Today I'm sitting down with Johnny and Charlie, an incredible couple whose lives were completely transformed 18 months ago when Johnny was surfing at D-Bah on the Gold Coast. A surfing accident left him with a broken back and severe spinal cord injury. Overnight, everything changed. The dreams they had, the plans they were making, the future they were building together… it all looked completely different from that moment onwards.And yet, what you're about to hear is not a story about tragedy. This is a beautiful story about hope, love, and the human spirit. It's about what becomes possible when two people refuse to give up on each other.Johnny is now d...
Today I'm sitting down with Johnny and Charlie, an incredible couple whose lives were completely transformed 18 months ago when Johnny was surfing at D-Bah on the Gold Coast. A surfing accident left him with a broken back and severe spinal cord injury. Overnight, everything changed. The dreams they had, the plans they were making, the future they were building together… it all looked completely different from that moment onwards.
And yet, what you're about to hear is not a story about tragedy. This is a beautiful story about hope, love, and the human spirit. It's about what becomes possible when two people refuse to give up on each other.
Johnny is now doing things that doctors told him he would never do. Charlie is not just his partner, but his pillar, his anchor & his advocate. Their journey has been so beautiful to witness as they've turned their pain into power and started a mission called Enjoy Your Legs - a beautiful movement and reminder to all of us to not take our bodies or lives for granted.
In this episode, we dive into:
Chapters
- 00:04:17 Life Before the Accident
- 00:07:53 How They Met and J & C's Engagement
- 00:13:14 The Day Everything Changed
- 00:16:28 Charlie's Perspective: The Phone Call
- 00:24:27 Emergency Surgery and Initial Prognosis
- 00:29:50 Understanding Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
- 00:31:32 Defying the Prognosis: Recovery Progress
- 00:33:36 The Power of Mindset in Recovery
- 00:36:03 Living in Duality: Gratitude and Grief
- 00:36:18 The Hidden Challenges of Spinal Cord Injury
- 00:58:16 Partner and Carer: The Hardest Role
- 00:46:21 The Funding Gap: Falling Through the Cracks
- 00:44:15 The Birth of Enjoy Your Legs
- 00:49:58 The First T-Shirt Launch and Overwhelming Support
- 00:54:15 Community Support and Creative Fundraising
- 00:56:10 Ways to Support Their Journey
- 01:18:37 Returning to the Ocean: Adaptive Surfing
- 01:21:46 The Role Enjoy Your Legs will play in the Paralympics
- 01:15:58 Vision for the Future of Enjoy Your Legs
- 01:10:58 How This Journey Has Changed Them
- 01:25:04 Gratitude: What Matters Most
There are moments in this conversation that will absolutely inspire you. There will be moments that will break your heart. And there will be moments that will change the way you think about your life, your body, your resilience, and what really matters.
About Johnny & Charlie:
Johnny and Charlie are from New Zealand who relocated to the Gold Coast to build their dream life. After Johnny’s life-changing spinal cord injury in the surf, they've become advocates for spinal cord injury awareness, adaptive surfing, and the power of mindset in recovery. Together, they founded Enjoy Your Legs, a movement encouraging people to appreciate their bodies while raising funds and awareness for spinal cord injury recovery.
Connect with Johnny & Charlie:
Instagram: @enjoyyourlegs | @johnnyykonings | @charlieegordon
Website: https://www.thewholenesshub.com/enjoyyourlegs
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/surfing-spinal-cord-injury-help-johnny-get-back-on-his-feet
Work with Charlie by clicking here or here» @the.wholenesshub
Connect with me:
Lets connect on IG here » http://www.instagram.com/chanipeach
My website, blog & freebies can be found here » http://www.chanithompson.com/
Subscribe to my YouTube channel here » https://www.youtube.com/CHANITHOMPSON
Join my free VIP email list here » https://bit.ly/VIPwithChaniT
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Love you lots, Chani xo
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