My New Normal

Darius Jones is a former US Navy logistics specialist who was used to an active lifestyle but everything changed after an unfortunate motorcycle accident. The accident left his lower body paralyzed making him unable to walk. Realizing how serious his injury was, he started getting depressed but the support of his family and his faith in God gave him the push to recover.

Darius' road to recovery involved getting into sports, getting fit, and getting into a new tribe that can provide emotional support.

Darius is from Memphis, Tennessee and he is now an athlete who plays wheelchair basketball and trains in CrossFit. On this episode, we talked about these topics:

* Challenges of having a kid while recovering with his injury

* What Darius felt when he knew he's paralyzed

* How faith in God has given him the strength to face challenges

* How many surgeries he underwent through recovery

* Dealing with depression and seeing a psychiatrist

Contact

To Contact Darius Jones, you can email him at [email protected]

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

YouTube (https://youtu.be/IKHoupdT-i0)iTunesGoogle PodcastSpotify

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Jill Miller is the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide and creator of the self-care fitness formats Yoga Tune Up and The Roll Model Method. Her company produces products and tools that help people deal with pain management by incorporating fitness, yoga, massage, and athletics.

Prior to the founding of her company, Jill experienced a traumatic childhood because of the rocky relationship of her parents which brought her on the road much of the time at a very young age.

On this episode, Jill talks about her pain journey and how she manages as well as these topics:

* Coping up with the divorce of her parents and moving at a young age

* Jill's experience in managing her PTSD

* How Jill abused exercise

* Triggers caused by traumas experienced

* Why the Roll Model is also about the range of emotion

Contact

To Contact Jill Miller, you can visit https://TuneupFitness.com (https://www.tuneupfitness.com/)

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

YouTube (https://youtu.be/IKHoupdT-i0)iTunesGoogle PodcastSpotify

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Aaron Snyder is the author of the book 'The New Diabetes Prescription: The Diet, Exercise, and Mindset Revolution' which helps diabetics manage to eat, alternatives to weight-gain inducing prescriptions, and exercise among others.Prior to his success, Aaron experienced a traumatic childhood. He experienced physical abuse from his bipolar brother who's 8 years older than him that gave him a constant threat. He was diagnosed with a rare type of diabetes at a young age called Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Youth (MODY). .

On this episode, Aaron shares how turning to fitness literally saved his life from bullying and emotional eating. We also talked about these topics:

* Challenges of having rare diabetes called Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY)

* Aaron's grandfather who fought in World War II

* Growing up with a brother who has bipolar disorder

* Having dyslexia

* Surviving a freakish accident on his bike and the depression that followed

Links:

1. Aarons Snyder's Book: The New Diabetes Prescription: The Diet, Exercise, and Mindset Revolution

https://www.amazon.com/New-Diabetes-Prescription-Exercise-Revolution/dp/098254412X (https://www.amazon.com/New-Diabetes-Prescription-Exercise-Revolution/dp/098254412X)

2. One of Aarons favorite mobility exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaRDxPP49MA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaRDxPP49MA)

3. To contact Aaron Snyder you can email him:

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here: [email protected]

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To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Tony Blauer is the founder of the SPEAR System, a close quarter protection system that uses a person's reflexes for self-defense. In other words, Tony teaches people how to use their innate survival instincts so it can be used in life-threatening situations for themselves and their families. He is now teaching a Crossfit workshop called Be Your Own Bodyguard (BYOB).

All throughout his career, he had suffered multiple injuries because of the nature of his work.  Just recently, Tony suffered an injury that prohibited him from doing what he loves, working out and teaching self-defense. Because of his fear of medical machines and procedures, he prolonged his suffering with his injury that eventually brought him to utilizing proper breathing.

On this episode, join Tony as he tells his story of knowing fear, the challenge of having Stenosis and these topics:

* What is Be Your Own Bodyguard and how can it protect you and your family

* How traveling and being on the road affects Tony's health

* What it means to choose safety

* Finding out and using natural remedies for Stenosis

* How breathing helped Tony with his injury

* Turning fear to no fear

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To Contact Tony Blauer, you can visit https://blauerspear.com (https://blauerspear.com/)

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Max Conserva was born and raised in California who's living a normal life when a tragedy struck. He was hit by a semi-truck as a kid which left his legs broken. Through many medical efforts of making his legs work normally again, they just became deformed which gave him the need for a brace for life.

Although Max lived a normal life as a kid growing up with the help of his carbon-fiber and steel made braces, there was one pressing problem he was dealing with, shame. He was so afraid of people getting to see his legs and as a result, limiting his activities. It came to a point where he wasn't showing his legs to his girlfriend.

Max took a leap of faith in his life when he joined a triathlon race where he made himself vulnerable and finally shared his condition to the world. This led him to the creation of GoodLeg.org which helps adaptive individuals face their hard problems such as Max's through the mastery of their condition.

On this episode, listen to Max Conserva as he talks about the following topics:

* How Max faced the challenges of his condition at an early age

* What is condition mastery and how important it is for Max

* Participating in a triathlon race and making himself vulnerable

* What is GoodLeg.org and what prompted Max to start it

* How to become a master of your hard problem

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To Contact Max Conserva, you can email him at [email protected] or visit Goodleg.org

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Please welcome Ally Armstrong to My New Normal podcast! Ally is originally from Pennsylvania, but just recently moved to the San Diego area. She’s an Occupational Therapist and is starting work at a local school, as well as finding new hobbies to get involved in.

Before Ally moved to San Diego she was commonly referred to as someone with a disability, or with a wheelchair, or the disabled girl She’d never even heard the term “adaptive” until she got into the community in San Diego. And while she didn’t take offense, she also wished that people would realize that she was so much more than just her wheelchair. She’s an athlete, a professional, a woman that works out and does CrossFit.

Ally was injured when she was 17 in a sledding accident. She suffered a complete spinal cord break and was paralyzed. While a lot of people suffer depression and go through really dark times after their injury, Ally credits her faith with really not having any “down” time. She believes that this is the path that she was meant to take, and she’s dealt with as such.

She had an amazing support group, through her family and friends, and was really connected through her church and her faith. Which she credits to stepping out of her comfort zone and not letting her injury rule her life.

Ally is seriously an inspirational woman and I cannot wait for you to listen to this full episode!

In this episode we’re talking about:

* Ally’s injury and how she dealt with it

* How sometimes you have to just suck it up in life

* What a “complete” spinal cord injury means

* What “adaptive” means to Ally

* How laughter is really the best medicine in life

* What advice Ally would offer someone in her position

Find Ally Armstrong on instagram: @alstrongg

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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iTunes

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To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Stephanie Gaudreau is a health and fitness coach who advocates healthy eating and embracing your own skin. Before she started eating a more balanced diet, which includes the foods she feared, she advocated paleo and working out in order to achieve her ideal body but she wasn't happy. Steph used to be a teacher but as an introvert, she needed to find a job that is comfortable for her, therefore, she took a drastic change of direction and went into blogging.

Steph experienced body dysmorphia as a kid, it changed her relationship with food and how she perceived her body. Steph took health and fitness seriously in order to make her body smaller to overcome her condition but it wasn't the solution she's looking for. Listen to this episode to learn about Steph's journey and these:

* Why facing change is frightening for her,

* How she faced fear to be able to move forward,

* How Steph faced and overcame body dysmorphia

* How she made blogging her business,

* What steps she took in learning new skills in her new job,

* Making her weakness as an introvert into her strength

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To Contact Stephanie Gaudreau Visit: https://www.stephgaudreau.com/steph-gaudreau/ (https://www.stephgaudreau.com/steph-gaudreau/)

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas (aka Dr. Resilience) is a dear friend and mentor and I’m so honored to have her on my podcast! She is someone who helps eliminate suffering for others and helps them live better lives, specifically the Veteran community.

Nursing the flu can be hard and sometimes it disables us from doing our normal routine. Now, imagine having a stage 4 cancer and the doctor has put an expiration date on your life. Wouldn't that be discouraging? Dr. Kate was diagnosed with cancer but it did not put her down.

As a former Marine Corps military police officer, she had a hard time in transitioning to the private citizen life. Dr. Kate struggled and faced challenges that would eventually lead her in helping people with their mental fitness. She's an author, speaker, and professor among other things.

In this episode, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas is telling her story of facing life, motherhood, and cancer with positivity and resilience.

In this episode we’re talking about:

* How a person can cultivate resilient traits

* What steps she took in transitioning from the Marine Corps

* Why is mental fitness training important

* How Dr. Kate came to know that she had cancer

* What things did she change in facing her diagnosis

* How cancer changed how she manages her time

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To Contact Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Visit: https://dockate.com/

To check out Dr. T's Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Losing a loved one, whether family or friend, is really tough especially when it coincides with your other problems. Kenny Kane not only lost one but 13 in a span of 2 years. Notably, his mother passed when his son was born in Denmark and he has to juggle his attention from his one family to another as well as financial responsibilities.

Kenny Kane, a comic, a passionate hip-hop dancer and a soccer player, got heartbreak after heartbreak but he has emerged from it as a better person. Kerry is a co-host on the Body of Knowledge Podcast.

Listen to this week's episode to hear Kenny's heartfelt stories and find out more about these:

* How losing important people affected Kenny

* How did Kenny explain when confronted by his child

* What are the tough choices he had to make

* How Kenny was able to recover on these challenges

* What are the steps he took to heal

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To check out my Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by March 31st, 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611

Welcome to Episode 8 of My New Normal with special guests Amanda Bonham and Movement Rx’s own Dr. Megan Graff! This episode really has it all: we’re talking pregnancy, what it’s like to be legally blind, what it’s like to train pregnant, what it’s like to live in SoCal, and so much more. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Amanda is from Tennessee, but moved to SoCal when she met her husband. She’s a massage therapist and has been for about 11 years. Megan moved to California from Texas for Movement Rx (yay!!) and the adaptive community and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Amanda was diagnosed with her condition (Stargardt Disease (https://nei.nih.gov/health/stargardt/star_facts)) when she was 10 years old, which was a pretty traumatizing experience for her. At the time, no one really knew much about it so no one explained to her that she had a degenerative eye disease. No one explained that her condition would worsen, so she didn’t appropriately prepare herself for the inevitability of going blind.

In high school her vision started to more rapidly change and she needed more visual aides, which is when she realized that things were going to change. She switched to a private school and commuted to school and started to shift her plans for the future.

Amanda’s way of coping in high school was denial and avoidance. She struggled with depression, anorexia, and cutting. She was placed in multiple treatment centers, but none ever took. Her first day of her Junior year in high school she had a major breakdown and was asked to leave and was sent to a lockdown treatment program where she spent 11 months.

During the treatment program, which she credits with saving her life, she was forced to address her condition head-on and finally cope with the anger and emotions that she hadn’t dealt with before.

TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains conversation about food disorders and suicidal thoughts.

In this episode we’re talking about:

* What it’s like to be blind

* What it’s like to be blind and pregnant

* Training when you’re pregnant and blind

* How movement can help people cope with PTSD

* How to train someone who is blind and pregnant

* And so so so so much more…..

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:

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To check out my Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/ (https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/)

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by January 31st 2019: