The Blind Chick

In this powerful and emotional episode of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses welcome Zach Tidwell, a blind Marine Corps veteran, suicide survivor, and resilience advocate whose story will leave you speechless—and ultimately inspired. Zach opens up about his time in the military, the deep emotional wounds following betrayal and traumatic brain injury, and the dark spiral into alcoholism and isolation that followed. At his lowest point, Zach attempted to take his own life and survived a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His recovery, however, would become a testimony not only to medical miracles but to the power of community, perseverance, and purpose. This is part one of a two-part episode. While today's conversation dives into the pain and trauma Zach endured, next week’s episode will celebrate the transformation—highlighting how Zach rebuilt his life, embraced his blindness, launched a podcast (Going In Blind), and became a voice of hope for others battling mental health challenges. ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of depression, suicide, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised. ⏱️ Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Intro: Blindness is an adventure 00:27 – Summer vibes, camping, and introducing Zach Tidwell 02:46 – A “Hollywood” journey: the setup before the turnaround 05:12 – Military legacy and why Zach joined the Marine Corps 07:26 – Deployment betrayal: The Jody story and its aftermath 09:53 – Motorcycle accident and traumatic brain injury 12:07 – Downward spiral: alcohol, depression, and impulse 14:26 – Functioning alcoholic with hidden pain 16:39 – Faking wellness: snowboarding, dirt bikes, and silence 19:00 – The Marine mindset: Suffer in silence 21:23 – March 27: Holding a gun to his head 23:49 – Family fallout and silence during visits 26:32 – March 31: The suicide attempt 28:52 – Jonathan’s close and preview for part two

In this powerful conclusion to our three-part series with Dr. Charles Powell, we dive into his inspiring story of perseverance, professionalism, and pride. Charles shares a transformative moment in his career—an interview that turned into a life-changing opportunity with one of the largest oil and gas companies in the country. With authenticity and passion, he breaks down the stereotypes placed on the blind community—both from the outside world and within. We talk about technology, independence, appearance, work ethic, and the need to raise the bar—not just for others to see what’s possible, but so our own community stops selling itself short. Dr. Powell also opens up about the influence of his blind grandfather, who ran a working farm with grit and dignity long before there was assistive technology. This episode is a rally cry to challenge assumptions, claim our value, and celebrate the unsung mentors whose stories shaped us long before hashtags or headlines. Key Topics Covered: How Dr. Powell landed a role with a billion-dollar company Challenging and embracing stereotypes in the blind community Personal pride, grooming, and presentation as advocacy Honoring the legacy of blind family members who paved the way The role of representation in media and mentorship The growing movement of disability pride and leadership Why we must let go of control and allow purpose to grow organically Quotable Moments: “I didn’t do all this to prove I was blind and could do it. I did it because I wanted to contribute to my family.” – Dr. Charles Powell “We need to break our own stereotypes before we expect the world to.” – Dr. Charles Powell “You don't need a big start. Just start. The movement is already growing.” – Penn Street Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Welcome and Introduction to Part 3 with Dr. Charles Powell 01:08 – Charles Returns to Finish His Story: The Job Interview That Changed Everything 03:40 – Showcasing Assistive Tech in the Interview 05:15 – The Surprise CEO Reveal and Job Offer 06:55 – Working for a Billion-Dollar Company 08:20 – Breaking Stereotypes from the Inside 10:30 – Blind Pride: Dressing, Grooming, and Showing Up 12:05 – Public Perception vs. Blind Capability 13:40 – Changing the Narrative Within the Blind Community 15:05 – Penn Reflects on Representation and Role Models 16:30 – Building a Movement: Connection, Advocacy, and Collaboration 18:25 – Celebrate the Wins and Keep the Fire Burning 20:00 – Charles on Legacy: Honoring His Blind Grandfather 23:00 – The Real Motivation: Family, Not Fame 25:10 – Penn on Learning from Her Mom’s Low Vision Journey 26:30 – Closing Remarks and Call to Action 28:00 – Gratitude for the Audience and Aftersight Team 28:45 – Final Encouragement: Be Kind to Yourself and Others Final Words from Penn: “To all our listeners: thank you for making The Blind Chick a top-ranked show. Your ratings, your shares, your belief in what we’re doing—it’s everything. This week, be kind to yourself. Be kind to someone else. It’s good for your soul.” Connect with Dr. Charles Powell: You can find Dr. Powell and his organization, Divine Visions, online to learn more about his advocacy, consulting, and business support services. Stay in Touch: Follow The Blind Chick on your favorite podcast platform, leave a five-star review, and join us next week for another empowering conversation. Produced by: Jonathan Price at Aftersight | jonathan@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856

In this inspiring second part of our conversation with Dr. Charles Powell, we dive deeper into his story of perseverance, grit, and triumph over systemic barriers. From taking the ADA bus to business college to washing dishes at Chick-fil-A while earning his third master’s degree, Dr. Powell shows us what it really means to defy expectations. When the world wouldn't hire him, he founded Divine Visions, a legal consulting business rooted in justice, faith, and service. Dr. Powell unpacks the stigma blind individuals face in employment and challenges the notion of being "overqualified." He also shares the heartwarming story behind the name Divine Visions and how it reflects both his spiritual purpose and his unwavering clarity of vision. This episode is packed with real talk, legal advocacy, a splash of apple pie, and a whole lot of hope. Contact Us: 📧 feedback@aftersight.org 📞 (720) 712-8856 💬 Send us your questions or comments for Penn, Moses, or any of our Aftersight hosts! Follow & Rate: ✅ Don’t forget to hit the five-star rating and subscribe! 📱 Join us on Facebook: The Blind Chick Chapter Markers 00:00 – Welcome Back & Shoutout to Penn and Moses 01:05 – Charles Shares How He Enrolled in Paralegal School 02:45 – Learning Together: A Blind Student Meets Unsure Professors 04:48 – From 4.0 GPA to a Bachelor's and Beyond 06:50 – Applying for Jobs While Studying—Even as a Dishwasher 09:10 – The Chick-fil-A Hustle and Dishwasher Excellence 11:30 – Launching Divine Visions: When the System Says No 13:55 – Meaning Behind the Name ‘Divine Visions’ 16:30 – Justice, Poverty, and a Slice of Apple Pie 18:55 – Consulting for the Same Offices That Rejected Him 21:00 – Overqualified? Or Just Threatening to the System? 23:20 – Why Blind Workers Make the Best Employees 25:45 – From Chick-fil-A to Corporate Oil and Gas: The Hook for Part 3

In this raw and riveting episode of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses welcome the unforgettable Dr. Charles Powell—a blind legal consultant, business owner, and fierce advocate for accessibility and policy reform. Dr. Powell shares his powerful journey from sudden vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa to battling alcoholism, identity loss, and depression—and ultimately rising with the help of his fiancée, his daughter, and a newfound community. With candor and humor, he takes listeners through the darkest day of his life and the transformation that followed. This is the real story—what most people don’t hear after the success. Dr. Powell reminds us all that being “blind” doesn’t mean being broken. 🔹 Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick 00:27 – Meet Dr. Charles Powell: “Blind, But Not Broken” 01:45 – The Day Everything Changed 05:13 – Depression, Alcohol, and Losing Identity 07:37 – A Daughter’s Words That Changed Everything 10:02 – First Steps: Community, Technology & iPhone Discovery 12:25 – Learning to Walk Proud with the White Cane 17:12 – From Pity Party to Progress 21:54 – Choosing Family Over Systems 24:11 – Becoming a Paralegal (And Owning the Room) 25:33 – Outro & What’s Next in Part 2 📲 Stay Connected: Have a question or comment for Penn and Moses? 📧 Email: feedback@aftersight.org 📞 Call: (720) 712-8856 🌐 Visit: Aftersight.org

In this exciting follow-up to Part 1, The Blind Chick brings together the voices behind Aftersight’s most beloved shows: Kim Wardlow (Navigating Life with Vision Loss), Bill Lundgren (Blindsight), Evan Starnes (Blind Level Tech), and Marty Sobo (Code Orange), hosted by Penn and Moses Street. This roundtable-style episode dives deep into the heart of each show, exploring their missions, major topics, most memorable moments, and where they’re heading in the future. Plus, we celebrate a major milestone—Jonathan Price’s three-year anniversary and his role in elevating Aftersight podcasts to a global stage. Join us as we laugh, reflect, and look forward to what’s next. Whether you're tuning in for practical tips, powerful stories, mental health support, or emergency preparedness, this episode is a love letter to our listeners—and to the incredible community we’ve built together. 📌 Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Intro: Blindness as adventure 00:28 – Welcome back: Hosts Unleashed Pt. 2 01:15 – Navigating Life with Vision Loss: Kim’s vision and show overview 05:10 – Blind Level Tech: Evan’s mission, humor, and future goals 09:58 – The story behind BLT Bytes and the Sandwich of the Week 12:25 – Blindsight: Bill on mental health and normalizing therapy 17:05 – Perfectionism, hope, and emotional awareness 18:55 – Code Orange: Marty on preparedness and practical survival tips 21:20 – Thanking Jonathan Price and celebrating 500+ episodes 23:45 – The global growth and future of Aftersight podcasts 25:45 – Closing gratitude and encouragement 📞 Contact Us: Have guest suggestions, feedback, or want to get involved? 📧 feedback@aftersight.org 📞 (720) 712-8856

In this special crossover edition of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses bring together the entire AfterSight podcast family for the very first time. This lively, heartfelt roundtable introduces each host—Kim Wardlow (Navigating Life with Vision Loss), Evan Starnes (Blind Level Tech), Bill Lundgren (Blindsight), and Marty Sobo (Code Orange)—as they share how their shows began, what fuels their passion, and what listeners can expect next. With laughs, stories, and a few technical hiccups, the crew unites around a shared mission: empowering the blind and low vision community through storytelling, education, and advocacy. Whether you’re a techie, a mental health advocate, or simply curious about navigating life with blindness, there’s something in this episode for everyone. Chapter Markers 00:00 – Welcome to the Blind Chick 01:00 – Introducing the dream episode: All the AfterSight hosts 02:47 – Meet Kim Wardlow & Navigating Life with Vision Loss 05:20 – Kim’s journey from volunteer reader to podcast host 09:41 – Exploring the seasonal approach to NLVL 10:40 – Meet Evan Starnes & Blind Level Tech 12:00 – From tech nerd to intern to podcast creator 14:19 – Tech for everyone: BLT’s mission 15:10 – Jonathan’s podcast “prison” joke 16:08 – Meet Bill Lundgren & Blindsight 18:28 – From no podcast knowledge to host of a vital mental health show 20:50 – Meet Marty Sobo & Code Orange 23:07 – The birth of Code Orange through lived disaster experience 24:30 – What’s next for AfterSight’s podcast lineup Contact Information Website: www.aftersight.org Phone: (720) 712-8856 Email: feedback@aftersight.org

In this episode of The Blind Chick, hosts Penn and Moses sit down with therapist and avid hunter Darren Zenger for a powerful, raw, and deeply insightful conversation. Darren shares his journey of vision and hearing loss, recovery through the 12-step program, and how he rediscovered his love for the outdoors and hunting using adaptive tech and strong community support. The conversation dives into trauma, addiction, neuroplasticity, and the importance of family systems in healing. Darren's story reveals how blindness and deafness don’t limit one's identity—they demand innovation, patience, and community. Plus, you won’t want to miss the story of how Darren bagged a deer at over 500 yards using adaptive hunting gear. ⏱️ Chapter Markers 00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick 00:28 – Meet Darren Zenger: Therapist, hunter, and mental health advocate 01:45 – The link between trauma and addiction 02:50 – Vision loss and its role in addiction risk 04:10 – Medications and treatments for curbing addiction 05:15 – The importance of mental health in recovery 06:00 – Brain spotting, neuroplasticity, and healing the unseen 09:45 – The blind brain: how sensory loss rewires neural activity 11:20 – Family systems and community in recovery 12:15 – The opposite of addiction is connection 13:30 – Everyday trauma in the blind community 14:10 – Can blind people hunt? (Short answer: YES!) 16:00 – Adaptive hunting: crossbows, scopes, and 5-inch monitors 18:50 – Taking the shot: a 525-yard success 21:15 – Hunting as healing and connection 23:40 – Final thoughts: resilience, community, and not letting blindness define you 25:35 – Closing remarks: Be kind to yourself—and someone else 📞 Contact Info Website: aftersight.org Email: feedback@aftersight.org Phone: (720) 712-8856

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of The Blind Chick, hosts Penn and Moses Street sit down with Darran Zenger, a licensed clinical social worker at Cirque Lodge in Utah. Darran shares his personal journey with Usher Syndrome, his experience with cochlear implants, and how his own life challenges led him to become a trauma-informed addiction counselor. He introduces us to brainspotting, a groundbreaking therapeutic approach rooted in EMDR, and explains how it helps clients unlock stored trauma in the nervous system. This episode is a deep dive into resilience, recovery, and redefining life after trauma. ⏱️ Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick 00:28 – Meet the hosts + Moses’s “muse” confession 01:30 – Intro to guest Darran Zenger 02:36 – Darran’s background and where he’s from 05:01 – Living with Usher Syndrome and hearing loss 07:20 – Public school with accessibility support 09:19 – Becoming a stay-at-home dad & finding his calling 10:37 – Fear, faith & the journey to cochlear implant 12:44 – Music, retraining the brain & the power of sound 15:10 – Adjusting to dual cochlear implants 17:38 – Discovering social work & substance use counseling 20:00 – Working at the Moran Eye Center 22:02 – Brainspotting: What it is and how it works 24:27 – Real stories of healing through brainspotting 27:00 – The miracle moments of trauma therapy 29:00 – Closing thoughts & feedback invitation 📞 Contact Info: Email us: feedback@aftersight.org Call us: (720) 712-8856 Website: aftersight.org

In Part Two of this powerful and heartfelt interview, The Blind Chick welcomes back Canadian disability advocate and podcaster Steven Vine, host of Disability Diaries. This episode dives deeper into Steven’s journey navigating life with blindness, a prosthetic leg, chronic pain, and a passion for podcasting. Steven shares how self-teaching and mentorship helped him master his smartphone, the critical role that asking for help has played in his life, and why he transitioned from being an individual in need of advocacy to becoming an advocate himself. He offers a glimpse into the Canadian disability landscape and challenges both able-bodied individuals and the disability community to stop underestimating what is possible. Steven’s words—“If you can do it, do it”—echo throughout this episode as a rallying cry to push past limitations and find purpose through adversity. His humor, sincerity, and resilience shine as he talks podcasting, politics, and the power of community. Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Opening and Welcome Back to Steven Vine 00:42 – Learning Technology as a Blind Person 02:20 – The Power of Asking for Help 03:15 – Living with Chronic Pain and Wheelchair Use 04:37 – Positivity, Potential, and the Birth of His Podcast 06:58 – Becoming a Podcaster: Purpose and Passion 09:18 – Building a Show that Advocates and Educates 11:31 – Featuring Diverse Guests from Politicians to Artists 13:53 – The Shift from Needing an Advocate to Being One 16:16 – Empowering the Disability Community from Within 18:30 – Where to Find Steven Vine and His Podcast 20:42 – Clarifying Canadian-American Relations and Booing at Hockey Games 22:46 – Focusing on What You Can Control 24:00 – Final Thoughts from Steven Vine 25:00 – Closing Remarks and Listener Call to Action Where to Find Steven Vine: Podcast: Disability Diaries with Steven Vine (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and more) Facebook: Disability Diaries with Steven Vine Email: sgv44isback@gmail.com

In this powerful episode of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses sit down with Canadian podcaster Stephen Vine, host of Disability Diaries. Known for his sharp wit and musical heart, Stephen shares the intimate, harrowing story of how ignoring warning signs, overworking, and a high-stress lifestyle led to a catastrophic health crisis that changed his life forever. After surviving a near-fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), Stephen lost his sight, his leg, and his colon—but not his sense of humor or determination. The conversation explores his fast-paced past as a restaurant owner serving celebrities like Mel Gibson, Linda Blair, and John Candy. Stephen walks us through the day his life changed and the emotional toll that followed. With vulnerability and hope, he shares how he moved from bitterness to purpose—learning to adapt, reconnect with joy, and begin his podcast, which has become a platform for elevating voices within the disability community. Listeners will gain insights into resilience, the power of listening, and how choosing to stop digging can help you climb out of life’s deepest holes. Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick 01:05 – Penn and Moses banter, Superman joke 02:18 – Guest intro: Stephen Vine of Disability Diaries 03:10 – Quote of the Day: “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens” – Jimi Hendrix 04:38 – Learning to listen after blindness 06:57 – Celebrity clientele from Stephen’s former career 08:45 – Workaholism, stress, and health warnings 11:40 – The day of the aneurysm: ignored signs and collapse 14:01 – Waking from the coma: adjusting to total blindness 16:24 – Drinking culture, grief, and changing relationships with alcohol 18:38 – Healing, rehab, and redefining identity 21:02 – Finding support through Kristin and taking back his life 23:18 – Empowerment, advocacy, and thriving through disability 25:00 – Closing remarks and teaser for Part 2