60: Swimming to Tokyo with Haven Shepherd

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Haven is a 16 year old swimmer who hopes to earn her spot on the United States Paralympic team for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan. She lost her legs when she was an infant because of a failed suicide bomb attempt by her birth parents. She views her life with no legs as a blessing and embraces the potential opportunity to represent the United States as an elite athlete. In this episode:

  • Surviving a family suicide attempt as an infant, but losing both legs below the knees
  • Going to Dancing with the Stars at age 11
  • Viewing her life without legs as a blessing
  • Finding security in her identity which is far above swimmer, amputee, or athlete
  • Gratefulness for adoption and her adoptive parents
  • Feeling freedom while swimming
  • 6-8 swimming practices/week, 3 crossfit workouts/week, swim 6,000 yards/day
  • Implementing crossfit workouts into her training schedule
  • Finding confidence in her family when she is in doubt
  • Time experienced vs. time wasted
  • Circumstances don’t determine one’s future

You can follow Haven and her journey on Instagram @havenfaithshepherd

59: Miles of Freedom from Incarceration

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Richard Miles was walking home one day when his life changed forever unexpectedly. He was arrested for murder and found guilty shortly after. He spent 15 years in prison before he was found innocent and exonerated. Once he was given his freedom, he decided to help others in Dallas adjust to their newfound freedom as well through Miles of Freedom. His organization provides resources and referrals to former inmates as they assimilate back into society. In this episode:

  • Growing up in Oak Cliff, Dallas
  • A normal walk home turns into suspect #1 arrest
  • Arrested due to racial prejudice
  • Finding a peace in being innocent
  • Learn the system, and adjust to the order of the system
  • The most brutal part of prison – the inability to choose
  • Losing hope year 11 into prison
  • I am in despair, I am a commodity, I must be useless
  • Wrestling with God over injustice and his race
  • Having faith before prison but working his faith for the first time in prison
  • Words from my cell – A Bible Study in prison, regaining hope
  • The shortest case Centurion has ever done – 15 month TAT
  • Centurion vs. Innocence Project. Centurion – Specializing in non-DNA cases. Innocence Project – Specalizing in DNA-evidence based cases.
  • Release in exoneration, Freedom in Innocence
  • Miles of Freedom – His non-profit that helps anyone who was incarcerated, guilty or innocent, transition back into society with rehabilitation programs, education opportunities, and career resources/connections.
  • #1 needed change in reform of the prison system – providing a quality of life for inmates once they are released from prison so they don’t return to life behind bars
  • Success in life is determined by potential, not position

You can find out more information about Richard and Miles of Freedom on Facebook @MilesofFreedom and www.milesoffreedom.org

58: Grizzly Attack with Todd Orr

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Todd Orr was born and raised in Montana, and is a modern-day mountain man. However, no amount of time spent in the wilderness can prepare a person for a grizzly bear attack, let alone 2 grizzly bear attacks in the same day. Todd survived both horrific attacks and shares why his love for nature will not fade. In this episode:

  • Growing up in Montana and working outside every single day.
  • A normal hike one day turns into a fight for survival with a grizzly bear
  • Bit 5-6 times in the right arm and shoulder
  • How to properly avoid an encounter with a bear, or protect yourself if it attacks
  • Playing dead while feeling the breath of a grizzly bear on his neck
  • Walking down the trail to safety and getting attacked by the bear for a 2nd time
  • Suffering a broken left forearm from the bite of a grizzly
  • A foot away from her face and staring into the eyes of a grizzly
  • Surviving 2 bear attacks and hiking 3 miles back down a trail to his car
  • Recovering after multiple surgeries and stitches
  • Returning to the woods and conquering fear

You can follow Todd on Instagram @todd_orr. You can also checkout his custom knives collection that are available for purchase at www.skybladeknives.com

57: Trip’s Folly; Building EA and Creating Madden

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Trip Hawkins built Electronic Arts and created the most widespread and popular sports video game of all time, Madden. He pioneered the video game industry and is one of the most well known video game creators in the industry. Trip went on to start many more companies with various levels of success. He is a professor at UC-Santa Barbara now. In this episode:

  • Getting hooked on the idea of video games at an early age
  • Creating his own major at Harvard – Strategy and Applied Game Theory, and becoming a pioneer
  • Finding a mentor in Tom Schelling, Noble Prize Winner, at Harvard
  • Trailblazing his own path to learn more about computers and video games
  • Joining Steve Jobs’ team and working for Apple
  • Leaving Apple and launching Electronic Arts
  • The birth of EA Sports – Having the first ever celebrity, Dr.J, involved with making a video game; Dr. J and Larry Bird go 1-on-1
  • Creating the most interactive sports game of all time – Madden football
  • How the biggest strength can become a blind spot and become the biggest weakness
  • Ego – the most potent part of the subconscious
  • Leaving EA, his first baby, behind and forming 3DO
  • Overcoming bankruptcy and the dissolve of 3DO
  • Finding gratitude in anything
  • Not tying yourself to an outcome or desire
  • Helping other technology startup entrepreneurs with his consulting practice
  • Why Tetrus and Fortnite have Trip’s utmost respect

You can find more information on Trip at https://tmp.ucsb.edu/about/people/trip-hawkins

56: Autistic Attorney with Haley Moss

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Haley Moss is the first openly autistic person to pass the Florida BAR exam and become an attorney. She is now practicing healthcare law in Miami. In this episode:

  • What is autism?
  • Her symptoms and signs at an early age
  • Struggling to make friends and overcoming sensory overload
  • Overcoming indirect bullying due to a lack of awareness
  • Advocacy – not doing politics; being able to make a decision for herself
  • Deciding to pursue law for the first time while she was an undergrad
  • The spoon theory, a way of looking at energy allocation throughout the day
  • Writing 2 books to help others with autism navigate through middle school and college
  • Adjusting to her new career
  • Haley’s suggestions on how to treat a person with autism
  • Different can be extraordinary

You can follow Haley on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @haleymossart, or you can check her website out www.haleymoss.net