Nothing Without Us! Episode 17 - Noah Galloway

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Kind: captions
Language: en
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[music]
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Welcome back to Nothing Without Us, a
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disability advocacy podcast produced by
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Lakeshore Foundation. I'm your host,
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Alli B. Gory, and today we have Noah
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Galloway live and in the studio. Noah is
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a Purple Heart recipient, double
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amputee, author, and motivational
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speaker from right here in Birmingham,
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Alabama. After losing his left arm and
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left leg in an IED attack during
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Operation Iraqi Freedom, [music]
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Noah transformed personal adversity into
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a message of resilience, fitness, and
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purpose through his no excuses
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philosophy. He became the first veteran
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and amputee to be featured on the cover
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of Men's Health magazine, earning their
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Ultimate Guy title in 2014 and landing
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him on the Ellen Show. Noah also
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[snorts] became a finalist on the hit
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ABC show Dancing with the Stars and
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would win the debut season of Fox's
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American Grit. Through speaking
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engagements and his No Excuses
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Charitable Fund, Noah continues to
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inspire audiences to pursue mental and
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physical wellness without limits.
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[music]
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Noah, we are so thrilled to have you in
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the studio live and in person today.
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>> Well, I'm excited to be here and
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[snorts] to know that y'all are doing
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this podcast here at Lakeshore is
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amazing because I definitely believe
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it's needed. Uh there's so many people
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in the community that struggle with
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different disabilities. Some are
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visible, some aren't. And I love that
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y'all are doing this.
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>> Yeah, you bet. Well, what I think is
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cool about you is you're actually from
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Birmingham. You know, we can't say that
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about a lot of our guests. Where in
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Birmingham are you from? What part?
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>> So, I grew up on the west side of
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Birmingham in Midfield.
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>> Yeah. Yeah.
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>> And now I live a little further south
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down in Shelby County.
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>> Amazing. Yeah. A little spread out, a
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little more wide open spaces. I love
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that so much. So, being that we're here
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at Lakeshore, I know that you also have
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some personal uh involvement and just
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experience with Lakeshore Foundation.
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Can you tell us how you got connected
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here and what led you to Lakeshore?
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>> Well, so I was injured
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in the end of 2005. So, I spent a good
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part of 2006 at Walter Reed Armor
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Medical Center in DC. And then I moved
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back to Birmingham after being injured.
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I moved back to Birmingham. And so end
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of 2006, beginning of 2007,
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unfortunately, a lot of people in
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Alabama don't even realize that what
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Lakeshore Foundation is. You know, how
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it's more known nationally and
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internationally than it is locally. So,
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I was unaware of it. And then I was told
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about it and I remember the first day I
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walked in the front door and it was
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around the time that they were putting
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together the Lima Foxtrot, the uh camps
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for injured veterans. So the timing was
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perfect and then I got involved and then
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I started speaking on behalf of
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Lakeshore and it was I you know I give
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them a lot of credit to me as a speaker
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today because I got a lot of speaking
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under my feet because of raising money
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for Lima Fox.
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>> That is so cool. And I think it is
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fascinating how an organization this
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incredible is right in our backyards if
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we're Alamians but uh we didn't even
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know it, you know. I mean, it it's
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really really fascinating and and just
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such an incredible resource to healing
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and just being immersed in community.
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>> Yes.
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>> I'm sure after your accident, which we
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can go into in a little bit, but I'm
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sure, you know, finding community is a
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pretty crucial part to healing.
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>> Yes.
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>> Um, and did you experience that when you
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first came into Lakeshore? You know,
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I'll say
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what impressed me the most about
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Lakeshore, and I've always said this,
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>> and I'm a I'm a reference there uh camps
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they had for injured veterans.
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>> Yeah, please.
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>> Because there's a lot of great
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organizations, a lot of great camps out
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there that I'm not comparing, but if you
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look at them, a lot of times they're
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programs that were veterans setting up
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programs for other veterans, which is
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amazing. veterans understand veterans.
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But when you have a physical disability
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and you come to Lakeshore Foundation,
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well then you're working with their
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staff. There's all the, you know, that
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are people who've lived with
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disabilities. So you have this
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understanding and respect, but then
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they're not afraid to push you
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physically. And a lot of times when
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you're injured, I know for me it's like,
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okay, I lost an arm and a leg. What do I
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do now? Then you come to Lakeshore
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Foundation and there's other people
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missing an arm, missing a leg or missing
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all arms and all legs,
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>> right? And then they're swimming, you
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know.
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>> Yes, exactly. That was actually [snorts]
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um one of the things I said. They're
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like, you know, you can get into
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swimming. I was like, yeah, but I've got
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one arm and one leg. And they're like,
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well, Bob only has one is missing all
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four limbs, so he swims. He swims just
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fine.
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>> Yeah. So, it's like, oh, it kind of
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takes all your excuses away. Which I
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really liked about that's what I love
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about anytime I come to Lakeshore
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Foundation. There's all these different
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peoples of different backgrounds and
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different disabilities and all pushing
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themselves.
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>> I love it so much. Now, did you grow up
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involved in sports and athletics?
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>> No, I was fitness.
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>> Cool.
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>> Uh, I got into fitness at a really young
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age and that became I always joked and
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said I realized that girls like fit
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guys. So, all I wanted to do was work
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out. Yeah. Um, but it was just something
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that actually it was just a personal
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thing and I've I've used it to my
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advantage even after I was injured. It
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was I was like, well, what can I do? And
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I got back into fitness. And so that was
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something that I've always been drawn
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to. So that was one of the things I
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appreciated about Lakeshore Foundation
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is you have all these this equipment,
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>> right,
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>> that should be in every gym. There's no
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reason why it shouldn't because the
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equipment can be used whether you're
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able-bodied or have a disability. And
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it's amazing. I love that so much. And
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it sounds like because you had a
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background and experience in fitness and
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in, you know, just living a healthy and
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fit and a life that sort of was marked
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by, you know, being able to work out and
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have that time that that's something you
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valued in your own recovery.
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>> Yeah. And it was hard because, you know,
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I always tell people that when I got
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before I when I got back in the gym, it
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was before I really uh started Lakeshore
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Foundation was a bit of a drive for me.
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So, I started just working out at a
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regular gym
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>> and it wasn't really
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>> easy to find a way to work out Miss Arm
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Leg. But then, you know, you adapt and
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you figure it out and uh I've used those
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uh the way I work out here as well. Like
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I use an ankle strap on my arm to on a
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cable machine to work my chest, my
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shoulder, and my back.
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>> So, you know, you just adapt and figure
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things out.
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>> That's awesome. When you went, well,
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actually pre-ac you went into the
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military. What inspired you to do that?
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>> September 11th. I was in I was going to
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UAB. Yeah.
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>> And uh September 11th happened and I
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immediately went in the military.
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>> Wow. You just knew. You were like, I've
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got to go.
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>> Yep.
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>> And how long were you in the military
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before your accident? Uh I like from
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start to finish uh five years. Um I was
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in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and then
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I went back in 2005 and that's when I
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was injured. So I was injured on my
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second appointment. So my time in was
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short. I once I experienced combat, I
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just wanted to stay in. Uh I had made
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this decision in my head that I was
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either going to retire an old man or die
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in combat. And I was fine with either
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or. And then to wake up one day in a
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hospital and I was not only injured but
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the career I had found was gone and I
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never mentally prepared for that. So I
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struggled with that for a long time.
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>> Yeah. I think that identity piece is
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something that we talk about a lot and
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no matter what I think all of us
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disabled or not we are so quick to I
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call it being a human doing versus a
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human being. Like we we identify oursel
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on the things we do right? So, like I'm
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an actor. I'm a teacher. I'm also
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>> fun [laughter] kind. I was like, I don't
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want to like butter my own biscuit here,
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but you know what I'm saying.
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>> Yeah. Identity.
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>> Patrick's laughing at me. Um, but you
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know what I'm saying? We do place our
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identity in the things that we do rather
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than just being a good human at our
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core, right? And so, anything like that,
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any life transforming and altering
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accident is going to bring about
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identity struggles. what helped you
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during that time? And I'm sure that was
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a long what year two like yearish of
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rehab and appointments and and learning
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skills and daily things again. Like I'm
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sure that was a mental game just as much
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as it was a physical game.
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>> Yeah. You know, I reverted to the
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physical side early on and started
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really pushing myself which, you know,
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benefited me. I you know if I look back
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in my accomplishments it was because I
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was just so driven to do things that
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people didn't expect me to do miss arm
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leg and that gained me attention because
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I was doing obstacle course races,
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mountain climbing, anything I could
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find. But to be brutally honest, it
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wasn't until 5 years ago that now I've
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been injured 20 years.
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>> Yeah.
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>> And five years ago is when I finally
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started my mental health journey. And as
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I started doing that, it's uh it was eye
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opening because I realized I was in
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denial of my injury, of my service.
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Like, you know, here it was. I woke up
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and was, you know, emotionally hurt that
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I had found a career and then lost it.
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>> Yeah.
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>> And then I was everything I did was
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physical even before I joined the
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military. Yeah. I spent a little time in
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college, but I always did manual labor.
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And then suddenly I thought, what can I
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do? we miss an arm or leg. And so I was
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in denial of my injury and so I was
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doing all these the simplest way to put
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it, I was punishing my body to avoid
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feeling my feelings.
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>> O and that is something that I don't
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think disabled people talk about enough.
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>> Um and I mean non-disabled people I work
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in a lot of different fields, but I work
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in the eating disorder field too and a
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lot of people actually do that with
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chronic exercise, right? And over
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exercise. like I don't want to deal with
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the actual hardships in my life. So, I
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am going to channel all of that or not
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channel it or you know dissociate and
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exercise,
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>> you know. And that's like uh my
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18-year-old son is so much like me.
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>> I can just see his everything he does.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:52.630
I'm like, "Oh my god, I was just like
00:10:52.640 --> 00:10:54.630
that." And if he just listened to me, I
00:10:54.640 --> 00:10:55.590
could get him [laughter] going the right
00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:55.829
direction.
00:10:55.839 --> 00:10:56.949
>> Yeah. But it's your parent.
00:10:56.959 --> 00:10:59.269
>> Yeah. No, exactly. Um but one day he
00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:01.269
made the comment about the gym as my
00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.750
therapy and I'm like, "Oh, no, it's not
00:11:03.760 --> 00:11:05.110
like Yes. you it
00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:06.132
>> you're like get in the car son
00:11:06.142 --> 00:11:06.870
[clears throat] and then you take it to
00:11:06.880 --> 00:11:09.110
actual therapy because yeah fitness is
00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:11.670
great you know healthy feeling good the
00:11:11.680 --> 00:11:14.550
endorphin rush all that but it does not
00:11:14.560 --> 00:11:17.509
replace therapy it just pushes it down
00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:18.949
and avoids it
00:11:18.959 --> 00:11:21.190
>> and I the way I like to say it is like
00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.829
if you have a gash on your arm you could
00:11:23.839 --> 00:11:26.550
let it just do its thing and uh get
00:11:26.560 --> 00:11:28.550
infected and just be painful and always
00:11:28.560 --> 00:11:30.949
there or you can do the really hard
00:11:30.959 --> 00:11:33.190
thing and pour that alcohol on and it's
00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:34.949
gonna turn, but that's the only thing
00:11:34.959 --> 00:11:36.230
that's going to heal it. Cuz even when I
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:37.350
went through my mental health journey,
00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:38.790
like it started 5 years ago,
00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:39.990
>> it gets worse before it gets better.
00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.389
>> Oh yeah. Cuz you have to face, you know,
00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.790
there's a there's an 18th century poet
00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:47.590
roomie that said, uh, the wound is where
00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.470
the light enters. And that's 100% true.
00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.910
You have to go into that dark space to
00:11:53.920 --> 00:11:55.110
come out
00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.670
>> where it's bright. And we kind of sit on
00:11:57.680 --> 00:11:59.670
the surface of that where it just
00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:01.990
lingers and and bubbles up here and
00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.910
there, but we never deal with it and
00:12:03.920 --> 00:12:06.949
heal. And that's really hard to do. And
00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:08.310
for people, you know, there's always
00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:10.710
that we've always told people, you know,
00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:12.949
mental health isn't a weakness. Well,
00:12:12.959 --> 00:12:14.949
no, 100%. In fact, dealing with your
00:12:14.959 --> 00:12:18.310
mental health is way harder than
00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.310
everything else we do to avoid it. I
00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.550
don't care how I was I was on the cover
00:12:22.560 --> 00:12:23.910
of men's health and they called me the
00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:25.670
ultimate guy. Like that should be
00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:28.470
definitive of okay, I'm a tough guy.
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:29.269
>> What a flex.
00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.030
>> But well, but I'm going to turn around
00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:32.470
and say that.
00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.910
>> But realistically, I was not doing the
00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:37.590
ultimate guy thing
00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:39.430
>> and taking care of myself to make sure
00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.550
that I am being the best husband, father
00:12:42.560 --> 00:12:45.190
person I can be by taking care of my
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.590
mental health. So, not to say that, you
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:49.110
know, it ain't a cool cover and I'm not
00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:50.150
proud of it, but
00:12:50.160 --> 00:12:51.590
>> pretty [laughter] sick. And I think
00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:54.069
that's so important to to acknowledge
00:12:54.079 --> 00:12:56.310
and to call out because I see that in
00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:58.949
the disability community as a whole. Um,
00:12:58.959 --> 00:13:00.629
and in the way that the world views
00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:02.470
disability and like, oh, here's another
00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:05.990
story of like inspiration and hope. And
00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.590
sometimes I think people with
00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.310
disabilities that are wanting to change
00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:11.990
the world and wanting to make things
00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.910
better for other people often neglect
00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:15.190
themselves in the process.
00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:16.949
>> Oh, you see it all the time. You see it
00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:19.350
in the medical community. I mean, you're
00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.629
it's not uncommon to have a doctor that
00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.590
is struggling with their own health, but
00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.190
then giving all this advice because
00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:29.430
they're pouring everything into everyone
00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.590
else and not stepping back and taking
00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.750
care of themselves. That's like an
00:13:33.760 --> 00:13:36.790
example I would use is, you know, you
00:13:36.800 --> 00:13:38.470
don't see it as often now, people
00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:41.190
smoking, but how often did you hear in
00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:42.550
the past that someone smokes, you're
00:13:42.560 --> 00:13:43.590
like, you know, you should really quit
00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:44.870
that. It's bad for you. You got to die
00:13:44.880 --> 00:13:47.430
of something. And I always tell people,
00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.910
what if you didn't die from it? It just
00:13:49.920 --> 00:13:51.990
put you in a really bad state of health
00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.629
and your family and friends had to stop
00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:56.470
what they were doing in their lives to
00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.310
take care of you. And most people don't
00:13:58.320 --> 00:13:59.670
like the thought of having to have
00:13:59.680 --> 00:14:01.189
someone else.
00:14:01.199 --> 00:14:02.949
>> Their life interrupted because of you.
00:14:02.959 --> 00:14:06.150
And that usually changes the mindset of
00:14:06.160 --> 00:14:09.350
the person of, yeah, you're doing this
00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:10.790
thing because you enjoy it and you got
00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:13.269
to die of something, but what if it's
00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.790
going to affect everyone else?
00:14:14.800 --> 00:14:18.230
>> Yeah. O, that's so good. Now, I'm so
00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.230
glad to hear that you are doing your own
00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:21.910
work in in all different ways, right?
00:14:21.920 --> 00:14:23.189
Not just, you know, in your mental
00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.550
health, but also you're in the gym.
00:14:24.560 --> 00:14:26.150
You're doing you're doing the things you
00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:29.030
need to do to should be able to show up
00:14:29.040 --> 00:14:30.494
as the best version of you
00:14:30.504 --> 00:14:31.269
[clears throat] for your family, for
00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:33.670
your community, for, you know, fellow
00:14:33.680 --> 00:14:35.590
athletes and amputees.
00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:38.230
>> I know that you do some advocacy work,
00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.629
too, and I know that you started a fund.
00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:42.069
Can you tell us a little bit about that
00:14:42.079 --> 00:14:44.949
and what what draw uh what drew you to
00:14:44.959 --> 00:14:45.590
start that?
00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.829
>> Yeah, I have the No Excuses Charitable
00:14:47.839 --> 00:14:52.949
Fund that is I started it because I I
00:14:52.959 --> 00:14:56.069
came across a lot of organizations that
00:14:56.079 --> 00:14:57.829
worked with veterans that were claiming
00:14:57.839 --> 00:14:59.910
one thing but doing another.
00:14:59.920 --> 00:15:00.310
>> Interesting.
00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:02.870
>> And uh you know I started my fund years
00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:04.310
ago and since then some of those
00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:05.990
organizations were it finally caught up
00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.470
to them. But I was like, you know what?
00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:10.790
I want to and I had a couple of We
00:15:10.800 --> 00:15:12.150
haven't done it in a while. My wife
00:15:12.160 --> 00:15:13.670
always put it together and before we had
00:15:13.680 --> 00:15:15.430
the ba after we had the baby, we haven't
00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:16.629
done it. But we would do golf
00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.629
tournaments and each golf tournament
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:19.910
would be
00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:23.110
>> money going to another uh organization
00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.629
whether it's a veterans or people with
00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.629
disabilities or whatever it is. And so
00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:29.509
basically my charity was a funnel just
00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.350
to send it to another organization. And
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:33.990
so we have a board of directors and they
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.069
once I say hey this can we send this
00:15:36.079 --> 00:15:38.949
money to XYZ they're like they approve
00:15:38.959 --> 00:15:40.870
it and then that's where the money goes.
00:15:40.880 --> 00:15:42.310
>> That's awesome. What are some of those
00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:43.829
organizations that have benefited?
00:15:43.839 --> 00:15:46.310
>> Um so we've worked with uh Homes for Our
00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:47.750
Troops to build houses for injured
00:15:47.760 --> 00:15:49.509
veterans. 90 cent on every dollar goes
00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.150
to the veteran. Uh the Americas Fund
00:15:52.160 --> 00:15:53.910
great organization that steps up and
00:15:53.920 --> 00:15:56.230
helps organizations.
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:58.870
uh DAV, Disabled American Veterans,
00:15:58.880 --> 00:16:01.269
which is the uh oldest veterans
00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:02.949
organization in the country. They are
00:16:02.959 --> 00:16:04.470
phenomenal. They, you know, do
00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:06.949
everything from if a veterans haven't,
00:16:06.959 --> 00:16:08.949
you know, the VA is a big system.
00:16:08.959 --> 00:16:09.430
>> It's huge.
00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:10.949
>> It's huge. So, people try to complain
00:16:10.959 --> 00:16:12.069
about it, but it's like you have to
00:16:12.079 --> 00:16:15.030
understand when something is that large,
00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:16.389
there's not a sing, you're not going to
00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.550
meet someone that works at the VA that
00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:20.870
knows every in and out of the program.
00:16:20.880 --> 00:16:24.230
Like, it's just impossible. And the DAV
00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:25.990
has a team that that's what they do.
00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:28.470
They help people with their process of
00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:30.310
working with the VA. But then they also
00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:32.550
have, you know, events and camps for
00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:35.590
veterans. They're getting big into uh
00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:37.350
they want to be the main source of
00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:38.790
information for veterans because now
00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:40.186
psychedelics have become a big
00:16:40.196 --> 00:16:41.749
[clears throat] thing and they are big
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:43.590
into that. So that's an organization
00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.269
that I've done a lot. I'm actually doing
00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:46.870
a lot more work with now.
00:16:46.880 --> 00:16:48.389
>> Yeah. Well, it seems like they have such
00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.350
a far reach and just any way to sort of
00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.350
demystify some of the information that
00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.430
you're getting medically and with your
00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.030
mental and physical health. Like we need
00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:58.629
people like that to help us understand
00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:00.150
so that we don't get, you know, people
00:17:00.160 --> 00:17:01.509
don't get screwed.
00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:01.990
>> Absolutely.
00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:05.350
>> Uh to use really great language. Um I
00:17:05.360 --> 00:17:07.189
think we're going to take a little break
00:17:07.199 --> 00:17:08.309
and then we're going to come back
00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:09.510
because I have some more questions about
00:17:09.520 --> 00:17:12.281
your illustrious TV career. But
00:17:12.291 --> 00:17:15.029
[laughter]
00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:17.029
>> life doesn't slow down. [music] As a
00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:20.069
mom, a wife, and a US Parolympic gold
00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.309
medalist, I take every [music] advantage
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.270
I can get. Restorative sleep powers my
00:17:25.280 --> 00:17:27.909
recovery, sharpens my mind, and gives me
00:17:27.919 --> 00:17:29.909
the [music] strength to rise to every
00:17:29.919 --> 00:17:33.110
challenge on the slopes and at home.
00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:34.870
When you sleep well, [music] you show up
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.029
strong for yourself and the people you
00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:39.430
love. That's why I choose a Sappa
00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:41.830
mattress. Sappa. [music] Unlock the
00:17:41.840 --> 00:17:44.710
superpower of restorative sleep. At
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Lakeshore Foundation, we believe in a
00:17:47.120 --> 00:17:49.029
world in which every person has the
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:50.789
opportunity to achieve a healthy,
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:54.070
active, independent life. For 100 years,
00:17:54.080 --> 00:17:55.590
we've been impacting lives through
00:17:55.600 --> 00:17:57.350
inclusive fitness, sports, and
00:17:57.360 --> 00:18:00.070
recreation. Our mission is to encourage
00:18:00.080 --> 00:18:02.549
and provide opportunities for people to
00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.310
live a healthy lifestyle through
00:18:04.320 --> 00:18:07.990
activity, research, and advocacy.
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:10.470
Join us. Together, we can make every day
00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:14.507
a new beginning.
00:18:14.517 --> 00:18:18.630
>> [music]
00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:20.710
>> All right. So, you've had some really
00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.190
cool opportunities in recent years, and
00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.270
I want to know, how did you make it to
00:18:25.280 --> 00:18:27.029
Dancing with the Stars?
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:28.390
>> Well, first, I don't think we can call
00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.110
it recent. In fact, especially in
00:18:31.120 --> 00:18:34.070
reality TV world, like I'm I'm basically
00:18:34.080 --> 00:18:36.230
an ancient. Um, so I mean, the way I
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:38.950
ended up on Dancing with the Stars was,
00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:40.390
>> you know, I mentioned I was on the cover
00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:41.190
of Men's Health.
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:43.590
>> Yep. and they called me the ultimate guy
00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:46.230
and that was their best sold issue and I
00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.990
was the it was the first time a a
00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.750
veteran and ampute had ever graced the
00:18:49.760 --> 00:18:51.029
cover of the world's largest men's
00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:51.669
magazine.
00:18:51.679 --> 00:18:52.549
>> That's awesome.
00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:55.510
>> So that got the attention of this was in
00:18:55.520 --> 00:18:57.029
2014
00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:58.630
2015 recent years.
00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:00.789
>> Yeah. Yeah. [laughter]
00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:04.470
>> And uh I was requested to go on Ellen
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.750
DeGeneres's show.
00:19:05.760 --> 00:19:06.470
>> Okay.
00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.510
>> So I went I flew out to LA did the show.
00:19:09.520 --> 00:19:11.510
It was incredible. She was amazing.
00:19:11.520 --> 00:19:12.870
>> Did you have a dance party with her like
00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:13.669
everybody?
00:19:13.679 --> 00:19:16.150
>> No. No. And I'm, you know, I was
00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:17.669
terrified of that. I was like, I'm not
00:19:17.679 --> 00:19:19.750
dancing. Um, which is funny where I
00:19:19.760 --> 00:19:21.590
ended up. But, [laughter]
00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:24.070
um, I did the show. It was great. Flew
00:19:24.080 --> 00:19:26.870
back to Alabama. The episode aired and
00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:28.310
then all these people wanted me.
00:19:28.320 --> 00:19:29.990
Survivor wanted me. All these different
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.909
shows, but my kids were young.
00:19:31.919 --> 00:19:32.390
>> Yeah.
00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:34.390
>> And I had turned them all down. And
00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:36.310
then, uh, Dancing with the Stars called
00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:39.510
me and I told them I'd heard of their
00:19:39.520 --> 00:19:41.190
show. I've never seen it, know anything
00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:43.510
about it. And to be honest with you, I
00:19:43.520 --> 00:19:44.870
didn't in my mind I was like, I'm not
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.909
doing this show. And when they told me
00:19:47.919 --> 00:19:50.390
they'd put me in a house in LA while I
00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.070
filmed, I was like, "Oh, I can't. I got
00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:54.150
to stay here in Alabama with my kids."
00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.150
And so I thought I had an out. And they
00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.669
said, "Well, that's okay. We'll send the
00:19:57.679 --> 00:20:00.630
dancer to you." And so Shauna Burgess,
00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.110
who was my dance partner, stayed in
00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:05.270
Birmingham and we rehearsed in Kahaba
00:20:05.280 --> 00:20:07.430
Heights all week and flew back and forth
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:09.590
to LA for the live show. And of course,
00:20:09.600 --> 00:20:11.430
I didn't think I'd last very long, so it
00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.390
was a surprise to me that I lasted the
00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.993
whole 10 weeks and came in third place.
00:20:17.003 --> 00:20:18.070
[laughter]
00:20:18.080 --> 00:20:19.750
>> That's incredible. What was that
00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:22.870
experience like? I mean, going from I'm
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:24.630
guessing having very limited dance
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:25.750
experience to
00:20:25.760 --> 00:20:27.474
>> to no dance experience. Yeah. No,
00:20:27.484 --> 00:20:28.470
[clears throat] not limited. None.
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.909
>> I didn't want to, you know. [laughter]
00:20:29.919 --> 00:20:32.390
So, to being on the national stage like
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.549
that, I mean, what was that like? And
00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:36.310
I'm curious, too. Now, I want to go back
00:20:36.320 --> 00:20:38.070
and watch all your episodes. I've just
00:20:38.080 --> 00:20:40.070
seen some here and there, [laughter] but
00:20:40.080 --> 00:20:42.630
how how did y'all work to create
00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:44.070
movement that felt really fun and
00:20:44.080 --> 00:20:44.630
accessible?
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.350
>> So, I mean, one thing that I will say is
00:20:47.360 --> 00:20:49.510
your dance partner. So, mine, Chara
00:20:49.520 --> 00:20:52.070
Burgess, she creates the entire dance.
00:20:52.080 --> 00:20:54.470
Like, she may be given a song that's,
00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:56.870
you know, even debatable or but usually
00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:58.789
they'll give them a dance style
00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.870
>> and then she creates everything. Yeah.
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.270
What we wear, how the stage looks, she's
00:21:03.280 --> 00:21:07.110
creating the dance. And so with that
00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:09.909
being said, the advantage that Shauna
00:21:09.919 --> 00:21:12.230
and I had, it's hard to there were very
00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.979
few advantages.
00:21:13.989 --> 00:21:15.590
[snorts] Um, but the advantage we had
00:21:15.600 --> 00:21:17.990
because of my disability
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.310
>> and being an above the knee ampute. That
00:21:20.320 --> 00:21:21.669
was a big thing. They wanted me because
00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:23.270
I was missing my arm and they never had
00:21:23.280 --> 00:21:25.190
an arm amput. And I on the phone I kept
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:26.310
referencing my leg.
00:21:26.320 --> 00:21:27.430
>> Yeah. You were like, "Uh, surprise. It's
00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:28.630
a double whammy situation."
00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.149
>> And they were like, "Oh, we've had leg
00:21:30.159 --> 00:21:31.830
amputees." I said, "No, you've had
00:21:31.840 --> 00:21:33.750
people missing their feet. you never had
00:21:33.760 --> 00:21:35.270
anybody that's an above the knee amput
00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:36.390
and there was silence on the phone
00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:38.070
because then it clicked people if you
00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:39.590
don't know you don't know so there's
00:21:39.600 --> 00:21:41.909
nothing against that but we had to
00:21:41.919 --> 00:21:44.230
adjust because of that how we moved how
00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:45.750
we did everything
00:21:45.760 --> 00:21:47.750
>> um and because of that hurdle we had to
00:21:47.760 --> 00:21:51.270
come up we had to get over early on we
00:21:51.280 --> 00:21:53.270
got really close like even the judges
00:21:53.280 --> 00:21:55.750
after I don't remember what week it was
00:21:55.760 --> 00:21:58.230
one of the judges said we usually don't
00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:01.750
see this type of connection until week
00:22:01.760 --> 00:22:03.909
you know seven or right further on into
00:22:03.919 --> 00:22:06.070
the season and we were clicking sooner
00:22:06.080 --> 00:22:07.990
and I think because when you're working
00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:10.070
and you have a big hurdle to overcome it
00:22:10.080 --> 00:22:11.669
forces people
00:22:11.679 --> 00:22:14.789
>> to get closer and have to work. Yes. And
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:17.350
so and she was a hu she's just an
00:22:17.360 --> 00:22:20.149
amazing dancer and so what she created
00:22:20.159 --> 00:22:22.710
with me was very impressive. In fact, by
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.470
the end of the season I remember her
00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:26.950
showing me her arms and how buff they
00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:28.549
were. She said, "This is because I was
00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:30.630
toting you around the dance floor for 10
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.310
weeks trying to make it look like you
00:22:32.320 --> 00:22:34.390
were leading." But that's how great she
00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:35.270
was. Wow.
00:22:35.280 --> 00:22:37.750
>> And so that was cool. But the overall
00:22:37.760 --> 00:22:41.750
experience not being a dancer was
00:22:41.760 --> 00:22:44.230
>> extremely hard. Like we would rehearse
00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:46.789
for hours and hours and I one of the
00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.830
guys uh Riker Lynch from the TV show
00:22:49.840 --> 00:22:51.830
Glee. Like a lot of the people have
00:22:51.840 --> 00:22:53.669
dancing backgrounds and I've heard
00:22:53.679 --> 00:22:55.029
people say that's not fair to have
00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.710
people with. I was like, well, if none
00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:58.470
if every one of us showed up without
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.070
dance experience,
00:23:00.080 --> 00:23:01.909
>> you wouldn't watch it to week two. You
00:23:01.919 --> 00:23:03.029
got [laughter] to have some
00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:03.830
entertainment
00:23:03.840 --> 00:23:06.070
>> just like body awareness, you know. But
00:23:06.080 --> 00:23:07.909
here's the thing. While you don't, I'm
00:23:07.919 --> 00:23:09.190
saying this as someone that literally
00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:10.570
teaches tap dance as well. But
00:23:10.580 --> 00:23:14.149
[laughter] like but you do from your
00:23:14.159 --> 00:23:16.789
growing up being in fitness and even
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.510
your you know re your own rehab like you
00:23:19.520 --> 00:23:21.990
do gain I think a different awareness
00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.430
even just being a person with a
00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:25.270
disability if you are willing to dive in
00:23:25.280 --> 00:23:27.669
and do the work like you know your body
00:23:27.679 --> 00:23:30.950
better than anybody else and hopefully
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:33.510
you know how to communicate what your
00:23:33.520 --> 00:23:34.789
body can and cannot do.
00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:37.190
>> Yeah. Well, I mean it, you know, I I'm
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:39.029
love that you brought that up because I
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:40.549
noticed
00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:44.149
after several weeks of dancing that my
00:23:44.159 --> 00:23:47.190
gate, how I moved was even better as an
00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:49.669
ampute. I remember when I was we were
00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:51.350
doing an interview, Shauna and I, and I
00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:53.510
said that she'd never heard me say that,
00:23:53.520 --> 00:23:55.750
and she was like, "Wow." Cuz it was I
00:23:55.760 --> 00:23:57.430
was like, "Yeah, I can credit Shauna to
00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:00.390
me even moving better now than I did
00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.630
before." Oh, I have much better
00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.230
appreciation for the art of dance
00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.510
because of that show.
00:24:05.520 --> 00:24:07.270
>> But I love what you just said though
00:24:07.280 --> 00:24:09.430
because I think
00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:10.950
knowing and having the arts background
00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:12.549
that I do like
00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:14.789
>> it wasn't physical therapy that made you
00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.310
move in a different way. It was just
00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:18.310
learning a different way to move like
00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:20.390
and that's cool when it's not prescribed
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.230
and yet there's an effect. There's like
00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:23.350
oh my gosh.
00:24:23.360 --> 00:24:25.029
>> Yeah. Now there was like one of the
00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:28.230
things I struggled with was a good and a
00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:31.269
bad because like Shaa had said as we
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.590
started working she realized how strong
00:24:33.600 --> 00:24:34.549
I was
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:36.950
>> and she was really impressed. So
00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.510
>> uh we would always work on certain
00:24:39.520 --> 00:24:41.350
dances won't allow lifts but in
00:24:41.360 --> 00:24:43.190
rehearsal we would practice lifts all
00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:44.789
the time just because she was so
00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:46.789
impressed with my strength. Now, because
00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:50.630
I don't have a dancing background, I uh
00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:52.870
injured myself a couple of times because
00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:57.350
I was musling things that I had then I
00:24:57.360 --> 00:24:59.510
had some of the male dancers show me,
00:24:59.520 --> 00:25:01.430
you know, how to do things in a way with
00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:02.870
less energy.
00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:04.549
>> Uh because if you don't know it, I mean,
00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:07.029
how can you figure that out? Uh, and
00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:09.590
there were times that we had situations
00:25:09.600 --> 00:25:10.710
that
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.950
>> it was hard for me to communicate and
00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:15.269
explain to Shauna that my center of
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.390
gravity is different.
00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:16.870
>> Yeah.
00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:18.470
>> You know, that I can't do this, I can't
00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.830
because there was one move we were doing
00:25:19.840 --> 00:25:22.070
that she was stepping up on me.
00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:24.710
>> And it was someone else who spotted it
00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.149
>> as she was trying to wrap her head
00:25:26.159 --> 00:25:27.990
around it and because they were looking
00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:30.070
on the outside end, they saw it
00:25:30.080 --> 00:25:31.590
>> and they were able to correct it and
00:25:31.600 --> 00:25:32.950
then it was then everything clicked
00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:34.549
after that. Well, and I'm sure that
00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:36.149
brought you so much more like you
00:25:36.159 --> 00:25:37.669
already have a lot of body awareness
00:25:37.679 --> 00:25:39.350
being the person that lives in your
00:25:39.360 --> 00:25:41.350
body, but also anytime you're learning a
00:25:41.360 --> 00:25:42.950
new way to move, like it just opened
00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:44.630
your brain up to like, oh, I didn't
00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:46.630
realize my center of gravity was
00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:48.789
different until I was moving in this
00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:49.190
way.
00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.710
>> Yeah. Or needed it until Yeah. until you
00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:52.230
had until it was
00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:53.510
>> right in front of your face. You're
00:25:53.520 --> 00:25:54.549
like, oh, okay.
00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:56.870
>> It's really, really cool. I just love
00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.269
that so much. What do you think was the
00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.110
biggest takeaway you had from that
00:26:01.120 --> 00:26:05.830
experience? if you could pick one.
00:26:05.840 --> 00:26:09.350
>> I mean I you know I think the overall
00:26:09.360 --> 00:26:11.269
takeaway from being on that show was the
00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:13.430
appreciation of the art of dance.
00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:14.230
>> I love it.
00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:17.750
>> Like 100% that because I mean
00:26:17.760 --> 00:26:19.909
>> I'm glad I did this show looking back
00:26:19.919 --> 00:26:22.230
like it put me on I didn't I know now
00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.453
how big a show that is. I didn't know.
00:26:24.463 --> 00:26:25.510
[laughter]
00:26:25.520 --> 00:26:28.710
Um, but it's like the appreciate
00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.230
watching
00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:33.029
other people doing their dances uh and
00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.909
telling their story in dance. I really
00:26:37.919 --> 00:26:40.630
enjoyed. In fact, I keep saying that I'm
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.190
going to uh take dance lessons, actual
00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:46.710
dance lessons, because it's a crash
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.510
course
00:26:47.520 --> 00:26:49.110
>> on that show because you're just like I
00:26:49.120 --> 00:26:50.070
remember one time I did an interview,
00:26:50.080 --> 00:26:51.269
they're like, "So, [snorts] you've been
00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:52.390
here for a few weeks. What's your
00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:53.830
favorite dance style?" I'm like, I have
00:26:53.840 --> 00:26:54.870
no idea
00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:57.029
>> what I'm doing. Each week is just Shauna
00:26:57.039 --> 00:26:58.870
telling me a different thing to do. You
00:26:58.880 --> 00:26:59.750
know, I don't know.
00:26:59.760 --> 00:27:01.110
>> Style that.
00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:02.149
>> Yeah. [laughter]
00:27:02.159 --> 00:27:04.470
>> I love that so much. So, Dancing with
00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.149
the Stars was not the end of your TV
00:27:06.159 --> 00:27:08.549
career. You were also on a show that ran
00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:10.230
for, I think, two seasons, right? Called
00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:11.350
American Grit.
00:27:11.360 --> 00:27:11.830
>> Yes.
00:27:11.840 --> 00:27:13.269
>> How was that process and how did you get
00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:15.269
approached for that and and just tell
00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:16.950
our folks all about it?
00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.549
>> Well, it was right after Dance with the
00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.269
Stars, so I was extremely busy. people
00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:22.630
coming at me from different directions
00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:26.070
and that came up and it was a
00:27:26.080 --> 00:27:27.990
>> so you had John Cena was the host and
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:30.149
then you had me a commander from a Navy
00:27:30.159 --> 00:27:32.710
Seal unit, a sniper from a ranger
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:36.710
battalion and a female marine and then
00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:39.430
there were 16 competitors and we were
00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.190
able to take some time and look at their
00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:42.630
background, their information and then
00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:45.430
we got on a call and we draftpicked our
00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:48.470
teams [laughter] and so of course we had
00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:50.230
time to study them. So most of we pretty
00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:52.149
much had an idea who we wanted.
00:27:52.159 --> 00:27:54.630
>> Uh and we created our team and then we
00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:57.510
led our team to these competitions
00:27:57.520 --> 00:28:01.830
>> and it was
00:28:01.840 --> 00:28:03.990
that for me was much more to go from
00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:05.909
Dance with the Stars where Shauna was
00:28:05.919 --> 00:28:07.110
telling me what to do.
00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:07.909
>> You were the boss.
00:28:07.919 --> 00:28:10.230
>> Then I was the boss and it was much more
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.510
comfortable. Um and I really enjoyed it.
00:28:13.520 --> 00:28:15.110
Uh
00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:17.350
you can watch it on Hulu or Fox now. And
00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:18.710
I don't want to ruin it for people, but
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:22.070
my team dominated and won. Uh so there's
00:28:22.080 --> 00:28:22.870
that.
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:25.190
>> Love [laughter] that so much. Of course
00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:26.549
they did. You were their fearless
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:28.789
leader. What was that like working with
00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:30.389
folks that probably I mean I guess it
00:28:30.399 --> 00:28:33.190
was a little bit of like opposite day
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.789
from Dancing with the Stars, right?
00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:35.190
Because
00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:36.070
>> complete opposite.
00:28:36.080 --> 00:28:39.350
>> That's so cool to me. Um what like do
00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:40.870
you still keep in contact with your
00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:41.750
team? Do you still
00:28:41.760 --> 00:28:43.269
>> I do. I mean, it's been it's been a
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.549
little while, but we're all on social
00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:46.870
media and I'll keep up with them.
00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:48.950
>> Uh, because I, you know, that was one of
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.909
the things that
00:28:51.919 --> 00:28:55.350
>> the show it was filmed all within
00:28:55.360 --> 00:28:58.070
several weeks and then edited and and
00:28:58.080 --> 00:28:59.110
played. So, it was different than
00:28:59.120 --> 00:29:01.990
Dancing with the Stars that was live.
00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:05.110
And they my team was dominant was just
00:29:05.120 --> 00:29:08.789
dominating this these events and they
00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:10.950
started trying to manipulate it because
00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:13.590
they didn't feel like that made for good
00:29:13.600 --> 00:29:15.269
>> entertainment. Oh yeah. Not that not the
00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:16.070
narrative they wanted.
00:29:16.080 --> 00:29:18.470
>> And then I became protective of my team
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:22.149
because I was paid whether I won or not.
00:29:22.159 --> 00:29:26.470
Uh but the team if we ended up where you
00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:28.230
have a team of four then we lost two of
00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:30.389
them before the end but the final two
00:29:30.399 --> 00:29:32.549
each got $250,000
00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:37.669
each that's lifechanging. Uh so I wanted
00:29:37.679 --> 00:29:41.669
them to win for that and so it became
00:29:41.679 --> 00:29:43.830
there was a lot of struggles we dealt
00:29:43.840 --> 00:29:46.230
with on the show because of them trying
00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:47.510
to make good television
00:29:47.520 --> 00:29:49.269
>> because of the haters. Well, yeah. I
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:51.590
mean, well, that at the end of the day,
00:29:51.600 --> 00:29:54.549
you know, the executive producers and
00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:56.630
the and Fox itself, they're trying to
00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.070
make a TV show,
00:29:58.080 --> 00:30:01.029
>> right? And an arc and a Y.
00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:03.110
>> But then I'm being protective of my
00:30:03.120 --> 00:30:04.789
team. So, there was a lot of clashing
00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:05.510
that happened.
00:30:05.520 --> 00:30:07.350
>> Yeah, that I mean that makes a lot of
00:30:07.360 --> 00:30:08.870
sense.
00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.669
>> Wow. That is just such a cool concept
00:30:11.679 --> 00:30:13.750
for a show and I kind of want to go back
00:30:13.760 --> 00:30:16.470
and rewind. Well, I you know what people
00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:18.950
enjoyed about it that I talked to a lot
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:20.630
of veterans watched it enjoyed it and
00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:23.029
they love because it wasn't drama it was
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:24.310
just competition
00:30:24.320 --> 00:30:26.470
>> but then the second season they tried to
00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.389
make it more
00:30:28.399 --> 00:30:30.870
>> like real world or something like that
00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:34.149
>> and the audience just wasn't for them.
00:30:34.159 --> 00:30:35.510
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's the
00:30:35.520 --> 00:30:37.350
thing, too, is I think veterans just
00:30:37.360 --> 00:30:40.230
like anyone from any group wants to see
00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:41.990
also some really good authentic
00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:44.870
representation of like also like what
00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:46.470
their experience was like and how they
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.269
can, you know,
00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:49.430
>> I mean, look at uh social media now.
00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:51.269
That was 10 years ago. But even on
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.389
social media, people are more drawn to
00:30:54.399 --> 00:30:57.510
videos that aren't heavily edited,
00:30:57.520 --> 00:30:59.750
aren't taken with a fancy camera, are
00:30:59.760 --> 00:31:02.389
not, you know, this
00:31:02.399 --> 00:31:04.950
>> what you would see on the screen.
00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:05.269
>> Yeah.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:07.029
>> That you know, it's more authentic. And
00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:08.630
that's what people want to see because
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:10.549
we're so used we've we've gotten tired
00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:13.029
of seeing fake authenticency.
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:14.549
Authenticity.
00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:17.110
>> Exactly. Well, speaking of authenticity,
00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:19.029
I know you've written a book.
00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:20.549
>> Tell us about your book and when did you
00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.909
decide, you know what, I'm going to add
00:31:21.919 --> 00:31:24.389
author to my uh resume as well.
00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:26.070
>> Well, so the book is Living with No
00:31:26.080 --> 00:31:28.950
Excuses. And
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:32.470
>> I did it actually. So, the first
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:34.789
national story that was ever done on me
00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:37.190
was several years before Dancing with
00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:40.870
the Stars. And the girl that did it, I
00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:42.789
was really impressed with the not just
00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:44.789
the video piece, but the written article
00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.350
that she did. And something about it, I
00:31:47.360 --> 00:31:48.870
was like, I didn't know I'd ever do a
00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:50.389
book, but I thought if I ever do a book,
00:31:50.399 --> 00:31:51.750
she's going to help me do it.
00:31:51.760 --> 00:31:54.710
>> And then fast forward several years and
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:56.710
I just finished Dancing with the Stars
00:31:56.720 --> 00:31:59.430
and so I had some money and I called her
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:00.470
and I was like, "What are you doing?"
00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:01.830
She's like, "I'm actually in between
00:32:01.840 --> 00:32:03.590
jobs." I was like, "Perfect. I want to
00:32:03.600 --> 00:32:06.470
hire you to be my ghostriter." and she
00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.990
was perfect because it was during
00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:10.470
American Grit that we were working on
00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:11.029
the book.
00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:12.070
>> Oh, that's cool.
00:32:12.080 --> 00:32:14.710
>> Well, cool. But also looking back, it
00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:17.190
explains a lot of the struggles I dealt
00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:19.269
with emotionally on that show because
00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:20.950
during the day we were filming and at
00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:22.950
night I'd get to my hotel room and get
00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:25.110
on the phone with her and she knew how
00:32:25.120 --> 00:32:27.110
to draw stories out of me. But then at
00:32:27.120 --> 00:32:30.149
night I'm reliving, you know, different
00:32:30.159 --> 00:32:32.549
parts of my past, traumatic parts of my
00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:34.710
past. And so then that would just
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:38.310
trigger me and you know being much more
00:32:38.320 --> 00:32:41.350
mental health aware now like that was
00:32:41.360 --> 00:32:43.669
>> keeping me on edge
00:32:43.679 --> 00:32:44.870
>> never turning it off.
00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:45.269
>> Yeah.
00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:47.509
>> You know my
00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:49.190
nervous system was just in fight or
00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:51.029
flight all the time. Yeah.
00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:52.710
>> Um but
00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:54.950
>> she did an amazing job working with me
00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:55.830
on that book.
00:32:55.840 --> 00:32:56.310
>> Yeah.
00:32:56.320 --> 00:32:59.909
>> Um I love that book. It's an easy read.
00:32:59.919 --> 00:33:02.789
It was stressful because the uh
00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:04.950
publishing company kept cutting things
00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:05.509
out.
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:06.870
>> That's so hard, too, because you're
00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:09.269
like, "Oh, it's just my life." Yeah. And
00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:10.710
I even threatened to drop them.
00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:11.190
>> Yeah.
00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.230
>> And uh we they made some accommodation
00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:17.350
and and hung in there and it actually
00:33:17.360 --> 00:33:18.630
ended up being a good book because it's
00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:20.230
an easy read. Most people I talked to
00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:22.149
say they read it in like two days, two
00:33:22.159 --> 00:33:23.509
or three days. Like it's just a simple
00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:26.310
read. Uh, but I want to do another one
00:33:26.320 --> 00:33:29.350
because I feel like I could dive deeper
00:33:29.360 --> 00:33:31.830
into the darkness. Not to make a
00:33:31.840 --> 00:33:35.029
depressing book, but to dive deeper into
00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:36.950
the struggles. Because I've learned in
00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:39.590
my mental health journey sharing my
00:33:39.600 --> 00:33:41.909
story.
00:33:41.919 --> 00:33:43.909
A lot of times we think we're only ones
00:33:43.919 --> 00:33:45.509
experiencing something until we hear
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.509
someone else say it and we're like, "Oh,
00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:49.430
okay. I'm not the only one." Or, "Oh my
00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:52.070
god, I completely relate to that." and
00:33:52.080 --> 00:33:54.149
I've experienced it and I've had other
00:33:54.159 --> 00:33:56.310
people experience it from my chair. So,
00:33:56.320 --> 00:33:58.149
I want to do another book that dives
00:33:58.159 --> 00:34:00.149
deeper into my struggles and now that
00:34:00.159 --> 00:34:01.750
I'm more aware of them. I mean, I
00:34:01.760 --> 00:34:03.750
couldn't have been that truthful in the
00:34:03.760 --> 00:34:04.230
first book.
00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:05.509
>> You probably didn't have half the words
00:34:05.519 --> 00:34:08.310
to even or even understand it.
00:34:08.320 --> 00:34:10.389
>> You know, I didn't even understand it.
00:34:10.399 --> 00:34:11.829
>> Well, and I think it's so important that
00:34:11.839 --> 00:34:13.589
you bring that to light and I'm just so
00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:15.430
grateful for this conversation that has
00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:19.190
been so um just open and honest from the
00:34:19.200 --> 00:34:21.750
start. I think it's crucial for for
00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:23.750
anyone to live a more authentic life,
00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:25.109
but especially for the disabled
00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:26.230
community to know like,
00:34:26.240 --> 00:34:26.710
>> yeah,
00:34:26.720 --> 00:34:28.629
>> yeah, you're gonna have seasons of your
00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:32.310
life that absolutely are just the
00:34:32.320 --> 00:34:35.109
darkest thing you could imagine. Um,
00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:36.310
>> that's my kind way to say it.
00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:41.669
>> Yeah. No, I I I get invited to go to
00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:43.990
meet people who have are recently been
00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:45.589
injured, especially amputees.
00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:46.230
>> Yeah.
00:34:46.240 --> 00:34:48.629
>> And I'm I don't hold back. I don't come
00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:51.349
in like life's going to suck. No, but I
00:34:51.359 --> 00:34:53.589
in the middle of of our conversation, I
00:34:53.599 --> 00:34:57.030
will remind them or inform them that
00:34:57.040 --> 00:34:58.710
there are going to be days that this is
00:34:58.720 --> 00:35:00.230
going to be really hard. Like you're
00:35:00.240 --> 00:35:02.230
used to a certain way of life and it's
00:35:02.240 --> 00:35:04.710
it is different and this world isn't
00:35:04.720 --> 00:35:07.510
designed to have a disability, right?
00:35:07.520 --> 00:35:09.910
Um, and so there are going to be
00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:12.230
struggles, but then with that with that
00:35:12.240 --> 00:35:16.150
I I let them know that those dark days
00:35:16.160 --> 00:35:17.990
are only going to make the good days bad
00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:18.470
better.
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:18.950
>> Exactly.
00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:21.109
>> Because you can you never truly
00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:23.190
experience h happiness if you've never
00:35:23.200 --> 00:35:25.270
experienced sadness. There has to be
00:35:25.280 --> 00:35:27.109
there's no light without darkness.
00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:29.030
There's no up without down. You know
00:35:29.040 --> 00:35:31.190
what I mean? So those dark days will
00:35:31.200 --> 00:35:33.109
only make those good days better. And
00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.710
those good days are there and they'll
00:35:34.720 --> 00:35:37.190
get and over time those good days become
00:35:37.200 --> 00:35:40.470
more and more and more. But but I feel
00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:43.190
like you that's something worth hearing
00:35:43.200 --> 00:35:45.270
early on so that when they do have those
00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:47.910
days I hope my voice pops in their head
00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:50.230
like oh yeah Noah said this is going to
00:35:50.240 --> 00:35:52.150
suck but only for a little while.
00:35:52.160 --> 00:35:53.589
There's always a light at the end of the
00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:53.990
tunnel.
00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:55.430
>> Yeah. It's important to not be surprised
00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:57.510
by that. You know, but also it's
00:35:57.520 --> 00:35:59.270
important to see the other side of and
00:35:59.280 --> 00:36:01.030
then give it a couple years and you're
00:36:01.040 --> 00:36:02.950
going to wake up and like
00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:04.390
>> people ask me all the time like when you
00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:06.310
wake up and you can't see, is that just
00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:07.750
so hard? And I'm like, "No, because I
00:36:07.760 --> 00:36:09.430
don't remember." Like I don't wake up
00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:11.030
and think, "Oh, another day I can't
00:36:11.040 --> 00:36:13.910
see." Like that's just not how it goes.
00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:15.829
The only reason I remember I have a
00:36:15.839 --> 00:36:18.310
disability is when it's like dark out
00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:21.030
and I can't see at night or when someone
00:36:21.040 --> 00:36:23.109
gives me something to read, like if I'm
00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:24.390
speaking somewhere and they give me
00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:26.150
something in a regular size font and I'm
00:36:26.160 --> 00:36:27.430
like, "Oh, I guess you don't want me to
00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:29.190
speak then, do you?" [laughter] Um, you
00:36:29.200 --> 00:36:31.030
know, and then but but it's it's very
00:36:31.040 --> 00:36:32.630
rare that I wake up and think like
00:36:32.640 --> 00:36:34.870
another day I can't do things, you know.
00:36:34.880 --> 00:36:36.150
And so I think that's important for
00:36:36.160 --> 00:36:37.829
people to hear too of like it's going to
00:36:37.839 --> 00:36:39.910
be rough and then there will come a time
00:36:39.920 --> 00:36:41.270
when you're like oh this whole thing
00:36:41.280 --> 00:36:41.670
like
00:36:41.680 --> 00:36:43.030
>> Yeah. Well, you know, and it's easy to
00:36:43.040 --> 00:36:45.670
to remember that because sometimes you
00:36:45.680 --> 00:36:47.349
can get caught up with a disability and
00:36:47.359 --> 00:36:49.349
focus on the disability. That's what's
00:36:49.359 --> 00:36:51.030
ruining my day. You know what I mean?
00:36:51.040 --> 00:36:53.670
Oh, if I had my leg, if I had my arm, if
00:36:53.680 --> 00:36:56.230
I could see a little better. But
00:36:56.240 --> 00:36:58.870
>> I remember being completely
00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:02.069
able-bodied and having bad days as well,
00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:04.790
you know. So, yeah. So those happen and
00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.670
it's all about that's where I reiterate
00:37:07.680 --> 00:37:08.950
to people that taking care of your
00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:10.950
mental health is what is going to help
00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:12.710
you in those dark times.
00:37:12.720 --> 00:37:14.069
>> Thank you for sharing that with us and
00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:15.510
just for being here today. I feel like
00:37:15.520 --> 00:37:17.510
we got to learn so much about your story
00:37:17.520 --> 00:37:20.230
and if people who are listening want to
00:37:20.240 --> 00:37:21.910
follow you and learn more, which hello,
00:37:21.920 --> 00:37:23.030
I'm right there with you. I'm like your
00:37:23.040 --> 00:37:25.349
number one fan already. Uh where can we
00:37:25.359 --> 00:37:26.870
go to learn more and and see what you're
00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:28.710
up to? Yeah. So, I have my website, nog
00:37:28.720 --> 00:37:30.630
gallalloway.com, and there should be
00:37:30.640 --> 00:37:33.910
links on it. Uh, that, you know, I'm I'm
00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:36.069
not like I have social media and I I'm
00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:37.589
trying to get better at post. I I'll do
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:38.870
it for a little while. I'll stop, but I
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:41.990
am on Instagram. I dabble on Tik Tok
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:42.630
sometimes.
00:37:42.640 --> 00:37:45.670
>> Oo, a Tik Tok dabbler. [laughter] Okay.
00:37:45.680 --> 00:37:47.510
>> Um, but I am on social media, but I
00:37:47.520 --> 00:37:49.750
think the easiest way is uh the website
00:37:49.760 --> 00:37:51.190
Noah Galloway.com.
00:37:51.200 --> 00:37:53.030
>> No, I love it. Thank you so much for
00:37:53.040 --> 00:37:54.390
joining us. This was awesome.
00:37:54.400 --> 00:37:57.451
>> Thank you so much, Ally.
00:37:57.461 --> 00:37:59.510
>> [music]
00:37:59.520 --> 00:38:01.190
>> Thanks for joining us for another
00:38:01.200 --> 00:38:03.190
episode of Nothing Without Us, a
00:38:03.200 --> 00:38:05.510
disability advocacy podcast produced by
00:38:05.520 --> 00:38:08.150
Lakeshore Foundation. If you loved this
00:38:08.160 --> 00:38:10.470
episode, we hope that you'll like it and
00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:12.710
share it with a friend, family member,
00:38:12.720 --> 00:38:15.430
colleague, really anyone. I know I'll be
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:19.030
sharing this one far and wide. Also, we
00:38:19.040 --> 00:38:20.950
hope that you'll join us over on our
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Like, share clips that you love and get
00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:29.349
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00:38:29.359 --> 00:38:31.349
forward to seeing you again next week.
00:38:31.359 --> 00:38:34.786
Bye.
00:38:34.796 --> 00:38:36.150
[music]
00:38:36.160 --> 00:38:38.870
>> I'm John Kemp, president and CEO of
00:38:38.880 --> 00:38:41.349
Lakeshore Foundation, and I thank you
00:38:41.359 --> 00:38:43.750
for joining us for this episode of
00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:46.710
Nothing Without Us. The conversations on
00:38:46.720 --> 00:38:48.790
this podcast are a good reminder that
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:50.790
progress happens when people with
00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:53.190
disabilities are not just included, but
00:38:53.200 --> 00:38:55.670
are leading the conversation. You may
00:38:55.680 --> 00:38:57.670
have heard Ally ask our guests how they
00:38:57.680 --> 00:39:00.069
began to be an advocate for themselves.
00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:02.230
And that is always an important part of
00:39:02.240 --> 00:39:05.829
the story. Advocacy creates opportunity.
00:39:05.839 --> 00:39:08.390
Advocacy changes perceptions. and
00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:10.790
advocacy helps build communities in
00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:12.950
which everyone has the chance to live
00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:16.230
healthy, active, and independent lives.
00:39:16.240 --> 00:39:18.870
If you enjoyed today's episode, please
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subscribe and share it with others. Your
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support helps us amplify these important
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00:39:26.640 --> 00:39:28.470
can also support the work of Lakeshore
00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:31.990
Foundation by visiting lakeshore.org.
00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:33.589
There you'll learn more about our
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:35.750
mission and the many programs designed
00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:37.910
to create opportunities for people with
00:39:37.920 --> 00:39:39.829
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00:39:39.839 --> 00:39:42.550
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00:39:42.560 --> 00:39:45.589
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00:39:45.599 --> 00:39:47.349
Thank you for being part of the Nothing
00:39:47.359 --> 00:39:51.510
Without Us community.
00:39:51.520 --> 00:39:53.270
Nothing without us, a disability
00:39:53.280 --> 00:39:55.030
advocacy podcast, is produced by
00:39:55.040 --> 00:39:57.750
Lakeshore Foundation, Alli Gory, Terry
00:39:57.760 --> 00:40:00.390
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00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:01.750
For more information, visit
00:40:01.760 --> 00:40:04.760
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