We are wrapping up Season One of Off The Beaten Path with the amazing Justin Bishop. Justin shares about his life and journey with his condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Justin's condition advanced rapidly, leading to his blindness at the age of 25. He also talked about his work with children on the autism spectrum, teaching them social and motor skills through sports like skateboarding.

Justin also talked about his professional career as a skateboarder. He is expecting his first child and plans to make this his last year as a contracted skateboarder. He is excited to return to skateboarding for fun, without the pressures of making a living from it.

We had such a deeply inspirational dialogue, that moves from blindness to the rigors of balancing sport, life and family.

More about Justin

Justin Bishop is a Professional skateboarder and adaptive athlete passionate about accessibility. He is blind in his left eye, only has peripheral shadows in his right eye. Justin was eight when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that came with a warning that he would go blind in middle age.

Undeterred, he picked up skateboarding at the age of 10. But by the time he turned 25, he could only see shadows and blurs. After a four-year break from skating to remaster all of his essential life skills, he was finally ready to get back on the board.

In 2019, he partnered with Zappos and Not Impossible Labs to develop a sound-based technology that uses speakers to create audio markers visually impaired skaters can use to navigate a skatepark.

Now in his mid-thirties, Justin is a professional skater with sponsors, has starred in commercials and documentaries, and advocates for the inclusion of visually impaired skateboarding in the Paralympics.

Connect with Justin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinthebishop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinthebishop

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justinthebishop

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEi---3J7xAwm-tuMXg7Sqg

Thanks for listening! Off The Beaten Path is brought to you by Dave Epstein and Awarewolf Gear, makers of the All Terrain Cane and the Urban Xplorer. To purchase a cane or find out more visit https://awarewolfgear.com/awghome

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Part two of my interview with Julius Mbura! We continue to dive deep into his life growing up in Kenya and his remarkable climb of all seven peaks of Kenya!

More about Julius

Julius Mbura is a lawyer, disability rights advocate, and motivational speaker making waves in Kenya and beyond. As a blind person, Julius is driven by his lived experience to bridge the gap between legal frameworks and the realities of persons with disabilities (PWDs), promoting their full and effective participation in society. He inspires younger generations of PWDs, demonstrating that their potential is limitless, and connects with thousands of followers across his social media platforms, where he is famously known as JSupercharge. Due to his ever-expanding influence, Julius is currently signed to RECA Talent Management to further extend his reach. Beyond his advocacy work, Julius is a mentor, spoken word artist, and even a car enthusiast, reviewing cars by touch and feel. A graduate of the University of Nairobi's LLB program, Julius is also a distinguished alumnus of both the Mandela Washington Fellowship (2024) and the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) (2024), further fueling his commitment to building a more inclusive society. He serves as the Advocacy Officer and Head of Programming at inABLE, where he champions disability inclusion and accessibility.

Connect with Julius

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliusmbura01/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsupercharge/?hl=en

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliusmbura/?originalSubdomain=ke

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jsupercharge

Website:

Official Julius Mbura site: https://www.jmbura.com/

Heights Unseen: https://heightsunseen.hustlesasa.shop/

Thanks for listening! Off The Beaten Path is brought to you by Dave Epstein and Awarewolf Gear, makers of the All Terrain Cane and the Urban Xplorer. To purchase a cane or find out more visit https://awarewolfgear.com/awghome

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This is probably one of the most remarkable and inspiring interviews for me yet! I have been inspired by all of my guests so far as we meet life on life's terms and go beyond what our perceptions of our abilities as blind/low vision people tell is possible.

I am thrilled to share part one of my interview with Julius Mbura. Julius rang in the New Year with an incredible feat—summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro! This remarkable achievement is part of his Heights Unseen campaign, dedicated to raising funds for 4,000 white canes to support visually impaired children in Kenya. This is a conversation that will leave you awe-inspired and motivated to climb any mountain, especially the metaphorical ones we encounter in life!

Stay tuned for part two of my interview with Julius which airs on February 27, 2025.

More about Julius

Connect with Julius

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliusmbura01/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsupercharge/?hl=en

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliusmbura/?originalSubdomain=ke

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jsupercharge

Website:

Official Julius Mbura site: https://www.jmbura.com/

Heights Unseen: https://heightsunseen.hustlesasa.shop/

Thanks for listening! Off The Beaten Path is brought to you by Dave Epstein and Awarewolf Gear, makers of the All Terrain Cane and the Urban Xplorer. To purchase a cane or find out more visit https://awarewolfgear.com/awghome

Join our community!
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from Sedona Dave and Awarewolf Gear: https://awarewolfgear.com/signup

Follow us on Social!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awarewolfgear/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Awarewolfgear