This episode is a little different! It’s a conversation between Lowell and Ed which they recorded at their training camp in Arizona in Dec 2022. They’ve had two training camps SINCE then (and life obviously got away from me), but I swear it’s still relevant! They debrief their 2022 season and discuss plans for their 2023 season which basically kicks off THIS WEEKEND at World Cup #1 in Italy! Throughout the convo, they occasionally acknowledge that they’re recording for a podcast, but...

Today’s guest is our friend (and Lethbridge local!), Jared Heidinger! Jared has had many roles in life. University basketball player, teacher, coach, husband, father, son & friend (among other things!). He has also experienced many chapters in his life, and he takes us through them. From the passing of his wife, Krista, and raising his three kids as a single dad to meeting and marrying Carianne and living with Multiple Sclerosis.   Jared is very honest about his experience with MS. How he...

Paralympic champion Nate Riech is here! Nate—who comes from an intensely athletic family—was hit in the head with a stray golf ball when he was 10. He acquired a traumatic brain injury and was initially paralyzed on his right side.  He surpassed all expectations for his recovery, and burst onto the international para athletic scene in 2018! He holds world records and earned a gold medal in the 1500m at Tokyo 2020—his debut Paralympic Games. Nate thrives on connection with others, his love...

Ina Forrest is a four-time Paralympic Wheelchair Curler! At her first Paralympic games on home soil at Vancouver 2010, the team won GOLD. Most recently at Beijing 2022, they brought home the bronze medal AND Ina was one of Canada’s flag bearers for the opening ceremonies! When Ina was 21, she became paralyzed after the vehicle she was driving in was hit by an impaired driver. She wasn’t introduced to wheelchair curling until she was 42 years old, and she’s now one of the most decorated...

It’s Green Shirt Day! We are re-sharing last year's conversation with the Boulet family. New year and new episode art… same conversation, same beautiful family. Today—April 7th—is Green Shirt Day, and we had the pleasure of chatting with Logan Boulet’s family. Logan is the inspiration behind Green Shirt Day and the Logan Boulet Effect. On April 6, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus was involved in a crash that shattered the hearts of Canadians. 16 of the 29 passengers on the Humboldt...

Four-time Paralympian Jessica Tuomela is here! Jessica started out as a swimmer, and most recently competed in triathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Jessica—who lost her sight by the age of three as a result of retinoblastoma—tells us about overcoming her fear of deep water, how she got into competitive swimming, and the transition to triathlon. Sport is just a small part of Jessica’s story, though. It seems as though she’s lived seventeen lives. She has incredible stories to...

First time Olympic bobsledder Taylor Austin is here! He’ll be piloting two and four-man sleds for Team Canada at Beijing 2022!  Taylor was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. He moved to Calgary after graduating in 2008, and played football for the Calgary Colts before being recruited to bobsledding. We had a blast getting to know Taylor, and learning the intricacies of bobsledding! He’ll be competing in Beijing in the two-man sled on Feb 14 & 15, and the four-man on the Feb 19...

Marie-Claude Molnar is Paralympic cyclist and World Champion! When MC was just 21, she was hit from behind by a vehicle traveling 110km/hr. She sustained head trauma in addition other serious injuries. Her positivity, resilience, go-getter attitude and athletic ability propelled her in para-sport. She shares the mindset of a champion, and what keeps her going in the hardest part of a race. Her motto is never stop being a seeker, and take action! We hope you enjoy Marie-Claude’s story...

Greg Stewart is a Paralympic shot put CHAMPION! He earned his gold medal and the Paralympic record at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and he’s here to tell us all about it. Greg is extraordinarily athletic, and has excelled in a variety of sports—both para and able bodied. He was born without his left forearm, and it wasn’t until he was 28 years old that he became comfortable identifying as a disabled person. Greg is an empowerment coach, and he and Psychologist Lowell connected on a deep and...

Shawna Ryan is a Paralympic cyclist AND goal ball player. She’s had low vision all her life as a result of being born with cataracts. She wasn’t introduced to parasport until the age of 28, and it gave her a place to belong and race without fear. As a child, Shawna’s sister passed away, and later she lost her step dad to suicide. She now uses her experiences with grief and loss to help others. Shawna went through a different form of grief & loss when she retired from para sport, and...

The fastest Paralympian on EARTH is here!! Jason Smyth is a FOUR-TIME Paralympic gold medalist in the 100-meter sprint, and he chatted with us from his home in Ireland! As a result of Stargardt’s disease, Jason has lost all of his central vision, and has about 5-10% of his peripheral vision left. He tells us about the mindset of a blind sprinter, his insane race experience in Tokyo, and the power of sport in his life. Jason and Lowell bond over the importance of a good sense of humour, and...

Olympic basketball player Ross Bekkering is here! Ross is a born-and-raised Southern Albertan with a Dutch passport. He just represented the Netherlands playing 3x3 basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Games! After we talk about how the 1999 school shooting at WR Myers in Taber impacted him, we get a nice overview of Ross’ life with fun stories AND pearls of wisdom sprinkled throughout. We chat basketball, family, life, inspirations, and living between Europe & Canada while playing pro...

Stu Starkey is blind as the result of a degenerative condition called Choroideremia. He started losing his sight in his twenties, and para sport taught him that he didn’t have to be ashamed of his vision loss. Stu started out in able bodied swimming, and competed in rowing and para triathlon. ALSO, he’s legit a genius, and pours his brain power—AND heart—into the moving company Two Small Men with Big Hearts. Stu is passionate about giving back to the community—which is the motivation behind...

Keely Shaw is a Paralympic cyclist who won Canada’s first medal of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games—a bronze! She has two more races coming up, and she graciously took the time to chat with us FROM TOKYO. Keely’s story is a roller coaster! Dreams of playing Olympic hockey, a fall from a horse, a brain injury resulting in left-sided weakness, and struggles with disordered eating. Keely’s determination shines through, and once she discovered para sport, there was no stopping her. She began her...

Stefan Daniel is a Paralympic triathlete who is ready to compete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games! He earned a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, and we can’t wait to see what he does in Tokyo. Stefan was born with bilateral radial club hands. With the support and encouragement of his incredibly active family, Stefan not only found sport… but dominated. On top of Stefan’s several World Championship & World Cup podium finishes, Stefan was also the able-bodied Canadian Junior...

Ryan Lachapelle—Amazing Race Canada brother, avid skier, and adventurer extraordinaire! He—along with best friend Kenneth McAlpine—competed on season 5 of the Amazing Race Canada as Team GIVE’R… and promptly won the hearts of Canadians. Devastatingly, Kenneth passed away in a hiking accident on August 26, 2019. Ryan is open about how this loss impacted him, and how he continues to live every day to the fullest and channel his GIVE’R energy. Ryan is the events coordinator at RED Mountain...

Marc Mundell is an Olympic Race Walker. He’s currently living in Canada, but will be representing his home country of South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games! This will be Marc’s third Olympic Games, and he’s currently the South African national record holder for the 50km race walking event, as well as the continental record holder (for the same event)! Marc gives us the low down on his race walking career and his plethora of experiences along the way. He’s such an interesting, wise,...

Married duo Haley Smith and Andrew L’Esperance (aka Lespy) are professional mountain bikers. They both ride for Norco Factory Team as well as the Canadian National Team, and Haley is CURRENTLY in Tokyo ready to represent Canada at her first Olympic Games! We caught up with Haley & Lespy last week while they were in Andorra prepping for the upcoming Games. In this conversation, we learn about the beauty that is these incredible humans, as well their amazing partnership. Haley is a REAL...

Michelle Salt is a Paralympic Snowboarder. Her right leg was amputated above the knee following a near-fatal motorcycle crash in 2011. Michelle represented Canada at the Paralympic Games in Sochi in 2014, and PyeongChang in 2018. Prior to her accident, Michelle competed as a fitness model in the NPAA, and three years after her accident, she returned to the Fitness Stage! More recently, she has been an advocate for adaptive wakesurfing. Michelle is raw and honest throughout this...

From podium to politics, Adam van Koeverden is an Olympic kayaking champion and politician. Adam attended four Olympic Games, and earned Olympic medals and World Championships GALORE throughout his athletic career. He retired from competitive sport after representing Canada one last time at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. In 2019, Adam was elected as the Member of Parliament for Milton, Ontario representing the Liberal Party. He values empathy, advocacy, listening, and humility. Adam...

Tandem cycling duo Lowell Taylor & Ed Veal are here for our Father’s Day episode! You may recognize Lowell as, well, the co-host of this podcast. ;)  Ed is his tandem cycling pilot… that means he rides on the front of the bike.  As the blind athlete of the operation, Lowell is the stoker who rides on the back. They are fresh off of representing Canada at Road World Championships in Portugal, AND they’re two of the most amazing dads! Ed started cycling later in life, and loves the thrill...

Payden Vair is a Canadian sitting volleyball player headed for the Tokyo2020ne Paralympic Games! Payden’s right leg was amputated below the knee following a mowing accident in 2018. Before her accident, she was a starter for the Kodiaks— the Lethbridge College soccer team. Since her accident, she has joined the Canadian sitting volleyball team and even competed at the 2019 Para Pan Am Games in Peru where she helped Canada bring home the bronze!  Payden’s accident and life as a para-athlete...

Today we have TWO special guests—Chandra Crawford & Gaby Estrada—who are both involved in the wonderful organization that is Fast & Female! Fast & Female is a Canadian charity on a mission to keep self-identified girls aged 8-14 healthy and active in sports. Fast and Female believes in the power of positive sport experiences and role models to give girls leadership, teamwork and resiliency skills. Chandra Crawford—an Olympic Gold Medalist and 3x Olympian in Cross Country...

Maya Jonas is a para runner AND skier... and she's also hilarious! Like Lowell, she has Retinitis Pigmentosa. She was diagnosed at age 24 and was completely blind by 40. It was in her late 40s that she developed a love for sport and became an avid runner. After completing multiple marathons, she set her sights on Nordic skiing in her fifties. She has competed at the Ski World Cup, and was the oldest woman to do so! Don’t even THINK about telling Maya that she is too old or blind for...