Welcome back to The Advocacy Life Podcast and Vlog! We are kicking off 2026 with a brand new season of episodes, focusing on what truly matters: Gratitude and Goals!

Host Kevin Nunez is back after missing November and December (life happened, including a kitchen remodel and he's bringing quality over quantity by switching to two high-quality episodes a month.

In this episode, Kevin gets personal, sharing what he's deeply thankful for:

Family and Friends: A huge shout out to the family (Dad, Mom, Stepdad, etc.) who help set up the podcast equipment, and to friends—the initial reason he started podcasting.

Growth: Being thankful for the podcast evolving from sketchy cell phone recordings to a fully-developed show, and for hitting 200 subscribers on theadvocacylife.com alone!

Health Victories: Celebrating a major victory in 2025: the first year in about five years without any surgeries or major hospitalizations.

Small Connections: Sharing a major connection made at a state function that led to sending in a resume for a potential staff position with Governor-Elect Mikey Sherrill.

Then, he lays out his ambitious goals for 2026:

Writing: Finishing his third book, the conclusion to the Living Beyond Disability series, which focuses on Disability Policy 101 for self-advocates.

Personal Victory: Buying new clothes and new accessible Billy Shoes—a huge deal after losing weight and dealing with the constant battle of finding shoes that fit orthotics.

Social Life: The deeply personal goal of making a real, close friend to talk to more regularly.

Episode Transcript

https://turboscribe.ai/transcript/share/4836865999870251777/-RSP64PDdqblEDJmK-nf3q09PHSVtyz6ZQFpKGTXb4w/tal-s4-e1-goals-and-gratitude

Social Media/Website

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Books

Living Beyond Disability book series

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1H7DM4Z?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

Letters from Limbo Newsletter

https://advocatekevinnunez.wordpress.com/moments-of-brightness-newsletter/

PayPal

https://www.paypal.me/KevinGNunez

Cashapp

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Description

False hope can be a comforting lie, but it often leads to greater disappointment. In this powerful and incredibly honest episode, Kevin Nuñez tackles the sensitive topic of false hope within the disability community, sharing his personal experiences and why he believes brutal honesty, paired with empathy, is essential.

Evin recounts his own childhood experiences with doctors and therapists who gave his family false expectations about "walking again," only to face repeated letdowns He argues that this practice, often well-intentioned, can be more damaging than helpful, especially for children who internalize these unfulfilled promises as personal failures This isn't just about physical rehabilitation; it extends to broader societal interactions where people offer empty reassurances about things they don't understand

This episode challenges us to rethink how we support and communicate with individuals with disabilities[cite: Kevin advocates for a balance of empathy and realism, pushing for genuine understanding over platitudes He asks why we celebrate minimal progress instead of recognizing the full, complex lives people with disabilities lead, and stresses the importance of fostering self-love and self-respect in a world that often measures worth by physical ability.

Show Notes

• New Jersey families support planning councils https://njcdd.org/the-regional-family-support-planning-councils/

• Mom to Mom hotline https://mom2mom.us.com/contact/

• NJ SPAN https://spanadvocacy.org/

• Episode Transcript TAL S3 E 17 Disability and Parenting.docx

@TheAdvocacyLife

FB @theadvocacyliferelaunched

Mean Website

https://advocatekevinnunez.wordpress.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheAdvocayLifeRelaunched

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/theadvocacylife?igsh=N2tyYmdyajQwNGY4

Tumblr

https://www.tumblr.com/theadvocacylife

Threads

https://www.threads.net/@theadvocacylife

Pinterest

https://pin.it/7dHI38Dfs

Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-nu%C3%B1ez-261856364/

Living Beyond Disability book series

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1H7DM4Z?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

https://advocatekevinnunez.wordpress.com/moments-of-brightness-newsletter/

PayPal

https://www.paypal.me/KevinGNunez

Cashapp

https://cash.app/$KevinGNunez

Social Media/Website
Books
Letters from Limbo Newsletter

Description

We all have dreams, but what happens when they don't work out? In this powerful episode, Kevin Nuñez shares his personal journey of chasing a lifelong dream, only to have a new, unexpected door open. He reflects on his childhood dream of being a politician and how that evolved into a deeply personal goal of serving on a national advocacy board.

Kevin takes you behind the scenes of his application process, sharing his confidence and the emotional blow of being rejected from what he saw as his "dream job". But just two hours later, he received a call that changed everything, offering him an opportunity to serve on another national board that he had never even considered.

This episode is a vital reminder that advocacy isn't for money or fame; it's about being a voice for the voiceless and "planting the seed for a tree that someone else will sit under". Listen in as Kevin explores the importance of being aware of the "windows and doors that are open to us" and why a perceived "no" can be the redirection you need.

Episode Transcripts

TAL S3 E 15 Open Doors (1).docx

Show Notes

• NJCDD https://njcdd.org/about-the-njcdd/

• NACDD https://nacdd.org/

• TASH https://tash.org/

@TheAdvocacyLife

FB @theadvocacyliferelaunched

Mean Website

https://advocatekevinnunez.wordpress.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheAdvocayLifeRelaunched

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/theadvocacylife?igsh=N2tyYmdyajQwNGY4

Tumblr

https://www.tumblr.com/theadvocacylife

Threads

https://www.threads.net/@theadvocacylife

Pinterest

https://pin.it/7dHI38Dfs

Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-nu%C3%B1ez-261856364/

Living Beyond Disability book series

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1H7DM4Z?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

https://advocatekevinnunez.wordpress.com/moments-of-brightness-newsletter/

PayPal

https://www.paypal.me/KevinGNunez

Cashapp

https://cash.app/$KevinGNunez

Social Media/Website
Books
Letters from Limbo Newsletter