February 27, 2024 • 55 mins
This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.
This week's guest is Lori Frisher.
The title of a podcast needs to have a hook. 'The Who' has the song, Athena. But that isn't the hook I was looking for. So I Googled "badass Greek goddess" and Athena came up. Bingo!
Lori is a badass fighter. She's a disrupter, which is where I've been driving the podcast for the past month.
During the show, we talked about her receiving Cochlear Implants. Not about her being the first to do so, but about how hearing impacted her life. Lori mentioned the sounds of water and coins being dropped onto a countertop. Think about those sounds for a moment... She made me appreciate my sense of hearing -- especially since I lack the sense of touch.
I pointed out my theory that before the implants, her experiences of missed inside jokes, being a collegiate athlete, and working with Walter Cronkite combined to form a thread that led her to her company, Ready Or Not! Media.
No, the ! isn't a typo -- it's intentional. And it doesn't surprise me that this modern-day Athena uses it to send a message.
As I do with all my guests, Lori and I talked more after the recording stopped. As we said our goodbyes, I told her to "Kick some ass!". She immediately responded, "You do the same!". We both will continue doing so.
Miss-Adventures: Guide to Ultimate Empowerment for Women
Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Being disabled or having a chronic illness can feel like you're moving forward in reverse.
(00:21):
I'm your host Scott Martin.
Join me and my new friends in this underrepresented community as we talk about disrupting the
status quo and creating change within the world and within ourselves.
A life's a road trip.
Hop in.
Let's turn on some tunes and go.
(00:56):
With me in the passenger seat and managing the radio is Lori Frissure.
Preparing for the show, I struggle with the notion of avoiding the simplicity of introducing
Lori by telling you that she is deaf.
But then I came across a statement about her and realized that her hearing loss is part
of who she is.
That paragraph reads as follows.
Born with moderate to severe hearing loss and diagnosis of toddler, Lori worked hard
(01:20):
throughout her school years to compensate.
She relied on hearing aids and lip reading and imperfect solution that kept her lock
out of family conversations in the car, guessing at what friends found funny at parties and
relying on notetakers and tutors to help her understand her teacher in class.
That tied it all together for me and led me to my desire to have her own as a guest.
(01:44):
Hi Lori.
Hi there.
How are you?
I'm doing fine in central Wisconsin and everything's going well as I mentioned in our pre-lup.
I'm a substitute teacher and I was in business class today.
I don't know a heck of a lot about it but I was able to give some concept to the kids
about what we were doing.
(02:05):
As a substitute teacher, I have to juggle things all the time.
Thank you for having me.
Let's set the part of the base for our discussion.
You had both cochlear implants and the esteem implant.
Tell us a little bit about or tell us a lot about the differences and the timing for these
(02:27):
surgeries.
I was blessed to have an opportunity to be the first candidate in the world to receive
the esteem implant with a cochlear implant in 2010.
It was an opportunity for me to try a new wave of technology that was out for people
(02:55):
who had a moderate Tresibia hearing loss and that was my loss.
I became a candidate and I took advantage of the opportunity to embrace this technology
which allowed me to hear a lot of sounds that I had never heard for the first time.
(03:16):
So this was everything from the sound of water to my dog panting to leaning on a pillow
and even realizing that makes noise to drinking water and just the sound of swallowing.
So there were a lot of unique sounds but sounds that the average person takes for granted.
(03:44):
So it was a really incredible time for me to advocate for people who have been struggling
with hearing loss and have more of a natural type of sound.
I had this implant for about 10 years and in 2020 my battery life had terminated so
(04:08):
the robot had died and I knew that I had wanted to continue to take advantage of the
incredible technology that is out there for people like me and decided to get a cochlear
implant in that ear.
(04:29):
And I'm wearing two cochlear implants to date and it's incredible that this is out there
for people to use and to have the opportunities that I have been fortunate to have in both
my personal life and my professional life.
(04:50):
Now in my research about you I found that both you and your father were college athletes
you were both tennis players.
When I started digging in more to who you are and the things that you've done it really
made sense because you've got an edge to you and it's an edge of an athlete.
I play college soccer and beyond and I know there's a little bit, well there's a lot
(05:14):
of toughness and there is an idea and a desire and it really seemed to fit with what you
went through.
Now could you tell us a little bit just browse about it a little bit about you were a walk
on at the college level correct?
Yes I went to the university part for after graduating as a double state champion back
(05:40):
in New York and I decided that I wanted to continue to play sports in college and I decided
to try out one of those things where I was also a soccer player, a basketball player
and a tennis player.
So I had to make a decision what it was that I really wanted to do and tennis I felt was
(06:01):
a lifetime sport and growing up with my father who was a collegiate athlete always disciplined
me to that mindset of really staying focused and he had always given me this eye of the
tiger pointing to his eye to beta and to stay focused if I was on track and I really always
(06:32):
used my athletics as a way to power through things in my life and having that discipline
as an athlete as you know is something that really helped shape so many individuals in
their life and I know that that has given me the competitive attitude that I have with
(07:02):
you know paling through it and getting through it and not being afraid of it and just staying
in that positive mindset to get me through my daily life.
I really agree with you on things when I, after I became a quad amputee when I was 35 years
(07:24):
old and coaching college soccer and all of a sudden I couldn't play anymore well that
was left and where else could it go but that's really what drove me or allowed me to drive
through everything that I went through.
Now let's go back to after you had the implants.
You mentioned a few of the sounds and I think they're very intricate and I thank you for
(07:46):
saying those because it's going to make some people think about it but were there any sounds
that you sought out that you wanted to make sure that you really heard for the first time?
The sounds were so extraordinary.
It's got so there were just so many of them and you know it's hard to pinpoint specifics
(08:13):
but the sound of water was something that really was an emotional sound for me.
You know hearing water whether it was rain or going in the shower and hearing water come
from you know the shower head onto my hair.
(08:34):
I mean to hear that I never had heard that it was kind of like do I really hear that?
I mean my goodness my whole life I have never heard the sound of water.
Being in a hairdresser salon you know the hairdresser and putting your head back in
(08:55):
the sink and they're talking to you and having a conversation and you cannot even communicate
with them to being able to do that.
So those were some of the really peeking sounds for me to hearing a person putting change
on a counter and saying to my father what is that and they're counting the change on
(09:22):
the counter at the end of the day at you know a store.
Those types of sounds to hearing laughter but really hearing it and feeling it and you
know having hearing aids my whole life I was still able to hear but the quality of hearing
(09:43):
really you know change when these implants were gifted to me.
There's opportunity of a lifetime to experience that and you know having this opportunity
of exploring technology and then having a challenge of later on where I am now you know
(10:10):
permanently deaf without the use of cochlear implants.
So I could say I learned how to hear with devices I've been gifted the opportunity to
hear sound.
And now I don't have the luxury of hearing water when I take a shower.
(10:31):
So so much has changed but you know you realize how precious these gifts are and to have
the opportunity to have said I've been there and I've had that feeling you can't take that
away ever.
Now I've never taken for granted and I'm sure that listeners are going to be thinking
(10:56):
about this stuff more now.
Water especially and simplicity of coins.
Well we don't use coins so much anymore I guess.
Let me ask you about music.
What are your favorite types of music you know what really tripped your trigger I mean
was it oh that's what the rolling sounds sound like or you know is there any specific type
(11:19):
of music.
I have always been someone who has loved music.
Music for me was always vibration and more inch mental sounds that was what I identified
with.
I was wondering about that.
We grew up my sister and I with two boxes in our home.
(11:44):
My father is a big fan of 45 records.
And him were big dancers you know back in the day and you know music was always part
of our house.
Whether I would hear the words or not it would just go part of the mood and I always
(12:06):
used to get the inside of tape cassettes and read the lyrics to know the words because
that was the only way I would be able to even sing the words that a bar mitzvah or an event
and kind of read the lips of the person across from me because if I didn't do that then I
(12:28):
just would pretend that I knew the words and just I sit there and just act like I knew
it.
And it was hard because music is such a big piece of a lot of people's lives and people
love to sing to one another.
So when the technology came around I was actually hearing the lyrics and to be able
(12:51):
to even today to hear the lyrics even if I don't get 100% of it I am getting more than
I've ever been able to receive listening to music.
So I love music.
I accept music.
I'm growing up.
I was a big fan of obviously 80s music and still am.
(13:14):
I do.
I think that's some of our best music according to me because I grew up with it.
Well let me ask you something specific.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.
Does that sound familiar to you?
It does.
It does.
It does.
(13:35):
Yeah.
I had met an extraordinary woman who is a mother of a deaf son who told me about karaoke
and the technology and she said listen when you get your implant turned on I want you
(13:57):
to come over and do this karaoke machine and I did and the song that came on was Boulevard
of Broken Dreams by Green Day and it had the very special meaning to my heart.
I saw an extremely happy person and I saw the video of that and I felt how happy you
(14:23):
were doing that.
That was just phenomenal.
I can't express it but watching your voice right now because you and I are on cameras
with each other.
I see that same person.
That's amazing Laurie.
I'm glad you had that opportunity and I thank you for posting it because it was really cool
(14:46):
on my side.
Yeah it makes you really think about how you take those things from Vienna listening to
music and hearing words of music.
There are so many amazing dancers who are deaf and people like go how are they such
(15:09):
good dancers and it's because they sent vibration and they're great dancers.
Some of the bad dancers.
I hadn't thought about that but that's true.
Out.
Staying on an emotional side I want to get into something that I dug up on you before
you get into talking about your business and I think it was a thread for me another
(15:34):
piece of putting a puzzle together so to speak on getting to this point where we're at right
now and that's we media.
Is it safe to assume that such experience helped you form the base for you building ready or
not media?
We'll get into talking about ready or not in a bit.
(15:56):
I've had a lot of blessing in my life and we media was what I will consider the best
job of my entire life.
I can tell you.
We were cutting edge.
We media was built with the premise of magazine, a lifestyle magazine.
(16:21):
It expanded into online properties out of New York and then went into television.
We were the first multimedia company for people with disabilities.
We put people with disabilities on the global stage all over the world and we were the town
(16:43):
and country magazine for the disabled to dream big to embrace disability but to recognize
the family, the friends of the community of people with disabilities and we were always
aiming high for the disability market from the travel experiences to being in sports
(17:10):
and lifestyle and that experience that I had out of New York with the incredible visionaries
behind it, it was all heart, soul and business.
We was around for about four and a half, five years of bringing the community to life and
(17:38):
through those experiences of meeting a lot of different nonprofit organizations, national
global organizations, working with some of the biggest trial players in the industry
who made laws happen for the community of people with disabilities, those who were involved
(17:59):
in the Paralympic movement, elevating all of these athletes to dream big.
Those opportunities really built the foundation for me to know the power of this community
and the power to bring this market to the forefront but to bring this to light through
(18:26):
ready on that media.
We media was 20 years too early.
So a lot of the things that we did back in 1999, 1997 going into the Paralympics in Sydney,
Australia were so innovative and so my experience through all of this has been a very big piece
(18:55):
of my passion and I have that passion and that fire to be even more creative and innovator
than what we're seeing now.
You're seeing a lot of people with disabilities and ads and people are coming into the movies
now and I want to take it even at a higher level because I know what we can do and I
(19:23):
know the work doesn't stop.
What you just said is I think it reflects, I've been doing the show now for, oh gosh,
I'm starting the third month of it and I'm starting to feel like I have an opportunity
to become part of that and I want to and it's all of this learning to help this started
(19:47):
for me to create a platform for my book because publisher said damn it, you got it, whatever.
But now I've gotten into this.
I want to go back to, I came across this name and it made me think about a little boy in
the mid 1960s that learned all about Vietnam War and how to speak up and speak out about
what's right and this guy's name and I used to call him Uncle Walter because I looked
(20:14):
up to him Monday through Friday.
Walter Cronkite, you worked with Walter Cronkite, correct?
Yes.
Oh my God.
Yes, yes.
He was one of my mountains.
That guy taught me a lot about how to be a person and I see when I came across that,
(20:37):
oh yeah, here's another thread that ties you into what you're doing now.
Just tell me a little bit about working with Uncle Walter.
Would you please?
Yes, I will never forget the day that I sat in his office and it was just the tour of
us and his assistant Marlene Adler at the time was outside and she was knocking on the
(21:04):
door trying to get us to go outside to start working on the launch of We Media.com.
And neither of us could hear Marlene at the door because he had a hearing loss and shut
it up.
So finally she like worked through the doors and she was like, you too?
(21:26):
We need to get you out here.
So it was a really special moment and just seeing the incredible moment of that he had
in his office and all of the work he's done for the years, I mean, so many things to
count.
So having the opportunity to work with him and bring We Media.com to life through the
(21:49):
production of the videos that we, in the commercials that we created was incredible.
And when I say incredible, you talk about voices and the power of voices.
Walter Cronkite, you know, when he was speaking in the clips of what we were doing to launch
(22:14):
this incredible milestone, as soon as we put his voice and narration into the videos,
all of a sudden all of us looked at each other in the production room and we just literally
dropped to the floor and we read, he just nailed it.
And it was of the sound of his voice and the honest day, like, you know, who he is and
(22:44):
there was no one like him.
And it was epic.
It was epic.
And he's been a tremendous force into the work I was, you know, doing then and again
now.
He did use these words, ready or not, here we come.
(23:07):
And that was what he spoke to with what We Media was doing.
And I said to myself, how can I take the words ready or not and bring them to life today
in the work I'm about to do?
And I thought ready or not is not a question.
(23:32):
It is a statement making people think and do.
So no more do more was the emphasis that we need to move into conversations and open
(23:53):
up and give each other permission to move forward and move back.
Well, when I started first digging into ready or not media, I found this statement and it
reads to simultaneously dismantle persistent negative stereotypes while advocating for people
(24:14):
of all, that's all capital A, capital L, capital L, all abilities to be included in today's
workforce and communities.
And yeah, that ties into Uncle Walter and how you got that from him.
Now I'm going to open up or and folks should be aware that they'll be able to get onto
(24:39):
the ready or not media website.
It's going to be on the lives of road trip one said they'll be a link and I could pull
it up.
And from there I found a quote and you answered it but I'm going to ask it anyway because
I took the time to write it.
I wonder if it was to me it sounds like it the quote both asked questions and is the
(25:04):
name of the company.
And I found these three questions on the website.
Are you ready to learn more about people with disabilities?
Are you ready to rise above discomfort and become comfortable with the disability community
and are you ready to erase stereotypes?
(25:25):
Now I'll preface my next the question I'm getting into.
Was the name meant to stir conversation or push the door open to corporate America?
And before you answer that question I want to leave about two seconds gap here because
(25:46):
life's a road trip is starting to gain a good number of listeners and we might start
be able to drop some ads.
So we're going to take a two second break here in case someone actually wants to pay
us some money so we could start investing in advertising.
So here we go.
Okay answer the question then would you please.
(26:07):
Was the name meant to stir conversation or push the doors open to corporate America?
I mean really push the doors open to corporate America.
The opportunity for the mainstream to join us to have the conversation is where it starts.
(26:33):
We will be pushing the doors open to corporate America through these conversations.
We want corporate America to understand that they as leaders can join this community at
any given moment.
(26:54):
And this is a moment in time for them to participate, to create change and to improve
their bottom line.
I wonder I'm having a hard time because you just said they can.
(27:16):
Lady from what I learned about you and the feeling I'm getting from you is I don't know
how often you use the word.
You can do this.
I have a feeling it's a little bit more direct than oh you can do this.
Maybe there's a little bit more forcefulness and I was going to answer the question but
have you ruffled any feathers?
I think I love to ruffled feathers.
(27:38):
I knew it.
I am not afraid to use the power of words through storytelling to make people understand
and relate to real life circumstances.
(28:04):
And the ruffling of feathers can be used in a variety of ways and I ruffled feathers with
heart, with passion, with conviction, with an opportunity for you to join me to be part
(28:27):
of the change.
I believe change happens when there is collaboration and the opportunities unfold and that's how
barriers will be broken.
But you know darn well that when they're in their own offices and I'm just stating it
(28:53):
broadly when they are in their own offices and you're not there.
You're talking about the bottom line.
Money.
But what you're talking about Laurie is expecting them to do something with money as in changing
of ways, retraining their people, spending money on advertising, spending money on changes
(29:15):
in design.
You're expecting them by being polite to spend money.
I worry about that because they might not see it coming back.
You talk about spending money to make money.
That's a good one.
(29:36):
And this is a powerful group that is comprised of 1.8 billion people.
It is right.
I am on your front page.
I'm on your front page right now.
And that's what it says 1.8 billion people with disabilities.
$13 trillion of global purchasing power.
(30:00):
One in seven people are in the disabled world wide.
15% of the global population.
So that's what you're putting on these people.
And dock on it.
Yeah.
And larger than the population of China.
Oh, there you go.
So when you talk about the power, if not only the power of the disability community,
(30:29):
if the power of family, friends, loyalty that comes from this market.
So corporate leaders need to look beyond the disability community, but to also understand
that when a consumer sees or hears or experiences even through the sound of silence, that a
(30:56):
company is supporting them, the loyalty that comes from those in their circle, the one
becomes three, the three becomes five.
What corporate executive would not want to tap into that market?
Also, there are people who have not come forward with their disability because they
(31:21):
are not in the setting where there is empathy, where there is accessibility.
And until that happens, then they'll see even more of a momentum in bottom line.
Well, from a person that is now, I guess, seeing myself proud to be a part of the disabled
(31:48):
community, I've been here for 30 years, but I've never seen myself as part of it.
And by doing this show for now, over two months, it's really getting my feathers ruffled into
wanting to do it.
I'll be honest with you.
I've said this to a couple of guests, from my perspective, I have been seeing the disability
(32:11):
community as being, I would categorize it as quiet.
And I'm trying to get people on the show that want to do something about that and stir things
up.
And when I hear you say, yeah, I mean, it's easy to throw out the numbers, but I really
were dealing with people that are making decisions based on money, but they probably
(32:36):
have bean counters that check into things and how much or what difference is it really
going to make?
And you're trying to do something with your company, though.
With my company, already on that media, what we are doing is it starts in one place.
It starts with empathy.
(32:57):
You have to hit the hearts of not only leaders, people, employees who have feelings.
We all are born with a heart.
And there's a pulse where we have feelings.
(33:19):
If I say to you, I don't love you anymore, and you hear that news, that it's very hard
to absorb.
If I received that information, the receiver is hard to receive.
(33:40):
The person delivering that, it's hard to do that too.
So both people have feelings.
So when we put people in the situations of understanding through storytelling, understanding
through immersion, that brings out that feeling of understanding where before they may have
(34:04):
never come to terms with that feeling.
So when we're bringing those feelings and heightening those feelings with empathy, the
awareness starts to unravel and unfold.
We are showing that that feeling could touch the person directly.
(34:27):
It could touch someone that is part of their family, part of their circle, part of their
corporate environment, and to change the narrative through those experiences.
Well, let me get into something from myself.
As I'm hearing you say this, this is great, but I'm not trying to throw cold water on
(34:50):
what you're saying.
I'm just being honest about stuff because that's what we're doing.
The threat of my book is about at 35, he just finished his first year of coaching a college
soccer program that became nationally ranked.
After that, he was heading to Europe.
Nike asked him to come and speak because they heard good things about him.
(35:12):
While at Nike, he felt ill, woke up a month later to learn that he had lost both his hands
and parts of his feet.
Four more months in the hospital.
Four years still developing a nationally ranked college soccer program, but he hit a point
where he just sold everything, didn't fit in his car, headed west, and ran some people
(35:35):
there that gave him a different opportunity.
He left coaching soccer to raise five adopted kids from Romania and Ethiopia.
He raised those kids until the youngest got into high school and then took on a group
of third rank, 13 year old kids at the first team and the second team all passed by.
(35:59):
He took them, got them to believe in themselves and they went.
In that first year, won a state title and went undefeated.
I've taken that book and I had two agents that took the book to publishers for me and
they all said the same thing.
Oh, great story.
But he needs a platform because they're all concerned about money because they don't think
that any more you could go out and sell a good American story because they want to be able
(36:26):
to cover their butts.
That's what I'm saying, Lori.
I agree with you, but I wonder how much is really there because it does my experience.
Like I just explained to you, always has come down to the same thing.
Oh, we want to have guaranteed sales before we buy the book.
Holy cow.
(36:47):
So we're talking about the same thing and I hope that you're able to do it on a broader
scale.
I'm trying on a smaller scale, but we're both trying for the same thing.
And that's what I'm trying to do with this show.
And I appreciate and I respect leaders like yourself who are doing that and giving others
(37:14):
platforms, voices, even using your stories and being as real and honest and direct and
not putting this smoke and mirrors on all this.
Oh, yeah.
It's really important.
And I will tell you the points of conviction of getting people to understand the value
(37:39):
of this market.
We are teachers, we're travelers, we're directors, we're authors, we're producers, we're radio
folks, we are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, parents, family, you know, people.
And we are consumers.
We buy toothpaste.
We use products and services just like everybody else.
(38:03):
I am trying to bring that perception and reality to people that are leading and also with the
understanding that it is also universal design.
This is not something that is only to be specialized.
This is just creating products and services that are universal.
(38:27):
And you look at the fact that so many people love Siri.
Siri is everyone's best friend while Siri helped this community more than anybody.
But Siri is also for people who may not have disabilities.
So getting companies to understand that they can think outside the box and look at technology
(38:56):
in such a different way and a more inclusive way and also into both way.
I hadn't thought about that, Siri.
Yeah.
Wow.
So let's get onto your blog because you just had your most recent blog about something
positive and it's Lego and their Lego Friends campaign on what they're doing.
(39:20):
And I actually have a guest coming on next week and he does a lot of posting on LinkedIn
and I picked up on that.
So when I read that from you on your blog page, oh, okay, this is cool.
So just to mention, I did a lot of digging into this to get ready for the guest that's
coming up next week, Lego Friends.
It's out there, folks.
Fiona is one of the Lego Friends.
(39:44):
She is down syndrome.
Now Fiona isn't on in many of the, I think she's actually only in the largest package
that they sell, they sell, but Autumn was born with without a left hand, I believe it is.
And Autumn is in two of the, no, she's in three different packages so people can see.
So there is a positivity.
(40:08):
I mean, Lego is pretty darn big and they are going for it and they're one of the building
blocks.
They're in the base I would see and I applaud what they've done and it's going to be interesting
to see what their results are with how kids react.
And maybe I think this is what you're talking about.
(40:30):
Well, it must be because you put it on your blog.
So what's your perspective on what Lego has done?
I love what Lego is doing.
I think that kids and parents, children with disabilities and parents of children without
disabilities have an opportunity to share with their children the different identities
(40:57):
that are out there in everyday life.
And there becomes more of a normal when you see these products being developed that kids
won't be scared and have fears around people with differences.
(41:20):
And those differences aren't just disability differences.
Those are people of another race, gender, sexual orientation.
And when we make it part of the norm is what we're trying to do with companies and going
back to the whole universal design.
I believe it will only bring more people together and only improve work environments and just
(41:52):
everyday communication and understanding who the Legos of the world.
And I know for me growing up, I didn't have access to a Barbie with a hearing aid to identify
with.
No way.
I'm swimming at a Barbie with a wheelchair.
(42:15):
I didn't have those toys around me.
I was not associated with it because it wasn't around me.
And I always tried to be treated as normal as possible and not looked at as a young girl
(42:41):
with a disability.
I was always like, look at me, I'm an athlete, I'm going to tennis camp.
I am smart and my mom works with me to help me navigate through things and get through
education.
But I'm still doing and acting.
(43:03):
So I think Lego is really setting the precedent for inclusion.
I just applaud.
This is a start.
I mean, for me being a new to getting into this realm of trying to stir things up and
trying to help, this is my first experience with a company that's actually sticking their
(43:30):
neck out there.
And basically, thumbing their nose at everyone, well, maybe it's a smart thing.
They're being the first to market.
They are.
I wish my kids weren't so old that they won't have Legos because I'd be buying them for
them because I think it's just fantastic.
I hope more people will.
(43:51):
Yeah.
I think, like I said, they're setting the precedent.
And, you know, yes, there are other controversies out there.
And, you know, unfortunately, you know, sometimes political agendas get in the way of things.
And I try not to look at that.
I look at it from a standpoint of positive change.
(44:15):
And I look at everything through how can we make things better and people more aware.
Okay.
Well, talking about making things better, I want to get into a book that you're involved
with.
It's called Misadventures.
I just love the title.
It's M.I.S.S.
Dash Adventures.
So, tell us about that, please.
(44:38):
Especially how broad it is with the number of people that are part of it.
So, about two months before December of last year, I had been approached by the author,
Stephanie Bailey, who wrote Misadventures in covering women and the ultimate empowerment.
(45:05):
And it was an opportunity that she was giving me to use my voice and my vulnerability as
a woman, as a woman, and share my experiences to other women and empower other women to
be able to unveil their vulnerability, whether it was through their challenges of maybe having
(45:38):
a disability or their sexuality or being more forward and direct in what their inner voices
were telling them.
And it was an opportunity for me to share my deepest vulnerabilities about some of the
experiences that I had as a woman growing up with hearing loss and sharing those snippets
(46:06):
and stories through the chapter and kind of coming to that sense of even giving myself
permission to do it.
And it was very empowering for me to take on that challenge with myself because I thought,
how am I going to do this?
(46:27):
Am I ready to do this?
And it goes back to the whole ready or not feeling.
It's a feeling I carry in my life every day.
And it's a feeling that most of us carry every day.
And the book has done exceptionally well.
It's number one Amazon bestseller and six categories.
(46:49):
And to say I'm a published author of a book that is number one.
It gives me a lot of ammunition to say.
I think maybe I should start thinking about a book myself.
Oh my goodness.
Here we go.
Another layer.
A lot of people who have read it have shared with me.
(47:15):
It's actually the last chapter, chapter 22 of this book.
And definitely it was the best way to kind of end this book and so deep and personal.
But a lot of people really love the fact that I share so much vulnerability and they wanted
more.
(47:36):
And I hear more stories.
And there are so many stories that I haven't shared and will continue to share.
So we'll see.
Well, someone put a book in your, you know, one of the things I learned about the book
industry is you got to grab them at the start and you got to grab them at the end.
So they leave feeling really good.
And for you, for your chapter to be at the end, that's telling you something.
(47:59):
You have a future there, kid.
Okay.
All right.
So I was going to be asking you about what you have going on.
And now you let it leak out.
So I want to do something a little bit different here.
The sound of the VW horn means it's time to shift gears and let's get into the road trip
roundup.
I'm going to be throwing you five questions about your experiences with road trips.
(48:20):
Okay, Lori, just however you want to get into it.
When road tripping, do you tend to do fast food or local diners?
Diners.
Okay.
Okay.
My wife Sue and I have been talking about this on, we have a road trip coming up.
We're getting down into Nashville and Memphis doing a lot of some music at the end of this
(48:44):
month with some friends.
And we said, we're doing diners because I'm starting to get that answer from a lot of
my guests.
And the local stuff so you can get the local fare and just to sit down and relax, right?
We need to do that more.
And I think you have to go right.
(49:05):
I think with a diner, you have more variety of food to eat.
Yeah.
There's always McDonald's, you know, if you have to gas up and go hit the bathroom or
something, it's always going to be there for that.
But it's for that purpose.
So I'm learning something.
What's your dream car for a road trip?
That can be something you had as a kid, you have now or something, heck, you'd rent.
(49:30):
What's your dream car for a road trip?
My dream car for a road trip would probably be a, I think I'd like maybe an old Thunderbird
would be.
Oh, what are you talking about?
Oh, they did them twice.
(49:51):
You're talking about late 50s Thunderbird or early 60s?
And in the 50s Thunderbird could drive in.
They converted our with our time.
Convertible or not?
I, you know, my family had a picture of a Thunderbird actually in our basement.
(50:17):
And I also like the Mustang that my, my parents had when they first got married.
That was also cool.
So I think between either or would be cool.
Very nice.
You got to do it that kid.
You got to do it.
All right.
Next, last cassette or CD that played while you were on a road trip.
(50:47):
Those people who know me with, here we go.
I am a very big fan of Michael Bolton and I'm glad to be playing that.
And so I listened to a lot of his classics and he, he is definitely up there.
(51:13):
He would have been a crooner had he been back in the era of the 40s and 50s, wouldn't he?
He would have been a crooner.
I, I don't know.
I don't know.
He fit that era because he had that panache of the style of the crooners of the day.
(51:35):
Okay.
Question number four.
Cocor Pepsi could be their products, but cocor Pepsi.
Okay.
All right.
Straight forward.
That seems to be mixed.
Now we're, we're getting into double digits with doing the show.
I would say it's 60, 40 at most on one side or the other, but it's, it's fairly down
(51:58):
the middle.
All right.
Last question.
You take it wherever you want, Lori.
What's your favorite road trip memory?
My favorite road trip memory.
Wow.
My favorite road trip memory was with a dear friend of mine who was from Texas and she
(52:29):
took me in her car and we were going to watch her, her daughter play basketball.
She's a pretty serious basketball player and she took me to Crocodile and Crocodile.
I never had been to a Crocodile.
So I have this girl from the East Coast traveling and seeing cows all over the place and seeing
(52:55):
gravy and, you know, not really knowing where I was.
Okay.
I'm trying.
Big experience of learning what, what the West was like driving through and, and seeing
(53:17):
all of, you know, these animals and nature.
And it was a, it was a big, you know, eye opening experience for me realizing I wasn't
in New York and I wasn't surrounded by all these buildings.
So that definitely up there for road trips.
That's fantastic.
I love hearing when I asked that question.
(53:40):
That's why I put it at the end of the show because I get the opportunity to hear this and
just, it's fun to hear what you guys have to say about it.
Okay.
So I'm wrapping up the show now and I want us to stay out for just a couple of minutes
after we say goodbye to pick each other's brain a little bit or just to relax a little
bit.
So here I'll say thanks for listening, challenge relax everybody and keep listening to life's
(54:05):
a road trip.
Thanks for listening.
Check out previous episodes with new ones dropping each Tuesday.
If you don't see a synopsis of this show where you're listening, visit our website at
life's a roadtrip.podbean.com for more information on this week's guest.
(54:27):
This is your host Scott Martin reminding you that life's a road trip.
Being disabled or having a chronic illness can feel like you're moving forward in reverse.
(00:21):
I'm your host Scott Martin.
Join me and my new friends in this underrepresented community as we talk about disrupting the
status quo and creating change within the world and within ourselves.
A life's a road trip.
Hop in.
Let's turn on some tunes and go.
(00:56):
With me in the passenger seat and managing the radio is Lori Frissure.
Preparing for the show, I struggle with the notion of avoiding the simplicity of introducing
Lori by telling you that she is deaf.
But then I came across a statement about her and realized that her hearing loss is part
of who she is.
That paragraph reads as follows.
Born with moderate to severe hearing loss and diagnosis of toddler, Lori worked hard
(01:20):
throughout her school years to compensate.
She relied on hearing aids and lip reading and imperfect solution that kept her lock
out of family conversations in the car, guessing at what friends found funny at parties and
relying on notetakers and tutors to help her understand her teacher in class.
That tied it all together for me and led me to my desire to have her own as a guest.
(01:44):
Hi Lori.
Hi there.
How are you?
I'm doing fine in central Wisconsin and everything's going well as I mentioned in our pre-lup.
I'm a substitute teacher and I was in business class today.
I don't know a heck of a lot about it but I was able to give some concept to the kids
about what we were doing.
(02:05):
As a substitute teacher, I have to juggle things all the time.
Thank you for having me.
Let's set the part of the base for our discussion.
You had both cochlear implants and the esteem implant.
Tell us a little bit about or tell us a lot about the differences and the timing for these
(02:27):
surgeries.
I was blessed to have an opportunity to be the first candidate in the world to receive
the esteem implant with a cochlear implant in 2010.
It was an opportunity for me to try a new wave of technology that was out for people
(02:55):
who had a moderate Tresibia hearing loss and that was my loss.
I became a candidate and I took advantage of the opportunity to embrace this technology
which allowed me to hear a lot of sounds that I had never heard for the first time.
(03:16):
So this was everything from the sound of water to my dog panting to leaning on a pillow
and even realizing that makes noise to drinking water and just the sound of swallowing.
So there were a lot of unique sounds but sounds that the average person takes for granted.
(03:44):
So it was a really incredible time for me to advocate for people who have been struggling
with hearing loss and have more of a natural type of sound.
I had this implant for about 10 years and in 2020 my battery life had terminated so
(04:08):
the robot had died and I knew that I had wanted to continue to take advantage of the
incredible technology that is out there for people like me and decided to get a cochlear
implant in that ear.
(04:29):
And I'm wearing two cochlear implants to date and it's incredible that this is out there
for people to use and to have the opportunities that I have been fortunate to have in both
my personal life and my professional life.
(04:50):
Now in my research about you I found that both you and your father were college athletes
you were both tennis players.
When I started digging in more to who you are and the things that you've done it really
made sense because you've got an edge to you and it's an edge of an athlete.
I play college soccer and beyond and I know there's a little bit, well there's a lot
(05:14):
of toughness and there is an idea and a desire and it really seemed to fit with what you
went through.
Now could you tell us a little bit just browse about it a little bit about you were a walk
on at the college level correct?
Yes I went to the university part for after graduating as a double state champion back
(05:40):
in New York and I decided that I wanted to continue to play sports in college and I decided
to try out one of those things where I was also a soccer player, a basketball player
and a tennis player.
So I had to make a decision what it was that I really wanted to do and tennis I felt was
(06:01):
a lifetime sport and growing up with my father who was a collegiate athlete always disciplined
me to that mindset of really staying focused and he had always given me this eye of the
tiger pointing to his eye to beta and to stay focused if I was on track and I really always
(06:32):
used my athletics as a way to power through things in my life and having that discipline
as an athlete as you know is something that really helped shape so many individuals in
their life and I know that that has given me the competitive attitude that I have with
(07:02):
you know paling through it and getting through it and not being afraid of it and just staying
in that positive mindset to get me through my daily life.
I really agree with you on things when I, after I became a quad amputee when I was 35 years
(07:24):
old and coaching college soccer and all of a sudden I couldn't play anymore well that
was left and where else could it go but that's really what drove me or allowed me to drive
through everything that I went through.
Now let's go back to after you had the implants.
You mentioned a few of the sounds and I think they're very intricate and I thank you for
(07:46):
saying those because it's going to make some people think about it but were there any sounds
that you sought out that you wanted to make sure that you really heard for the first time?
The sounds were so extraordinary.
It's got so there were just so many of them and you know it's hard to pinpoint specifics
(08:13):
but the sound of water was something that really was an emotional sound for me.
You know hearing water whether it was rain or going in the shower and hearing water come
from you know the shower head onto my hair.
(08:34):
I mean to hear that I never had heard that it was kind of like do I really hear that?
I mean my goodness my whole life I have never heard the sound of water.
Being in a hairdresser salon you know the hairdresser and putting your head back in
(08:55):
the sink and they're talking to you and having a conversation and you cannot even communicate
with them to being able to do that.
So those were some of the really peeking sounds for me to hearing a person putting change
on a counter and saying to my father what is that and they're counting the change on
(09:22):
the counter at the end of the day at you know a store.
Those types of sounds to hearing laughter but really hearing it and feeling it and you
know having hearing aids my whole life I was still able to hear but the quality of hearing
(09:43):
really you know change when these implants were gifted to me.
There's opportunity of a lifetime to experience that and you know having this opportunity
of exploring technology and then having a challenge of later on where I am now you know
(10:10):
permanently deaf without the use of cochlear implants.
So I could say I learned how to hear with devices I've been gifted the opportunity to
hear sound.
And now I don't have the luxury of hearing water when I take a shower.
(10:31):
So so much has changed but you know you realize how precious these gifts are and to have
the opportunity to have said I've been there and I've had that feeling you can't take that
away ever.
Now I've never taken for granted and I'm sure that listeners are going to be thinking
(10:56):
about this stuff more now.
Water especially and simplicity of coins.
Well we don't use coins so much anymore I guess.
Let me ask you about music.
What are your favorite types of music you know what really tripped your trigger I mean
was it oh that's what the rolling sounds sound like or you know is there any specific type
(11:19):
of music.
I have always been someone who has loved music.
Music for me was always vibration and more inch mental sounds that was what I identified
with.
I was wondering about that.
We grew up my sister and I with two boxes in our home.
(11:44):
My father is a big fan of 45 records.
And him were big dancers you know back in the day and you know music was always part
of our house.
Whether I would hear the words or not it would just go part of the mood and I always
(12:06):
used to get the inside of tape cassettes and read the lyrics to know the words because
that was the only way I would be able to even sing the words that a bar mitzvah or an event
and kind of read the lips of the person across from me because if I didn't do that then I
(12:28):
just would pretend that I knew the words and just I sit there and just act like I knew
it.
And it was hard because music is such a big piece of a lot of people's lives and people
love to sing to one another.
So when the technology came around I was actually hearing the lyrics and to be able
(12:51):
to even today to hear the lyrics even if I don't get 100% of it I am getting more than
I've ever been able to receive listening to music.
So I love music.
I accept music.
I'm growing up.
I was a big fan of obviously 80s music and still am.
(13:14):
I do.
I think that's some of our best music according to me because I grew up with it.
Well let me ask you something specific.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.
Does that sound familiar to you?
It does.
It does.
It does.
(13:35):
Yeah.
I had met an extraordinary woman who is a mother of a deaf son who told me about karaoke
and the technology and she said listen when you get your implant turned on I want you
(13:57):
to come over and do this karaoke machine and I did and the song that came on was Boulevard
of Broken Dreams by Green Day and it had the very special meaning to my heart.
I saw an extremely happy person and I saw the video of that and I felt how happy you
(14:23):
were doing that.
That was just phenomenal.
I can't express it but watching your voice right now because you and I are on cameras
with each other.
I see that same person.
That's amazing Laurie.
I'm glad you had that opportunity and I thank you for posting it because it was really cool
(14:46):
on my side.
Yeah it makes you really think about how you take those things from Vienna listening to
music and hearing words of music.
There are so many amazing dancers who are deaf and people like go how are they such
(15:09):
good dancers and it's because they sent vibration and they're great dancers.
Some of the bad dancers.
I hadn't thought about that but that's true.
Out.
Staying on an emotional side I want to get into something that I dug up on you before
you get into talking about your business and I think it was a thread for me another
(15:34):
piece of putting a puzzle together so to speak on getting to this point where we're at right
now and that's we media.
Is it safe to assume that such experience helped you form the base for you building ready or
not media?
We'll get into talking about ready or not in a bit.
(15:56):
I've had a lot of blessing in my life and we media was what I will consider the best
job of my entire life.
I can tell you.
We were cutting edge.
We media was built with the premise of magazine, a lifestyle magazine.
(16:21):
It expanded into online properties out of New York and then went into television.
We were the first multimedia company for people with disabilities.
We put people with disabilities on the global stage all over the world and we were the town
(16:43):
and country magazine for the disabled to dream big to embrace disability but to recognize
the family, the friends of the community of people with disabilities and we were always
aiming high for the disability market from the travel experiences to being in sports
(17:10):
and lifestyle and that experience that I had out of New York with the incredible visionaries
behind it, it was all heart, soul and business.
We was around for about four and a half, five years of bringing the community to life and
(17:38):
through those experiences of meeting a lot of different nonprofit organizations, national
global organizations, working with some of the biggest trial players in the industry
who made laws happen for the community of people with disabilities, those who were involved
(17:59):
in the Paralympic movement, elevating all of these athletes to dream big.
Those opportunities really built the foundation for me to know the power of this community
and the power to bring this market to the forefront but to bring this to light through
(18:26):
ready on that media.
We media was 20 years too early.
So a lot of the things that we did back in 1999, 1997 going into the Paralympics in Sydney,
Australia were so innovative and so my experience through all of this has been a very big piece
(18:55):
of my passion and I have that passion and that fire to be even more creative and innovator
than what we're seeing now.
You're seeing a lot of people with disabilities and ads and people are coming into the movies
now and I want to take it even at a higher level because I know what we can do and I
(19:23):
know the work doesn't stop.
What you just said is I think it reflects, I've been doing the show now for, oh gosh,
I'm starting the third month of it and I'm starting to feel like I have an opportunity
to become part of that and I want to and it's all of this learning to help this started
(19:47):
for me to create a platform for my book because publisher said damn it, you got it, whatever.
But now I've gotten into this.
I want to go back to, I came across this name and it made me think about a little boy in
the mid 1960s that learned all about Vietnam War and how to speak up and speak out about
what's right and this guy's name and I used to call him Uncle Walter because I looked
(20:14):
up to him Monday through Friday.
Walter Cronkite, you worked with Walter Cronkite, correct?
Yes.
Oh my God.
Yes, yes.
He was one of my mountains.
That guy taught me a lot about how to be a person and I see when I came across that,
(20:37):
oh yeah, here's another thread that ties you into what you're doing now.
Just tell me a little bit about working with Uncle Walter.
Would you please?
Yes, I will never forget the day that I sat in his office and it was just the tour of
us and his assistant Marlene Adler at the time was outside and she was knocking on the
(21:04):
door trying to get us to go outside to start working on the launch of We Media.com.
And neither of us could hear Marlene at the door because he had a hearing loss and shut
it up.
So finally she like worked through the doors and she was like, you too?
(21:26):
We need to get you out here.
So it was a really special moment and just seeing the incredible moment of that he had
in his office and all of the work he's done for the years, I mean, so many things to
count.
So having the opportunity to work with him and bring We Media.com to life through the
(21:49):
production of the videos that we, in the commercials that we created was incredible.
And when I say incredible, you talk about voices and the power of voices.
Walter Cronkite, you know, when he was speaking in the clips of what we were doing to launch
(22:14):
this incredible milestone, as soon as we put his voice and narration into the videos,
all of a sudden all of us looked at each other in the production room and we just literally
dropped to the floor and we read, he just nailed it.
And it was of the sound of his voice and the honest day, like, you know, who he is and
(22:44):
there was no one like him.
And it was epic.
It was epic.
And he's been a tremendous force into the work I was, you know, doing then and again
now.
He did use these words, ready or not, here we come.
(23:07):
And that was what he spoke to with what We Media was doing.
And I said to myself, how can I take the words ready or not and bring them to life today
in the work I'm about to do?
And I thought ready or not is not a question.
(23:32):
It is a statement making people think and do.
So no more do more was the emphasis that we need to move into conversations and open
(23:53):
up and give each other permission to move forward and move back.
Well, when I started first digging into ready or not media, I found this statement and it
reads to simultaneously dismantle persistent negative stereotypes while advocating for people
(24:14):
of all, that's all capital A, capital L, capital L, all abilities to be included in today's
workforce and communities.
And yeah, that ties into Uncle Walter and how you got that from him.
Now I'm going to open up or and folks should be aware that they'll be able to get onto
(24:39):
the ready or not media website.
It's going to be on the lives of road trip one said they'll be a link and I could pull
it up.
And from there I found a quote and you answered it but I'm going to ask it anyway because
I took the time to write it.
I wonder if it was to me it sounds like it the quote both asked questions and is the
(25:04):
name of the company.
And I found these three questions on the website.
Are you ready to learn more about people with disabilities?
Are you ready to rise above discomfort and become comfortable with the disability community
and are you ready to erase stereotypes?
(25:25):
Now I'll preface my next the question I'm getting into.
Was the name meant to stir conversation or push the door open to corporate America?
And before you answer that question I want to leave about two seconds gap here because
(25:46):
life's a road trip is starting to gain a good number of listeners and we might start
be able to drop some ads.
So we're going to take a two second break here in case someone actually wants to pay
us some money so we could start investing in advertising.
So here we go.
Okay answer the question then would you please.
(26:07):
Was the name meant to stir conversation or push the doors open to corporate America?
I mean really push the doors open to corporate America.
The opportunity for the mainstream to join us to have the conversation is where it starts.
(26:33):
We will be pushing the doors open to corporate America through these conversations.
We want corporate America to understand that they as leaders can join this community at
any given moment.
(26:54):
And this is a moment in time for them to participate, to create change and to improve
their bottom line.
I wonder I'm having a hard time because you just said they can.
(27:16):
Lady from what I learned about you and the feeling I'm getting from you is I don't know
how often you use the word.
You can do this.
I have a feeling it's a little bit more direct than oh you can do this.
Maybe there's a little bit more forcefulness and I was going to answer the question but
have you ruffled any feathers?
I think I love to ruffled feathers.
(27:38):
I knew it.
I am not afraid to use the power of words through storytelling to make people understand
and relate to real life circumstances.
(28:04):
And the ruffling of feathers can be used in a variety of ways and I ruffled feathers with
heart, with passion, with conviction, with an opportunity for you to join me to be part
(28:27):
of the change.
I believe change happens when there is collaboration and the opportunities unfold and that's how
barriers will be broken.
But you know darn well that when they're in their own offices and I'm just stating it
(28:53):
broadly when they are in their own offices and you're not there.
You're talking about the bottom line.
Money.
But what you're talking about Laurie is expecting them to do something with money as in changing
of ways, retraining their people, spending money on advertising, spending money on changes
(29:15):
in design.
You're expecting them by being polite to spend money.
I worry about that because they might not see it coming back.
You talk about spending money to make money.
That's a good one.
(29:36):
And this is a powerful group that is comprised of 1.8 billion people.
It is right.
I am on your front page.
I'm on your front page right now.
And that's what it says 1.8 billion people with disabilities.
$13 trillion of global purchasing power.
(30:00):
One in seven people are in the disabled world wide.
15% of the global population.
So that's what you're putting on these people.
And dock on it.
Yeah.
And larger than the population of China.
Oh, there you go.
So when you talk about the power, if not only the power of the disability community,
(30:29):
if the power of family, friends, loyalty that comes from this market.
So corporate leaders need to look beyond the disability community, but to also understand
that when a consumer sees or hears or experiences even through the sound of silence, that a
(30:56):
company is supporting them, the loyalty that comes from those in their circle, the one
becomes three, the three becomes five.
What corporate executive would not want to tap into that market?
Also, there are people who have not come forward with their disability because they
(31:21):
are not in the setting where there is empathy, where there is accessibility.
And until that happens, then they'll see even more of a momentum in bottom line.
Well, from a person that is now, I guess, seeing myself proud to be a part of the disabled
(31:48):
community, I've been here for 30 years, but I've never seen myself as part of it.
And by doing this show for now, over two months, it's really getting my feathers ruffled into
wanting to do it.
I'll be honest with you.
I've said this to a couple of guests, from my perspective, I have been seeing the disability
(32:11):
community as being, I would categorize it as quiet.
And I'm trying to get people on the show that want to do something about that and stir things
up.
And when I hear you say, yeah, I mean, it's easy to throw out the numbers, but I really
were dealing with people that are making decisions based on money, but they probably
(32:36):
have bean counters that check into things and how much or what difference is it really
going to make?
And you're trying to do something with your company, though.
With my company, already on that media, what we are doing is it starts in one place.
It starts with empathy.
(32:57):
You have to hit the hearts of not only leaders, people, employees who have feelings.
We all are born with a heart.
And there's a pulse where we have feelings.
(33:19):
If I say to you, I don't love you anymore, and you hear that news, that it's very hard
to absorb.
If I received that information, the receiver is hard to receive.
(33:40):
The person delivering that, it's hard to do that too.
So both people have feelings.
So when we put people in the situations of understanding through storytelling, understanding
through immersion, that brings out that feeling of understanding where before they may have
(34:04):
never come to terms with that feeling.
So when we're bringing those feelings and heightening those feelings with empathy, the
awareness starts to unravel and unfold.
We are showing that that feeling could touch the person directly.
(34:27):
It could touch someone that is part of their family, part of their circle, part of their
corporate environment, and to change the narrative through those experiences.
Well, let me get into something from myself.
As I'm hearing you say this, this is great, but I'm not trying to throw cold water on
(34:50):
what you're saying.
I'm just being honest about stuff because that's what we're doing.
The threat of my book is about at 35, he just finished his first year of coaching a college
soccer program that became nationally ranked.
After that, he was heading to Europe.
Nike asked him to come and speak because they heard good things about him.
(35:12):
While at Nike, he felt ill, woke up a month later to learn that he had lost both his hands
and parts of his feet.
Four more months in the hospital.
Four years still developing a nationally ranked college soccer program, but he hit a point
where he just sold everything, didn't fit in his car, headed west, and ran some people
(35:35):
there that gave him a different opportunity.
He left coaching soccer to raise five adopted kids from Romania and Ethiopia.
He raised those kids until the youngest got into high school and then took on a group
of third rank, 13 year old kids at the first team and the second team all passed by.
(35:59):
He took them, got them to believe in themselves and they went.
In that first year, won a state title and went undefeated.
I've taken that book and I had two agents that took the book to publishers for me and
they all said the same thing.
Oh, great story.
But he needs a platform because they're all concerned about money because they don't think
that any more you could go out and sell a good American story because they want to be able
(36:26):
to cover their butts.
That's what I'm saying, Lori.
I agree with you, but I wonder how much is really there because it does my experience.
Like I just explained to you, always has come down to the same thing.
Oh, we want to have guaranteed sales before we buy the book.
Holy cow.
(36:47):
So we're talking about the same thing and I hope that you're able to do it on a broader
scale.
I'm trying on a smaller scale, but we're both trying for the same thing.
And that's what I'm trying to do with this show.
And I appreciate and I respect leaders like yourself who are doing that and giving others
(37:14):
platforms, voices, even using your stories and being as real and honest and direct and
not putting this smoke and mirrors on all this.
Oh, yeah.
It's really important.
And I will tell you the points of conviction of getting people to understand the value
(37:39):
of this market.
We are teachers, we're travelers, we're directors, we're authors, we're producers, we're radio
folks, we are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, parents, family, you know, people.
And we are consumers.
We buy toothpaste.
We use products and services just like everybody else.
(38:03):
I am trying to bring that perception and reality to people that are leading and also with the
understanding that it is also universal design.
This is not something that is only to be specialized.
This is just creating products and services that are universal.
(38:27):
And you look at the fact that so many people love Siri.
Siri is everyone's best friend while Siri helped this community more than anybody.
But Siri is also for people who may not have disabilities.
So getting companies to understand that they can think outside the box and look at technology
(38:56):
in such a different way and a more inclusive way and also into both way.
I hadn't thought about that, Siri.
Yeah.
Wow.
So let's get onto your blog because you just had your most recent blog about something
positive and it's Lego and their Lego Friends campaign on what they're doing.
(39:20):
And I actually have a guest coming on next week and he does a lot of posting on LinkedIn
and I picked up on that.
So when I read that from you on your blog page, oh, okay, this is cool.
So just to mention, I did a lot of digging into this to get ready for the guest that's
coming up next week, Lego Friends.
It's out there, folks.
Fiona is one of the Lego Friends.
(39:44):
She is down syndrome.
Now Fiona isn't on in many of the, I think she's actually only in the largest package
that they sell, they sell, but Autumn was born with without a left hand, I believe it is.
And Autumn is in two of the, no, she's in three different packages so people can see.
So there is a positivity.
(40:08):
I mean, Lego is pretty darn big and they are going for it and they're one of the building
blocks.
They're in the base I would see and I applaud what they've done and it's going to be interesting
to see what their results are with how kids react.
And maybe I think this is what you're talking about.
(40:30):
Well, it must be because you put it on your blog.
So what's your perspective on what Lego has done?
I love what Lego is doing.
I think that kids and parents, children with disabilities and parents of children without
disabilities have an opportunity to share with their children the different identities
(40:57):
that are out there in everyday life.
And there becomes more of a normal when you see these products being developed that kids
won't be scared and have fears around people with differences.
(41:20):
And those differences aren't just disability differences.
Those are people of another race, gender, sexual orientation.
And when we make it part of the norm is what we're trying to do with companies and going
back to the whole universal design.
I believe it will only bring more people together and only improve work environments and just
(41:52):
everyday communication and understanding who the Legos of the world.
And I know for me growing up, I didn't have access to a Barbie with a hearing aid to identify
with.
No way.
I'm swimming at a Barbie with a wheelchair.
(42:15):
I didn't have those toys around me.
I was not associated with it because it wasn't around me.
And I always tried to be treated as normal as possible and not looked at as a young girl
(42:41):
with a disability.
I was always like, look at me, I'm an athlete, I'm going to tennis camp.
I am smart and my mom works with me to help me navigate through things and get through
education.
But I'm still doing and acting.
(43:03):
So I think Lego is really setting the precedent for inclusion.
I just applaud.
This is a start.
I mean, for me being a new to getting into this realm of trying to stir things up and
trying to help, this is my first experience with a company that's actually sticking their
(43:30):
neck out there.
And basically, thumbing their nose at everyone, well, maybe it's a smart thing.
They're being the first to market.
They are.
I wish my kids weren't so old that they won't have Legos because I'd be buying them for
them because I think it's just fantastic.
I hope more people will.
(43:51):
Yeah.
I think, like I said, they're setting the precedent.
And, you know, yes, there are other controversies out there.
And, you know, unfortunately, you know, sometimes political agendas get in the way of things.
And I try not to look at that.
I look at it from a standpoint of positive change.
(44:15):
And I look at everything through how can we make things better and people more aware.
Okay.
Well, talking about making things better, I want to get into a book that you're involved
with.
It's called Misadventures.
I just love the title.
It's M.I.S.S.
Dash Adventures.
So, tell us about that, please.
(44:38):
Especially how broad it is with the number of people that are part of it.
So, about two months before December of last year, I had been approached by the author,
Stephanie Bailey, who wrote Misadventures in covering women and the ultimate empowerment.
(45:05):
And it was an opportunity that she was giving me to use my voice and my vulnerability as
a woman, as a woman, and share my experiences to other women and empower other women to
be able to unveil their vulnerability, whether it was through their challenges of maybe having
(45:38):
a disability or their sexuality or being more forward and direct in what their inner voices
were telling them.
And it was an opportunity for me to share my deepest vulnerabilities about some of the
experiences that I had as a woman growing up with hearing loss and sharing those snippets
(46:06):
and stories through the chapter and kind of coming to that sense of even giving myself
permission to do it.
And it was very empowering for me to take on that challenge with myself because I thought,
how am I going to do this?
(46:27):
Am I ready to do this?
And it goes back to the whole ready or not feeling.
It's a feeling I carry in my life every day.
And it's a feeling that most of us carry every day.
And the book has done exceptionally well.
It's number one Amazon bestseller and six categories.
(46:49):
And to say I'm a published author of a book that is number one.
It gives me a lot of ammunition to say.
I think maybe I should start thinking about a book myself.
Oh my goodness.
Here we go.
Another layer.
A lot of people who have read it have shared with me.
(47:15):
It's actually the last chapter, chapter 22 of this book.
And definitely it was the best way to kind of end this book and so deep and personal.
But a lot of people really love the fact that I share so much vulnerability and they wanted
more.
(47:36):
And I hear more stories.
And there are so many stories that I haven't shared and will continue to share.
So we'll see.
Well, someone put a book in your, you know, one of the things I learned about the book
industry is you got to grab them at the start and you got to grab them at the end.
So they leave feeling really good.
And for you, for your chapter to be at the end, that's telling you something.
(47:59):
You have a future there, kid.
Okay.
All right.
So I was going to be asking you about what you have going on.
And now you let it leak out.
So I want to do something a little bit different here.
The sound of the VW horn means it's time to shift gears and let's get into the road trip
roundup.
I'm going to be throwing you five questions about your experiences with road trips.
(48:20):
Okay, Lori, just however you want to get into it.
When road tripping, do you tend to do fast food or local diners?
Diners.
Okay.
Okay.
My wife Sue and I have been talking about this on, we have a road trip coming up.
We're getting down into Nashville and Memphis doing a lot of some music at the end of this
(48:44):
month with some friends.
And we said, we're doing diners because I'm starting to get that answer from a lot of
my guests.
And the local stuff so you can get the local fare and just to sit down and relax, right?
We need to do that more.
And I think you have to go right.
(49:05):
I think with a diner, you have more variety of food to eat.
Yeah.
There's always McDonald's, you know, if you have to gas up and go hit the bathroom or
something, it's always going to be there for that.
But it's for that purpose.
So I'm learning something.
What's your dream car for a road trip?
That can be something you had as a kid, you have now or something, heck, you'd rent.
(49:30):
What's your dream car for a road trip?
My dream car for a road trip would probably be a, I think I'd like maybe an old Thunderbird
would be.
Oh, what are you talking about?
Oh, they did them twice.
(49:51):
You're talking about late 50s Thunderbird or early 60s?
And in the 50s Thunderbird could drive in.
They converted our with our time.
Convertible or not?
I, you know, my family had a picture of a Thunderbird actually in our basement.
(50:17):
And I also like the Mustang that my, my parents had when they first got married.
That was also cool.
So I think between either or would be cool.
Very nice.
You got to do it that kid.
You got to do it.
All right.
Next, last cassette or CD that played while you were on a road trip.
(50:47):
Those people who know me with, here we go.
I am a very big fan of Michael Bolton and I'm glad to be playing that.
And so I listened to a lot of his classics and he, he is definitely up there.
(51:13):
He would have been a crooner had he been back in the era of the 40s and 50s, wouldn't he?
He would have been a crooner.
I, I don't know.
I don't know.
He fit that era because he had that panache of the style of the crooners of the day.
(51:35):
Okay.
Question number four.
Cocor Pepsi could be their products, but cocor Pepsi.
Okay.
All right.
Straight forward.
That seems to be mixed.
Now we're, we're getting into double digits with doing the show.
I would say it's 60, 40 at most on one side or the other, but it's, it's fairly down
(51:58):
the middle.
All right.
Last question.
You take it wherever you want, Lori.
What's your favorite road trip memory?
My favorite road trip memory.
Wow.
My favorite road trip memory was with a dear friend of mine who was from Texas and she
(52:29):
took me in her car and we were going to watch her, her daughter play basketball.
She's a pretty serious basketball player and she took me to Crocodile and Crocodile.
I never had been to a Crocodile.
So I have this girl from the East Coast traveling and seeing cows all over the place and seeing
(52:55):
gravy and, you know, not really knowing where I was.
Okay.
I'm trying.
Big experience of learning what, what the West was like driving through and, and seeing
(53:17):
all of, you know, these animals and nature.
And it was a, it was a big, you know, eye opening experience for me realizing I wasn't
in New York and I wasn't surrounded by all these buildings.
So that definitely up there for road trips.
That's fantastic.
I love hearing when I asked that question.
(53:40):
That's why I put it at the end of the show because I get the opportunity to hear this and
just, it's fun to hear what you guys have to say about it.
Okay.
So I'm wrapping up the show now and I want us to stay out for just a couple of minutes
after we say goodbye to pick each other's brain a little bit or just to relax a little
bit.
So here I'll say thanks for listening, challenge relax everybody and keep listening to life's
(54:05):
a road trip.
Thanks for listening.
Check out previous episodes with new ones dropping each Tuesday.
If you don't see a synopsis of this show where you're listening, visit our website at
life's a roadtrip.podbean.com for more information on this week's guest.
(54:27):
This is your host Scott Martin reminding you that life's a road trip.
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