It's hard enough being a kid trying to fit in. Imagine being a brown kid with one leg growing up an affluent and very white Connecticut town. Vasu Sojitra was diagnosed with septicemia at the age of nine months which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs.
He spent much of his youth finding his way in the world. In fact, His TedX Bozeman Talk is titled “What is Your Normal?”
Now, Vasu is the Adaptive Sports Director for Eagle Mount Bozeman, Coordinator for Earthtone Outsideᴹᵀ, the first adaptive Athlete for The North Face.
Vasu shared with me how he managed and what got him through those years. He shared with us how he started skiing, what skiing did for him and how he figured out how to engineer equipment to get him out in the backcountry. And now, now that skiing and the outdoors has restored his self-confidence and belief he can do anything, he’s advocating for all marginalized identities. He talks to us about how we can all be better, more empathetic and inclusive. All of us, no matter how we identify, can be ignorant of how our words, actions (and lack of both) affect others.
For example, there is one word Vasu said people with disabilities absolutely hate. And you’ll have to listen in to find out what it is.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Vasu
Resources mentioned:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber:
Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.
The long-term influence of seemingly small interactions.
Adrienne Lindholm took a life-altering trip at the age of 11 - a cross-country camping trip that expanded this Western Pennsylvania girl’s awareness of what is possible in this life. Now, she lives in Alaska with her husband and two kids is an author and land conservationist.
She has worked for the National Park Service as a backcountry ranger, park planner, compliance officer, and natural resource manager. She now oversees the Wilderness Stewardship Program for the national parks in Alaska.
Twenty years ago, she published several instructional books about backpacking as well as a memoir of her 2,100-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail. More recently, her stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals and magazines. She recently released her new book It Happened Like This; A Life in Alaska, a beautifully written memoir. I highly recommend but after you listen to our conversation, I know you’ll want to read it too.
In today’s episode, Adrienne and I talk about writing as therapy, her evolving relationship with the wilderness over the decades, and how we tie our self worth to our performance in the outdoors.
You’re going to enjoy this one.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Adrienne:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber:
Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.
Erik Murdock is the Policy Director for the Access Fund whose mission is to protect climbing access and conserve the environment. He represents climbers’ interests and values in Washington, DC while monitoring activities on Capitol Hill to identifying possible threats (and opportunities) to climbing access and conservation.
What draws someone to this type of work, I wondered? You’ll learn more about his journey to where he is now but let me start by saying, you never know the impact a decision or an event can have on the rest of your life. In Erik’s case, it was a cross country road bike trip at the age of 16 (and, he’ll add, a parenting decision on behalf of his mom who actually let him do the trip) that set his life on a huge trajectory.
His various experiences combined the physical sciences with the human dimension to understand how to manage lands and advocate for our interests - those of us who live to play in the wilderness.
I learned a lot talking to Erik and know you will as well, from what types of policies are currently being reviewed by our congress, to the impact of government shutdowns on our environment and how we can stay informed and get involved.
it’s great to have people like Erik advocating for our interests and I was pleasantly surprised by how optimistic he is with the current state of affairs.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Erik:
File an Access report, subscribe to the monthly policy digest, and get involved:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber:
Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.