No Barriers

As President of The Prouty Project, Peter Bailey develops creative experience-based leadership development programs for companies and people to expand their life skills, belief systems, and communication processes. In his free time he roasts his own coffee beans, writes, sails, surfs, rock climbs, and enjoys time with his wife, kids, and two cats. Resources:Peter’s TEDx talk: “Developing The Heroic Journey Mindset”To learn more visit: www.proutyproject.com

Gerry Leary is the founder of the coffee shop, Unseen Bean in Boulder, CO. Gerry has been blind since he was born but his lack of vision does not stop him from roasting coffee. You don’t need sight to roast coffee, you need a heart, and Gerry has a huge one. Before coffee, Gerry was an auto mechanic for 40+ years. He loved working with his dad in their garage growing up and was told he couldn’t work on cars as a blind person - which only made him determined to do so. Gerry Leary's passion for coffee began in 1994 when visiting a San Francisco cafe. He heard what sounded like a rock tumbler and discovered it was a coffee roaster. He realized then that coffee didn’t have to be flat and bitter, as coffee roasting was a true art form. Gerry's visual impairment kept him from finding an apprenticeship in the coffee business. So he attended the San Francisco Coffee Training Institute and began a journey into the land of gourmet coffee roasting.Resources:Visit Gerry’s website to purchase coffee: https://www.theunseenbean.com/Check out his short film - a Vimeo Staff Pick - Roasting Coffee in the DarkListen to Gerry’s Filter Stories Episode here.

In 2017, Hadeel Ayoub founded BrightSign, a wearable technology start-up. BrightSign develops technology pieces that employ AI to facilitate communication for individuals who need it, such as people with hearing or speech disabilities or children with non-verbal autism.  Hadeel’s BrightSign Glove innovation has gained international recognition and has won global awards in Innovation and Artificial Intelligence. A special thanks to Arrow Electronics for sponsoring this episode as part of their series highlighting people pioneering inclusive technology. Resources:Twitter: @hadeelayoubSite: brightsignglove.comFrom Sign to Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qDUK1xOY8o

Nicole Kelly proudly identifies as a person living with a disability and spends much of her time advocating for it! Nicole stepped into the role of a public figure in 2013 when she won the title of Miss Iowa, making her one of very few to compete at Miss America with a physical disability.  Nicole is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast, Disarming Disability, which aims to break down the stigma surrounding disability by engaging disability experts in conversation. Nicole has proudly spoken at schools, universities, and corporations across the country about disability equity and inclusion.This episode is sponsored by Wells Fargo, CoBank, Prudential, Arrow Electronics, and Winnebago Industries Foundation.Resources:www.missnicolegkelly.comFollow Nicole on Facebook, Instagram  & TwitterSubscribe & watch Nicole's videos on Youtube 

Subhasis has spent about 20 years developing cutting-edge technology, 5 years of practicing therapy, and 10 years in clinical research with varying degrees of success and failure. His diverse background led him to invent and commercialize the world’s first fully wearable, connected brain plasticity training tool that trains brain and body in one system. SynPhNe is the outcome of his Ph.D. (Biomechatronics) study which he completed after recovering from a brain injury himself. He is passionate about neuroplasticity, movement analysis, learning mechanisms, and aging. He has been a yoga and martial arts practitioner for the past 40 years and is currently living in Singapore. He makes friends easily with those who love food, traveling, and adventure.This episode was made possible by the support of Arrow Electronics. Resources:Visit SynPhNe’s Website:  www.synphne.comAdditional reading: The Brain that Changes Itself  by Norman Doidge 

Ann Curry is an award-winning journalist and photojournalist. She is a former NBC News Network anchor and international correspondent and has reported on conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Darfur, Congo, the Central African Republic, Serbia, Lebanon, and Israel; on nuclear tensions from North Korea and Iran and on numerous humanitarian disasters, including the tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Japan, and the massive 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Her awards for journalism include 7 Emmys. She has also been given numerous humanitarian awards, including from Refugees International, Americares, and Save the Children.  One award she especially prizes is a Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, for her dedication to reporting about genocide.She has also reported and executive produced a documentary series about people caught in transformative world events entitled “We’ll Meet Again,” anchored and executive produced a live series about medical care in America entitled “Chasing the Cure,” and is a contributing writer for National Geographic Magazine and will be a Fellow at American University spring semester 2021, where she will be teaching seminars on Journalism, including about credibility, ethics, frontline reporting and interviewing. Resources:Ann’s TedTalk on Restoring JournalismMan's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Michael Brown has excelled as both an adventure athlete and as a filmmaker. He has been to the summit of Mount Everest five times, each time with cameras rolling. His work as a director and cinematographer spans all seven continents and has won many film festivals and industry awards, including three national Emmy Awards. Michael is also a recipient of the International Alliance For Mountain Film's 'Grand Prix' awards at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Explorers Festival’s Camera Extreme,' and the Giant Screen Cinema Association (IMAX) 'Outstanding Cinematography' Award. Michael's lens has captured ice caves for NOVA, tornadoes for Discovery, science at the South Pole for National Geographic, avalanches for the BBC, and mountain climbing for four giant screen IMAX movies. Michael has made a habit of going to the world's harshest, most dangerous environments and always comes back with incredible footage and compelling stories. Outside Magazine describes the cerebral filmmaker as a "swashbuckling librarian," and Men's Journal calls him "a master of gut-dropping action."Resources:Follow Michael and his work on FacebookCheck out Serac Films and Michael’s impressive filmographyAdventure Film School

Sam Morris is the founder of Zen Warrior Training®, an enlightened leadership and embodied wisdom coaching program. In 1999, Sam endured a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the waist down. This incident catalyzed a deep dive into somatic healing arts, depth psychology, wisdom traditions, and the innate intelligence of the body. Sam trains his clients in how to master the inner workings of the mind, body, and spirit and live from an enlightened state of presence in their businesses and in their personal lives.Thank you to our No Barriers Podcast sponsors: Wells Fargo, Prudential, CoBank, Winnebago Industries Foundation, and Arrow Electronics.Resources:Zen Warrior Training WebsiteWatch Sam Morris speak at the 2020 No Barriers SummitSam’s email: Sam@zenwarriortraining.comFollow Sam on Instagram at @zenwarriortrainingBooks:The Untethered Soul by Michael SingerThe Power of Now by Eckhart TolleBreath by James NestorHow to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

Michael May was blinded by a chemical explosion at the age of three, but regained partial vision, at the age of 46, after cornea transplants and a pioneering stem cell procedure. He has raised millions of dollars to develop four companies and has changed the landscape of how blind people get around independently. Mike’s start-up ventures have included developing the world’s first and only Laser Turntable, inventing a portable heating cushion for sports and medical applications, and starting 2 companies in adaptive technology including Sendero Group in 1999, which released the first-ever accessible GPS for the blind. Currently, he is Chief Evangelist for Good Maps, Inc., a pedestrian navigation company with an emphasis on accessible navigation for people who are blind or visually impaired. Mike also holds the record for downhill skiing by a person who is completely blind -racing at 65 mph-and is the subject of the best-selling book Crashing Through by, Robert Kurson.Huge thanks to Arrow Electronics for sponsoring this episode - the first in a series highlighting folks who are pioneering and innovating in the field of inclusive technology.Resources:For more information about Mike May, go to http://www.GoodMaps.com or http://www.CrashingThrough.com

Having Minnesota roots, Quinn’s parents were committed to taking their children to national parks all over the country, gradually traveling further and further west. With her first look at El Capitan, Quinn knew that she’d climb it one day; ten years later, she did. Since that first climb, Quinn has amassed an impressive list of big wall ascents, speed records, and difficult free climbs, first in places like Yosemite and Zion and then in the larger mountains of Patagonia, Greenland, and India. But everything changed in 2017 when Quinn took a one-hundred-foot fall while climbing the Nose of El Cap, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Today, Quinn lives in her beloved Estes Park, Colorado where she works for the National Park Service, using her background as an environmental advocate to speak up for increased accessibility on public lands. Special thanks to the Winnebago Industries Foundation for their support of this podcast and their advocacy for accessibility in outdoor spaces. Resources:Book recommendation: Sitting Pretty by Rebekah TaussigFollow Quinn on IG: @quinndalinaVisit Quinn’s website: https://www.quinnbrett.com/