Welcome back for Season 3 of The Unexpected Journey! This season we talk to an overland adventurer, a nonprofit founder, a model and R&B singer, a highly decorated Paralympian, a peer mentor and disability activist, a champion surfer, and many more. First episode drops June 8! 

Mateo Rodriguez lives at the intersection of developmental disability with autism and physical disability as a person who uses a wheelchair and has vision loss. He was raised in Southern Massachusetts and is adopted, his biological family is Paraguayan. As a child, he hoped to travel to his birth country and to explore and learn more about South American and Central American cultures. When he had the opportunity to travel to Paraguay after graduating college, he contracted an illness from drinking the water. Upon return to the US, Mateo was prescribed Ciprofloxacin which had devastating side effects resulting in long-term disability.  From his lifelong experience with disability in multiple forms, Mateo eloquently shares reflections on his own experience and what it means to be disabled in our society.

Guest info:

• Instagram: @cookiemonster31195

Additional Resources:

• Mateo’s Story: Disabled from Cipro Toxicity-FLOXED Story

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Editing: Riss Bickford
• Audio editing: Jason DeWald 
• Episode cover art by David McCaulley 
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Tyler Turner - a previous guest on The Unexpected Journey - and I recently caught up in Oceanside, California, where we both competed in the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships as members of the High Fives Surf Club.  If you haven't already, listen to Season 1 Episode 11 to hear Tyler's full story. Recently, Tyler has been on a wild ride full of triumphs and adventure. This episode was recorded in person just behind the event venue at the Oceanside Pier and includes the full sounds of a SoCal Beach town - Harleys, electric bikes, lifeguard trucks, boom boxes, skateboards, event announcers, and of course, the surf. 

Guest info:

• Tyler Turner: @tyturner14 
• Kayleen VanderRee: @fromsnowtosail
• YouTube: All About Spray Sailing

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: highfivesfoundation.org
• Stoke for Life: stokeforlife.org

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Tony Schmiesing has been in a wheelchair for nearly 40 years. He grew up in Southern California an athlete and a passionate skateboarder and surfer. In high school, an accident resulting in quadriplegia changed all of that.  Following graduation, he enrolled at UC Berkeley and landed in the '80's not long after the '70's disability rights movement. He still lives in Berkeley today and has discovered new ways to experience the active sensations that he came to love so much as a kid - a pursuit that has taken him on barrier shattering adventures. Tony speaks with boundless joy, gratitude, and hard earned wisdom on the experience of finding his center in life.

Guest info:

• Instagram: @tonyschmee
• YouTube: The Edge of Impossible with Tony Schmiesing
• Blog: fasterbarnacle.com

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: highfivesfoundation.org/

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Episode cover art by David McCaulley 
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Olivia Rey grew up in Switzerland in a Swiss and French family of big skiers. As soon as Olivia and her siblings could walk they were on the ski slopes. In 1996, when she was 12, her family moved to Whistler, British Columbia. After moving to Canada, Olivia picked up snowboarding and grew to love traveling and outdoor sports, especially in the mountains. When we recorded this interview she was in her cozy and warm home in Whistler which she has modified now that she cruises around in a wheelchair following a car accident in 2015. Olivia participates in many sports as an adaptive athlete and continues to love being outside, but our conversation focused equally on the day-to-day of life as a quadriplegic. All the fun and important stuff like mental health, receiving care, and pooping and peeing!

Guest info:

• Instagram: @quadlifewitholiviarey
• YouTube: Quad Life 101

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: highfivesfoundation.org/
• Wings for Life: www.wingsforlife.com/us/

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Episode cover art by David McCaulley 
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Jose Martinez is no stranger to adversity.  Following a challenging childhood in Los Angeles, Jose enlisted in the US Army and deployed to Afghanistan where he stepped on an IED. During a long and painful recovery, Jose discovered adaptive surfing. Through grit, determination, and passion, as well as much support from his family, friends, therapists, and sponsors, Jose is now one of the top adaptive surfers in the world. From this position, he wants to create opportunities for others, spread the love, and continue to push the limits of what he and other people with disabilities are capable of in the waves. 

Guest info:

• Instagram: @rollwithguru

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: highfivesfoundation.org/
• Four Seasoned Fighters: fourseasonfighters.org/
• Stoke for Life Foundation: stokeforlife.org/

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jason Duwald and Jesse LaFountaine
• Episode cover art by David McCaulley 
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Lizzy Ragan grew up in a small town and went to a small high school in rural Oregon. After graduating from Oregon state, she moved to Boston where she earned a Master's Degree in Epidemiology from Boston University and dedicated her life to studying infectious disease and global health. In her free time, Lizzy would spend as much time as she could outside. As an adult, she became an avid cyclist and a passionate rock climber. In the Fall of 2019 she headed north for a day of climbing on the granite faces of New Hampshire with her friends and suffered a traumatic accident resulting in a spinal cord injury. Lizzy has learned a tremendous amount through her experience and, in many ways, it has given her greater strength personally and professionally. 

Guest info:

• Instagram: lizzy.ragan
• Instagram: lizzyraganart

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: www.highfivesfoundation.org

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt
• Episode cover art by David McCauley

Shelby Estocado is the 2021 High Fives Athlete of the Year. This just a couple short years after the snowboarding accident that resulted in paralysis and paraplegia. Her rapid return to living life to the fullest is remarkable. In listening to Shelby share her story, it's clear that  tenacity, positivity, presence, and the strength of her family and community have served her well, and will continue to as she charges forward. 

Guest info:

• Instagram: @estooooooo

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: www.highfivesfoundation.org
• Sisters in Sports Foundation: https://sistersinsportsfoundation.org/

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Editing and sound design by Jason DeWald and Jesse LaFountaine
• Episode cover art by David McCauley
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt

Summary:

Josh Dueck, is a legendary skier, Paralympic medalist, leader in the adaptive sports  community, husband, and father from British Columbia, Canada. He has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows since he was paralyzed 18 years ago, and he generously shared some of the lessons he's learned along the way. He is also a consummate professional, a highly respected public speaker, and recently the Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

Guest info:

• Instagram: @justdueck
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.joshdueck.com

Additional Resources:

• High Fives Foundation: www.highfivesfoundation.org
• Live It Love It Foundation: www.liveitloveit.org/what-we-do

Contact us: 

• Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodcast
• Email: [email protected] 

• Hosted and produced by Tim Brown
• Audio engineer and sound design by Jesse LaFountaine
• Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt
• Episode cover art by David McCauley

Welcome back folks for Season 2 of The Unexpected Journey! We are super excited to bring you new stories from adaptive athletes, creators, activists, leaders, and many others sharing their adventures of navigating life with a disability!