Our Rights Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pravjoth Gill
A podcast delivered by Movement Fitness and Nutrition, we speak to different disabled people who talk about their struggles facing with that disability throughout their lives and building a community full of disability empowerment and love. Catch us every Wednesday at 1pm on Apple Podcast, Spotify and YouTube!
Peter G Levine is a professor, clinical researcher, and author of the book Stronger. His focus for more than twenty years has been brain plasticity and brain injury. Pete has been In the forefront of developing and testing many of the most innovative stroke neurorehabilitation recovery options including wearable robotics, constraint-induced therapy, and mental practice.
Gail Hamilton is an internationally-recognized motivational virtual and live speaker certified through the National Speakers Association, accomplished author Soaring into Greatness, a Blind Woman’s Vision to Live her Dreams and Fly, and a powerful singer who is totally blind. Many people allow their fears, negativities, and Self-blinding beliefs to stop them from experiencing life to the fullest. This is not the case with Gail. Gail motivates, facilitates, educates, and exhilarates her audiences, unlike any other speaker, … to fully open their eyes and change the way they see in order to live unstoppable, unforgettable, and unbelievable lives. Gail has earned two Masters degrees, (voice and psychology) sang leading roles in two major opera productions La Boheme, and La Traviata, and was crowned Ms. Colorado Senior America and 4th-runner up in the national MSA pageant. Her soaring spirit has led Gail to build her former Habitat for Humanity home, to climb the historic 75-story Cydney Harbor bridge, and to partner with six spectacular Seeing Eye dogs. Her astounding experiences, immense knowledge and unparalleled determination have inspired thousands to live lives of vision, purpose and action. Gail believes if you change the way you see, you will change the way you live!
Jay Thomas Manuel is a fitness lover who plans to take over the fitness industry by showing that fitness goes beyond disability. He has a brittle bone disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3, he has had over 200 fractures and 20+ surgeries. It also causes him to be short in stature, however with Jay’s outgoing personality, it has allowed him to fully embrace the cards he was dealt with. Outside of creating fitness related videos showing him do various workouts, he is a successful music producer who goes by the name of Mini Producer. He has worked thousands of independent artists and major artists all over the world. Jay is thankful for the support his inner circle provides him which includes his mentors, close friends and loved ones. Follow @rolloutfitness and @miniproducer to keep up with his journey!
Delmit had a spinal cord stroke similar to spinal cord injury. His diagnosis is AVM. He got told by the doctors that he has a 1% chance of walking after being paralyzed, which certainly he changed. He walks with walking aids and is not where he wanted to be but he has come very far away from where he started. Delmit is now post 6 years of his injury & he keeps pushing every single day beyond limits. He is a director of a clothing company and does not let anything define him. It’s mind over matter!
Patriarchy and poor medical practices towards women propelled a decade-long search to find out how mental illness, hormonal imbalance, and trauma became the perfect storm for chronic pain and the eventual breakdown of major connective tissue. Albeit a small part of her inspirational memoir, Jacquelyn is always willing to tell her story of misdiagnosis and misadventure and how perseverance combined with holistic medicine is finally bringing her relief.
Jim was born and raised in Eastern Pennsylvania (USA), in East Stroudsburg, approximately one hour and fifteen minutes from downtown Manhattan. He has been teaching Spanish for the past 14 years, and has also been a soccer coach at the school where he teaches. He is presently the Assistant Varsity/Goalkeeper Coach with the girls Varsity team. He has been married to his wife Shannah, for over ten years. Shannah, Jim and their three dogs Snitches, Sadie and Stewart (chihuahua and chihuahua mixes) enjoy travel, and have ventured throughout the United States (east of the Mississippi River) and also to Ontario and Quebec, staying at over 40 different AirBnBs. Due to a struggle with undiagnosed (eventually diagnosed) clinical depression and anxiety, Shoopack has used exercise and marathons to serve as a mental health advocate and face his mental health challenges. He suffered for 100 days in silence, not knowing how he felt had a name, and hopes to complete 100 marathons to get back the 100 days he lost due to undiagnosed depression. He has presently completed 21 marathons (26.2 miles/42km), including 4 marathons in 4 months in 2016 and 3 marathons in 3 months in 2014. He also recently earned his Educational Doctorate (EdD) in September 2020, and cites his faith in God, and help from family, friends and faith in self to help him overcome.
Alex is an award-winning individual with international experience of working with children and young people. Years of experience as a teacher, carer, and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator led to him founding a not-for-profit organization, alongside one of the young men he cared for. Happy Smiles Training CIC empowers disabled young adults to create positive social change, by delivering awareness training across schools, community groups, businesses, and more. Alex is currently working on a series of children's books, to raise awareness of a range of long-term health conditions, particularly in adults. Starting with a dementia awareness book, inspired by his grandma and acclaimed by dementia specialists worldwide, he will be releasing the books throughout 2021, including books on depression and cancer. The aim is to start the conversation for children about how these conditions can impact the individual and themselves, whilst giving them an understanding of how they can support people living with those conditions. Alex aims to decrease the anxieties children may have about family members living with long-term health conditions and help them to develop a positive, person-centered approach to life!
Ben is a quirky, eccentric, bearded, media personality, voiceover guy, writer, music lover, presenter of stuff & unable to leap tall buildings. Ben is a keynote speaker and consultant in the areas of Autism/Aspergers, Conscious Kindness, Comedy, Advertising, Social media, Marketing, and a board member of inclusion organization FriendInMe.org.au But most of all is a neurodiverse "Brain for hire."
Margaux is a professional in the mental health industry finding jobs for those with severe mental illnesses and people with criminal backgrounds. Margaux has 5 years experience in this profession and many more years personally dealing with mental illnesses. Margaux is looking to expand her network and make an even bigger difference in the mental health world.
Zachary is a 26 year old CEO and Head Coach of the FitMuscle Method. He fell in love with working out and eating healthy at 14 years old, but when he was 20, Zach was diagnosed with low testosterone. This horrible experience allowed him to make a shift and learn how to optimize health for good. Zach made it his ultimate goal to help 1 million men optimize their health as well.
Michael Underwood is a singer/songwriter from Scotland whom after, another, but serious suicide attempt refound his love for music. After a long yet successful karaoke career, has finally recorded and released his own single and plans to record an Ep in the summer of '21.
Lauren Freedman is an award-winning entrepreneur, voice actor, writer, and activist who lives in Los Angeles. She has lived with depression and anxiety since she was a teen, and was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and sleep disorders in 2017. Harrowing experiences of medical gaslighting and disability, paired with her work in women’s health activism, prompted her to seek community…where none was available. It was when she became aware that even close friends were living with invisible diagnoses that she began speaking out — and kindled her own community so nobody would have to feel lost in their body’s mutinies again. Now an “accidental” advocate, her work is centered in deepening narratives about chronic illness and disability: raising awareness, inspiring inclusion, and providing comfort for those living the Spoonie life. In 2021, she begins training as a Nationally Certified Health & Wellness Coach in order to further serve her community. Lauren graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) with a BA (Hons) in Acting in 2008. Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
Elle is a 111 NHS call handler and a social media influencer with over 4000 followers on Instagram and 10,000 followers on Twitter and promotes disability awareness for other people who also suffer from a disability. She suffers from a condition called cerebral palsy which is a physical disability that affects muscle movement and coordination. This condition was caused by birth and throughout her life, she was mostly on wheelchairs and crutches.
Darrell is a Chicagoland native who was living a fairly content, uneventful life until the day that changed everything – the day he learned that he had kidney failure Since then, Darrell have been through the same situations many are going through now, and he is glad to say that he got through it like not only a Kidney Warrior, but a Kidney GLADIATOR!‘
After a series of heart attacks and open-heart surgery to repair three blocked coronary arteries at just 40 years old, Kevin began making healthy lifestyle choices and is currently doing much better. He hosts a podcast called the Gorey Bypass Podcast which focuses on heart healthy topics and interviews.
Asha Griggs is a confident, determined and motivated women, with the aim to make difference in the world. She suffers from Heart Failure since being diagnosed at the age of 17 and she wants to share her story of her journey with Heart Failure.
After losing family members by suicide, and having her worst-ever bout of depression, Terry dedicated herself to using her broadcast news background to bring stories of "lived experience" to others still in depression's darkness. Terry founded the non-profit Giving Voice to Mental Illness, Inc. and launched the weekly Giving Voice to Depresson podcast. She has also posted daily for the past four years across social media platforms to remind people they are not alone and that help is available.
Having grown up experiencing issues with OCD, Chloe Tinsley is somebody who knows how important it is to take care of your mental and physical health. Experiencing therapy throughout her childhood, their suggestion to use art as means of escape led to her finding such freedom in drawing that she pursued into a degree here at BCU, now being in her third year studying in Illustration.
Sarah is the Founder and CEO of Eye Level Communications, LLC, a California-based disability and woman-owned small business. She is also the host of the Incluse This! Podcast, a movement for disability equity. Sarah is a public administration professional with more than 25-years of experience, and her work and research for the last decade have focused on healthcare administration, communications, training, and policy. Sarah was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2011, and Superior Semi-Circular Canal Dehiscence, a rare inner-ear disorder, in 2019. Her personal and professional experiences have made her a passionate disability rights champion, and she’s dedicated to having the critical conversations at eye level that connect people to each other, to their communities, and most importantly, to themselves.
Lev is a writer and podcaster which his voice-over work ranges from character pieces, advertising and corporate voice overs to podcasting, ASMR and radio play. He has recently written content and articles for WrestleTalk Magazine, Ultimate Quality Content and wrestling website TheIndyCorner. He has also done research work for popular online video podcast series OSW Review.
Danielle Roberts is the founder and CEO of Unlimited You - an online fitness platform for disabled people where they provide on-demand and accessible workouts. She suffers from Brachial Plexus Injury which is a disability which cut off all or parts of the communication between the spinal cord and the arm, wrist, and hand, and this came with scoliosis.
"Unlimited You is hoping to create a community where everyone is welcome and all members support each other on their journey to become healthier and happier individuals." Danielle Roberts
BIG NEWS!
We are bringing a new podcast! We will be speaking to some inspiring guests who talk about their personal struggles coming to terms with their disability or medical condition and their journey to empowerment.
Our first episode is out next week and we cannot wait to embark on this journey and talking to some inspiring people!