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Born Blind, Battling Chronic Pain, and Finding Purpose with Daniel Hodges
Born blind and living with severe chronic pain, Daniel Hodges knows what it feels like to be underestimated, isolated, and told what he would never become.
In this episode of Overcome with Travis White, Travis sits down with Daniel Hodges, president and co-founder of Pieces of Me Foundation, for an honest conversation about blindness, Ehlers-Danlos, chronic pain, anxiety, suicidal ideation, disability stigma, faith, law school, advocacy, and finding purpose through service.
Daniel shares what it was like to miss years of school because the system did not know how to support a blind student, how bullying and isolation affected his identity, and how mental health struggles followed him into adulthood. He also opens up about a crisis during law school, the moment that helped spark Pieces of Me Foundation, and why stigma reduction matters for people living with disabilities and mental health challenges.
This conversation is about more than overcoming blindness or chronic pain. It is about what happens when a person who has been dismissed chooses to create space for others to feel seen, heard, and valued.
What We Discussed
- Daniel Hodges' experience being born blind and living with Ehlers-Danlos
- How chronic pain shaped his daily life, identity, and limits
- Missing grades 7 through 11 and the emotional cost of isolation
- Bullying, exclusion, and being told what he would never become
- Anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation
- Why mental pain can feel impossible to explain from the outside
- How a law school crisis became part of the story behind Pieces of Me Foundation
- Turning pain into purpose without minimizing the pain itself
- Why disability stigma and mental health stigma are connected
- How organizations, schools, and workplaces can build more people-centered cultures
- Why access, inclusion, and accessibility should be framed as a win-win
- The danger of comparing pain and ranking disabilities
- Why hope dies in isolation
- How self-care, faith, and service help Daniel stay grounded
Learn More About Daniel Hodges
Daniel Hodges is the president and co-founder of Pieces of Me Foundation, an organization focused on reducing stigma, increasing understanding, and helping people with disabilities and mental health challenges feel seen without being reduced to a diagnosis or limitation.
Pieces of Me Foundation:
https://peacesofme.org
Daniel explains the spelling this way: people are not broken, and real peace can come from embracing who we are and the value we bring to the world.
Visit Blog:
https://overcomepod.com
Shop Merch:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OvercomeMentalHealth
Follow Overcome - a Mental Health Podcast
- Instagram: @overcomepod
- Youtube: @overcomepod
Listen to us
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Want to have a real conversation about your mental health? Fill out this form!
Visit Blog:
https://overcomepod.com
Workbook:
https://overcome68.gumroad.com/l/you-are-not-broken-workbook
Shop Merch:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OvercomeMentalHealth
Follow Overcome - a Mental Health Podcast
- Instagram: @overcomepod
- Youtube: @overcomepod
Listen to us
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Want to have a real conversation about your mental health? Fill out this form!
View all episodes
By Travis White | Mental Health AdvocateBorn blind and living with severe chronic pain, Daniel Hodges knows what it feels like to be underestimated, isolated, and told what he would never become.
In this episode of Overcome with Travis White, Travis sits down with Daniel Hodges, president and co-founder of Pieces of Me Foundation, for an honest conversation about blindness, Ehlers-Danlos, chronic pain, anxiety, suicidal ideation, disability stigma, faith, law school, advocacy, and finding purpose through service.
Daniel shares what it was like to miss years of school because the system did not know how to support a blind student, how bullying and isolation affected his identity, and how mental health struggles followed him into adulthood. He also opens up about a crisis during law school, the moment that helped spark Pieces of Me Foundation, and why stigma reduction matters for people living with disabilities and mental health challenges.
This conversation is about more than overcoming blindness or chronic pain. It is about what happens when a person who has been dismissed chooses to create space for others to feel seen, heard, and valued.
What We Discussed
- Daniel Hodges' experience being born blind and living with Ehlers-Danlos
- How chronic pain shaped his daily life, identity, and limits
- Missing grades 7 through 11 and the emotional cost of isolation
- Bullying, exclusion, and being told what he would never become
- Anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation
- Why mental pain can feel impossible to explain from the outside
- How a law school crisis became part of the story behind Pieces of Me Foundation
- Turning pain into purpose without minimizing the pain itself
- Why disability stigma and mental health stigma are connected
- How organizations, schools, and workplaces can build more people-centered cultures
- Why access, inclusion, and accessibility should be framed as a win-win
- The danger of comparing pain and ranking disabilities
- Why hope dies in isolation
- How self-care, faith, and service help Daniel stay grounded
Learn More About Daniel Hodges
Daniel Hodges is the president and co-founder of Pieces of Me Foundation, an organization focused on reducing stigma, increasing understanding, and helping people with disabilities and mental health challenges feel seen without being reduced to a diagnosis or limitation.
Pieces of Me Foundation:
https://peacesofme.org
Daniel explains the spelling this way: people are not broken, and real peace can come from embracing who we are and the value we bring to the world.
Visit Blog:
https://overcomepod.com
Shop Merch:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OvercomeMentalHealth
Follow Overcome - a Mental Health Podcast
- Instagram: @overcomepod
- Youtube: @overcomepod
Listen to us
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Want to have a real conversation about your mental health? Fill out this form!
Visit Blog:
https://overcomepod.com
Workbook:
https://overcome68.gumroad.com/l/you-are-not-broken-workbook
Shop Merch:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OvercomeMentalHealth
Follow Overcome - a Mental Health Podcast
- Instagram: @overcomepod
- Youtube: @overcomepod
Listen to us
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Want to have a real conversation about your mental health? Fill out this form!