The Hope Matrix

Episode 44: Rising Above Cerebral Palsy with Hope and Inclusion, featuring Travis Davis

• Kathryn Goetzke

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In this inspiring episode of The Hope Matrix, Kathryn Goetzke sits down with Travis Davis, a passionate advocate for disability awareness and host of the podcast "Off the Crutch." Born with cerebral palsy, Travis shares his personal journey of overcoming numerous medical challenges and the pivotal role that hope has played in his life. He emphasizes the importance of positive thinking, mental health awareness, and the support of his family in fostering resilience.

Travis also discusses his entrepreneurial ventures and the need for greater inclusion in society, advocating for youth dealing with disabilities and bullying. Through candid conversations about therapy, stress management, and the power of community, Travis encourages listeners to cultivate hope and embrace their unique journeys. Join us for an uplifting dialogue that highlights the strength found in adversity and the transformative power of hope.

 

About Travis Davis:
Travis Davis is a disability advocate, consultant, and podcaster in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His "Off The Crutch" podcast includes personal experiences living with CP and interviews with others in the disability community. He was also born with cerebral palsy, which he has used to make an impact. His TEDx talk on social inclusion in education has helped educators not be afraid to ask questions about disabilities in the classroom. He enjoys helping others in the community by organizing adaptive sports events and through his podcast.

 

Find out more about Travis Davis and his work:

This is Kathryn Goetzke, host of The Hope Matrix Podcast. We are here to share science, stories and strategies for how to hope. I'm the Chief Hope officer of the Shine Hope Company. And SHINE is the mnemonic for how we teach hope. So when we talk about hope, we talk about how we use Stress Skills, Happiness habits, Inspired Actions, Nourishing Networks and Eliminating Challenges which are thinking patterns that get in the way of our ability to hope. Hope is a skill. You can measure hope, you can teach hope and you can start practicing skills to activate higher hope in your life today. And on this Hope Matrix podcast, we aim to bring in guests, experts in science, people with stories, and those that have strategies for activating hope in your life. Well. Hello, everyone. This is Kathryn Goetzke, host of the Hope Matrix Podcast. Welcome to the show. Today. I am super grateful to have with us here, Mr. Travis Davis. he is, he is a name that I can pronounce. I'm super grateful for that. Off the bat. yeah, but I'm really excited to have him here. I am meeting Travis for the first time now. I mean that via LinkedIn, which I got to say, thanks to LinkedIn for making so many really incredible connections and making, I think people in the round the world so accessible to us to have these really important conversations. And yeah, we're going to dive into a conversation, with Travis to learn more about Travis, his journey story, and, how, you know, how Hope has played a role and specific skills and strategies that you all and the world can use to activate hope in our lives. So welcome to the show, Travis. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. Yes. Amazing. Well, let's let's dive into who is Travis? Can you, tell me a little bit more about yourself? Sure. So I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was born and raised here. I went to school in Southern California, got my bachelor's in English at the Pacific University, and then I got my masters at the University of New Mexico and adopted physical education. So, I was born with cerebral palsy, which is a birth defect, and I also call it a physical disability in an affects my legs. So there's three types of cerebral palsy in the CP that I have is called spastic type. So it just means that both my legs, are affected. So I've had a 14 surgeries from when I was born to, eighth grade. and now the surgery is also included, open heart surgery when I was born, because I had a hole in my heart. Yeah. And I also, have, hydrocephalus. So for those of you who do not know what hydrocephalus is, it's basically, just, brain fluid that needs to in an excess of brain fluid that needs to get into, like, the other part of the body. But I think like the stomach. So I have what's called a deep shunt, a small, tiny catheter that goes from my head down to the stomach, and it regulates the fluid. So, the hole in the heart and the hydrocephalus was independent from the CPP. So, yeah, I had, you know, I was growing up, I'd see my podiatrist or not, but my podiatrist, my pediatrician, I also see a for diabetes for my legs. But, pediatrician and, you know, you told me at one point that the doctors, some of them had just stopped, operated on me because they didn't think I was going to live. So, you know, and when you talk about hope, it's like, you know what? What, how much, more relevant is that of, you know, not knowing if your son is going to live and then having hope that he is. And then as someone who lives with the physical disability, you know, I, you know, hope is intertwined to everything that I do on a daily basis. Wow. Yeah, absolutely. and that's yeah, that's horrible to hear about the doctors when there's a study around. Hope that you're the physician's hope for patients is sometimes more predictive of patient outcomes than the patient's hope. And so, you know, when doctors and physicians and and give up hope on patients, I mean, I know so many people that have overcome even what the doctor says through their own hope. But you think about how many patients this affects because of the doctor's hope, you know, getting the doctors schooled on hope and hope science and why it's so important for patient outcomes to me, not just like kids home so deeply. yeah. And, you know, so how did were your parents, like, person? I mean, they must have been very young. You must have so much open. You must be like, I'm going to. So. But you're a tiny, right? You're a baby or what age. Yeah, I was yeah. I was born prematurely. That's, one of the predictors of having cerebral palsy or, is being being born prematurely. So, you know, my, my birthday's April 22nd, and so that is Earth Day. I'm very grounded. And so I think that also plays into having hope. So like, I'm very grounded in hope, grounded in my faith. So that I think has served me really well. Yeah. That's amazing. you know, my aim overall is just to normalize the conversation around hopelessness because we all experience moments of hopelessness all the time. when I got into the work, you know, I learned I, I survived a suicide attempt. I lost my dad to suicide when when I was 18 years old. So I set out on mission to really figure out why do people die by suicide? What makes some people stick around and and hope was the universal kind of reason and hopelessness across all the studies was the single consistent predictor of suicide. And then when I broke down hopelessness and looking what that is, it's it's emotional despair. So you feel sadness, angry or afraid and it's a helplessness to do anything about it. So a powerlessness and we all experience those moments all the time. It's really how we navigate those moments that matter. And the more moments of hopelessness we have, the more likely we are to have clinical anxiety and depression. And so the more challenges we have, the more we have to be proactive about the skills and what we do to practice and cultivate our hope. Really. and so in your life, I mean, thinking of all of the challenges, you know, you have, I'm sure, so many moments of hopelessness. And so how like, I mean, I'm. Yeah, exploring how you navigated those in healthy ways and, like, were you intentional about knowing you had to practice skills or was that just in you? You know, I've been going to therapy since, 2015. I say therapy, and that's very broad because I've had physical therapy, you know, all types of therapy when I say therapy, mental health. And I think early on the psychologists had identified the things that I was doing as like survival methods of like, I have gotten to this point because I've had to, to use survival tactics, in just because of my disability. So just like innately figuring out how to survive to, like, live on my own or, just do certain things because having a physical disability definitely can weigh, weigh on your, your mental capacity to, process how that is on top of living like your day to day like life. So it's figuring out how to manage your own, stress and figuring out what having a disability looks like on time on top of just, yeah, just your your daily life activities. So. I think I'm able to adapt in ways I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't disabled. And, you know, I think there's that point in which, you know, you realize where the, where you've kind of been at your, your worst or the bottom. And I think that to me was realizing how grim it was when I was born, because I don't remember it. Right. So, having the doctors articulate that to me, it's like, wow. that really could have just been. We could have just been. And but it's not. So I think. Well, it's not I don't think it's healthy for me to continue to like, ruminate on that, but at least it gives me a reference to other situations where I feel hopeless and knowing, well, I've already been through this. It may not have been through my own strength because I was just a baby, but I got through it. So I think I can get have the strength to get through this. Yeah. And that's and that's what we know about hope. And that's why we actually write showing hope stories and why we want to normalize the conversation around it. Like we all have challenges. And you I mean, so many. And so if we can write a story from a challenge we've overcome and think about the specific things and strategies we use to overcome, and then in the future when we have other challenges, we can pull back on that and know we can do hard things. And even if you were just a baby, I mean, you had power within. I mean, you're obviously a fighter and you had to even though they were making decisions, you played a key role in that. You know, so pretty amazing. and talking about stress. So the first to shine is the mnemonic for how we talk about hope and how we talk about practicing and cultivating skills. And this is just based on the research I've done from around the world, secondary and primary research on hope and what it takes to cultivate hope in our lives. stress skills are the first. Because, you know, when you think about the emotional despair of hopelessness, like, how are we managing that? We're either managing it in healthy ways, so we're either managing our sadness, anger, fear in healthy ways, or we're turning to things like addiction or self-harm, or which I did for a long time, until I realized that I had to replace it with healthy ways, you know? So do you like do you have practices or do you have things you do to manage your stressors? Yeah, yeah. I think going to therapy weekly is really helpful for me because I get great feedback from my therapist. And then you know, she gives me strategies to like meditation journaling breathwork. So these things that can have a big impact on one's mental health. So definitely that. And then. Learning ways in which I have, distorted thinking because that, you know, identify, identify. And that then allows me to be more present with my thoughts and then it reduces my stress level. Yeah, that's already, that's our eliminating challenges. Just like kids. The list is so long. You know, of all of the ways our brain, you know, internalizing our failures or trying to control things outside of our controls or negative bias or the automatic negative thoughts or the rumination or the worry, you know, kind of all of those, you know, kind of thinking, the distorted thinking, attaching to outcomes, like it just drives that cycle of helplessness and hopelessness. And we then develop clinical anxiety and depression. You know, it's just so predictable and so, so it sounds like you use your stress skills to get back into the present moment, which is awesome. So you're, you know, being proactive about that. I think that's the, you know, we're not even taught as kids that this is happening. And those thought patterns control our lives for so long until we really understand, like we we have power. We have to learn to take kind of control of them and calm them down. And, you know, are they helping us or are they just serving to distract us? you know, and becoming aware, I think is so important. That's great. And did you just start doing them or have you been since therapy? Have you been did you do them as a younger kid or. no, I, I didn't know as much. And it wasn't until like 17, 18 years old that I was really interested in, like psychology in personal development to that. I started reading books and then it it just became clear to me, and I had a better understanding the more that I went to therapy. And then, you know, having a good therapist. And I've also had bad therapists. And so, I was able to put the of, put that also in, practice when I had that therapist to kind of manage my stress. And it's very exciting. So, I won't, I won't speak specifically about that, but, but yeah, more so as, as an adult with those strategies. Yeah. it's so important to keep trying therapists just because you know, like the first 1 or 10 or however, you know, you'll find it's possible to find someone. So, they're all very different. we connect with therapists on different levels. So, Yeah, that's good that you are persistent in your pursuit. so we're growing up. I'm curious where kids kind to where they. I mean, I feel like kids are so mean, like, and things they don't know about or are scared of. They're just mean, and I don't I know, for me, growing up, like, we didn't do a good job of talking about differences and people acceptance and love and kindness, which. Yeah, that's a great question. And it's actually something that I've been discussing about over the past couple weeks, coincidentally. But so I grew up, going to a very small, parochial school. So from kindergarten to eighth grade, and I was the only person in the whole school for those nine years with a disability. So I had a really good support system with my friends and then people that, I interacted with either the grades higher or lower than me. So that was really helpful. I think another thing that was, beneficial was, you know, having my dad, he would volunteer here and be, at the school a bunch during lunchtime. So my friends got to know him, and, you know, it wasn't, like, well, I'm here, so don't, you know, mess with me, right? but but, so because my, my dad doesn't have that, personality. Anyways, he's a very kind, individual. So I think it just helped the the students and my friends just learn more about me and B be more comfortable. But, you know, I remember in, P.E., we would do kickball, and I used for, crutches usually. And, you know, obviously if I'm kicking the ball well, one, I'm not going to kick it very far and then two, I'm not going to be able to run to the base. without getting out. So, we had to work around, which was having one of my friends run the base after I kicked the ball. So, you know, that was a way in which I think at the time, now that I think about it, like empathy was being taught and, put into action and, and so I, you know, I've, I've been very lucky to have been like, unscathed during my time. Now, that's not to say I didn't have, bad experiences, but, you know, I would say for the most part, it was, a relatively enjoyable experience for me. Yeah. That's amazing. I mean, yeah, really amazing. And I'm so grateful to hear that. And I think it's not the case with so many kids, like so many with disabilities feel isolated, not included. And to me, being innovative on how we and how we think about inclusion is so critical. especially when you look at violence, numbers increasing. I mean, there's so much hopelessness and depression, numbers, anxiety, especially in our youth. you know, if we want to have a healthy society that includes everyone. And so being really intentional, that everyone does feel included and that we're innovative, how we include people, that would make people feel valuable and, and, and, and important to this world because everyone is, you know, I just think it's so important. So important. So I'm glad to hear that that was, you know, a part of your experience growing up. And yeah, I think I wish we'd done more work of that in my community. you know, so, and there was a there was a lot I mean, we had a lot of diversity and stuff, but I don't I don't remember that specifically being a part of it. from the disability standpoint. And I think that's so incredibly important. So, amazing. What's your I'm curious, what's your life like now? Like, what are you doing? How how is life you're living on your own, I'm assuming. podcast. Yes. So I have, a podcast called After Scratch where I share my experiences living with, cerebral palsy, but then also interviewing people in the disability community. And, you know, when I started it four years ago, it was just something to do because of Covid and the lockdown. And as I've gotten more, back into it, you know, this idea of identifying what are crutches has really fascinated me because, you know, when you think of crutches, we think of, you know, mobility aids or something that we use, for a short amount of time and it's like we have to work to get off our crutches. But for myself, who needs, you know, for the majority of the time that I am walking, you know, that's something that I, that I use. But then also from a, figurative standpoint of, you know, what are the mental crutches that we have that are not allowing us to get past, you know, from point A to point B? So, you know, being on this podcast and, you know, learning more about your work, I think is very, parallel to these ideas that I've, been wrestling with, on my own journey. And, like, you know, how can I help other people, like, you're helping others through this lens of hope, but, you know, how can I help people through my lens of disability and then also identifying, you know, what crutches people may have? Because I think when we identify those roadblocks and then figuring out a path to move forward, then that does provide somebody with hope like that does provide, a path through. So, you know, I think this conversation is very timely and again, parallel to the work that you're doing. So, you know, the podcast is something that I've been, focusing on and, yeah. between that and just doing work around disability awareness, talking to companies, helping them become more, inclusive, I recently helped get a basketball and smoothie shop off the ground that employs people with disabilities. And so that was a really great experience for me to, work with my two friends. Who are the franchise owners? their daughter has a four year, their daughter is, four with Down's syndrome. And so, you know, their mission to provide more employment opportunities for people with disabilities really resonated with me. So being able, as someone with an entrepreneurial spirit to help in that manner and get that off the ground was really, you know, gratifying. And for me, that's awesome. Yeah. That's great. So important. so good to hear that you're working on that. so it's good to know for people listening that if you want. Travis, how can people can find you on LinkedIn? Travis. Yeah. Website. yes. So people can find me on LinkedIn, or they can go to Travis Davis dot net, dot net.com. or they can email me at Travis at Travis Davis dot net. But yeah I'm pretty easy to get Ahold of and accessible. Yeah. That's amazing. okay, so to the happiness habits. So what do you do for dopamine oxytocin. Serotonin. How do you how do you get them in your lives? Like, I think working out has been really an important role to get, those types of good feelings in my body. And then obviously drinking a lot of water, eating the foods that I need to, and then having my positive thoughts because I think it can be as I, as I mentioned before, you have something that you you live with that you didn't ask for. it it can be very daunting and and very heavy. So thinking, good thoughts. having just positive influences in your life, but I, I definitely enjoy, you know, working out. I grew up playing wheelchair basketball. So adaptive sports is is something that has been a big part of my life. And then, coaching wheelchair basketball too, was something that I really enjoyed. So, you know, thinking about the types of wellness, opportunities out there for individuals with disabilities are, you know, more so now. But back, I don't know, maybe ten, 15 years, maybe few and far between. So being able to talk and like, mentor kids with physical disabilities has been, something that I've enjoyed doing in the past because, you know, I told them that that's a good way for them to feel better about themselves. And so it's like when you have that foundation, as I'm sure you're, well aware of when you have like, that foundation of happiness and the hope, then you feel like you can do more things, you have more confidence. And so it's like confidence for, you know, employment or whatever it may be. So you're just like stacking stack and stacking, to get to your goals. Yeah. Yeah. And achieving goals, even tiny goals releases Doberman. So it's like great to set goals that are achievable, that you can actually kind of accomplish that, you know, starting with very little ones, even if it's just, you know, whatever it is for whatever capacity. how do you how do you find out about like for people with disabilities? How do they find places of recreation? Or, I mean, yeah, that's great. depending on where you live, there might be more opportunities than others, but, you know, doing a Google search on adaptive recreation or, adaptive PE, I mean, adaptive P is usually in all of the public schools. I, I'm assuming Chicago, because we have it here in Chicago is a lot larger than Albuquerque. But yeah, I'd say inclusive recreation, adaptive sports, something of that nature will bring up, with those, either programs or different apps that are out there. Now, I know that there's, other apps that people that I know with disabilities have created. So you could do exercises at home. And it's it's really helpful for people who don't have access or live in more remote areas where those programs don't exist. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Very smart. And we know that exercise releases endorphins, and there's plenty of studies that show they're as effective as depressants, if not more so. So, yeah, really important to and again, the more challenges you have, the more stress hormones you have. And so the more happiness hormones you need to figure out how to get. And so being intentional about that and innovative on how you get, is really critical. so the I, we talked about a little inspired actions having goals. Do you have goals. Do you set goals like what's your, life like your own goals? Yeah, I so I just completed a goal. I, I yeah, I know right. Yeah. Yeah. so I just got back from an eight day trip to Austin, Austin, Texas. So was the first time that I had visited, and I went. So I've lived in other places before, so, you know, that is nothing new to me, but to go to a new place by myself, in my wheelchair. So the reason I specify that is, you know, I have forearm crutches, but for longer distances, I will use a wheelchair. And it can be very challenging to navigate. like a city in a wheelchair is. Other folks who might be listening who use wheelchairs will know. so they're trying to figure out, like, what am I going to take? How much am I going to take? Figuring all that out was a challenge. And then when I got there, it's like, okay, now that I'm here, how like, how am I going to navigate everything? And, you know, I would say, like, I was surprised how smooth everything went because nothing got broken. I was able to get in and out of the Ubers. you know, I was just hoping that I wouldn't, like, go over a crack on a sidewalk and then break my. You know, will, because that's happened. I'm sure that's also happened to strollers, too. So, you know, wheelchairs are not just, you know, the culprit of of that, but, so I had a, I had a goal that I wanted to go there and, you know, I came back with, more confidence and, like, desire to do more traveling on my own. And then as far as something that I have yet to accomplish, that is in the pipeline. So I want to work on a, Well, I am working on a children's book for my niece, who's two years old, and as I mentioned, I has I've been an educator and in the schools and what I've noticed early on, at least at like the middle school age, that students were very curious about my disability, but they also were afraid to ask questions. Yes. And so having that conversation with them was opened my eyes to this whole world of like, wow, there must be other students like them who feel the same way. So that, gave me the inspiration for my TEDx talk that I gave on social inclusion and education, which, you know, allowed me to have more speaking opportunities and, and whatnot. But when my niece was born, I realized that, I was going to be the first person that she was going to have any experience with in regards to disability. And I just she loves to read, I get pictures all the time of her, just like reading birds. And, so, you know, that's that's what I'm working on. And hopefully we can, I finished that up at the end of the, end of the year. And so, you know, that's what's, that's what I'm working on now and what I just recently accomplished going to Austin. Yeah. Wow. That's amazing. And that's wonderful. And that's exactly what I was talking about. I mean, I think we're curious and we don't know. And if we're at all scared to do something with that can come out as, like, anger making fun or whatever. And it's like, quiet. Like we need to open the conversation and be able to ask questions and be curious and do it in the right way. So I love that you're doing that, and I can't wait to read that. So you'll have to let me know. Back to your trip to how much did you pack? So I actually decided to pack for half the amount of time because bringing two luggages, or more than I could actually carry on with my chair didn't seem very practical to me. So I also researched, you know, the hotel and whether they had laundry service. So I'm just like, okay, perfect. I'm just going to pack for half and then halfway there I'm going to do laundry and you know, it's going to be great. And that's what happened. That's what I did. And it was the first time that I've actually been on a trip where everything went right. I did not. And if something did go wrong, it I didn't I didn't even it didn't even affect me because, yeah, I just I didn't have any issues. Wow. That's amazing. Yeah. I mean, it sounds like you planned ahead of time and you thought through challenges you would have and how you would navigate them and and say you prepared well for it too. So and that's there's another study and hope that if you do that, you think about a goal and you think about the challenges you might have along the way, and you problem solve for it before you even go after the goal. Even if you have other challenges unrelated, you still are better able to navigate them and reach the goal. So you're just living proof of that. That's awesome. Thank you. Yeah. Super cool. And then the end Nourishing Networks and you've talked about, you know, you have a really strong group of friends, talked about your, your family. who else is, part of your therapist? What else is important in your network? I think you, I think you, touched on all of that. I will say that, the folks that I connect with for my podcast have been, like, really awesome. and even just the, the friendships that I've made from those conversations and meeting them through LinkedIn or social media has really added, value to, to my life. And I'm just really appreciative of that. Yeah. Let's say the name of your podcast again. off the crutch. Off the crutch. Awesome. By Travis Davis. yeah. That's amazing. What what kind of advice? So say you know, you have a disability and kids are bullying you, or you feel isolated or alone. What what do you what can you do? Who do you what's what recommendations do you have especially for you? yeah. You know, my first thought would be go to a teacher, but I don't know how much. You know, the assumption is, is that teachers and, administrators have this, like, level of understanding about bullying and how to de-escalate the situation. But how much knowledge do they have about disability? How much knowledge do they have about disabilities? And like bullying? And I don't know I don't know the answer to that. But I also don't know if it's as black and white as a stop. You know, it's not nice to make fun of somebody who looks different. Like, I don't know if you de-escalate the situation in that way. I think having other people you can identify with. So when I was playing wheelchair basketball, that was the first time. It was like 12 years old, the first time that I, I actually met somebody with a disability. So I went through like 12 years of like not knowing anybody with a disability, just me. And so that was, you know, eye opening as well. And, you know, my coach, he had polio. So he was somebody that I could identify with. Like he didn't have CP, but he had a disability. So yeah. I think. I would first reach out to people that you can identify with and see if there's, either a special education teacher or if there's an adaptive, sport or recreation organization that you can connect with, and just get I would go, go and those, you know, those avenues or even reach out to people that may give those types of talks. So I think that it's great, you know, you know, if if it's happening to one person, then it's also more than likely have been happening in another, multiple people. So instead of like how I got to the point where I gave a talk to the whole entire middle school back then was because somebody had brought it up into a classroom, class that I was teaching. And so I had stopped and talked to them about my disability. And that was like 20 students. But then I realized that it was probably, it probably went beyond 20 students. So if the bullying is happening to one student, it's more than likely happening to more. So we need to reach more people. with this understanding of, hey, what you're doing bullying and not having empathy is not conducive to you. And it's also not conducive to the person that you are traumatizing or having those conversations with because, at a certain point, that individual will start to lose hope. And that's not what we want. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And we know the bullies are very hopeless too, you know. So it's, it comes from a hopeless place and then it just creates more hopelessness. So yeah. That's great. So having someone in to speak really important, normalizing it, finding people around that are like you, I would also say like keep searching for, you know, adults like keep like, you know, adults are flawed as well and you are not. So don't give up on finding someone trusted. It's so important that we have trusted adults in our lives. you know, for kids that have gone through trauma or feel is, you know, it's, and yet we know it's so critical. So there's, you know, some of our teachers have said less than half of the kids in their classroom can identify one trusted adult in their life. and so, and that's just so sad from a societal standpoint. And so, yeah, it's really important. What can we do to be more inclusive, do you think? What I mean, what would you like to see in the world? well, I would say maybe selfishly, that's what I enjoy doing, is talking to organizations, talking to schools, to bringing that message of, you know, here's my story and here's how I can help your school or your students. So, you know, I, you know, whether it's with you on this podcast or friends that I know, I've always said that I'm here to be a resource to just help other people. And I think, my friends and people that know me know that about me, that I'm, I'm very generous with, what I enjoy doing in that way. But I think having more, more conversations on why what is a disability like, how are we, you know, incorporating inclusiveness in our classrooms? no. I enjoy talking to the private schools more so than the public enjoys. Maybe not the best word. the differences that I've seen is that unlike, the private schools, public schools have, like, special education programs. So they'll have, like, best buddies or, more of they'll have the population of individuals with disabilities where. So in the private schools they don't. So that's where I think I'm able to go in and be somebody that they've maybe never seen before. And that also helps them not, feel like they maybe act out in sort of bullying tendencies. But, I think having more and like that, like teachers need more professional development. That's, that would have advocating for but like the, but teacher. Yeah, yeah. But I think, you know, those those conversations are helpful to, you know, it's to not, you know, segment the students of like, here, all the people that are in special education or have these disabilities, like, have more integration and reach out to to outside organizations like Best Buddies, Special Olympics, adaptive sport organizations. trying to think of any others off the top of my head. But yeah, outside organizations bringing them in like people have brought me in, from the outside. So, I, I think that's a really good way to go. Yeah, I love that. Like creative integration. You know? Yeah, I love it. It's so good. And yeah, having the conversations around it, having an open, you know, curious kind of school environment. I mean, we in our child mnemonic, we have under the nourishing networks like the research on kindness compassion, empathy is all so clear on why it's so important for our health and well-being. and we have links to ton of those studies. So, it's important that we cultivate this in our, in our children and, to great. Those are great suggestions and ideas for how to do so. yeah. Amazing. And we already kind of went through the e eliminated challenges, which are our negative thought patterns that get in the way of our ability to help, which is some, you know, our mind is sometimes our biggest challenge, of all. And you talked about those stress skills. Are there any anything else that you want to add to that? do you like controlling things outside of our control? Is that been a big issue for me? Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. 100%. especially with the Austin trip, you know, I go back to it again, but, I think the whole time I was just like, I'm going to go with it, you know, and I released any control that I had for eight days. And then, then I came back home and like, okay, I'm back in control of everything now. but, yeah, for those eight days, I'm like, I'm just going to go with it. I'm going to be, patient. I'm going to just, roll with the punches. And that served me well. You know, I, I think that added to how much I enjoyed this city so much. yeah. What a great what a great trip, but amazing. Yeah. And that you were intentional about it too. So we're kind of aware of it. And the more fear we have, the more you know, the more we want to control. That's just such a ingrained kind of mechanism. So like understanding that and learning how to like what is within my control in this trip and what can't I control and how can I just kind of allow for that? you know, before we get on, you talked a little bit about your faith. How does that play a role in all of this for your, Well, you know, I grew up Catholic, and I think that it it it serves me because as I learned about, my faith in God growing up in parochial school, having, like, the understanding. And I'm just talking from like, a faith perspective. So and individuals listening who may not share the same values, it may this may not resonate with them. And that is totally fine. But feeling that I was I'm, I'm here for a purpose and that. God. allowed me to be alive even though doctors gave up on me, I think is very powerful. So, you know, I feel like, you know, my disability is the cross that I bear, but it's also because I can't hide my disability. So, you know, wherever I go, people know. And so that sometimes gives them the invitation to help me. So, like yesterday, I was leaving, a restaurant after dessert. And as I was walking out, somebody got out of their seat and just went to the door and opened it up for me. And you know, that that actually happens quite a bit, for whatever reason. But, and I'm very grateful I, I have no problems with people helping me, but, and I think that just speaks to people's empathy and their desires to, just, just be very kind. But I definitely feel like having the faith allows me to set goals, to have hope, and to really move forward. Yeah. So do you like it when people ask you about it, help you in the street or whatever to that? I got that question the other day when I was guest lecturing for, for a class. And yeah, my response was, and for this, to I think it comes with the territory. So I, I didn't ask for this life, but at the same time, like, I'm not going to go out of my way not to acknowledge it. And I think that, you know, big people have their jobs right from 8 to 5, and then they're just like off call, like they're, they're they're done after 5:00. Like, you can't reach me like I'm done until the next day. Like I feel like I'm on call all the time. So I'll go anywhere. And I'm just somebody has a conversation with me like, you know, we can have that conversation. So, I have gotten used to it. I some days are better than others where I'm just like, I, I do. I want to engage right now. I want to, but. Yeah. yeah. You know, it comes with the territory. And if it's not me, then you know who else is going to give them that knowledge and have that conversation with them? yeah. Got it. amazing. Is there anything else that you want, anyone, any of our listeners to know or any information you want to share? again, Travis Davis dot net. That's. Yeah. Travis Bateson like, no, I, I would just say that, you know, whether you have a disability or not. And if you're going through a difficult time, you know, there are techniques, there are people and, you know, as much as I'm sure it's cliche to say, like, it does get better and everybody has the strength inside of them to reach their goals and their potential. And, you know. I wouldn't be where I am without that and having that understanding and, you know, take it from somebody who have maybe not have been alive and be here right now, like I, I use that as motivation and, to push forward. So, you know, if you were to like, believe anybody but don't believe that it's, you know, and you can be you can be, definitely be hopeful and get to where you want to be. walking miracle Travis. yeah. That's amazing. And, you know, it's a process I kind of think I get, I solve it, and then I go back down, and then I somebody. Yeah. You know, for me, as an ongoing, I arm wrestle with her, but it's like a muscle. And you get better at it and think for time and practice and learning from others that have gone through similar experiences, you know, how do they navigate, how can I navigate, more easily. So I maybe don't suffer as much, but I'm also very, you know, I'm very independent. And so, you know, I like to learn things for myself sometimes the hard way is, but, Yeah, it's been such an honor to get to know you and to meet you. I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to share with me and our listeners kind of some strategies that they can potentially incorporate in their own lives or the lives of others, or ways to be kinder and more compassionate humans and more open and inclusive. I think it's so important, you know, right now, more so than ever. so you sharing your story really helps kind of achieve that. So thank you so much, Travis Davis. and thank you all the listeners for listening in. please do share this with others. Spread the message. You know, hope is measurable and teachable. And we have to practice and cultivate skills to become more hopeful. And, you know, as we talked about, we learn from other people so and other people's stories. and so I'm really grateful to Travis for sharing his today. You're on this podcast. So have a wonderful day. Thank you so much. And don't forget to keep shining. Thank you. Thank you all for listening in to the Hope Matrix podcast. We want to shine a light that hope is teachable. Hope is measurable and teachable and provide you with actionable insights for how you can start activating hope in your life today and provide a framework so you can start talking about hope with other people and practice these skills together because we are better with hope. Please feel free to check out theshinehopecompany.com, where we list all of our resources around how to Hope. We have a lot of free programs for how to hope, including the five day Challenge, our Hope infographic with a lot of skills that showcase how to hope and articles of how to incorporate hope in your life. We have The Hopebeat Weekly, which is a weekly newsletter that shares strategies for hope. We have a My Hope Story templates so you can write your own Hope story today. Also my Hope Hero so we can share what our heroes are doing to activate hope in their lives. And this is especially good with youth so they can start looking up to people that have overcome similar or challenges to them and seen how these heroes use the Shine Hope framework. We have a Hopeful Minds for Teens program and Hopeful minds Overview Educator Guides. We have a new evidence based college course so you can activate Hope on the college campus. There are programs in the workplace. Overview courses 90 minute courses for learning the what, why and how to hope. What I want you to know about hope is it's a skill. You've got to practice these skills to become hopeful. It's easy to fall into despair and helplessness when we deal with challenges in life, and it takes intentional work and practice to get to hope. And yet it is always possible. So no matter what life brings. Keep shining hope. Thanks so much for listening and have an awesome day. And of course, I’ve got to add this, that this program is designed to assist you in learning about hope should not be used for medical advice, counseling, or other health related services. iFred, The Shine Hope Company and myself, Kathryn Goetzke do not endorse or provide any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I am not a medical doctor. The information provided here should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition and cannot be substituted for the advice of physicians, license professionals or therapists who are familiar with your specific situation. Consult a licensed medical profession or call 911. If you are in need of immediate assistance and be sure to know the crisis Hotline. 988. If you are in need of support. Thanks so much for listening. Take good care of yourself and keep shining hope.