My blurred opinion

The special ability warehouse

I was so happy to do this because these two people were a treat on the show. Mary who is the mother, and Gabi who is the daughter, have such an amazing relationship, and they've learned so much from each other, and they bring so much good energy anywhere they go. Gabby has down syndromeand , she never let it hold her back, but after constant rejection in the workplace, Mary was very frustrated and felt like she had to do something, not only for Gabby's  happiness, but also for her own independence. She met a bunch of other parents who lived in the area also had children with down syndrome, they formed  there own group and a bond with each other. Gabi who always wanted to own her own started making and packaging her own coffee, after many years of raising money, and little pop-ups here and there, we're able to get themselves a warehouse, and now even a few warehouses where they have hired at least 30 other people with special abilities. 
https://gabisgrounds.com

Eating your pain

I was thrilled to connect with our next guest Jessica, because we got to talk about a subject matter that I haven't delved into yet with the show, and just for the simple fact that she has great energy, and is a very positive person. We start off with her struggles with eating, dieting, and all her struggles that came with it. We talk about the shame, depression, and the pressure to keep up her outer appearance up to a certain standard. You tell her about the difference between bulimia, and anorexia, which she suffered from, and we also discuss the many misconceptions about eating disorders. Addiction is such a problem in this world, but one people tend to forget about is food addiction, because it's something we need to survive.  She now is doing so much to give back, help others like her, she is a real soldier in the fight against eating disorders. Link: FoodFairyTales.com, use discount code TJ for $30 off the workbook

The sacrifices to get your life back

Justin is the husband of our last guest Juliet, we learned a little about him through her, and from what she did tell us, I knew he would be a perfect fit. He is an influential person in every way, and I love that he doesn't let his cerebral palsy define him. He actually learned how to talk before walking, and he even had to wear braces on his legs to help him stand and move around more fluently. As a kid, we discussed how he coped and developed techniques for better mobility.  We talked about early on in his schooling how he was put into special classes, and he didn't completely fit, and the anger and sadness that came with that was a precursor to what to come . He had to find a place where he fit in. He does have a major love for athletics and physical competition like wrestling, and it helped him to deal with his mental health and his shame for what he has and what he doesn't. I think Justin is a very brave person, and I'm so happy he and Juliet have each other because as you listen to both their stories, you really realize how they came into each other's lives at the perfect time, and how great they are for each other. And one other thing we spend a good amount of time talking about addiction and mental health, because both of these things have played Justin's life, but to this day he still is overcoming both.  His instagram is @airjustin22

Challenges and growth

Juliet's story is a fascinating, and unique story, she is a writer who has lost a daughter to cancer, and who also has a husband with cerebral palsy. We talk a lot about her daughter, and all the challenges she faced, everything that she went through, but also after her passing, how much Juliet took certain values and learnings from her, and used it to better her life. She talks about her struggles with mental health, and one of the major causes of that, is not being heard or taken seriously.  Julia is a very sweet person, she never judged her husband, no matter what is thrown on her plate when it comes to her daughter, she just wanted to provide the best life for her possible. No matter how much sadness and wrong for doing what is done to Juliet, she still kept doing the right thing.
Website https://www.authorjulietrose.com
https://www.instagram.com/authorjulietrose/
 

How can I be like everyone else again

This episode is with Ryan, when I first met her, I realize what a Nice person she is, I don't always look into their story fully, I like to get to know it through the interview in a genuine way. So when she started to tell me her story, I was captivated and humbled by her sweet and kind demeanor. She became a paraplegic when she was 16-year-old from a car accident. We discuss how she was before the accident, and who she became after. She really had to adjust her mindset, because she set out to find out if she was cool or not based on her wheelchair, and how she looked to others. We talk a lot about school, the good the bad, and the ugly of the new person with a disability, and how all the attention can be put on you based on your appearance. She was an athlete before her accident, she was a professional swimmer, and she wanted to figure out how she could get back to that being a paraplegic, by joining the Paralympics, but she had a lot of doubt if she could even do it, because of her situation. One of the things that woke her up was the realization of her accident, and her paralyzation affected her family. Ryan is a very strong person, it just took a lot for her to realize how special she is, and her inner stress is so powerful.
https://www.ryanraeharbuck.com
https://www.instagram.com/ryanraeharbuck
/https://www.facebook.com/ryan.r.mclean
 

I have passion I have love

In this episode, we have the delightful guess known as Denise pane, an Accredited Accessibility Expert and a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and the World Wide Web Consortium. Denise does not have a disability herself but has a brother who is developmentally delayed and has epilepsy. He and her mother are the most important people in her life, she was inspired on how her mother took care of her brother, and how their bond grew.  He saw how the family spent a lot of their own lives making her brother's life a fantastic life. She was hired by that dedication, and it made her want to contribute in a bigger way to others like her brother. You can really tell from the View that they have a real bond between them, brother and sister, they're very protective and supportive of each other. Denise has always wanted to help those with disabilities, but working at camps, and working with the Special Olympics for many years.  After seeing how the pandemic affected people with their mental health and how there wasn't much inclusion for those with disabilities during this time online.  She just wanted to make a difference, so she got with her team, and made them WEB more accessible.
Her website https://accessdesignstudio.com
 
Her LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/company/access-design-studio/about/
 

Control your pain

Dawn cady has a beautiful soul, and I'm happy to discover her. She's on the other side of the world all the way from Australia. She is a psychotherapist that also helps you battle chronic pain. Her main goal is to show those with chronic pain how to overcome their pain mentally, emotionally, and physically. We also spent a lot of time on how she overcame her mental health, and techniques you can use to help your own. She also gives a look into how she cured, and or mitigated her pain. She's a really smart person, she's very intuitive, and a very kind person, who means well in everything she says.
Helpful Resources
1. Sovereignty Masterclass 09 July, early bird registration is open till June 30 https://workshop.alleviatepain.com.au/sovereignty
2. Free E-Book: "6 Stages of Healing": 
https://sixstagesofhealing.alleviatepain.com.au/ebook
3. Meditations by Dawn: https://insighttimer.com/dawncady/
4. Telegram Channel "Heal Yourself: https://t.me/healyourselfdc
5. Facebook Support Group: "Heal Yourself": 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/healyourself.DC 
6. website: www.alleviatepain.com.au
 

build your self up to your own individual

This episode is with Kevin McShan, born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, which affects his muscle dexterity, how he walks, his speech, and more. It may take you a minute to fall understand Kevin, but when you do, you realize he's a brilliant guy, who has a big heart. He's a big advocate for people with disabilities, and one of things that he's done and sharing stories on his podcast, and helping through his network to create employment for those of us with disabilities. He is a person that just says no, and doesn't allow others opinions to affect how he lives his life, for instance when doctors told him what he will probably be capable of in the future, the limitations will become stricter, and he knew that he could find another way around it, or if not he would fight through it. He really goes in depth about his passion to get those with disabilities employed, and how 80% of the things we need, things that we don't even need to be made, they're just little accommodations to tweak how we do our job. 
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8O46hFoibuN-doUrAfOvn
https://www.facebook.com/kevin.mcshan1
https://www.kevinmcshan.com/

Lots of fluid

For some of the guests that are on the show, what you're hearing is the first conversation we ever had, in this case Sara and I had a few friendly conversations, we got to know each other, and I got to hear some of her stories, and I knew she would be a good guest for the show. Her story starts a few years ago when she quit a job at the post office that she had for 26 years, after feeling very worn down, and she Felt like she couldn't keep up with their demand for six days a week.  She then moved down to another job where she had gotten fired which was right around when she was diagnosed with Ménière's disease. She paints a perfect picture of what ménière's disease is, it doesn't sound pleasant, and you have to really feel for her when she's really going through it. She talked about as a child having severe ear infections and how they affected her at those times. Ménière's disease causes a lot of fluid in your ear, and she was seeing the effects of this disease before she even knew what it was. She discusses her mental health because I'm not being able to work, and everyone in her house every day leaves to go to work, and it makes her feel a little insignificant. Mental health is kind of like a ninja, it just sneaks up on you, and you just do not know where it's coming from, you don't know what angle it's going to take, it just hit you when it wants to, in Sarah's case it went after her after she was most vulnerable, and feeling very sad about not being able to work, well that doesn't make her any less of a person, mental health does not care. I really love Sara's honesty, because she talked about some of her worst days when her son, who we learn is also disabled, finds her in some really odd predicaments.  She really goes in detail on explaining her sons disability, but also how people underestimated him based on his luck, and when they did find out about his disability, also underestimated his intelligence.  She also took a certain test to find out if she was on the spectrum or not for autism. 

Thank you

Happy 100th to all of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, without the guests, and the listeners, this show would have been a 10-episode-and-done project of mine. This episode tells how we got here, and all I have learned. And then my favorite part, some of the previous guests have a little message for the show, and an update on what they have been up to since. 
My Instagram is @tjssafespaceforall