My blurred opinion

The blilers

This episode is with Dave, and his daughter, Paige. Both of them have a disability, Dave, being in a wheelchair, and Paige having epilepsy, but they are both really close, and they both meet each other very much. In this episode, we talk about the struggles of having a disability, the government, employment, caregiving, and much more. They are a fascinating duo who balance each other out, and protect each other at the same time.

RIP Grigory

This is our 200 episode, and boy I never thought we would get here, and I'm very proud that we have. I say we, because I could not do without anybody, listening, and anyone else participating as a guest on the show. This episode is like therapy time with me and my good friend Laura. we talk about our friendship, mental health, the death of her son, and the parallels between his suicide, and my life and my struggles with mental health. 

Twilight in New York

This episode is with Ryan Gray. Ryan is an Overcomer of addiction, homelessness, and abuse. His story is harrowing and emotional, but he is still here today to tell his story, and I'm very proud that he is. He is self-supporting (financially and otherwise) despite severe schizophrenia, depression, ADHD, and anxiety. Ryan has been unusually close to his family since he got clean 15 years ago. He credits his recovery to the encouragement of many people along the way, including nurses, social workers, counselors, doctors, sponsors, and fellow AA members.
 
His Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Gray/pfbid02i4mfXADX7MSUe4x4735c6Y1nwNxEWvtzvu38pj6Xz6HPmpPV2X1iPxbsZzgWEG6Ql/
 

Enhance your Mouvement, One Step at a Time

Mercedes Fernandez is the founder of Mouvement and lead Geriatric Physiotherapist. She holds a master’s degree in Kinesiology with an extensive pre-medical background in psychology, anatomy, and nutrition. She is a certified senior fitness instructor and authorized CPR/First Aid responder. Her expertise is grounded in adapted physical activity with skilled rehabilitation among stroke, cerebral palsy, TBI, Parkinson's disease, and spinal bifida. Along with her professional experience, Mercedes was also her grandfather's primary caregiver, enriching her personal senior health care experience. Her deeply rooted passion for serving older adults began at an early age where she played piano at nursing homes at the age of 8. Today, Mercedes continues to have deep care and compassion for older adults and advocates for adequate senior health care. I really enjoyed my conversation with Mercedes, and from our discussions, you can tell that she is one of those good people that you want on your side, and one of those people you can trust.
Her website https://mouvement.info
Her YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@mouvementgero/videos

It could always be worse

Meagan Murray is a friend, a coworker, and just is an overall sweetheart of a person. We first met at work road to freedom, center for independent living. She has the condition cerebral palsy, but when you meet her, you instantly know that the condition does not hold her back, and that she thrives despite it. We discussed what she does for a living, her upbringing, her passion, for helping others, and her nonprofit organization that she created called Meagan's box. 
meagan‘s box, her Facebook group, https://m.facebook.com/groups/160822840621997/

Nurse Joanne

This episode is with a dear friend Joanne Hostrander. She was a registered nurse for over 40 years, she has taught at four different colleges, she's done recruiting, teaching, crisis, intervention, and much more. She's a very accomplished., and intelligent person, as you will come to find out, but one thing we don't prepare for is the unthinkable, she has been losing her sight for sometime, and it has taken a toll on her. She's now in the next phase of her life, trying to adapt to her new life, now that she's out of the medical field, and her vision has gotten worse, she's trying to find her voice, and overcome her mental health.

The comeback

This episode is with Ryan Penley , he's such a unique, open, and strong guy, and he's one of those people that you feel like you have to root for. We talk a lot about his dark days with mental health and his Rocky Road with addiction. He took himself from rock bottom to a rockstar. Though he's in a better place, these days, he does not shy away from the darkest times in his life, he uses his story to help those in the place where he used to be. Ryan is a beacon of hope for those still battling their demons. He demonstrates that from the depths of despair, it is indeed possible to forge a life filled with purpose and joy.
 
His website  https://www.ryanpenley.org/
His Facebook https://www.facebook.com/myrockbottomrecovery

Let's heal together

Phyllis is a very interesting woman, she had indoor, a lot of childhood abuse, and a molestation to which later in life, let her to be a psychotherapist for 30 years, an author to three books including the new one America in therapy. Her main goal is healing, to what she has helped children, young adults, and women try to address the things that they have had to endure, so that they could come back to building relationships with people, and still living without the pain consuming them.
 
Her Website   https://phyllisleavitt.com
Her YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOdxqvDK9N421AZ5TTxqUgQ
 

God, the artist

Morgan McCarver really caught my attention not only with her story, but her sweet personality, and her strong determination to adapt to a life that there is no blueprint. When she was young, she was diagnosed with scoliosis which caused her to do a major spinal surgery which had extensive recovery time. She also had to learn how to walk again, and adjust to a new way of living. But while dealing with her mental health, searching to accept her new life, and recovering from this very risky procedure, she found her love for pottery. She has her degree in pottery, and has many awards, and she even has some of her work in exhibits. She's an author, and just an overall amazing person.
 
Her website  https://www.morganmccarver.com

Telling the story that's within

Rhonda Parker Taylor was such a delight, I enjoyed her upbeat, personality, her positiveness, and just her good overall energy that reverberates off of her.
Rhonda Parker Taylor wanted to write a book to prove to herself that she could. For many, like Parker Taylor, writing is a difficult task. Growing up, she wasn’t a good student in English, reading or writing. She struggled with McGuffey Readers. And the phonetic concepts escaped her as a child. But she was still drawn to books, mostly encyclopedias, where she could read about the world, daring young women and journeys away from her small hometown of Noblesville. So, writing became about telling a story that was within her. And that’s what she did in her book, “Crossroads,” a suspense novel set in Indianapolis in the early 2000s and released earlier this year.
Her website  https://rhondaparkertaylor.com
Her TikTok   https://www.tiktok.com/@rhondaparkertaylor
Her Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/rhondaparkertaylor/