What happens when a healthy, vibrant doctor collapses one day and is diagnosed with one of the rarest neurological events medicine knows — a spinal cord stroke? For Erica Bazerkanian, co-founder and CEO of Bold&Zeal, it became the defining moment that would reshape her entire life. In this deeply moving episode, Erica shares the story of her father Jeff Stone — a beloved podiatrist, lifelong fitness enthusiast, and "joke-a-minute" dad — who suffered a rare spinal cord stroke in June 2016, leaving him fully paralyzed between his C2 and C3 vertebrae. What followed was five months of bedside vigils, lip-reading conversations, family memories shared on a screen, and ultimately, one of the hardest goodbyes imaginable. But out of that grief came something extraordinary. Erica went on to raise over $225,000 for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation by running marathons — building a team called "Iam Stone" in her father's honour. And in 2025, after a 30-year career in healthcare marketing, she launched Bold&Zeal: a clothing brand built on the mantra Live Bold, that donates 10% of every sale to the Reeve Foundation. This episode is for anyone who has ever lost someone and wondered what to do with that pain — and for anyone who needs a reminder that boldness is a choice you make, even on the hardest days. What You'll Learn in This Episode What a spinal cord stroke is, why it's so rarely diagnosed, and how it differs from a brain strokeHow Erica's family navigated 5 months of ICU care, long-term facilities, and the impossibly complex emotions of watching a loved one fight for lifeWhy Erica chose marathon running as her act of grief and love, and how she built a fundraising team from scratchHow Bold&Zeal was born, what "Live Bold" means as more than a slogan, and why the brand donates to the Reeve FoundationThe moment a family decides to turn personal tragedy into a lasting legacy If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you want to Live Bold — check out Bold&Zeal and know that your purchase directly supports spinal cord research. Subscribe to our Substack: https://theglobalresilienceproject.substack.com/ Buy our books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/ About the Guest: Erica Bazerkanian is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bold&Zeal, leading the company with a deeply personal sense of purpose. The brand was inspired by the loss of her father, Jeff Stone, following a spinal cord stroke that left him quadriplegic, an experience that shaped Erica’s commitment to resilience, advocacy, and intentional living. Long before launching Bold&Zeal, Erica committed herself to paralysis advocacy through sustained action. She has run eight marathons in support of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and, through her own fundraising efforts and by recruiting and leading Team #IAMSTONE in her father’s memory, has helped raise more than $225,000 to expand awareness, funding, and impact. As CEO, Erica guides Bold&Zeal’s brand vision, strategic partnerships, and long-term growth, ensuring the company remains grounded in purpose while building a timeless lifestyle brand. Her leadership reflects a belief that meaningful impact is created through consistency, community, and the courage to move forward. Links: https://boldandzeal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/boldandzeal/ https://www.facebook.com/p/Bold-and-Zeal-61576669562619/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabazerkanian/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/boldandzeal/ ⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed. About the Hosts: Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles. Links: https://www.blairkaplan.ca/ https://theglobalresilienceproject.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/ https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project blair@blairkaplan.ca Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the Resilient A.F. podcast. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health, Alana brings her experience to The Global Resilience Project’s team, navigating the role one’s mental health plays in telling their story. Engaging in self-care and growth keeps her going, and her love for reading, travel, and personal relationships helps foster that. When she’s not working, Alana can often be found on walks, working on a crossword puzzle, or playing with any animal she sees. Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or on yourfavorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review. Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review.
