This week's guests are Carla Birnberg and Catherine Njeri. They did it! Carla was on the show a year ago as we discussed the concept of the Upili project. Well, like the famous words of Wilbur Wright to his brother, "The damn thing really does fly, Orville!" Okay, maybe that wasn't said. But Upili has taxied the runway and is in the air. Visit https://www.upili.org and book a flight ..read more

This week's guest is Lynne "L.K." Bowen. An author has only a moment to grab the attention of an agent or publisher. What is said or written is called the elevator pitch. After a book is finally produced and placed on the open market, it boils down to the cover art to attract readers to crack the spine and become immersed in the storyline. In that same manner, I've titled this episode from a little piece of the cover of L.K. Bowen's debut novel, For Worse. It wasn't just the fact that her "pitch" and cover grabbed me, but Lynne has something to say about Retinitis Pigmentosa in this gripping t ..read more

This week's guest is Krystian Shaw. Krystian 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 ..read more

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/jere ..read more

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 mids ..read more

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 going What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing Bu ..read more

This week's guest is Meryl Evans. It was the statement "Progress Over Perfection" that she proudly wears that made me pause. It didn't take long before I opened another window or two on my PC to start digging into Meryl and what she does on behalf of those who are deaf or hard of hearing. As the show moves forward, we're more focused on guests who aren't afraid to stand up and speak out when it comes to shining a positive light on the disability community. Meryl definitely fits that mold. Want to see an example of Meryl's message? Click HERE to watch her TEDx presentation. I promise ..read more

This week's guest is Steve Wright. Steve is a respected city planner who isn't afraid to speak his mind when it comes to designing or retrofitting cities so they are welcoming to all -- including members of the disabled community. When I first came across Steve, it was easy to see that he is eagerly searching for the 'Inclusive City'.  Yes, he realizes there is no Yellow Brick Road to guide him. But when it comes to shining a light on what is missing, he takes a step back and ponders, and then recommends new ways to make our cities more functional. Below are just a few of Steve's articles ..read more

This is an encore episode while I shift gears from my teaching and soccer to my book and soccer. New episodes will be recorded during the summer months. This week's guests are Carla Birnberg & Mariam Ndegwa. Baron Von Raschke, Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant, and The Crusher. Those were some of the wrestling characters that we watched on Sunday mornings before church when I was a kid. But they have nothing on the tag team of Carla and Mariam. First in the ring is Carla who goes by the nickname of Chief Storyteller. It's her job to make the initial contact with possible do ..read more

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching. This week's guest is John Griffin. This was one of those shows that veered in an unexpected direction -- for the better! As we settled into our seats some 1,000 miles apart for the interview, I dropped the first topic on John and we were off with no holds barred. A quote "Disability isn't about pity, it's about paychecks" from one of his podcasts got us going on what could have been two guys literally on a road trip or sitting in a pub. This was a two-pint discussion that would have called for at least a third as we co ..read more