Subscribe to hear stories of incredible grit and to get inspired

Whether you are a new listener or one of our regulars, the statistics show that you’ve cared for someone at some point (or will) or

If you provide care for an aging parent, spouse, relative or for an ill or disabled person, according to the AARP you are one of

The most recent census reported 7% of the US population are veterans. That’s about 18 million people who served in the active military, naval, or

“We are on this planet to do, not to observe.” says Hans Florine; a longtime climbing partner of Erik’s When Erik wanted to climb Mt.

Our No Barriers podcast hit a milestone this week. 150 episodes. That’s 150 innovators, athletes, activists, disability advocates, veterans, frontline workers, business leaders, educators, caregivers,

Our guest today is Jim Nowak; co-found of the dZi Foundation. The dZi Foundation works in partnership with remote communities in Nepal to improve quality

Erik spent the last few weeks adventuring in South America with today’s guest, Sebastian Currasco. Together they took on Ecuador’s 2nd highest mountain, Cotopaxi. It

During the recording of this episode the term McNasty was used. A quick search revealed some of its family members… the Sasquatch, lunar orbit, blunt,

Today we meet Steve Emt, vice-skip of the US Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team. Steve is a life long athlete. He played baseball, soccer, and basketball

Patty O’Machel is a nationally recognized leader and on the front lines of (DAW) Disability Awareness Education in schools. Why this kind of programming is

We’re traveling today…. From Los Angeles to Afghanistan and back again. Not literally, but in a groovy kind of way with the help of Ajmal

So often when people with differing abilities want to try something that is perceived as beyond their reach, well intentioned friends will try and talk

From Warrior to Healer through the medium of psychedelic assisted therapy with Dr. Zach Skiles, PsyD. Dr. Skiles is at the forefront of entheogenic drug

Our guest today is Caitlin Conner. Her life was pretty run of mill; work, pay bills, repeat. Then a series of deaths in her life

Today we meet the founders of Kanthari. They train individuals on how to start and run impact making organizations; aka: social change makers. They specialize

In this episode we meet the Blind Stokers Club and its founder Dave White.  It’s the largest and most active tandem club for blind riders

“I learned barriers are entirely in your mind. You choose to either accept these barriers or you can have the guts to dance, to tango

Dwayne Fields, along with our host Erik Weihenmayer, and a handful of additional elite explorers were tapped to guide actor Will Smith through some of

Happy 2022 everyone. Our first conversation of the new year is with a former navy jet pilot. An 18 year journey that began after a

To kick off 2022 we want to take a trip down memory lane from 2021. This episode showcases some of our top highlights from select

To introduce our guest this week, read you a passage from a recent essay he wrote: “I gaze at her straight charcoal hair, serious blinking

Our guest this week is retired US Army Captain Dave Inbody. When he returned home after wartime deployment in Afghanistan he was changed… physically; his

The day before we recorded this episode, our guest Geoff Tabin, returned to the US from Ethiopia after a two week -surgical outreach where he

It’s mid-november and 2021 is rapidly coming to a close. This week were sharing an episode from Season 2 with you. It’s a staff favorite.

A virus wipes out most of humanity. The survivors and their distant descendants have all lost their sense of sight. Society has found new ways

Erik and guest host, Tom Lillig, speak with Sarah Will. Will is the one of the most decorated athletes in U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team

Erik and guest host, Tom Lillig, speak with 16-year-old Alex Knoll about his innovative app: The Ability App. Ability App helps people find accessible and

Erik and Dave speak with self-named, One Arm Wonder, Faith Malton. Faith helps others break through mental barriers and navigate the world with limb differences

Erik and Dave speak with East Coast running champion, award-winning coach, and barrier-breaking athlete, Amy Rusiecki. This episode is sponsored by Winnebago Industries Foundation. Amy

This episode is brought to you by our supporters at CoBank. In honor of 9/11, we interviewed an old friend and No Barriers Warrior, Mark

Content Warning: Profanity and Adult Content. This week we are sharing an episode we recorded with comedian, Josh Blue right before COVID hit. Now more

Hosts Jeff and Erik speak with our resilient guest, Colleen Rose, about her role as a military caregiver, as a care recipient herself, and her

Hosts, Erik, and Dave (welcome back, Dave!) speak with U.S. Army Veteran, Sean Passmore. Sean speaks about his work helping other Veterans navigate their career

Our hosts, Erik and Tom Lillig speak with writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and overall barrier-breaker, Antoinette Lee Toscano. Special thanks to Prudential for sponsoring this episode.

Hosts, Erik Weihenmayer and Tom Lillig sit down with “StrokeHacker” Sean Entin. After a debilitating stroke at 39, Sean used the skills he learned in

Hosts, Jeff and Erik, speak with Entrepreneur and Disability Activist, Keely Cat-Wells. In honor of the 31st anniversary of the ADA, we are highlighting Keely’s

Erik and co-host, No Barriers Board President, Tom Lillig, speak with recovering idealist, adventure seeker, and trauma specialist, Chris Prange-Morgan. The adoption of her son

Erik and our guest host, Tom Lillig, chat with self-proclaimed, Feminist Plumber, Judaline Cassidy on her barrier-breaking career journey. Special thanks to Prudential for sponsoring

We are re-releasing an interview we recorded with adventure athlete and No Barriers co-founder, Mark Wellman back in October 2018. Mark’s episode was one of

Our hosts, Erik and Tom, speak with their “two favorite Manning brothers,” Bradford and Bryan. Known as the Two Blind Brothers, they discuss how they

This episode is brought to you by Winnebago Industries Foundation as part of their series highlighting folks breaking boundaries in outdoor recreation. Our hosts, Erik

Our hosts, Dave and Erik, reunite with Kyle Coon – a longtime friend of No Barriers. Erik and met Kyle when he was just a

On May 25th, 2001 history was made when the first blind person stood on the summit of Mt. Everest. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of

Erik is joined by guest co-host, Jill Royster, to speak with local Coloradan, social justice activist, business owner, and educator, Parker McMullen Bushman. Parker is

Jeff and Erik meet with Chris Norton – who Jeff aptly nicknames “a 3-percenter” because he not only beat the odds in his physical recovery

Jeff and Erik speak with the founder of Omnium Circus. With a global pandemic comes essential change. The time is NOW for diversity and inclusion

Our seventh No Barriers element is “Elevate.” At No Barriers we believe that the real essence of leadership is how we pass what we have

Dave and Erik speak with Kristan Seaford, a triple amputee, mom, speaker, and counselor who has found strength in her community and faith. Kristan Seaford

Erik and Dave speak with Anthony Ferraro – a talented athlete and musician who happens to be blind. Anthony is currently training in Judo to

Dave and Erik speak with award-winning global facilitator, Peter Bailey. Peter walks us through each step of what he calls the “Heroic Journey Mindset” which

Dave and Erik speak with entrepreneur and coffee aficionado, Gerry Leary about his background as an auto mechanic and his later employment roasting gourmet coffee

Erik and Dave reconnect with tech designer and visionary, Hadeel Ayoub to chat about her incredible innovation: the BrightSign Glove, which can “translate any sign

Erik and Tom speak with activist and disability advocate, Nicole Kelly. Nicole was confronted with the world’s view of her own disability when she competed

Our hosts today are Erik Weihenmayer and No Barriers Board member, Tom Lillig. They speak with a renowned innovator, Dr. Subhasis Banerji about his cutting-edge

For our 100th episode, we celebrate by speaking with the award-winning journalist and photojournalist Ann Curry. Jeff, Erik, and Ann discuss the human condition and

Erik and Dave sit down with friend and filmmaker, Michael Brown. The conversation covers the many adventures he has documented around the world and the

Erik and Jeff speak with Sam Morris, the founder of Zen Warrior Training, about the therapeutic benefits of breathwork, meditation, and ultimately unlocking “flow.” Sam

Mike May is a business executive, record-setting skier, and innovator who happens to be blind. Mike has taken the adversity in his life and converted

Record-setting climber, Quinn Brett, speaks to Erik and Dave about the accident that left her paralyzed in 2017 and her subsequent journey back to the

Jeff and Erik speak with Victor Mifsud about his fascinating findings as a biohacker. Victor originally went on a journey of self-discovery to confront his

Erik and Jeff speak with Dr. Kurt Papenfus, about his experience with COVID-19 and its aftermath. Dr. Papenfus talks about how he utilized his experiences

Our hosts chat with a longtime supporter of No Barriers, and wearer of many hats – Heather Thomson. Heather speaks to Erik and Dave about

Our hosts, Jeff and Erik, speak with Joanna Walters about her barrier-breaking career in the Navy as one of the first women serving aboard combatant

Erik and Dave chat with creator, activist, and social entrepreneur, Courthney Russell about his mission to leverage his medical degree and experience to be an

Our hosts, Erik and Jeff, speak with climber extraordinaire, Maureen “Mo” Beck. They discuss her career as a world-renowned one-handed climber and her journey from

To wrap up this wild year we are sharing some of our top highlights from select guests we spoke to in 2020. Our hosts each

At our No Barriers Summit in 2019 at Lake Tahoe, we had a movie night with a double feature showing of Eduardo Garcia’s documentary, Charged,

Erik and Jeff chat with Mike Savicki, about his incredible athletic career and his life as a husband, father, Veteran, Advocate, Teacher, and small business

Our hosts, Erik and Dave, talk with Registered Nurse and small business owner, Kate Merrill. Kate speaks to her experience opening a neighborhood bakery in

Wrapping up our Veteran series, Erik and Dave speak with Dr. Raul Perea-Henze, former Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services for the City of

As part three of our Veterans Series, sponsored by Cobank, we speak with Former Command Sergeant Major, Gretchen Evans. We are re-releasing an interview we

Part two of our Veterans Series features Richard Casper, co-founder and Executive Director of CreatiVets, a non-profit that provides art, music, and writing programs for

Erik and Dave kick off our November series of episodes focusing on Veterans with Ret. Army Veteran, Aaron Hale. Aaron has experienced more than his

For our final episode in our Caregiving series, we speak with Debbie Fisher. Debbie is a full-time caregiver for her daughter, Grace, who is paralyzed

Our second installment of our Caregiving Series features the Director of the American Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network, Melissa Comeau. Erik and Jeff

Kicking off our newest series featuring Caregivers we speak with Connie Siskowski, President & Founder of the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY). Connie speaks

Erik and Jeff speak with adventurer and runner, Jill Wheatley. She joins us from her current home in Nepal but when not in lockdown Jill

For our final installment of our Education Series, Dave and Erik speak with Lisa Yokana. Lisa is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)

Michael O’Toole has been immersed in education and coaching for more than three decades.  His work in the classroom focuses on the areas of both

As part of our new mini-series highlighting Educators, our hosts speak with Superintendent, Dr. Michael Kuchar, about his approach to education – especially in light

Hosts, Erik and Dave, interview Expert Yoga Therapist and mindset guru, Christian Leeby. Christian speaks to his own experiences, disillusionment, and ultimately, his reunification with

Continuing our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential), we speak with world-renowned Chef, Christine Ha, who happens to be blind. Jeff and Erik

Greg Brenneman speaks to Erik and Dave about balancing work and life in the time of COVID on this latest episode. His lengthy business resume

Our No Barriers hosts, Erik and Dave, catch up with Heather Zoccali as part of our sponsored Alchemy Series. Heather has long been a leader

Dave Shurna and guest co-host, Tom Lillig, interview Dr. Andres S. Maldonado for another installment of our Alchemy Series (generously sponsored by Wells Fargo and

Continuing with our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we interview Sofija Korać, a senior human rights adviser at the United States Mission

Around the time when lockdowns were becoming a reality for most of the U.S., our hosts had the opportunity to slow down and catch up

The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. President Obama named her a

Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib was elected Washington State’s 16th Lieutenant Governor in November 2016 at the age of 35. As Lt. Governor, he is President

Since 2013, Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser has served as President and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a public degree-granting institution with eleven campuses serving 12,000

Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic & inspirational innovation. Ebeling is a film, television, and commercial producer, philanthropist, technology trailblazer, author, and entrepreneur. 

What does it mean to live a good life? Jim Kwok has been reflecting on this simple but important question since his colorectal cancer diagnosis

For part nine of our No Barriers Alchemy Series hosts Erik and Dave interview Dr. Rana Awdish. Rana is a critical care physician operating on

Continuing on with our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential) our hosts Erik and Dave speak with a world-renowned expert in perception, Dr.

On this episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we speak with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber. Nadia was our most popular guest

In part 6 of our Alchemy Series (sponsored by Prudential and Wells Fargo), our hosts, Erik and Jeff, meet with Rebecca Rusch—a familiar face of

As we continue to speak with thought leaders and experts during this pandemic for our Alchemy Series, it became clear a voice was missing: how

For our fourth episode of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, there is no greater example of harnessing adversity than No Barriers

Welcome to part three of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain

Welcome to part two of our new Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, where we speak to experts and thought leaders to attain

Introducing our new Alchemy Series, presented by Wells Fargo and Prudential. Our first guest is Dr. Paul G. Stoltz. Dr. Stolz is considered the world’s

There’s a longer version of this content available in episode 41. If you’d like the more condensed version, play on! Introducing our new Alchemy Series,

Content Warning: Profanity and Adult Content Comedian Josh Blue sat down with Erik and Jeff at our studio in Golden, CO to discuss his career

Laura DeMaio Roy has been training pet and service dogs for 10 years with a specialization in guide dog training and instruction. She has run

Born in Casablanca to a multi-ethnic / multi-cultural family with roots in Europe, Africa, and South America, Laurent had the privilege of growing up, living,

Born in Kuwait to refugee parents, Ryan Letada was raised in the Philippines before his family immigrated to the Bronx. His journey from failing student

Our hosts, Erik, Jeff, and Dave, spoke with André, the other week during his training for his newest endeavor: to explore human potential as him

Anne Lorimor is not your typical great-grandmother sitting in her rocking chair. At age 85, Anne broke the record for being the oldest woman to

Gena Harper works as a Certified Investment Management Analyst, Senior Vice President and Senior Investment Management Consultant at Morgan Stanley and provides her clients with

No Barriers Podcast Hosts, Dave Shurna and Jeff Evans, speak with school leaders Jan Harrison and Jason Malone of the Compass Community Collaborative School in

Today, we have a special episode for you. We are sharing some one-on-one interviews with No Barriers Summit participants from June 2019 in Lake Tahoe,

This episode focuses on the power of travel as one of the best forms of education with our guests, the two founders of AFAR Media,

Hailing from Philadelphia, Timmy O’Neill left after one semester of college to head out and design a life for himself. He quickly became known as

Charlie Engle is a writer, runner, recovering addict and speaker. He’s run across the Sahara Desert, the Amazon, and is currently embarking on his audacious

At our most recent No Barriers Summit at Lake Tahoe this past June, our three hosts were joined on stage by Mandy Harvey for a

In 1992, two months after his 22nd birthday, Gabriel Cordell was en route to his first professional audition when an accident changed his life forever.

Our hosts, Erik and Dave, sat down with J.R. Martinez the night before our No Barriers Summit began in a conference room at Lake Tahoe

Marisa Hamamoto is an activist, dance artist, and speaker looking to empower people through dance and storytelling to disable bias, encourage others to get out

Jeff and Dave spoke with Scott Kim a few weeks before he was scheduled to speak at our No Barriers Summit in Tahoe. Scott called

Before founding Runway of Dreams Foundation (RoDF) in 2014, Mindy Scheier spent 20 years working in fashion on the design team for the INC collection

Natasha Nurse held various stints in the corporate world prior to making a foray into fashion and writing. Having been a victim of bullying as

Jamie Petrone is a renaissance woman with many talents and achievements under her belt. She is the Executive Director and Founder of THISAbility, a performing

Tish Scolnik is the CEO and co-founder of GRIT, a social enterprise that created the Freedom Chair, which is the mountain bike of wheelchairs. GRIT

Koichiro Kobayashi, known as “Koba,” is a “paraclimbing legend.” Koba went blind at age 28 from a degenerative eye disease and at age 31 decided

George Basch is the Chief Cook and Founder of The Himalayan Stove Project, a humanitarian and philanthropic program dedicated to preserving the Himalayan environment and

George Heinrichs‘ resume is filled with awards and accomplishments for his aptitude for business as well as social justice. But George would not have gotten

Nadia Bolz-Weber is a Lutheran pastor, a former stand-up comic, an author of two best selling New York Times list books, and a speaker. She

Sean Swarner has many athletic accomplishments under his belt and uses them to spread a message of hope. Despite being in a medically-induced coma for

In this episode, Jeff and Erik met with Craig DeMartino, a renowned rock climber who is also an amputee. Craig works with an organization called Adaptive

Angie Shireman, a jewelry artisan, small business owner, certified yoga instructor, wife, mom, and artist, has seemingly lived a carefree life. But her smiling personality

A professional mountaineering guide, Luis has summited the top of the famed “Seven Summits” a cumulative 32 times, including being a six-time summiteer of Mt.

Erik and Jeff begin the session recapping a recent experience helping Nerissa Cannon, a young woman in a wheelchair, climb a Colorado 14er. The discussion

We recorded this episode shortly after Erik had just returned from New York City where he circumnavigated all of Manhattan in a kayak to promote

After establishing Steve and Dave’s Chicago connection, the hosts dive into why he’s been brought on as a guest: after Steve attended a No Barriers

Jeff, Erik, and Dave talk with Heidi McKenzie, who is speaking from her home state of Kentucky. After a car accident left her as a

Erik and Jeff speak with Tom Dixon, a young man from Philadelphia and the inventor of a brilliant mobile app called ME.mory. Like most app

Billy Lister is a Paralympic cyclist who most recently represented Team USA in the Rio Olympics, competing in both track and road events. 18 years

As a young boy, Ethan Johnston was kidnapped from his family in Ethiopia, blinded and used as a beggar. Fortunately, at age 10 he was

Gretchen Evans served 27 years in the US Army, earning a bronze star, and rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. During her service,

Mark Wellman is a nationally acclaimed author, filmmaker and motivational speaker. Despite being paralyzed in a mountain climbing accident, Mark has inspired millions to meet

This episode will introduce our listeners to the mission behind the No Barriers Podcast and what we are trying to accomplish with putting this out