A skydiver, surfer, rock-climber, snowboarder – Canada’s first Paralympic gold medalist in the sport in fact – a sailor and a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada reality show, the sky is not the limit for British Columbia’s Tyler Turner. The bilateral below-knee amputee, from a skydiving injury, lives by the motto: “It’s not about where you started or your end result. It’s the steps you take in between.”
Life & Limb Podcast is made possible with the support of Ontario Creates.
On Deck:
Christa Couture
Episode Date: October 31, 2024
Christa Couture is a musician, writer, broadcaster and now the host of Season 5 of the AMI travel docuseries “Postcards from...” Proudly Indigenous (mixed Cree and Scandinavian), queer and disabled, Christa highlights a different Canadian city each episode. Over her career, her work has explored personal experiences of loss, from childhood cancer that led to her amputation to the deaths of her two infant sons. She shares stories that intersect with disability.
Andrew Haley
Episode Date: November 14, 2024
“You don’t have to conquer the world; you just have to conquer your world,” says Andrew Haley. His is a story of a Halifax kid with a 35 percent chance of survival becoming one of Canada’s most accomplished high-performance athletes. Andrew shares what motivated him from that cancer diagnosis toward four Paralympic Games and five trips to the Paralympic podium.
Courtney Gilmour
Episode Date: November 21, 2024
Courtney is a JUNO nominated stand-up comedian, television writer, and finalist on Canada’s Got Talent. She is one of Canada's most unique voices and sought-after comedy talents, named by NOW Magazine as “one of the top 10 stage artists to watch.” Courtney's victory at the 2017 Just For Laughs Homegrown was the first by a female comic in the 19-year-history of the event. Her new live album releases this fall.
Tom Williams
Episode Date: December 10, 2024
Tom Williams started STAND (formerly Legs for Africa) after a trip to The Gambia 10 years ago. It was there where he met a gentleman in need of a prosthetic leg due to limb loss from diabetes. Tom sourced one for him, and a decade later his organization has rescued and recycled over 18,000 prosthetic legs for others in need across sub-Saharan Africa. Listen to his remarkable story.
Jeff Tiessen, PLY
Double-arm amputee and Paralympic gold-medalist Jeff Tiessen is the founder and publisher of thrive magazine. He's an award-winning writer with over 1,000 published features to his credit. Recognized for his work on and off the athletic track, Jeff is an inductee in the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. Jeff is a respected educator, advocate and highly sought-after public speaker.