord and my hand it
honestly kind of looks like aquad hand is what a lot of
people say.
So I don't have a lot ofmovement.
People say so I don't have alot of movement.
(04:33):
I have about 30 pounds of gripstrength now but, um, I've had a
couple of surgeries wherethey've basically rerouted
everything in my arm to work asa pulley system wow so when my
wrist goes down, my fingers open.
When it goes back, it closes,just to give me a little bit of
functionality and I do good.
I mean, I taught myself how toredo everything that I've ever
done, plus.
Um, I built guitars for years.
(04:56):
Um, so I learned I don't know,I can't play it, but I can build
hard body hard body.
Electric and bass guitars I canbuild, so yeah, you gotta build
me one oh, we could definitely.
We can definitely build you onefor sure.
Uh, I loved it.
I did it for about 10 years,and so now I just started
traveling more full-time withCorey yeah, um, can we uh get
(05:19):
into that a little bit?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
so how did you meet Corey?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
um, well, one of my best friends when I was in the
rec knew Corey and Corey waslooking for a new caregiver.
So we met and we just kind ofhit it off and one day he asked
me to go to Amsterdam, in India.
I'd never been on an airplane,I'd never even been to an
airport.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
So I was in.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
India yeah, amsterdam in India, and I was terrified
(06:08):
no-transcript.
I just ended everything.
I didn't want to be aliveanymore.
So, um well, it was just one ofthose things yeah, that's
that's grim.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
I've been in that situation 200%.
It's a terrible experience.
The person who was driving thecar for me was my best friend,
and we don't talk to this day.
Yeah, and I'm trying to makeamends with him, yeah, so, zach,
if you're listening, give me acall, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I try to make amends with him but he might have a
guilty conscience.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I kind of hijacked no , no, I mean zach, seriously it
contacting, because it takes alot, uh, being the person in the
situation, being the personthat that was hurt.
It takes a lot to get to apoint where forgiveness is oh my
god is on your heart like it.
So, zach, reach out.
(07:13):
I mean, it takes a lot to getto that point.
I mean, and like you said,you've been there to the point
where suicide was an option Ialmost hired someone to.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I almost hired someone to kill me.
Like, honestly, my friends,like I almost did it and I was,
I was like my friends said, I'llgo to jail with you.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
That's not that's not a good friend, yeah so let's uh
circle back.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So you, so you're an indian, yeah, yeah it was
life-changing.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Um, I still wasn't sure that I wanted to live, but
I knew that there was more tolook forward to, um, so, yeah,
it kind of turned in.
I think the next trip wasactually antarctica.
I my first cruise.
I'd never been on a cruise andit was a month long.
So I was like, well, I hope Idon't get seasick, but I was.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Uh, it's a month long cory just said do you want to
go to an article?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
yeah, he was like you want to go, like we need.
You know his mom gets seasick.
He was like it's a month longand it's going through the drake
passage, which is the roughestwater in the world, and I'm like
sure, why not?
And dude, that is awesome.
Yeah, that is so cool all of myfirst have been pretty extreme.
I will say it's uh, so you goto india there you go to
(08:34):
antarctica.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, what's been your favorite so far with cory?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
um, my favorite would have to be india.
Just because of, just becauseof the humanity I mean, it's a
lot of those people don't haveanything but they.
You don't see people that arehungry over there, because they
will give you anything that theyhave and it's it's unbelievable
(08:59):
to see something so vastlydifferent than america culture
shock yeah mean they're just sokind, and I think that a lot of
us kind of had a perception or Iknow where I come from, since
it is so just backwards racistlike you, india, not because I
(09:26):
knew anything about Muslimpeople, just because I had been
conditioned that way and didn'treally realize it.
But that is my favorite countryand every Muslim country I've
ever visited.
I feel safer in that countrythan I would feel walking around
in towns in America.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Wow, well, for everybody listening, make sure
you check out India, becauseit's not as bad as people say.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Exactly, it is life-changing.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Would you say, corey changed your life.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say that in some ways, yeah, just, it was
kind of like the perfect stormus meeting and him needing a
caregiver and wanting to travelmore out you know, outside the
States it was kind of a perfectstorm.
And then plus also like seeinghis you know, just seeing him
(10:20):
overcome a lot of things, likeit's incredible because I can
still walk and I can't imaginesome of the things that he's
done not being able to walk, youknow.
So, and I've definitely almostwent to jail a couple times over
Corey, because I get prettyprotective, that's good and we
get in some places that are yeah, it's a.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
He seems like a really really good guy.
Yeah, I'm super happy he cameinto your life.
Really good guy, and I'm superhappy he came into your life.
It seems very likeserendipitous.
You guys were able to like cometogether and you're able to
help each other.
I feel like people come intoyour life like yeah, for a good
reason absolutely my personalassistant.
(11:03):
I'm very grateful for her.
She does everything under hissun for me and she makes sure my
life's great, and I'm prettysure you make sure Corey's life
is great.
So I'm told I gotta wrap this up, but is there anything you
would like to say to the peopleout there?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Well, for one, zach, reach out, because it takes a
lot of forgiveness for someonewho has been on the other end of
an accident.
It takes a lot.
So please reach out, and I meanI think what you're doing is
great.
If you guys want to follow me,I have a website too.
It's called Country toCountries, and you can find me
(11:45):
anywhere.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah at Racist.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Exactly, there you go yeah yeah, because I got
stronger words for it, but we'renot going to say it on the
podcast if you guys enjoyed thiscontent, please like, comment
and subscribe and, as always,take a breath thank you so much,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I try to keep it cool .
All you lames keep it bogus.
I head on a swivel looking outfor the locust.
Thank you, see you.
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