Champion Gymnast – With a Special Challenge

Jen BrickerJennifer Bricker is a champion gymnast by any measure.  Dedication, hard work, and a desire to be a champion would make her story worthy of inspiration.  Did I mention she was born without legs?  Think you can’t succeed for some real or imagined challenge?  Check your doubts at the door and get to work.

I hope to interview Jen someday for inclusion in my book but her story is so important I felt it necessary to give you a link to her website http://jenbricker.com/my-story/ to read it in her own words and offer you a link to an inspirational video at http://binged.it/1PdvlqP

Blind Ambition

This article simultaneously appeared in SOCALshowbiz.com on August 3, 2015

tina and floridaTina Wilson is a voice-over professional based in Orange County, California. She grew up in the Chicago area and always knew she wanted some form of show business to be a part of her life. Her mother had been a singer with a big band and music was playing in her home all the time. Tina began singing around the house when she was 2 years old and began performing in talent shows and in school plays whenever she could. Tina attended North Park University in Chicago and earned a BA in English. 

Read more…

Looking For A Few Good Inspirational People

I am looking for stories about people who inspire you (or are you), who have overcome poor self-image or physical challenges and have gone on to experience rewarding and successful lives.  Selecteded stories may appear in the blog at SkinnyDeeping.com, a book slated for completion in late 2016, and/or as an interview on a program with the working title, SkinnyDeeping™ with Art.

Read more…

You Think You Have Problems?

History is filled with people who have overcome both real and self imposed personal challenges. Here are just a few examples of people who have overcome challenges to become successful and inspire others that they can overcome their challenges as well:

  • Matuschka (professional model lost breast to surgery)
  • Stephen Hawking (unable to speak or walk)
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt (unable to walk)
  • Teddy Roosevelt (overcame severe childhood illnesses)
  • Matt and Amy Roloff, both 4 feet tall (physical & health challenges)
  • Richard Branson, Thomas Edison, George Burns, Leonardo Da Vinci (dyslexia)
  • Dan Ackroyd, Howard Hughes (Tourettes Syndrome)
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven; Lou Ferrigno, Johnnie Ray (deaf)
  • Helen Keller (deaf & blind)
  • Dudley Moore, Gary Burghoff, Mia Hamm, Kristi Yamaguchi (club foot)

Read more…

The Skinny on SkinnyDeeping™

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with how people present themselves to the world. I suspect it was rooted in a period of time following when I was confined to a wheelchair and home bound for two years.  I was assigned to a class for the disabled as I was re-learning how to walk.  I, along with children with all sorts of challenges from polio to Down Syndrome were gathered in a single classroom.  We were tucked away, out of sight of the normal population.  Some were bright, others barely able to function intellectually.  However, each one had a unique personality and most seemed to ‘get along.’

Read more…