Anna Soens Returns to Talk About Skiing and Pursuit of the Paralympics

Geoff Krill is a self-described adventure athlete, competitor, innovator, and motivator. He is also a national team member of PSIA, the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Since acquiring a spinal cord injury in his 20s he has competed in downhill mountain biking and skiing races both nationally and internationally, and continues to push boundaries as a wheelchair user. He is passionate about the impact of outdoor recreation and has dedicated his life to teaching others how to ski both disabled and non-disabled and creating greater access to the outdoors for everyone. He lives an outdoors life with his wife and two kids in New Hampshire.Guest info:@geoffkrillAdditional Resources:https://nedisabledsports.org/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Anna Soens was the first guest on The Unexpected Journey. In episode one she shared the story of her pioneering para-mountaineering ascents of Mount Hood and Mount Baker in the Pacific Northwest. If you haven't listened yet, go check it out. In this conversation, the first in a short series of episodes on adaptive skiing, Anna returns to talk about her freeskiing career, her rapid rise as an adaptive downhill ski racer and her current pursuit of a spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Paralympics, and her major life updates in the past five years since she came on the podcast.Guest info:@timjobrownAdditional Resources:www.empowersci.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

For this episode, we decided to switch things up. Louis Arevalo, Unexpected Journey editor and sound designer, gets behind the mic to interview Tim Brown, Unexpected Journey founder and  host. We talk about Tim's Journey, the origins of the The Unexpected Journey, what goes into creating the podcast, connecting with listeners, and the future of the pod!!Guest info:@timjobrownAdditional Resources:www.empowersci.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Nate Bibaud was born in 1984 in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where he grew up skateboarding and playing goalie in hockey. After studying architecture, he moved to St. Croix to work in print and graphic design. In 2010, a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, with limited arm movement and no hand function. During rehab at MGH and Spaulding, he began drawing with the help of a recreational therapist. Over time, Nate gained enough shoulder strength to paint independently, experimenting with watercolor, acrylic, and oil. Since then, he has battled through paralysis, infections, a blood clot, and cancer—and now works full time as an artist. Not too bad for someone who once had no idea what to do with his life. Guest info:@natebibaudAdditional Resources:www.natebibaud.comwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Joel Brown is a paraplegic dancer, choreographer, and musician. He grew up in Salt Lake City in a large creative family and was paralyzed as a boy. Not one to slow down, he pursued many sports living an active life, and eventually found his way to dance.  His professional dance career took him to California, then London, and around the world. Now in his 30s and back in California working as a choreographer, Joel has extensive experience with dance, and is reflective about living and aging as a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury.Guest info:@joelbrowndancerAdditional Resources:https://axisdance.org/team-member/joel-brown/https://candoco.co.uk/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Alex Cano Gonzalez is a photographer, videographer, and artist living in Denver Colorado. He was paralyzed at a young age as a result of gun violence. He's currently rebuilding his life with a commitment to physical rehab and exercise, exploring adaptive sports, and hustling to grow his freelance career as an artist. In our conversation, I was struck by Alex's profound gratitude, inner peace, and level of maturity and wisdom at such a young age.   Alex is always looking to collaborate with other creators – rappers, artists, musicians. If you're interested in working with him or following his story, you can find him on Instagram @iamalexcanoGuest info:@iamalexcanoAdditional Resources:www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Neven Hart and his fiancé Amber Cogbill are rising stars on social media. They openly and vulnerably sharing their experience navigating life together following Neven's recently acquired spinal cord injury. Neven is an athlete and is getting into adaptive sports, but most importantly, he and Amber are educating hundreds of thousands of people through their social media following on the challenging, joyful, mundane, silly, and nuanced aspects of living with spinal cord injury, with a focus on relationships and intimacy. And they are doing so in a genuine and approachable way.   Quick note. This episode discusses physical intimacy with spinal cord injury for a heterosexual couple and how spinal cord injury affects the male anatomy in that regard. We will explore this from the perspective of the female anatomy in a later episode. Guest info:@neven.harthttps://www.youtube.com/@ambercogbill03Additional Resources:www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Jesi Stracham is an advocate, adaptive athlete, and founder of the Wheel With Me Foundation. She's also co-owner of Adapt Fit and the Freedom LKN facility. I first read about Jesi in New Mobility magazine when she was competing in Tough Mudder races and blazing a trail for adaptive athletes in that realm, I met her in person four years later. Jesi is passionate about taking ownership of your life and pursuing your dreams, and she leads by example. These days she focuses her time and energy on her businesses, her organization, her upcoming book release, and being the best possible partner and family member. Guest info:@jesistrachamjesistracham.comAdditional Resources:https://wheelwithmefoundation.org/https://www.freedomlkn.com/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

I briefly met Erin Field and Jack Benziger several years ago at Journey Forward, a spinal cord injury exercise rehab center outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Erin had recently been paralyzed in the summer before her senior year of college, just a few months after they started dating. I distinctly remember  seeing the affection and care they had for one another when they arrived for Erin’s exercise sessions. In the year since, I have followed their story on social media and watched from a distance as they have built a life together. They now live in Florida and are in the midst of some big milestones and exciting developments. To me, Erin and Jack embody putting love and care for your partner first in your relationship even and especially when tremendous obstacles arise in your path. Guest info:@erin.fieldd@thetenpercentappAdditional Resources:youtube.com/erinfieldfacebook.com/livefearlessly3www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Roy Tuscany is the Founder and CEO of the High Fives Foundation. On April 26, 2016 Roy overshot a ski jump and was paralyzed with a spinal cord injury.  Six years later, and a year and a half after I was paralyzed, Roy and I connected for the first time. I had read an article about High Fives in Powder, a ski magazine and was jolted by the energetic vibe of the organization - it felt like something different. One of my closest friends also met Roy at an industry event. He immediately  called me up and said you need to talk to this guy. In our first conversation, Roy told me about Tony Schmeising, a man who has been living as a quadriplegic for 40 years, and his expedition to Alaska to go Heli skiing. Roy then said, "you're next". I laughed nervously and said OK, while thinking to myself that it was a ridiculous suggestion. How was I going to do that with my recently acquired disability? Fast forward 12 years and High Fives has awarded me with grants for adaptive sports equipment, covered adaptive surf competition fees, and supported some of my earliest adaptive ski lessons with Vermont Adaptive. High Fives has also grown tremendously in that time and is now a leading organization in the catastrophic injury and disability community. At least half of our previous guests have received support from High Fives and and of course High Fives is the presenting sponsor of The Unexpected Journey. In this conversation, we skip over Roy's story of his ski accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, paralysis, and the founding of High Fives. A quick Google search will produce dozens of podcasts and articles on both of those topics. Instead, Roy and I explore healing, leadership, parenting, taking ownership of one’s life, and trauma, including sexual abuse.If you or someone you know has experience sexual abuse or you suspect they are, please know that you are not alone and that safe confidential support from a professional is immediately available at the national sexual assault telephone hotline 1-800–565–HOPE or 4673. You can also find resources on the website for the national sexual violence resource Center, www.nsvrc.orgGuest info:@roytuscany@hi5sfoundationAdditional Resources:National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800-656-4673 - www.rainn.org  National Sexual Violence Resource Center - www.nsvrc.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer