Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny Carlson

While the web is full of accessible travel sites today, that wasn't the case in 2006 when Ashley Lyn Olson started her now infamous wheelchair travel site, Wheelchairtraveling.com. Her site is chock full of indispensable accessible travel info from her worldwide travels and her contributors. After becoming paralyzed at 14, travel was Ashley's vessel to freedom and she shares that journey with us, and much more, in this episode.

- Follow Ashley on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alo.journey

- Visit Wheelchairtraveling: https://wheelchairtraveling.com

Meet Jeffrey Lorenzo Williams, a New York City real estate broker from Harlem who's been injured since he was a teenager in the early 1980s from an accidental shooting. His injury however was simply a catalyst for an amazing life that he shared with us in this uplifting episode. After getting a degree in Criminal Justice, he went on to become a real estate broker, a shoe designer as well as a Business Analyst for Palmolive. Also a father, author and motivational speaker, he is often stopped asking to help someone who may the newly injured and needs to hear from a voice who understands. Jeffrey also shares why trying new adaptive sports and activities is important, like his ride a Polaris Slingshot.

— Jeffrey's site

Paralyzed for nearly 20 years, Paul LaCorte, a 38 year old paraplegic originally from California now living in Montana, shares his journey since his injury at 18 years old. From pivoting employment goals from auto mechanics to mass communications to teaching himself how to play the guitar post-injury as a form of therapy, Paul is living his life on his own terms. He also shares what it's been like being a father to his daughter Wyld, born in 2017, and how it's changed him for the better.

- Official site: Honkydonky & Heartbreaker

- Honkydonky & Heartbreaker (Spotify)

- Paul on IG

In episode #52, we spoke with the newly paralyzed ShelbyLynn Quintana, injured from transverse myelitis last year. She shares her experience of being undiagnosed for months until a cause of paralysis was found thanks to sharing her story on Tiktok. Also a published poet, ShelbyLynn sheds light on a cause of paralysis that not enough people are aware of in both the lay and medical fields. She also shares her thoughts on wheelchair fashion and reads one of her poems.

- ShelbyLyn on IG: https://www.instagram.com/poetry_on_wheels

In episode 51, we spoke with Chris Hrabik, based in a small town in Missouri, who was paralyzed nearly 20 years ago in a car accident at the age of 18. An incomplete quadriplegic, he went on to become a talented metal artist and fabricator as well as a rally racer after his injury. And he has a new project - starting his very own adaptive driving school where anyone no matter their ability (even people who are blind, as they will have a closed 4 mile track) are welcome.

— Follow Chris on IG: https://www.instagram.com/crabik713/

— Follow Chris on FB: https://www.facebook.com/UnHolyRoller/

In this episode, we're joined by Shelly Kerschner, a longtime paraplegic who penned the book, "Standing Tall & the Healing Power of Gratitude," after her injury. She shares the importance of gratitude in her life, as well as her other passions, adaptive kayaking and adaptive yoga, and shares her plan to become an adaptive yoga teacher.

— Follow Shelly on IG here

— Buy her book on Amazon here

In episode 49, we speak with founder of SPINALpedia and creator of Slingshot Golf, Josh Basile, a C4-5 quadriplegic who grew up loving the game of golf. Since standard adaptive golf wasn't a possibility for Josh due to arm mobility limitations, he created Slingshot Golf as a way for anyone to be able to golf no matter their mobility level. In May 2023, Josh was finally able to compete in an adaptive open using Slingshot Golf along with his caddie & golfing partner, Andrew Mitchell. In this episode, they discuss how the game is played and what is was like to compete in their first tournament.

— Learn more about Slingshot Golf

A former high school theater kid and aerobics instructor paralyzed in 1990, Katie Rodriguez Banister has been living life as a C5-6 quadriplegic for over 33 years. Post-injury, she found a passion for speaking and writing about SCI issues like managing/finding caregivers, and during Covid she decided to turn her autobiography into a play with the help of a friend.

The end result "ROLL WITH IT! (film) disability, humor, hope and F-bombs" went on to be a hit in the St. Louis theater scene and was nominated for "Best New Play" and Katie also acts in it. The play shares her life's ups and downs and she isn't afraid to speak her mind, swear, talk about sex and more. In our 30 minute conversation, Katie shares what drove her to return to theater nearly 30 years after her injury and her longtime husband Steve makes an appearance as well. Thank you Katie for sharing your story and energy <3

"ROLL WITH IT!" is permanently available to view on Eventbrite for $5 if you use the code "discount 50% off" here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/roll-with-it-film-disability-humor-hope-and-f-bombs-best-new-play-tickets-503707581937?fbclid=IwAR3vxtYWFPuxKe0rghYGKTJYD43_C2ui2X59Cy42lGuqpQN0-maf3ReG43Y

Find Katie on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/katierodriguezbanister/

https://www.facebook.com/katie.banister

In episode 47, we share a conversation with Gabe Trujillo, a longtime digital producer at 12 News, NBC-affiliate in Phoenix. Gabe became paralyzed at the age of 14 by a rare form of polio, induced by an extreme asthma attack. After finally getting a diagnosis years after his injury, Gabe settled into his new life as a quadriplegic (with arm movement; no hand or leg mobility), and he decided to put all his energy into his studies. Gabe chose journalism as his career path, and the rest as they say is history. Listen in as he shares the interesting odd jobs he had before landing his dream job, and advice for anyone with a disability also interested in the field. 

- Gabe's links

In episode 46, we chatted with musical phenom Amy Wang-Hiller, the only professional violinist in the US who uses a wheelchair full-time. She is new to using a wheelchair due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that affects the collagen in the body and can cause spinal cord injuries. Originally from Shanghai, China, Wang-Hiller moved to the US to pursue her musical studies and now holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts, is a violin teacher and she's a regular orchestra violinist. And after meeting her husband upon moving to the US, Wang-Hiller is also married and lives in Denton, Texas. 

- Amy on IG

- Amy's official site