Life’s a Road Trip Scott Martin

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!

Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com

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 that she'll make you think. You need to watch her talk on automated captions with Thomas Logan HERE. Interested in having Meryl speak to your company? Go HERE.
Progress over perfection... Listen to Meryl and come away with a better understanding of how important and simple that statement is.

Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com

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. They're an interesting read.
Everyone Benefits From Inclusion  HERE
When Inclusive...Isn't  HERE















Why Universal Design is critical to CNU  HERE
Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com

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 donors before she tags off to Mariam who closes the account and the match.
Of course, I'm making light of what Carla and Mariam do within the Next Step Foundation (HERE), which leverages the power of technology to train and upskill people from marginalized African communities, especially Persons with Disabilities
The current task that these two mighty women are wrestling with is the Upili Project. Click HERE to learn more. Go ahead, roll up your sleeves, and jump in the ring as part of their team.
Check out Carla's website 'Unapologetically Myself' HERE and her book What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms HERE.
Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com

This is an encore episode while I focus on my teaching.

This week's guest is Mindy Sheier.
I titled the show "Life's a Road Trip" because as I've matured and dealt with suddenly becoming a quad amputee, that's how I see life. For Mindy, designing clothing for such movers and shakers as INC and Saks Fifth Avenue had her on cruise control.
And it just so happened that her son, Oliver, who is on his own Muscular Dystrophy road trip, wanted to wear jeans like everyone else but nothing on the market met his needs. It didn't take much for Mindy to shift gears into the adaptive clothing market.
Yes, Oliver got his jeans and the disability community received a fashion advocate who is blowing the doors off the clothing industry with her company, the Runway of Dreams Foundation (Link).
Mindy isn't afraid to rev the engines of society either. Check out "Time to Adapt" HERE.
She also hits high gear with "Getting Intimate with Disability" HERE.
Oh, yeah, Mindy has another means for moving the speedometer, visit GAMUT Management HERE.
That "Whoosh!" that just passed you was Mindy Scheier.
 
Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com

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 continued our discussion after the recording ended.
After listening to the show, take a gander at the episodes of John's Accessibility Interview Series HERE. 
During our discussion, we looked at one of John's shows that features the future of wheelchairs, the Revolve Air Wheelchair. You really should take a look HERE.
Digging into John's background, I came across a book that he wrote titled This'll Be The Day That I Die which is a Sci-Fi straight from the early 1960s black & white television show, The Twilight Zone, or the 1950s radio classic X Minus One. Interested? Pick it up on Amazon HERE.
Perhaps one day John and I will have another discussion -- this time in a pub!
 
Note: Oftentimes, links are not available on platforms such as Apple, iHeart, etc.. They are available within this episode on our website at https://lifesaroadtrip.podbean.com