Advertise on podcast: The Unexpected Journey

Rating

★★★★★

4.9

from

102 reviews

Description

Summiting and skiing an 11,000 foot volcano, completing a DIY adaptive sport decathlon in one day, harnessing a passion for art to help spinal cord injury survivors adapt and bond, flying in a wing suit as a double amputee, giving birth to and mothering twin girls as a quadriplegic...these are just a few of the powerful stories you will hear on The Unexpected Journey. Adaptive athlete and quadriplegic, Tim Brown, talks with other disabled folks to learn how they challenge preconceived beliefs, push boundaries, and get after it - ultimately leading to a life fulfilled. The Unexpected Journey gives you the experience of listening to two friends sitting at a kitchen table, around a campfire, or on a boat, letting you eavesdrop on an intimate conversation about their shared experience, their passions, and the challenging, rewarding and exhilarating elements of their life. The episode plays like an audio memoir of the guest with the host providing clarity and narrating the biographical details so you can enjoy and appreciate the real and raw moments of the conversation. You’ll hear a sonic backdrop of original music to add emotional richness and additional sound design to bring into the moment with the guest as they describe their most formative and powerful experiences. The host, Tim Brown, is quadriplegic from a ski accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury 11 years ago. He prefers to listen before speaking and shares his own experience along with the guest. Our mission is to elevate, educate, and empower our disabled and able-bodied listeners on the disabled experience through creative and powerful storytelling. Our vision is to be a leader in the creation and distribution of empowering disability-centric storytelling and to provide an accessible platform for participants in the disabled experience to share their stories with the world. The Unexpected Journey is a podcast about adaptive athletes, adventurers, and creators. Each episode features an individual with a disability sharing their powerful story of learning how to challenge preconceived beliefs, push boundaries, and get after it - ultimately leading to a life fulfilled. Listen to guests like Anna Soens talk about being the first paraplegic woman to summit and ski Mount Hood, Greg Durso share his love for adaptive sports and completing an adaptive decathlon, and Channing Cash on her childhood and Laos and becoming a Team USA ocean paddle racer. Hosted and produced by Tim Brown, a surfer, sailor, and skier who is quadriplegic from a skiing accident 10 years ago.Our goal is to Educate. Elevate. Encourage.

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Check latest episodes from The Unexpected Journey podcast

Becca Farewell and the Tetra Ski Revolution

2026/01/08

After talking with Tanja Kari in Episode 57 we were super excited to learn more about the TetraSki, an emerging technology for the adaptive alpine skiing community. If you haven't already, I recommend giving episode 57 a listen before continuing this episode. We wanted to hear from several voices, so I reached out to athlete Becca Farewell who is now in her fourth season skiing and racing in the tetra ski. Becca lives in Salt Lake City with her family and is highly involved in the adaptive sports and TetraSki communities. We also reached out to three individuals who are highly involved in the design, adoption, and usage of the TetraSki. Dr. Jeff Rosenbluth is the Medical Director of TRAILS adaptive program which he founded in 2003 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and has been a leader of the TetraSki revolution from the start. Cullen Robinson formerly worked as an adaptive ski instructor at New England Disabled Sports in New Hampshire and is now a Program Coordinator at TRAILS where he works with Jeff and Tanja and continues to be highly involved in adaptive skiing. Allie Peterson, is a leading adaptive ski instructor in New England who has extensive experience working with a wide range of adaptive ski equipment and adaptive athletes who also works as an inpatient acute care occupational therapist for her day job. Guest info: @avibexAdditional Resources: https://www.tetraski.us/https://www.utrails.us/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Tanja Kari on Nordic and Tetra Sports

2025/12/25

Tanja Kari is a Paralympic gold medalist in cross country skiing from Finland. In 2010 she was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame, she has been nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Sports Person of the Year with a Disability, and in 1998 and 2002 she was voted Finland's best disabled athlete. Since retiring from competitive sport she has become a strong and passionate advocate for the expansion of para sport opportunities and now works at TRAILS Adaptive in Utah on efforts to make adaptive sports both competitive and recreational accessible to more people with complex disabilities. Guest info: @karitanjaAdditional Resources: https://www.tetraski.us/https://www.utrails.us/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Geoff Krill on Acceptance and the Adaptive Outdoors

2025/11/27

Geoff Krill is a self-described adventure athlete, competitor, innovator, and motivator. He is also a national team member of PSIA, the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Since acquiring a spinal cord injury in his 20s he has competed in downhill mountain biking and skiing races both nationally and internationally, and continues to push boundaries as a wheelchair user. He is passionate about the impact of outdoor recreation and has dedicated his life to teaching others how to ski both disabled and non-disabled and creating greater access to the outdoors for everyone. He lives an outdoors life with his wife and two kids in New Hampshire. Guest info: @geoffkrillAdditional Resources: https://nedisabledsports.org/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Anna Soens Returns to Talk About Skiing and Pursuit of the Paralympics

2025/11/13

Anna Soens was the first guest on The Unexpected Journey. In episode one she shared the story of her pioneering para-mountaineering ascents of Mount Hood and Mount Baker in the Pacific Northwest. If you haven't listened yet, go check it out. In this conversation, the first in a short series of episodes on adaptive skiing, Anna returns to talk about her freeskiing career, her rapid rise as an adaptive downhill ski racer and her current pursuit of a spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Paralympics, and her major life updates in the past five years since she came on the podcast. Guest info: @timjobrownAdditional Resources: www.empowersci.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Tim Brown on Creating The Unexpected Journey Podcast

2025/10/30

For this episode, we decided to switch things up. Louis Arevalo, Unexpected Journey editor and sound designer, gets behind the mic to interview Tim Brown, Unexpected Journey founder and host. We talk about Tim's Journey, the origins of the The Unexpected Journey, what goes into creating the podcast, connecting with listeners, and the future of the pod!! Guest info: @timjobrownAdditional Resources: www.empowersci.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Nate Bibaud on Creating Art and Choosing Compassion

2025/10/16

Nate Bibaud was born in 1984 in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where he grew up skateboarding and playing goalie in hockey. After studying architecture, he moved to St. Croix to work in print and graphic design. In 2010, a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, with limited arm movement and no hand function. During rehab at MGH and Spaulding, he began drawing with the help of a recreational therapist. Over time, Nate gained enough shoulder strength to paint independently, experimenting with watercolor, acrylic, and oil. Since then, he has battled through paralysis, infections, a blood clot, and cancer—and now works full time as an artist. Not too bad for someone who once had no idea what to do with his life. Guest info: @natebibaudAdditional Resources: www.natebibaud.comwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Joel Brown on Dance and Determination

2025/09/18

Joel Brown is a paraplegic dancer, choreographer, and musician. He grew up in Salt Lake City in a large creative family and was paralyzed as a boy. Not one to slow down, he pursued many sports living an active life, and eventually found his way to dance. His professional dance career took him to California, then London, and around the world. Now in his 30s and back in California working as a choreographer, Joel has extensive experience with dance, and is reflective about living and aging as a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury. Guest info: @joelbrowndancerAdditional Resources: https://axisdance.org/team-member/joel-brown/https://candoco.co.uk/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Alex Cano Gonzalez on Forgiveness and Photography

2025/09/04

Alex Cano Gonzalez is a photographer, videographer, and artist living in Denver Colorado. He was paralyzed at a young age as a result of gun violence. He's currently rebuilding his life with a commitment to physical rehab and exercise, exploring adaptive sports, and hustling to grow his freelance career as an artist. In our conversation, I was struck by Alex's profound gratitude, inner peace, and level of maturity and wisdom at such a young age. Alex is always looking to collaborate with other creators – rappers, artists, musicians. If you're interested in working with him or following his story, you can find him on Instagram @iamalexcano Guest info: @iamalexcanoAdditional Resources: www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Neven Hart on Recovering Intimacy and Joy

2025/08/21

Neven Hart and his fiancé Amber Cogbill are rising stars on social media. They openly and vulnerably sharing their experience navigating life together following Neven's recently acquired spinal cord injury. Neven is an athlete and is getting into adaptive sports, but most importantly, he and Amber are educating hundreds of thousands of people through their social media following on the challenging, joyful, mundane, silly, and nuanced aspects of living with spinal cord injury, with a focus on relationships and intimacy. And they are doing so in a genuine and approachable way. Quick note. This episode discusses physical intimacy with spinal cord injury for a heterosexual couple and how spinal cord injury affects the male anatomy in that regard. We will explore this from the perspective of the female anatomy in a later episode. Guest info: @neven.harthttps://www.youtube.com/@ambercogbill03Additional Resources: www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Jesi Stracham on Tough Mudders and Tenacity

2025/08/07

Jesi Stracham is an advocate, adaptive athlete, and founder of the Wheel With Me Foundation. She's also co-owner of Adapt Fit and the Freedom LKN facility. I first read about Jesi in New Mobility magazine when she was competing in Tough Mudder races and blazing a trail for adaptive athletes in that realm, I met her in person four years later. Jesi is passionate about taking ownership of your life and pursuing your dreams, and she leads by example. These days she focuses her time and energy on her businesses, her organization, her upcoming book release, and being the best possible partner and family member. Guest info: @jesistrachamjesistracham.comAdditional Resources: https://wheelwithmefoundation.org/https://www.freedomlkn.com/www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Erin Field and Jack Benziger on Caring and Building a Life with SCI

2025/07/24

I briefly met Erin Field and Jack Benziger several years ago at Journey Forward, a spinal cord injury exercise rehab center outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Erin had recently been paralyzed in the summer before her senior year of college, just a few months after they started dating. I distinctly remember seeing the affection and care they had for one another when they arrived for Erin’s exercise sessions. In the year since, I have followed their story on social media and watched from a distance as they have built a life together. They now live in Florida and are in the midst of some big milestones and exciting developments. To me, Erin and Jack embody putting love and care for your partner first in your relationship even and especially when tremendous obstacles arise in your path. Guest info: @erin.fieldd@thetenpercentappAdditional Resources: youtube.com/erinfieldfacebook.com/livefearlessly3www.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Roy Tuscany on Help, Healing, and High Fives

2025/07/10

Roy Tuscany is the Founder and CEO of the High Fives Foundation. On April 26, 2016 Roy overshot a ski jump and was paralyzed with a spinal cord injury. Six years later, and a year and a half after I was paralyzed, Roy and I connected for the first time. I had read an article about High Fives in Powder, a ski magazine and was jolted by the energetic vibe of the organization - it felt like something different. One of my closest friends also met Roy at an industry event. He immediately called me up and said you need to talk to this guy. In our first conversation, Roy told me about Tony Schmeising, a man who has been living as a quadriplegic for 40 years, and his expedition to Alaska to go Heli skiing. Roy then said, "you're next". I laughed nervously and said OK, while thinking to myself that it was a ridiculous suggestion. How was I going to do that with my recently acquired disability? Fast forward 12 years and High Fives has awarded me with grants for adaptive sports equipment, covered adaptive surf competition fees, and supported some of my earliest adaptive ski lessons with Vermont Adaptive. High Fives has also grown tremendously in that time and is now a leading organization in the catastrophic injury and disability community. At least half of our previous guests have received support from High Fives and and of course High Fives is the presenting sponsor of The Unexpected Journey. In this conversation, we skip over Roy's story of his ski accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, paralysis, and the founding of High Fives. A quick Google search will produce dozens of podcasts and articles on both of those topics. Instead, Roy and I explore healing, leadership, parenting, taking ownership of one’s life, and trauma, including sexual abuse. If you or someone you know has experience sexual abuse or you suspect they are, please know that you are not alone and that safe confidential support from a professional is immediately available at the national sexual assault telephone hotline 1-800–565–HOPE or 4673. You can also find resources on the website for the national sexual violence resource Center, www.nsvrc.org Guest info: @roytuscany@hi5sfoundationAdditional Resources: National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800-656-4673 - www.rainn.org National Sexual Violence Resource Center - www.nsvrc.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

JoMarie Lawrence in Pursuit of Acting and Acceptance

2025/02/20

JoMarie Lawrence lives in Los Angeles where she is pursuing an acting and modeling career. She is a member of a cohort of disabled actors who are breaking barriers and bringing authentic representation to a wider variety of roles in media and entertainment. JoMarie has appeared in many television commercials, TV shows, and has written and starred in her own short films that explore her experience as a disabled woman with a spinal cord injury. With some big projects on the horizon, hers is definitely a name to remember! Guest info: @jomarielawrenceAdditional Resources: www.jomarielawrence.comwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Joe Stone on Paragliding and Pushing Toward Goals

2025/02/07

Joe Stone is a disability activist, public speaker, and an adventure athlete. He is a partner and a dog dad, a team rider for Bowhead Corp, a Stio ambassador, a Project Airtime Pilot, and a co-owner of Dovetail Trail Consulting with two time previous Unexpected Journey guest Quinn Brett. Joe sets ambitious goals, pursues them with doggedly, and lives a fully adventure filled life. Guest info: @meetjoestone@dovetail-trail-consulting Additional Resources: www.dovetailtrailconsulting.comwww.projectairtime.orgwww.highfivesfoundation.orgContact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Murray Siple on Filmmaking and Moving Fast

2025/01/23

Murray Siple is an award-winning filmmaker and accessible home designer, a former snowboarder and skateboarder, a world traveler, an artist, and recently added adaptive surfer to his resume. He lives in British Columbia, Canada. Murray and I met in San Diego this past September where he surfed for the first time. Murray has always lived a wild and adventurous life, both before he was paralyzed at the age of 26 and in the 27 years since as a quadriplegic. As a quick disclaimer, given that he has spent much of his time in, what one might call, the fast lane, some of Murray’s stories are colorful and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Guest info: @murraysiple@walletmothstudios https://www.patreon.com/c/walletmothhttps://www.youtube.com/@walletmothstudioshttps://www.walletmoth.com/Additional Resources: highfivesfoundation.orghttps://adaptivesurfingprofessionals.com/Contact us: Instagram: @unexpectedjourneypodEmail: [email protected] Hosted and produced by Tim BrownEditing and sound design by Louis ArevaloOriginal theme music by Jesse LaFountaineEpisode cover art by Lewis Falconer Cover art and logo design by Anne Holt and Lewis Falconer

Podcast reviews

Read The Unexpected Journey podcast reviews

4.9 out of 5

102 reviews

★★★★★

List h 2025/11/29

I love ittt

★★★★★

Dr. Inz 2025/09/30

The unexpected journey

The unexpected journey continues to bring quality conversation to an important subject manner. What it is like to have one’s physical world challenged...

★★★★★

Sephorafan 2025/08/22

Neven Hart⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love💗the episode with Neven Hart & his fiancé Amber.

★★★★★

Forrest__~ 2025/07/27

Great interviewer, human stories

Tim does such a great job hosting these conversations and asking questions about both joyful and hard topics in an insightful and truly kind way. It’s...

★★★★★

Grouse Ridge 2025/01/24

Great interviews and incredible resource for the community

The quality and depth of the interviews is top notch. Tim asks insightful questions and his guests share with depth. As Dad of a relatively new membe...

★★★★★

ericsilberstein 2025/01/23

Engaging and meaningful

Listened to the Billy Price episode on a car ride and was planning to catch up on a different podcast for the rest of the trip, but instead kept going...

★★★★★

Jess Goodine 2024/10/17

Incredible podcast

This podcast is not just amazing in content but also in production. The sound quality, editing, timing of narration and music is just so thoughtful. ...

★★★★★

JKHenson 2024/09/01

The Unexpected Journey

Tim’s a thoughtful, empathetic host, conducting interviews that are relaxed and engaging with some of the coolest people out there. Each episode is a ...

★★★★★

SF Fan! 2023/11/03

T12 incomplete listening to this podcast

My name is PJ and I’ve been injured for about two and a half years. Listening to this podcast has helped me so much to see that there is life after pa...

★★★★★

tonyschmee 2022/08/26

An Original

We all have stories, but there's a definite art and skill to taking those stories, translating them and shaping them into a medium such as a podcast. ...

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