Two Disabled Dudes

288 - Choosing to Smile Even When it's Hard

In this episode, Sean and Kyle count down the final days before setting sail on Rare At Sea, before diving into a candid—and frustrating—travel story. Kyle shares a cascade of challenges involving lost luggage, broken accessibility equipment, freezing temperatures, and the familiar reality of navigating a world not built for wheelchairs. The moment underscores how disability-related obstacles often stack up, turning ordinary travel into an exhausting ordeal.The conversation then turns to an insightful interview with Hasitha Illa, a Friedreich’s ataxia advocate and creator of Life With A Hasi. Hasitha reflects on living with FA in both the U.S. and India, highlighting differences in accessibility, diagnosis, and cultural awareness. She also shares how advocacy, community, and spirituality helped her move from early frustration to acceptance and resilience.With Rare Disease Day approaching, the episode centers on the power of connection, storytelling, and visibility—reminding listeners that progress often begins by simply sharing lived experience and continuing to move forward together.

287 - The Fine Line Between Hope and Denial

In this episode, Kyle and Sean explore the often-blurry line between hope and denial.They unpack how hope can be powerful when it’s grounded in reality, values, and daily action, and how it becomes harmful when it delays grieving, ignores body limits, or ties happiness to a future “if/then” outcome like a cure or treatment. Kyle and Sean reflect on how recognizing reality doesn’t mean giving up, but rather building systems that allow life to keep moving forward.The Dudes close with an invitation for listeners to examine their own version of hope: where it’s helping them stay engaged with life, and where denial might be quietly holding them back. As always, gratitude, humor, and honesty ground the conversation—reminding us that hope rooted in values, not outcomes, is what makes it sustainable.

286 - Grateful. Angry. Both.

Episode 286 marks the start of a new season—and the 10th year—of the Two Disabled Dudes Podcast. Sean and Kyle reflect on how far the show has come, touch on what it means to keep showing up for a decade, and invite listeners into the fun by floating ideas for a listener nickname, with “Dude Squad” leading the pack. They also look ahead to upcoming community moments and reconnect with why they keep doing the work.The heart of the episode centers on a simple but uncomfortable truth: it’s possible to be grateful and angry at the same time. Sean and Kyle talk openly about the pressure to perform gratitude, especially when others expect positivity or strength, and share everyday examples of things they appreciate deeply while still resenting the effort, loss, or frustration attached to them. From accessibility challenges to independence and daily routines, they explore how both emotions can exist without canceling each other out.The episode closes with a reminder that gratitude doesn’t have to soften reality, and frustration doesn’t have to define character. What matters most is how we respond, how we set boundaries, and how we keep moving forward—together.

285 - Knowing When to Stop: Disability, Limits, and Letting Go

What happens when effort isn’t enough—and your body simply says no?Kyle and Sean reflect on the moments when disability turns everyday challenges into hard limits. From navigating airports to realizing they can no longer do things they once loved, they explore the emotional, mental, and social impact of learning where the line truly is between “hard” and “impossible.”They discuss pushing past limits and how fitness, therapy, honest friendships, and self-compassion have helped them adapt. This honest conversation dives into grief, identity, letting go of comparison, and learning to listen to your body—lessons that resonate whether you live with a disability or not.

284 - What Achievement Asks Of Us

Sean and Kyle dive into “the responsibility of achievement”—what happens when your personal wins start to carry weight for other people.Sean shares a story from a recent all-inclusive trip to Mexico, where resort staff pointed out that the two wheelchair guys were the most consistent tippers. That sparks a conversation about why they often feel responsible to “represent” disabled folks well in situations like Uber, airlines, and travel.From there, they unpack:Doing big, visible challenges (bike rides, India, the Niesen Stairway) without feeling like you owe the world the “next big thing.”How seeing someone else go big can give you permission to aim higher in your own way—even if your version looks totally different.The tension between honest vulnerability, toxic positivity, and the risk of sharing hard moments online when you don’t control how people react.They wrap with a reminder: you don’t owe anyone perfection or constant upward momentum, but you do have influence—and you get to decide what you want to do with it. Plus, thank-you notes to a teammate who made a dry training fun and a longtime friend who opened the door to Sean’s career at Nugget Markets.