Together, We Shall

The episode blends heart, humor, and practical wisdom — a perfect representation of the Together We Shall spirit. Angel Ally and Disability Inclusion Advocate Jill Huffman, Race Director for the Space Force 10 Miler and Deputy Director for the Air Force Marathon, join us for a conversation ranging from humorous banter to deeply meaningful reflections on accessibility in racing, logistics planning,...

Episode 62 brings the heart, the history, and the humor. Rooster and Joe reflect on the 10 year anniversary of Ainsley’s passing, the launch of the “10 Years Later” video series, and the legacy that continues to grow. They welcome special guest Teri Durrin — the beloved “Chair Lady” of Adaptive Star — to talk about her family’s Marine Corps roots, the evolution of adaptive equipment, and a huge an...

What begins as lighthearted chatter quickly shifts into a powerful, deeply personal conversation about a mom’s journey as a mother, advocate, athlete, and leader. This powerful episode with Tricia Benton — leader, advocate, and 2023 Ainsley’s Angels Joe Orth Award recipient — navigating two premature births to raising her “triple‑threat” daughter Bailey and building a thriving Ainsley’s Angels com...

Episode 60 of the "Together We Shall Podcast" features Jana Rugg (Ainsley's Angels in Tulsa Ambassador) discussing her deeply personal journey of adoption and finding her biological parents.  "If there's something scary that you've thought about doing, do it." -Jana Rugg In this episode, Jana Rugg shares her extraordinary journey — from being born in a home for u...

Marine Corps Marathon Journey!  This episode of the Together We Shall podcast centers on the camaraderie, history, and impact of the Ainsley’s Angels community through the lens of the Marine Corps Marathon weekend. The hosts welcome Dan Cruz, a long-time ally and communications professional in the endurance-sports world, to share his journey—from sports PR beginnings to becoming a full-fledged Ain...

On this episode of the  Together We Shall podcast, we sit down with Maurelhena Walles , founder of Equity Design , to talk about transforming communities through movement, equity, and inclusive design. From NYC schoolyards to global impact, her story is powerful, personal, and inspiring. 💪🏽🌍 🗣️ “We aim to bridge the gap between health, wealth, and life expectancy.” 🎙️ Listen now to hear how she...

In this inspiring episode, hosts Rooster Rossiter and Joe Orth sit down with Billy Price , co-founder of Billy Footwear , to explore resilience, innovation, and community. Billy shares his life-changing story of a fall that left him a quadriplegic, his early struggles with identity and independence, and how a simple need — putting on his own shoes — led to the creation of a global footwear brand....

Joshua Taylor , founder of the Facebook page Disabled, Not Unable , shares his personal journey with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which led him from being a commercial truck driver to a full-time wheelchair user and passionate disability advocate. He speaks candidly about the grief of losing abilities, career, and long-held aspirations—but also how those shifts opened doors to new purpose, especially t...

Ainsley's Angels Senior Vice President of Programs, Shaun Evans, joins Joe and Rooster, as the three share recent stories about thier sons. Three Proud Dads and a few thoughts about the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend.  Audio version of the Together, We Shall Podcast can be found on Buzzsprout (link below), on the Apple Podcast app, as well as on Spotify, Amazon, and the Ainsley’s Angels YouTub...

In this episode, Rooster and Joe return from a year-long podcast break and are joined by Amanda Turner, a witty and insightful advocate living with a disability. Amanda shares stories from her vacation, her journey from being pushed in races to racing independently, and her humorous approach to advocacy. She emphasizes the importance of inclusive humor, planning for long-term care, and building tw...

Bantering through tangents and running the thoroughfares, Kelley Brandon, a special soul, and mother to her precious athlete rider turned angel runner Connor, joins Joe and Rooster to discuss and educate us on topics ranging from Lupus and Special Olympics Torch Runs to being a mom and her Ainsley’s Angels journey of strangers yesterday, friends today, family for life. We dive and laugh together,...

Ann Hupp, co-founder of Mettle Events, joins Rooster and Joe to discuss topics ranging from timing the first ever event Ainsley ran in, being a mother later in life, and skin cancer. An advocate for inclusion of al, Ann takes us on a life journey, from her childhood as a lifeguard and being one of the first ever RFID road race timers in the world to her evolution of becoming a mother and her exper...

Ms. Jessica (Jess) Reagle joins Rooster and Joe to discuss topics ranging from the evolution of Special Education terminology to the realm of possibilities when everybody works together and has ‘a voice and choice’. Ms. Reagle is a Special Education teacher at LeJeune High School (Camp LeJeune, NC) and Ms. Jess is the Owner and Creative Designer of her dream come true, Jessica’s Dance Academy. She...

Joining us from on location from the Boston Marathon starting line, Shamus Evans, with a quick appearance by Shaun, returns to the podcast (previously in episode 8) to showcase the energy and feelings and of “toeing the line” at the 128th running of the Boston Marathon.  Joined by 20 other duo teams, amongst nearly 100 Athletes With Disabilities (AWD), Shamus takes us back to his first Boston Mara...

Joining us from France, Briley Rossiter (Ainsley’s sister) returns to the show to provide an update on her happenings since Rooster and Joe last visited with her in Episode 2. From a daytime train to Barcelona and a Paris-bound Amsterdam bus at midnight to the Colosseum in Rome for New Year’s Eve and the French Alps to start the calendar year - Briley reports on her European travels and accessible...

Kelly Piacenti, ChSNC®, Head of SpecialCare at MassMutual, educates Joe and Rooster on a range of very important topics for those caring for, or living with, people with special needs. Kelly’s late son, Nick, inspired her to do what she does today — to make everyone’s life a little easier. Kelly doesn’t believe in “disinheriting” and shares invaluable insight into how we can leave money to our lov...

Dr. Camille Minor, EdD. joins Joe and Rooster for a special, insightful, raw, real conversation about belonging, acceptance, perspective and, how our formative life events shape who we become and what we value.  Dedicated to community and service, Camille is not only an Angel Ally, but also an Ainsley’s Angels of America board member. The daughter of a Marine, Camille maintains a deep connection t...

Episode 46 takes a deep dive with Alexa Burrows (Community Management at ASICS America Corporation) into how being a childhood cancer survivor, while not allowing the diagnosis to become her identity, built a foundation of resiliency that she did not know existed until an early morning phone call nearly 25 years later. Join us on multiple running and baseball tangents that intersect the thoroughfa...

Episode 45 features a one-of-a-kind, real-life unicorn, as Angel Jill Burwell is the only person in the world who has fulfilled all roles within the Ainsley’s Angels family. From Angel Ally to Angel Ambassador turned Angel Runner, Jill serves now as a Guardian Angel and Angel Athlete Rider.  Hear details of her journey as Jill, Joe, and Rooster, who are not Medical Doctors, discuss how we can all...

On Episode 44 of the Together, We Shall Podcast, Joe and Rooster visit with husband/wife duo Blaise and Myra Camp about how their experience as participants and meeting people in the Ainsley’s environment has brought so much joy and acceptance that moved Myra to express, “I almost don’t feel disabled.”

On episode 43 of the Together, We Shall podcast, Joe and Rooster kick off the new year reminiscing with Tracie David, Ainsley’s Angels of America Executive Assistant, about how her acceptance of an invitation to be part of a “running organization” as a non-runner evolved into a beautiful sense of belonging well beyond her imagination.

On episode 42 of the Together, We Shall podcast, Joe and Rooster had a duo dance while reflecting on previous episodes with an emphasis on being thankful as we approach Thanksgiving. We also discuss the upcoming AinsGiving period, Giving Tuesday deals with Spartan, and a little challenge to close out 2023.

On episode 41 of the Together, We Shall podcast, Joe and Rooster chat with father/son duo, Michael and Donald Harms. When Michael and his wife, Hope, traveled to Jamaica in Spring 2010 to volunteer at a facility for people with special needs, they met a young man named Donald. What transpired since then is an amazing story of trust, triumph, and togetherness generally only encountered on the big s...

On episode 40 of the Together, We Shall podcast, Joe and Rooster chat with two special physical therapists. These are not just any physical therapists. Peggy was Ainsley’s physical therapist and Laura interned with Peggy during her last year of Doctor of Physical Therapy school.  Join us as we reminisce and reflect on a few never-before-shared moments from the last 15 years. 

On episode 39 of the Together, We Shall podcast, Joe and Rooster chat with ASISCS professional athlete Makenna Myler about topics ranging from running a 5-minute mile while 9 months pregnant to acknowledging the impacts a menstrual cycle has on training and diet. Makenna also shares multiple messages aimed at different age groups of women on how to intentionally create environments to make daily d...