Shows
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 62: Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD - Universal Design ExpertLiving in a home that's accessible yet beautiful is one of the many passions of Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD, a universal design consultant and keynote speaker paralyzed since 1998. Not only did she pivot her speaking career after injury, she became an expert in universal design and build the Universal Design Living Laboratory in Ohio; a home that people can visit and learn about universal design. Also an internationally recognized keynote speaker as well as an author and accessibility consultant, Rosemarie shares her injury story and her professional successes post-injury in this episode.— Visit he...
2025-09-1933 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 61: Angela Fox - Helping People with Disabilities Own Accessible HomesAccessible homes don't have to to be out of reach for the average working-class person with a disability. This is the mantra of Angela Fox, a paraplegic since birth, who went on to become a civil rights lawyer and mediator for the FDA after college. During the great recession of 2007, she purchased for first home and made it accessible, and she learned a lot, which she shares in her podcast, "Accessibility Is Home," as well as in her book, "My Blue Front Door." Her podcast is both a podcast and Facebook page to link...
2025-09-0238 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 60: Danny J. Gomez - Acting in Hollywood with a Spinal Cord InjuryIt's not every day you see an actor with a spinal cord injury on the big screen, but thanks to actors like Danny J, Gomez, a paraplegic from Los Angeles by way of New Orleans, it's becoming more common and that's a great thing for the disability community. In this episode, we chat with Danny not only about his acting career, which began in 2018, just two years after his spinal cord injury, but his journey, including his injury story and how he was able to secure an acting scholarship from the Christopher and Dana...
2025-08-1830 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 59: Quadriplegic Bodybuilder Genesis Del BosqueIn this episode, we learn about the world of wheelchair bodybuilding from Genesis Del Bosque, a C5-6 quadriplegic from California. A passionate bodybuilder before his injury, Genesis went right back to doing what he loves within months of his injury. He shares his injury story, how he trains, what he eats and how quadriplegic bodybuilding - for quadriplegics who still have partial arm movement - is becoming bigger than ever. Episode runtime is 30 minutes.— Contact Genesis via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesis.delbosque.5
2025-07-2130 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 58: Guinness World Record Wheelchair Traveler Renee BrunsAfter falling in love with traveling as a child after being taken from hospital to hospital to determine her disability, Renee Bruns, 41, from Atlanta, Georgia, knew it was her destiny to travel the world. Not only has she visited all 7 continents, she also holds the Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in one year by a wheelchair-user (66 countries). Renee shares her story, travel tips for those with mobility challenges, as well as the lessons she's learned from humanity while traveling.— Visit her site: reneebruns.net
2025-05-1532 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 57: How Humor & Friends Have Impacted Ricky Chang's Paralysis JourneyLife with a C4-5 spinal cord injury may be challenging, but Ricky Chang, paralyzed since 2008, has been undeterred. After fighting hard for many things after his accident, including getting his driver's license using a modified steering wheel, he shares how he's been able to stay strong over the years thanks to his dry humor and solid friend base.
Also interning for NASA in their Communications Department last year while attending VCU, as well as a new grad with a Communications degree, Chang, 35, proves it's never too late to achieve your educational dreams.
2025-01-1734 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 56: Discover Adaptive Pickleball with Taylor NicholsTaylor Nichols, a former professional motocross athlete from Texas injured 7 years ago, went on to discover pickleball post-injury. A sport offering both physical and social benefits, he quickly fell in love and was hired by Chicken N Pickle, a national pickleball chain in Texas, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma that offers free use of two sport wheelchairs at every location, as their National Adaptive Pickleball Coordinator.
Chicken N Pickle also offers "Pickleball for All" once a month. Taylor shares both his injury story and his love of pickleball in this episode. Contact Taylor to learn more about...
2024-11-1834 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 55: Wheelchair Travel Pioneer Ashley Lyn OlsonWhile the web is full of accessible travel sites today, that wasn't the case in 2006 when Ashley Lyn Olson started her now infamous wheelchair travel site, Wheelchairtraveling.com. Her site is chock full of indispensable accessible travel info from her worldwide travels and her contributors. After becoming paralyzed at 14, travel was Ashley's vessel to freedom and she shares that journey with us, and much more, in this episode.
- Follow Ashley on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alo.journey
- Visit Wheelchairtraveling: https://wheelchairtraveling.com
2024-07-2234 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 54: NYC Real Estate Broker, Author & SCI Peer Mentor - Jeffery Lorenzo WilliamsMeet Jeffrey Lorenzo Williams, a New York City real estate broker from Harlem who's been injured since he was a teenager in the early 1980s from an accidental shooting. His injury however was simply a catalyst for an amazing life that he shared with us in this uplifting episode. After getting a degree in Criminal Justice, he went on to become a real estate broker, a shoe designer as well as a Business Analyst for Palmolive. Also a father, author and motivational speaker, he is often stopped asking to help someone who may the newly injured and needs to...
2024-04-0232 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 53: Paul LaCorte - Single Dad & Lead Singer of Honkydonky & HeartbreakerParalyzed for nearly 20 years, Paul LaCorte, a 38 year old paraplegic originally from California now living in Montana, shares his journey since his injury at 18 years old. From pivoting employment goals from auto mechanics to mass communications to teaching himself how to play the guitar post-injury as a form of therapy, Paul is living his life on his own terms. He also shares what it's been like being a father to his daughter Wyld, born in 2017, and how it's changed him for the better.
- Official site: Honkydonky & Heartbreaker
- Honkydonky & Heartbreaker (Spotify)
...
2024-01-1137 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 52: ShelbyLynn Quintana's Transverse Myelitis JourneyIn episode #52, we spoke with the newly paralyzed ShelbyLynn Quintana, injured from transverse myelitis last year. She shares her experience of being undiagnosed for months until a cause of paralysis was found thanks to sharing her story on Tiktok. Also a published poet, ShelbyLynn sheds light on a cause of paralysis that not enough people are aware of in both the lay and medical fields. She also shares her thoughts on wheelchair fashion and reads one of her poems.
- ShelbyLyn on IG: https://www.instagram.com/poetry_on_wheels
2023-10-2428 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 51: Paralyzed Metal Artist & Rally Racer Chris Hrabik to Start Adaptive Driving SchoolIn episode 51, we spoke with Chris Hrabik, based in a small town in Missouri, who was paralyzed nearly 20 years ago in a car accident at the age of 18. An incomplete quadriplegic, he went on to become a talented metal artist and fabricator as well as a rally racer after his injury. And he has a new project - starting his very own adaptive driving school where anyone no matter their ability (even people who are blind, as they will have a closed 4 mile track) are welcome.
— Follow Chris on IG: https://www.instagram.com/cr...
2023-08-2336 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 50: The Healing Power of Gratitude with Author Shelly KerschnerIn this episode, we're joined by Shelly Kerschner, a longtime paraplegic who penned the book, "Standing Tall & the Healing Power of Gratitude," after her injury. She shares the importance of gratitude in her life, as well as her other passions, adaptive kayaking and adaptive yoga, and shares her plan to become an adaptive yoga teacher.
— Follow Shelly on IG here
— Buy her book on Amazon here
2023-06-3038 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 49: Slingshot Golf for Quadriplegics Makes Debut at Adaptive OpenIn episode 49, we speak with founder of SPINALpedia and creator of Slingshot Golf, Josh Basile, a C4-5 quadriplegic who grew up loving the game of golf. Since standard adaptive golf wasn't a possibility for Josh due to arm mobility limitations, he created Slingshot Golf as a way for anyone to be able to golf no matter their mobility level. In May 2023, Josh was finally able to compete in an adaptive open using Slingshot Golf along with his caddie & golfing partner, Andrew Mitchell. In this episode, they discuss how the game is played and what is was like to...
2023-06-0824 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 48: Katie Rodriguez Banister & Rejoining the Theater World 30 Years After Her Spinal Cord InjuryA former high school theater kid and aerobics instructor paralyzed in 1990, Katie Rodriguez Banister has been living life as a C5-6 quadriplegic for over 33 years. Post-injury, she found a passion for speaking and writing about SCI issues like managing/finding caregivers, and during Covid she decided to turn her autobiography into a play with the help of a friend.
The end result "ROLL WITH IT! (film) disability, humor, hope and F-bombs" went on to be a hit in the St. Louis theater scene and was nominated for "Best New Play" and Katie also...
2023-04-0530 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 47: Gabe Trujillo: Becoming a NBC 12 News Digital Executive ProducerIn episode 47, we share a conversation with Gabe Trujillo, a longtime digital producer at 12 News, NBC-affiliate in Phoenix. Gabe became paralyzed at the age of 14 by a rare form of polio, induced by an extreme asthma attack. After finally getting a diagnosis years after his injury, Gabe settled into his new life as a quadriplegic (with arm movement; no hand or leg mobility), and he decided to put all his energy into his studies. Gabe chose journalism as his career path, and the rest as they say is history. Listen in as he shares the interesting odd jobs he...
2023-03-0732 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 46: Amy Wang-Hiller, Violinist on WheelsIn episode 46, we chatted with musical phenom Amy Wang-Hiller, the only professional violinist in the US who uses a wheelchair full-time. She is new to using a wheelchair due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that affects the collagen in the body and can cause spinal cord injuries. Originally from Shanghai, China, Wang-Hiller moved to the US to pursue her musical studies and now holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts, is a violin teacher and she's a regular orchestra violinist. And after meeting her husband upon moving to the US, Wang-Hiller is also married and lives in Denton, Texas.
2023-01-0632 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 45: Casey Moore of the Oregon Spinal Cord Injury ConnectionA quadriplegic, husband, father and community health worker, Casey Moore from Medford, Oregon shares his story. Paralyzed in 2000 in a diving accident, he was unsure of what life held for him, but he did his best to focus on the positive and pushed ahead, going on to marry the love of his life, having a son without the need of IVF and then finding a purposeful career - helping others with spinal cord injuries by becoming a community health worker. He also shares the awesome activities available at the Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection for those with paralysis living...
2022-11-2232 min
Spinal CastMaking Life Happen: Part 2 - Tiffiny CarlsonWe are excited to present Part 2 of our conversation with the joyful and enthusiastic, Tiffiny Carlson!Tiffiny Carlson is a C6 quadriplegic from Minnesota. She was injured in a diving accident in 1993 at 14 years old. Helping others with spinal cord injuries has been her passion since her accident. She began mentoring other women with SCI in 1996 while in high school, then became a disability writer while attending Augsburg College, graduating with her BA in 2001. She worked as the "SCI Life" columnist for New Mobility magazine from 2003 – 2017 after graduation.Tiffiny's work has been featured in dozens of...
2022-10-2423 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Disability Employment Series 2022 - Candis Welch, DEI Practioner, Disability Advocate & SpeakerIn our second disability employment success story for National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2022, meet Candis Welch. A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she began her career as an Executive Assistant with Issa Rae Productions after graduating with a degree in Journalism. She then pivoted to the public sector, eventually becoming a Procurement Analyst for the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) and now works in her current position as LAHSA's internal DEI Coordinator.
— Visit Candis' site
— Follow Candis on IG
2022-10-1428 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Disability Employment Series 2022 - Brandon WinfieldOctober is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and this year we will be highlighting a variety of disability employment success stories. Brandon Winfield, founder of the accessibility review app iAccessLife, is first up in our series. Paralyzed at the age of 14 in a motocross accident, he went on to become a self taught QA analyst and an app creator. His app, iAccessLife, lets people review the accessibility of any establishment they visit and is used in 35 countries.
— Follow Brandon on IG
2022-10-0722 minSpinal CastMaking Life Happen: Part 1 - Tiffiny CarlsonIn today’s episode we are joined by the incredibly talented and enthusiastic Tiffiny Carlson!Tiffiny Carlson is a C6 quadriplegic from Minnesota. She was injured in a diving accident in 1993 at 14 years old. Helping others with spinal cord injuries has been her passion since her accident. She began mentoring other women with SCI in 1996 while in high school, then became a disability writer while attending Augsburg College, graduating with her BA in 2001. She worked as the "SCI Life" columnist for New Mobility magazine from 2003 – 2017 after graduation.Tiffiny's work has been featured in dozens of publ...
2022-09-2620 min
Learning from Smart People58 Creating a Blog and Leveraging Your Online Writing Skills with Tiffiny CarlsonTiffiny Carlson is my guest on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast. We spoke about creating a blog and leveraging your online writing skills for credibility, education and money. As you will hear in the show, Tiffiny and I became quadriplegics within five days of each other in 1993.
Here are some key points to listen for:
Tiffiny's story of how she came to understand herself after her spinal cord injury
Her first connection with other people with spinal cord injuries (through AOL!)
How she was blogging before there was even a word for...
2022-09-2232 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 44: Wheelchair Zumba Instructor Tennille HoustonIs Zumba a good workout for wheelchair-users? In this episode, we speak with wheelchair Zumba instructor Tennille Houston from Idaho who fills us in on why Zumba is a great workout for those who can't walk. Also married with two teenagers, she became a wheelchair-user over 14 years ago due to pregnancy complications and went on to become a Zumba certified instructor after her injury.
Tennille shares her wheelchair Zumba classes on various platforms. She teaches online classes 3 times a week via Zumba's official site and she has over 150 Zumba workouts for wheelchair-users available on her Youtube channel. S...
2022-09-1332 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 43: Self-Improvement Hour with Tim TaylorTim Taylor, a C5 quadriplegic from Pennsylvania, has experienced a lot since his injury nearly 20 years ago, and he has a lot to share in this episode. We talk with him about his car accident that resulted in the death of two individuals, how he made it through the depression that followed afterwards and how he ultimately found his calling since he was no longer able to pursue his previous career.
From making money on his YouTube channel to flipping vintage items he finds at thrift restores and reselling them on eBay, he has used his business...
2022-07-2032 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 42: Quadriplegic Camper Jason Thurston Spreads the Word on John Dillon Park, a Fully Inclusive CampgroundWe're excited to have Jason Thurston, a C5-6 quadriplegic, back on the show. A wheelchair camping expert who camped alone 4 times last year, he's now the Outreach Coordinator for International Paper John Dillon Park, a free and fully inclusive campground located in New York state in the Adirondack mountains. Injured in 2004 in a diving accident, this former chef had to pivot his professional life and ended up rediscovering his love of the outdoors, something that was important to him as a young man.
In this episode, Jason shares the multiple accessible amenities that are available at...
2022-06-0344 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 41: Bianca Faith Johnson - Lawyer, Professor, Preacher & Ms. Wheelchair NY 2022If you're looking for a dose of motivation, this is the podcast episode for you. Injured 5 years ago in a motorcycle accident, Bianca Faith Johnson went on to receive her law degree and is now an assistant college professor as well as an assistant preacher at her church, St. Albans.
To top it off, she's also the newly crowned Ms. Wheelchair New York 2022. Only paralyzed 5 years, how has Bianca been able to find the strength to be so badass? She shares her thoughts on this topic and much more in this latest episode of L...
2022-05-0226 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 40: Wage Disparities & The Great Caregiver ShortageIf you get paid more to pour a cup of coffee at McDonald's than be a caregiver, the system is surely unjust. Kevin Orr, a complete C4-5 quadriplegic from Mississippi and former police officer injured in 2009, has experienced a severe absence of caregivers since the pandemic began (with his mother becoming his full-time caregiver as a result). Tiffiny and Kevin discuss possible solutions to his dilemma, and the greater issue at hand. They also discuss his passion of mouth painting, and how painting objects with drip paint finally got him the attention of buyers. Run-time is 47 minutes.
2022-02-2447 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 39: Cooking from a WheelchairIn the first episode of 2022, we chat with Natalie Cinman, a passionate home cook and wheelchair-user from Montreal, Quebec. She may not be paralyzed, but she has dozens of amazing tips to share on cooking in a wheelchair. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, she lives in her forever home with her dream accessible kitchen, along with her husband and fur babies.
Natalie started her growing cooking channel during Covid, and on our show she shares her best tips for cooking in an inaccessible kitchen, easy meals for those just starting to cook, gadgets she swears b...
2022-01-0533 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 38: Peter Yeo's Mobility-Enhancing SurgeriesPeter Yeo, a C4 incomplete quadriplegic from British Columbia, Canada, shares the two surgeries that helped him regain movement after his spinal cord injury, including a groundbreaking therapy to treat spasms after maxxing the daily maximum of Baclofen. He was also the first to receive this treatment. And although he still has limited upper-body mobility, the surgeries were able to restore some function he did not have before. Peter also shares the therapy he is doing at Neuromotion Rehabilitation on a weekly basis. Run-time is 25 minutes.
If you have any questions about his surgeries, or if would...
2021-11-0125 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 37: Newly Injured Melissa Childers Shines a Light on Spinal StrokesNot being able to move just one of her legs is how Melissa Childers, an avid marathon runner and mountain climber, woke up one January morning in 2021. By the day was up, she would be no longer able to move her legs. Diagnosed with a spinal stroke (which can happen to anyone at any time), Melissa has had to figure out life after paralysis this year. She joins Tiffiny to discuss rehab during a pandemic, neuropathic pain and how she's coping, and she also discusses her first trip post-injury to Colorado wand the amazingness of trying an adaptive mountain...
2021-09-2122 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 36: Wheelchair Weight Loss, Finding Love and More with Beth BeckleyBeth Beckley is not your average married lady living life in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs with her spoiled fur babies (although her dogs are insanely cute). Injured 13 years ago when she was 21, Beth, now a T4 paraplegic, has an appreciative perspective on life. She shares her injury story, how recently lost 40 pounds and how she's forging ahead with a new healthy lifestyle.
Beth also shares how she lost the weight with help from the Shepherd Center, one of the best SCI rehab centers in the US. Married for 10 years, she also talks about how she met her h...
2021-08-1225 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonLife After Paralysis Episode 35: Former MMA Fighter Ulysses MartinIn Episode 35, we are joined by Ulysses Martin, a 45 year old C3-5 quadriplegic, father and quadriplegic from Florida. A former amateur MMA fighter, minor league football player and actor, Martin was injured in 2018 when he was hit by a SUV while on his motorcycle. He is now striving to walk again and is determined to return to physical therapy to pursue activity-based therapy at Stay In Step in Tampa..
Activity-based therapy is a form of physical therapy where people continue to go for months, even years after their injury and continue to see return through exercises...
2021-07-0930 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 34: Adaptive Surfer Ernie JohnsonIn Episode 34, Ernie Johnson, paralyzed as a C4-5 incomplete quadriplegic while playing high school football over 24 years ago, shares his life in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, including his passion for adaptive surfing. Surfing on his belly, he has won a number of adaptive surfing events. From being a wheelchair bodybuilder to a high school basketball coach, Ernie hasn't held back. He's become an advocate for the South Carolina spinal cord injury community as well. Listen to our 27 minute conversation with Ernie below.
- Follow Ernie on Instagram at @bigern34
- Adaptive Surf Project in...
2021-05-2027 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 33: 40 Years Paralyzed - Ron Trozzi and His Green Thumb Life in ArizonaIn Episode 33, Ron Trozzi, a C5-6 quadriplegic injured over 43 years ago at 20 years old as an officer in the Coast Guard, shares his spinal cord injury story. A Long Island native, he decided to hightail it to Tucson, Arizona 2 years after his injury so he would no longer be known as the 'wheelchair guy' in the neighborhood where he grew up. He also talks about his love of accessible gardening on his 1 acre hobby farm, including growing organic tomatoes, purple Basil, and much more.
Forty years later, he's still enjoying his life on his 1 acre farm...
2021-04-2331 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 32: Leah B. Rose - Quadriplegic Empowerment Coach from VancouverIn Episode 32, Tiffiny chats with the very cool Leah B. Rose from Vancouver, British Columbia. After her injury, Leah, a C5-6 complete quadriplegic, discovered a love of empowerment coaching for youth and mothers. She felt the need to help others because of what she learned after her injury (and she also became the owner of two Sphynx/hairless cats). Also giving a shout out to the amazing Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization that helps people with SCI in Canada and worldwide, Leah shares her life with us, including her harrowing injury story. Runtime is 32 minutes.
2021-03-1832 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 31: Scott Fedor & 5 Absolute Life Truths He's Learned Since Breaking His NeckIn our interview with Scott W. Fedor, a C3 quadriplegic from Ohio, he shares the 5 most important life truths he's learned since breaking his neck in a diving accident 12 years ago. A non-sugar coater, Scott speaks from the soul, sharing awesome tips on how to deal with some of life's biggest blows.
For more on Scott, including where to purchase his book, see the following links:
- Scott's book: Head Strong: How a Broken Neck Strengthened My Spirit (available on Amazon)
- Scott's nonprofit: Getting Back Up (h...
2021-02-1238 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 30: Balancing Optimism vs Reality with Author and Quadriplegic Ryan S. AtkinsIn our first episode of 2021, we speak with Ryan S. Atkins, a C3-4 quadriplegic from Cincinnati, Ohio (and Bengals fan) who was paralyzed in a car accident in 2009. He has mastered the art of focusing on the here and now and how to balance the reality of being paralyzed and staying positive even he never walks again. Ryan has also published a book called One Step Closer where he shares this much-needed advice with the world.
During the show, Ryan also shares his memorable love story with his wife. They met when they w...
2021-01-1127 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEp 29: Working After a Spinal Cord Injury Pt. IIIn Episode 29, Pt. II of Working After a Spinal Cord Injury, we chat with Alex, a C4 quadriplegic from Miami injured in 2018, who still works as a real estate agent, and then we speak with Kenneth, a C5 quadriplegic from Colorado. Kenneth was a Walmart store manager for several years and now works for Colorado Cross Disability Coalition - ccdconline.org.
2020-10-2938 min
Learning from Smart People58 Creating a Blog and Leveraging Your Online Writing Skills with Tiffiny CarlsonTiffiny Carlson is my guest on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast. We spoke about creating a blog and leveraging your online writing skills for credibility, education and money. As you will hear in the show, Tiffiny and I became quadriplegics within five days of each other in 1993.
Here are some key points to listen for:
Tiffiny's story of how she came to understand herself after her spinal cord injury
Her first connection with other people with spinal cord injuries (through AOL!)
How she was blogging before there was even a word for...
2020-10-2932 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEp 29: Working After a Spinal Cord Injury Pt. IIn Episode 29 and for October Disability Employment Awareness Month, we chat with César, a C4 quadriplegic from Tijuana, Mexico, who has his own online business, and we speak with Derek, a C5-6 quadriplegic from Mississippi, who has worked as a financial advisor and many other jobs during his 29 years post-injury.
- Check out César's store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/yannichingaz/shop?asc=u
- Check out César's article on becoming independent for Audacity Magazine: https://www.audacitymagazine.com/independently-dependent/
2020-10-2943 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 28: Accessible Travel During COVID-19In Episode 28 of Life After Paralysis, we interview two paraplegics who've traveled during the COVID-19 pandemic, both traveling to the state of Florida. We first speak with Dick, a 60 something paraplegic injured for over 40 years, who shares his favorite airline right now and his travels in Tampa. Our second guest is Corey, a paraplegic and a seating specialist who is still traveling on the road during the pandemic. He shares his travel advice for road trips, as well an adaptive SCUBA trip he went on with his son. Show run time is 45 minutes.
2020-09-1145 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 8: Keith Smith & His Epidural Stimulator JourneyThe spinal cord injury world has been eagerly awaiting some kind of viable treatment, and epidural simulation is finally providing that hope. Case in point Keith Smith. A C4 complete quadriplegic from California, he was chosen to be part of Dr. Susan Harkema's epidural simulation trial at the University of Louisville. Besieged with dangerously low blood pressure, he was considered a viable candidate.
After living in Kentucky for one year after receiving the stimulator, he is now back at home and reports loads of physical improvements including stabilized blood pressure, better bladder and bowel control, the ability t...
2020-07-3122 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 27: My Neck Is Broken, But My Brain is Just FineIn Episode 27, we chat with three people who share their amusing and sometimes frustrating stories of discrimination after becoming disabled. In many cases people just don't understand that our brains aren't affected as well, which leads to some funny stories. We chat with Sean Dineen, a professor with spastic paraplegia, Ken Macdonald, a quadriplegic and former quad rugby player, and Antonia Sinibaldi, a vent-dependent quadriplegic, singer and author. Podcast run-time: 1 hr, 27 mins
- Listen/watch Antonia sing: https://www.antoniasinibaldi.com/
2020-07-081h 27
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 26: Quarantining with a Spinal Cord Injury Pt. IIIn Episode 26, we chat with two more people about quarantining and having a spinal cord injury. Our first guest is Noel Joyce, a paraplegic from Ireland, who is a industrial designer. He shares insight into the designs occurring as a result of COVID-19 and how they benefit people with disabilities. Our second guest is Misty Dawn Piker, a paraplegic and theater usher from Indiana. She too has been home since March and shares how she's been getting everything done while home alone, from getting her mail to her plans for celebrating her birthday later this week.
...
2020-06-0149 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 25: Quarantining with a Spinal Cord Injury Pt. 1In Episode 25 of Life After Paralysis, Tiffiny interviews two people with paralysis who have been quarantining at home since March. Her first guest is Eric Pfisterer, a 32 year old with spinal bifida who is working from home as a high school guidance counselor. He talks about how he and his wife have been staying busy and how he is being careful whenever he goes out. Tiffiny's next guest is Dan Martino, a retired lawyer who's been paralyzed for over 28 years due to a flu vaccine. On a ventilator for five years as well, he shares wisdom on how to...
2020-05-0553 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 24: Vent LifeEpisode 24: Vent Life
In episode 24, we talk to two people with quadriplegia who use a ventilator to breathe. We first speak with Drew Clayborn from Michigan. Injured in high school, he went on to attend the University of Michigan and is the founder of The Drew Crew Charitable Organization. Next, we speak with Loa Griesbach from Washington who's been injured 18 years. She too went on to college shortly after her injury and is an Ambassador for Ventec Life, a ventilator company.
- Follow Drew @drewclayborn
- Follow Loa @loagriesbach
2020-03-3155 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 23: Wheelchair Life HacksIn episode 23, we uncover wheelchair life hacks your therapists forgot to tell you about. From the wonders a simple cone can do to prevent parking abuse to a spatula set-up for a C1 quadriplegic that enables independent eating, Tiffiny chats with four guests who share their best tips that have the power to change lives. Guests in this episode are the following:
- James Collins: A paraplegic from Hawaii, he shares his cone trick to prevent parking abusers next to his car.
- Amir: A paraplegic from Las Vegas, he shares how much a simple...
2020-02-2249 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 22: Adaptive DrivingIn episode 22, four people with paralysis share their stories about driving post-injury. They share the adaptive driving programs they use, their fears about driving again, and the technology they use that enables them to drive. Tiffiny talks to Heather Wood, a mom with Guillain-Barré syndrome from Massachusetts, Mike Gerhard, a paraplegic who's been driving for over 20 years from Pennsylvania, Kenneth Folkman, a paraplegic who builds custom VW hand-controls from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Kimberly Ivory, a C7 quadriplegic who just got her license from Houston, Texas.
2020-01-301h 05
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 21: Overcoming Relationships Ending & Depression Post-Injury - A Chat with the Newly Injured BrandonIn episode 21 and the first episode of 2020, Tiffiny is joined by Brandon, a father of 4 who's been injured for only one year following a motorcycle accident and has already been through so much, including depression, a relationship ending and losing his job. He shares his story and how he's making it through this difficult time in his life. We want to give Brandon a HUGE thanks for his story. He reminds us all that human resiliency is one of the greatest traits of our species.
2019-12-3034 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 20: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Shawn DeanIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Shawn Dean, a lawyer and C6 quadriplegic who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He currently works for US Bank.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0515 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 19: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Garrison ReddIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Garrison Redd, a paraplegic from Brooklyn, NY, who worked FT for the IRS then decided to switch careers, becoming a wheelchair model and actor.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0516 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 18: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Brian DennyIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Brian Denny, a high-level quadriplegic who works full-time as an Outreach Coordinator at the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association. He is also married and has three children. Brian was injured in 2010 in an injury at work.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0417 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 17: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Cody BowmanIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Cody Bowman, a 32 year old with spina bifida from Florida, who's currently working PT in retail while attending college. She is studying for her Bachelors in Communication and was a contestant in Ms. Wheelchair Florida 2014.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0418 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 16: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Doug MaurerIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Doug Maurer, a paraplegic of over 40 years who has an amazing career in computer programming. Originally from Wisconsin, he lives in South Carolina with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0415 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 15: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Dick CrumbIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with with Dick Crumb, a paraplegic of over 45 years who is retired after working in the Agribusiness for several decades. He resides in Stillwater, Minnesota with his wife.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0417 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 14: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Steve LauxIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with with Steve Laux, a medical engineer at Medtronic and a C6 quadriplegic from Minnesota. He is married and has triplet daughters.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0416 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 13: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Joey CarlsonIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Joey Carlson, a former speed skater who works in Marketing Communications at Medtronic Corporation. He is a C5-6 quadriplegic from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0414 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 12: Campaign: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Shannon MinnickIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Shannon Minnick from Washington DC. She has been a C7 quadriplegic since 1990 and is the Director of Independent Living Services at Independence Now, Inc. She is also a mom and is Ms. Wheelchair Maryland 2010.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0416 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 11: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Bill FertigIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Bill Fertig, a longtime disability advocate from Virginia who is the Director of United Spinal’s Resource Center. Bill was injured in 1999 in an off-duty police office motorcycle accident.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0424 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 10: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - Kelly MorseIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about their careers post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with Kelly Morse who is an optometrist (eye doctor) from Pennsylvania. She is also a paraplegic and was injured while in college. Kelly knew since she was a little girl that she wanted to be an optometrist and hasn't let her injury put a damper on her career goals.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0416 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 9: SPINALpedia Disability Employment Success Stories - John MichaelsIn October, we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month, speaking to people with paralysis about finding a career post-injury. In this interview, we chatted with the hardworking John Michaels, a C6 quadriplegic since 1994, who has 3 jobs. He is also engaged and lives in Maryland.
To be matched with a FREE disability employment benefits counselor please fill out this three-minute survey: https://forms.gle/Nix93TjEaEZzjcDm7
2019-12-0425 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 8: Healthy Eating and Weight Loss After SCIIn episode #8, Tiffiny talks with two men with quadriplegia who've changed their diets to get healthy and lose weight after becoming paralyzed. She is joined by Brian Kasper from Minnesota who eats clean/Vegan and shares tips on using food to strengthen the body after paralysis. And she is joined by Damon Keoki Piikalama Boiser, a quadriplegic from Hawaii, who recently lost 40+ lbs by changing his diet, ie, cutting out rice and more. They also discuss how mental health/being Bi-Polar can affect your weight. Enjoy!
2019-11-291h 11
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 7: Online Dating with a Spinal Cord InjuryIn Episode #7 of Life After Paralysis, Tiffiny Carlson interviews two quadriplegics about the travails of online dating after their injuries. She interviews Rob Cella from Thunder Bay, Ontario and Brook McCall from Portland, Oregon.
To learn more about SPINALpedia.com, visit: https://spinalpedia.com/about
To learn more about Tiffiny visit: https://beautyability.com/about-3/
2019-10-281h 08
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 6: Service Dogs for QuadriplegicsService dogs make the lives of thousands of people with spinal cord injuries safer, happier and healthier everyday. The joy a service animal can bring to your life is priceless, but for quadriplegics, even moreso. The amazing tasks and companionship they provide cannot be beat. In Episode 6, Tiffiny has on three guests, all with quadriplegia, who share their lives with their service dogs. Show run-time is 1 hour, 21 minutes. Guests descriptions and time stamps can be found below.
Guest #1) Erin Thompson (1:45 mins): A new college graduate from Minnesota, Erin is a C5-6 quadriplegic and her service dog...
2019-09-281h 21
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 5: Moving On After a Spinal Cord InjurySpinal cord injuries are considered one of the worst things that can happen to people, or so they say. What did you do when you found yourself with a spinal cord injury? How did you move on? This is something many of us are asked by family and friends, even strangers. In episode five, Tiffiny interviews four people with spinal cord injuries about their injury story and how they were able to move on. Each person has unique advice that is worth a listen. The show run-time is 1 hour, 39 mins and the guests are as follows (time stamps are i...
2019-08-271h 38
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 4: Buying a Home After a Spinal Cord InjuryHow do you find a home that's accessible or can easily be made accessible? Are their special home buying grants available? What about making your home accessible after the purchase? Tiffiny is joined by 4 guests for an epic 1.5 hour show on everything SCI & home buying. To listen to the guest you're most interested in, guest descriptions and timestamps for when they appear in the show are as follows. Guest #1) Brian Zadorozny, C6 quad who purchased a home near Seattle. Timestamp 1:36mins. Guest #2) Tammy Pruey, a paraplegic, owns a double-wide trailer in rural PA. Timestamp 34mins. Guest #3) Jeff Meixell, a...
2019-07-231h 36
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 3: Adaptive CampingCamping in a wheelchair can be some adventurous stuff. What tents do people use? How and where do you sleep? Tiffiny chats with three avid campers with spinal cord injuries - Jason Thurston, Ty Hockett and Greg Niedzielski - to get the dirt, and they share adaptive camping hacks as well as some funny camping stories along the way. Run-time is 43 minutes.
2019-06-2043 min
Quad PodcastTwo Quads Who Podcast Talk About Quad Podcasting: Tiffiny Carlson joins Bob for a quad talkTwo Quads Who Podcast Talk About Quad Podcasting: Tiffiny Carlson joins Bob for a quad talk by Quad Podcast
2019-06-0948 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 2: A Roundtable Discussion on AbleismA roundtable discussion on the topic of ableism, with three people with disabilities.
2019-04-3055 min
Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny CarlsonEpisode 1: Current State of Spinal Cord Injury Research w/ Dr. Lyn Jakeman and Rob WudlickThis episode is about spinal cord injury research, with the two guests being a research doctor and a quadriplegic,
2019-03-1931 min
Local & Regional Politics & Election Coverage ArchivesPerspectives: Oregon House District 32 CandidatesHost Lisa Smith talks with candidates for the Oregon House of Representitives District 32 Legislative race. In order of appearance: Tiffiny Mitchell, Brian Halverson, Vineeta Lower, Randell Carlson.
2018-10-0929 min
U2FP CureCastInterview with Tiffiny Carlson (Episode 24)Matthew and Kate talk with Tiffiny, who has been writing and blogging about spinal cord injury for many years, and has just launched a new podcast (True Wheelchair Life: SCI Life Uncovered). The conversation centers around how she developed her career as a writer and advocate, her new podcast, and how she views changes within the SCI community as it relates to the Cure Movement.
You can find Tiffiny lots of places on the web, including her blog, Beauty Ability, the knowledge-base site Spinalpedia, along with her podcast - True Wheelchair Life: SCI Life Uncovered. As always, please drop us...
2018-06-0949 min
SCI BootcampTiffany Carlson - Writer and BloggerNoted writer and blogger Tiffiny Carlson joins the Boot Camp this week to discuss her injury and how it has led her to become a voice for women with disabilities. This is a great interview with a very powerful and confident woman.
2012-10-011h 01