In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Walk and Roll Live, Doug and Addie welcome Avriel, a former railroad executive whose life took an unexpected turn following a back surgery that resulted in a T5 spinal cord injury.

Avriel takes us back to his roots—growing up in Charleston, moving to Atlanta as a teen, and taking a bold leap to New York City at just 18 years old to work on the trading floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange. After finding his footing, he built an impressive 16-year career with Norfolk Southern, rising through the ranks to become a Terminal Superintendent and leading teams in one of the most demanding field-management environments in the railroad industry.

In 2022, everything changed. Following surgery, Avriel experienced paralysis for several months and began a long, grueling road of recovery and rehabilitation. He shares candidly about the fear, uncertainty, and determination that carried him through months of intensive physical therapy as function slowly returned.

Forced to step away from field leadership, Avriel redefined his professional identity, transitioning into a headquarters role focused on Network Design and Optimization—bringing new perspective, empathy, and problem-solving skills shaped by lived experience.

Beyond career and recovery, Avriel opens up about rediscovering photography, a first love that became a source of healing, expression, and connection. Through the lens, he now captures organic moments and helps others see themselves—and their stories—more clearly.

This episode is an honest conversation about resilience, identity, disability, creativity, and finding purpose after trauma. It’s a must-listen for anyone navigating life-altering change, spinal cord injury recovery, or the challenge of rebuilding after the unexpected. Walk and Roll Live

In this powerful episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, host Doug Vincent welcomes Mike Kent, a stroke survivor whose life changed in an instant after a routine surgery in Paris went catastrophically wrong.

What was meant to be a simple nose operation in 2019 resulted in a massive hemorrhagic stroke, an induced coma, and doctors giving Mike just 90 minutes to live. Eight weeks later, he woke up unable to move the right side of his body, unable to recognize his own life, and uncertain whether he wanted to go on.

Spending six months in a wheelchair, Mike began the slow, painful, and deeply human process of rebuilding—learning to walk again, write again, think again, and ultimately believe again.

Today, Mike helps disabled professionals break free from anxiety and reclaim their sense of purpose after medical trauma. In this raw and honest conversation, he shares the emotional realities of stroke recovery, identity loss, mental health, and what it truly means to rebuild a life from the inside out.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating disability, recovery, medical trauma, or searching for hope without sugarcoating the journey. Walk and Roll Live

Diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis at just 10 months old, RaeAnne Lindsay has spent her life navigating disability — and transforming that lived experience into powerful advocacy.

In this episode of Walk and Roll Live, host Doug Vincent sits down with Ms. Wheelchair USA 2024 to explore her remarkable journey: from nearly 18 years of childhood rehab, surgeries, and summer camps at Shriners Hospital in Chicago, to earning her Master’s in Social Work, and now serving as a Research Coordinator at Vanderbilt University, focusing on Section 504 plans and accessible housing.

RaeAnne opens up about the promise she made to herself as a child — that no disabled kid should ever have to endure the trauma she experienced — and how that promise fuels her advocacy today. We dive into her national platform, “Inclusive Playgrounds Are for Everyone,” what true inclusion looks like, and the emotional moments that affirmed her mission was making a real difference.

This conversation also explores disability representation, leadership, pageantry, healing through advocacy, and why visibility matters — especially for disabled children who are still learning what’s possible.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, policymaker, advocate, or someone early in your own disability journey, this episode is filled with insight, heart, and hope. Walk and Roll Live