No Barriers

Tanja, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist, shares her personal journey as an athlete, the changing significance of her victories, and her involvement advancing adaptive sports. Her dedication to the community and the memories she's cherished are an integral part of this conversation.Ross, an engineer, takes us through the technical strides and the human stories behind the development of the Tetraski. It’s possibly the most advanced ski we’ve ever seen for sure. Is designed for people with complex physical injuries or illness. Don’t have use of your hands or legs? You can control this through your breath, independently. Whatever you’re doing, the ski is responding, you are in command, you’re shredding again or maybe for the first time.TRAILS adaptiveTetraSki website (Tetradapt)

Gabriel Rodreick website: https://gabrielrodreick.com/LISTEN: Freaque https://open.spotify.com/artist/6xmxsU99bvYcGrvdsw3pFkWATCH: 16 min interview covering the basics of his story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7lH6xeWghs

Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode.Episode 178 - Rob Cahill and 4DWNEpisode 177 - Nic NovickiEpisode 173 - Dr. Diva Amon, Behind the BubbleEpisode 172 - Kathy Eldon, the active soul in all of usEpisode 150 - Chasing Dreams with Diana Nyad

The Lab: https://biomechatronics.stanford.edu/Keenon Werling: https://keenon.github.io/Russel Martin https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-m-martin/Lab overview video. https://youtu.be/SiHyoOhCnag?si=3L1FYjWpvh0RlDM0

WEBSITE: The Davis Phinney FoundationWATCH: 8 minutes. Davis Phinney Moment of Victory. 

Today, we’re talking augmented reality with audio and ultimately sensory substitution. Our guest is Tim Devine. He and his team at Action Audio have developed a product that translates the spatial data from live sports into sound, allowing blind and low vision audiences to follow the action in real time. It’s not just functional tech though, it’s emotional. He wants to bring the tension, the anticipation… the core of what makes live sports amazing to watch, to this audience. Tim shares his journey into the world of sound design, starting with a focus on tennis and eventually collaborating with the NBA, transforming data into an immersive 3D spatial audio experience. You'll hear Tim's passion for music, emotion, and sound come to life as we discuss everything from enhancing the broadcast experience to the future expansions in sports like soccer and football. Tim's story isn't just about technological breakthroughs; it's about persistence, responsibility, and the drive to make ideas accessible to those who

Today we meet Alice Brouhard and her daughter Kara. When Kara was 5 she was struck by an out of control skier. The accident caused a traumatic brain injury, left Kara legally blind and mostly paralyzed on one side of her body. Kara's parents helped her relearn as much as they could and raised Kara to live as independently as possible, patiently pushing her to chase her dreams. Alice took finding assistive technology into her own hands and in the process became a champion of the use of technology to support people with memory and cognitive challenges. She has worked tirelessly to set up a system that allows Kara to live independently. What keeps Alice going? How does Kara navigate life with such spirit, and what does it tell us about accessibility and resilience? We’ll hear about Kara's incredible journey and her dedication to living independently, even amidst challenges like vision loss, paralysis, and seizures. Today, she manages her life with the help of wonderful technology but more than anything, her f

What would you with an extra tank of gas? It’s a metaphor for living that we had not heard, until now, when we interviewed Nick Martinez. He’s a true adventurer and survivor of life's highest peaks and deepest valleys. And to complete the metaphor, yes, the fuel indeed ran out and not just once. His narratives provide insight into his world of BASE jumping and climbing as well as his life-altering experiences that have shaped his unique perspective on life, death, and everything in-between. He’s lost loved ones in tragic accidents and survived near-death experience himself. You’ll hear how he emerged with a view of life with "extra mode" activate - an extra tank of gas, something to be cherished and refueled every day, with the good things.

Book Link. RESILIENCE: THE SCIENCE OF MASTERING LIFE’S GREATEST CHALLENGESDr. Dennis Charney on LinkedIn

4DWN Film Trailerhttps://4dwn.org/https://www.instagram.com/4dwn_org/https://www.facebook.com/4DWNskateboardinghttps://www.youtube.com/@4dwnproject197

https://www.nicnovicki.com/https://www.instagram.com/nicnovicki/https://www.instagram.com/disabilityfilmchallenge/https://disabilityfilmchallenge.com/The Disability Challenge video. https://youtu.be/FISwEhPXWzQ

Kyle Maynard is no stranger to pushing the limits, overcoming obstacles, and inspiring others to live a no barriers life. That’s why he’s our guest today AND in a few weeks when we see him on stage at the No Barriers Summit. His first No Barriers Summit was 12 years ago and a pivotal moment in his life, because soon thereafter he bear crawled to the top the highest mountain in Africa. Bearcrawled? He’s got a rare condition known as congenital amputation, that left him with arms that end at his elbows and legs that end near his knees. Today Kyle shares stories of his transformation, but we go beyond physical feats and explore the deeper motivations that drive him. Like the importance of connection and the power of using climbing as a vehicle to foster relationships, AND his upcoming project aimed at creating a long-lasting impact in the world. Join us as for stories of triumph, growth, and the relentless pursuit of a life without barriers. Get ready to be inspired and motivated to embrace your own jour

In anticipation of the No Barriers annual 3-day festival we call the Summit (starts on Aug 25th), we’re re-releasing an episode that was recorded live at a previous Summit in Lake Tahoe. The guest? JR Martinez. His journey is filled with ups and downs. While on patrol with his Army unit in Iraq, his vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb. He was trapped inside as the explosives his vehicle was carrying detonated around him. During his recovery with over 30 surgeries and skin grafts, he found solace in helping other wounded veterans. 8 years later, an opportunity to join Dancing with the Stars arrived… you’ve heard of the show maybe?? …. and he (with his dancing partner) won the whole thing! He was in the spotlight now. Writing a book came soon after, the title: Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength and Spirit. In this episode JR shares these experiences with us in an engaging way. And through out it his message of resilience and optimism rings true.

https://firstdescents.org/ 

Follow Diva on Twitter @divaamon and Instagram @diva_amon, or visit her website https://divaamon.com/.

http://kathyeldon.com

https://www.instagram.com/jake.skis/VIDEO: Invisible Mountains: Jacob Smith, Blind Skier (Skiing the Big Couloir)

Many entrepreneurs say that starting a business is something they always felt destined to do. Then there are people who never in a million years thought they’d be running their own business, but, lo and behold, somehow the opportunity found them. The ‘accidental’ entrepreneur some might call themselves. Meet Tiffany Fixter. She founded The Brewability Lab, and what’s interesting is not only her path there, but the entrepreneurial journey, filled with challenges and adversity, that she is still smack in the middle of right now. Unique to this business are its employees. Disabled, abled, neurodiverse, you name it… bottom line, great beer and food create by people who’ve traditionally seen very limited career options. This inclusive workplace Tiffany is creating is prepping its employees for more opportunities beyond. How does she do that? How does she handle the skeptics? Was she destined for this journey or was it an accident? Hang around and find out.

Penny Melville Brown's passion is cooking. However, for a career she chose the Royal Navy. Yes she’s British. During her service in the Royal Navy she became the first female barrister there; it’s a type of lawyer, the ones that wear those wigs. Then as it happened to all of our guests on this podcast, she had a life altering moment. In Penny’s case, she lost her sight and had to leave her 20-year career with the Navy. The next chapter of her life get’s real interesting. With an eye towards her cooking roots, she sets her mind on a culinary focused worldwide journey to learn and teach the concepts of baking blind. In the process she’s shattered assumptions about the capabilities of blind chefs. In this episode we jump from the Australian outback, to the streets of Paris, to a small Malawian village, and more.

SAM'S SOCIALS: Instagram - BionicKickVIDEO: Muay Thai and MeWEBSITE: https://www.samanthatokita.com/