Making Shoes for Nike with One Arm with Richard Ramsay

by Paralysis 2 PurposeDecember 7, 2021

“Fail forward.” Richard Ramsay’s life is governed by this rule – there are no failures, only wins and learnings. Born without a left arm, Richard and his family were unshaken by his disability – a recurring theme throughout our podcasts. His defiant spirit fought the mental entrapment set by coaches and even a first-grade bully. Using sports as an equalizer, the ‘one-armed kid’ dominated the basketball and football circuits in his adolescent years.

A Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology at Arizona State University became the nexus between Richard and his dream job at NIKE. With 33 rejection letters from the company, he mapped out a path from one of NIKE’s factory stores to its corporate office in Oregon. Richard is now a product developer and innovator for the company, making shoes more accessible to differently-abled persons. A husband and father of two, Richard believes that “enough is never enough.”

Moving Forward: The Chris Singleton Story

by Paralysis 2 PurposeDecember 14, 2021

After a mass shooting at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, a teen Chris Singleton was forced into fostering two younger siblings, and Chris made an unpopular decision to fend off hatred with forgiveness. Learn how he's discovered his purpose in anti-racism advocacy and writing children's books — one of which landed on the radar of the Obama Foundation.

Learning to Live in Abundance with David Mansilla

by Paralysis 2 PurposeApril 26, 2022

David Mansilla migrated from South America to Canada with entrepreneurship coursing through his veins. Frustrated by an unchallenging corporate world, he started his own software business. His sacrifices and dedication led to 6-figure gains for his company. However, this came with a steep price. David’s personal life was disintegrating, and was saved by a heart attack at 40.

Permanent Victory with Joe Delagrave

by Paralysis 2 PurposeFebruary 8, 2022

At 19, college football player Joe Delagrave walked with an air of invincibility. On June 10, 2004, a casual boating trip with friends along the Mississippi River quickly escalated into his worst nightmare- an accident that left him with a spinal cord injury. Now paralyzed, Joe’s mind was consumed with swirling questions about love, intimacy and adapting to everyday tasks. With the intervention of his friends, Joe finally hit the ‘reset’ button. His unlikely encounter with wheelchair rugby sealed his fate, refueling his competitive appetite. A steady course saw Joe’s impressive rise to the 2008 US Men’s Paralympics team. Joe details his winding road to the 2012 Paralympics and 2018 World Championships, and how his identity became trapped in the sport. Joe realigned his priorities by shifting gears to a mentorship role. The US Rugby Wheelchair coach, speaker, Master’s graduate in Professional Counselling, husband and father of three also talks about finding “permanent victory” by planting seeds.