Rebuilding your career after disability isn’t just about getting hired—it’s about staying well once you are.

In Stage 6 of my Career Rebuild Plan, I share how I prepare for interviews, manage fatigue, and build a sustainable future after stroke.

This final stage is called Interview, Succeed & Sustain, because landing an opportunity is only part of the journey. The real work is learning how to hold it without breaking yourself.

In this episode, I walk through:
• How I prepare for interviews after disability
• Creating “disability-safe” answers that are honest and empowering
• Preparing your tech and environment for confidence
• Managing health and fatigue in professional settings
• Planning a career you can actually sustain
This series was never about “bouncing back.”
It’s about building forward—with intention, dignity, and realism.
Whether you’re disabled, burned out, changing careers, or starting over, this stage is about protecting your future self.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

Rebuilding a career after disability isn’t about being “ready”—it’s about taking motion.

Stage 5 of my Career Rebuild Plan is where preparation turns into action.
In this episode, I walk through how I search for disability-friendly jobs, set realistic weekly targets, advocate for my needs, and reach out to build real connections. This is the stage where fear meets courage—and where rebuilding becomes real.

Whether you’re navigating life after stroke, injury, illness, or burnout, this stage is about momentum, not perfection.

Stage 5 Checklist Topics:
• Choosing where to search
• Setting weekly application targets
• Advocating for your needs
• Networking and reaching out

You don’t have to be fully healed to move forward.
You just need motion.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

I join Jerry Wald from "Let's Talk Stroke" and Jerry Chapman also joined us for this very personal heartfelt session. 

LINKS:
www.youtube.com/@UCEhpRIRbbCuw3i6rACtOt9g

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

Rebuilding a career after disability isn’t just about skills — it’s about identity.

In Stage 4 of my 6-Stage Career Rebuild Plan, I walk through one of the hardest parts of recovery:
How do you explain who you are now… after everything changed?

After my stroke, I didn’t just lose physical ability — I lost the story I used to tell about myself.
 This stage is about learning how to:

• Build a resume after disability
• Write a cover letter that tells the truth without oversharing
• Create a one-page bio that reflects who you are now
• Shape a personal story that frames loss as resilience
• Present yourself with honesty and dignity, not apology

This isn’t about pretending nothing happened.
 It’s about learning how to say:

“This is what I’ve lived.
 This is what I’ve learned.
 This is what I can still offer.”

Whether you’re rebuilding after a stroke, injury, illness, or life collapse — this stage is about reclaiming your voice.

This is Disabled & Driven — Stage 4: Build Your Resume & Personal Story.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

Rebuilding a career often means learning new skills after disability — and at 57, post-stroke, that quest feels very real.

In Stage 3: Skills & Gap Training, I walk through how to approach career retraining at 50+ without overwhelm, burnout, or wasted effort.

Do I really need to go back to school… and if so, how?

At 57 years old, after a stroke, rebuilding a career isn’t about chasing degrees — it’s about closing skill gaps in a smart, realistic way that fits your energy, your health, and your life.

In this episode, we cover:
• How to identify the exact skills you need (not everything)
• How to choose training options that won’t overwhelm you
• How to build a realistic training plan
• Why small, in-real projects matter more than certificates
• How to track progress without burning out

This stage isn’t about pressure or perfection.
It’s about momentum, confidence, and rebuilding capability — one skill at a time.

If you notice gaps in your experience, education, or confidence — this episode is for you.

👇 Continue the series:
• Stage 1: Self-Assessment
• Stage 2: Career Direction
• Stage 3: Skills & Gap Training (this episode)

🔔 Subscribe to the UpStroke Podcast Channel for more episodes on recovery, purpose, and rebuilding life after adversity.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

In Stage 1 of my Disabled & Driven series, I dig into the most important step of rebuilding a career after disability — The Self-Assessment. Before writing a resume or applying for jobs, you need to know your strengths, your new limitations, and the transferable skills that still make you valuable.

I’ll walk through how I identify my current skills, acknowledge my challenges, and find opportunities that match who I am today — not who I used to be.

This episode is for anyone who’s ready to move forward but isn’t sure where to start.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

The Christmas break gave us time to slow down — but also a lot of work on our next career.

In this episode of UpStroke, I start with a personal update on the holidays and where things are at with my wife’s health. Life doesn’t pause for recovery, and sometimes the hardest part is learning how to keep moving forward when things don’t improve the way you hoped they would.

From there, I move into Stage 2 of my Sixth-Stage Career Rebuild Plan.

Stage 2 is about rebuilding direction — not rushing into decisions, but honestly assessing where you are, what you can do now, and what kind of work fits your new reality after a life-changing injury or illness.

This series isn’t about motivation slogans or “hustle culture.”
It’s about rebuilding a life and a career that actually works — physically, mentally, emotionally — after everything has changed.

If you’re rebuilding after a stroke, injury, burnout, or forced career reset, this episode is for you.

Stage 2 focuses on:
• Finding clarity after disruption
• Letting go of who you were “supposed” to be
• Exploring realistic paths forward
• Building a career that fits your life — not the other way around

Thanks for being here, and for walking this road with me.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

In Stage 1 of my Disabled & Driven series, I dig into the most important step of rebuilding a career after disability — The Self-Assessment. Before writing a resume or applying for jobs, you need to know your strengths, your new limitations, and the transferable skills that still make you valuable.

I’ll walk through how I identify my current skills, acknowledge my challenges, and find opportunities that match who I am today — not who I used to be.

This episode is for anyone who’s ready to move forward but isn’t sure where to start.


🧠Email me for my Self-Assessment Worksheet [email protected]

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

In this episode, I head back to the rehab facility where I spent 7 MONTHS rebuilding my life after my stroke. I sit down with my old physiotherapist and my psychometrist — two incredible people who helped me learn to walk, rebuild my confidence, and face some tough mental battles along the way.

We talk about what really happens behind the scenes in stroke recovery — the physical grind, the mental roadblocks, and the small wins that mean everything. This conversation isn’t just about therapy; it’s about mindset, motivation, and the people who never stopped believing in me.
Whether you’re a stroke survivor, a caregiver, or just someone fighting through your own kind of recovery — this one’s for you.

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast

“You’re not disabled — you have a disability.”

In this episode of the Upstroke Podcast, I sit down with the two occupational therapists who worked with me for seven months after my stroke—and who helped me rebuild my arm and my independence.

Colleen (Occupational Therapist) and Jamie (Occupational Therapy Assistant) open up about what occupational therapy really looks like behind the scenes: the emotional weight, the small wins, the hard days, and the moments no one prepares you for.

We talk about:
• Why they prefer “having a disability” over “being disabled”
• What occupational therapists actually do in stroke and brain injury rehab
• how therapy is personalized for each patient
• Why goals matter (and what happens when they’re unrealistic)
• The emotional burden therapists carry home with them
• Why the kitchen can be one of the most dangerous rooms in recovery
• Humour, humanity, and the power of connection in rehab
• And yes… the infamous bath brush story 😅

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@UpstrokePodcast