Obstacles & Opportunities

This episode is a little different! It’s a conversation between Lowell and Ed which they recorded at their training camp in Arizona in Dec 2022. They’ve had two training camps SINCE then (and life obviously got away from me), but I swear it’s still relevant! They debrief their 2022 season and discuss plans for their 2023 season which basically kicks off THIS WEEKEND at World Cup #1 in Italy! Throughout the convo, they occasionally acknowledge that they’re recording for a podcast, but otherwise it’s like being a fly on the wall. They detail last year’s World Cup races in Belgium & Germany (which were wild, by the way), Ed talks about his accident and miraculous recovery, they surprise themselves with a conversation about pressures they feel not to let each other down, and it’s overall sweet to hear their camaraderie and the love and respect they have for each other as Canada’s number one tandem cycling team! Enjoy!

Today’s guest is our friend (and Lethbridge local!), Jared Heidinger!

Jared has had many roles in life. University basketball player, teacher, coach, husband, father, son & friend (among other things!). He has also experienced many chapters in his life, and he takes us through them. From the passing of his wife, Krista, and raising his three kids as a single dad to meeting and marrying Carianne and living with Multiple Sclerosis.  

Jared is very honest about his experience with MS. How he struggles with feelings of being a burden, the value of being part of a community, and the importance of perspective. Everyone has some sort of pain or struggle, and we’re not as alone as we think we are!

Jared has had a very eventful life, and we appreciate his wisdom & perspective. Enjoy!

Paralympic champion Nate Riech is here!

Nate—who comes from an intensely athletic family—was hit in the head with a stray golf ball when he was 10. He acquired a traumatic brain injury and was initially paralyzed on his right side.  He surpassed all expectations for his recovery, and burst onto the international para athletic scene in 2018! He holds world records and earned a gold medal in the 1500m at Tokyo 2020—his debut Paralympic Games.

Nate thrives on connection with others, his love for family is palpable, and he credits the supportive team around him for his incredible recovery and his ability to excel in sport.

Nate has embraced his disability as it’s taught him how to be his own person. He has an incredible sense of humour and a winning smile.

Nate is AMAZING and our conversation flew by. We hope you are as inspired by him as we are!

Check out his podcast Stride with Graywolf, and follow him at @nategraywolf on Instagram & Twitter!

Ina Forrest is a four-time Paralympic Wheelchair Curler! At her first Paralympic games on home soil at Vancouver 2010, the team won GOLD. Most recently at Beijing 2022, they brought home the bronze medal AND Ina was one of Canada’s flag bearers for the opening ceremonies!

When Ina was 21, she became paralyzed after the vehicle she was driving in was hit by an impaired driver. She wasn’t introduced to wheelchair curling until she was 42 years old, and she’s now one of the most decorated wheelchair curlers in the WORLD!

Ina and her husband live in BC where they run their own business and raised their three kids who are now adults!

We loved having insight into Ina’s mindset, hearing about her adventures, and learning more about wheelchair curling!

Fair warning, the audio isn’t the best… but the conversation still is, so we hope you enjoy!

It’s Green Shirt Day! We are re-sharing last year's conversation with the Boulet family. New year and new episode art… same conversation, same beautiful family.

Today—April 7th—is Green Shirt Day, and we had the pleasure of chatting with Logan Boulet’s family. Logan is the inspiration behind Green Shirt Day and the Logan Boulet Effect. On April 6, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus was involved in a crash that shattered the hearts of Canadians. 16 of the 29 passengers on the Humboldt team bus lost their lives in the crash, and Logan was one of them. He succumbed to his injuries on April 7th, 2018. Following his passing, his organs saved or enhanced the lives of six other Canadians. This sparked organ donation across Canada which became known as the Logan Boulet Effect. Now April 7th is known as Green Shirt Day—a day to bring awareness to organ donation, and the impact that Logan’s decision to donate his organs had on a nation. 

We get to know to Logan’s parents, Toby & Bernie, and his sister, Mariko. They share their own athletic histories, their favourite memories of Logan, and Logan’s unplanned legacy. The Boulets are the most beautiful and authentic family, and we hope you get as much out of our conversation as we did!

Visit https://greenshirtday.ca/ to register for organ donation, and let your loved ones know about your decision!

Four-time Paralympian Jessica Tuomela is here! Jessica started out as a swimmer, and most recently competed in triathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Jessica—who lost her sight by the age of three as a result of retinoblastoma—tells us about overcoming her fear of deep water, how she got into competitive swimming, and the transition to triathlon.

Sport is just a small part of Jessica’s story, though. It seems as though she’s lived seventeen lives. She has incredible stories to share, and an amazing sense of humour. We loved every second of our time with this spitfire, and we hope you do too!

First time Olympic bobsledder Taylor Austin is here! He’ll be piloting two and four-man sleds for Team Canada at Beijing 2022! 

Taylor was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. He moved to Calgary after graduating in 2008, and played football for the Calgary Colts before being recruited to bobsledding.

We had a blast getting to know Taylor, and learning the intricacies of bobsledding!

He’ll be competing in Beijing in the two-man sled on Feb 14 & 15, and the four-man on the Feb 19 & 20. We’ll be screaming our faces off cheering his team on in Beijing, and we hope you will be too!

@taytay_lloyd on Instagram… give him a follow!

Marie-Claude Molnar is Paralympic cyclist and World Champion!

When MC was just 21, she was hit from behind by a vehicle traveling 110km/hr. She sustained head trauma in addition other serious injuries.

Her positivity, resilience, go-getter attitude and athletic ability propelled her in para-sport. She shares the mindset of a champion, and what keeps her going in the hardest part of a race. Her motto is never stop being a seeker, and take action!

We hope you enjoy Marie-Claude’s story & her many pearls of wisdom as much as we did!

Find Marie-Claude at @mariecmolnar on the socials!

Greg Stewart is a Paralympic shot put CHAMPION! He earned his gold medal and the Paralympic record at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and he’s here to tell us all about it.

Greg is extraordinarily athletic, and has excelled in a variety of sports—both para and able bodied. He was born without his left forearm, and it wasn’t until he was 28 years old that he became comfortable identifying as a disabled person.

Greg is an empowerment coach, and he and Psychologist Lowell connected on a deep and insightful level. Greg even took us through an activity illustrating the importance of being in the moment and trusting the process.

He chatted with us from his home in Kamloops, BC. Greg shared a lot of wisdom in general, and also encouraged those who are struggling to reach out.

Hope you enjoy our conversation!

Keep your eyes and ears open for Greg’s podcast, Mental-ete, coming in January!! @greg_r_stewart on Instagram!

Shawna Ryan is a Paralympic cyclist AND goal ball player. She’s had low vision all her life as a result of being born with cataracts. She wasn’t introduced to parasport until the age of 28, and it gave her a place to belong and race without fear.

As a child, Shawna’s sister passed away, and later she lost her step dad to suicide. She now uses her experiences with grief and loss to help others.

Shawna went through a different form of grief & loss when she retired from para sport, and she takes us through the complex emotions that followed.

Shawna has a positive and infectious energy, and a knack for encouraging others. She’s wise, kind, fun, and an excellent story teller!

As Shawna would say—be brave and have fun! Also, enjoy our conversation!