Wellness, Health & Everything Else: A NCHPAD Podcast

In this episode, we’re joined by Patrick Parkes and Nick Taylor from USA Boccia. Both are boccia athletes as well as members of the organization’s board of directors. They share valuable perspectives on the sport and its unique adaptability for athletes of all abilities. Patrick Parkes has been playing boccia since 2016 and has won numerous National medals and is a former U.S. National Team athlete who competed in the BC2 division ...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jereme Wilroy to discuss his personal story after sustaining a spinal cord injury at a young age. In the time since his injury, Jereme has gone on to play adapted sports, built a career in exercise science research and more. Jereme is an Associate Professor with a doctorate in health education and promotion. His research centers on telehealth interventions and adaptive intervention designs to de...

In this episode, NCHPAD Director Dr. James Rimmer explores the concept of holistic wellness and how adopting a mindset centered on perspective, performance, and production can transform our approach to health and life. Throughout his career, Dr. Rimmer has championed a comprehensive view of wellness, emphasizing the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. His "three P's" framework encourages individuals to rei...

In this episode, we sit down with Christy Swaid, Founder and CEO of HEAL United, and Donna Hester, Curriculum Architect and Coordinator. HEAL United is a nonprofit focused on improving children’s health and reshaping health culture through education and real-world practice of healthy lifestyle habits. Their evidence-based, age-specific curriculum covers topics like nutrition, physical activity, sleep, self-esteem, and community inv...

In this episode, we talk with Emma Taylor, a mental health coach for the GROWTH program through NCHPAD Connect. As part of our Self-Care Summer content series, Emma shares her expertise on managing daily energy levels, prioritizing self-care, and practicing self-compassion. She offers thoughtful advice and relatable strategies that tie directly into the impactful work being done in the GROWTH program, making this conversation both ...

In this episode, we chat with Emily Hornsby, NCHPAD’s Mindfulness Curriculum Coordinator, and Cathy Wright about the power of mindfulness. Both Emily and Cathy come from a legal background and share how mindfulness transformed their personal and professional lives. They break down what mindfulness really means, how it differs from meditation, and offer practical tips for weaving it into everyday life.

A full episode transcript is av...

In this episode, we talk with Joon Reid, about the benefits of adapted sports and his life's journey. Joon has played many sports in his lifetime and it led to him competing for the United States internationally. Joon also discusses his passion for cooking, working as a professional chef for the last 26 years. He stays close to sports through his work at the Lakeshore Foundation, cooking for athletes when they come to train an...

Join us as we speak with Avery Vitemb, a Clinical Research Coordinator for the UAB School of Health Professions and Instructor for the Movement-2-Music study. Movement-2-Music is a 12-week rhythmic-based exercise program on health and fitness outcomes in people with neurological disabilities. To help express the health benefits of movement and dance, Avery shared her insight from her personal and professional experience with dance ...

In this episode, we talk with Rosemarie Garland-Thomson about the upcoming LOOKING. DIFFERENT. event for NCHPAD and the UAB Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (CEDHARS). Rosemarie is the subject of Riva Lehrer's Portrait of Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, the featured painting at the LOOKING. DIFFERENT. event on May 8. 

We talked with Rosemarie about her personal and professional background, her c...

In this episode, we're talking about the upcoming LOOKING. DIFFERENT. event for NCHPAD and the UAB Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (CEDHARS) with Riva Lehrer. Riva is an artist, writer, and curator who focuses on the socially challenged body. 

The event will feature the artwork Portrait of Rosemarie Garland-Thomson from Lehrer’s exploration of cultural depictions of disability, a discussio...

In this episode, we're talking about service dogs with Dr. Meghan Mills, NCHPAD Operations Director. She earned her doctorate at the University of New Hampshire in medical sociology, with expertise in the social model of disability and the unequal social distribution of health outcomes. Dr. Mills is also a person with a disability who relies on her service dog, Arrow, to live independently. Given her professional and lived exp...

In this episode, we talk with Bob Lujano, NCHPAD Expert Inclusion Specialist (EIS) and 2004 Paralympian for Team USA's wheelchair rugby team. To celebrate 20 years since his athletic achievement, Bob reflects on training and competing for Team USA, his time in Athens, Greece, the life lessons he's learned and more. 

A full episode transcript is available in the episode details.

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