Two Disabled Dudes

By The DudesBusiness Education Self-Improvement Non-Profit

Two Disabled Dudes episodes

November 20, 2017 029 – Wonderful and Different with Paul Avery
“It’s a wonderful life; it’s just a different life.”

We interview Paul Avery, CEO of World of Beer; former COO of the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, father of two daughters diagnosed with FA; and a member of the board of directors at FARA.

The transition from being in the business of running successful restaurants to becoming forefront in the research and treatment of a rare disease was a sudden and unexpected change: but not a shift Paul hesitated to make.
51 min
November 19, 2017 029 - Wonderful and Different with Paul Avery
“It’s a wonderful life; it’s just a different life.”

We interview Paul Avery, CEO of World of Beer; former COO of the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, father of two daughters diagnosed with FA; and a member of the board of directors at FARA.

The transition from being in the business of running successful restaurants to becoming forefront in the research and treatment of a rare disease was a sudden and unexpected change: but not a shift Paul hesitated to make. For him, his love for and concern of the well-being of his daughters, diagnosed with FA, made his decision to join the research and development of a treatment of FA a natural fit.

And in Paul’s willingness lies a lesson for all of us. We ourselves may not have a background in medicine, biology, or genetics. We may get overwhelmed at becoming part of whatever team is calling to us.

Paul was able to use his economic and negotiating skills to become a powerful voice in FARA. Not to mention the unbelievable benefits Outback Steakhouse and other companies under his authority have provided at FARA events.

What is your calling in life? Could the fact that your background seems unrelated to that be not a weakness, but a strength?

We want to thank Paul Avery for reminding us that strength and accomplish comes from everyone bringing their diverse skills to the table.
51 min
November 14, 2017 028 2DD Challenge Check-in
Kyle & Sean's progress on their 30-day challenges.
42 min
November 13, 2017 028 – Self-Discipline Update
We're bringing you a follow-up episode detailing our progress to the challenges we gave each other in a previous episode (026). We are working towards greater self-discipline! Inspired by our conversation with Drew Dudley (025) and the book Living With A Seal by Jesse Itzler, we issued a few challenges to each other and this episode brings an update to our personal performance.

The first challenge we talk about is our 100-pushups-per-day challenge. The 2DD Pushup-up challenge started strong, but both of us have had a couple misses since the beginning, and since this episode recorded! Oops. Although not 100%, we talk about our progress and the discipline this challenge has pulled out of each of us.

The second challenge was to log all the food we eat for a month. We've accomplished the logging, but as you can see here, we still enjoy food, or make poor choices - depends how you look at it! After all, not having that birthday cupcake may have been offensive to some. This has been a great exercise for us and we are happy with the awareness it has increased for each of us.

The last challenge was to come up with a list of five lessons we have learned in our lives.

Sean's List:

You may not be able to choose your circumstances but you are in full control of your response to whatever circumstance you find yourself in.
Don't make all of your life decisions based only on money.
Every single person has value, and it's our responsibility to find it for ourselves and help identify it for those around us.
There are other perspectives to things in life that we should consider.
Be present in the moment.

Kyle's List:

Remembering people's names is important!
Define your goals in life.
Always be on the lookout for the opportunities that are presented to you.
Fake it 'til you make it!
Fireflies are under appreciated.

Seriously, fireflies? Kyle is strange.

How about you, how do you stay on track with self-discipline? What are five, or just one, life lesson(s) from your experience? We want to hear from you! Comment here or on the 2DD Facebook.
42 min
November 06, 2017 027 – Live Patient Panel
Living with any condition presents challenges for everyone, some common and some unique. No matter our circumstances though, life is what we choose to make it. We are all dealt some cards and everyone chooses how to play the hand they're dealt. In this episode, we talk with a panel of three friends living with Friedreichs Ataxia. Jean, Kate and Michael talk openly in front of a live audience about life with FA. From adapting to high school to playing in the dirt 30 years after a prognosis that barely promised another 10 years of life.

While in Tampa, Florida, leading up to the 2017 FARA Energy Ball, Kyle & Sean hosted a group of friends and family for a live recording to discuss a variety of questions. This panel shares stories from personal experiences about mis-diagnosis, devastating prognosis, their choices to engage in research efforts and their commitment to do whatever it takes on the journey to cure FA!

This episode is a condensed version of the live recording which was captured and available on the 2DD Facebook page as a LIVE video, click here to view.

For more information on FARA and the FARA Energy Ball, please click here.

A special thanks to our panelists Michael Gehr (Oklahoma), Kate Walker (Louisiana) and Jean Walsh (Massachusetts) for sharing so openly. Also, to our Audio Engineer, Jake Tompkins (New York) who worked tirelessly to put the many pieces of a live recording into place to make us all sound good!

Thank you, friends!
49 min
November 06, 2017 Episode 027
This Episode features Kyle & Sean facilitating a panel of three others living with FA, Kate (14), Michael (17) and Jean (54). This live recording took place in Tampa, Florida in September 2017, leading up to the FARA Energy Ball.
49 min
October 23, 2017 026 – Self Discipline
Back to basics. No guest, just the 2 Dudes hanging out and talking about a topic very important to us: self-discipline.
40 min
October 22, 2017026 - Self Discipline
In this episode, we get back to the basics. No guest, just the 2 Dudes hanging out and talking about a topic very important to us: self-discipline.

Living with a disability is often frustrating. Maybe that’s an understatement. When so many normal daily activities are impossible, or at least difficult, to do independently, we are tempted to develop a victim’s mindset.

But that’s not who we are, and that’s not who you are. The key to unlocking your own greatness is self-discipline.

Sean has a great way of visualizing self-discipline. He imagines that our ideal self asks us if doing whatever we are doing at the moment, helps us advance to where we want to be. An example he uses is if we want to look great for the summer, will eating whatever we’re going to eat or skipping the next workout or going to the gym right now help us get there?

Kyle talks about a great book he recently read called Living with a SEAL. In it, an ordinary man trains with a Navy SEAL for a month, after seeing the SEAL compete in an ultra-marathon. In the harsh cold of winter, the book details the grueling training sessions, mixed in with a lot of laughs. The book serves as a perfect example of what it looks like to behave according to self-discipline.

There are many areas that both of us want to be better in - so as we get close to the one-year anniversary, we invite you to join us in trying to better ourselves!

The first thing we are doing is comprising a list of 5 things each. These are the 5 most important lessons we’ve learned in life. We want to hear yours too! So reach out to us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing your lessons!

We’re also starting the 2DD Push-up Challenge. We (Kyle and Sean) are going to do 100 push-ups everyday for a month. Keep track of our progress here: http://twodisableddudes.com/2dd-challenges/. And feel free to join us!

We’re also going to be logging what we eat for the next 30 days. Join us or track our progress here: http://twodisableddudes.com/2dd-challenges/

Self-discipline is all about making your future self proud of the actions you are taking now. So, no time for excuses. Be the best version of yourself right now!
40 min
October 09, 2017 025 – Leadership with Drew Dudley
Almost anyone with a disability can tell you that we are often thrust into the spotlight, even though we never asked for that. People with disabilities are too often seen as “brave” or “strong” or “inspiring,” when in reality we are just living.

This is in no way to diminish the struggles of “just living” while overcoming a disability: believe me, we understand that hardship. But to be called “heroic” or “inspiring” just because we have a disability is cheap. It feels like it dismisses us.

We are thrilled to talk to Drew Dudley, a man who’s taken on the challenge of strengthening everyone’s leadership skills. Many people, especially most of us with disabilities, don’t recognize themselves as a leader, and Drew hopes to change that. What defines a leader to him is someone who willingly chooses noble response to whatever he or she faces in life. That choice may seem familiar to the population of those with disabilities: choosing a noble, meaningful reaction to our circumstances is how we get through life!

Drew served as the director of one of Canada’s largest leadership development programs at the University of Toronto for 8 years and then as national chair of a charity supporting the work of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. He has been featured on The Huffington Post, Radio America, Forbes.com, and TED.com, where his TED talk has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time.”

Drew talks to us about how people should recognize themselves as leaders, even though they may not see themselves as the picture of an ideal leader in their minds. Leadership is seen in whatever little actions someone takes day-to-day: if you choose to react to something in a positive and an unconventional way, you’ve become extraordinary and exhibited the qualities of a leader.

Drew talks to us about his popular TED Talk and how he almost didn't give it, because he felt that he was “just a teacher” and his story was really simplistic. But his students reminded Drew of what he had taught them: never define yourself with the word “just” because it gives people permission to expect less of you. Drew gave a talk on how his forgettable statement made a lasting impact on someone else. (Fitting.) He encourages us that if we live and behave mindfully and intentionally, we may never know what small action of ours may impact someone else.

Drew is generously giving all listeners of this podcast 50% off of his online leadership courses! To get this awesome deal, visit DrewDudley.com and follow the prompts to enroll, or try the free trial, of Day One Leadership.

We want to thank Drew Dudley for speaking with us and encourage our listeners to begin seeing themselves as leaders and encourage you to grow in that.
39 min
October 07, 2017 025 - Leadership with Drew Dudley
A brief summary of this episode
39 min

About Two Disabled Dudes

From the publisher's feed

The 2DD podcast is about setting sights beyond the challenges in your life and dreaming big, making a plan, and then executing like mad. You are guaranteed an emotional rollercoaster, and practical thoughts that you can apply to your life with this podcast.