Disability Empowerment Now

In this episode of Disability Empowerment Now, host Keith Murfee-DeConcini connects with Aaron Gwynaire, the solo indie game developer and artist behind Neyyah. Aaron spent seven years single-handedly crafting Neyyah—a pre-rendered, point-and-click adventure puzzle game heavily inspired by retro classics like Myst and Riven. Together, they explore what it means to spend years building a massive, i...

Where traditional therapy sometimes reaches a wall, pressing "start" can open the door to emotional recovery. In this episode of Disability Empowerment Now, host Keith Murfee-DeConcini connects with Filipe F. Thomaz, creator of the emotionally charged indie game Into a Dream, to explore how computer games and narrative art serve as powerful tools for mental health and healing. Moving far beyond si...

Can fantasy and ancient melody become a sanctuary for mental health and healing? In this episode, host Keith Murfee-DeConcini sits down with composer and musician Dave Bons to explore the therapeutic power of Celtic music inspired by the world of The Lord of the Rings. From the grounding warmth of the Shire to the resilient rhythms of ancient Celtic traditions, Dave breaks down how cinematic sound...

Inpatient care is often painted as a clean, peaceful sanctuary where healing happens in a straight line. But what happens when the very institutions designed to save us fall short? In this raw and unflinching episode of Disability Empowerment Now (DEN), host and advocate Keith Murfee-DeConcini pulls back the curtain on his personal experience at The Meadows. Going beyond standard recovery narrativ...

In this special duo episode, Keith sits down with the father-and-son pair Gregg and Dave Hayes to reflect on their time at The Meadows and unpack their unique family dynamic. Navigating life as a legally blind father and an autistic son, Gregg and Dave share an honest, heartwarming, and humor-filled look into what it was like growing up together with two vastly different disabilities. From the dai...

Keith reunites with his former retreat roommate, recovering alcoholic Matt Beard, as they look back on their 70-day stay at The Meadows. Laughing over how the environment often felt like high school, they dive into the deeper work: what it truly takes to heal in a safe space, practice radical self-honesty, and carry those newfound skills back home to their families. Keith and Matt discuss the powe...

Keith connects with Gregg Hayes—an Accessibility Tech Specialist, blind father, and the dad of Keith's good friend, whom he originally met through connection at The Meadows. Gregg shares his unique perspective on navigating fatherhood without sight and dives into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Together, they break down the groundbreaking ways AI tools are expanding independ...

In this heartwarming and candid episode, Keith reconnects with Derek Almasch, whom he met during his transformative time at The Meadows mental health retreat. Derek opens up about his unique life as a father to 17 children, sharing the incredible joys, chaotic realities, and inevitable ups and downs that come with raising a massive family. Together, Keith and Derek discuss how personal healing and...

In this raw and insightful episode, David and Keith sit down for an open conversation about their transformative time at The Meadows, navigating the overlapping struggles of addiction and depression. From the heavy work of healing to the unexpected joy of on-site talent show festivities, they explore how community and lightheartedness fit into recovery. The pair also dive deep into growing up on t...

In this powerful and honest episode of Disability Empowerment Now, Wes and Keith reflect on their experiences at The Meadows and what it meant to step away from their everyday lives to focus on healing and growth. They discuss the difficult experience of having their belongings taken away upon arrival, the loss of independence and control that came with entering a treatment environment, and the em...

What does it really take to stand on the frontlines of mental health crisis management? In this episode, host Keith sits down with Lindsey Steel—a Seattle-based Mobile Crisis Management Specialist whom he met at The Meadows during a 30-day mental health wellness retreat. Lindsey opens up about what her high-intensity day-to-day work actually looks like, how the post-COVID landscape transformed men...

In this heartfelt episode of Disability Empowerment Now, Keith welcomes his friend Marcus, whom he met while living at The Meadows Health Care Center. Both Keith and Marcus have cerebral palsy, and together they reflect on their shared experiences, the friendships they've built, and the challenges they've faced navigating life with a disability. Their conversation is filled with honesty, humor, re...

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Caren J, a dedicated member of the Meadows Mobile Crisis Team, to explore her lifelong passion for supporting others through mental health and crisis intervention. From the age of 13, Caren knew she wanted to work in the mental health field. After earning her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, she built a career serving individuals and fam...

In the final installment of our "Dating with Disabilities" miniseries, things go completely off the rails in the best way possible. Host Keith Murfee Deconini is joined by the "delightful" Liv Mamone and the legendary Andrew Gurza for a series finale that is equal parts vulnerable, hilarious, and chaotic. From Keith's questionable college fashion choices to a deep-dive into the logistics of Wicked...

In this high-energy installment of our "Dating with Disabilities" miniseries, co-host Keith Murfee-Deconcini and guest Liv Mamone take over the mic while Andrew Gerza takes a well-deserved week off. What follows is a rollercoaster conversation that connects the dots between physical disability emblems, the ethics of polyamory as an "access tool," and the frustrating societal assumptions placed on...

Welcome back to the third installment of our "Dating with Disabilities" miniseries on Disability Empowerment Now. Host Keith Murfee-Deconcini is joined by Liv Mamone and Andrew Gurza for a conversation that starts with names and identities but quickly descends into a hilarious and heartfelt deep-dive into the realities of sex, aging, and "celebrity crushes" for the disabled community. In this epis...

We’re back for Part 2 of our "Dating with Disabilities" miniseries on Disability Empowerment Now. Host Keith is back in the hot seat with Liv Mamone and Andrew Gurza, and this time, we’re digging into the "lizard brain" of dating. In this episode, the trio tackles the uncomfortable truth about internalized ableism—why we sometimes reject our own community in search of an able-bodied "status symbol...

Welcome to the first installment of our multi-part "Many-Cheers" miniseries on dating with a disability. Host Keith is joined by poet Liv Mamone (Fire in the Waiting Room) and author/advocate Andrew Gurza (Disability After Dark) for a conversation that is as unfiltered as it is exhausted. All three hosts live with Cerebral Palsy, and they aren’t here to give you "inspirational" dating advice. Inst...

Is your smartphone a communication tool or a portable casino? AI consultant Peter Swim joins host Keith Murfee-DeConcini to expose the high cost of "Silicon Valley imagination." Peter breaks down his summer experiment where he consolidated 7,000 AI programs into just 42 megabytes, proving that we don’t need faster hardware—we need better stewardship. They discuss why AI struggles to recognize spee...

What happens when your doctor prescribes life-saving care, but your insurance says no? For retired Navy pilot and corporate executive Frank Lobb, the answer was a tragedy that sparked a twenty-year crusade. After his wife was denied care that he was barred from paying for out-of-pocket, Frank used his background in federal air compliance and law to deconstruct the "Big Lie" of the American healthc...

I’m coming for you like a junkie." Keith and Alaina aren't holding back as they break down the "Dirty Boy Bangers" of Depeche Mode’s later catalog. This episode covers the gritty, bluesy industrialism of Soothe My Soul, the "rushing beat" of So Much Love, and the complicated marriage of simple lyrics and complex sounds in Come Back. We also pause for a "neighborhood watch" report from a very speci...

After the near-destruction of the Devotional Tour, Depeche Mode returned with Ultra—an album Keith and Alaina describe as a "masterpiece of re-emergence." In this episode, we explore the raw, "stitched-together" vocals of a recovering Dave Gahan and the spiritual songwriting of Martin Gore. From the "sleazy swag" of It’s No Good to the breathtaking maturity of The Bottom Line, we discuss how the b...

In the second installment of our "Love and Devotion" mini-series, Keith Murfee-DeConcini and Alaina Morin dive into the dark, industrial heart of mid-80s Depeche Mode. From the "seedy" power dynamics of "Master and Servant" to the raw, naked vulnerability of "Somebody," we explore why Depeche Mode is the ultimate "guy band" for the emotionally complex. We discuss role reversals, the "fatherly" anx...

In this raw and essential conversation, host Keith Murfee- DeConcini sits down with poet and author Jessica MacLean. Jessica shares her lifelong journey navigating Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and spina bifida occulta—invisible conditions that affect every system in her body. From experiencing her first migraine at age seven to surviving a literal broken back caused by a simple change in position,...

In this episode, we sit down with Rabbi Adam Chalom and Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, editors of Contemporary Humanistic Judaism. We explore the bold concept of identifying as "secular and Jewish" at the same time—proving that heritage is about more than just dogma. The Rabbis pull back the curtain on how this movement empowers individuals to take ownership of their culture. From using "Bimitzvah" as a gen...