From Struggles to Songs: Music and Resilience with Gene Moran

2025-05-12

Turning Struggles into Songs: Music and Resilience with Gene Moran In this episode, you'll hear: The power of letting someone believe in you The need for humor when facing hard times How cerebral palsy isn’t the end—it just requires more creativity to overcome challenges In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave Leicken, and Gene Moran dive into the creative process behind Gene’s songwriting and the deeper themes that shape his music. Born with cerebr...

Turning Struggles into Songs: Music and Resilience with Gene Moran

In this episode, you'll hear:

The power of letting someone believe in you
The need for humor when facing hard times
How cerebral palsy isn’t the end—it just requires more creativity to overcome challenges

In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave Leicken, and Gene Moran dive into the creative process behind Gene’s songwriting and the deeper themes that shape his music. Born with cerebral palsy, Gene reflects on how his father instilled in him the belief that he was capable of doing hard things. Gene shares how he overcame his fear of looking foolish on stage and the transformative power of having someone believe in you. The conversation also highlights the role of humor in overcoming hardships and the importance of letting go of expectations to embrace personal growth.

Gene Moran is a singer-songwriter and musician based in Mesa, Arizona, born with cerebral palsy, which affects his fine and gross motor skills, Gene has developed a distinctive playing style that sets him apart. Before fully immersing himself in music, he dedicated 21 years to teaching 5th and 6th grade in public schools. Transitioning from the classroom to the stage, Gene has been involved in various musical projects, including Mean Gene and the Soul Scorchers, Rockin' Chair, The Blinding Suns, and Mean Gene and the Green Sardines. His songwriting resonates with everyday issues of poverty, addiction, despair, and love, delivered with an authenticity that reflects his personal experiences and resilience.

“You give off good energy, you get back good energy.” - Gene Moran

“There is a split where you could on the one hand embrace the disability and say well I can’t do this I can’t do that…then you end up limiting yourself but I think the right way to do it is the way your dad encouraged you is, how can we…you have to do things a little differently then other people but the hard ‘no’ isn’t there, you just have to find a way to make it work.” - Dr. Dave Leicken

Follow the podcast:

Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)
Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)
Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)

Resources:

Gene Moran’s Website
Dead Man’s Guitar by Gene Moran
Dr. Dave Leicken

Connect with Mathew Blades:

Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades
Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/
Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/
Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/

Additional Credits:

LFPWLI is managed by IMS LLC

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