February 2, 2024 • 51 mins
In this episode, Tony Hernandez Pumarejo had the honor and privilege of interviewing Shane Campfield. He is an autistic self advocate and has a unique life story to tell. Shane has a unique job in regards to celebrities and we talk about Autism as well.
You don’t want to miss this episode! Tune in now to listen to this interview.
Shane Campfield’s resources:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.campfield.3
Instagram: @scamp_parsons76
Hurdle: Hurdle | Orlando FL
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Say if you want to try to make music or if you want to be, you know,
(00:04):
a self advocate for yourself or for other people, you know,
take a step out of your comfort zone.
It is going to be hard, but again, it's going to be worth the risks.
I mean, don't be afraid of failing.
And if something doesn't go right, you know, it's not the end of the world.
No, just get back up and try again.
Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo writer and author professional and motivational speaker.
(00:36):
TV presenter, life coach, an international ambassador for autism and mental health.
He's proud to invite you to his podcast.
My time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
(00:58):
Hi, and welcome to this new episode of my time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
And this is your host, Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
And today I have a very special guest, a, you know, I have a great friend,
a fellow autistic self advocate who has a unique, you know, story to tell.
You know, that I personally, I wanted to learn more about for a very long time.
(01:19):
And the work that he does, you know, sometimes he makes me like, I have to say,
jealous because he meets so many interesting people, you know, celebrities.
And, you know, his story is one of the kind.
So I had the honor of interviewing today.
You know, his name is Shane Canfield.
He's here based in Orlando, in Florida.
He was diagnosed with autism.
He's a very good friend of mine.
(01:41):
He's based in Orlando, in Florida. He was diagnosed with autism at age seven or in 2002.
He has gone through a lot of struggles, which we're going to learn more about doing this interview.
And he does different jobs as a photographer, influencer, entrepreneur, public speaker, advocate, so much more.
So I would like to welcome Shane Canfield to our podcast, My Time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
(02:08):
Thank you, Shane, for participating in this interview.
I really appreciate it.
Of course.
And thank you for having me.
I'm very glad that we finally have this going, you know, really happy.
Definitely.
And this is not something like what's new.
We talk about this for some time.
I have to say, in years, because, you know, I've been very curious about your work.
(02:31):
I had to be honest, jealous because you meet different, you know, celebrities.
So I had to be honest.
I had to be honest here.
So but before we get to that work that you do, I always ask this question, Shane.
And I want to start with this question.
If you can define the life of Shane Canfield in just a few words.
(02:57):
Let's see here.
It would be kindness, energetic, sporadic, empathy, and I would say.
Maybe learning, like I'm always open to learning new things.
(03:22):
Okay.
And so that's what describes your life.
You know, like in school, you learn from the different experiences.
You are very curious individual.
You want to learn about different things.
And I think that's what that's also I can describe your life, you know, based on what
I've known about you and the work that you have done.
(03:43):
So going back to a little bit about your story, you were born 98, you know, you're 28, right?
You're 20 years.
Yes.
Okay.
You were born diagnosed with autism.
If you could talk a little bit about your child.
Who family, you know, what you were, what you were going through as you were growing up.
So pretty much when I was diagnosed around 2002, my parents weren't really familiar with
(04:10):
what autism was.
I mean, they did the best they can, you know, bless their heart.
But, you know, I will always love them, but just, you know, their ways weren't really
the best, you know, I mean, I learned that like later on in life and, you know, I will
(04:32):
always miss them.
But yeah, it's kind of complicated.
I mean, we did a lot of, you know, stuff together, like, you know, Disney World, you know, Universal
and all that.
My parents were really like theme park enthusiasts and that kind of, you know, rubbed off on me,
you know, to really, you know, just getting out there doing different things and, you
(04:54):
know, like being very sporadic.
So, you know, I'm really thankful for, you know, having that engraved in my personality.
But as for the autism part, I mean, there wasn't really a lot of support until like
2007 after my mother passed away.
When I was taken into UCF Card, you know, with Terry Daly as a director now and just,
(05:23):
you know, they kind of helped my dad kind of really take care of me in a way, like provide,
oh, well, this is what you need to do when he has this behavior, like, oh, take away
his PlayStation and, you know, this is, you know, what you need to do to have like more
of a structure.
You know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And it's very interesting what you mentioned because, you know, you were diagnosed in 2002
(05:48):
and autism, we can say, it wasn't as mainstream as it is today.
Today we have autism everywhere.
Social media, TV shows, movies, here and there, events, awareness, acceptance, neurodivergence,
all of that.
But back then, you know, you were diagnosed in 2002, in my case, I was diagnosed in the
(06:11):
early 90s, you know, when I was three.
So even less, you know, it was talk about autism.
And it's very interesting what you mentioned, you know, what you went through.
Sadly, your mom passed away and that had an impact in your life.
And so is your dad still with you today?
Unfortunately, not.
(06:34):
He passed away in 2010, as soon as I was going into high school.
So that was kind of like a double whammy in a way, kind of like, well, I got thrust into
like the new world of, you know, being a high school freshman and understanding, you know,
that type of setting.
And then, you know, with him passing away, it kind of like was really double for me.
(06:55):
And just, you know, I mean, it was the waters were kind of rough.
Waters were kind of rough during the next few years after that.
But, you know, I got through it and just, you know, I would say it's not like completely
healed.
It never will be, you know, but just learning to cope with it, I think, is the key.
(07:19):
Know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And I cannot imagine, you know, losing both of your parents at such a young age, you know,
it must have been very heartbreaking and tough.
But I think that, you know, for you to overcome that and you continue to overcome that every
day, you know, speaks about, you know, your strength and, you know, and I'm a person of
faith.
(07:39):
I mean, I believe that God has guided you through those rough times and those in different
situations in your life to become the person that you are today.
And I know that and they overcome that, those experiences.
Shane, when you were growing up in school, do you have any challenges or like, you know,
(08:01):
any difficulty making friends in school?
Yeah, I did.
I was very hyperactive because I was also diagnosed with ADHD.
There's normally, you know, a lot of the time if you are diagnosed with autism, you know,
there's like normally something else that goes with that.
Like in my case, there's ADHD.
(08:22):
And so I had a hard, hard time focusing, like doing my work and, you know, just interacting
with different, my student, fellow students, you know, and I didn't really have that many,
you know, friends growing up.
I'm not going to be honest.
But, you know, again, I mean, this goes back to what my parents, you know, tried to do
(08:48):
is when I was in fifth grade, the school that I was at, they didn't really have any, you
know, major support, you know, for disabilities.
But, you know, they fortunately, you know, did take me out of that school to like, and
I went to another elementary school that did have, you know, one of those support programs.
(09:08):
And so the last year of elementary school was a lot better than what I've experienced,
you know, through the past four years in the school, you know?
Yeah, it's been, I imagine it was not easy at all, you know, to deal with those challenges,
especially with ADHD, autism, and any other condition.
(09:31):
And what helped you to overcome those challenges in school?
What helped you to keep moving ahead in life as you were growing up, especially in school?
So, it was more like having other people there, you know, and letting me know that I was never
alone.
That's the major thing, you know, because even when both parents did pass away, you
(09:53):
know, I'm really thankful that I had, you know, the support system around me because
unfortunately, you know, a lot of people don't really have like a good support system to
help them.
And so just, you know, I kind of did put my faith, you know, in God, you know, I mean,
I'm not very religious or very spiritual, but, you know, I do believe that, you know,
(10:17):
out there that there is like, you know, something positive for me and, you know, something,
you know, greater that's happening.
And so...
Yeah, very proud of what you have done.
I mean, you're a very perseverant individual that, you know, dealing with so much difficult
circumstances, you know, keep moving ahead and be able to grow.
(10:37):
And that's why it's helped you to survive in this life, which is not easy.
It's even less, it's more difficult for people that are different, especially like us, you
know, as autistic, you know, as autistic individuals.
And Shane, obviously, you know, you're going from school, you know, how was, you know,
going to your, you know, you went to college, you know, have that college experience as
(11:02):
well?
I don't really have a college experience yet.
I mean, that is in the books for me in the next couple of years.
That's like one of my next steps that I want to try to do.
But right after I graduated high school, I just kind of went right to work.
(11:22):
College just didn't seem, you know, right at the time for me.
So I think that that time is pretty much coming up really soon.
And, you know, I can't wait to experience that.
Definitely.
And I wish you success once you go to college to do that work.
That will be amazing.
Shane, do you had, you know, after going to high school, employment experience?
(11:49):
You can tell us how was your first job with the public?
Yes.
So my first job was gotten through VR, vocational rehabilitation.
There are great organizations that, you know, helps those, disability or not, you know,
to really, you know, find work and to find, you know, what really is your best, you know,
(12:11):
stronghold and, you know, your best like-smitted job.
And so my first one was at a breakfast lunch diner in a way.
Have you heard of Kiki's Restaurant?
Breakfast Cafe?
I have.
I have.
Yeah, they're so good.
They're really good.
And so my first job was back in the kitchen.
(12:33):
Not the most glamorous job, but, you know, a job is a job.
It was the addition.
But yeah, it was fun.
I kind of struggled a little bit at it because I wasn't really, you know, familiar with,
you know, the kitchen setting and well, this is what, you know, how the job leaves you
to be done and, you know, just, you know, different people there didn't really, you
(12:54):
know, teach things the right way.
And so, but overall, it was a good experience on me.
Unfortunately, it didn't really last that long because they ended up, you know, moving
from the home I had throughout my whole high school career.
You know, I moved to downtown Orlando, you know, where I'm at now.
(13:16):
You know, working at those jobs, which require a lot of work and a lot of time,
allows, you know, you know, social communication with your customers, you know, very fast
paced environment.
And I can relate to that, even though I never worked in the restaurant business, but I work
in customer service and retail in this case, I work in, you know, doing cashier sales,
(13:38):
you know, talking with people.
And a lot of times, you know, if it is so fast paced, you know, I can get a bit anxious.
I don't know.
I'm assuming the same thing happens with you that you can get overwhelmed with everything
that's going on.
But I think that the thing about those jobs that, you know, in my case, what helped me
was that those jobs are repetitive long term.
(13:59):
So, you know, keep doing the same thing that you're doing, you know, and you're able to
do the job very well.
That's what I've always believed, you know, they say about autistic individuals that they
have repetitive skills, but those repetitive skills can be, you know, useful in a very
positive way.
Yeah.
And it's funny you mentioned that.
I see like a big improvement from my first job I had back there at Kiki's to all the
(14:24):
way up to working for all major theme parks in Orlando, because I worked for both or for
Universal, SeaWorld and Disney World, you know, like right there, you know, in front of, you
know, the guests and interacting with them, you know, and, you know, I really loved it.
You know, I didn't really struggle too much, you know, that aspect of it.
And, you know, I'm, thank you for reminding me, pat myself on the back, you know, because
(14:49):
something, you know, from that end of the spectrum to all the way at the other end,
you know, is a great improvement.
Definitely.
And I think a lot of times, and I talk about this with parents, and I'm assuming, you know,
you do too, in terms of you have to get your children out of their comfort zones.
You have to put them in situations that they had to grow because, you know, you know, you
(15:13):
know, your situation is, you know, was a very tough situation, what you went through, you
know, growing up as a child to adult.
Sure, you may have the best support system right now, but the reality is that your parents
may not be here, you know, will not be here forever.
That's the reality.
And one day that child will grow as an adult.
(15:33):
And then, God willing, if they have a great support system, great, if not, then what's
going to happen with them?
And that continues to increase every year.
Right.
And that's the whole point of me having HURDL, my Motivational Speaking Group.
Yeah, just, you know, getting out of your comfort zone and just, you know, really getting
(15:54):
yourself out there, you know, and trying new things, you know, I think is the main goal
for HURDL, you know, not just for ourselves, but for everybody else.
Definitely.
And I'm glad that you mentioned about HURDL.
If you can go a little bit deeper about what it is for our audience.
Absolutely.
So HURDL is an acronym for Hard Work, Understanding, Realization, Determination,
(16:22):
Leadership, and Education.
Because me and my business partner, Edward Couture, he also has autism.
And so just him and I have very similar stories.
And so, you know, we've been friends for about maybe two to three years at this point.
You know, and then we're both like, hey, wait a second.
We're both looking for something to do, you know, to express our interests and kind of,
(16:46):
you know, spread the positivity and light in the world.
And so let's try to create, you know, a concept.
And so we came up with HURDL.
And so that goal is to, you know, go around to different, you know, schools, expos,
conventions, and, you know, even a YouTube series, which we're about to get started.
(17:07):
We're very excited for that called Spectrum of HURDLs.
You know, check it out when it comes out.
Oh, definitely.
But yeah, and, you know, it's still in the beginning stages right now.
We have had a couple of speaking engagements, you know, like Special Hards Farm,
which is like a locally owned actual farm, you know, to help those, you know, who do
(17:32):
have disabilities and, you know, like doing farm work, like taking care of the chickens,
you know, taking care of, you know, different animals, like that type of lifestyle.
Well, definitely.
I'm assuming that, you know, I know that your work that you guys have done has been impactful.
And it's only beginning.
I understand this is something that is in the beginning phase, you know, but you guys
(17:55):
are looking towards expanding, you know, across the country, eventually international, you know.
So I would definitely put information about HURDL once this episode gets published,
so that way people can go look at it and support your guys' initiative.
Thank you.
But yeah, we're about two years old right now, since we formed it.
(18:19):
And I think we're doing pretty well.
You know, I'm happy, you know, at what we accomplished so far.
And, you know, it's just the beginning.
And, you know, the goal is to, you know, reach the nation and eventually the world.
Definitely.
That sounds great.
And something that I wanted to ask you, you know, talking about, you know, your friend
(18:40):
that you met, that your business partners with, you know, obviously making friends
as an autistic individual is not easy, you know, even more for us, especially as adults.
And it's something that I had to say myself, I had struggles making, you know, true friends,
not, you know, you can make, there's one thing, one thing's a friend, other thing's a friend.
A lot of times we kind of exchange those words.
(19:04):
And some person may say it's a friend, it's not true, it's not really a friend.
It's just an acquaintance or a contact.
And this is something I struggle with, you know, I'm being open with you and everybody
that is listening.
If you have any tips or any recommendations, not only, obviously not only for me, but for
(19:25):
people that are listening, this podcast about making friends as an adult, what would those
recommendations be?
Kind of observe how people act.
Like it can be kind of hard to pick up on, you know, different social cues and, you know,
how people react to certain statements and, you know, like how they really interact with
(19:50):
you in a way.
This is just my opinion.
Like, I'm going to be honest, it is kind of hard to kind of differentiate, well, this
person's a true friend versus, you know, this person is, oh, well, they'll be nice to you,
you know, like maybe a co-worker or something, but like they're not really like considered
(20:11):
your friend.
But yeah, I just recommend just really observing how people are, if that makes sense.
Definitely.
And to learn, you know, not to be able to make them earn your trust and always be mindful
about who you give your trust to people.
(20:32):
And especially today, you know, we have with social media and so much fakery that is like,
you know, sometimes they can get under my skin.
And it can be annoying and this contributes to mental health.
So, so definitely, it definitely is.
And, and, you know, your story, you know, I met you Shane a couple of years ago, I think
(20:52):
was one of our support groups for autistics in Orlando.
And I know that we have kept in touch and, you know, I'm very proud of what you do and
the work that you have done and you have you have grown to do all these things.
And this is only the beginning.
And, and the work that I just went, we're going to go through this right now is, you
know, Shane has an interesting job of meeting different celebrities from over the country
(21:20):
and places around the world.
And I just wanted to ask you, you know, how did this, you know, begin?
You know, was it through your hobbies?
When do you, when, when do you have a vision about meeting celebrities?
How did this happen?
How did it came to be?
Well, first it started off with my dad, you know, back in 2010, right before he passed
(21:43):
away, actually, like I'm a big fan of Lady Gaga, you know, and just, I was going to that
concert and so I don't know where he got this idea from.
I guess he must've tried it himself at some point in time, but he's like, oh yeah, do
you want to meet her?
Like, there's a way to do that.
Like there are certain, you know, areas to wait at and certain like places to be, you
(22:06):
know, to meet these people.
I'm like, oh, okay, let's try it.
Unfortunately, you know, it didn't work out then.
I mean, I did see her, but not really.
It's kind of complicated, but you know, ever since then, you know, I kept it like in
the back of my mind saying, okay, it would be so cool to actually, you know, do this,
you know, either for a living or do it like, you know, consistently, you know?
(22:27):
And so, yeah, I went through high school and then, you know, my young adulthood, you
know, I'm still a young adult, but you know, just when I became more independent, you
know, I'm like, you know what?
I'm going to try this, you know?
So I went out there and I was successful at it.
You know, I think I went for Maroon 5 and Tove Lo at the Amway Center here in Orlando.
(22:52):
And so I met one of the members, you know, like he went outside, you know, on a phone
call, you know, because the reception wasn't good or something inside the arena.
And then, you know, I got him to sign my album and then, you know, I met the opening act,
you know, and her name is Tove Lo.
I don't know if you heard of her.
I'm not sure.
I don't remember right now.
Sorry.
Oh, so I met her, you know, got a picture with her and then, you know, from that point
(23:18):
on, you know, it felt really good, you know, to meet these people, you know, I mean, I'm
not like obsessive obsessive obsessive over it because unfortunately, you know, in this
industry, you know, that I do, you know, a lot of people take things personally and this
is a really bad downside to it.
It's like, well, they have really bad attitudes.
(23:41):
It's like, well, how come you didn't tell me about this person going to be in the
hotel, you know, this time because, you know, people do make their money off of this stuff,
like getting autographs, you know, like getting certain footage of the celebrity, you know,
sending it to TMZ or whatever, you know, tabloid or news stations out there.
You know what I'm saying?
Okay.
(24:01):
And how difficult it is to do this job.
I mean, what is the ups and downs about this job, you know, to find celebrities?
I mean, how do you get into the context of this job?
To find celebrities? I mean, how do you get into the context?
You know, do you get referrals?
I don't know if you're able to share this or not, you know.
It's kind of complicated.
(24:22):
I'm going to try to sum it up the best I can.
So pretty much you can get like hotel information from different people like, oh, well, I know
let's say Katy Perry is going to be at, you know, this Disney Hotel.
So just, you know, go there and then either she says, yes, yeah, I could take a picture
with you or yeah, I can sign that or, you know, you get a no, you know.
(24:44):
So a lot of people do take it personally, you know, like when this person doesn't want
to sign anything or they weren't very nice about it.
So like, yeah, I don't like them anymore.
So, you know, that's the main mindset in this whole industry.
But, you know, I try not to have that kind of a mindset, you know, like I just take it
with a grain of salt.
(25:04):
They say no.
Oh, well, if they say yes, then, you know, great.
Awesome.
You know, and there really is a 50-50 success failure rate in this whole thing.
It's like, you know, you get the info or they don't show up, you know, like for example,
if you have like a flight coming in, you know, Delta flight from Los Angeles,
(25:27):
like I'm trying to think how you would really get that info.
Like you either know somebody there, you know, who works for Delta, you know,
and they tell you, oh, well, so-and-so is going to be, you know, on this flight coming in.
So go ahead and be there, you know.
And sometimes it's not always accurate.
(25:49):
It's like, well, they didn't show up for the flight and, you know,
they got on a different flight and it's like very, you know, hectic.
You know what I'm saying?
I imagine, you know, you have to be on the move because it's a very high demanding position.
And yes, you mentioned, I mean, you know, overall, you know, it can be summarized,
you know, don't take it personally, you know, no expectations, no disappointments.
(26:13):
Exactly.
I just do it for the fun of it, you know, and if they're nice to you, then, you know, then great.
If not, then, you know, oh, well.
You know, and there are actually times where, you know, a person is, you know, really mean,
like, oh, no, no, don't bother me right now.
I'm here, you know, and then the next time I try for them, you know, oh, yeah, sure.
(26:37):
Let's take a picture.
Yeah, oh, okay.
I can sign that for you.
So it's very weird.
So like, you don't know what to expect in this whole game.
And I'm assuming, Shane, that you have like a business card or something to keep in track
of all these people, all those connections that you make in this job.
It doesn't really work like that.
(26:58):
It's more like you work for yourself, like in either selling an autograph, you know,
like on eBay or like getting something signed, you know, for somebody else and they pay you
for that, you know, either they split the profit of, you know, the thing or item that was sold
or like they pay you right there on the spot, you know, like, oh, you know, you know,
(27:20):
like, oh, how's $50 off of making after getting a $500 guitar, you know, something like that.
Okay.
And I want to ask you, can anybody, you know, you know, if we have somebody,
someone who is washing or and is interested in doing this job,
(27:40):
do you have a recommendation or suggestion in terms of doing this job?
That is a good question.
Because it's not just black and white with this type of thing.
I'm trying to think.
I would say if you think that the info, you know, that you have like, oh, well,
(28:01):
so-and-so's at this hotel or, you know, oh, well, they're going to be at this venue.
Let's go stand in the back.
No, then I would say take the chance, you know, because it might be worth it.
It may not be worth it.
You know, I mean, you never know if you try.
That's how I see it.
My friend, yeah, you have to be proactive and, you know, not only in this job or any type of,
(28:22):
you know, any type of business or any goal that you set out to do,
you have to put in the work.
You have to take the risks and you have been, you've done that amazingly,
you know, getting to the people, you know, sometimes, you know, I wonder,
and I see your pictures on social media.
It's like, okay, how does Shane do this?
I shot this meeting with different people and especially connecting with celebrities
(28:47):
with some of my favorite hobbies when I was a kid, you know, Star Wars,
but more wrestling, especially wrestling.
Yes.
These are some of the hobbies that you had as a child or we were different hobbies?
Yeah, you know, all the stuff and all the people that I, you know,
try to meet is something that I've always had a love for, you know, like,
(29:10):
like what you said, you know, I loved wrestling growing up as a kid.
I still do to this day.
I love Star Wars, you know, the sci-fi genre, movies, music, you name it.
I'm not really into sports.
I mean, I think the sports people are more easier to meet than, you know,
like the actors and, you know, the musicians, like, you know, for example,
(29:35):
a quarterback, not quarterback,
a tight end, you know, football player on the Tampa Buccaneers versus meeting Taylor Swift.
Like, who do you think is going to be easier to meet?
Definitely.
I mean, it's very interesting because, you know, I saw different pictures with different wrestlers.
I mean, and different people, you know, I, you know, I don't follow wrestling actively
(29:59):
today as I did before.
I liked the wrestling in the late 90s, early 2000s.
That for me, that was the best period of wrestling.
You know, I think I'm not the only one who says that, but, you know, but I still like to,
but well, I like wrestling.
I follow, look, one of my hobbies that I have is very nostalgic things.
(30:20):
Whether I go back to watch wrestling from the classics or watch Star Wars or do things that
I used to have in a kid.
That's what I like to do.
It's an interesting hobby, like nostalgic hobby.
Some people may call it like that.
I mean, I'm going to ask you different, you know, looking at the pictures, you met different
people.
(30:40):
I'm going to ask, I'm going to drop some names to see if you met, if you took a picture with
him over her.
You met Vince McMahon?
I think you did.
I have, yes.
How was that experience?
He's nice.
He normally does sign, you know, whatever you have, but unfortunately, you know, like
(31:04):
he's getting older and, you know, like he's getting more and more frail.
I met him about maybe three or four years ago, like right a little bit after COVID.
It was when they were still doing the Thunderdome, you know, that whole virtual thing, you know,
in Tampa.
And so I was at the hotel because I found out the hotel, you know, all the wrestlers
(31:26):
were staying at.
And fortunately, you know, he was staying at that one, you know, with his limousine
out front.
He comes out, hey, Mr. McMahon, you know, can you sign?
There's only like there were four of us, you know, he looks at us, you know, doesn't really
say anything.
So he's walking to the limo.
(31:47):
And so we follow him, you know, I mean, again, you know, some of this stuff, you know, can
be kind of taboo in a way like, oh, well, you stalk people, you know, oh, well, you know,
you chase after them, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, but we'll get into that in a second.
And so we get up there, you know, he turns around.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(32:07):
Like, he kept like huffing and puffing, like, you know, he was having a hard time breathing
because, you know, it was so hot out there that day, very humid.
It was like in the middle of summer.
And he's like, okay, all right, all right.
And then he got in the car.
I mean, he wasn't rude or mean or anything like that, but, you know, just getting to,
(32:31):
you know, have that experience of, you know, like, you know, meeting him, you know, like
they're saying, oh, I appreciate you, you know, I think it's worth it.
You know, again, it's to each his own, you know, how you what you get from the experience.
It's like, well, if you couldn't say, you know, everything you wanted to say to this
person, then, you know, it's not worth it.
Or if they didn't really, you know, pay too much attention to it, then it was kind of
(32:55):
negative.
But, you know, I try not to look at it like that.
I mean, I do get that mindset sometimes, believe me, it's really hard, you know, but at the
end of the day, you know, just I'm really grateful that, you know, even met the person,
you know what I'm saying?
You know, it must be a true honor and privilege, an honor of life to have met this person,
(33:16):
this man that you've followed for years.
I mean, the creator, let's put it in the mean of modern wrestling.
Let's put it that way.
Yeah.
I mean, and I was truly amazed.
I mean, when you met him, I was like, oh, wait, I mean, Shane did this?
Amazing.
I mean, I have so many people that I want that I could ask you and we can be here all
(33:41):
night, to be honest, if you met them or not.
And Bret Hart, Bret Hart, that you met him?
Bret Hart?
No, not yet.
No.
Okay.
You need to meet him.
You need to find a way to meet him.
Stone Cold Steve, Stone Cold Steve Austin?
No, not that one.
Dwayne Johnson, Dwayne Johnson.
(34:04):
My friends have met him.
I haven't yet.
I haven't encountered an opportunity to meet him just yet, but that will come one.
Just wait and see.
It came me posted about that one.
The Undertaker?
Yes, for sure.
I have met The Undertaker.
Yes.
(34:25):
Oh, wow.
He was okay.
He's really tall.
He's about like six foot 10, close to seven feet, if not seven feet.
He doesn't really say much.
I'm not saying like he's mean or not really friendly.
It's like The Undertaker on TV sometimes, something like that.
(34:48):
Kind of, yeah, in a way.
That's good.
And the Divas, tell me about the Divas.
I mean, from the past to present and what's going on today because I don't pay too much
attention to wrestling.
You mean the Divas in wrestling or just like...
Yeah, the Divas that you have met have been.
If you can tell me.
(35:08):
Okay, yeah.
Just yesterday, actually, I was at an AEW show and I met Paige, you know, slash Saraya.
I don't know if you know who that is.
He sounds familiar.
Yeah, it sounds familiar.
I remember.
Yeah, she's like one of the popular ones nowadays.
Not like back then to where this set of ladies were really popular in her heyday,
(35:32):
but now she's one of the top ones to meet.
But she was really nice.
Of course, it's great to meet like the old school women, but at the same time,
they've been in the business for a long, long time.
(35:53):
And so like that interaction with the fans kind of got kind of old in a way.
It's like, okay, well, you meet fans.
Let's say, okay, if you're just starting out as a wrestler, you know, oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, I'm going to meet all my fans.
I'm going to take time for each and every person.
You know, let's say you do that for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years even, you know,
(36:16):
that kind of gets, you know, kind of tiring and, you know, unrepetitive.
And so that kind of, you know, like makes that, that...
How do I explain this?
Like that pause, not positive, that magical feeling of, you know, having that interaction,
(36:36):
you know, not really there in a way, you know, because like they're not as pleasant about it.
That makes sense.
Definitely.
You know, the wrestling business, you know, again, I'm not, I've seen it from as a fan,
you know, but basically those stories that I read, it's not an easy business.
It's been a lot, you know, a lot of history, you know, struggle situations in that industry,
(36:59):
very demanding.
Yes.
And some people may say, oh, wrestling is fake, you know, but, you know, sure,
but the, you know, you take a risk doing the matches, you can get hurt.
That's a reality.
Yeah.
And a lot of times people don't realize that.
They say, oh, wrestling is fake, but the reality is that, you know, it's real.
(37:19):
The result may be predetermined, right?
But the, what you do, you know, there's a risk involved.
So, I mean, we can talk about this, you know, I would love for you to talk about this in another,
you know, in another episode about wrestling and changing from wrestling to movie to my Star Wars,
you know, I've met people from Star Wars, George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher.
(37:44):
Well, I haven't really met the top notch people just yet.
So, I'm ahead of you in that, in that department.
Because I met Carrie Fisher, I met Carrie Fisher, remember the book, remember that, about a year
before she passed away in 2016.
(38:05):
I remember her passing away around then.
And I thought I was going to go and try to meet her in Tampa because she was going to be at a
comic convention there. I'm like, oh yeah, I really want to go.
But you know, just, I guess it wasn't meant to be because, you know, ended up not really working out.
(38:27):
All right.
It's sad when she passed away, you know, to this very day, I still can't believe
that she passed away.
But I have that picture with her.
I know, right?
Yeah, I have the picture with her and her autograph.
And I value that.
That's worth to me a lot.
Same with the guy who did Archie D to Kenny, Mr. Kenny Baker, who passed away that same year.
(38:48):
And I was able to take a picture with him.
Then later, a couple of years later, the one, you know, Peter Matthew, who did Chewbacca,
I also took a picture with him a couple of years before he passed away.
So, you know, those experiences are unique.
I think it's worth a lot.
You know, it's very valuable to go to those events, you know, because I went to a couple
(39:09):
of Star Wars conventions years ago, so it's really amazing.
Yes.
Yeah.
And again, you know, each experience is going to be different, you know, like,
if I was to meet, you know, Mark Hamill, you know, and, you know, he was really nice, you know,
and the experience was great, you know, versus, you know, if you met him, you know,
(39:33):
and he wasn't really pleasant, or, you know, the experience, you know, wasn't really that great.
No, it's like, you know, you have to really go off of your own personal, you know, experience
and really what you want to get out of it.
You know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And the celebrities face a high demand in life.
It's not always pleasant.
There's a lot of demands.
There's a lot of people, you know, paparazzi, so there's a lot of people that trying to,
(39:54):
like, stalk them, you know, it's not always a pleasant life.
I mean, you know.
No, not at all.
I mean, I try to be respectful, you know, for when I do try to ask them, like, I will never,
like, go up to them at a dinner table.
Like, oh, can you sign, you know, my CD or, you know, this and this and that, you know,
(40:15):
or I know the hotel and the airport can be kind of borderline, you know, that,
what's the right word I'm looking for?
Invasion of privacy.
Is that the right word?
Yeah, invasion of privacy.
Okay.
Yeah.
But at the same time, you know, if you don't go to those places, then you can't actually
(40:40):
meet that person, you know, that's going to be feasible because, you know, some people
out there, you know, charge an arm and a leg, you know, just for meeting, you know,
and it depends on, you know, if that money is going to be worth spending or not.
If you even have the kind of money, you know.
Definitely.
It's not an easy life, but it's very interesting and we're going to appreciate you sharing
(41:02):
all of this with us, you know, with us, your perspective and experience that this has been
truly unique.
And so, so definitely I thank you for that.
You're welcome.
Yeah.
Now let's go from the celebrity world.
I know you do other things for autism and disabilities.
Tell us about your work that you do for the community.
(41:24):
Okay.
So it goes to my motivational group hurdle, which I explained earlier.
So we haven't really traveled outside of Orlando just yet.
That's the next step.
But for now, we're trying to keep things a bit local.
Like I said earlier, we went to special hearts farm and spoke there.
(41:45):
We spoke at an expo for advocacy back in August.
I forget the name of it.
Sorry, it escapes me, you know, and we had, we conjoined forces, you know, with another
young man who does have a disability.
It's a bit different.
He has cerebral palsy, you know, he's, you know, unfortunately confined to a wheelchair
(42:08):
and, you know, he's doing the best that he can.
Like he's an author now.
Like he has his own, you know, like I said, his book out.
He has like his own like little character doll, you know, like of himself.
I thought it was pretty cool, you know?
And so we like conjoined forces and we spoke at that event, you know, and just, you know,
we really made a difference, you know, and just, you know, there's not really a end goal
(42:34):
for, you know, what we want to do with Herbal, but just we want to try as many things, you
know, as we possibly can.
An idea that we have is a, well, a theater show about autism.
I mean, have you seen any of those?
I think any of the theater for autism, I see from other organizations, you know,
(42:58):
No, I mean, like in actual like play, like a show, like a story about someone who has
autism and then, you know, like maybe their experiences and having that be like, you know,
a play that we could have different actors act out.
Yeah.
I heard about different ones in other parts of the country, but I've never been to actually.
Okay.
Not yet.
Play it where we hope to do down the road.
(43:22):
And like I said before, like getting out there, like the different expos, I think is going
to be one of the main focuses right now because we have applied to, you know, different ones
around the country.
We haven't really gotten a, I guess, just yet, but I think that's a matter of time before
we do.
(43:43):
Oh, definitely.
And I know you guys have a lot of great plans ahead.
So, you know, I really, you know, for you guys to get to those goals to be able to have,
that will be truly amazing.
And Shane, as we wrap up our interview, I want to ask you as a self advocate, you know,
we talk about autism, right?
Social media, the community, society, everywhere.
(44:04):
But from your perspective and what have you seen so far in the work with the community?
What do you think is missing still in regards to autism?
What do you think that is still missing and what we need to do?
Missing?
I would say understanding.
(44:25):
Like if, okay, this person has their own needs and, you know, their own requests, you know,
like each person is different.
You know how the saying goes.
If you met one person with autism, you know, you met one person with autism, you know,
not like you met one, you meet them all.
You know, so I think just having people understand that we all have different needs and, you know,
(44:49):
just really trying to, you know, understand, you know, how we are, you know, as individuals.
You know, like, of course, you know, my needs and, you know, my struggles, you know,
are going to be different from yours.
You know what I'm saying?
Definitely.
It's different.
You know, each autistic, each person with autism has his own story, the families, and we have to
(45:13):
learn from the differences, the challenges, but also the abilities that each autistic human
being has.
I think that's the most important thing in our mission.
Yes.
And you're a great, you know, you're a great inspiration, a great example of your story
and the struggles that you have become and the success that you have and you continue to have.
And you're a goal-driven person that you have different goals is very, very inspirational.
(45:38):
And I really appreciate you for having to share your story with all of us.
But before we go, Shane, you're welcome.
But before we go, I just wanted to see if you have like a final message for society or for parents
that are watching this interview right now or autistic individuals.
What message do you want to share with us?
(45:59):
I would say don't ever be afraid of doing what you love to do.
Like, let's say if you want to try to make music or if you want to be, you know, a self-advocate for
yourself or for other people, you know, take a step out of your comfort zone.
It is going to be hard, but again, it's going to be worth the risks.
(46:20):
I mean, don't be afraid of failing.
And if something doesn't go right, you know, it's not the end of the world.
You know, just get back on your feet.
You know, just get back up and try again.
I know a lot of those on the spectrum, you know, love movies.
And, you know, maybe like they go by different quotes and, you know, like different things like that.
(46:41):
Maybe try to find a motivational like quote from, you know, a certain movie, you know,
that really gets you through something.
You know, like what I said, you know, just now about, you know, don't be afraid, you know,
pick yourself back up from like Batman Begins, you know, wonderful story, you know, about,
you know, failing, you know, like he wasn't afraid to, you know, get back up and, you know,
(47:02):
try again, you know, and, you know, that's going to be the main key, you know, dedication
and motivation.
You know, if you really find something that, you know, you're passionate about,
keep on going, you know, and then you will succeed.
Definitely.
That's the key to find something that motivates you
(47:24):
and, you know, to keep moving ahead in life.
That's the most important thing and you and your story speaks for itself and,
and, you know, and we really appreciate you, you know, sharing that with us.
Shane, if people are interested in knowing more about your work or how to support you,
do you have, you know, social media, website, or, you know, how they can reach to you and contact you?
(47:45):
For my sub-rework, if you want to, you know, take a look at, you know, all the people I've met or
that I will meet, or if you even want to, you know, maybe join me, if you want to meet, you know,
certain people, reach out to me on my, you know, Instagram, my Facebook, you know, it's under
Shane Campfield, or if you want to learn more about my, my motivational work, you know, for HURTL,
(48:05):
you know, go to the Facebook page, you know, HURTL, that's just out as HURTL.
It's going to be the logo with, you know, the different letters and different colors with the
mountain in the background, and so we have our, you know, our YouTube link there, our Linktree
website, you know, send us a message, you know, if you want to try to get involved with us,
(48:26):
because, you know, as HURTL is growing, we're also going to try to, you know, recruit more people to
be part of our group, you know, so the more the merrier, so, you know, if you really want to try
to, you know, get out there and, you know, spread your message, you know, if you really, you know,
want to try to find someone to connect with and communicate with, we are that, you know, people.
Definitely. I'm going to put all the links to your social media
(48:51):
contact, you know, once this episode gets published, so that way people can reach out to you
for more, you know, to find ways to support you. Yes. Well, Shane, I'm very happy that we did this
interview. I mean, it's truly amazing, your story. So proud of you, of what you do, and you're a great
(49:12):
guy. Thank you. And I just want to, there's always welcome, you know, always feel welcome to come
back here. I would love to talk about more about your celebrity, you know, celebrity stories in
another time, so definitely. Yeah, absolutely. Because I know we have more, but it will take us,
if we talk about all your stories, we will never leave here. We will take, we'll be here for days.
(49:35):
So, I know, right? Definitely. So Shane, thank you. I want to thank you so much for participating
in this interview, in my podcast, My Time with Tony Hernandez-Boomer. I really appreciate you,
and I wish you always the best for you and your career and life. Thank you. And, you know, as you
(49:55):
as well, you know, I really love, you know, your work that you're doing. And, you know, you really
are an inspiration to the, you know, community, you know, not just the autism community, but,
you know, I say the community in itself, you know, you're doing a wonderful job. Thank you. I really
appreciate it. Well, this is the end of another episode of My Time with Tony Hernandez-Boomer.
(50:17):
Tony hopes you liked it. If you'd like to learn more about the work Tony does, subscribe to him
on his social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, which is now X and his LinkedIn
page. You can also follow Tony on his website at TonyHernandezBoomer.com. Also, if you are interested
in getting a copy of his book, An Autism Unscripted Life, you can purchase it on Amazon or any book
(50:41):
selling platform. You can also obtain a copy through his website. So until the next time you
meet, thank you and have a wonderful day. Blessings.
Say if you want to try to make music or if you want to be, you know,
(00:04):
a self advocate for yourself or for other people, you know,
take a step out of your comfort zone.
It is going to be hard, but again, it's going to be worth the risks.
I mean, don't be afraid of failing.
And if something doesn't go right, you know, it's not the end of the world.
No, just get back up and try again.
Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo writer and author professional and motivational speaker.
(00:36):
TV presenter, life coach, an international ambassador for autism and mental health.
He's proud to invite you to his podcast.
My time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
(00:58):
Hi, and welcome to this new episode of my time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
And this is your host, Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
And today I have a very special guest, a, you know, I have a great friend,
a fellow autistic self advocate who has a unique, you know, story to tell.
You know, that I personally, I wanted to learn more about for a very long time.
(01:19):
And the work that he does, you know, sometimes he makes me like, I have to say,
jealous because he meets so many interesting people, you know, celebrities.
And, you know, his story is one of the kind.
So I had the honor of interviewing today.
You know, his name is Shane Canfield.
He's here based in Orlando, in Florida.
He was diagnosed with autism.
He's a very good friend of mine.
(01:41):
He's based in Orlando, in Florida. He was diagnosed with autism at age seven or in 2002.
He has gone through a lot of struggles, which we're going to learn more about doing this interview.
And he does different jobs as a photographer, influencer, entrepreneur, public speaker, advocate, so much more.
So I would like to welcome Shane Canfield to our podcast, My Time with Tony Hernandez, Pumarejo.
(02:08):
Thank you, Shane, for participating in this interview.
I really appreciate it.
Of course.
And thank you for having me.
I'm very glad that we finally have this going, you know, really happy.
Definitely.
And this is not something like what's new.
We talk about this for some time.
I have to say, in years, because, you know, I've been very curious about your work.
(02:31):
I had to be honest, jealous because you meet different, you know, celebrities.
So I had to be honest.
I had to be honest here.
So but before we get to that work that you do, I always ask this question, Shane.
And I want to start with this question.
If you can define the life of Shane Canfield in just a few words.
(02:57):
Let's see here.
It would be kindness, energetic, sporadic, empathy, and I would say.
Maybe learning, like I'm always open to learning new things.
(03:22):
Okay.
And so that's what describes your life.
You know, like in school, you learn from the different experiences.
You are very curious individual.
You want to learn about different things.
And I think that's what that's also I can describe your life, you know, based on what
I've known about you and the work that you have done.
(03:43):
So going back to a little bit about your story, you were born 98, you know, you're 28, right?
You're 20 years.
Yes.
Okay.
You were born diagnosed with autism.
If you could talk a little bit about your child.
Who family, you know, what you were, what you were going through as you were growing up.
So pretty much when I was diagnosed around 2002, my parents weren't really familiar with
(04:10):
what autism was.
I mean, they did the best they can, you know, bless their heart.
But, you know, I will always love them, but just, you know, their ways weren't really
the best, you know, I mean, I learned that like later on in life and, you know, I will
(04:32):
always miss them.
But yeah, it's kind of complicated.
I mean, we did a lot of, you know, stuff together, like, you know, Disney World, you know, Universal
and all that.
My parents were really like theme park enthusiasts and that kind of, you know, rubbed off on me,
you know, to really, you know, just getting out there doing different things and, you
(04:54):
know, like being very sporadic.
So, you know, I'm really thankful for, you know, having that engraved in my personality.
But as for the autism part, I mean, there wasn't really a lot of support until like
2007 after my mother passed away.
When I was taken into UCF Card, you know, with Terry Daly as a director now and just,
(05:23):
you know, they kind of helped my dad kind of really take care of me in a way, like provide,
oh, well, this is what you need to do when he has this behavior, like, oh, take away
his PlayStation and, you know, this is, you know, what you need to do to have like more
of a structure.
You know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And it's very interesting what you mentioned because, you know, you were diagnosed in 2002
(05:48):
and autism, we can say, it wasn't as mainstream as it is today.
Today we have autism everywhere.
Social media, TV shows, movies, here and there, events, awareness, acceptance, neurodivergence,
all of that.
But back then, you know, you were diagnosed in 2002, in my case, I was diagnosed in the
(06:11):
early 90s, you know, when I was three.
So even less, you know, it was talk about autism.
And it's very interesting what you mentioned, you know, what you went through.
Sadly, your mom passed away and that had an impact in your life.
And so is your dad still with you today?
Unfortunately, not.
(06:34):
He passed away in 2010, as soon as I was going into high school.
So that was kind of like a double whammy in a way, kind of like, well, I got thrust into
like the new world of, you know, being a high school freshman and understanding, you know,
that type of setting.
And then, you know, with him passing away, it kind of like was really double for me.
(06:55):
And just, you know, I mean, it was the waters were kind of rough.
Waters were kind of rough during the next few years after that.
But, you know, I got through it and just, you know, I would say it's not like completely
healed.
It never will be, you know, but just learning to cope with it, I think, is the key.
(07:19):
Know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And I cannot imagine, you know, losing both of your parents at such a young age, you know,
it must have been very heartbreaking and tough.
But I think that, you know, for you to overcome that and you continue to overcome that every
day, you know, speaks about, you know, your strength and, you know, and I'm a person of
faith.
(07:39):
I mean, I believe that God has guided you through those rough times and those in different
situations in your life to become the person that you are today.
And I know that and they overcome that, those experiences.
Shane, when you were growing up in school, do you have any challenges or like, you know,
(08:01):
any difficulty making friends in school?
Yeah, I did.
I was very hyperactive because I was also diagnosed with ADHD.
There's normally, you know, a lot of the time if you are diagnosed with autism, you know,
there's like normally something else that goes with that.
Like in my case, there's ADHD.
(08:22):
And so I had a hard, hard time focusing, like doing my work and, you know, just interacting
with different, my student, fellow students, you know, and I didn't really have that many,
you know, friends growing up.
I'm not going to be honest.
But, you know, again, I mean, this goes back to what my parents, you know, tried to do
(08:48):
is when I was in fifth grade, the school that I was at, they didn't really have any, you
know, major support, you know, for disabilities.
But, you know, they fortunately, you know, did take me out of that school to like, and
I went to another elementary school that did have, you know, one of those support programs.
(09:08):
And so the last year of elementary school was a lot better than what I've experienced,
you know, through the past four years in the school, you know?
Yeah, it's been, I imagine it was not easy at all, you know, to deal with those challenges,
especially with ADHD, autism, and any other condition.
(09:31):
And what helped you to overcome those challenges in school?
What helped you to keep moving ahead in life as you were growing up, especially in school?
So, it was more like having other people there, you know, and letting me know that I was never
alone.
That's the major thing, you know, because even when both parents did pass away, you
(09:53):
know, I'm really thankful that I had, you know, the support system around me because
unfortunately, you know, a lot of people don't really have like a good support system to
help them.
And so just, you know, I kind of did put my faith, you know, in God, you know, I mean,
I'm not very religious or very spiritual, but, you know, I do believe that, you know,
(10:17):
out there that there is like, you know, something positive for me and, you know, something,
you know, greater that's happening.
And so...
Yeah, very proud of what you have done.
I mean, you're a very perseverant individual that, you know, dealing with so much difficult
circumstances, you know, keep moving ahead and be able to grow.
(10:37):
And that's why it's helped you to survive in this life, which is not easy.
It's even less, it's more difficult for people that are different, especially like us, you
know, as autistic, you know, as autistic individuals.
And Shane, obviously, you know, you're going from school, you know, how was, you know,
going to your, you know, you went to college, you know, have that college experience as
(11:02):
well?
I don't really have a college experience yet.
I mean, that is in the books for me in the next couple of years.
That's like one of my next steps that I want to try to do.
But right after I graduated high school, I just kind of went right to work.
(11:22):
College just didn't seem, you know, right at the time for me.
So I think that that time is pretty much coming up really soon.
And, you know, I can't wait to experience that.
Definitely.
And I wish you success once you go to college to do that work.
That will be amazing.
Shane, do you had, you know, after going to high school, employment experience?
(11:49):
You can tell us how was your first job with the public?
Yes.
So my first job was gotten through VR, vocational rehabilitation.
There are great organizations that, you know, helps those, disability or not, you know,
to really, you know, find work and to find, you know, what really is your best, you know,
(12:11):
stronghold and, you know, your best like-smitted job.
And so my first one was at a breakfast lunch diner in a way.
Have you heard of Kiki's Restaurant?
Breakfast Cafe?
I have.
I have.
Yeah, they're so good.
They're really good.
And so my first job was back in the kitchen.
(12:33):
Not the most glamorous job, but, you know, a job is a job.
It was the addition.
But yeah, it was fun.
I kind of struggled a little bit at it because I wasn't really, you know, familiar with,
you know, the kitchen setting and well, this is what, you know, how the job leaves you
to be done and, you know, just, you know, different people there didn't really, you
(12:54):
know, teach things the right way.
And so, but overall, it was a good experience on me.
Unfortunately, it didn't really last that long because they ended up, you know, moving
from the home I had throughout my whole high school career.
You know, I moved to downtown Orlando, you know, where I'm at now.
(13:16):
You know, working at those jobs, which require a lot of work and a lot of time,
allows, you know, you know, social communication with your customers, you know, very fast
paced environment.
And I can relate to that, even though I never worked in the restaurant business, but I work
in customer service and retail in this case, I work in, you know, doing cashier sales,
(13:38):
you know, talking with people.
And a lot of times, you know, if it is so fast paced, you know, I can get a bit anxious.
I don't know.
I'm assuming the same thing happens with you that you can get overwhelmed with everything
that's going on.
But I think that the thing about those jobs that, you know, in my case, what helped me
was that those jobs are repetitive long term.
(13:59):
So, you know, keep doing the same thing that you're doing, you know, and you're able to
do the job very well.
That's what I've always believed, you know, they say about autistic individuals that they
have repetitive skills, but those repetitive skills can be, you know, useful in a very
positive way.
Yeah.
And it's funny you mentioned that.
I see like a big improvement from my first job I had back there at Kiki's to all the
(14:24):
way up to working for all major theme parks in Orlando, because I worked for both or for
Universal, SeaWorld and Disney World, you know, like right there, you know, in front of, you
know, the guests and interacting with them, you know, and, you know, I really loved it.
You know, I didn't really struggle too much, you know, that aspect of it.
And, you know, I'm, thank you for reminding me, pat myself on the back, you know, because
(14:49):
something, you know, from that end of the spectrum to all the way at the other end,
you know, is a great improvement.
Definitely.
And I think a lot of times, and I talk about this with parents, and I'm assuming, you know,
you do too, in terms of you have to get your children out of their comfort zones.
You have to put them in situations that they had to grow because, you know, you know, you
(15:13):
know, your situation is, you know, was a very tough situation, what you went through, you
know, growing up as a child to adult.
Sure, you may have the best support system right now, but the reality is that your parents
may not be here, you know, will not be here forever.
That's the reality.
And one day that child will grow as an adult.
(15:33):
And then, God willing, if they have a great support system, great, if not, then what's
going to happen with them?
And that continues to increase every year.
Right.
And that's the whole point of me having HURDL, my Motivational Speaking Group.
Yeah, just, you know, getting out of your comfort zone and just, you know, really getting
(15:54):
yourself out there, you know, and trying new things, you know, I think is the main goal
for HURDL, you know, not just for ourselves, but for everybody else.
Definitely.
And I'm glad that you mentioned about HURDL.
If you can go a little bit deeper about what it is for our audience.
Absolutely.
So HURDL is an acronym for Hard Work, Understanding, Realization, Determination,
(16:22):
Leadership, and Education.
Because me and my business partner, Edward Couture, he also has autism.
And so just him and I have very similar stories.
And so, you know, we've been friends for about maybe two to three years at this point.
You know, and then we're both like, hey, wait a second.
We're both looking for something to do, you know, to express our interests and kind of,
(16:46):
you know, spread the positivity and light in the world.
And so let's try to create, you know, a concept.
And so we came up with HURDL.
And so that goal is to, you know, go around to different, you know, schools, expos,
conventions, and, you know, even a YouTube series, which we're about to get started.
(17:07):
We're very excited for that called Spectrum of HURDLs.
You know, check it out when it comes out.
Oh, definitely.
But yeah, and, you know, it's still in the beginning stages right now.
We have had a couple of speaking engagements, you know, like Special Hards Farm,
which is like a locally owned actual farm, you know, to help those, you know, who do
(17:32):
have disabilities and, you know, like doing farm work, like taking care of the chickens,
you know, taking care of, you know, different animals, like that type of lifestyle.
Well, definitely.
I'm assuming that, you know, I know that your work that you guys have done has been impactful.
And it's only beginning.
I understand this is something that is in the beginning phase, you know, but you guys
(17:55):
are looking towards expanding, you know, across the country, eventually international, you know.
So I would definitely put information about HURDL once this episode gets published,
so that way people can go look at it and support your guys' initiative.
Thank you.
But yeah, we're about two years old right now, since we formed it.
(18:19):
And I think we're doing pretty well.
You know, I'm happy, you know, at what we accomplished so far.
And, you know, it's just the beginning.
And, you know, the goal is to, you know, reach the nation and eventually the world.
Definitely.
That sounds great.
And something that I wanted to ask you, you know, talking about, you know, your friend
(18:40):
that you met, that your business partners with, you know, obviously making friends
as an autistic individual is not easy, you know, even more for us, especially as adults.
And it's something that I had to say myself, I had struggles making, you know, true friends,
not, you know, you can make, there's one thing, one thing's a friend, other thing's a friend.
A lot of times we kind of exchange those words.
(19:04):
And some person may say it's a friend, it's not true, it's not really a friend.
It's just an acquaintance or a contact.
And this is something I struggle with, you know, I'm being open with you and everybody
that is listening.
If you have any tips or any recommendations, not only, obviously not only for me, but for
(19:25):
people that are listening, this podcast about making friends as an adult, what would those
recommendations be?
Kind of observe how people act.
Like it can be kind of hard to pick up on, you know, different social cues and, you know,
how people react to certain statements and, you know, like how they really interact with
(19:50):
you in a way.
This is just my opinion.
Like, I'm going to be honest, it is kind of hard to kind of differentiate, well, this
person's a true friend versus, you know, this person is, oh, well, they'll be nice to you,
you know, like maybe a co-worker or something, but like they're not really like considered
(20:11):
your friend.
But yeah, I just recommend just really observing how people are, if that makes sense.
Definitely.
And to learn, you know, not to be able to make them earn your trust and always be mindful
about who you give your trust to people.
(20:32):
And especially today, you know, we have with social media and so much fakery that is like,
you know, sometimes they can get under my skin.
And it can be annoying and this contributes to mental health.
So, so definitely, it definitely is.
And, and, you know, your story, you know, I met you Shane a couple of years ago, I think
(20:52):
was one of our support groups for autistics in Orlando.
And I know that we have kept in touch and, you know, I'm very proud of what you do and
the work that you have done and you have you have grown to do all these things.
And this is only the beginning.
And, and the work that I just went, we're going to go through this right now is, you
know, Shane has an interesting job of meeting different celebrities from over the country
(21:20):
and places around the world.
And I just wanted to ask you, you know, how did this, you know, begin?
You know, was it through your hobbies?
When do you, when, when do you have a vision about meeting celebrities?
How did this happen?
How did it came to be?
Well, first it started off with my dad, you know, back in 2010, right before he passed
(21:43):
away, actually, like I'm a big fan of Lady Gaga, you know, and just, I was going to that
concert and so I don't know where he got this idea from.
I guess he must've tried it himself at some point in time, but he's like, oh yeah, do
you want to meet her?
Like, there's a way to do that.
Like there are certain, you know, areas to wait at and certain like places to be, you
(22:06):
know, to meet these people.
I'm like, oh, okay, let's try it.
Unfortunately, you know, it didn't work out then.
I mean, I did see her, but not really.
It's kind of complicated, but you know, ever since then, you know, I kept it like in
the back of my mind saying, okay, it would be so cool to actually, you know, do this,
you know, either for a living or do it like, you know, consistently, you know?
(22:27):
And so, yeah, I went through high school and then, you know, my young adulthood, you
know, I'm still a young adult, but you know, just when I became more independent, you
know, I'm like, you know what?
I'm going to try this, you know?
So I went out there and I was successful at it.
You know, I think I went for Maroon 5 and Tove Lo at the Amway Center here in Orlando.
(22:52):
And so I met one of the members, you know, like he went outside, you know, on a phone
call, you know, because the reception wasn't good or something inside the arena.
And then, you know, I got him to sign my album and then, you know, I met the opening act,
you know, and her name is Tove Lo.
I don't know if you heard of her.
I'm not sure.
I don't remember right now.
Sorry.
Oh, so I met her, you know, got a picture with her and then, you know, from that point
(23:18):
on, you know, it felt really good, you know, to meet these people, you know, I mean, I'm
not like obsessive obsessive obsessive over it because unfortunately, you know, in this
industry, you know, that I do, you know, a lot of people take things personally and this
is a really bad downside to it.
It's like, well, they have really bad attitudes.
(23:41):
It's like, well, how come you didn't tell me about this person going to be in the
hotel, you know, this time because, you know, people do make their money off of this stuff,
like getting autographs, you know, like getting certain footage of the celebrity, you know,
sending it to TMZ or whatever, you know, tabloid or news stations out there.
You know what I'm saying?
Okay.
(24:01):
And how difficult it is to do this job.
I mean, what is the ups and downs about this job, you know, to find celebrities?
I mean, how do you get into the context of this job?
To find celebrities? I mean, how do you get into the context?
You know, do you get referrals?
I don't know if you're able to share this or not, you know.
It's kind of complicated.
(24:22):
I'm going to try to sum it up the best I can.
So pretty much you can get like hotel information from different people like, oh, well, I know
let's say Katy Perry is going to be at, you know, this Disney Hotel.
So just, you know, go there and then either she says, yes, yeah, I could take a picture
with you or yeah, I can sign that or, you know, you get a no, you know.
(24:44):
So a lot of people do take it personally, you know, like when this person doesn't want
to sign anything or they weren't very nice about it.
So like, yeah, I don't like them anymore.
So, you know, that's the main mindset in this whole industry.
But, you know, I try not to have that kind of a mindset, you know, like I just take it
with a grain of salt.
(25:04):
They say no.
Oh, well, if they say yes, then, you know, great.
Awesome.
You know, and there really is a 50-50 success failure rate in this whole thing.
It's like, you know, you get the info or they don't show up, you know, like for example,
if you have like a flight coming in, you know, Delta flight from Los Angeles,
(25:27):
like I'm trying to think how you would really get that info.
Like you either know somebody there, you know, who works for Delta, you know,
and they tell you, oh, well, so-and-so is going to be, you know, on this flight coming in.
So go ahead and be there, you know.
And sometimes it's not always accurate.
(25:49):
It's like, well, they didn't show up for the flight and, you know,
they got on a different flight and it's like very, you know, hectic.
You know what I'm saying?
I imagine, you know, you have to be on the move because it's a very high demanding position.
And yes, you mentioned, I mean, you know, overall, you know, it can be summarized,
you know, don't take it personally, you know, no expectations, no disappointments.
(26:13):
Exactly.
I just do it for the fun of it, you know, and if they're nice to you, then, you know, then great.
If not, then, you know, oh, well.
You know, and there are actually times where, you know, a person is, you know, really mean,
like, oh, no, no, don't bother me right now.
I'm here, you know, and then the next time I try for them, you know, oh, yeah, sure.
(26:37):
Let's take a picture.
Yeah, oh, okay.
I can sign that for you.
So it's very weird.
So like, you don't know what to expect in this whole game.
And I'm assuming, Shane, that you have like a business card or something to keep in track
of all these people, all those connections that you make in this job.
It doesn't really work like that.
(26:58):
It's more like you work for yourself, like in either selling an autograph, you know,
like on eBay or like getting something signed, you know, for somebody else and they pay you
for that, you know, either they split the profit of, you know, the thing or item that was sold
or like they pay you right there on the spot, you know, like, oh, you know, you know,
(27:20):
like, oh, how's $50 off of making after getting a $500 guitar, you know, something like that.
Okay.
And I want to ask you, can anybody, you know, you know, if we have somebody,
someone who is washing or and is interested in doing this job,
(27:40):
do you have a recommendation or suggestion in terms of doing this job?
That is a good question.
Because it's not just black and white with this type of thing.
I'm trying to think.
I would say if you think that the info, you know, that you have like, oh, well,
(28:01):
so-and-so's at this hotel or, you know, oh, well, they're going to be at this venue.
Let's go stand in the back.
No, then I would say take the chance, you know, because it might be worth it.
It may not be worth it.
You know, I mean, you never know if you try.
That's how I see it.
My friend, yeah, you have to be proactive and, you know, not only in this job or any type of,
(28:22):
you know, any type of business or any goal that you set out to do,
you have to put in the work.
You have to take the risks and you have been, you've done that amazingly,
you know, getting to the people, you know, sometimes, you know, I wonder,
and I see your pictures on social media.
It's like, okay, how does Shane do this?
I shot this meeting with different people and especially connecting with celebrities
(28:47):
with some of my favorite hobbies when I was a kid, you know, Star Wars,
but more wrestling, especially wrestling.
Yes.
These are some of the hobbies that you had as a child or we were different hobbies?
Yeah, you know, all the stuff and all the people that I, you know,
try to meet is something that I've always had a love for, you know, like,
(29:10):
like what you said, you know, I loved wrestling growing up as a kid.
I still do to this day.
I love Star Wars, you know, the sci-fi genre, movies, music, you name it.
I'm not really into sports.
I mean, I think the sports people are more easier to meet than, you know,
like the actors and, you know, the musicians, like, you know, for example,
(29:35):
a quarterback, not quarterback,
a tight end, you know, football player on the Tampa Buccaneers versus meeting Taylor Swift.
Like, who do you think is going to be easier to meet?
Definitely.
I mean, it's very interesting because, you know, I saw different pictures with different wrestlers.
I mean, and different people, you know, I, you know, I don't follow wrestling actively
(29:59):
today as I did before.
I liked the wrestling in the late 90s, early 2000s.
That for me, that was the best period of wrestling.
You know, I think I'm not the only one who says that, but, you know, but I still like to,
but well, I like wrestling.
I follow, look, one of my hobbies that I have is very nostalgic things.
(30:20):
Whether I go back to watch wrestling from the classics or watch Star Wars or do things that
I used to have in a kid.
That's what I like to do.
It's an interesting hobby, like nostalgic hobby.
Some people may call it like that.
I mean, I'm going to ask you different, you know, looking at the pictures, you met different
people.
(30:40):
I'm going to ask, I'm going to drop some names to see if you met, if you took a picture with
him over her.
You met Vince McMahon?
I think you did.
I have, yes.
How was that experience?
He's nice.
He normally does sign, you know, whatever you have, but unfortunately, you know, like
(31:04):
he's getting older and, you know, like he's getting more and more frail.
I met him about maybe three or four years ago, like right a little bit after COVID.
It was when they were still doing the Thunderdome, you know, that whole virtual thing, you know,
in Tampa.
And so I was at the hotel because I found out the hotel, you know, all the wrestlers
(31:26):
were staying at.
And fortunately, you know, he was staying at that one, you know, with his limousine
out front.
He comes out, hey, Mr. McMahon, you know, can you sign?
There's only like there were four of us, you know, he looks at us, you know, doesn't really
say anything.
So he's walking to the limo.
(31:47):
And so we follow him, you know, I mean, again, you know, some of this stuff, you know, can
be kind of taboo in a way like, oh, well, you stalk people, you know, oh, well, you know,
you chase after them, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, but we'll get into that in a second.
And so we get up there, you know, he turns around.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(32:07):
Like, he kept like huffing and puffing, like, you know, he was having a hard time breathing
because, you know, it was so hot out there that day, very humid.
It was like in the middle of summer.
And he's like, okay, all right, all right.
And then he got in the car.
I mean, he wasn't rude or mean or anything like that, but, you know, just getting to,
(32:31):
you know, have that experience of, you know, like, you know, meeting him, you know, like
they're saying, oh, I appreciate you, you know, I think it's worth it.
You know, again, it's to each his own, you know, how you what you get from the experience.
It's like, well, if you couldn't say, you know, everything you wanted to say to this
person, then, you know, it's not worth it.
Or if they didn't really, you know, pay too much attention to it, then it was kind of
(32:55):
negative.
But, you know, I try not to look at it like that.
I mean, I do get that mindset sometimes, believe me, it's really hard, you know, but at the
end of the day, you know, just I'm really grateful that, you know, even met the person,
you know what I'm saying?
You know, it must be a true honor and privilege, an honor of life to have met this person,
(33:16):
this man that you've followed for years.
I mean, the creator, let's put it in the mean of modern wrestling.
Let's put it that way.
Yeah.
I mean, and I was truly amazed.
I mean, when you met him, I was like, oh, wait, I mean, Shane did this?
Amazing.
I mean, I have so many people that I want that I could ask you and we can be here all
(33:41):
night, to be honest, if you met them or not.
And Bret Hart, Bret Hart, that you met him?
Bret Hart?
No, not yet.
No.
Okay.
You need to meet him.
You need to find a way to meet him.
Stone Cold Steve, Stone Cold Steve Austin?
No, not that one.
Dwayne Johnson, Dwayne Johnson.
(34:04):
My friends have met him.
I haven't yet.
I haven't encountered an opportunity to meet him just yet, but that will come one.
Just wait and see.
It came me posted about that one.
The Undertaker?
Yes, for sure.
I have met The Undertaker.
Yes.
(34:25):
Oh, wow.
He was okay.
He's really tall.
He's about like six foot 10, close to seven feet, if not seven feet.
He doesn't really say much.
I'm not saying like he's mean or not really friendly.
It's like The Undertaker on TV sometimes, something like that.
(34:48):
Kind of, yeah, in a way.
That's good.
And the Divas, tell me about the Divas.
I mean, from the past to present and what's going on today because I don't pay too much
attention to wrestling.
You mean the Divas in wrestling or just like...
Yeah, the Divas that you have met have been.
If you can tell me.
(35:08):
Okay, yeah.
Just yesterday, actually, I was at an AEW show and I met Paige, you know, slash Saraya.
I don't know if you know who that is.
He sounds familiar.
Yeah, it sounds familiar.
I remember.
Yeah, she's like one of the popular ones nowadays.
Not like back then to where this set of ladies were really popular in her heyday,
(35:32):
but now she's one of the top ones to meet.
But she was really nice.
Of course, it's great to meet like the old school women, but at the same time,
they've been in the business for a long, long time.
(35:53):
And so like that interaction with the fans kind of got kind of old in a way.
It's like, okay, well, you meet fans.
Let's say, okay, if you're just starting out as a wrestler, you know, oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, I'm going to meet all my fans.
I'm going to take time for each and every person.
You know, let's say you do that for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years even, you know,
(36:16):
that kind of gets, you know, kind of tiring and, you know, unrepetitive.
And so that kind of, you know, like makes that, that...
How do I explain this?
Like that pause, not positive, that magical feeling of, you know, having that interaction,
(36:36):
you know, not really there in a way, you know, because like they're not as pleasant about it.
That makes sense.
Definitely.
You know, the wrestling business, you know, again, I'm not, I've seen it from as a fan,
you know, but basically those stories that I read, it's not an easy business.
It's been a lot, you know, a lot of history, you know, struggle situations in that industry,
(36:59):
very demanding.
Yes.
And some people may say, oh, wrestling is fake, you know, but, you know, sure,
but the, you know, you take a risk doing the matches, you can get hurt.
That's a reality.
Yeah.
And a lot of times people don't realize that.
They say, oh, wrestling is fake, but the reality is that, you know, it's real.
(37:19):
The result may be predetermined, right?
But the, what you do, you know, there's a risk involved.
So, I mean, we can talk about this, you know, I would love for you to talk about this in another,
you know, in another episode about wrestling and changing from wrestling to movie to my Star Wars,
you know, I've met people from Star Wars, George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher.
(37:44):
Well, I haven't really met the top notch people just yet.
So, I'm ahead of you in that, in that department.
Because I met Carrie Fisher, I met Carrie Fisher, remember the book, remember that, about a year
before she passed away in 2016.
(38:05):
I remember her passing away around then.
And I thought I was going to go and try to meet her in Tampa because she was going to be at a
comic convention there. I'm like, oh yeah, I really want to go.
But you know, just, I guess it wasn't meant to be because, you know, ended up not really working out.
(38:27):
All right.
It's sad when she passed away, you know, to this very day, I still can't believe
that she passed away.
But I have that picture with her.
I know, right?
Yeah, I have the picture with her and her autograph.
And I value that.
That's worth to me a lot.
Same with the guy who did Archie D to Kenny, Mr. Kenny Baker, who passed away that same year.
(38:48):
And I was able to take a picture with him.
Then later, a couple of years later, the one, you know, Peter Matthew, who did Chewbacca,
I also took a picture with him a couple of years before he passed away.
So, you know, those experiences are unique.
I think it's worth a lot.
You know, it's very valuable to go to those events, you know, because I went to a couple
(39:09):
of Star Wars conventions years ago, so it's really amazing.
Yes.
Yeah.
And again, you know, each experience is going to be different, you know, like,
if I was to meet, you know, Mark Hamill, you know, and, you know, he was really nice, you know,
and the experience was great, you know, versus, you know, if you met him, you know,
(39:33):
and he wasn't really pleasant, or, you know, the experience, you know, wasn't really that great.
No, it's like, you know, you have to really go off of your own personal, you know, experience
and really what you want to get out of it.
You know what I'm saying?
No, definitely.
And the celebrities face a high demand in life.
It's not always pleasant.
There's a lot of demands.
There's a lot of people, you know, paparazzi, so there's a lot of people that trying to,
(39:54):
like, stalk them, you know, it's not always a pleasant life.
I mean, you know.
No, not at all.
I mean, I try to be respectful, you know, for when I do try to ask them, like, I will never,
like, go up to them at a dinner table.
Like, oh, can you sign, you know, my CD or, you know, this and this and that, you know,
(40:15):
or I know the hotel and the airport can be kind of borderline, you know, that,
what's the right word I'm looking for?
Invasion of privacy.
Is that the right word?
Yeah, invasion of privacy.
Okay.
Yeah.
But at the same time, you know, if you don't go to those places, then you can't actually
(40:40):
meet that person, you know, that's going to be feasible because, you know, some people
out there, you know, charge an arm and a leg, you know, just for meeting, you know,
and it depends on, you know, if that money is going to be worth spending or not.
If you even have the kind of money, you know.
Definitely.
It's not an easy life, but it's very interesting and we're going to appreciate you sharing
(41:02):
all of this with us, you know, with us, your perspective and experience that this has been
truly unique.
And so, so definitely I thank you for that.
You're welcome.
Yeah.
Now let's go from the celebrity world.
I know you do other things for autism and disabilities.
Tell us about your work that you do for the community.
(41:24):
Okay.
So it goes to my motivational group hurdle, which I explained earlier.
So we haven't really traveled outside of Orlando just yet.
That's the next step.
But for now, we're trying to keep things a bit local.
Like I said earlier, we went to special hearts farm and spoke there.
(41:45):
We spoke at an expo for advocacy back in August.
I forget the name of it.
Sorry, it escapes me, you know, and we had, we conjoined forces, you know, with another
young man who does have a disability.
It's a bit different.
He has cerebral palsy, you know, he's, you know, unfortunately confined to a wheelchair
(42:08):
and, you know, he's doing the best that he can.
Like he's an author now.
Like he has his own, you know, like I said, his book out.
He has like his own like little character doll, you know, like of himself.
I thought it was pretty cool, you know?
And so we like conjoined forces and we spoke at that event, you know, and just, you know,
we really made a difference, you know, and just, you know, there's not really a end goal
(42:34):
for, you know, what we want to do with Herbal, but just we want to try as many things, you
know, as we possibly can.
An idea that we have is a, well, a theater show about autism.
I mean, have you seen any of those?
I think any of the theater for autism, I see from other organizations, you know,
(42:58):
No, I mean, like in actual like play, like a show, like a story about someone who has
autism and then, you know, like maybe their experiences and having that be like, you know,
a play that we could have different actors act out.
Yeah.
I heard about different ones in other parts of the country, but I've never been to actually.
Okay.
Not yet.
Play it where we hope to do down the road.
(43:22):
And like I said before, like getting out there, like the different expos, I think is going
to be one of the main focuses right now because we have applied to, you know, different ones
around the country.
We haven't really gotten a, I guess, just yet, but I think that's a matter of time before
we do.
(43:43):
Oh, definitely.
And I know you guys have a lot of great plans ahead.
So, you know, I really, you know, for you guys to get to those goals to be able to have,
that will be truly amazing.
And Shane, as we wrap up our interview, I want to ask you as a self advocate, you know,
we talk about autism, right?
Social media, the community, society, everywhere.
(44:04):
But from your perspective and what have you seen so far in the work with the community?
What do you think is missing still in regards to autism?
What do you think that is still missing and what we need to do?
Missing?
I would say understanding.
(44:25):
Like if, okay, this person has their own needs and, you know, their own requests, you know,
like each person is different.
You know how the saying goes.
If you met one person with autism, you know, you met one person with autism, you know,
not like you met one, you meet them all.
You know, so I think just having people understand that we all have different needs and, you know,
(44:49):
just really trying to, you know, understand, you know, how we are, you know, as individuals.
You know, like, of course, you know, my needs and, you know, my struggles, you know,
are going to be different from yours.
You know what I'm saying?
Definitely.
It's different.
You know, each autistic, each person with autism has his own story, the families, and we have to
(45:13):
learn from the differences, the challenges, but also the abilities that each autistic human
being has.
I think that's the most important thing in our mission.
Yes.
And you're a great, you know, you're a great inspiration, a great example of your story
and the struggles that you have become and the success that you have and you continue to have.
And you're a goal-driven person that you have different goals is very, very inspirational.
(45:38):
And I really appreciate you for having to share your story with all of us.
But before we go, Shane, you're welcome.
But before we go, I just wanted to see if you have like a final message for society or for parents
that are watching this interview right now or autistic individuals.
What message do you want to share with us?
(45:59):
I would say don't ever be afraid of doing what you love to do.
Like, let's say if you want to try to make music or if you want to be, you know, a self-advocate for
yourself or for other people, you know, take a step out of your comfort zone.
It is going to be hard, but again, it's going to be worth the risks.
(46:20):
I mean, don't be afraid of failing.
And if something doesn't go right, you know, it's not the end of the world.
You know, just get back on your feet.
You know, just get back up and try again.
I know a lot of those on the spectrum, you know, love movies.
And, you know, maybe like they go by different quotes and, you know, like different things like that.
(46:41):
Maybe try to find a motivational like quote from, you know, a certain movie, you know,
that really gets you through something.
You know, like what I said, you know, just now about, you know, don't be afraid, you know,
pick yourself back up from like Batman Begins, you know, wonderful story, you know, about,
you know, failing, you know, like he wasn't afraid to, you know, get back up and, you know,
(47:02):
try again, you know, and, you know, that's going to be the main key, you know, dedication
and motivation.
You know, if you really find something that, you know, you're passionate about,
keep on going, you know, and then you will succeed.
Definitely.
That's the key to find something that motivates you
(47:24):
and, you know, to keep moving ahead in life.
That's the most important thing and you and your story speaks for itself and,
and, you know, and we really appreciate you, you know, sharing that with us.
Shane, if people are interested in knowing more about your work or how to support you,
do you have, you know, social media, website, or, you know, how they can reach to you and contact you?
(47:45):
For my sub-rework, if you want to, you know, take a look at, you know, all the people I've met or
that I will meet, or if you even want to, you know, maybe join me, if you want to meet, you know,
certain people, reach out to me on my, you know, Instagram, my Facebook, you know, it's under
Shane Campfield, or if you want to learn more about my, my motivational work, you know, for HURTL,
(48:05):
you know, go to the Facebook page, you know, HURTL, that's just out as HURTL.
It's going to be the logo with, you know, the different letters and different colors with the
mountain in the background, and so we have our, you know, our YouTube link there, our Linktree
website, you know, send us a message, you know, if you want to try to get involved with us,
(48:26):
because, you know, as HURTL is growing, we're also going to try to, you know, recruit more people to
be part of our group, you know, so the more the merrier, so, you know, if you really want to try
to, you know, get out there and, you know, spread your message, you know, if you really, you know,
want to try to find someone to connect with and communicate with, we are that, you know, people.
Definitely. I'm going to put all the links to your social media
(48:51):
contact, you know, once this episode gets published, so that way people can reach out to you
for more, you know, to find ways to support you. Yes. Well, Shane, I'm very happy that we did this
interview. I mean, it's truly amazing, your story. So proud of you, of what you do, and you're a great
(49:12):
guy. Thank you. And I just want to, there's always welcome, you know, always feel welcome to come
back here. I would love to talk about more about your celebrity, you know, celebrity stories in
another time, so definitely. Yeah, absolutely. Because I know we have more, but it will take us,
if we talk about all your stories, we will never leave here. We will take, we'll be here for days.
(49:35):
So, I know, right? Definitely. So Shane, thank you. I want to thank you so much for participating
in this interview, in my podcast, My Time with Tony Hernandez-Boomer. I really appreciate you,
and I wish you always the best for you and your career and life. Thank you. And, you know, as you
(49:55):
as well, you know, I really love, you know, your work that you're doing. And, you know, you really
are an inspiration to the, you know, community, you know, not just the autism community, but,
you know, I say the community in itself, you know, you're doing a wonderful job. Thank you. I really
appreciate it. Well, this is the end of another episode of My Time with Tony Hernandez-Boomer.
(50:17):
Tony hopes you liked it. If you'd like to learn more about the work Tony does, subscribe to him
on his social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, which is now X and his LinkedIn
page. You can also follow Tony on his website at TonyHernandezBoomer.com. Also, if you are interested
in getting a copy of his book, An Autism Unscripted Life, you can purchase it on Amazon or any book
(50:41):
selling platform. You can also obtain a copy through his website. So until the next time you
meet, thank you and have a wonderful day. Blessings.
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