Mindshape

Spencer West is 40 years old and is from Toronto, Canada. Spencer is a double amputee and lost both his legs from the pelvis down at the age of five.  He was born with Sacral Agenesis which is a rare birth condition characterized by partial or complete absence of sacrum and lower lumbar spine.  In the first part of the episode Spencer shares how growing up without legs affected his life and his parents lives. Halfway through the episode Spencer talks about his college experience and what it was like for him to come out while living in Salt Lake City. He also opens up about what is was like to come out to  his parents. The later half of the episode is focused on Spencers accomplishments. Spencer is a world renowned motivational speaker for social change. He is also the author of the book Standing Tall. Spencer climbed and reached the peak Mt. Kilimanjaro while raising money to bring clean water to people in Africa. He also went on tour with Demi Lovato and spoke in every city that she went to. Download Fourpla

Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek are the founders of a Double Dating App called Fourplay. The join us to talk about their app and the struggles that they have encountered along their journey. In the beginning of the episode Danielle dives into her struggle with eating and talks about how having an eating disorder has affected her life. We also dive into undiscussed topics such as male eating disorders and the female dad bod. Later in the episode Julie and Danielle break down Fourplay and how they aim to change the online dating game.This episode is light hearted and is full of laughs. While it’s a fun episode we talk about some serious topics that go undiscussed in today’s society. Download Fourplay: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fourplay-double-dating/id1463551449Smile Brilliant: https://www.smilebrilliant.com/?coupon=mindshapePrivate Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789944708265224/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindshapeSupport the show

Dick Bork is 27 years old and is from Midland, Michigan. After he graduated high school he decided that he wanted to serve his country and joined the Marine Corps. Dick talks to us about the time he spent in the Marines. From his first day outside of the wire in Afghanistan to detailed accounts of firefights with insurgent groups. While he encountered life or death situations on a daily basis there was a part of his deployment that stuck out to him the most, the people in Afghanistan. While the news covers the tragic events that happen overseas they fail to cover the other side of the story. Dick talks about how kind the people were and the amazing relationships that he built with the locals. Dick and his other marines felt a duty to protect the people at all costs during their time in Afghanistan. After coming back from his deployment Dick had a tough time finding his identity as a civilian and struggled to connect with people. In the later half of this episode he talks about what this transition was like an

Vicky Agoe is 21 years old and is from Greece. Vicky was born with a visual impairment at birth called retina detachment. This caused her to have extremely poor vision at birth and to eventually lose her sight altogether.  Vicky walks us through the struggles that she has faced in her everyday life. When she first started school she was placed in a school for the blind which allowed her to connect with her classmates but as she grew up and went to college things slowly changed. College became a lot more difficult as she was surrounded by people who didn't understand her and her disability. On top of that none of her classes were geared or adapted in a way to help a visually impaired person. This made college really frustrating for Vicky.  Despite her struggles she is an amazing student who just recently switched her major to special education. Vicky is also on the Greek National Goalball team. Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in te

Sarah Zastrow is 26 years old and is from Midland, Michigan. She was working for a priest who was arrested for criminal sexual assault. He was the priest of the church that she grew up going to and 1 year before he was arrested he actually married Sarah and her husband. After he was arrested there were two other priests in nearby towns that were arrested for similar charges. In this episode Sarah breaks down the story from when her mom broke the news to her via text to the chaos the ensued after her priest was arrested.Sarah is a podcaster, speaker and coach who teaches people the tool to have less stress, more energy and live an aligned life.Headspace (1 month free): https://www.headspace.com/mindshapePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindshapeInstagram: https://instagram.com/mindshapepod?igshid=8asalkvab8rjPodcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).Support the show

Carlos Rodriguez is 37 years old and is from Modesto, California. Carlos is a photo journalist, a film editor and an Emmy Award winner. He has accomplished a lot in his career but also has gone through some tough situations. In September of 2011 his wife and his 2 month year old son were kidnapped by a fugitive who was on the run from the police. In the first part of this episode Carlos breaks down exactly what happened on the day his wife and his son were kidnapped. In the second part of the episode he shares a different story. It was the middle of the night in 2017 when his car broke down on the side of the highway. He called his Dad and he agreed to come help him fix it. When his Dad opened the door to exit his vehicle he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Carlos talks to us about what happened that night and how it changed his life forever.Headspace (1 month free): https://www.headspace.com/mindshapePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindshapeInstagram: https://instagram.com/mindshapepod?igshid=8asalk

Stephen Ludwig aka Stevo is 22 years old and is from North Carolina. Stephen was born with a extremely rare bone disease called Maffucci's syndrome. There are only 250 people in the world that have been diagnosed with Maffucci's. His condition causes his bones to grow in all different shapes and sizes around his body. The most noticeable difference is that one of his legs is 9 inches shorter than the other. To make up for the difference he wears a big platform on the bottom of his shoe. The remarkable thing is that despite his limitations he still excels at sports and has an extremely competitive nature. Join our community on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindshapepod?igshid=97bzfs5qt3ucPodcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).Support the show

Mike Ashe is 35 years old and is from Baltimore City Maryland. In this episode Mike tells his story of being incarcerated and overcoming a decade long heroin addiction.  Mike gives us vivid accounts of overdosing and breaks down moments when he tried to take his own life. After being charged with multiple felonies he spent a total of 5 years in prison between 2006 and 2011. After leaving prison he went right back to using heroin. After surviving an attempted suicide by overdose in a hotel room he decided that he needed to make a change. He joined a 12 step program that would get him on the road to recovery. Today, Mike is clean and is a successful business owner of a brand called Dream-XL.Join our community on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindshapepod?igshid=97bzfs5qt3ucPodcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).Support the show

Markus Hogg is 17 years old and is from Toronto, Canada. When he was 15 years old Markus noticed that he had an abnormal pain in his hamstring. After a couple doctor visits he ended up getting an MRI. The results of the MRI would change his life. The MRI showed that Markus had a large tumor growing in his spine. He was later diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Over the past couple years Markus has been undergoing chemotherapy and has been in and out of the hospital. He has had multiple surgeries including one that left him paralyzed from the knees down. Markus is now waiting to have another surgery in hopes to remove the tumor completely.  Take 30 minutes to listen to his incredible story, you wont regret it!Support the show

Marius Woodward is 21 years old and is originally from Romania. When he was 8 years old he was in a house fire. 75 percent of his body was burned. During his recovery 2 girls from the United States came to visit him everyday. The ended up getting Marius to the United States and getting him medical treatment. One of those girls families would later adopt Marius and welcome him with open arms. In this episode Marius talks about what happened the night of the house fire, his recovery and what his life is like now. This by far the most heart breaking and inspiring story we have ever heard. Support the show

Marius Woodward is 21 years old and is originally from Romania. When he was 8 years old he was in a house fire. 75 percent of his body was burned. During his recovery 2 girls from the United States came to visit him everyday. The ended up getting Marius to the United States and getting him medical treatment. One of those girls families would later adopt Marius and welcome him with open arms. In this episode Marius talks about what happened the night of the house fire, his recovery and what his life is like now. This by far the most heart breaking and inspiring story we have ever heard. Support the show

Taylen is 20 years old and is from Benton, Kentucky. Taylen was a senior in high school when a tragic event happened that would change her life. She was in her high school when a school shooting happened. Taylen tells the story in depth from her perspective. She talks about what happened, how she felt in the moment, what she did and how it affected her and her classmates. We all have heard about school shootings and see them on the news. In this episode Taylen give us a personal story that will open our minds to the reality of being involved in such a tragic event.Support the show

Kelsey Richardson is 25 years old and from Madison, North Carolina. Kelsey went to college at Towson University in Maryland. Kelsey was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was 5 months old. In this episode Kelsey takes us into her personal life and what living with CF has been like for her. You will not only learn her story but you will learn a lot about the reality of CF. Kelsey is a ball of energy and her positivity is contagious. We can all learn something from her. You will be glad you took 25 minutes out of your day to listen to her incredible story.Support the show

Our first guest on season 2 is Kaley Whelan. She is 20 years old and lives in North Carolina. Kaley shares a deep and very recent life story. She was just a girl heading to college until one day she found out that she was pregnant. A couple months into the pregnancy she was told news by her doctor that no one ever wants to hear. Kaley tells her story and talks about how she has dealt with such a big loss.Support the show

In the final episode of Season 1 Avery interviews Joey. Joey shares his life story from what he was doing before MindShape, his struggles with an autoimmune disease and where he plans to go in life from here. He shares stories that he has never shared with more than a couple people in his life.We all have a story. A life story that is full of ups and downs. With parts that include a lot of struggle and pain. We tend to hold these stories close to use because in our eyes they are very personal. We sometimes feel like we are the only ones struggling but in reality thats not true, we all do. We have to realize that these stories from our past don’t define us. The only way they hold power over us is if we let them. These negative stories inflict so many self limiting beliefs in our lives. While it is hard to let go, its possible. Remember that we not only have the power to flip to the next chapter of our book, but we can throw the old one out and write a whole new one.Support the show

As Season 1 comes to an end we wanted to do something special for you guys. For the past 28 episodes we have interviewed amazing individuals and allowed them to share their stories with you. For the final 2 episodes we wanted to bring you the stories of the MindShape hosts. In this episode Joey interviews Avery. You will find out about Averys life growing up throughout High School until now. He also answers some questions that he hasn't answered before. Over the next 20 minutes you will truly see what it means to Live Authentically and get an inside peak of the life of the man, the myth, the legend, Avery Chatman.Support the show