Life’s a Road Trip

This week's guest is Gina Martin.

The name of her company, Diverse Abilities, made me pause and read more.

Short. Sweet. and to the point. Diverse Abilities fit perfectly into the theme: "Diverse Abilities recognizes that no two people have the same skills, resources, opportunities or support systems."

Our discussion followed that same straight path. Okay, we ventured off the trail more than a few times. But we always followed the ...

This week's guest is Lynne "L.K." Bowen.

An author has only a moment to grab the attention of an agent or publisher. What is said or written is called the elevator pitch.

After a book is finally produced and placed on the open market, it boils down to the cover art to attract readers to crack the spine and become immersed in the storyline. In that same manner, I've titled this episode from a little piece of the cover of L.K. Bowen'...

This week's guest is Krystian Shaw.

Krystian reached out to me about coming on the show so, of course, I had to check him out.

Each and every time I opened a link to an article after Googling him, there was nothing but a positive attitude that came across. This made me pause and think how, during these times filled with so much negativity, I have become more cynical about the world than I may have been at any time in my life.

Go ah...

This week's guest is Jeremy Andrew Davis.

I found Jeremy to be as diverse as the multiple characters that he plays in his cameos.

The description “I help people laugh at themselves and cry for others, cast off their troubles and find their joy, see the invisible and hear silence." that Jeremy uses hits home and provides viewers with enough of a tease to learn more.

I'll stop taking up your time... Have a listen to this episode then...

This week's guest is Debrah Ruh.

The episode opens with "When told by ‘experts’ that her daughter, Sara, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, would be lucky to push shopping carts at the local grocery store, Debra..."

Listen to the show then circle back to finish the intro with more force. Perhaps only the term "force" would suffice as the title. Debra Ruh is certainly a force -- a force the disability community needs.

The more I do ...

This week's guest is Justin Jesudas.

As a good host should, I arrive at the online studio well in advance of my guests. It has nothing to do with tidying things but more to do with allowing my PC to get rolling.

And as luck has it, I always have time to turn on some tunes courtesy of Pandora. On the day of my recording with Justin, the first song that started pouring through my headphones was Time to Move On by Tom Petty on the Wil...

This week's guest is Meryl Evans.

It was the statement "Progress Over Perfection" that she proudly wears that made me pause. It didn't take long before I opened another window or two on my PC to start digging into Meryl and what she does on behalf of those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

As the show moves forward, we're more focused on guests who aren't afraid to stand up and speak out when it comes to shining a positive light on ...

This week's guest is Steve Wright.

Steve is a respected city planner who isn't afraid to speak his mind when it comes to designing or retrofitting cities so they are welcoming to all -- including members of the disabled community.

When I first came across Steve, it was easy to see that he is eagerly searching for the 'Inclusive City'. 

Yes, he realizes there is no Yellow Brick Road to guide him. But when it comes to shining a ligh...

This is an encore episode while I shift gears from my teaching and soccer to my book and soccer. New episodes will be recorded during the summer months.

This week's guests are Carla Birnberg & Mariam Ndegwa.

Baron Von Raschke, Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant, and The Crusher. Those were some of the wrestling characters that we watched on Sunday mornings before church when I was a kid. But they have nothing on the tag team of Car...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Mindy Sheier.

I titled the show "Life's a Road Trip" because as I've matured and dealt with suddenly becoming a quad amputee, that's how I see life. For Mindy, designing clothing for such movers and shakers as INC and Saks Fifth Avenue had her on cruise control.

And it just so happened that her son, Oliver, who is on his own Muscular Dystrophy road trip, ...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is John Griffin.

This was one of those shows that veered in an unexpected direction -- for the better!

As we settled into our seats some 1,000 miles apart for the interview, I dropped the first topic on John and we were off with no holds barred.

A quote "Disability isn't about pity, it's about paychecks" from one of his podcasts got us going on what could ...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Jordan Roman.

So, answer the question: 'Raise your hand if you need a hug!' Okay, you're at work and you're afraid a colleague may think you're weird. Or you're listening in your car and sitting at a light that just turned green.

There! In your head, you raised your hand. Who doesn't need a hug, right?

Jordan is the writer, director, producer, and chief...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's Guest is Meg O'Connell.

The title for this episode was obvious. They're Meg's words. In fact, the statement is what spurred me to invite Meg to record an episode. Originally, the title was going to include the term "Common sense" because that term kept coming up in our discussion, but I chose the more impactful road.

So let's talk about common sense for a moment...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

Today's guest is Isaac Harvey.

My first encounter with Isaac was via a few casual posts that he made on LinkedIn as he shared his encounters. Then I noticed his posts change, both in tone (slightly) and topic (more pointed). It was here that I contacted him to be on Life's a Road Trip.

With every new show and every guest, I find that my direction has changed to that of join...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Kale Sudhoff.

It took just a few episodes for me to notice that almost every guest has a thread that runs through their early life right up to where they are now.

The exception with Kale is that he is still a teenager -- a high school senior!

But as you listen to our discussion, you too will see the thread that runs through him: That of a caring and emp...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Chris Ruden.

I was drawn to Chris as a guest because I knew that we would get along well. You see, we both understand the male ego, we draw from our time as athletes (his being current and mine from my past), and we both accept failing but not failure.

Take a look at THIS video; it's the one that I refer to in the opening. This is a great example of acc...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Nate Methot

May is National ALS Awareness Month (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease) so we're ahead of the calendar, but I couldn't wait to drop this episode any longer. You see, Nate is now in his second decade of dealing with this debilitating disease and his message is too important to hold.

As you'll hear in this episode, we read ...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Jackie Schuld.

Jackie was gracious to do the interview while she was in the process of moving from the Southwest to the Northeast. No, it wasn't while she was driving a U-Haul truck along an interstate highway.

Jackie is our third guest to discuss autism. Her view is a bit different as she uses art to work with newly identified autistics and those who s...

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Cam Beaudoin.

After I read Cam's post and image of what I call the "Gap Kid", I immediately went into research mode, and within a few minutes, I messaged him to request an interview.

But that post only scratched the surface of Cam's work. Like many entrepreneurs, it was an unintended adventure while at corporate giant IBM that led him to his company, Ac...