Life’s a Road Trip

Oh, She’s Got This

This week's guest is Carrie Davis.
“Is this it? She’s just missing her hand? Oh, we got this” That was Carrie's mother's reaction to being told that her newborn daughter was born with one hand.
The tone of that statement carries on in Carrie even today. It makes me think of the cover guy for Mad Magazine, Alfred E. Neuman, who was known for the phrase "What, me worry?"
Worrying about being disabled is not in Carrie's vernacular. 
Carrie is one of those people that fits her job. You see, she is Vice President of Patient Experience at Hanger Clinic, the prosthetic giant of North America. The title says it all and it's the experience of each and every patient that drives her.
To learn more about what Carrie and Hanger do, visit AMPOWER (Link) and International Patient Experience (Link).

He’s Nothing But Positive

This week's guest is Krystian Shaw.
Krystian actually 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 ahead, listen to this episode, and try not to come away at least a bit less cynical yourself. That's the power of Krystian's message. 
His attitude makes me think of the song "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFarren. Of course, I'll be head-bopping to that tune inside my head all day.
May Krystian's positive attitude rub off on all of us!
Check out Krystian's "Kamloops Self Advocate Newsletter" HERE
Watch a video to learn more about Krystian's positive approach to life HERE

He’s a one man show!

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 check out Jeremy's work. Be ready to laugh and be ready to think.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyandrewdavis 
https://www.instagram.com/jeremyandrewdavis/ 
https://www.facebook.com/thejeremyandrewdavis 
https://www.youtube.com/@jeremyandrewdavis 
 

When a door closes... She brings a crowbar

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 Life's a Road Trip the deeper my own interest grows because with every guest, the more I get behind this movement.
As Debra states more than once, we are in the midst of change. Yes, we are.
Do you want to learn more? Check these sites:
Ruh Global
Billion Strong
The Valuable 500

Time to Move On, Time to Get Going

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 Wildflowers album.
The opening stanza goes like this:
It's time to move on, it's time to get goingWhat lies ahead, I have no way of knowingBut under my feet, baby, grass is growingIt's time to move on, time to get going
As I was reviewing my notes for Justin's show, it struck me that Petty's words fit the interview that I imagined. 
As you'll find in our discussion, Justin doesn't let grass grow under his feet or the wheels of his wheelchair. With him, it's always time to move on, time to get going.
Okay, Justin's always on the move. So what?
First, consider that he has won 18 gold medals in swimming. Next, consider his work with the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras (LINK). Then there's his crowning achievement: His two little kids.
Oh, did I mention that Justin is a quadriplegic?
Keep on keepin' on, Justin!